Saturday, August 31, 2013

Labor Day 2013 Highlights

Labor Day 2013 kicks off with a message from Labor Secrtary Tom Perez: Labor Day 2013 is special. This year marks the centennial of the U.S. Department of Labor – 100 years of working for America’s workers. And this past week, our nation reaffirmed the ideals of the 1963 March on Washington. This transformational event, exactly 50 years ago, was just as much about labor rights as it was about civil rights. Read more: http://social.dol.gov/blog/a-labor-day-opportunity/

watch?v=O8UBJzFzUJI&feature=youtu.be

The fast food strikes that began last November in New York City with walkouts by 200 workers expanded and spread to other cities in the spring and summer. On Thursday, thousands of workers in 60 cities went on a one-day strike. The demands were the same, only amplified — higher pay, to $15 an hour, and the right to organize without retaliation.
Read more at:http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/29/fast-food-workers-on-strike/

InterContinental Hotels Groups's Holiday Inn Opens Out To Peru

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), continues to increase the Holiday Inn® brand's footprint in Latin America with the signing of the new-build Holiday Inn Lima Airport hotel. The $24 million hotel will be located adjacent to the city's Jorge Chavez International Airport, and is being developed by the Pinasco family, who will also manage the hotel under the Operaciones Turisticas Peruanas S.A.C. entity. The organization has been working with IHG for many years and also owns and manages the Crowne Plaza ® Lima hotel.

See in full: www.4-traders.com/INTERCONTINENTAL-HOTELS-G-11682394/news/InterContinental-Hotels-Group-PLC--IHG-Expands-the-Holiday-Inn-Brand-in-Peru-17216934/

Peru’s expansion into international hotel brands will continue with the announcement of a Holiday Inn Airport. According to Gestion newspaper, the firm Operaciones Turisticas Peruanas is bringing the hotel chain to Lima and at least one other northern city.

Though no date has been set, the first hotel will be built in front of Jorge Chavez International airport in Callao with an estimated budget of $24 million.

Moscoso said the new hotel will be marketed to business travelers and a 5-star clientele.

Barclays' SmartPhone Pingit App Introduces Gift-Giving Operation to Help Charities

Barclays' smartphone app, Barclays Pingit, has launched a new 'donate with Gift Aid' function allowing consumers to maximise donations to their favourite charities using their mobile phones. With estimates suggesting that Gift Aid is worth nearly £1bn a year to charities and their donors, this instant mobile payment platform will ensure charities are able to fully benefit from each and every donation made to them using Barclays Pingit. Read more: http://www.4-traders.com/BARCLAYS-PLC-9583556/news/Barclays-PLC--Charities-set-to-benefit-as-Barclays-launches-Gift-A

When a user of the app scans a charity's QR code or chooses a charity from the business directory, they will be given the option to select Gift Aid, which claims back basic rate tax relief on a donation.

The new addition to the app will also now let charities track donations linked to associated campaigns - enabling them to better measure the success of initiatives.

Read in full: http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/barclays-pingit-mobile-app-introduce-gift-aid-to-benefit-charities/022105

David McHattie, head of charities, corporate banking, Barclays, said: "As [charities] explore new and innovative ways in which to engage and broaden their donor base, and in particular appeal to the next generation donor, Pingit could prove to be a key element in their evolving armoury.”

Macmillan Cancer Support, Dogs Trust and Charities Trust are some of the charities to make use of this new functionality.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

DOL's Women's Bureau and The Continuing Fight for Women's Rights in the Workplace

As America celebrates today Women’s Equality Day, a day proclaimed each year by the United States President to commemorate the granting of the vote to women throughout the country on an equal basis with men – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Equality_Day, it is fitting to look into the role the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau has played in the continous struggle of women

for equality and opportunity in the U.S. Workforce.

Since the publication of ”American Women,” the Women’s Bureau has continued to advocate for the nation’s working women. In the 1970s, the bureau threw its support behind the Equal Rights Amendment, which sought to guarantee equal rights for women. In 1984, the bureau launched a national initiative to educate the public about the Job Training Partnership Act and its potential to improve the economic status of women. In 1992, it joined the Employment and Training Administration in administering the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program, to assist employers and labor unions in placing and retaining women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. Read more: http://social.dol.gov/blog/champions-of-womens-work/

In America today, there is still a long way to go before women are large enough part of the corporate leadership ranks to shift the cultural expectations of behavior, and debunk stereotypes.

As discriminatory practices and negative gender stereotyping continue to take their toll on women, the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau – the only government agency whose mission is to advocate for the economic advancement of women – is more important than ever before. ( ) Many work on shop floors, in restaurants or in call centers. These women can’t afford to be judged on anything other than whether or not they get results. For these women, many who support their families as the sole breadwinner, our continuous demand for dignity and respect in their work lives is essential.

See: http://social.dol.gov/blog/big-girls-do-cry-sometimes-so-what/

Random Thoughts on Women's Equality Day 2013

In this year's celebration of Women's Equality Day, established by a joint resolution of Congress, in1971 designating August 26 of each year as Women's Equality Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Equality_Day --

various thoughts are shared, among others:

This year, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day on the eve of the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. stood before a crowd of hundreds of thousands, and delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Among those visionary civil rights leaders were courageous women, like Dr. Dorothy Height, whom you can see standing on the podium supporting Dr. King as he speaks.

Whether through the Women’s Suffrage Movement, or the Civil Rights Movement, we are reminded of those women, and men who have worked so hard to make our country more equal. We look back at our history to inspire our future.

See in full: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/26/celebrating-women-s-equality-day

Monday marked Women’s Equality Day, 93 years to the day since the ratification of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Women have made huge strides since then: they now make up about half of the workforce, hold half of middle management jobs, and are graduating college at rapid rates.

But much work remains to be done if women are to be truly made economically equal with their male colleagues. Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/26/2528721/womens-equality-day-policies-help-make-women-economically-equal/ –

What does investing in women and in their ability to advocate for themselves mean for the world? In Caribou, Maine, where I'm from, girls had two choices when they were growing up - who they would marry and how many children they would have. There were many "invisible women" who lacked access to resources, powerful female role models and, above all, choice. My mother encouraged me to advocate for myself and for those who felt invisible. As the CEO of WomanCare Global, a non-profit women's health company focused on delivering high-quality healthcare products, I believe that empowering women by ensuring their reproductive choice is critical for women who simply want to provide a better quality of life for their children and ultimately, themselves. On a global scale, an investment in female empowerment ensures healthier, wealthier and better educated communities.

See also the following: http://www.nwhm.org/blog/celebrate-equality-day/

http://feministing.com/2013/08/26/happy-women-equality-day/

Office Depot Embarks On a Nationwide $1 Million Anti-Bullying Drive with One Direction

Executives of Boca Raton-based Office Depot shared the stage Monday with popular boy-band One Direction to announce a $1 million anti-bullying campaign at U.S. middle schools.

The retailer has been selling an exclusive line of One Direction back-to-school supplies and is funneling $1 million of those proceeds to its nonprofit arm for the campaign that kicks off this September. Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-office-depot-antibullying-20130826,0,1268340.story

The Office Depot Foundation – the independent, nonprofit philanthropic arm of Office Depot - has engaged nationally known speaker Brooks Gibbs to present its “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” program in middle schools across the U.S. during the upcoming school year. A youth crisis counselor and bullying expert, Gibbs has spoken to more than 1 million students about bullying in the past decade. Gibbs’ “treat everyone like friends - even your enemies” philosophy enhances One Direction’s message of “Live Nice.”

See: http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20130819005170/en/Office-Depot/Office-Depot-Foundation/One-Direction

Saturday, August 24, 2013

The Nature Conservancy and AT&T: Partners in “Skip the Bag” Program

In its mission to help the environment, The Nature Conservancy has teamed up with AT&T in Hawaii and on the national level to launch an eco-friendly shopping experience that asks AT&T customers to “skip the bag” with their purchases, and in exchange AT&T will donate 10 cents to the nonprofit for each surrendered bag. The purpose of the promotion, which runs until Jan. 31, is to align with The Nature Conservancy’s mission of protecting and restoring lands and waters.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2013/08/19/atts-skip-the-bag-promotion-to.html

AT&T's Skip the Bag campaign is in support of The Nature Conservancy's efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy takes innovative action to invest in the planet's environmental and economic future, including Hawaii's fresh water and coral reefs. This is an effort to empower AT&T customers with sustainable choices, increase efficiency and minimize impact on the environment.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-the-nature-conservancy-team-up-to-help-hawaii-customers-skip-the-bag-220236911.html

AT&T (NYSE: T) sees the effort as a way to promote sustainable living. http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2013/08/19/atts-skip-the-bag-promotion-to.html

The Nature Conservancy and its partners in Hawaii are leading innovators in conservation technology to adapt and implement cutting-edge techniques in forest conservation. The Conservancy is expanding the conservation toolbox by developing, field testing, and piloting the most promising technologies and then quickly implementing them on the ground. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-the-nature-conservancy-team-up-to-help-hawaii-customers-skip-the-bag-220236911.html

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