The third goal is to guarantee every working American a safe and
healthful workplace with equal opportunity for all. If an employer's practices
threaten workers' safety and health, discriminate on the basis of gender, race,
veterans' status, or disability, or deprive workers of fair wages, tough
enforcement is necessary. To promote compliance with employment laws, there
must be an appropriate balance of fair and consistent enforcement, cooperative
partnerships, and compliance assistance and training. Also, the Department is
committed to improving the working conditions of children domestically and
abroad by eliminating violations of child labor laws and by raising core
international labor standards to enhance economic stability abroad
Putting a Human Face on Globalization
The globalization of the economy has altered the way
in which the American workforce has traditionally been structured. The
challenge today is Putting a Human Face on Globalization in this
interdependent economy. There are several proposals that address this issue and
advance the goal of fostering quality workplaces.
In the new global economy there exists the opportunity to lift billions
of people into a worldwide middle class and a decent standard of living. The FY
2001 budget proposals help to harmonize the Administration's goals of
increasing trade and improving working conditions and labor standards for all
workers. Raising global labor standards and improving worldwide enforcement of
labor laws is vital to this effort. Achieving expanded opportunity and security
for American workers has become increasingly dependent upon how effectively the
U.S. addresses the international challenges of economic globalization.
International Child
Labor
An estimated 250 million children between the ages of 5 to 14 years, are
working in developing countries, and millions of these children work under
abusive or dangerous conditions. The Administration has accomplished two major
Child Labor milestones in recent years - dramatic growth in the International
Programme for the Elimination of Child Labor, and ratification of ILO
convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
The FY 2001 request takes these efforts to the next level by supporting
educational opportunities that not only encourage the removal of children from
these abusive and dangerous working environments, but that provide them with
real opportunities and real hope for a better future. The request includes a
total of $100 million to support international efforts to eliminate child labor
through a comprehensive strategy with two inter-related components: first, the
U.S. contribution to IPEC will increase by 50% (to $45 million) for
multilateral assistance which will increase the number of abused children
served covering more industries and in more countries; second, a new program
funded at $55 million will help countries enhance access to basic education as
a viable alternative to work toward the elimination of child labor.
International Labor
Standards
The FY 2001 budget expands upon the initiative begun in FY 2000 to
provide both multilateral technical assistance through the ILO and bilateral
assistance through DOL to help developing countries implement ILO Core
Labor Standards. The multilateral component continues at a level of
$20 million. For the bilateral programs, DOL is requesting $20 million, a $10
million increase to help countries with which the U.S. has important
relationships to develop and administer labor standards and social safety net
programs.
Global HIV/AIDS Workplace
Initiative
The budget also includes $10 million for a new Global HIV/AIDS Workplace
initiative to provide multilateral assistance to the ILO to support health
education and HIV prevention in the workplace.
Labor And Environmental
Monitoring
As part of a $10 million joint DOL, Environmental Protection Agency, and
State Department effort, the budget includes $4.3 million for DOL to improve
its ability to assess the institutional capacity of developing countries to
administer labor and environmental laws as part of an effort to improve the
mobilization and targeting of U.S. and international technical assistance.
Living Our Values at Home
The modern American workplace is changing due to technological advances
and the booming economy. Rigorous demands on companies and workers call for an
investment in creating an environment in which our personal values are
reflected at work.
Domestic Child Labor
The Department continues its commitment to reducing the more than
210,000 annual workplace injuries and fatalities to young workers in America.
The budget includes $13 million for DOL domestic child labor activities,
including $8 million to help eliminate domestic labor law violations including
violations of child labor laws, particularly in the agricultural sector, and $5
million for demonstration programs to provide alternatives to field work for
migrant youth. This amount includes $2.2 million for DOL to implement targeted
enforcement tools, including "strike teams", in the agricultural and garment
industries; and $0.5 million for enhanced education and outreach efforts as
part of the "Safe Work/Safe Kids" initiative included within the Department's
proposals in the FY 2001 budget that advance the Department's strategic goal of
improving the quality of the workplace.
Expanding the Family and Medical Leave
Act.
Today, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows covered workers to
take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave to care for a newborn or
adopted child, attend to their own serious health needs, or care for a
seriously ill parent, child, or spouse - making it less likely that employees
will have to choose between work and family. The President continues to support
expansion of the FMLA to reach workers in firms with 25 or more employees,
extending coverage to 12 million more workers.
The President's budget includes $20 million to fund competitive planning
grants for States and other interested entities to explore ways to make
parental leave and other forms of family leave more affordable and accessible
for American workers. Many workers face barriers, such as financial barriers,
to taking advantage of unpaid leave. This initiative will help identify in more
detail the workers who need financial assistance to take parental/family leave
and to evaluate and develop options to aid these workers.
Minimum Wage
Despite the strongest economy in a generation, there are still millions
of workers trying to raise a family and struggling to make ends meet. The
President's proposal will increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 over
two years. For someone who works full-time, this minimum wage increase will
mean an additional $2,000 per year. A higher minimum wage will help over 10
million Americans. Seventy percent of the workers who would benefit are adults,
age 20 or over, and 60 percent are women, many of whom are trying to raise
their family on $5.15 an hour. This increase will help ensure that as costs
continue to increase, parents who work hard and play by the rules can bring up
their children out of poverty.
Equal Pay
The average woman who works full-time earns approximately 75 cents for
each dollar that an average man earns. For women of color, the gap is even
wider. This gap is, in part, attributable to differing levels of experience,
education, and skill. However, even after accounting for these factors, a
significant pay gap still remains between men and women in similar jobs.
The budget includes $17 million for the President's Equal Pay
Initiative. This effort will train women in nontraditional jobs in the
high-tech industry and other skills shortage industries, as well as furnish
educational materials in One-Stop Career Centers, educate the public on the
importance of equal pay issues, and implement industry partnerships. These
proposals will complement already existing programs that provide legal
guidelines and industry best practices to Federal contractors on equal pay
issues.
The initiative dedicates $10 million from the current H-1B
(nonimmigrant) fee for the Department to train women in nontraditional
occupations such as high-tech industries. The initiative provides $7 million to
help employers assess and improve their pay policies, to provide nontraditional
apprenticeships, and support public education efforts. The President will call
on Congress again to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen
wage discrimination laws and provide for additional research, training, and
public education efforts on this important subject.
Workplace Safety
Through OSHA and MSHA, DOL administers various laws that protect
individuals in the workplace, ensuring industry compliance through an
appropriate balance of fair and consistent enforcement, cooperative
partnerships, and compliance assistance and training. These programs total
about $668 million in FY 2001 which is an increase of $59 million over FY
2000.
For OSHA's workplace safety and health programs, the budget provides a
total increase of $44.4 million. Funding is increased by $9.8 million to
support a targeted interventions program that will focus front-line efforts on
the most dangerous workplaces and hazards. Over the past several years, OSHA
has undertaken measures to leverage its resources and utilize information to
target firms with the highest workplace injury rates.
For compliance assistance, activities are increased by $13.9 million.
This request will complete OSHA's commitment to provide a compliance assistance
specialist in every Federal area office, increase funding for Susan Harwood
education and training grants to community-based organizations, universities,
business groups, and unions, and the state consultation grants which provide
small firms with safety and health advice.
An increase of $1.8 million is requested to fund a new State plan for
the State of New Jersey to provide safety and health coverage for public sector
employees. Additionally, the budget includes $3 million for OSHA's state plan
partners, allowing them to expand the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) sites.
Federal funding in support of the states is required to enable these programs
to keep pace with current program needs and to meet future demands.
A total increase of $14.2 million is requested for MSHA's Mine Safety
and Health programs. To enhance protection of metal/nonmetal miners, funding is
included to provide required training to miners and to allow for better
auditing of accident and injury reporting. Additional funds are requested for
the State grant program to provide training assistance to miners and mine
operators. In addition, the FY2001 budget establishes a contingency fund to
cover the costs of mine fire and explosion response and recovery when these
costs exceed the normally anticipated.
Information Technology
Initiative
The FY 2001 budget establishes a permanent, centralized IT investment
fund for the DOL managed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO). In the past,
DOL agencies have separately budgeted for and managed their own IT investments.
While the investments met the immediate needs of the individual agency, it also
had some unintended consequences such as incompatibility of systems across the
Department, resulting in a compromised capacity to create an overall program
that is effective and efficient.
As required by the Clinger Cohen Act, in 1996, the Department
established a CIO accountable for IT management in the DOL, and implemented an
IT Capital Investment Management process for selecting, controlling, and
evaluating IT investments. The Department implemented the first phase of its
new IT Capital Planning and Investment Management program in 1999, which
identified needs considered to be essential to improving the overall condition
of IT environment in support of Departmental programs.
For FY 2001, $60 million is requested to fund IT investments within
three crosscutting areas: (1) Information Technology Architecture and Web
Services; (2) Common Office Automation Implementation; and (3) Security -
Critical Infrastructure Protection. These investments will enable the
Department to implement a sound information technology investment strategy, and
expand our Internet capacity for the Department's ELAWS program with improved
access to information to the public on labor laws, pension and health care
laws.
CONCLUSION
These proposals, reinforces the traditions of American families and
communities, for a stronger and more prosperous America. The new and innovative
programs presented in this budget, represent an exciting, viable blueprint for
FY 2001. The programs, policies and initiatives included within it are
essential to the well-being of working men and women in the United States and
abroad, and so every American stands to benefit from these proposals.
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