3.2 Strategic Goal 2 – A Secure Workforce

Several initiatives have been designed to achieve significant progress in helping to promote an economically secure workforce.

Trade Adjustment Assistance:

The budget request includes a proposal to consolidate and reform and extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and NAFTA-Transitional Adjustment Assistance programs for workers who lose their jobs due to trade policies. This proposal would expand eligibility for TAA benefits to cover workers who lose jobs when plants or production shifts abroad (coverage which is now limited to shifts to Canada or Mexico), would raise the statutory cap on training expenses, and would otherwise harmonize the rules of the two programs and bring the trade program closer in line with the one-stop delivery system envisioned by WIA.

Pensions And Health Care:

Each year millions of Americans encounter life and work altering events – job loss, divorce, death of a spouse, or loss of dependent status – all of which may affect their health benefits. To address these events in workers' lives, the Department continues to support the Health Benefits Education Campaign that the Secretary launched in December 1998. The DOL will provide funds to continue the partnership with over 70 public and private sector organizations to provide information to health benefit plan participants that will enable them to better understand the new health benefit laws and apply them to their personal circumstances. In FY 2001, funding is also proposed to implement the Rapid ERISA Action Team initiative to preserve pension assets in employer bankruptcies.

3.3 Strategic Goal 3 – Quality Workplaces

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.