IAPES LIBERTY BELL Volume 2, Issue 2 March 2001 Calendar Apr 26 & 27: Spring Institute Holiday Inn West Harrisburg, PA Apr 28: The deadline for articles to be submitted for May Liberty Bell SPRING INSTITUTE Make plans to come together and learn at the PA Chapter IAPES Spring Education Institute at the Holiday Inn West in Harrisburg. At the institute on April 26th and 27th, you can bask in good information, good networking and good friends. IN THE SPOTLIGHT Dianne Bott Tony Godlewski This issue the spotlight falls on Tony Godlewski. Tony is the subchapter chair for the central region of the state. He has been an IAPES member since 1988 and sub chapter chair since 1990. Way to go Tony! You may have met him at an IAPES Institute. Tony has stepped up to the plate to Emcee three events - two in State College and one in Danville. Tony started his state service as an intermittent intake interviewer in 1980. He has held positions as Disabled Veteran's Rep and ES Interviewer, Employment Security Specialist, Employment Security Program Manager, Office Manager in Milton and St. College and, currently, he is Operations Manager at the Altoona Call Center. Tony is a Penn State graduate who served in Viet Nam with the US Army before joining Labor & Industry. Those parts of his life have caused him to be active in the PSU alumni society, DAV and the VFW. I think he must have also found a way to clone himself or go totally without sleep. When asked why he is so active in IAPES Tony replied, " I have always tried to influence positive change and to perform whatever assignment the members of the organization needed me to fulfill." He believes the value of IAPES is in dedicated members who work to provide information and needed help to other members. " Our organization will continue to evolve and grow by becoming dedicated to continuous improvement based on input from all our members about what we want our organization to be and to do." You can meet Tony, or renew your acquaintance with him, at the IAPES Institutes. While you are there be sure to complete a conference evaluation and pay special attention to the section about what topics you would like to see addressed at future events. How else will we know what you want to learn more about? FOCUS ON VETERANS Tyrone T. Dancy From the Desk of the Veterans Chair I am very honored to be serving for a second time as the Veterans Chair of the Pennsylvania chapter, Veterans Committee of IAPES. One of the first items on my agenda is to send information about IAPES to every Veteran Services Representative of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor. The packet will include details about our organization and membership benefits along with an application and personal invitation from me to join and take part in the veterans' committee. I will be sending out an email to all my colleagues asking them to urge employers to consider implementing an on-the-job training program for veterans 40 years-plus. It is becoming more and more evident that veterans in this age range are in need of new skills and a career. I feel it is possible that the veterans' representative could make a difference in the lives of some of our older veterans if they seriously present this idea to employers in a comprehensive way. If presented continuously to a broad spectrum of employers a few may heed. My colleagues may go about presenting this idea to employers by letter and following up with a phone call, then a visit. The veterans representative could assure the employer that suitable candidates will be referred for consideration once the on-the-job training is in place. Unfortunately many will have the tendency to find more wrong with that idea than what is right. Since negativity is a prevailing force within our society, we all have the tendency to play down new initiatives. The first thought that will probably pop into my colleague's mind will be that it will not work. This is the negative expectation set in motion. If most vet-reps feel that way, then it will not work, because expecting it not to work will not induce the required action on their part. On the other hand, if the outcome is positively and enthusiastically approached, the results could be entirely favorable. We all could apparently come up with some logical reasons for not putting any energy into contacting employers to convince them to establish on- the- job training for our older veterans. " The economic picture is dim" and " Where's the incentive for the employer?" Space will not allow me to answer all these concerns. The one dominating concern I have and I want to convey to my colleagues is, it is worth the effort? Anything we can do to improve the lives of the veterans we serve is definitely worth an attempt. Ponder this: the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only that gives everything its value. ---Thomas Paine WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Please welcome the eight new members for 2001 listed below. If you are a co-worker, please introduce yourself and let them know that there is a fellow IAPESer in their workplace. New Dennis Burns BETO - Harrisburg John I. Kavangh Chester Co. CareerLink Joel R. Rutt BETO - Reading B& C Carlos Roberto Salas Philadelphia CareerLink Eda Schramm Monroe Co. CareerLink Rejoin Deanna Buttray OUCSC - Erie Tyrone T. Dancy Philadelphia CareerLink James Diffendal BETO - Reading B& C A special thanks and welcome back to Tyrone T. Dancy, who decided to rejoin the PA Chapter, and agreed to serve as the Chair of our Veterans Committee. OFFICERS ON DECK Paula Bauer President-Elect Training I first met Dianne Bott as a member of the Challengers Class of Management Development Institute. So, when she stopped by to see me, I thought it was social visit: "Paula, my dear", Dianne Bott said. "I was hoping you would do me a really big favor." "If I can," I replied. "IAPES is looking for 'new blood' and I think you would be great as our President. You wouldn't be doing it alone," she went on to say. "You would have myself, Tony (Betti), Audrey (Bergstresser) and Vicki (Bloes) to help you." Well, I thought, I have been President of my soccer referee chapter for several years. How different can this be? And, as the name Challenger implies... Well, after going to President-elect Training in Lexington Kentucky (February 1- 4), I can tell you that this isn't your same old referee chapter presidency! The President-elect training I received ranged from an Overview of the IAPES Handbook, to a summary of Committee Chair functions, fund raising, membership retention and Strategic Planning for the Chapter. After my first impressions of being overwhelmed, and thinking, " What did Dianne get me into!" I realized that IAPES is a well-organized association of PROFESSIONALS who have one goal - SERVICE. Through an expanded partnership with other departments of our State, and with the employer community, we will be better able to fulfill our Mission Statement: "To develop, serve and support those interested in workforce development programs." As members of the Pennsylvania Chapter of IAPES, we are on the cutting edge of professional growth. We are savvy to innovative ways of serving our clients. We are informed. And, as once spoken to me: "Knowledge is Power." As an organization, we serve our chapter members through continuous education and training. We serve through partnership with all workforce development agencies to serve the individual needs of Veterans and Persons with Disabilities. We serve each other to improve our State Chapter and by being a voice when Legislative issues affect our work place. When I was in Kentucky, I was told that the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security went through a major change. Portions of that department were transferred to the Departments of Health, Education, Revenue, Insurance or Welfare. Imagine being assigned to an entirely different department! Talk about CHANGE!!!! But, that reminded me that we can excel through change. We can become better, stronger and wiser with the advent of change. We can be energized with change, and we can grow through change. In fact, our Spring Institute is designed around this very theme. Join us on April 26-27 for the Spring Institute at the Holiday Inn - Harrisburg West (Mechanicsburg). Details are available in this newsletter, or contact me directly at 717-772-4323 or pbauer@dli.state.pa.us. Enthusiastically, Paula Bauer, President-Elect PA Chapter of IAPES New Member Packets As a result of an inquiry from one of our new members, we contacted the International Office about mailing New Member Packets. As a result, these packets will be mailed as soon as possible. If you are a new member, and have not received your New Member Packet, please contact me at (717) 540-4314 or via e-mail at cgregoryj@netzero.net. THE PRESIDENT'S PEN Alan Williamson Being the Leader of Professionals Being the leader of IAPES professionals can be both a challenging and a relatively simple task to accomplish. The keys to this are the focus and drive of the leader and the commitment and energy of the professionals. If all of these keys exist IAPES should thrive and prosper. However, it takes active participation by all the members to make IAPES an organization that has value and creates a sense of wanting to belong in the minds of each of its members. It also requires the leader to create the focus and direction that helps lead the way. The bottom line is that an effective organization is one that has both good leadership and active members. In effect, an organization is only as strong as the leadership it has at all levels. This means if IAPES is to grow and prosper we all must be leaders. We must think and act like leaders. It is our responsibility to model the behaviors we want others to exhibit. We must consciously place ourselves in the position of being teachers of those both inside and outside the organization. This is not a sometime thing; it is an every day thing. Two ways we can all be better leaders is to visualize how each of us contributes to the big picture and to think and act like an entrepreneur. First, to see how we contribute to the big picture we can ask ourselves what someone outside of the Department might see and say about each of us in our daily work roles and as members of the IAPES team. We need to start looking at our own attitudes, feelings and skills. We could ask ourselves simple questions such as: * Do my own image and skills need polishing? * Do I need to speak up more to create enthusiasm for what we are doing? Next we need to explore options that will contribute to the organization's big- picture goals. To do this we could: * Constantly seek to make sense of our job by refusing to let the trees get in the way of the forest. * Recognize and make the most of our strengths while minimizing weaknesses. * Make certain we treat causes instead of symptoms when problems occur. Second, we can start to think and act as if we were running our own company. This means acting on issues rather than waiting for others to tell us to do what we already know needs to be done. It also means we are forever conscious and cautious of how we spend our funding. We should constantly challenge ourselves to spend our funding wisely. We should ask if an expenditure will further the goals and objectives of the organization. Finally during my term as President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of IAPES I would like us to elevate the visibility of this organization within the Department of Labor and Industry. We should work to enhance the professionalism of the members and raise the visibility of their talents and demonstrate their value to the Department's leaders. But we must first inspect ourselves to make sure we are prepared. Your elected officers and committee chairs have been hard at work developing the agendas for both the Spring and Fall Educational Institutes and putting together informative articles in your newsletter, The Liberty Bell. These agendas and articles are aimed at furthering your professional development and making you better leaders. But to be successful requires not only your attendance and attention but also your personal commitment to actively work to be a better leader and professional. If we all work at this together it will serve to underscore that IAPES is the world leader of professionals in workforce systems. IAPES LEGAL ISSUES William Moulfair Legislative News The federal government is reviewing veterans employment programs nationwide. The General Accounting Office (GAO) is conducting a review of the DVOP and LVER grants to determine how veterans' services operate in state one-stop systems. The GAO also is looking at state and federal oversight of employment and training grants, including the DVOP and LVER programs. For the federal review, 25 states were selected, including Pennsylvania. In addition, the GAO recently released a performance report on 21 federal agencies, including the U. S. Department of Labor (USDOL). The report addresses the major performance and accountability challenges facing the USDOL. Among the recommendations made in the report is a need for system wide performance measures so states can better evaluate the effectiveness of the one- stop system under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The report can be viewed on the Internet at www.WorkforceATM.org. The U. S. Senate Appropriations Committee has announced subcommittee assignments for the 107th Congress. On the Labor-Health-Human Services-Education Subcommittee, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter is the Chair. Democrats in Congress have introduced the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2001 to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.65 per hour in three annual increments. The bill sponsors hope to bring up the measure in the next couple months. And finally, in economic news, the level of initial unemployment claims has been holding steady nationwide through the end of February 2001. Only a few states have shown significant increases in claims, including Delaware, Ohio, California and Michigan. We Are in Migration! Please remember to notify Minta when your e-mail address changes in the process of switching to CWOPA so that we can keep your membership information up to date and stay in touch with you. Thank You Fastest Finger Round Answers: C. LMI 1884 D. IAPES 1913 B. ES 1933 A. UI 1935 The IAPES Liberty Bell is published bi-monthly by the PA Chapter of IAPES and is distributed for the information of the membership. Submit articles and information to Editor: Rich Wertman at rwertman@dli.state.pa.us, E-mail drcs@enter.net or Mail to: Dianne Bott 1405 Labor & Industry Bldg. Harrisburg, PA 17121 Officers: President: Alan Williamson President-Elect: Paula Bauer Secretary: Vicki Bloes Treasurer: Audrey Bergstresser Recruiters Beware! Remember, when you talk to your friends and co-workers regarding membership in IAPES, please put your name on the application form, either in the area marked "Recruited by" or at the bottom of the form. This will allow us to keep track of those individuals who are working hard to recruit new members. Those individuals recruiting at least ten (10) members will be recognized at the annual international Educational Conference that will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2001. MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Minta Johnson Keep On Building W hen "Keep On Building" was suggested as the topic for this month's membership article, I began going through the information available to me on recruiting and retaining membership, as well as the old membership files. What I realized is that we need is to "Keep on Re-building." Did you know that many years ago, the Pennsylvania Chapter (the Chapter) had over 2,000 members? What happened? Well, like many other organizations, as life became more hectic, people had to set priorities on both time and money. In many instances, the priorities for both were given (and rightfully so) to family responsibilities. The work environment was also changing, leaving employees with little time to devote to active participation in organizations. As a result the Chapter fell victim to circumstances. There were a few people who devoted precious hours to maintaining the Chapter. Membership was still solicited, but services began to diminish. No state conferences, few or no state newsletters. There was little or no communications between Chapter Officers and the members, which caused a further decline in membership. In 1990 (one of our better years in recent past) we had 286 members. Currently we have 119 members. Membership recruitment is hard work. It requires detailed organization. It requires persistence. It requires salesmanship. There are many ways to recruit a new member, but all have one common thread - the person must be asked. It can be frustrating. The key to recruitment is belief in your product. If you believe in IAPES, if you know that the work you do is the highest level of service; if you want everyone to share that belief and become better on the job; then you can sell membership in IAPES. It may help you to know an old advertising maxim: "Ninety percent of all sales are made on the third contact or later! And it all starts with you, the current member. What can you do? Here are some of the things you can do that can make a difference: * Share your state and International newsletters with your friends and co-workers. The Chapter's newsletter, The Liberty Bell, is published bi-monthly. The International's newsletter Workforce Professional is published eight times a year. Both publications provide information relative to workforce development and activities at the International level as well as the state level. * Share information received from state educational conferences. Anyone attending the Fall Conference in Johnstown will agree that it was one of the best conferences in our recent past. Starting with the tour of the Hiram G. Andrews facilities, to the presentation of on-line courses, and the discussion of PARSE's (Pennsylvania Association of Retired State Employees) efforts to obtain annual cost of living allowances (COLA's) for retirees. Did you know that anyone interested in workforce initiatives is eligible for full membership in IAPES? A 1999 revision by the International Executive Board, which was approved by vote at the 1999 International Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, changed the membership classifications for IAPES. * Prior to the 1999 vote, there were three classifications of members: Full, Associate, and Retired. * Full Member was an individual actively employed by an agency receiving funding from US Department of Labor to provide unemployment and re-employment and training services. * Associate Member was an individual who did not meet the criteria for "Full Member". * Retired Member was an individual who had retired from an agency receiving funding from US Department of Labor. Subsequent to the 1999 vote, there were two classifications of members: Full and Retired. * Full Member is any individual interested in Workforce Development The member can be: o Actively employed in either a CareerLink; UC Service Center; Tax Operation facility; Workforce Investment Board, OR o Interested in any facet of Workforce Investment OR o Retired but interested in Workforce Investment and electing to pay full membership dues. * Retired Member is any individual interested in Workforce Development who is no longer actively employed, and who desires to maintain membership in IAPES at an annual rate, which is one-half the full member rate. This decision was an indication that the International Association was changing the way it does business in order to provide services to all individuals covered under that huge umbrella created by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. While these people could join IAPES before, they were considered Associate Members. They paid the same dues as full members, but were not eligible for any of the benefits. What does this mean to you? Do you work closely with an employer, a community college, a Workforce Investment Board? How about someone employed by another state agency, e.g. Welfare, Education, etc? These people are now eligible for full membership in the International Association of Personnel in Employment Security (IAPES). Another change in membership classifications was to allow those individuals who are planning to or have retired to retain full member status by paying full member dues. Why should you recruit new members? Most of you have stuck with us through the lean years, and hopefully you have noticed the positive changes in the Chapter. For the first time in many years we have held two elections for officers (1999 and 2000). We have sponsored two state conferences a year. We are producing a newsletter six times a year. For the first time in many years, we have solicited nominations for awards. The newest Executive Board, elected at Johnstown, has already held one business meeting and a second meeting has been scheduled. Increasing our membership enables us to provide additional services to the members. One other thing you can do to help our chapter "Keep on Re-building" is to "just ask one person to join." If each one of us gets one person to join, we can double our membership. What does the future hold for the PA Chapter IAPES? The answer lies with you. An organization is only as successful as its membership wants it to be. WHO WANTS TO BE A WORKFORCE PROFESSIONAL? Audrey Bergstresser Fastest Finger Round Place these components of Workforce Systems in the order of the date they were established or created. A. Unemployment Insurance (UI) B. Employment Service (ES) C. Labor Market Information (LMI) D. IAPES Look for the Answer elsewhere in this newsletter. Did you place them in the right order? During the 2000 Annual Meeting and Fall Institute, Paul Mendez, Executive Director, NAWDP, introduced us to the 12 areas of competency required to become a Certified Workforce Development Professional. One of the areas is "History and Structure of the Workforce Development System. Recently during recruiting efforts for IAPES the questions has been asked, " What is IAPES?" Can you answer the question? This is the first of a series of articles that will discuss the history, origins and structure of Workforce System components. But, hey, don't wait for the articles. For those of you who doubt the accuracy of the answers to the Fastest Finger Round, begin your own research and professional development. This first article will focus on IAPES. The federal government did not become involved in employment services until 1907. A large influx of immigrants created the need to prevent exploitation of aliens and a way to direct them to areas where job opportunities existed. A Division of Information was established in the Department of Commerce and Labor's Bureau of Immigration. The first federal employment office was located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. In 1913, Congress separated the Department of Commerce and Labor into two cabinet- level agencies. The new Department of Labor included the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Children's Bureau and the Bureau of Immigration (It continued its Division of Information). During this period, the American Federation of Labor's official position was that individual trade unions should provide placement services, not the federal government. Despite this reluctance by organized labor, labor department officials supported a national employment service that had gained wide support. By 1913, sixty-two offices operated in 19 states. W. M. Leiserson, Superintendent of the Wisconsin Employment Offices was a proponent for a national system that would provide uniformity and informational exchange. He recognized that state and municipal ES operations had much to gain from federal intervention. In a June 11, 1913 letter to his state and local counterparts, Leiserson wrote that his idea was to organize an American association of public employment offices such as the German and Swiss labor exchanges have. The American Association of Public Employment Offices (AAPEO) was established at a meeting in Chicago in December 1913. This meeting of 14 delegates from 8 states did not secure the much-needed federal link for a nationwide system; it did provide an initial anchor for professional objectives, standards and practices among public employment offices. During these early days the word services was frequently used interchangeable with offices in various historical references. However, the first official name change did not occur until 1920 when our Canadian affiliates became members of the International national Association of Public Employment Services. This established the trade initials IAPES still used today. With the inclusion of UI objectives in the association's scope in the mid- 1930s, another revision in our named became necessary. In 1952, after a 10- year struggle, IAPES adopted the name International Association of Personnel in Employment Security and kept the trade initials IAPES. With passage of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), the IAPES Executive Board recognized the need to look at current membership criteria and continued use of the full name. Early on the decision was made to drop use of the words but to retain the trade initials of IAPES. We wanted to preserve the public recognition of and history associated with IAPES. The association has also been working on new membership criteria. The Code of Ethics, mission statement, and oath of office are pending revision to reflect our new partners as contained in the WIA. It is much easier to figure out where you are going if you know where you came from! HAVE WE MENTIONED MEMBERSHIP? Recruitment Report According to information contained on membership applications received to date, the following individuals have been listed as recruiting members, both new and renewed: • Audrey Bergstresser* 2 New 8 Renewals • Tony Betti 1 New 2 Renewals • Vicki Bloes 1 New • Dianne Bott 2 New 1 Renewal • Tyrone Dancy 1 New 1 Renewal • Minta Johnson 1 Renewal • Mary Lynn Kowalski 1 New • Marcia Levitsky 3 New 2 Renewals • Geri Shaner 2 Renewals • Justin Sweeny 1 New • Stephen Wantz 1 New Pennsylvania Chapter IAPES Labor & Industry Building Room 1405 7th and Forster Streets Harrisburg, PA 17121