Labor papers

Whose bright idea was the Department of Labor website?

Let's ask another way: Who is most likely to be computer illiterate, to not have internet or even a computer? My guess would be the jobless and those making minimum wage. In practice, people needing work are least likely to 'surf DOL' and look at job announcements.

But all they have to do is drop by the Department of Labor. Sure, they can fire up the Hummer and cruise on down, or maybe stop at the Library instead to save gas. These Laborites have been working for the government too long.

Oh, and once you get there you've got to register before you see any announcements. Also, "Job seekers must be approved by the CNMI Department of Labor before their Résumés will be displayed."

It's meant to control the make-believe job postings, the Your Help Not Wanted ads, to catch illegal workers. I can see that, better enforcement has been overdue for a loooong time. How does it help when you're denying access to the very job-hunters you're protecting? Keep your system and require its use, you probably have to justify the grant that funded it anyway. It's a good control, but job announcements should be advertised publicly in newspapers or on the air.

Unclean hands

I have a hidden agenda, of course, having boarded this train of thought when I went looking for an old advertisement in the Saipan Tribune. I suddenly noticed many days when there weren't any ads. The thought had been like a pesky mosquito buzzing around in the back of my head and I finally nailed it. I'd chuckled when the 'job announcements' dwindled from a few pages to a few lines. All that easy, steady revenue gone, it must drive the publishers bonkers, thought I.

But wait, today I saw that the display ads have dwindled too. That's what's been bothering me. Two Tan Holdings companies, the government's Wise Women Project and Carmen Safeway hold Sunday's Tribune together. That's all she er, wrote and it won't pay the bills. I went through back issues of the Tribune and the Marianas Variety (Only a couple because I usually read it online). Uh, oh. Unless fat Friday issues and government notices can float the boats, they're leaking money.

Happily, that means a bigger news hole, paradise for a news junkie like me who prefers paper cuts and ink-smudged fingers to squinting at a screen. It's a fleeting pleasure because I know it can't last. Cutting pages (four at a time) would help a little, though not enough and it's noticeable when you get lower than 28 or possibly 24.

Which brings us to the classified ads. Not only would my rationalization give the newspapers more revenue, it's actually a good idea. I might have thought of it before, but it seems I'm as disconnected from the real world as those folks at Labor.

The subject would make a great editorial, except people would think it a tad too self-serving.

PS: Today's Saipan Tribune was full of ads. Hard to categorize because I only glanced: alien workers snapped up all of my copies in less than an hour because of that Don't hold your breath headline about green cards.

Short takes

I read to be entertained, and the local newspapers have outdone themselves this week.

There's Governor Benigno R. Fitial's Commonwealth Ports Authority takeover, of course. I can't keep up. The Marianas Variety had two stories about board action and one about the first executive order superceding it in the Wednesday edition--by two different reporters. Two more executive orders in quick succession and the House of Representatives Resolves to oppose them.

"Something is terribly wrong," said Rep. Heinz Hofschneider. Yep, but it's better than television. When's the next episode?

But who's counting?

I could have sworn the CNMI Constitution says no more than 15 offices, agencies and instrumentalities under the Executive Branch. So, the Commonwealth Ports Authority makes...? I'm confused here, though. Is the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation still technically under Public Works so it doesn't count?

Tom Paine he's not

How many if Ambrose M. Bennett gets his way? After an unusual sabbatical of at least a week, the prolific letter writer is back with yet another 'common sense' proposal: an über-governmental Education Department or agency. That elected school board just isn't representative or accountable, he says. Yup, Ambrose, things just aren't the same since you left.


Are you going to eat that cake, too?

Immigration Director Melvin Gray fought 'federalization' tooth and nail, while complaining that the Immigration and Naturalization Service wouldn't train his troops. Maybe they didn't know where to send the check. Umm, you mean you didn't provide for training with all of those fees?

Another Gray area

Earlier, he wondered how many local employees would be able to qualify for the federal agency. Well, he's the one who was hired as an expert on INS, but a layman like me would expect the same test I assume he took all of those years ago.

Nevermind

Oh boy, did I come up with a sarcastic post when I read “Vacationing alien workers, including those who have work permits in their possession, are now required to notify the Department of Labor about their exit.” (Saipan Tribune) Then I realized it wasn't about workers sneaking in on tourist visas. Oh.

Hollywood's walk

It's nice to hear the Hollywood Theater will be back in operation. If the higher-ups want to save a few bucks, they might tell their local manager he's not running a meatlocker or government office. That refrigeration is expensive.

I like Mike

It's too bad Public Auditor Michael Sablan is stepping down, though it's a positive that he doesn't want to be a career bureaucrat. I'm not the only one who wondered about the Joeten connection in a Pedro P. Tenorio administration. I was wrong. He's by far the best we've had.

Is the $5 million check still missing?

Not in the news, but I thought my attention span was short. That's good bumper sticker material, though.

Cheap shot

Our local reporters are uh, , less than conscientious about digging through campaign finance reports and I haven't checked them out personally in years. The federal rules that kick in for the CNMI Delegate race should be educational.


Section 10: Emergency Powers. The governor may declare a state of emergency in the case of invasion, civil disturbance, natural disaster, or other calamity as provided by law, and may mobilize available resources to respond to that emergency.

Here it comes

Who'd have guessed it? Hard on the heels of S.2739 being sent to President Bush, the Governors of American Samoa and the Northern Marianas are asking to put off this month's minimum wage increase--or for $15 million each.

S.2739 would extend U.S. immigration and some labor laws to the Commonwealth. The CNMI and American Samoa minimum wage will jump fifty cents to $4.05 on May 25.

The money's a good idea, if they can get it, even if it's frittered away as usual.

But really, I'm amazed they're still trying to block the minimum wage. Now they're on the other side, particularly in the Senate. They not only need a majority, they need a large majority to make any changes. It just...won't...happen.

Maybe it's in their contracts with the Saipan and American Samoa Chambers of Commerce.

And they have to bring up that tired, worthless Department of Labor report again.

Pshaw.

Wage pages

The U.S. Department of Labor finally got around to posting its report on the effect of the minimum wage increase on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

I'm not sure when they released it, but it's been on my list of Things to Follow-up since I first read the draft.

I thought the report was basically worthless because it wasn't based on facts, but there was language on page four that gave me hope:

This report is comprised of three subsequent sections. Section Two includes: (a) a summary of the economic situation of American Samoa prior to the initial scheduled minimum wage increase; (b) a discussion of possible impacts observed since the implementation of the initial fifty-centincrease in the minimum wages since July 24, 2007 in American Samoa; and (c) a discussion of projections of possible future impacts. Section Three comprises a similar discussion regarding the CNMI. Section Four presents concluding observations regarding data needs to support future investigations of the impact of minimum wage increases affecting the subject erritories.

But there was no Section IV.

Okay, surely the most important--maybe the only important-- part would be completed in the final version. Nope, the sentence I bolded was dropped.

What's going on? I remember stories (thought I bookmarked, sorry) saying the U.S. Congress wanted more information, a better study. Also on page four (emphasis added again):

It was not feasible to conduct field investigations in connection with this study. Had there been time and resources to conduct survey data collection in the field, travel by the research team to the islands could have been useful. However, meaningful field observations would have required data collection from both employers and households over many successive months in order to discern effects of the initial and subsequently scheduled minimum wage increases. In addition, a systematic data collection effort would have required approval of a survey under the terms of the Paperwork Reduction Act. Given the short reporting timeframe, design and implementation of field surveys were not practical.

Just so we get this straight: they couldn't, or wouldn't, even travel to the islands or do surveys. But they did interview 26 people by telephone and email. They won't tell the Congress how they're going to do it better.

If I was in my cynical/paranoid mode... but I'm not, so I'll let it lie for now

Oh, the map. It's from DOL, showing states/jurisdictions that have laws above the minimum, below the minimum and no laws. What's wrong with this picture?

Samoa for, er, Samoans

A couple of Radio New Zealand International stories on the minimum wage hearing in American Samoa strangely echo what we've been hearing in the CNMI.

There's the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce, of course. They say any future wage increases should be based on a study of the economy. I guess they didn't like that Department of Labor report much either.

They add that, if the increase is not stopped, the canneries "will make some serious decision". Here's the story.

A schoolteacher, one Peni Teo, has a different view which he's planning to share. His argument is that the raise is good for local workers. He says too much emphasis is placed on the canneries and that most of their workers are from Western Samoa.

He's quoted as saying “You’re looking at eighty, eighty five percent of the labour force or employees at the canneries are from Samoa and part of what I’m arguing for is that not only that labour force belongs to Western Samoa, those folks are now living here depleting land resources for families are well as government resources that really belong to the people of American Samoa.”

His view is available here.