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JOTF E-Newsletter The Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) is pleased to bring you the latest edition of its electronic newsletter. The JOTF E-Newsletter includes news, announcements, and information about upcoming events in the Baltimore area that we hope will be of interest to you. If your organization would like to publicize an event, job announcement, or other information, please send e-mail to info@jotf.org. In this issue:
OTHER NEWS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES:
JOTF NEWS JOTF AND OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE TO HOST FINANCIAL LITERACY FORUM JOTF and Open Society Institute-Baltimore present a workforce development forum: TURNING EARNINGS INTO ASSETS: THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR LOW-INCOME WORKERS With: Thursday, December 11, 2003 For Baltimore’s low-skill workers, the path to financial independence often involves more than acquiring new skills and finding better-paying jobs. Achieving economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families requires a sound knowledge of the principles behind saving, investing, debt reduction, and asset development. These principles are complex and can be intimidating,
especially for the large numbers of low-skill workers who never received
formal financial management training. In response to this knowledge gap,
public and private stakeholders in the Baltimore region are developing
collaborative initiatives to provide financial literacy and other asset-building
services to low-income families.
JOTF announces the release of its report, Keynote speaker: Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin Monday, January 26, 2004 You are invited to join JOTF for the release of our report that analyzes how well State policies and programs assist low-income, working families become economically self-sufficient. Connecting Low-Income Families to Good Jobs offers findings and recommendations that will be presented at this launch event. A panel of policy experts will respond to the report. The report provides an overview of how low-income workers are faring in Maryland; discusses the importance of education and training; assesses State efforts to help create good jobs; focuses on State policies that foster financial security for this population; and offers policy recommendations. Space is limited. RSVP to Jessica Traskey at 410-234-8040,
or send e-mail to jessica@jotf.org. BALTIMORE EMPLOYMENT ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS PAST YEAR'S ACTIVITIES, PLANS FOR 2004 The Baltimore Employment Roundtable held its final monthly meeting of 2003 on November 20. Members reflected on the past year's accomplishments, which included informational sessions on a variety of workforce issues and a collaboration with Career Caravan, BWI Business Partnership's reverse commute program. Participants in the meeting included representatives of the Baltimore County Department of Social Services, Caroline Center, Catholic Charities, Civic Works - B'more Green, Genesis Group, Helping Baltimore, Humanim, Living Classrooms Foundation, Lutheran Social Services, Maryland New Directions, Housing Authority of Baltimore City - P.A.C.E. Program, and Social Solutions, Inc. Each participant received a binder containing a compilation of resources gleaned from the Roundtable's 2003 meetings. Designed to assist workforce practitioners in better serving their clients, the Baltimore Employment Roundtable Resource Manual 2003 provides information on topics ranging from criminal record expungement to federal tax credits to tools for worplace accommodations for disabled employees. Copies of the manual are available from JOTF upon request. The November meeting also included a discussion of plans for the coming year. Future Roundtable meetings will include presentations on child care resources, employer engagement, and adult education opportunities for low-skill workers, among other topics. Membership in the Baltimore Employment Roundtable is free and open to anyone interested in improving employment opportunities for low-skill, low-income workers and job seekers. For more information, contact Kevin Griffin Moreno at 410-234-8046.
JOTF PARTICIPATES IN 24TH ANNUAL WELFARE ADVOCATES CONFERENCE On December 4, 2003, Welfare Advocates hosted its 24th Annual Conference at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Baltimore. More than 200 participants gathered to learn and share ideas about the status of Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization legislation and the impact it will have on Maryland. Entitled "Welfare: A Work in Progress," the conference featured remarks by WYPR-FM talk show host Marc Steiner, greetings from Maryland Department of Human Resources Secretary Christopher McCabe, and a presentation by Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin. JOTF executive director Deborah Povich followed their remarks by stressing the importance of State-funded occupational skills training programs for low-income workers. Describing the cuts in funding to the State's Skills-based Training for Employment Promotion (STEP) program, she told conference attendees that Maryland needs to do more to help businesses train low-skill employees. "If we are to help workers move up and out of poverty, we have to ensure that they are adequately trained," Povich said. In addition to hearing state, local and community provider perspectives on new welfare rules, participants engaged in collaborative discussions about how best to serve low-income customers amid ever-growing challenges. JOTF communications director Kevin Griffin Moreno facilitated one such discussion session. Conference chair Jane O'Leary heralded the event as a success. "The conference met the practical information needs of advocates, consumers, providers and case workers, while offering them an opportunity to shape Welfare Advocates' policy goals for the coming year," she noted. Welfare Advocates is a statewide coalition of over 500 community-based human service agencies, faith-based organizations, advocacy groups, and consumers in Maryland. Welfare Advocates operates from a strong belief that the true measure of welfare reform is not the reduction in caseloads, but whether families are in fact faring well. For more information about Welfare Advocates, contact
Jane O'Leary at 410-261-6783.
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TASK FORCE REQUESTS MORE TIME TO COMPLETE WORK Maryland's Unemployment Insurance (UI) Task Force of which JOTF is a member, has requested an extension from the General Assembly's presiding officers because the UI Task Force has not yet fulfilled the charge given to it by the State legislature during the 2003 legislative session. The UI Task Force was created last June to examine Maryland's Unemployment Insurance law with regard to the fairness of the tax structure on employers and the benefit provisions for unemployed workers. This month the UI Task Force was expected to produce specific recommendations on how to ensure that payments into the UI Trust Fund are sufficient and equitable for both businesses and workers. JOTF continues to be concerned that Maryland's UI benefits are low, and that only a small portion of the State's unemployed workers qualify for them. All employers recently received a notice from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, saying that the UI tax rate on businesses will include a 1.1% surcharge beginning in January 2004. This increase is a result of a lack of foward funding for the UI trust fund that JOTF hopes the UI Task Force will be able to resolve. The UI Task Force will continue to meet in January and may recommend policy changes to be introduced in the 2004 legislative session. For more information on the State's UI funding
system, read "Reforming
Maryland's Unemployment Insurance Taxes" by the Maryland
Budget and Tax Policy Institute . For information about the Unemployment
Insurance Funding Task Force, contact Deborah Povich at 410-234-8045. OTHER NEWS MARYLAND'S DRIVER'S LICENSE AND CAR INSURANCE POLICIES ARE COSTLY, BURDENSOME In a recent column published in the Baltimore Sun, Abell
Foundation president Robert C. Embry described Maryland's policies
for obtaining a driver's license and insuring a car as costly and burdensome
for low-income individuals.
Maryland's 2004 legislative session begins on January 14. The biggest order of business facing the General Assembly when it returns to Annapolis will be shortfalls in the State budget. Many of the programs JOTF is concerned about are in danger of losing funding. (See Maryland Policy Reports: Implications of Cuts in Maryland Children's Health Program, below.) Throughout the 2004 session, JOTF will track legislation and budget items related to workforce development. Download the General
Assembly Calendar for the 2004 session in PDF format. SENATE PASSES WIA REAUTHORIZATION BILL On November 14 the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Amendments of 2003 bill. The House of Representatives
passed its own WIA reauthorization bill, the Workforce Reinvestment and
Adult Education Act of 2003, last May. A Senate/House conference committee
will seek to reconcile the two bills by January 2004. STATE PRISON POLICY TO SHIFT
TOWARD REHABILITATION Read "State to Shift Prison Policy Toward Rehab". "WALMARTIZATION" OF JOB MARKET LEADS TO DEAD-END JOBS, LACK OF UPWARD MOBILITY A November Business Week commentary by Aaron Bernstein summarizes the job market challenges facing working poor and other economically disadvantaged Americans. Titled "Waking Up From The American Dream," the article finds that while recent trends by businesses such as Wal-Mart have resulted in increased productivity and lower consumer prices,"more than a quarter of the labor force...is trapped in low-wage, often dead-end jobs," and lacks opportunities for upward mobility. Read the "Waking
Up From The American Dream". Recent announcements about the recovering economy "show only half the picture," says University of Chicago economics professor Austan Goolsbee in the November 30 New York Times. Golsbee claims that actual unemployment rates from the recent recession were underreported. "The reality is that we didn't have a mild recession," he says. "Jobs-wise, we had a deep one."
UPCOMING EVENTS BALTIMORE CITY EX-OFFENDER TASK FORCE TO HOST EMPLOYER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST (12/18) Baltimore's Ex-Offender Task Force will host its second Annual Employer Appreciation Breakfast this month. The event honors area businesses that hire individuals with criminal records. Awards will also be given to outstanding employees and community partners. The Employer Appreciation Breakfast will be held from
8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, December 18, in the First Floor Auditorium
at Montgomery Park Business Center, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore. CAROLINE CENTER, BCCC TO HOLD MEETING ON MEDICAL FRONT OFFICE TRAINING PROGRAM (1/8/04) The Caroline Center and the Baltimore City Community College will hold a meeting on Thursday, January 8, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. at 900 Somerset Street, Baltimore for hospital representatives who are interested in helping to design and implement a Medical Front Office training course. The course would include a six-week job readiness training component, as well as classes in customer service, medical terminology,computer proficiency, and other workplace specializations. For more information, contact Sr. Pat Glinka at 410-563-1303, ext.13. ST. FRANCES ACADEMY TO HOST MLK JOB READINESS TEACH-IN (1/19/04) In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, St.
Frances Academy will hold an all-day job readiness teach-in program
on Monday, January 19, 2004, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the St.
Frances Academy Community Center, 501 East Chase Street, Baltimore. An opportunity will be provided for participants to send e-mails to the White House, Maryland State House, and Baltimore City Hall, expressing the need for more and better jobs. For more informaiton, call St. Frances Academy at 410-539-5794, ext. 30.
The Maryland
Regional Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families will sponsor
Father's Day in Annapolis on February 3, 2004. The event will
provide MRPNFF members, fathers, and interested organizations and individuals
with an opportunity to learn more about the legislative process and discuss
lawmakers' roles in strengthening fathers and families.
OPPORTUNITIES If your organization
would like to publicize a service, job announcement, grant, or other opportunity,
send e-mail to info@jotf.org. NEW VOICES
FELLOWSHIP ASSISTS NONPROFITS AND INDIVDUALS Read the 2004 Fellowships Application Package. The application deadline is January 12, 2004. Note: Individuals interested in the advancement of racial justice and civi rights who wish to apply for the New Voices Fellowship are encouraged to contact the Maryland Justice Coalition. Call Tara Andrews at 410-366-0600, ext. 112. MARYLAND JUSTICE COALITION SEEKS VOLUNTEERS The Maryland Justice Coalition, a statewide network that advocates a fair system of criminal justice in Maryland,seeks volunteers who are willing to contribute a few hours per week to draft letters, fold fliers, and stuff envelopes, among other tasks. Adults looking to build a work history and students looking to fulfill their community service requirements are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact Alfreda Robinson at 410-366-0600, ext. 156. CATHOLIC CHARITIES SEEKS TO FILL TWO POSITIONS Catholic Charities is seeking an Environmental Contracts Manager and a Program Development Evaluator. The Environmental Contracts Manager is responsible for the ODB Service Solution Transitional Work Program, which involves the development of custodial contracts that generate revenue and provide program participants with on-the-job training. Read the full job description. The Program Development Evaluator's duties include establishing, communicating, and maintaining an evaluation system for workforce development programs. Read the full job description. SAVE MIDDLE EAST ACTION COMMITTEE SEEKS COMMUNITY ORGANIZER The Save Middle East Action Committee (SMEAC)
represents residents of East Baltimore who are being relocated as a result
of the East Side BioTech Park project. SMEAC is seeking a full-time community
organizer who will work to unite people across the city around the principles
developed by Middle East community residents who face relocation from
their homes. BALTIMORE PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION REFORM SEEKS PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR The Baltimore Partnership for Education Reform seeks a Coordinator to facilitate and manage the Partnership and provide critical campaign, organizing, and training support for Partnership member groups. Read the full job description.
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES MARYLAND POLICY REPORTS: IMPLICATIONS OF CUTS IN MARYLAND CHILDREN'S HEALTH PROGRAM A new Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute report analyzes recent cuts to Maryland's Children's Health Program (MCHP), a state program that provides health insurance to children in low- and moderate-income families. The report finds that the cuts directly harm children, transfer the costs of covering uninsured children back to Marylanders, reduce the State's budget savings, and increase private health care costs by millions of dollars due to higher levels of uncompensated care. Read the
report. CLASP: CONGRESS
SHOULD NOT RESCIND WELFARE-TO-WORK FUNDS The authors urge a House-Senate conference committee to reject the Senate provision because it would force reductions in needed services at a time when states cannot compensate for the loss in funding. Moreover, states and localities were authorized to spend these funds over the next year; a rescission would violate the express terms under which states and localities were authorized to use these funds. Read Congress
Should Not Rescind Welfare-to-Work. BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: COMPARING BALTIMORE'S 2000 CENSUS DATA WITH 22 OTHER CITIES As a part of the Living Cities Census Project, the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy has produced 23 databooks, one for each of the cities in which Living Cities focuses its investments. The databooks place each of the 23 cities in a national context and provide comparative rankings on all the key indicators in the census. The databooks are organized around ten sets of indicators: Population, Race and Ethnicity, Immigration, Age, Households and Families, Education, Work, Commuting, Income and Poverty, and Housing. The Baltimore City databook presents U.S. Census 2000 results that underscore the many social, demographic, and economic challenges facing the city and its residents. Read the Baltimore City report: Part I, Part II
The Employment Policy Foundation has released
a study showing that 7 in 10 part-time workers in their prime working
years (ages 25-65) are working part-time by choice. Of the more than 9.5
million working part-time by choice, nearly 40 percent of those workers
were working part-time for reasons related to work-life balance, childcare,
personal and family obligations, or education.
On October 29 the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center released a policy brief focused on the hidden costs of U.S. criminal justice policies. With incarceration rates in America at record high levels, the criminal justice system now touches the lives of millions of children each year. The imprisonment of nearly three-quarters of a million parents disrupts parent-child relationships, alters the networks of familial support, and places new burdens on governmental services such as schools, foster care, adoption agencies, and organizations that serve youth. Read Families Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released a blueprint for organizations that wish to create a car ownership program for their clients. Shifting into Gear: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating a Car Ownership Program is a continuation of the National Economic Development and Law Center's systematic study of the new trend in car ownership programs designed to help low-income workers and job seekers overcome transporation barriers to work. The guide is a useful tool for organizations interested in launching a car ownership programs, and for those that wish to refine existing programs. Read Shifting
into Gear: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating a Car Ownership Program E-Newsletter Co-Editors:
Kevin Griffin Moreno
and Doha Melhem |
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