Workplace Violence Costs U.S. Businesses $70 Billion Per Year

More than 70 percent of U.S. businesses have no policy or formal program in place to address workplace violence. However, violence costs businesses $70 billion a year, with $64.4 billion attributed to lost workplace productivity.

In the latest HRmarketer Market Share podcast, Kim Wells, executive director of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, provides insight on the importance of providing a formal program to address the affects of violence in the workplace.

Wells suggests formalizing a program to keep the workplace safe, whether the violence is related to domestic or workplace issues. Components of a program include, formalizing a policy, creating a response team, building awareness and educating staff on the realities and affects of workplace violence.

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Report Finds Face of Labor No Longer That of White Male Manufacturing Worker

The Bureau of National Affairs reports that In the past 25 years, the face of the labor movement has changed considerably, with the percentage of white men plummeting from over half (51.7 percent) of the unionized workforce in 1983 to 38 percent in 2008, according to a new report released recently.

The report, "The Changing Face of Labor, 1983-2008," released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, found that the union movement is more diverse today than it was in 1983, the earliest year when comparable data are available.

"The view that the typical union worker is a white male manufacturing worker may have been correct a quarter of a century ago, but it's not an accurate description of those in today's labor movement," said CEPR Senior Economist John Schmitt, who along with Kris Warner wrote the report. Schmitt added that the "unionized workforce is changing with the country. The fastest growing groups in the overall economy also are the fastest growing groups in the labor movement."

The report found that just one in 10 unionized workers (11 percent) were employed in the manufacturing sector, down from nearly 30 percent in 1983. Although the manufacturing sector has traditionally been more heavily unionized than other industries, since the mid-2000s manufacturing has been less unionized than the overall economy, the report said.

 

‘We're Poised for Changes' in Labor Law, Chairman Liebman Says at ABA Conference

"I feel very privileged" to be chairman of the National Labor Relations Board at an "historic time" when "we're poised for changes" in the field of labor law, Wilma B. Liebman said Nov. 5 at the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law's annual meeting the bureau of National Affairs reports.

Liebman noted that the board has been operating with just two members for the past 22 months, and a challenge to its authority to issue two-member rulings will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. It is "an interesting legal issue" that needs a final resolution because the political stalemate that produced the problem-the Democratic-controlled Senate's refusal to consider former President Bush's nominees and blocking him from making recess appointments-could occur again in the future, she said.

Not all of the approximately 538 rulings issued by the two-member board are at risk, Liebman said. She explained that the parties in most of the cases have accepted the board's rulings and that only about 77 cases have been filed in the appeals courts so far challenging the two-member board's authority.

"If we lose, we'll have to decide what to do, but we're hopeful we'll win," Liebman said. "We think we made the right decision [ to keep the board operating]." The decision is based on the board's interpretation of Section 3(b) of the National Labor Relations Act and a 2003 memorandum by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.

Upcoming Webinars

Huffmaster will offer it's newest webinar: "Preparing Your Site Security Plan: Learn the Pitfalls that Will Cost You Time and Money (and How to AVOID Them)". This informative one-hour webinar will enable you to benefit from Huffmaster's experience in preparing numerous SSP's for clients across the country.

Completing your SSP will be a labor intensive process (DHS estimates 200 or more hours...our experience suggests considerably more). The statements and commitments you communicate to DHS via your SSP must demonstrate that your security measures will:

• Deter, Detect, and Delay an Attack on your facility.
• Prevent Theft and Diversion of potentially dangerous chemicals.
• Mitigate the risk of internal Sabotage, and
• Achieve a satisfactory level of security to meet the 15 other published Risk Based Performance Standards (RBPS).

We have a single session scheduled for Tuesday, January 12th from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. Sign up today to hear from Huffmaster's CFATS subject matter experts. Click here to register.

Greg Johnson, CPP and President of Huffmaster Crisis Management, is hosting two 45 minute "Strike Contingency Planning" webinar that will identify key operational, security and logistical planning considerations. Currently the two upcoming seesion are scheduled for January 14th from 2-3 PM EST and January 26th from 2-3 PM EST. Click here to register.

To register for any webinar, you can link directly from Huffmaster's home page or by clicking here to select the session that best fits your schedule. The number of participants is limited and pre-registration is required. If you have any questions about the webinars, please feel free to contact Rob Huffmaster at 800.446.1515 ext. 143 or e-mail him at Rob@huffmaster.com.