By Erin E. Arvedlund

– Many veterans are still looking for work in this sluggish economic recovery. Which is why several veterans job fairs and seminars are coming up.

The Union League’s VETSmart career seminar day, set for Monday, Sept. 14, is a good place to prepare for future job fairs and interviews, says event chair Chris D’Ascenzo.

“We see veterans and their families as a unit and address that in our workshops, so that valuable career skills can be used by veterans and their families to be successful in civilian life,” he says.

Seminars include networking, interviewing skills, and entrepreneurship.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, aboard the battleship New Jersey, job-seeking veterans can meet with recruiters at the free PhillyVeterans.com job fair.

“This event will go a long way to realize our goal of helping at least 2,000 Delaware Valley veterans find meaningful employment by 2018,” says Kevin O’Brien, managing partner at Veteran Recruiting, host of the gathering.

A third event, the Union League Veterans Job Fair, is set for Monday, Oct. 19. It’s free and open to veterans, their spouses, and family members. The Civil War-era Union League building is at Broad and Sansom Streets; the nearest public-transportation stops are Suburban Station and City Hall.

At this job fair, veterans and other participants will receive free digital photo portraits, which they can use for LinkedIn or online career websites.

At two of the events, Drexel University will be launching new software for veterans that will help convert their military-service duties into a civilian resume.

Drexel’s MySTEPs will be available at both VETSmart and the Union League Veterans Job Fair. (MySTEPs stands for My Skills Translator and Experience Portfolios).

“We will be unveiling the Drexel MySTEPs tool, and will have advisers there to do a demonstration and sit one-on-one with veterans,” says Susan Aldridge, president of Drexel University Online.

“It solves the ‘pain points’ that both HR managers and veterans have [in] assessing military careers and how those titles fit in the civilian workplace,” Aldridge says.

Users create free accounts, access their Joint Services Transcripts, and translate them into civilian resumes in less than a minute.

“Let’s say you have a military career in intelligence. Then Drexel MySTEPs will translate your service and match up your CV [curriculum vitae] with jobs that match your experience,” she says.

Security-services company AlliedBarton is beta-testing the software now, Aldridge adds.

Representatives from Drexel will be on hand at the Union League events to help veterans prep for interviews with up to 45 local vet-friendly employers and institutions with current job openings.

Teresa Wolfgang, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, understands the confusion veterans experience translating their military careers into civilian work. She had some explaining to do to her employer when she got back from active duty.

“I have two parallel careers: One is my day job, and one in the military. And when you’re mobilized, that can put your work on pause. When you return, a lot of employers don’t know how to take you back.”

After leading a battalion in Afghanistan, Wolfgang returned to work in 2011 and met with her boss to address what had happened in the year since she’d been activated.

“I loved my company, but when I met with my boss, he didn’t really understand what had happened,” she recalls.

Some of her friends have taken their military service off their resumes to avoid any stigma, she says. “I didn’t do that; I own it. But I did crunch my 25 years of military service down into one paragraph.”

She now works as executive director of a nonprofit, the Women’s Resource Center in Wayne, and is headed to Tajikistan this week with her reserve unit.

“I have it on my resume that I’m part of a reserve unit. And my employer knows that it’s part of my life.”

Wolfgang will be speaking at the Union League’s Oct. 19 job fair and says she especially wants to help veterans translate their military service into civilian skills.

As Ralph Galati, director of Veterans Services at St. Joseph’s University, notes, “There are many companies that hire in our area that are vet-friendly companies.

“They just have to find each other.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150907_Job_events_for_veterans_set_for_September_and_October.html#fY3zZPSQ3assLidx.99

Source – http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150907_Job_events_for_veterans_set_for_September_and_October.html

By Todd Bookman

– After less than two full weeks of operation, about 7,500 Pennsylvania residents have registered to vote using a new online system. Not all that bad considering it’s an odd-numbered year.

“This is a municipal election year, so our expectation was rather low,” said Marian Schneider, Deputy Secretary for Elections and Administration at Pennsylvania’s Department of State. “We are very pleased with the number of people who have embraced it.”

The online system, available at register.votespa.com, requires the same information collected using a traditional paper registration. Anyone looking to vote in this November’s election must register using either method by October 5.

“Paper registrations will still be available, and anyone who wants to use a paper registration can still do so. But over time, we think that we will be using fewer of those, and that will save the printing cost,” said Schneider.

State officials say the online system also saves money by eliminating the need for human data entry. Additionally, it reduces the chance for mistakes due to factors including poor handwriting.

Applicants who already have a Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card can complete their registration online, while those without those forms of identification will need to submit an additional form containing their signature.

Online registration is available in both English and Spanish. Voters can also use the system to update an address.

The Commonwealth is the 23rd state to offer online registration. “Get out the vote” efforts are likely to use tablets and other electronic devices to register more voters online, especially in the lead up to the 2016 elections.

“I think that increasing turnout is dependent on a variety of factors, but certainly, the
first step in turning out is getting registered,” said Schneider

Source – http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/86004-pennsylvania-residents-can-now-register-to-vote-online?linktype=hp_impact

By CWA District 2-13

– Poor Verizon. In contract negotiations with CWA and the IBEW, the company says it just doesn’t have the money for a fair contract for 39,000 workers from Virginia to Massachusetts.

That’s why it wants to cut pay for workers hurt on the job, hit workers with big increases in health care costs and get rid of good jobs across the footprint. Surprised that a company that made $9.6 billion in profits last year doesn’t have the money to do the things it should, like maintain the telephone network on which millions of people rely, keep its promises to build out FiOS broadband and negotiate a fair contract for the workers who have made it so successful?

Well, it’s hard to make it on just $1 billion in profit every month. There are big executive salaries to pay, mansions to buy and debts to pay off.

CWA is focusing attention on just how ridiculous Verizon’s claims are with a new website, GoFundVerizon.com. It’s crowdfunding for the 1 percent.

Source – http://district2-13.cwa-union.org/news/entry/verizon_cries_poor_with_1_billion_a_month_in_profits#.Ve-7zs6r9FQ

– As we enjoy our barbecues, parties and the unofficial end of summer this Labor Day with family and friends, let us Remember the true meaning of Labor Day and thus celebrate and honor the accomplishments of those pioneers, past and present in the “Labor Movement”, who have dedicated their lives to fighting the fight for fair working conditions, standards and living wages for working men and women across America! The Struggle Continues and So do We!!!! Have a Happy and Safe Labor Day!

In Solidarity,

PhillyLabor.com

By Sara Hoover

– Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s board of governors has approved new contracts with four of its labor unions.

The deal covers approximately 4,500 employees who work at the system’s 14 schools, which include West Chester and Shippensburg.

Nurses, social workers, clerical and maintenance workers are some of the staff who will see a salary increase, starting in January.

While there is no general pay increase, represented staff will see a step increase of 2.25 or 2.5 percent.

“We are very pleased to have new contracts in place with the majority of our unions,” said board chair Guido Pichini in a statement. “All sides recognized the significant challenges that continue to face the State System, and we worked together to reach agreements that benefit everyone, especially our students.”

Each of the collective bargaining agreements had been ratified by union membership earlier in the year.

Kenn Marshall, spokesman for the system, says three of the unions agreed to freezing the employee and employer contribution rates to the state health care plan, the Pennsylvania Employee Benefit Trust Fund.

“By essentially reducing the amount we were expecting to have to pay in health care, that more or less offsets the increase in salaries that the employees are receiving,” he said. “On top of that, employees don’t have to pay more for health care than they did last year. The employees are benefiting, and so are we.”

The freeze in contribution rates essentially pays for the increase in salaries, Marshall said.

While the system’s union contracts are usually three to four years long, these one-year contract extensions run through June 2016.

That’s because the commonwealth primarily negotiates with two of the unions, and Marshall said stat officials wanted shorter contracts.

“Since this is a new governor, first year in office, rather than start right out and negotiate long-term agreements, he essentially asked them if they would be willing to a one-year extension,” Marshall said.

The “coalition bargaining” allows the state system to have input but it’s the state’s responsibility to negotiate with certain unions, including those representing the maintenance and clerical staff — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — and social workers and drug and alcohol counselors — Pennsylvania Social Services Union.

The board also approved a contract earlier this year with the union for the 225 campus police and security officers.

Negotiations are continuing with the union representing the 6,000 faculty members and athletic coaches.

Marshall, who said faculty are working under the expired agreement, said that’s is very typical.

“The last time we were negotiating with our faculty union, we did not reach an agreement until 18 months after the expiration date of the prior contract.”

It routinely takes longer to come to an agreement with the faculty union, which is the system’s largest individual labor union, Marshall said.

Source – http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/85913-pennsylvanias-state-universities-ok-four-more-labor-contracts-no-deal-with-teachers-yet?linktype=hp_impact