July 21, 2011

APPLICATIONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS RISE

Today in Manufacturing
More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are rising and the job market is weak ... continue

HOW TO SHIFT FROM SURVIVAL MODE TO GROWTH MODE

SmartBrief on Leadership
Hard work and optimism might not be the formula for surviving tough times, writes Jay Goltz, who has vowed to shed his "bunker mentality" and find ways to grow. "I need to spend more time on new opportunities and what's working and less time trying to push things that are stuck," Goltz writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/You're The Boss blog

WHY INNOVATION SHOULD BE WHAT YOUR WORKERS DO

SmartBrief on Leadership
Too many companies say they're seeking to foster innovation but fail to convince their workers that innovation has anything to do with them, writes Colin Crabtree. That flaw can be enough to prevent progress, he warns. InnovationTools

PROSPERITY 2020: FORWARD THINKING TO STRENGTHEN HIGHER EDUCATION

Utah business leaders shaping the direction of Prosperity 2020 are exploring a number of initiatives to strengthen higher education across the state including mission based funding, cluster acceleration and an increased emphasis on one and two-year programs in high-knowledge and high-skill areas.

(Note: UMA President and board members presented in the last meeting of this group to outline the critical need for highly trained technical people to fill vacancies the currently exist but do not require college or university degrees.)
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THOMAS OFFERS DEFENSE OF STATE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION SYSTEM

Source: UtahPublicEducation.org
Dave Thomas defends the Utah State Board of Education election process, arguing that although the current system could be tweaked here and there, it has by and large delivered a State Board that is "diverse and competent."

So is the current system broken? No. The members of the State Board are diverse and competent, and that was the goal of having a vetting process. Now does that mean that the current system cannot be tweaked? Certainly not. One flaw in the current system is the elimination of an incumbent by the Committee without an election, thus giving rise to allegations of blackballing. This, however, can be remedied in the statute by requiring that the Committee and Governor select the incumbent, when available, to run in the general election.

It is not a perfect system by any means. However, it is far superior to a partisan system, which would cause a new-found reason for disunity and the injection of party political ideology into our public education system.

(The Interim Education Committee of the Legislature addressed this issue yesterday where they heard several proposals to modify the system for electing the State Board of Education. UMA was involved initially with the creation of the current system that uses a “Recruiting and Nominating Committee” to recommend candidates to the Governor who places two candidates from each district on the ballot. This system has been criticized by the public education community. Under a former system UEA dominated the selection process. This current process guarantees representation by the business community in the process.)

BOEING DISPUTE SPURS LEGISLATION TO REIN IN NLRB

Quick Manufacturing News
Proposal would prevent the federal agency from ordering private firms to close, shut down or transfer employment. Click to continue

THE PIED PIPER OF MANUFACTURING

Quick Manufacturing News
Harry Moser is single-handedly galvanizing a crusade to lure offshore manufacturing jobs back to American soil. Click to continue

COALITION CITES MISINFORMATION ABOUT TRUCK WEIGHT BILL

Quick Manufacturing News
The Coalition for Transportation Productivity denied that trucks are 'dramatically overrepresented in fatal crashes,' saying this statement ignores the fact that trucks log five times more vehicle miles traveled than the average car. Click to continue

CHINA DRIVES GLOBAL STEEL GAINS IN JUNE

Quick Manufacturing News
U.S. production remains 15% off of 2008 peak. Click to continue

CHINA ACQUIRES CANADIAN OIL SANDS DEVELOPER

Quick Manufacturing News
Price tag is $2.1 billion Click to continue