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BRIEFLY:
Illinois exports grow to $42 billion
Illinois exports grew to a record $42 billion last year, as the state inched up to become the nation's fifth-largest exporter, behind only Texas, California, New York and Washington. The state's exports grew by $6.2 billion, or 17 percent from 2005. Governor Rod Blagojevich says the numbers are an important indicator of the strength of the state's economy. Since 2002, Illinois exports have grown by $16.4 billion, a 64 percent increase. The top Illinois industries for exports include machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products and transportation equipment.
EntrepreneurshipWeek USA is February 24–March 3
The National Association of Manufacturers and The Manufacturing Institute are partnering with organizations all over the nation in celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit that makes our country great. The goals of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, led by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, The New York Times, and Inc. magazine, are to inspire young people to be innovators. Thousands of activities partnering business, education, community leaders and young people are planned across the nation. To get involved go http://www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com/home.
Postage rate increase coming in May
The price of first class stamps will go from 39˘ per ounce to 42˘ per ounce beginning May 1, 2007. In addition, there will be a nine percent increase on business mailers and an additional 10 percent increase on shipping catalogs and periodicals. The cost of mailing odd sized parcels will increase by 12 percent.
Profile America: Telecommuters
Most people got up this morning facing the daily commute to their jobs. However, a small but growing percentage of workers will not have to leave their homes before dawn and drive miles through heavy traffic — they work at least part of the time at home. To highlight the advantages of such an arrangement, February 26–March 2nd is Telecommuter Appreciation Week. Americans spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work — that's more than the two weeks vacation time many workers have each year. The average daily commute is just over 25 minutes. Source: U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. House poised to take up anti-business measure
The U.S. House of Representatives is, and soon the U.S. Senate will be, considering HR 800, legislation referred to as the "Employee Free Choice Act," also commonly referred to as "card check" legislation. Earlier this week, IMA President and CEO Greg Baise sent a "legislative alert" urging quick and strong action by members in contacting the Illinois congressional delegation to voice opposition to the measure.
"This legislation is ill-conceived and has the potential to do great harm to the manufacturing sector," said Baise. "At a time when manufacturing employment in Illinois is at historic lows, it seems that the Congress would want to enact measures to create a more favorable jobs climate to benefit our state and nation. This measure does just the opposite."
Title One of the bill deals with card check legislation and would allow labor unions to be certified as the bargaining agents for workers once a simple majority of eligible employees in a workplace sign authorization cards.
The card check process would replace the long standing labor law principle of secret ballot elections. This proposed voting process would allow open-ended time frames, leaving labor unions as much time as needed to collect signatures, allowing balloting to remain open until the union wins the certification election. This balloting process could encourage electioneering techniques that may result in workers signing cards for reasons other than wanting a union to represent them — including close personal friends soliciting workers, to potentially more heavy-handed tactics. Protracted labor union elections could have an impact on employee morale as well as business productivity.
Title Two of the bill is just as onerous. This second provision would provide that if an employer and a union are engaged in bargaining for their first collective bargaining agreement and are unable to reach an agreement within 90 days, then either party may refer the dispute to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) for mediation. If the FMCS is unable to bring the parties to agreement after 30 days of mediation, then the dispute will be referred to arbitration. Results of the arbitration will then be binding on the employer (and the union) for two years. Both of these provisions could significantly impact IMA members, especially if they do not have existing bargaining agreements within their existing facilities.
National business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), oppose HR 800 and support the current system of secret balloting as the best way to respect employees' rights to choose union representation. The secret ballot is a cornerstone of democratic government and has served this country well since its founding by allowing the voters to decide between competing ballot options on the merits rather than in response to other pressures. The current system also has the benefit of finality — when secret ballots are cast simultaneously in an election the issue is settled at one moment in time.
Further, this initiative affects all businesses, but will potentially have the greatest impact on small businesses. For example, in 2005 the National Labor Relations Board conducted 2,649 union representation elections. More than 20 percent of those elections involved bargaining units of fewer than 10 employees and a full 70 percent of the elections involved bargaining units of fewer than 50 employees. The card check bill would make union organizing cheaper and easier and would allow labor unions to target the smallest businesses, which may have limited resources to sustain themselves in a protracted card check election.
"Proponents of HR 800 have not provided any hint of real or perceived problems in existing law that their bill would correct," Baise said. "However, enactment of this legislation not only interferes with the democratic process, but also forces private enterprise to agree to contract terms in the face of government intervention and, ultimately, wages and benefit terms that are established by the government."
You are cordially invited to a Central Illinois Regional Broadband Summit
Please join Senator Durbin for an opportunity to share broadband successes, identify needs, and help chart a collaborative course for a connected Illinois. Panel presentations will include representatives from the Business, Education, Health Care and Network Provider sectors.
Hosted by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity and Lincoln Land Community College
Saturday, February 24, 2007, 10:00 a.m.-Noon
Lincoln Land Community College, Trutter Center, 2400 Millennium Dr., Springfield, Illinois
Please RSVP to Bart Ellefritz in the Springfield Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin at bart_ellefritz@durbin.senate.gov or at 217-492-4062 by February 22nd.
U.S. House passes WOTC reauthorization
The U.S. House Friday passed HR 976 on Friday, February 16th, which is legislation reauthorizing the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) until January 1, 2009. The popular tax credit had been allowed to expire over partisan wrangling more than a year ago. The reauthorized credit will apply retroactively to January 1, 2006.
Congressional action also expanded the WOTC to disabled veterans, increased the available credit for wages paid to disabled veterans and increased the age limitation from 25 to 40 for residents living in empowerment zones, enterprise communities and renewal communities.
WOTC currently provides employers with business tax credits for certain wages paid to individuals from one of nine targeted groups, including individuals meeting the definition of a qualified veteran and individuals ages 18 to 25 living in empowerment zones, enterprise communities and renewal communities and recipients of certain public assistance programs. The WOTC serves as an incentive to encourage employers to hire individuals from these targeted groups which typically experience barriers to work. Under current law, employees hired after December 31, 2007 will not qualify for WOTC.
The WOTC reauthorization was part of a larger package of employer tax relief which helped enact an increase in the federal minimum wage. Under that portion of the legislation, the wage increase will go from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The legislation will have no effect in Illinois where the state minimum wage will reach $7.50 beginning July 1.
The bill will now be the subject of a Conference Committee to resolve differences with a previously passed Senate version. President George W. Bush has already signaled his willingness to approve the measure.
In Illinois the WOTC is administered by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Complete information is available on their web site at www.ides.state.il.us or by calling the nearest Illinois Employment and Training Center.
Attend the 2007 Manufacturing Matters! Conference
May 8-9, 2007 Peoria, Illinois Hotel Pere Marquette Sponsored by IMEC
This has been a period of breakthrough for the manufacturing sector, with many companies experiencing growth in not just sales, but profits as well. They're responding to the challenges in unstable supply chain demands by becoming more flexible, and expanding capacity. They're creating break-through organizational cultures that encourage continuous improvement. They're investing in new products, re-shaping their businesses and creating value niches that are more immune to foreign competition. In short, a renewed enthusiasm for the future of manufacturing is resonating throughout the state and nation.
IMEC's 2007 Manufacturing Matters! conference highlights the progressive business practices that successful manufacturers are deploying to be more productive and competitive.
Join IMEC's expert staff, nationally-recognized business leaders, and Illinois manufacturers who will gather together to recharge, learn from one another, and continue the journey.
For more information, or to register online, visit http://www.illinoismfgmatters.com.
Book illustrates practical approach to strategic planning
Time-crunched, business professionals will benefit from step-by-step process.
In today's fast-paced, time and resource-strained organizations, many workers find themselves facing new assignments and strategic responsibilities. The first book in a new series published by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), "10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning," provides readers with a streamlined approach to the strategic planning process complete with helpful worksheets, exercises, tools, checklists, and other easy-to-use and interactive learning aids.
According to the book's authors, Susan Barksdale and Teri Lund, in today's knowledge-based economy, organizations need a strategic plan to be competitive globally and to encourage innovation, creating internal knowledge that builds customer loyalty. They stress that a strategic plan is central to an organization's ability to make business decisions, and the book's format, "10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning," helps organizations develop a mission and vision that will excite employees, customers, partners, and shareholders. The book covers key steps on how to:
- Create a strategic plan to guide the initiatives and tactics of the organization,
- Create a culture that encourages employees to become strategic business partners, and
- Integrate trends and new tactics into the strategic planning process.
ASTD's "10 Steps" book series is designed for today's busy professionals who need advice and guidance on a wide array of critical business topics. The next title in the series, "10 Steps to Successful Project Management" by Lou Russell, is due for release in May, 2007.
The "10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning" publication and all ASTD Press titles are available online at http://www.store.astd.org. More information on ASTD may be found at http://www.astd.org.
ETIP grants reimburse companies for employee training
The Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) supports Illinois companies' efforts to upgrade workers' skills in order to remain current in new technologies and business practices. The ETIP grant will reimburse Illinois companies for up to 50 percent of the cost of eligible employee training taken between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007.
Illinois companies that are retraining/upgrading the skills of their existing workforce may be eligible for ETIP grants if they meet certain criteria.
Apply for grant funding today! For details, contact Judy Parker, IMA Director of Training at 217-522-1240 ext. 3036, or email jparker@ima-net.org
Purchase the 2005-2006 IMA Benefits Report today . . .
The biennial Benefits Report contains data on employers' plans for a variety of different benefit plans in addition to total number of holidays provided and for additional paid holidays. To order the 2005-2006 Benefits Report, contact Janie Stanley at 800-875-4462, Ext. 3020, or e-mail jstanley@ima-net.org.
Order the IMA's 2006 Annual Compensation Report today
We're sure you'll find the IMA's 2006 Compensation Report to be a valuable tool for determining fair and appropriate compensation levels for your business. If you have questions, contact Janie Stanley at 217-522-1240, ext. 3020 or email jstanley@ima-net.org. Online access, print, or both, order yours today at . . .
http://www.ima-net.org/reportorder/login.cfm
DATES OF NOTE:
More events may be found at http://www.ima-net.org/calendar.cfm
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
HR Networking Forum
9:30-11:30 am, Holiday Inn, Salon A & B
222 Potomac Blvd., Mt. Vernon
Facilitator: Donna Rogers, SPHR, IMA's HR Director. Back by popular demand for the second year in a row, this no fee HR Networking Forum is designed for building relationships with other HR professionals in the manufacturing field. Manufacturing Members and Associate Members of IMA are invited and encouraged to attend. Discuss similarities and differences on current HR issues among peers as well as potential solutions. Finally, provide valuable feedback to the facilitator regarding HR related IMA member services. Register online at: https://www.ima-net.org/0307_seminar.cfm. For more information, contact: Kim McNamara, 800-875-4462, ext. 2109, email: kmcnamara@ima-net.org
March 6, 2007
Workplace Trends: Current Issues Affecting Managing Your Employees
Holiday Inn, 222 Potomac Blvd., Salon A & B
Mt. Vernon, IL — 1:00-4:00 pm
Specific topics are: Investigating On-the-job Accidents & Fraud in Workers' Compensation Claims; and Workplace Immigration — An Intensive Update on the HR Issue of the Decade. Stay up-to-date on the latest employment-related issues facing your organization related to Workers' Compensation Investigations and Immigration issues affecting your workplace. IMA's employment law expert Jim Spizzo, and his partner, Gabrielle Buckley, both of Vedder Price Kaufman & Kammholz, P.C., will discuss in-depth recent trends, cases and new legislation regarding these aspects of Workers' Compensation and workplace Immigration. Bring your personnel/human resources questions related to these topics. COST: $125 for IMA members, $100 for additional attendees from same company and $200 for non-members. Register online at: https://www.ima-net.org/0307_seminar.cfm. For more information, contact: Kim McNamara, 800-875-4462, ext. 2109, email: kmcnamara@ima-net.org
Additional dates for the above mentioned program include:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Oak Brook Executive Plaza Conference Center,
1225 W. 22nd St., Ste. 140
Oak Brook
To register contact: Kimberly McNamara, 800-875-4462, ext. 2109, email: kmcnamara@ima-net.org
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