Below is a statement I released through NCPA, as a Distinguished Fellow, on the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as Republican Vice Presidential nominee.  

"John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as vice president is the best news for American families to come out of Washington in a long time.  As a working mother, Gov. Palin obviously knows the challenges of balancing career with family. And because of that, I'm confident she will support family-friendly policies that emphasize workplace reforms that reflect the way Americans live and work in the 21^st century."

Monday, September 1, 2008

NEESE: Past time for comp time

Terry Neese

COMMENTARY:

American workers are being challenged. The economy is taking its toll with increased layoffs and increased hours and work for those who have jobs.

The government´s ability to help workers is limited, but it can do one thing – get out of the way!

Unfortunately, for many, our labor laws – originally crafted to protect the family and the work ethic – now obstruct both persistence and energy. Our ability to meet workers´ needs in the face of an ever-diverse work force unfortunately has changed dramatically in the decades since most of our labor laws were written in the 1930s.

Between 1950 and 2000, the labor force participation rate of women between 25 and 55 years of age more than doubled. Today, more than 75 percent of these women are in the labor market. Fewer than 12 percent of mothers with children under age 6 were in the labor force in 1950. Now, more than 60 percent are working. Read the rest of this entry »

I was reading a blog by Judith Warner on the New York Times the other day ("The Other Home Equity Crisis") that talked about women in the economy.  It highlights a report put out by Congress that details the reason for women leaving the workforce in recent years.  And it's not because they are getting more flexible workplaces to allow them to spend more time with their kids!  No, it's because women are hit disproportionately hard during recessions.  Prior to this report, it was believed that women were leaving in order to spend more time with their kids, not because they were being forced out.

What is so sad about this is that it's not necessary.  Read the rest of this entry »

Terry appeared on FOX's American Newsroom on Monday, July 28th, at 8:30 CDT.  Listen to her discuss the University of Minnesota study that showed eating meals together lowers teenage girls' liklihood to use alcohol or drugs.  Terry explains that this demonstrates the importance of a flexible workplace so that parents are able to be home in order to eat meals with their families. 

Terry Neese's five family-friendly policies received national attention this week.  Jim Blasingame invited her onto "Small Business Advocate" to discuss the benefits of her five suggested policies.  Listen to the interview here!

Terry will be appearing on CNN's "Issue #1" at noon, EDT, on July 15th.  Tune in and see what she has to say about important issues facing our women, families, and small businesses!     

 On July 10^th, the Oklahoman covered a hearing held by Rep. Mike Shelton, where he suggested a more flexible work-week to cut down on commuting costs (Read the article here).  Making a flexible work week optional does a lot more than decreasing workers' gas costs though.  As such, the National Center for Policy Analysis has advocated for more flexibility in the workplace through congressional caucus briefings, publications and research, and most notably our president and CEO Dr. John Goodman's book, Leaving Women Behind, co-authored by Kimberly Strassel and Celeste Colgan.  Read the rest of this entry »

The rigid 40 hour work week, originally set forth by the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, was designed to protect employees…Yet it is now hurting both employees and employers.  Primary caregivers, of children or elderly family, often are unable to work the required 40 hours during the 8-5 slot allowed each week.  If unable to work full-time (according to these standards), one is often required to purchase his/her own benefits with after-tax dollars.  If attempting a full-time schedule, productivity and personal satisfaction (both at work and at home) go out the window along w/ their sanity as they attempt to balance work and family responsibilities.

But not only do we need these changes to take place, they have proven profitable for the businesses that have undertaken them on their own!

A recent study by the Families and Work Institute (see http://www.familiesandwork.org/site/sloanbizresults.html) shows that giving employees more flexibility in their workplace increases employee satisfaction, translating into high retention, lower turn over, higher levels of engagement while at the office, and even fewer days skipping out of the office!  Moreover, it boosts productivity, reduces business costs, and even increases profits.  Want the numbers?

According to the study, the Houston accounting firm PFK Texas gives employees choice in work hours, workspace, and even future work plans.  The result?  Their turnover has decreased to a startling low 12%!  The firm has doubled in the meantime and experienced a revenue growth of 8% per year since making the changes. 

The Washington D.C. office of Capital One takes advantage of home offices, wireless laptops, Blackberrys…etc.  Their employees often choose flexible arrangements that work for their own personal situation.  The company spends less money on office costs while simultaneously getting more productivity out of their employees! 

The bottom line simply is this: giving employees flexibility in the workplace means better results for all involved. 

Why can't we?  You tell me…

McMorris Rodgers to Host Women's Conference in Spokane

(Spokane, WA)  On Wednesday, May 28^th, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers will host the 5^th District Women's Conference, open to the public, to discuss the issues facing women and families in the workforce and our communities. 

"As I new mom, I struggle to find that balance every day," McMorris Rodgers said. "Families need flexibility more than anything.  My Women's Conference will address some of the challenges for families-and offer some solutions."

Today's workforce isn't what it used to be-especially when it comes to working families.  Between 1950 and 2000, the number of working women between 25 and 55 years of age more than doubled in the United States.  In 1950, less than 12 percent of mothers with children under age 6 were in the labor force.  Today, more than 60 percent of them work outside the home. 

"It's long past time for laws and institutions formed more than 50 years ago to become more family friendly," said National Center for Policy Analysis Distinguished Fellow Terry Neese, who heads the NCPA Family Policy Center.  "Families need 21^st century public policies that provide flexibility, portability, and security.  Today's economy demands it." 

Earlier this month, McMorris Rodgers and other members of Congress rolled out a plan called "The American Families Agenda:  Assuring the American Dream."  The National Center for Policy Analysis helped develop the five part plan.  It includes:

• Assuring more time and money for America's families.
• Assuring health care and retirement security for America's families
• Protecting America's kids
• Assuring quality education for America's children
• Supporting America's military families and securing the homeland

EVENT:

Cathy McMorris Rodgers' 5^th District Women's Conference

Wednesday, May 28^th at 8:00 a.m.

Gonzaga University's Jepson Center

502 East Boone Avenue, Spokane, WA

Printed in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Friday, May 23, 2008

Neese: It's time for U.S. labor law to enter the 21st century

By TERRY NEESE
Special to the Star-Telegram

Work is good. The satisfaction that comes after a good day's work — and seeing a tangible result — is at the center of our identities.

But for women who work outside the home — an unusual circumstance in the 1930s, when most labor laws were written — that satisfaction can be complicated.

Rigid labor laws function in ways that can deny working women the opportunity to attend a child's soccer game or take a parent to the doctor one week and make up the hours the following week. Women need the ability to bend schedules in order to care for aging parents or, increasingly, an aging spouse. Our old-fashioned labor laws will not allow women to have this reasonable flexibility.

There's no reason to leave laws or policies in place when they impede our economic choices. Many changes are needed to bring aging institutions into sync with 21st-century life. We need to get started in making those sensible and overdue changes.

Rep. Kay Granger and other Republican members of Congress recently unveiled the American Families Agenda, which includes ideas that can help ease the regulatory burdens facing America's working people. They're not a moment too soon.

I've been blessed by the dynamism and vibrancy of the American dream. But these days, that dream is fading for some women.

In Leaving Women Behind – written by John Goodman and Celeste Colgan of the National Center for Policy Analysis and Kimberley Strassel of The Wall Street Journal – the authors confirm that current policies don't fit the common practices and practical needs of millions of American women. Our nation's employee benefit system needs to be reformed to meet the needs of women in the 21st century.

The Goodman book put an exclamation point on this. Women today, as he wrote, "sit behind more desks, drive more cranes and build more computer chips. They do these jobs for longer hours. Yet women also continue to be the primary caregivers for their families. Working mothers are 83 percent more likely to take time off to care for a child than working fathers. And home life, with its soccer practices, doctors' visits, gymnastics lessons and home repair and maintenance, is more hectic than at any time in the past."

We already know how to work hard. The question is now: How can we work smarter and still meet the needs of our families?

The answer is compensatory time, better known to federal workers as "comp time."

In 1995, a poll from the Employment Policy Foundation and Penn, Schoen & Berland and Associates found that, if given the choice, three out of every four American workers would choose compensatory time instead of overtime wages. It's not surprising that support for comp time reaches 81 percent among working women.

Many lawmakers have opposed making such changes in the private sector. However, in 1978, they changed the rules to allow this flexibility for federal workers. Such policies are common in state governments, including in my home state of Oklahoma (at least for supervisors).

Part of the American Families Agenda includes the Family-Friendly Workplace Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. She wanted to make it easier for parents with young children, and/or those who are caregivers for elderly parents, to accrue "flexible credit hours" — allowing workers to bank any hours in excess of 40 in one week to use toward paid leave.

Federal workers already enjoy this benefit, just as they have their own retirement system and more healthcare options than typical private-sector workers.

Another idea in the American Families Agenda would change income tax law to permit each married partner to file income tax returns separately, without causing the lower earner to be taxed in the higher-earning partner's bracket.

I'm also enthusiastic about two other ideas that are incorporated in the agenda, as they have long been advocated by my colleagues at NCPA. One would remove current time limits on access to continuing health insurance coverage. The second would create incentives for small businesses to join forces to buy good health insurance for employees.

The thoughts featured in the American Families Agenda provide a brand-new opportunity to create a national impetus for serious reform of our current crippling laws. Even in a presidential election year, I hope that at least some of these will be a source of unity in support of working women, and all working Americans.

Terry Neese is a businesswoman in Oklahoma City and a Distinguished Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, based in Dallas.