As the newly elected chairman of the board of trustees for EDCUtah, A. Richard Walje, president of Rocky Mountain Power, says he'd like to engage EDCUtah's board of trustees, executive committee, investors, "and all of the participants we can, to help move economic development forward in Utah."
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Today in Manufacturing
BP oil rig explosion and spill was not about anyone purposely trading money for safety, but more about seemingly acceptable risks adding up to disaster ... continue
Today in Manufacturing
Economic stress fell to a 16-month low, thanks to more hiring in New England, fewer foreclosures in mid-Atlantic and declining bankruptcy filings in Southeast ... continue
Today in Manufacturing
Oil supplies will be pushed near their peak over the coming decades, endangering government pledges to limit the increase in global temperatures ... continue
IN THE LAME-DUCK SESSION, PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT?
NAM FLAG Weekly CommunicationsBefore the Senate broke for the final weeks of the campaign, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on S. 3722, the Paycheck Fairness Act, making consideration possible during the lame-duck session. This is the bill that would use government pressure and the threat of litigation to require equal pay with little regard to market forces, local conditions, and an individual employee’s capabilities. Most alarmingly for a civil justice standpoint, it removes limits on compensatory and punitive damages and would make participation in class-action lawsuits “opt-out” instead of opt-in. (See the NAM’s ManuFacts sheet.)
Politically, it’s hard to see the Senate Democrats moving on a bill that imposes more federal mandates on business. Still, the Obama Administration continues to promote the legislation, most recently in a State Department report to the United Nations apologizing for the U.S.’s record on human rights. (Shopfloor.org, “Apologizing for America, Administration Touts Paycheck Fairness Act.” The Administration seems to regard W.E.B. DuBois as a moral authority.) On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the Hudson Institute is sponsoring a Capitol Hill briefing on the legislation, “"The Negative Employment Effects of the Paycheck Fairness Act." The briefing starts at 9:45 a.m. in the Capitol Visitors Center.
UNION CARD CHECKMATE
Voters in four states protect the secret ballot.
Audrey Mullen - Advocacy Ink
As the lame duck session of the Pelosi Congress nears, one fear is that Democrats will try to force through some last-minute liberal legislation, in particular "card check" to kill the secret ballot in union elections. Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin has promised to seek such a vote, so in the interests of self-preservation the 23 Democrats up for re-election in 2012 might want to look at what happened to the proposal last Tuesday.
Four states—Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah—voted on "save our secret ballot" measures that would require secret elections and effectively outlaw card check as a means to certify a union. In Arizona and Utah the measures passed with 60% of the vote. In South Dakota the margin of victory was 79% and in South Carolina it was 86%.
Yes, these are right-leaning states, but these aren't merely symbolic victories. Unions have pressed to get card check laws passed in nearly half the states as a way to stop declining union membership, which is now down to 7% or so of all private workers. The state laws are also important because President Obama's appointees may try to bypass Congress and enact card check through rule-making by the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Obama's recess appointment of Craig Becker earlier this year gave pro-card check forces a majority on the NLRB.
"We're confident that state laws guaranteeing the secret ballot would trump these administrative rulings," says Clint Bolick, litigation director for the save the secret ballot movement.
Meanwhile, citizens in four more states—California, Florida, Mississippi and Ohio—are planning similar anti-card check initiatives for 2012. Americans want workers to be able to join a union if they freely choose one, but only when they are organized through honest, democratic elections. Republicans should be able to block card check legislation in the lame duck and the 112th Congress, but states can protect their economies from the NLRB with initiatives like those that passed last week.
Quick Manufacturing News
U.S. sales of machine tools and related equipment rose from $246.42 million in August to $399.76 million in September, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Assn. and The Association For Manufacturing Technology. The total indicates a 156.8% increase over September 2009 sales ($155.69 million), and brings total 2010 year-to-date sales to $2,090.27 million, a 74.1% improvement over the nine-month total for 2009. Click to continue
Quick Manufacturing News
Global demand for material handling products is projected to rise 6.5% per year through 2014, approaching $113 billion. Click to continue
Quick Manufacturing News
Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is continuing to wind down as the year comes to an end but is nonetheless expected to be up 9% in November over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Click to continue
Quick Manufacturing News
He noted that productivity growth had been excellent, auguring well for future expansion, but that parts of the U.S. economy 'still look very tough' with unemployment and the housing market still bad. Click to continue
Quick Manufacturing News
But as the world economy has recovered, Germany has rebounded strongly, with the government seeing growth of 3.4% this year after shrinking nearly 5% in 2009. Click to continue
But as the world economy has recovered, Germany has rebounded strongly, with the government seeing growth of 3.4% this year after shrinking nearly 5% in 2009. Click to continue
IP FOURTH ANNUAL IP SEMINAR SERIES - NOVEMBER 18, 2010
As part of the Fourth Annual IP Seminar Series, Stoel Rives is hosting its fifth and final complimentary seminar for 2010, Bilski Round Two: What Is Patentable in Light of the Supreme Court’s Recent Decision? Intellectual property attorneys Kory D. Christensen and R. Whitney Johnson of the Salt Lake City office will discuss the recent Bilski case, in which the Supreme Court overturned the Federal Circuit’s decision limiting subject matter eligibility to inventions satisfying the “machine or transformation” test. The decision ends months of speculation about how the Supreme Court might alter the law surrounding software and business method patents, although it also raises new questions. For example, the decision will likely impact medical treatment and diagnostic processes (see Prometheus Laboratories v. Mayo Collaborative Services, pending before the Supreme Court). Join us to discuss the patentability of software, business methods, and medical treatments and diagnostics. Topics for discussion will include:
How are the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the lower courts applying the Bilski decision?
What questions should you be asking your patent counsel about the impact of Bilski on your patent portfolio?
How are the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the lower courts applying the Bilski decision?
What questions should you be asking your patent counsel about the impact of Bilski on your patent portfolio?
Is it possible to fix patents and patent applications issued under the old standard for patent eligibility?
How might Bilski affect medical treatment and diagnostic methods?
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how the Supreme Court’s Bilski decision impacts your business.
When: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:30 a.m. - Registration and LunchNoon - 1 p.m. - Presentation
Cost: Complimentary (lunch included)
Where: Stoel Rives LLP201 S Main Street, Suite 1100Salt Lake City, UT 84111
When: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:30 a.m. - Registration and LunchNoon - 1 p.m. - Presentation
Cost: Complimentary (lunch included)
Where: Stoel Rives LLP201 S Main Street, Suite 1100Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Click here for directions
Parking: Validations will be provided for One Utah Center parking garage.
RSVP: Please register by Monday, November 15, 2010 . Register here or go to www.stoel.com/ipseminarseries.
Parking: Validations will be provided for One Utah Center parking garage.
RSVP: Please register by Monday, November 15, 2010 . Register here or go to www.stoel.com/ipseminarseries.
For more information, please contact Melanie Williamson at (801) 715-6662 or mwwilliamson@stoel.com.
Today in Manufacturing
Employers posted fewer job vacancies in September than the previous month, the second month of declines, according to a report from the Labor Department ... continue
Employers posted fewer job vacancies in September than the previous month, the second month of declines, according to a report from the Labor Department ... continue
"TWO STEPS FORWARD"
Tea Leaf – Jeff Thredgold
Here's a preview of this week's issue:
Of the three major economic and financial developments of the past week two could be viewed positively, while one falls into the "wait and see" camp.
Here's a preview of this week's issue:
Of the three major economic and financial developments of the past week two could be viewed positively, while one falls into the "wait and see" camp.
First up, American job creation was better than expected during the month of October. In addition, employment data of the two prior months was revised to be less ugly.
Second, political change in the U.S. Congress was also an important step to getting the federal government under control. Finally, the Federal Reserve's announcement of another $600,000,000,000 in U.S. Treasury security purchases could modestly help the economy...it could also backfire.
EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS:
A Legal and Practical Guide -- Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Employers Council
A well written and current employee handbook is essential to the successful operation of your company. It sets the tone for the employee/employer relationship, establishes workplace policies, and helps you comply with both federal and state employment laws. If you have not reviewed your handbook in the past two years, chances are high that it is not in compliance with recent legal changes. Join us at this up-to-date and information-packed seminar that will examine both legal and practical handbook issues. Topics to be covered include:
Important legal reasons to have a handbook and proper disclaimers
Appropriate language, tone, and format
Recent legal developments that affect employment policies
Review of key sample policies
Emerging trends and concerns
When: Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Employers Council
A well written and current employee handbook is essential to the successful operation of your company. It sets the tone for the employee/employer relationship, establishes workplace policies, and helps you comply with both federal and state employment laws. If you have not reviewed your handbook in the past two years, chances are high that it is not in compliance with recent legal changes. Join us at this up-to-date and information-packed seminar that will examine both legal and practical handbook issues. Topics to be covered include:
Important legal reasons to have a handbook and proper disclaimers
Appropriate language, tone, and format
Recent legal developments that affect employment policies
Review of key sample policies
Emerging trends and concerns
When: Thursday, November 18, 2010
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon (check-in and breakfast buffet from 7:30 - 8:00 AM)
Where: Red Lion Hotel, 161 W 600 S, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: $125 per Council Member; $199 per non-member (includes materials, full breakfast, and parking)
Call the Council office or reply to this email with registration information or with any questions. You can download the registration form at http://ecutah.org/handbooks.pdf. Full refund will be given if cancellation is received one week prior to event. Enrollment is limited to available space.
Certification: This program is approved for 3.5 general recertification hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.
Certification: This program is approved for 3.5 general recertification hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.
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