I joined the Oregon Employment Department 19 years ago this month. During my first week, Craig Keyston, who worked in what we now know as Workforce Operations, came down to my desk in the Central Office basement, sat down next to me, and told me about this group called IAWP. I tried to say no and he was quite insistent that I needed to join in that moment. As much anxiety that caused me, I am so glad that Craig encouraged me to join that day and then again, a year later, to get involved with the Oregon Chapter Board of Directors.

Looking back, those two moments were defining moments in both my career and life. Through my time in IAWP, I have built a network of colleagues from across the country and world who I can reach out to on issues related to workforce development. Early in the pandemic, I was able to connect and learn from multiple states about how they were handling hiring large numbers of new employees and getting them trained quickly while I was also sharing the great things we were doing in Oregon. Just as important, and maybe more so, these people are not just colleagues, they are also some of my closest friends. In success, we celebrate and in tragedy, grieve with each other. A big part of who I am as a person and in my career is because of the love, support, and opportunities I have found in the IAWP and the IAWP family.

As we approach spring, I encourage you to not just be a member on paper, get involved. Start to build your network, learn from others from across the state and country, and make lifelong friends.

Here are three ways I would suggest you start your IAWP journey.

1)Attend an Event. There are two great events coming up soon…

WORKFORCE360: A Virtual DEI Event for Workforce Development Professionals

Taking place February 15 and 16, this virtual conference is free for Oregon Chapter Members and provides an opportunity to hear some fantastic speakers and also network with workforce development professionals from across the country. CLICK HERE to register (make sure to have your manager’s permission). If you can’t attend both days or for the entire event, that is okay, attend the sessions/times you are able. And pass this on to your co-workers as if they join IAWP, they can also attend at no cost.

2) Volunteer! The Oregon Chapter is looking for volunteers to help plan our upcoming Lunch & Learn series, a summertime educational event, and our IAWP Give Back campaign. Email info@iawporegon.org and let us know what you would like to help with.

3) Get Involved with the Board. We are looking for members who would like to get involved with Chapter Leadership as an officer (President-Elect or Secretary/Treasurer) or Director at Large. A Director at Large participates in board meetings and helps to strategize and plan events for the chapter. No experience is needed, just a passion for the work we do and a willingness to spend a couple hours a month with us virtually. If you would like to learn more, email info@iawponline.org.

Thank you for your dedication to the work we do and to IAWP.

Sincerely,

Grant Axtell

IAWP-Oregon Chapter President

IAWP is holding a virtual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference on February 15th & 16th, 2023. As the world of work continues to evolve, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are becoming increasingly vital in the post-pandemic workplace. Join us as we discuss the importance of having a diverse workforce and the role of HR and workforce development professionals in creating inclusive workplaces. Learn about the benefits of DEI, including improved employee engagement, productivity, and innovation, as well as strategies for developing policies and programs, providing training and resources, and working with leadership to integrate DEI throughout the organization. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and strategies for fostering a more diverse and inclusive workplace. We hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE to register.

By Steve Corwin, Immediate Past President

Sometimes it takes meeting someone from literally the other side of the world to find things in your own backyard that you had no idea were there, along with the many things we have in common despite our far-flung global addresses. Someone like Jason from Taiwan, John from New Zealand, or Troy from Illinois. Okay, Illinois is not quite the other side of the world! Yet it seems a world away from Oregon and the Greater Pacific Northwest.

Through them I learned that the same labor force and economic drivers are at play across the world. Things like aging populations, declining labor force participation rates, retraining needs for industry and workers due to shifting technology and market forces. These trends are constants across the globe. Thank you, Jason and Troy, for illuminating these shared factors. How inclusion is manifested in the ways we work together and whom we welcome into our workforce are global constants as well. Thank you, John, for sharing your wisdom on this topic.

We are extremely fortunate in Oregon to have world class people and programs to help us navigate all these challenges. Winning awards and being recognized by our peers, which many of our programs have garnered, stems from a desire to help people, and to do our best work to make their lives better. Whether it is with Unemployment Benefits, Workforce Information, Paid Leave, Workforce Training, Trade Assistance—insert your work effort here if not mentioned already—what you do makes a world of difference to the people you have served, giving them hope for their future.

Your teamwork with your peers is where your help to customers begins. Isolated efforts rarely if ever match the synergy and volume of benefits that collaboration yields. Your peers can be at the workstation next to yours, a virtual meeting held across Oregon, or sitting on the other side of the world. Yet with technology, all are available right at your fingertips.

Through IAWP you can make global friendships with fellow workforce partners across the world. I retired in June of 2022. I do not miss the work but I do miss all my friends from work. Employment staff, the many Workforce Partners, and our wide variety of internal and external customers. Thankfully, I get to enjoy a rich variety of peers and friends via IAWP. I visit with them frequently and still learn lots from each of them despite now having the perspective of retirement.

About Jason: Mr. Huang has been Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor Attaché in Washington D.C. In addition to his serious business acumen, Jason does a spot-on Elvis impression, has awesome dance moves, and a keen sense of humor.

About Troy: Ms. McMillin is a Labor Market & Career Resource Specialist with the Economic Information & Analysis Division at the Illinois Department of Employment Security in Chicago.

About John: Mr. Watts is a retired senior executive from a consortium of five NZ and AU banks. He visited from his home in New Zealand for five weeks this past summer. We toured Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, and British Columbia, travelling 7,700 miles. We have a shared interest in geology which led us to Dry Falls State Park in Washington and sharing Central Washington University’s Nick Zentner online geology lectures. If you thought geology was all about dry rocks, Nick manages to squeeze a lot of humor out of them. Who knew that was possible?

Hello IAWP Friends and Colleagues,

My name is Rebecca Nance, I am a proud Oregon IAWP Chapter member. I also serve on the Oregon Chapter and International Boards of our organizations. I am one of two Senior Legislative Advisors here at the Employment Department (OED). My colleague, David Genz, (also an IAWP member) and I report to the Director’s Office, and are responsible for most aspects of the department’s legislative program. We work across OED programs and sections, with the Governor’s Office, with other state agencies, as well as with 90 unique individuals, Oregon’s Senators and Representatives from all over this great state.

Needless to say, there is never a dull moment when Legislators are in town doing the business of the people. As you are likely aware, the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session started on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 and we hit the ground running so to speak. Our very first hearing was on Wednesday, January 18 at 8am!

The only certainty about legislative work, is that nothing is certain. I’d say our function both within and out of the department is much like herding cats. There are always a variety of things happening all at once including, but not limited to:

· Attending and/or monitoring legislative hearings

· Being a source of information to legislators, legislative staff, and committee staff about all things OED

· Coordinating bill analysis, work with our Administrative Business Service division to ensure they have what they need for Fiscal Impact Statements

· Work as a conduit for information with legislators, lobbyists, other state agencies, and others

· Coordinating responses for high impact constituent issues

David Genz and I cover for one another, as well as both having specific areas of responsibility in the Legislative Affairs Office. David wrangles most of the legislative process work, which is no small feat. The OED Legislative Coordination team consists of about twenty individuals throughout the department; there are about three times as many OED folks, across divisions, who write Bill Analyses and Program Impact Statements – these are documents needed for Fiscal Impact Statements when requested by Legislative staff. My areas of responsibility are taking the lead on most constituent inquiries during session, staff the departments’ OED Advisory Council meetings, act as liaison to the Tribes for OED, and act as liaison to the Oregon Congressional Delegation.

In terms of legislative work during session, David generally is the interface for Oregon Senate members and committees, as well as the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. I generally serve as the interface for members of the Oregon House of Representatives, House committees, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Information Management and Technology.

If you are interested in the OED legislative committee work during the session, feel free to check out the Legislative Affairs web page: https://www.oregon.gov/employ/Agency/Pages/Legislative.aspx

For the most current information on legislative happenings, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Oregon State Legislature website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/. This site has links to committee agendas, recorded and live hearings, Oregon Revised Statutes, and more.

Check out this resource for Veterans created by Paul Messet, a WorkSource Oregon Employment Department DVOP/LVER located in our Bend WorkSource Center. This video is the second in a series of 13 videos designed to assist our Veterans to become work-ready.

[TCP03] is a brief discussion about the impact of cover letters and how to write them. TOPICS: Cover letters, using Situation, Action, and Result (SAR) statements and where to find them.

Created by Paul Messett

paul.m.messett@employ.oregon.gov

The IAWP Oregon Chapter supports our veteran population and we wanted to do something to say thank you to OUR VETS!!!!

Your IAWP board is sending out Valentine’s Day cards to our Veterans all over Oregon. We have signed & sent almost 400 cards to various veteran homes and locations, including The Oregon Veteran’s Homes in the Dalles and Lebanon, and the VA Medical Center in White City for Valentines’ Day. Also, IAWP members in Medford, thank you Uriah Lamproe, who organized a card signing for the DVOP in Medford and Grants Pass.

Also thank you to Summer Carney in Tigard for assisting us in the Portland area. We are also going to send them goodies for July 4th, Veteran’s Day and Christmas. If anyone around Oregon wishes to assist us in our future drives, please Teams/e-mail me. The more smiles we can get from our Veteran’s each year, the more our heart’s will be fulfilled.

Erika Motzko & Ron Sohnrey

IAWP Oregon Chapter

How ‘Gig’ Jobs Are Legally Defined Affects Workers’ Rights

Civil Beat - 1/15/23

There are benefits for workers for this emerging model of employment but pitfalls as well. The “gig” economy has captured the attention of technology futurists, journalists, academics and policymakers. Read more....

U.S. labor market remains tight despite technology sector layoffs

Reuters - 1/4/23

U.S. job openings fell less than expected in November as the labor market remains tight, which could see the Federal Reserve boosting interest rates to a higher level than currently anticipated to tame inflation. Read more....

Why the trend toward remote work isn’t going to fade in 2023

Los Angeles Times - 12/23/22

If the U.S. job market continues to weaken next year, companies will be emboldened and may pull back on letting employees work remotely. Read more....

How States Can Fill the Tech Workforce Gap

Route Fifty - 12-22-22

A private sector tech slowdown could present a recruiting opportunity for governments, especially if they appeal to younger employees looking for meaningful and consequential work. Read more....

Reimagining the broadband technology workforce

Brookings - 12/22/22

An estimated 90,000 people have been laid off from some of the largest tech companies, including Meta, Twitter, Amazon, and potentially Google, as seen in recent press reports. Read more....

These are the 27 states raising the minimum wage in 2023

ABC - 12-12-22

Workers earning minimum wage in more than two dozen states can expect a raise in 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

https://www.epi.org/minimum-wage-tracker/ Read more....

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by Malcolm G. Boswell, Labor Economist

To begin with, let us just say it: THERE IS NO OFFICIAL DEFINITION FOR WHAT IS A LIVING WAGE!

Federal Government: No Definition

State Governments: No Definition

Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS): No definition

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): No Definition

Federal Reserve Bank (The FED): No Definition

Oxford Dictionary: “a wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living.”

Investopedia: “The term living wage refers to a theoretical income level that allows individuals or families to afford adequate shelter, food, and other necessities. The goal of a living wage is to allow employees to earn enough income for a satisfactory standard of living and prevent them from falling into poverty. Economists suggest it should be enough to ensure that no more than 30% of this income is spent on housing. As such, living wages are often substantially higher than the legal minimum wage...”

You start to get the point, there is no official or specific definition, and just generalities of what people believe it should be. It is elusive and varied, and different agencies, organization and government entities will set their own definition based on the expected outcomes of the funding sources.

What is the general premise of what a living wage should pay for?

• Food

• Basic Housing (whatever is meant by this: (Rent? Mortgage? One, two five six bedrooms? How many bathrooms? Total square footage?

• Basic Healthcare (regular checkup, preventative care, dental, vision, common maladies like asthma, diabetes, c-pap, anxiety, cancer treatments, etc.

• Basic clothing (Walmart versus Macy’s?)

• Utilities (electric, gas, water, sewer… etc.)

• Basic Education (High School, college, university and to what level? And does this include both tuition and books, how about housing and food? Does this apply to every household even when no one wants it?

• Basic services (internet, cable, landscaping, childcare, etc.)

• Basic transportation (Public transportation? Private vehicle(s): type and number of vehicles (Ford Escort, Mercedes, Tesla? New or used?

Does this include maintenance cost of transportation?)

Then there are questions about what should also be included in this definition? For instance entertainment, travel / vacation, hobbies, recreational activities like fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking?

Is it about lifestyle or is it about basic living conditions, and is there a definition of either that fits all family expectations?

“Living Wages” is a VERY elusive term that has many dozens of interpretations. Therefore, when a program or an organization says they want as part of their outcomes “jobs that pay a living wage” you need to always ask, better yet, demand they provide THEIR definition of a “living wage”. They simply cannot get away with “you know a living wage, enough to for people to live “comfortably”. Because, what is “comfortable lifestyle to me may include trips to Europe, three cars, a 4,000 sq. ft. home and three cars no less comfortable than a Mercedez, or a BMW… where is for others it might be having a ford pickup and a trailer and a fishing boat… and a small cabin in the woods.

To make things even more confusing add to this cost of living difference from area to area.

NEVER ASSUME everyone knows and agrees on what a “living wage” means other than it is NOT minimum wage and IT IS above the poverty level income. Moreover, since there is NO OFFICIAL definition, it is up to each funding source that supports services to better the livelihood of people in a community, to define what their standard of living wages means in terms of an Hourly income that should meet their definition and what that income level should be able to pay for.

"CARPE DATUM"

Hard water – sounds like a contradiction in terms like “jumbo shrimp”. Well, the common meaning of hard water is water that has a high mineral content. The elements calcium and magnesium are the usual culprits. When these two minerals are in the water entering our homes, they can leave a cloudy-white film on shower doors and spots on drinking glasses. This is not usually a big problem in our Pacific Northwest, but not rare. The sale of devices to remove minerals from water (water softeners) is big business.

Beside leaving spots on glass, hard water minerals can build up on the inside of plumbing pipes and appliances using water, the minerals can act as an irritant to sensitive skin, and even have a negative effect on dental health. So, hard water is bad – correct? As it turns out, there is as much good as bad to hard water.

Just as nature abhors a vacuum, nature doesn’t like imbalances either. Our bodies are built partly from magnesium and calcium. The structure of our bones and the function of our nervous system depend on these two elements. To drink water that has no minerals present causes a dilution of the mineral content of our bodies which causes an imbalance. Not only minerals, but vitamins and other nutrients are “leached” too when drinking water in which the minerals have been removed (soft water). The soft water dissolves and takes away some of our body’s minerals in a natural process of balancing what goes in and what goes out (urine). This is a general principle of thermodynamics called an equilibrium reaction.

It seems as though life is like water. The bad (spots on glass) is balanced by some good too (healthy bones). Drinking water with a little mineral content keeps us human beings closer to a healthy state which is a happy place to live.

Mark J. Butterfield, D.C. mjbdc@hotmail.com

Join us on March 18 in Westport, WA for the annual Educational Institute and Crab Feed. During the day, learn about some of the cool initiatives taking place at the Washington Employment Security Agency, how to improve your critical thinking skills, decision making models, and more. Then in the evening, gather with family and friends for a Crab Feed (or chicken) and silent auction. This is one of my favorite IAWP events as it is low key and incredibly welcoming!

Here is the link to register for the IAWP 60th Winter Institute and Crab Feed.

Below is a flyer about the Crab Feed.

click here for more info

Members have access to all past webinars to watch on-demand - CLICK HERE

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The International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) is excited to announce the launch of its Mentoring Program. Click for more info

click to enlarge

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Requires: An interest to contribute. Knowledge of English, spelling, grammar and punctuation, journalistic writing and editing procedures and skill in the use of Microsoft Word preferred.

Duties: Write articles and features based on research and inter-views; conceive ideas for content; arrange for content from other sources; and select and edit photos and artwork to benefit the educational and professional interests of Oregon Chapter IAWP members.

Pay: The gratitude and admiration of your fellow Oregon Chapter IAWP members and the joy of seeing your name in print.

How to Apply: Submit articles or express interest by e-mail to Steve Strain at Steven.D.Strain@employ.oregon.gov

VOLUME 50, ISSUE 1

Editor - Steve Strain, steven.d.strain@employ.oregon.gov

Contributors:

Grant Axtell

Steve Corwin

Ron Sohnrey

Erika Motzko

Malcolm Boswell

Mark Butterfield

Email: info@iawporegon.org

Website: http://iawporegon.org
Location: 14845 SW Murray Scholls Drive, Suite 110, Beaverton OR 97007