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Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Policy

Description: This report first explains the connection made over the past several years between farm labor and immigration policies. It next examines the composition of the seasonal agricultural labor force and presents the arguments of grower and farmworker advocates concerning its adequacy relative to employer demand. The report closes with an analysis of the trends in employment, unemployment, time worked and wages of authorized and unauthorized farmworkers to determine whether they are consistent with t… more
Date: February 9, 2004
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)

Description: This report introduces the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) and the concerns out of which it grew, from the perspective of labor policy (not of immigration policy). American agricultural employers have long utilized foreign workers on a temporary basis, regarding them as an important manpower resource. Often employed at low wages and under adverse conditions, such alien workers, some argue, may compete unfairly with U.S. workers. To mitigate any "adverse effect" for the domestic workforce, a sys… more
Date: April 5, 2004
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Policy Considerations Related to Guest Worker Programs

Description: At present, the United States has two main programs for temporarily importing low-skilled workers, sometimes referred to as guest workers. Agricultural guest workers enter through the H-2A program and other guest workers enter through the H-2B program. Employers interested in importing workers under either program must first apply to the U.S. Labor Department for a certification that U.S. workers capable of performing the work are not available and that the employment of alien workers will not … more
Date: June 8, 2004
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trafficking in Women and Children: The U.S. and International Response

Description: This report reviews the statistics and growth of human trafficking across the world. The report discusses how the Bush and Clinton administration both advocated against human trafficking and the acts put in place during both administrations to combat trafficking in the United States.
Date: March 26, 2004
Creator: Miko, Francis T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: The Labor Market Effects of a Guest Worker Program for U.S. Farmers

Description: Temporary alien worker programs are meant to assure employers, including growers, of an adequate supply of labor when and where it is needed without adding permanent residents to the U.S. population. Guest worker programs are not supposed to harm the wage and job opportunities of U.S. workers while they alleviate spot labor shortages. President Bush’s proposal of a broad guest worker program has reignited interest in legislation introduced during the 108th Congress that relates specifically to … more
Date: February 20, 2004
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Davis-Bacon Act: Issues and Legislation During the 108th Congress

Description: This report discusses the debate surrounding the Davis-Bacon Act (1931, as amended), which requires, among other things, that not less than the locally-prevailing wage be paid to workers employed in federal contract construction. Through recent decades, the Act has become a continuing source of contention, particularly regarding its impacts, whether it should be modified, strengthened, or repealed, and if it is being administered effectively.
Date: March 19, 2004
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Reform: Economic Issues

Description: This report tackles the issue of Social Security reform from an economic perspective that focuses not merely on reform that achieves programmatic sustainability (sustainability within the trust fund), but reform that achieves sustainability for the government and economy as a whole. The President has indicated that Social Security reform will be a major issue in the 109th Congress. For some time comprehensive reform has been an issue of debate in Congress, but no major action has occurred.
Date: December 3, 2004
Creator: Gravelle, Jane & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Gender Wage Gap and Pay Equity: Is Comparable Worth the Next Step?

Description: This report examines the trend in the male-female wage gap and the explanations offered for its existence. Remedies proposed for the gender wage gap's amelioration are addressed, with an in-depth focus on the comparable worth approach to achieving "pay equity" or "fair pay" between women and men.
Date: December 20, 2004
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

Description: Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). COLAs for both CSRS and FERS are determined by the average monthly CPI-W during the third quarter (July to September) of the current calendar year and the third quarter of the previous year.
Date: October 19, 2004
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pay Equity Legislation in the 108th Congress

Description: This report discusses the historical presence of a gendered wage gap and the acts, such as the Equal Pay Act (EPA), and compensation for workers to shrink the gap. The report discusses the opposition who believe the gender wage gap will naturally reduce when women continue working and working themselves up the corporate ladder.
Date: July 13, 2004
Creator: Dale, Charles V. & Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Regulating Private Pensions: A Brief Summary of ERISA

Description: This report briefly discusses the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and how it protects the interests of participants and beneficiaries in private-sector employee benefit plans. ERISA covers a number of fringe benefits provided by employers, but most of its provisions deal with pension plans. Pension plans sponsored by the federal, state, and local governments, or by churches generally are exempt from ERISA.
Date: January 15, 2004
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Affirmative Action Revisited: A Legal History and Prospectus

Description: Affirmative action remains a focal point of public debate as the result of legal and political developments at the federal, state, and local levels. This report discusses legislation related to affirmative action, as well as legal rulings on the topic and the federal government's role in first establishing and, later, attempting to curb affirmative action policies.
Date: January 30, 2004
Creator: Dale, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Affirmative Action Revisited: A Legal History and Prospectus

Description: Affirmative action remains a focal point of public debate as the result of legal and political developments at the federal, state, and local levels. This report discusses legislation related to affirmative action, as well as legal rulings on the topic and the federal government's role in first establishing and, later, attempting to curb affirmative action policies.
Date: December 15, 2004
Creator: Dale, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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