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. — Generation Opportunity, one of the largest grassroots organizations connecting with Millennials through advanced social media outreach and traditional, boots-on-the-ground organizing, announces non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) 18-29 unemployment rate data for July.

The youth unemployment rate for 18-29-year-olds specifically for July 2012 is 12.7 percent (NSA). Additional notes: the youth unemployment rate for 18-29-year-old African Americans for July 2012 is 22.3 percent (NSA); the youth unemployment rate for 18-29-year-old Hispanics for July 2012 is 14.0 percent (NSA); and the youth unemployment rate for 18–29-year-old women for July 2012 is 12.6 percent (NSA).

The declining labor participation rate has created an additional 1.715 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” by U.S. Department of Labor (BLS) because they are not in the labor force, meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs.

If the labor force participation rate were factored into the 18-29 youth unemployment calculation, the actual 18-29 unemployment rate would rise to  16.7 percent (NSA).

Generation Opportunity President Paul T. Conway, former Chief of Staff of the US Department of Labor and former Chief of Staff of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued the following statement in response to the July 2012 jobs numbers:

“This unemployment number is another indicator of the far greater, more fundamentally devastating, and still under-reported story impacting young Americans. For nearly three and half years, young Americans have experienced historically high unemployment levels – levels that are among the highest since the end of World War II – that tell the story of millions of delayed dreams and careers of the next greatest generation.

“Instead of aggressively embracing policies that liberate businesses to create more jobs, the President and his appointees have pursued an agenda that suffocates economic opportunity under the weight of more spending, higher debt, more regulations, and higher taxes. For young Americans, the message from their government is clear – we are not responsible if our destructive policy decisions eliminate your plans for full-time meaningful jobs in a career path of your choice. Even worse, elected officials in Washington are proving themselves to be coldly distant from the human costs of unemployment, the personal stresses and frustrations that come from the uncertainty surrounding unemployment.

“Millennials deserve better from their government, especially in light of what they have already contributed to this country. They are the generation that witnessed the 9/11 terror attacks on US soil, bravely responded to fight two wars overseas, selflessly helped rebuild New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities after Hurricane Katrina, and offered their personal support to those most impacted by the economic collapse. Yet, each day they awake to an economic reality, which includes record high unemployment and limited opportunities. Their message to all candidates is clear – we want to get on with our lives and realize our dreams. However, if the solutions you offer equal less jobs and more debt for our country, you will fail to win our enthusiasm and our vote.”

Generation Opportunity commissioned a poll with the polling company, inc./WomanTrend (April 16 – 22, 2011, +/- 4% margin of error) and a highlighted result for all young Americans ages 18-29 appears below:

• 77% of young people ages 18-29 either have or will delay a major life change or purchase due to economic factors:
• 44% delay buying a home;
• 28% delay saving for retirement;
• 27% delay paying off student loans or other debt;
• 27% delay going back to school/getting more education or training;
• 26% delay changing jobs/cities;
• 23% delay starting a family;
• 18% delay getting married.
• Just 31% of 18 – 29-year-olds approve of President Obama’s handling of youth unemployment.

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Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the March 2012 Employment Situation report released April 6th:

“Our nation’s labor market added 121,000 private sector jobs in the month of March, while the unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent.

“For 25 consecutive months, we’ve registered private sector job growth. Some months we are seeing tremendous job gains, while other months we are seeing more modest gains. But the trend line is clear: Our economy is growing, and our recovery is durable.

“Since this president took office, we’ve added more than 4 million jobs to an economy that was bleeding 800,000 a month under the last administration. That’s a noteworthy achievement.

“We’ve added nearly half a million manufacturing jobs since February 2010. This week, major U.S. carmakers announced that their U.S. sales rose last month to the highest level in at least four years.  When President Obama took office, the U.S. auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Since he bet big on the American autoworker, the industry has seen a complete turnaround, adding more than 230,000 jobs since the summer of 2009.

“However, the fact that some Americans are still leaving the labor force shows that we cannot rest on our laurels and expect to coast our way back to prosperity. This administration continues to fight for programs that will support and train our youth and displaced workers. Our recovery will only be as lasting as our commitment to the American worker. Now that the country is on a steady path toward recovery, we need to invest in community colleges and job training programs that prepare our workers for 21st century jobs.”

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

Connect with DOL at
http://social.dol.gov
http://twitter.com/usdol
http://www.facebook.com/departmentoflabor
http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor
http://social.dol.gov/blog/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52862363@N07/

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdol/

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The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of approximately $1.8 million for up to six grants through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program.

“These grants offer women the opportunity to gain skills in industries that will continue to grow and offer long-term career opportunities,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Partnerships that include Registered Apprenticeship programs, local workforce investment areas and community-based organizations create a powerful support system to recruit and train women for careers in nontraditional occupations.”

The grants will support innovative projects that improve the recruitment, hiring, training, employment and retention of women in apprenticeships within industries such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and construction. Within these industries, the grants will fund activities focused on three occupational areas: existing occupations expected to experience primarily an increase in employment demand, existing occupations with significant change to the work and worker requirements, and new and emerging green occupations.

Eligible applicants include consortia that comprise a community-based organization, a local workforce investment area and a Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor. Applicants must place at least 50 participants annually ‒ and at least 100 over the life of the grant ‒ into a Registered Apprenticeship program. The grants are jointly administered by the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau and its Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship.

The solicitation for grant applications will be published in the April 10 issue of the Federal Register and is available at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm. For information on the Department of Labor’s range of employment and training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

Connect with DOL at
http://social.dol.gov
http://twitter.com/usdol
http://www.facebook.com/departmentoflabor
http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor
http://social.dol.gov/blog/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52862363@N07/

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdol/

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Former pharmaceutical representative Timothy Brennantoday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan against Warner Chilcott charging the drug corporation with illegally denying him compensation for overtime hours. The law firm of Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum LLP represents Brennan.

The suit charges that during his four-and-a-half years of employment, Brennan often worked in excess of 40 hours a week but received an annual salary without overtime pay. The New York class action was filed on behalf of Brennan and all other pharma reps who worked for Warner Chilcott in New York during the last six years.

New York overtime law requires that employees be paid time-and-a-half overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a week, unless they are specifically exempt.

Attorney Charles Joseph, a partner with Joseph, Herzfeld Hester & Kirschenbaum LLP, stated, “The US Department of Labor recognizes that pharmaceutical reps are not exempt from overtime pay under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and New York overtime law is consistent with the FLSA.”

Joseph explained that the precedent for Brennan’s claim was set in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which found that Novartis pharma reps were entitled to overtime compensation on the same basic grounds alleged against Warner Chilcott.  (Novartis recently settled the overtime lawsuit for$99 million.) The Second Circuit issued a similar ruling in a case brought by pharma reps against Schering Plough, as have district courts in Connecticut and Illinois in cases against Boerrhinger Ingelehein and Abbott.

Brennan, who worked for the company in Manhattan, said, “For years, this company failed to pay representatives their earned overtime.  This lawsuit holds them accountable.”

“Our view is that Mr. Brennan and other Warner Chilcott reps are owed a great deal of money for working extraordinarily long hours with no additional compensation,” Joseph said. “This is a chance to achieve justice for the reps.”

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