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What Is the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (PSEECA)?

• The act would require all state and local governments to collectively bargain with public safety employees–police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel.
• States would be forced to permit bargaining over wages, hours, and all terms and conditions of employment.
• States would have to provide a dispute resolution mechanism, such as binding arbitration.
• PSEECA allows the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether a state’s collective bargaining arrangements meet the standards as defined by the act. If they do not, the FLRA could impose a collective bargaining system on the state.
• The FLRA would have considerable authority to enforce the act, including:
• • Determining the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation;
  • Conducting hearings and resolving complaints of unfair labor practices; and
  • Supervising or conducting elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees.
• States would be granted the authority to pass laws more expansive than those the federal government imposed.
• States would not, however, be allowed to pass narrower laws than those contained in the act.

Policy Objections

• Unionized state and local government employees earn 11-12 percent higher pay than comparable non-union workers.
• They also have more expensive benefit packages than non-union workers.
• The act would end local control and flexibility by forcing the minority that has chosen not to collectively bargain to do so. Different states and local governments have different needs and should be free to fit their policies to their individual needs. Collective bargaining does not work everywhere.
• Large majorities of public safety employees already collectively bargain. The states in which collective bargaining is appropriate and affordable have already chosen to do so. The legislation represents a solution in search of a problem.
• Not all issues should be collectively negotiated. For instance:
• • Police unions should not negotiate the terms and conditions under which their members may use deadly force.
  • Many state and local governments promote police officers on the basis of merit and performance instead of through collectively bargained seniority schedules. Merit-based promotions and raises encourage hard work and help put the best workers in the most sensitive positions. However, unions prefer seniority-based promotions. States should not be forced to bargain over this issue.
• Experience demonstrates that collective bargaining does not lead to increased cooperation between public safety employees and their employers.
• • The process is inherently adversarial: Pitting employees and employers against each other at the bargaining table creates as much conflict as cooperation.
  • Consequently, public-sector employees will often strike when the law explicitly forbids it, putting vital public services at risk.
• PSEECA may deter or even eliminate volunteer firefighting. Firefighters unions vehemently oppose volunteer firefighters because they reduce the need for paid firefighters. They levy stiff internal fines against unionized firefighters who volunteer off-duty. By requiring all states and localities to collectively bargain, PSEECA would make it easier for unions to crack down on volunteer firefighting.

Economic Effects

• The act imposes an expensive unfunded mandate on state and local governments.
• Without providing financing for the mandate, the act will force these governments to either cut services or raise taxes.
• The act prevents employers from hiring workers who would do the same job for less than union wages, thus undermining potentially more qualified competition.
• This gives the union much more negotiating power but harms workers who could negotiate a better individual deal with the employer. A non-union worker who prefers merit-based promotions must instead accept what the union negotiates for him.

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WINDSOR — When Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital’s first safe-workplace advocate arrived at her new post a year ago, some employees and physicians were skeptical about participating in mandatory workplace violence prevention workshops.

The hospital’s enhanced violence prevention program, born out of the tragic death of nurse Lori Dupont, who was killed on the job in 2005 by her colleague and former boyfriend Dr. Marc Daniel, was still relatively new, drawing varied responses from Hotel-Dieu staff.

“When you say to people: ‘You’re compelled to take training that will prevent you from being violent,’ people feel targeted and they get their backs up,” said Dawn Ricker-Vassos. “And particularly … because of Dr. Daniel, I think physicians felt really targeted by this.”

But a year into her unique role at Hotel-Dieu, Ricker-Vassos said attitudes have changed, with doctors and hospital staff embracing workplace violence prevention training with positive feedback and even suggestions on how to make it better.

“I’ve been just astounded by the level of buy-in and participation,” Ricker-Vassos said.

The workshops — compulsory for every employee and physician seeking privileges at the hospital -— are among the sweeping changes Hotel-Dieu has made since a lengthy coroner’s inquest ended with 26 jury recommendations aimed at preventing future violent incidents in hospitals across the province.

Hotel-Dieu spokeswoman Kim Spirou said she knows of only a couple of physicians who refused to take part in the workshops and have lost privileges as a result. Both doctors had only courtesy privileges at the hospital, which usually involves dropping by from time to time to check in on patients. Spirou said Hotel-Dieu has not lost any specialists because they wouldn’t participate in violence prevention training.

Every physician must meet with Ricker-Vassos at least once and attend the workshop where key topics include conflict resolution and recognizing violence, bullying and bad behaviour in the workplace.

The hospital’s code of conduct, bylaws and rules against harassment are reviewed, and Ricker-Vassos said she makes sure everyone understands that the definition of violence in the workplace goes beyond physical contact.

“When you’re standing over someone and looming in their face, that’s workplace violence. When you’re threatening to have someone’s licence or livelihood, that’s workplace violence. And that has devastating impacts on people,” she said.

Most of the complaints that come through her office have to do with “incivility and miscommunication,” she said.

“And when it lingers, things get worse and worse.”

Ricker-Vassos said violence prevention training is just one part of her job. She spends a lot of time meeting with staff, physicians, supervisors and managers and working to resolve conflicts between people before they escalate.

“People need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Sitting down to address a conflict is very uncomfortable,” she said. “People would rather deliver death news, I think, than deal with these personal, contentious issues,” she said.

“It’s a matter of bringing people together and creating an ongoing plan for a resolution and then a follow-up to that plan to make sure that supervisors are working with their staff to improve relationships and communication.”

Ricker-Vassos calls her office a “one-stop shop” for staff affected by conflict and violence, whether it’s at work or at home. Many people approach her with personal issues, usually dealing with domestic violence.

At Windsor Regional Hospital, there has been a longstanding program aimed at preventing workplace violence, but there is no compulsory training for staff or physicians.

Dr. Gary Ing, the hospital’s chief of staff, said it’s not necessary because violence and conflict prevention is part of doctors’ “ongoing education” while they’re at WRH and they know that any misbehaviour will be taken into account when the status of their privileges is being reviewed.

“The physicians don’t feel obligated, but they’re willing to participate in the complaints process,” Ing said. “It has worked out for us and we’ve had a lot of success over the years.”

Ing said the hospital relies on its recently redrafted professional conduct bylaws, the physician complaint management policy and the office of mediator Aruna Koushik to deal with conflicts as soon as they are flagged.

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Your employees’ ideas and passion for their work can help your business grow and succeed. Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they arrive for work filled with purpose? If you can’t honestly offer an enthusiastic “yes” to these questions, consider how you can improve your work environment and relationships to encourage employees to work with energy and enthusiasm. The results could be profitable, personally and financially.

1. Provide tools

Make sure your employees have everything they need to do their jobs. Ask each staff member, “Do you have everything you need to be as productive and successful as you can be?” Be willing to act on worthwhile responses. Be willing to reconsider any policies they consider counterproductive.

2. Set expectations

Clearly communicate what’s expected of employees, what the company’s values are, and how the company defines success. Employees need to understand their roles, where they fit in the big picture, and how they can make the company more successful.

3. Share information

Provide as much information as possible about the company. Explain where it’s making money, where it’s losing money, how its products are doing in the marketplace, what new initiatives are being considered and why, and how employees can contribute. Even when the news is not encouraging, people will appreciate your openness.

4. Get personal

Take the time to get to know your employees, especially their goals. Without prying, show a genuine interest in your team.

5. Commit to training

Most people like to learn, to grow, and to improve their marketability, and the more education and training you provide, the happier and more engaged they will feel. Cross-train employees in a variety of jobs when possible. This not only improves productivity, it builds cooperation and appreciation when team members understand the challenges of other positions. Also, be sure employees are trained in problem solving and conflict resolution skills. These critical skills will help them communicate better with you, their coworkers, customers and suppliers.

6. Be inclusive

Include your employees in planning and decision making. Facts “on the ground” may differ from perceptions at 30,000 feet. They may see issues differently and offer ideas for working smarter. If you need to create a more efficient delivery system, ask your delivery staff how they would improve the current system. Use their ideas, and give them credit to them.

7. Reward and recognize

Personally thank an employee for a job well-done. Specify what was good about it and why you appreciate it. For example, say: “Thank you for organizing that project so well. You made it very clear what should happen, when and why.” Remember to celebrate effort as well as accomplishment, to give employees working on long-term goals a boost.

Quick and Easy Ways to Recognize Employees

Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your customers. Here are a few inexpensive ways to make staff feel valued.

8. Free time
• Let everyone leave early to miss rush-hour traffic.
• Give an afternoon off to employees who have exceeded expectations for a particular customer.

9. Free food
• Sponsor a free lunch or breakfast for hardworking teams.
• Subsidize the price of food in vending machines.

10. More ways to say thanks
• Creating an events committee to plan fun outings, such as trips to a sporting event, a picnic, a holiday party.
• Say thank you with a hand-written note.

Following these strategies will help employees feel valued and enthusiastic about their jobs. Not only is this more fun, it’s good for business, improves retention, and reduces burn out.

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Wellington motorists have been stung with almost $10 million in parking fines in the past year, and some wardens have faced so much abuse that they have quit.

In the past two years, wardens have been sworn at, spat on, shouldered, grabbed, driven at in cars and menaced with a wheelbarrow.

Wardens in return have been accused of swearing and threatening, and one warden responded to allegations of giving a motorist the finger by saying they were merely using hand signals to ask the motorist to move on.

That same warden was later twice accused of “lecturing” drivers about bad parking behaviour. The warden admitted being slightly aggressive and was given “customer service training” but no longer works handing out tickets.

“There’s quite a big turnover of wardens,” parking services manager Colleen Thessman said. “You do take a lot of flak on the streets. No one likes a warden. I was a warden myself for seven years, it’s an incredibly difficult job, to be honest.”

Fifty-two wardens complained of abuse last year: four were spat on, 17 were physically abused, such as being shouldered, grabbed by the arm or having their hat knocked off. Six had motorists drive a vehicle at them, one of which was a wheelbarrow. In 2007, a warden was chased by a driver in a forklift.

The council investigated 28 complaints against wardens. Four for aggressive or threatening demeanour and five for inappropriate language led to further warden training.

In the year to June 2009, wardens in the capital wrote on average 745 tickets worth $27,000 every day.

The total 272,000 tickets were worth $9.9m – $700,000 more than the year before, figures released to The Dominion Post show. In the year to June 2008, they issued 248,000 tickets worth $9.2m.

Ms Thessman said tickets were not aimed at generating revenue, but to ensure parking compliance. “It’s about giving everybody that opportunity to park and go about their business. If someone’s parked there all day, no-one else gets a chance to park. It’s about space turnover.”

Wellington’s large number of tickets was due to “non-compliance and bad parking behaviour”.

The city’s topography contributed to the problem, she said, as many motorists parked on footpaths in narrow streets to give other motorists more space or keep their own cars safe, blocking pedestrians in the process.

Ms Thessman said wardens were trained in conflict resolution and customer services and most accepted abuse was part of the job. But some resigned because of it.

“The ability to issue tickets obviously makes wardens unpopular with motorists – and conflict, and a certain amount of stress, is an inevitable part of the job.”

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In the spirit of kicking off another year and a brand new decade, we asked local movers, shakers and business owners about their New Year’s resolutions.

Kim McPherson, owner of McPherson Cellars Winery, said that in addition to personal and business resolutions, he had another pressing matter on his mind as well.

“I’d give up anything to have coach Leach back,” McPherson said, referring to the recently fired Texas Tech football coach. “Other than that, I’d like to get the winery completed and help it become an asset to the community. I need to lower my cholesterol as well. I would say that I’d drink more wine, but I already do a lot of that.”

David Seim, vice chairman of PlainsCapital Bank and board chairman of the Covenant Health System, said he has a plan to lose 10 pounds this year.

“I’m going to get focused and make it happen,” Seim said. “I’m going to increase my workouts from three to at least four times a week, cut out sweets, food with flour in it and Mexican food.”

Aside from his health, Seim said his main focus is on his family and his work, so the rest of his resolutions revolve around those things.

“I’d like to spend more time with my family and become a better husband, father and grandfather,” Seim said. “Professionally, we had a very good year in 2009 at the bank, but I’d always like to see us do better. I plan to focus on meeting our budgetary and strategic plan goals, as well as becoming a better leader and being more available to our staff. There’s always room for improvement, so it’s great to be able to approach a new year with a sense of anticipation and excitement.”

Karen Garza, superintendent for Lubbock Independent School District, said she has both personal and professional resolutions for this year.

“As we start this new decade, I am more committed than ever before to ensure we graduate children that are not only well prepared for the workplace, but even more prepared for life,” Garza said. “We will continue to focus on every child, every day and be accountable and responsive to our community. On a more personal note, we are starting a new wellness program in the school system for employees, so I want to serve as role model. I’m going to work hard to eat right, exercise and make my personal health a priority.”

Kristy Curry, head coach of the Texas Tech women’s basketball team, said her resolutions usually stay the same from year to year.

“I’d say my 2010 resolution is pretty consistent with past years,” Curry said. “First, I want to be the best possible mother I can be. Second, I want to be the best possible wife I can be. And third, I want to be the best possible coach and mentor to my team.”

David Weaver, chief executive officer of the South Plains Food Bank, said his primary resolutions deal with continuing the work his organization does.

“Of course I want to eat healthier and get more exercise, but that’s nothing really exciting,” Weaver said. “My primary resolution is to continue to keep our community aware of the needs of the hungry here in our area, because when we make people aware, they get up and do something about it. We’re seeing an increasing demand for food, so we’re making plans to continue to get food and distribute it to the people that need it.”

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Weaver mentioned one more resolution.

“I’d like to do at least a half marathon this year as well, so we’ll see how that works out.”

Walter Huffman, dean of the Texas Tech School of Law, said that although he is more about action than resolutions, he has put some thought into what he wants out of the coming year.

“I suppose like everyone else my age I hope to lose some weight this year,” Huffman said. “I quit smoking 15 years ago and I want to stay that way, so being healthier is always a goal. Personally, I hope to be a better dad, granddad, dean and person. I want to strive to be a better person and do a better job for the people in my life that depend on me.”

Adrienne Cozart, vice president for human resources at University Medical Center Health System, said improved health is always at the forefront of her brain.

“We started a wellness program in October, so I want to be an example setter,” Cozart said. “I have set personal goals for weight and will track my physical activity and nutrition to attain my goals. On the hospital side of things, we want to be financially prudent in everything we do and provide the best possible patient care.”

Scott Malouf, owner of Drest by Scott Malouf, has been busy since his new store opened in October. He had just enough time to joke about his New Year’s resolutions, between taking phone calls and assisting customers.

“My resolution is to find more downtime,” Malouf said with a laugh. “As far as the business goes, we want to treat each customer like they are the most important person and grow our business that way.”

Holly Betenbough, co-founder of Betenbough Homes with her husband, Rick, and father-in-law, Ron, said she has two resolutions for 2010.

“I want to develop deeper relationships with Jesus and the people around me,” Betenbough said. “The other thing I want to do this year is to spend quality time with my family. Sometimes finding that balance between work and all the people in our lives IS so hard, but that’s what I’m hoping for.”

Elizabeth Regner, executive director of the Lubbock Arts Alliance, said her resolution for 2010 is simple.

“I want to continue to bring attention and recognition to Lubbock’s great abundance of visual and performing artists,” Regner said. “We can accomplish that by providing venues and audiences to enjoy their talents.”

Don Caldwell, owner of the Cactus Theater and Don Caldwell Productions, says he has two resolutions for 2010, even though they seem to conflict with one another.

“I want to turn the Cactus Theater into an audio/video recording facility, in addition to offering the weekly concerts,” Caldwell said. “On the personal side, I want to find a way to have more downtime to spend with my family.”

Morris Wilkes, owner of the Wilkes Co., said his resolution stretches beyond this year into the decade.

“I resolve for 2010 and the new decade to do all I can to help our society renew a sense of civility in our community, our state and nation,” Wilkes said.

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Dozens of presentations revolve around ways to make resource management work in the real world.

Osage Beach, MO – infoZine – “Purposeful risk taking” is the theme for the 2010 Missouri Natural Resources Conference (MNRC) Feb. 3 through 5 at Lake of the Ozarks’ Tan-Tar-A Resort.

The conference focuses on helping resource management professionals and citizen conservationists learn how to take risks that help them meet challenges, grow and learn. Early-bird registration must be postmarked by Jan. 6. Registration forms and further information are available at www.mnrc.org/

This year’s program features two nationally known speakers, as well as dozens of nuts-and-bolts sessions to provide concrete management strategies for resource managers.

The conference begins with a student question-and-answer session with resource professionals at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3, followed by a student job fair. A plenary session Feb. 4 features keynote speakers Ben Garber and Michael Fraidenburg.

Garber will outline compelling leadership principles, strategies and actions. He draws on his experience as a business owner, manager, consultant, social worker and trainer for insights about the difference between leaders who halt achievement and those who foster achievement. His action-oriented how-to approach provides practical steps for becoming a compelling, risk-taking leader.

Fraidenburg is the author of Intelligent Courage: Natural Resource Careers That Make a Difference. He completed a 30-year career with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, culminating in a stint as Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission Executive. An authority on conflict resolution and strategic thinking, Fraidenburg is known for his work improving management of natural resource agencies. He is a trustee for the Northwest Fund for the Environment, a Washington Mediation Association certified mediator and American Fisheries Society certified fisheries professional.

The program offers four morning workshops following the plenary session.

• Conflict resolution skills for natural resource professionals.
• The incredible results of active risk taking.
• Leadership in dynamic times: A Missouri perspective.
• The ethics and risks of career development: Where do I go from here, and how do I get there?

Afternoon workshops include:

• Meeting in the middle of the stream: Removing fish passage barriers in Missouri.
• Managing water resources in Missouri.
• Strategies for successful priority forest landscapes, wildlife management cooperatives and conservation opportunity areas.
• Long-term stewardship: A natural resource management tool for dealing with contaminated lands.
• Invasive species: The never-ending battle.
• Risky business: Selected topics for managing rivers and streams.

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Each two-week workshop emphasize employability skills, job-search techniques, how to obtain job leads and job referrals, labor market information, completing an accurate employment application, career exploration, resume preparation, interviewing skills and job success skills.

While job seekers are encouraged to both weeks of each workshop series, they can choose to participate in a week of their choice.

The first week covers hard-skill topics – accurate employment application preparation, resume building, cover letters and job-search techniques. Taped mock interviews are offered to class participants to help them develop the necessary interviewing skills.

Week two of the workshop series covers soft-skill topics – what people need to know to keep a job, communication skills, conflict resolution, decision making, money management and budgeting.

At the end of the second week, a guest speaker from Edward Jones Investment Group speaks to the class on the basics of 401(k) savings plans.

Polk Works offers other mini workshops on topics such as “Using Social Media in the Job Search,” “Fresh Start for Ex-Offenders,” “Resumes 101,” “Interviewing 101″ and “Computers 101.”

These workshops are designed to help individuals become more familiar with the changing workforce and teach the skills needed to make a prospective employee stand out from other job seekers.

http://www.newschief.com/article/20091223/NEWS/912235025/1053

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In the battle against black unemployment, places like the Opportunities Industrialization Center are ground zero.

Savory aromas wafted from a king-size kitchen one recent day as the instructor demonstrated a fish recipe to a dozen aspiring cooks. Nearby, a mock hotel room was waiting to be cleaned. Downstairs, electrical fixtures hung from an exposed wall, ready to be wired.

Here, the goal is “helping people help themselves” through literacy programs and training for hotel, clerical, building, retail and other jobs.

“We have to give people transferable skills,” said Robert C. Nelson, president and CEO of the Philadelphia OIC.

There is a growing outcry among black advocates for the Obama administration to target black joblessness with similar training programs and direct job creation.

Black unemployment has climbed from 8.9 percent to 15.6 percent since the recession began in December 2007. In comparison, the nation’s overall rate has risen from 4.9 to 10.0 percent. The white rate climbed from 4.4 percent to 9.3 percent.

Although the gap between black and white unemployment has narrowed, there has been a 1.2 percent decline in the black labor force participation rate, more than any other group — which means that fewer blacks are even looking for work. That has held down the black unemployment rate, because such “discouraged workers” are not included in unemployment statistics.

The Congressional Black Caucus recently sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking for $139 billion in unused bank bailout funds to be spent on a long list of training programs and job-creation efforts, including jobs directly created with federal dollars.

It would be unconstitutional to designate aid or jobs specifically for blacks, so the CBC is asking for at least 10 percent of various funds to be spent in areas where 20 percent of the population is below the poverty line.

That includes much of North Philadelphia, where the OIC headquarters is located. There are 41 other nonprofit OIC offices around the country, where the focus is on learning basic trades — plus intangible “soft skills” like a positive attitude, punctuality and conflict resolution.

Philadelphia is one of 11 OIC affiliates that are part of a $22 million proposal to the Labor Department, submitted by the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, to train as many as 12,000 people for jobs in health care, infrastructure improvement and renewable energy.

“Sometimes we think, ‘Because I’m black I deserve a job,’” Nelson said. “No, we deserve a job if we’re qualified. And who’s going to qualify us? Us!”

Obama, walking a tightrope on minority issues as the nation’s first black president, has long maintained that he needs to focus on improving employment for everyone, not just for blacks.

“I cannot pass laws that say ‘I’m just helping black folks.’ I’m the president of the entire United States,” Obama told American Urban Radio Networks on Monday. “What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need. That in turn is going to help lift up the African-American community.”

Obama recently proposed some small business tax credits and tax breaks to encourage hiring. A $174 billion jobs package approved Wednesday by the House includes $2 billion for job training, summer jobs for teenagers and Americorps.

But the disproportionate lack of skills and education among blacks requires a unique solution, Nelson said.

“I’m in a city where there’s a 45 percent dropout rate for black and Hispanic students,” Nelson said. “We have to go well beyond saying, ‘Here’s a job.’ We are the products of a failed public school system, of institutional racism. We have to direct dollars to organizations and community groups who serve at-risk folks.”

Others say the best way to help unemployed blacks is not through job training programs, but by creating jobs in the private sector through tax breaks and lowering the minimum wage.

“These (job training) programs aren’t usually worth much,” said June O’Neill, an economics professor at Baruch College and former director of the Congressional Budget Office. She said they are often distributed based on politics rather than need and offer training that is not useful.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, says lowering the minimum wage would immediately boost black employment. And instead of jobs funded by the federal government, focusing on education is a better idea, she said.

“About 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock, they have a tough time not just getting an education, but it’s hard for their parents to make sure they do their homework, to make sure they succeed … those children have a hard time getting skills,” she said.

But numerous studies show that when white and black workers with identical qualifications apply to the same job, “they consistently favor the white applicants, even though the black applicants are equally qualified,” said Algernon Austin, director of the Race, Ethnicity and the Economy program at the Economic Policy Institute.

Among workers with a college education, for example, blacks have a higher unemployment rate, which shows that discrimination is still a major barrier to black employment, said Austin, author of a recent paper titled “Getting Good Jobs to America’s People of Color.”

He thought the CBC proposals would help close the black-white unemployment gap, “but I don’t know what they have in there to address discrimination.”

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Synagogue budgets, strategic plans, financial crises, mission statements: all end up on the desk of the rabbi, who often has little training in organizational management.

Many learn to become chief executive on the job, but a recent seminar at Illinois’ Northwestern University bolstered 67 Jewish leaders’ administration skills. They learned how to work with donors, market their congregations, negotiate a crisis and solve disputes among members and staff.

“It’s been quite a long time since I was in rabbinical school, and we learned very little about this stuff,” said Richard Agler, 57, senior rabbi at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton. “There’s no question we will be able to implement much of what we learned.”

The rabbis — including two from Palm Beach County and three from Miami-Dade, along with their congregational managers and the executive director of Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach — attended a five-day seminar, Kellogg Management Education for Jewish Leaders, at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. The Jewish institute, in its second year, seeks to offer the same administrative skills executives learn as they study for advanced degrees, said Dinah Jacobs, founder and academic director.

“Rabbis don’t prepare budgets, but they need to know the key indicators of success, which advice to listen to, how to read financials and much more,” Jacobs said. “The most pressing need is how to run a capital campaign, how to ask for money, how to follow up and how to increase the value of the synagogue for members.”

Each participant paid $2,000, although a similar education for corporate executives studying at Kellogg costs about $8,000, Jacobs said. Private donors make up the difference, she said.

Rabbi Dan Levin, 40, senior rabbi at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, said the seminar allowed him to explore how he can run and grow the congregation as he accomplishes his holy tasks. He said the Reform synagogue wants congregants to be able to find meaningful experiences through its programs.

Levin said the synagogue allows congregants to choose the days of the week their kids attend religious school and create bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies that display the uniqueness of their families. But he said he seeks even more customization.

“People are attuned to the need for control and choice,” Levin said. “We need to do surveys and get better at soliciting feedback.”

Scott Brockman, executive director of Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, said he learned he needs to separate his title from his personal life.

“I have been tempted to work long hours and work too hard,” said Brockman, 42, who started work in August. “If I’m at the library or in the supermarket, I’m still in the role. I realized that as important as productivity is, I have to maintain a work-life balance. I never appreciated how difficult that would be.”

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/fl-jewish-management-20091215,0,1963570.story

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Claiming to be untrained is not an unemployment excuse anymore. Not with free programs such as Ready to Work and Selma CareerLink in place.

Wallace Community College has partnered with Selma Career Link to provide certification for vocational jobs and skills needed to successfully function in a full-time position.

“Because it’s so competitive now, many persons are finding they need more credentials,” said Shandra Smith, director for workforce development. “This class could be a good start for them. It’s a good program that puts people in a better position then when they came to us.”

Students can be certified as an Alabama Certified Worker, Career Readiness Credential or Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Production Level-Advanced Manufacturing-M3.

Classes offer sessions on basic computer skills, interviewing, resume and cover letter writing skills, time management, introduction to plant safety, problem solving and decision making, conflict resolution, introduction to quality control and principles of manufacturing, starting a small business in Alabama, basic blueprint reading, communication/team building and work ethics.

“We’re getting people who have had an employment history but they (are) now unemployed,” Smith said. “Now they realized they need to be retrained to re-enter the workforce.”

Some people have realized they are not as fluent with technology and basic computer programs, she said.

People who are interested in the program need to meet some minimum requirements. Participants must have a high school diploma or have, or be in the process of completing, a GED.

“It’s not out of the range to do both classes simultaneously,” Smith said. “Only if they’re fully committed and highly motivated.”

Students are offered training and must pass the comprehensive state exam with a 70 to receive credit as an Alabama Certified Worker. Attendance and attitude standards will also be considered.

Upon completion of the course, students can choose to be referred to Selma CareerLink to become students at Wallace.

“The program prepares them to be successful students at the college level,” Smith said. “It makes people strong enough to handle college work.”

Depending on the path they select, such as nursing, welding or industrial maintenance, they can be funded by the Workforce Investment Act, WIA, through Selma CareerLink.

“This office pays for individual tuition up to $8,000 for their training,” said Clifford Hunter, team manager.

In return, the state requires students to find a job. “That’s all they owe us,” Hunter said.

Each student is assigned a facilitator and is required to attend monthly case management meetings with their facilitator throughout the training. “By the time they are in their last semester of school, we work with them and their resume,” Hunter said.

Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act, WIA, in 1988 to focus on training and career development of workforce employees, according to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Selma CareerLink center is one of 30 one-stop career centers in the state. These centers offer employment assistance, adult education and job training. “We’re in the business of helping people help themselves,” Hunter said.

Selma CareerLink also offers GED programs through Wallace.

This program is supported in part by the Governor’s office for Workforce Development and the U.S. Department of Labor — Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development’s West Alabama East Mississippi Grant. Wallace receives funding from this program that is put to the Ready to Work program.

http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/news/2009/dec/10/work-programs-help/

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