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U.S. Department of Labor
Women’s Bureau
Fiscal Year 2009 Outlook
www.dol.gov/wb
1.800.827.5335
Overview
Congress established the Women’s Bureau (WB) in 1920 to “...formulate standards and policies which shall promote the welfare of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment.” (Public Law 66-259)
The WB provides leadership and coordination of U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) activities that impact women in the workforce (USDOL Secretary’s Order, July 2006)
Through a National Office and 10 Regional Offices, the WB addresses issues of importance to working women and provides information about women in the labor force to stakeholders and customers
Women’s Bureau Offices
National Office: Washington, DC
Karen Furia, National Office Coordinator
202.693.6710
Region I: Boston
Jacqueline Cooke, Regional Administrator
617.565.1988
CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT
Region II: New York
Grace Protos, Regional Administrator
646.264.3789
NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands
Region III: Philadelphia
Lucia Bruce, Regional Administrator
215.861.4860
DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, and WV
Region IV: Atlanta
Paulette Lewis, Regional Administrator
404.562.2336
AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, and TN
Region V: Chicago
Nancy Chen, Regional Administrator
312.353.6985
IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI
Region VI: Dallas
Beverly Lyle, Regional Administrator
972.850.4700
AR, LA, NM, OK, and TX
Region VII: Kansas City
Dorothy Witherspoon, Regional Administrator
816.285.7233
IA, KS, MO, and NE
Region VIII: Denver
Frances Jefferson, Regional Administrator
303.844.1286
CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY
Region IX: San Francisco
Jenny Erwin, Regional Administrator
415.625.2638
AZ, CA, Guam, HI, and NV
Region X: Seattle
Betty Lock, Regional Administrator
206.553.1534
AK, ID, OR, and WA
Strategic Goals and Initiatives
USDOL Strategic Goals
A Prepared Workforce
Develop a prepared workforce by providing effective training and support services to workers
Strengthened Economic Protections
Protect and strengthen worker economic security
A Competitive Workforce
Meet the competitive labor demands of the worldwide economy
WB Goals
Better Jobs!
Increase women’s employment opportunities
Better Earnings!
Increase women’s financial security
Better Living!
Increase number of employer-sponsored flexible work programs and policies
Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Projects
Native American Project
Women in Nanotechnology
Preparing Women for the 21 st Century Workplace
Wi$eUp
Flex-Options
Women’s Bureau Project Map
Flex-Options
The Flex-Options project encourages business owners to establish or expand workplace flexibility policies and programs, such as telecommuting, job sharing, and compressed workweeks.
Business owner participants connect with mentors who have successfully implemented workplace flexibility. Mentors share information, best practices and answer questions concerning designing and implementing flexible policies and programs
Project activities include free bi-monthly teleconferences featuring experienced professionals and leaders in the flexible workplace field, discussion groups, and local events. For more information, visit www.flexoptions.org
During FY 2009, the Women’s Bureau is reaching out to local and state governments, along with colleges and universities, to promote the “green benefits” of establishing flexible workplace options for their employees
Flex-Options
Flex-Options Compressed Workweeks, Part-Time, Job Sharing, Telecommuting, Informal and Ad Hoc Flexibility
Enhance and Improve Recruitment, Retention, Productivity, Performance, Morale, Commitment, Job Satisfaction, Attendance
Outcome Goal: Better Living!
Performance Goal: Increase Number of Employer-Sponsored Flexible Programs and Policies
Participating Regions: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X
FY 2009 Measure
72.3% of interested employers will create or expand a flexible work policy or program
Wi$eUp Financial Planning for Generation X & Y Women
Wi$eUp Financial Education Program: The Women’s Bureau is empowering women with the tools they need to plan for a secure financial future
Self-paced, Interactive Curriculum -– Covers money math, saving, credit, debt, insurance, investing, retirement planning, and more!
Wiseupwomen.org Web site –- Features educational resources, links, calculators, downloadable worksheets, glossary, news and events
Online and Traditional Classroom Courses -- Offered by educational institutions, non-profit organizations, faith-based centers, employers, state and local governments
“Ask the Experts” -- Over 80 financial experts answer participants’ questions via a moderated listserv
Wi$eUp National Teleconference Calls -- Bi-monthly presentations with Q&A on current financial issues. Written transcripts and audio recordings archived online
Wi$eUp e-Newsletters -- Feature updates on project activities, interviews with experts, and more
Public Service Announcements –- Air on local radio, television, and YouTube
Replication Options –- Guidelines are provided to organizations interested in using Wi$eUp with their members, constituents, and/or employees
Wi$eUp
Outcome Goal: Better Earnings!
Performance Goal: Increase Women’s Financial Security
Participating Regions: I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, X
Wi$eUp Partners: Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University System; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and Financial Planning Association
Success Metrics: Wi$eUp assessments collect information on the actions participants take as a result of completing the program
Additional Support: The Foundation for Financial Planning awarded a $125,000 grant to Texas AgriLife Extension to support Wi$eUp from December 2008 to December 2010
FY 2009 Measures:
60% of participants say they will reduce their debt
60% of participants say they will increase their savings/investments
Women in Nanotechnology (WIN)
Outcome Goal: Better Jobs!
Performance Goal: Increase Women’s Employment Opportunities
The Women’s Bureau recruits women in Chicago-area community colleges, helps them develop specialization in the nanotechnology field, and prepares them to continue their studies in a four-year university and begin a promising career www.womeninnanotechnology.org
WIN Participating Institutions
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Center for Research on Women & Gender and Women in Science & Engineering (WISE)
College of DuPage, Natural and Applied Sciences Division
Truman College, Department of Biology and Biotechnology
WIN offers seminars, field trips, networking, mentoring, and scholarships to support students interested in nanoscale science and technology.
Additional Support: The WISE program at UIC received a 2008 and 2009 Innovation Generation Grant from Motorola Foundation to expand WIN outreach to Chicago Public Schools
Native American Project
Outcome Goal: Better Jobs!
Performance Goal: Increase Women’s Employment Opportunities
Region IX: Hopi and Navajo Tribes in Arizona
The Bureau is providing entrepreneurship training to Hopi and Navajo women in Northern Arizona to prepare them to sell their authentic artwork and crafts via an online “Virtual Trail”
Region X: Yakama Nation in Washington
In collaboration with Yakama Tribal leaders, other Federal agencies, local and state governmental agencies, and community-based organizations, the Bureau is helping women in the Yakama Nation in Washington transition to better jobs by providing mentoring/coaching, financial education, and life skills training
Preparing Women for the 21st Century
Outcome Goal: Better Jobs!
Performance Goal: Increase Women’s Employment Opportunities
Participating Regions: Nationwide
Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment, under contract with the Women’s Bureau, supports women in various stages of economic and employment transition, and local service providers, including workforce development organizations, that assist such women www.womenwork.org
Training and Technical Assistance: Electronic and hard copy resources, distance learning, and in-person training opportunities are provided
The Women’s Bureau is committed to making economic security a reality for women workers, including single mothers, older women, women of color, women veterans, incarcerated women, and women ex-offenders
Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grants
The WANTO Act of 1992 authorizes USDOL to disburse technical assistance grants to promote the recruitment, training, and retention of women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations
The Women’s Bureau and the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship co-administer the WANTO program
From 1994 – 2003, USDOL funded WANTO grants annually. The outcomes consisted largely of training and resource manuals, and recruitment videos
On average, only 3% of all newly registered and active apprentices in construction occupations are women.
WANTO Grants
The primary goals for the WANTO grants awarded to community-based organizations in 2007 and 2008 are to improve the recruitment, selection, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeships in the construction industry
Other goals include supporting/changing management and employee attitudes to promote female workers, and providing supportive services to the employers and women following placement
Grants Awarded June 2007 (Ending June 2009)
Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Employment for Women (ANEW) and Oregon Tradeswomen, INC. (OTI) (A Pacific Northwest Consortium), Renton, Washington
Hard-Hatted Women (HHW), Cleveland, Ohio
Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services (PV Jobs), Los Angeles, California
Grants Awarded June 2008 (Ending June 2010)
Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), Long Beach, California
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc (ABCD), Boston, Massachusetts
Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), Washington, District of Columbia
Outreach and Assistance
International Visitors -- Briefings for international dignitaries and women leaders are coordinated with the Department of State and the USDOL Bureau of International Labor Affairs and Bureau of Labor Statistics. From FY 2002 - 2008, the Women’s Bureau briefed over 800 visitors from over 100 countries
Technical Assistance -- The Bureau provides information, resources, and referrals to help women understand their rights in the workplace and obtain assistance
Project Replication –- To prepare more women for better job opportunities, increase their earnings potential, and promote better work-life balance, the Bureau assists organizations in replicating its projects
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