Washington, U.S.A. – Generation Opportunity President Paul T. Conway, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Labor, has issued the following statement:

“Today, in our prayers and in our hearts, we remember the thousands of innocent Americans and first responders who lost their lives during the cowardly terror attacks of September 11, 2001. We mourn their loss and pledge to their families and loved ones to always honor their memory and to never forget their bravery and sacrifice. We offer our full respect for the courage and selflessness demonstrated by those who answered this nation’s call to respond through the War on Terror, including those in the United States Armed Forces, committed federal civil servants, countless state and local police, and emergency responders whose ongoing vigilance continues to keep us safe here at home.

We also pay tribute to America’s next greatest generation, whose love of our country and unwavering commitment to their fellow citizens was forged by the events of that day. Through their patriotism, military service, and example of helping those in need here and overseas, young Americans have sent a powerful message to the world that our nation’s ideals are intact, that our exceptionalism remains, and that the memory of those who fell of September 11 will never fade.”

Mr. Conway served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on September 11, 2001, and was involved in the legislative efforts to establish the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He later served as an agency Chief of Staff at DHS and was awarded the Secretary’s Silver Medal, the second highest DHS civilian award, for his leadership and distinguished service over a significant time to the Department.

Image Courtesy of   Glynnis Jones / Shutterstock.com

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Washington, U.S.A. — The states of Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas will receive grants totaling $3 million to develop strategies aimed at helping returning Army veterans find employment more quickly through the public workforce system, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced on July 24. This funding represents an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Army under the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service Members program.

“The Labor Department is deeply committed to providing employment services and benefits that best support the men and women who have served our country, and the grants announced today are an example of that commitment,” said Secretary Solis. “Ensuring Army veterans have expedited access to job training and job placement services is one way our nation honors their sacrifices.”

This initiative will provide each of the four states with $750,000 to develop new strategies to enhance outreach and re-employment services for Army unemployment compensation claimants. Examples of strategies include improved tracking of claimants across federal programs to better link unemployed veterans to potential job opportunities; increasing staff capacity to help claimants understand which military skills can be transferred to civilian careers; expanding service delivery through agency partnerships, such as opening employment service satellite offices in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs locations; and expanding outreach activities to better connect these veterans to American Job Centers, job fairs and other services that can expedite their return to work.

“These grants are an important step toward ensuring that the soldiers who so valiantly and selflessly served our nation get the help they need transitioning back to civilian life,” said Secretary of the Army John McHugh. “By sharing information, improving access to re-employment services and increasing outreach opportunities, we can help Army veterans get better access to and information about job opportunities. I’m grateful to Secretary Solis and the Department of Labor for their support. This is great news for the Army and its veterans.”

The four states selected have large populations of Army veterans who are unemployment compensation claimants and have been actively collaborating with both the Labor Department and the Army to improve veterans’ access to the public workforce system. These grants will be implemented over the next two years, and the promising practices developed with these investments will be shared with other states and expanded to include other branches of the military.

Image Courtesy of   Shcherbakov Ilya / Shutterstock.com

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As the holidays approach and most people look forward to taking time off from work to spend with their families, millions of older adults are asking for one important gift this year – a job.

New data from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) shows that older workers employed through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provide exceptional skills, productivity, and experience to employers looking to fill temporary and part-time positions. At the same time, SCSEP helps older workers gain critical skills that can lead to permanent employment.

Funded through the U.S. Department of Labor, NCOA’s SCSEP program matches eligible older Americans aged 55+ with training and part-time jobs for community service organizations through 27 offices in 11 states. In the 2010-11 program year, over 6,000 older adults were served by NCOA, providing over 4 million hours of community service. Upon completion of the training program, 62.4% of participants were placed into permanent employment.

On average, older adults employed through NCOA’s SCSEP program earned over $7,200, which, when combined with other benefits, served as a lifeline for these struggling older adults, many of whom are one step away from economic crisis.

According to a report released earlier this year by the Congressional Research Service, once they have lost a job, one out of eight (12%) older Americans are more likely than any other age group to remain out of work for 99 weeks or more. Many have spent almost two years looking for work, considerably higher than the 6% figure among unemployed workers under age 35.  Additional data comes from a recent AARP report on unemployment, found here.

“New data released December 15 by the U.S. Labor Department shows the unemployment rate dropping in the U.S. and while this is great new, it’s not necessarily true for older workers,” said Sandra Nathan, senior vice president for economic security at NCOA. “Thousands of older adults are still seeking employment today.

Their skills and experience can be a welcome addition to employers struggling to find qualified applicants, and we hope to connect thousands more mature workers with employers in 2012.”

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While the state of Maine is well over 1000 miles from Wisconsin, politically they are getting closer and closer.  Over the weekend, the Republican governor of the state removed a pro-labor mural from the Department of Labor.  Now, the Republican members of the state legislature are creating bills designed to loosen child labor laws.

Bill LD 1346 would allow employers in the state to pay workers under the age of 20 as little as $5.25 an hour for the first 6 months of employment even though minimum wage in Maine is $7.50. The measure would also eliminate the maximum number of hours that a minor over the age of 16 can work on a school day.

While Maine’s unemployment rates are high, like the rest of the country, state Rep. Paul Gilbert (D) wonders why Republicans are pushing to create a pool of cheap labor when so many people are begging for jobs.   “If we had a shortage of job applicants or potential workers, then you could look at other populations to ease that strain on the workforce,” Gilbert told The Huffington Post. “But we don’t have that right now. We have an excess of job applicants here in Maine, as well across the country.”

Another bill, LD516, is currently being debated on in the state Senate.  This bill would allow 16 and 17 year-old students to work until 11PM on school nights, an hour later than they are currently allowed to work.  The measure would also allow students to work 24 hours a week.  Currently, students are only able to work 20 hours a week.  Senators on the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee are split along party lines on the bill, but it’s likely to pass when the full body votes on it–the Senate, like the House, is controlled by Republicans.

In a press release sent out by the Maine House Democratic office earlier in the week, Sen. Troy Jackson, the lead Democrat on the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development (LCRED) Committee, said, “While the Governor is distracted by artwork that makes him angry, the Republicans in legislature are rolling back protections for Maine kids.”

Co-sponsor of LD1346 Rep. Bruce Bickford (R) said that the government should stop standing in the way on child labor issues. “This is in no way an attempt to abuse child labor, which some may look at and say, ‘We’ve fought hard for kids and we’ve done this or that,’” he said. “Kids have parents. Let the parents be responsible for the kids. It’s not up to the government to regulate everybody’s life and lifestyle. Take the government away. Let the parents take care of their kids.”

Testifying recently against the proposed change to the law, Maine Children’s Alliance President and CEO Dean Crocker said that with 20 percent of students in the state currently not graduating high school, the state needs to do everything it can to prioritize education: “Letting work once again interfere with the education is not the step we should take.”

LD 1346 was referred to the House LCRED committee on Tuesday, although a schedule to debate the bill has not yet been set. LD 516 is now facing a full vote by the Senate.

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