CALENDAR

Editor 's note: submit events, meetings, workshops and conferences at least one month in advance to cibm@news-gazette.com for inclusion in Mark Your Calendar.

Untitled < Dec Jan Feb >

January 6
Government Council Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign

January 7
Champaign County FIRST 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign The committee meets to keep up to date on issues that affect Champaign County and to determine how to influence key decision makers to bring economic prosperity to our communities through public projects and/or government policies.

January 21
Agribusiness Council 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign

January 21
Business After Hours 5 to 7 p.m.
Devonshire Group, Huntington Towers 201 W. Springfield Ave., Champaign Join fellow Chamber members and their guests in this networking opportunity hosted this month by Devonshire Group. Proceeds from the $5 per person donation at the door will help fund Chamber programs. Donation for non-members and guests is $8.

January 25
Community Spanish: A Survival Guide for English Speakers - Session 1 6 to 9 p.m.
Every Monday, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 22. Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Community Spanish is designed to prepare English-speaking people to speak and understand small amounts of basic Spanish found in most routine interchanges in daily life. In addition, Community Spanish provides basic cultural information about Spanish-speaking groups in the hope of informing and educating English-speakers about the unique aspects of Latino culture. Join Ana Langlois as she guides you step-by-step through the process. Grammar is not covered, and no prior knowledge of Spanish is required. Class fee is $225, including book and CD, and the deadline to sign up is Jan. 19. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 25
Accounting and Financial Management Applications (QuickBooks Premier 2008) - Session 1: 6 to 10 p.m. Session 2 - Jan. 28
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Steve Heidbreder, CPA, will help you explore QuickBooks, the leading choice for managing your books. Learn how to manage business accounts and checkbooks; reconcile bank statements; produce budgets; manage cash flow, create the financial management reports required by banks and the government; and share data with Microsoft Office applications. Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista or equivalent knowledge. Class fee is $225, including book. Deadline to register is Jan. 15. For more information call (217) 351-2235.

January 26
Microsoft Access 2007: Level 1 - Session 1: 8 a.m. To 12:30 p.m. Session 2 - Jan. 28
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Join Wanda Plawer to examine basic database concepts, and create and modify databases and their various objects using the Microsoft(r) Office Access 2007 relational database application. Upon successful completion of this workshop, you will be able to understand basic database concepts and explore the Microsoft Office Access 2007 environment; design a simple database; build a new database with related tables; manage data in a table; query a database using different methods; and design forms and generate reports. Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista or equivalent knowledge. Class fee is $159, including book, and the deadline to register is Jan. 19. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 26
Intro to the World of Grants 6 to 8 p.m.
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign New to the world of grants? Looking to start a new nonprofit or small business? Looking to expand your group's programs or diversify your funding? Elizabeth Simpson from do good Consulting will introduce you to the language of RFP's, 501c(3)s, and needs statements and help you launch your grant writing journey. This two-hour workshop provides a good introduction to the Grant Writing and Proposal Development for Non-Profits course. Prerequisite: Basic computer skills. Fee is $45 and the deadline to register is Jan. 19. For more information call (217) 351-2235.

January 27
A Manager's Guide to Human Behavior 8 a.m. to 5:05 p.m.
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Join Chuck Baldwin and discover how to inspire employees to higher performance; maximize your positive impact on others; develop more productive working relationships by communicating in sensitive, nonthreatening ways; establish rapport and mutual trust; give and receive performance feedback; and really understand people's needs. Class fee is $225, including book. Deadline to sign up is Jan. 20. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 28
Communicating for Superior Teamwork: Managing Your Communication Style 8 a.m. to noon
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Let Steven Welland show you how to work smarter and faster, relying more on the knowledge and skills of teams, by identifying your primary communication style and those of your team members. Then, develop plans to build better working relationships with other team members. Paid registrants will be issued an access code in order to complete an online DISC personal profile assessment. The assessment must be completed by Jan 22. Class fee is $175, including a workbook. Deadline to register is Jan. 14. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

COVER STORY September 2010

More jobs, better benefits

Trends show that, as hiring increases, so does the prevalence of organized labor

By Sarah Lohman
CIB Staff Writer

For the first time in more than a year, the productivity in the United States dropped. This drop in productivity could lead to an increase in hiring and a path out of the ongoing economic recession.

The Labor Department says worker productivity declined at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the second quarter after posting large gains throughout 2009. Unit labor costs edged up 0.2 percent in the second quarter, the first increase since the spring of 2009.

Economists said a slowing in productivity would be a welcome development if it translates into more hiring.

An upswing in hiring could also be the first step toward an increase in organized labor.

"Unions, like a lot of things, like the economy, they kind of cycle," Michael Everett said. "There was a time in this country when 40 percent of the population belonged to a union. ... A very significant portion of the population, they belonged to unions. Barbers, bartenders, waitresses, everybody belonged to a union."

Everett, the business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said he has seen organized labor cycle several times during his 35 years working as a union electrician and now as the business manager of the union.

A large population of unionized workers made it possible for the working class to negotiate contracts and substantially improve the standard of living for everyone in the country, Everett said.

"Unions were formed out of necessity by working people who were trying to get in a position where they could sit down with their boss and bargain reasonable wages for reasonable work," Everett said. "One of the things that's happened in this country is the productivity of American workers continues to be on the rise, but their portion of the benefits or productivity seem to be less and less and less."

Productivity rose by large amounts during the recession. Companies slashed their payrolls and pushed unemployment up to the highest levels in more than two decades.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 12.4 percent of the workforce is unionized. A Gallup poll conducted in August 2010 found that, although a small percentage of the work force is actually organized, 52 percent of Americans approve of organized labor.

"I'm optimistic about the future of labor because I see all the reasons for people needing, wanting to form unions cycling back around again," Everett said. The attitude now is ,"If you don't like it, there's the door," Everett said, making it harder for workers to demand their fair share without fear of being fired.

"That balance is no longer there, the balance that used to set labor and management down at a table where they can negotiate something fair," Everett said. "It's kind of switched from being a negotiation to dictation. Somebody tells you, 'This is what it is. If you don't like it, there's the door.' When workers in general are in that position, they're no longer in a position to get a fair share of the pie."

Locally, Ameren has had to cut costs, often leaving their independent contractors without work.

Economic downturns often lead to neglect of things like bridges, roads and energy infrastructure. Eventually, these things must be repaired and jobs are created.

Everett said he foresees the younger generation of the work force getting fed up with low wages and large workloads and then organizing.

"I'm encouraged by the younger generation. They're independent thinkers, they're strong-willed, they're just not going to be taken advantage of forever," Everett said.

Interest in and passion for organized labor ebbs and flows, just like politics, Everett said. People get frustrated and throw up their hands but soon regret that decision because when people fail to participate it can hurt the regular working man. Frustration and dissatisfaction drive the organization of labor, and as the economic recession eases, Everett predicts that unions will grow.

"There's going to be a huge need for workers and it's going to coincide with the baby boomers being too old to work there's going to be this giant swing the other way, it's going to be a forced issue. When it swings that way, the number of people who are employed is going to grow and workers at some point are not going to tolerate the way they have been treated. They're going to demand a fair share."