Carrie Chapman Catt is my hero. In 1921 Catt traveled to Wyoming and back to Iowa to deliver commencement addresses. She said “And the fact that I would give you is only a simple thing. It is that as an evolver you can do nothing alone. It is only in combination with others that things… Read More The 19th Amendment — 100 Years!
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, there is a huge demand for N95 respirators. As I listen to the clamoring in the media for more respirators, I realize how uninformed the public is about the manufacturing process. 3M makes N95 respirators at their Aberdeen, South Dakota plant (which is one of over 40 3M manufacturing plants… Read More Coronavirus Heroes
Today is Memorial Day and many employees are not working. However, 57 million Americans are freelance workers and they may very well be doing work today. They work when they want to and happy to do so. The concept of work based on time is quickly being replaced by project work and compensation based on… Read More The Gig Economy
I am struck by the new and wide array of employee benefits being offered to attract and retain employees these days. Back in the olden days (ya I’m old) we concentrated on base pay, bonus potential, 401ks, health insurance premiums and copays, paid leave. Today employers are offering college tuition reimbursements, pet insurance, no limit… Read More Still Blogging After All These Years
Sexual harassment is making the news right now. From reports in the media you would think it is something new or that the issue has never been addressed. The news media is using the term sexual harassment to cover everything from flirting to physical assault. Sexual harassment is a legal construct used to define a… Read More What Exactly IS Sexual Harassment?
Benjamin Franklin created the Junto as a club to share ideas and conversations for improving lives and communities. Wow! The original blogger! Just imagine if Benjamin Franklin could Tweet today! That would be great! His rules included that discussions and writings be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry, without dispute or desire to win.… Read More If Benjamin Franklin could Tweet
Today begins the transformation of this website. We are transforming from engineering and business professionals to fulltime unemployed workers. Insert confetti and balloon drop here! Starting today all kinds of fun stuff will be added to this website! First, my book “Iowa’s Devoted Daughter — The Story of Miss Harriet Louise Ankeny and Her American Family”… Read More Onward and Upward
I will be at the Author Fair in Ankeny, Iowa on April 8th. Hope to convince bunches of people to read my book “Iowa’s Devoted Daughter”! I will be giving another fun and fact filled account of early Iowa at the Ankeny Area Historical Museum in June. If you like historical fiction, full of tragedies… Read More Iowa’s Devoted Daughter — the Story of Miss Harriet Louise Ankeny and Her American Family by Karla Wright
A federal judge issued a nationwide junction blocking the DOL’s rule requiring overtime pay for classified exempt (professional or salaried) employees. The judge said the DOL exceeded its authority and ignored Congress’s intent by raising the salary test to such a level that it supplants the duties test. Yes! Exactly! Thank You Judge.
I never thought I would see the day that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 would be the number one trending topic on Facebook. Sad that the non-elected DOL regulators did not know the law and did not understand the professional workforce culture. Newly graduated engineers and business majors will now have to “punch… Read More December 1 Professionals Become Hourly Workers
The Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of forcing employees to pay union fees/dues and join a public sector labor union. Hopefully the Court will see that it violates free speech and association. Twice I experienced money removed involuntarily from my paycheck and given to a labor union. I did not want to join a… Read More Putting Public Sector Unions to Bed
There is a persistent wage gap in America between what women and men earn. There are two theories explaining the wage gap. One is overt discrimination by employers. The other is societal norms, mores and expectations that influence women’s choices. Choices are type of work, working conditions, scheduling flexibility, proximity to home. The “Mommy Factor”… Read More The Wage Gap
Behavioral scientist, Christine Porath, has been researching incivility in the workplace and its costs for 20 years. She and other researchers find that everyday workplace impoliteness spreads like a virus. When people encounter rude behavior it makes them more likely to respond in kind (or unkind). It’s a vicious cycle. Porath also makes recommendations to… Read More Workplace Rudeness: notice it, report it, document it, measure it, penalize it, remove it!
A spring of 2015 study revealed that 71% of workers are actively seeking or open to a new job and 90% of new hires actively searched for their new job. Of course with the advent of social media and online job advertising, looking for a new job has never been easier! Nevertheless, it is a… Read More Majority of Workers Seeking New Job in 2015
Employer arrests for hiring unauthorized workers are substantially down, dropping from 179 charges against employers in 2013 to 27 charges in 2015. The Obama administration’s near discontinuation of worksite enforcement means that employers now face little risk in hiring illegal workers. An estimated 8 million unauthorized workers are in the U.S. labor force. Enforcement has… Read More Workplace Immigration Laws and Stats
The activist Obama administration is working Overtime! The DOL has proposed a new Salary Test Level for determining exemption from the FLSA. This means employees making less than a certain salary amount are eligible for overtime pay. This also means they have to report their hours, receive permission from supervisors to work outside of normal… Read More New Overtime Salary Test Has Huge Implications
Dear Fellow Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives:I am a strong fiscal conservative and Republican. It is time to pivot on social issues! If we don’t, Republicans won’t survive and our fiscal priorities will be gone forever and maybe even our country. So, therefore, please PLEASE show leadership and pass ENDA! Today the Supreme Court said marriage is… Read More Support ENDA Now!
A lot of noise lately about retail establishments making their employees work on Thanksgiving Day. The critics lament that it should be a day for families to be together and the retailers are money hungry and insensitive to employee needs by remaining open for business. Well, how about all of the other workers in America… Read More Working on Thanksgiving — It’s a Good Thing
U.S. charities give billions annually to those in need. It is no surprise that the Gates foundation rates #1. In 2013 the Gates foundation gave $3.2 billion to charities around the world. The second largest giver was the Ford foundation. The third largest giver was the Walton foundation (Walmart). So you are wondering, where does… Read More America — A Generous People
Although most people know Sarah Josepha Hale as the author of the poem, Mary Had A Little Lamb, she also has a legacy of writing on women’s issues and campaigning for a national day of Thanksgiving. Prior to the Civil War, Hale was troubled about the nation’s lack of unity. She believed that a day… Read More Our National Day of Thanksgiving …. and Unity