In the historic August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a coalition of top civil rights and religious organizations – which included A. Phillip Randolph, Negro American Labor Council (NALC), Roy Wilkins, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), James Farmer, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Whitney Young, National Urban League (NUL), John Lewis, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) came together to collectively voice their disapproval with the Kennedy administrations reluctance to address civil rights violations and the high unemployment of blacks at that time.  More...

The National unemployment rate rose to 9. 9% in May from 9. 7% in April. Although the April unemployment figures showed a modest increase in hiring which is bringing the unemployment rate of whites and other ethnic groups down; black unemployment is holding steady at 16. 5%, more than twice the rate of whites.  More...

(usdol) This fact sheet provides general information to help determine whether interns must be paid the minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act for the services that they provide to “for-profit” private sector employers. . . . .  More...

(msnbc) Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who went to prison after the spectacular collapse of the company, is appealing to the Supreme Court his 2006 conviction on 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying. His lawyers argue that he didn’t get a fair trial and that Skilling’s conduct, “even if wrongful in some way,” was not illegal because he was not looking out for his personal interests “apart from his normal compensation incentives. ” The issue of integrity is at the heart of the predicaments these powerful men find themselves in. An organization’s health often hinges on the trustworthiness of its leaders, ethics experts say. There’s old saying: power corrupts.  More...

(amerprog) The recession that began at the end of 2007 has produced enormous hardships for households across the country, and it has exacerbated structural problems already in place for minorities. The labor market has been particularly brutal, with high unemployment and job losses disproportionally affecting African Americans and Hispanics. The disparities between minorities and white Americans have persisted, and in some cases expanded. Many economic gains made in the previous economic expansion have been erased during the current downturn. The economic situation for minorities was far from stable even before the recession hit.  More...

(npr) President Obama said Friday that his administration will do everything possible to put Americans back to work after September job cuts pushed the U. S. unemployment rate to 9. 8 percent — the highest in 26 years. "I want to let every single American know that I will not let up until those who are seeking work can find work," Obama said, calling a new unemployment report a "sobering reminder" of how fragile the economy is.  More...

(careerbuilder) Have you been overhearing your employees talking about living on ramen (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and refreshing the computer screen a hundred times a day to spot the exact moment that paycheck deposits? That may not come as a huge shock, but current worker struggles may be deeper and more common than you realize. As we continue to experience the effects of a sluggish economy, many workers are struggling with household budgets. A whopping 61 percent of workers report they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, up from 49 percent last year and 43 percent in 2007, according to a new nationwide survey of more than 4,400 workers by CareerBuilder. Thirty percent of workers with salaries of $100,000 or more report that they too live paycheck to paycheck, up from 21 percent in 2008. So, how are workers getting by? (view source for more).  More...

(nyt) Despite signs that the economy has resumed growing, unemployed Americans now confront a job market that is bleaker than ever in the current recession, and employment prospects are still getting worse. Job seekers now outnumber openings six to one, the worst ratio since the government began tracking open positions in 2000. According to the Labor Department’s latest numbers, from July, only 2. 4 million full-time permanent jobs were open, with 14. 5 million people officially unemployed.  More...

(nyt) Unemployment among blacks in New York City has increased much faster than for whites, and the gap appears to be widening at an accelerating pace, new studies of jobless data have found. While unemployment rose steadily for white New Yorkers from the first quarter of 2008 through the first three months of this year, the number of unemployed blacks in the city rose four times as fast, according to a report to be released on Monday by the city comptroller’s office. By the end of March, there were about 80,000 more unemployed blacks than whites, according to the report, even though there are roughly 1. 5 million more whites than blacks here. Across the nation, the surge in unemployment has cut across all demographic lines, and the gap between blacks and whites has risen, but at a much slower rate than in New York.  More...

(msn) Let's face it, not everyone gets along perfectly. To be successful in your work, you at least need the respect and support of others -- your customers, suppliers, co-workers and management. But sometimes, despite your best efforts to win their support, bad habits creep into your daily work life and drive others crazy. Here are 10 surefire ways to make sure your efforts to win their support don't backfire. If any sound familiar, you could be leaving your co-workers fuming.  More...

(Kansas. com) Black America is familiar with recession. Even before economists used that word to describe the current economic climate, black people -- nationally and locally -- experienced higher levels of unemployment and lower median income than their white counterparts. As Algernon Austin, a leading researcher with the Economic Policy Institute, puts it: "When white America is in recession, black America is in an economic depression. " The same is true for Hispanic communities, said Austin, who directs the Washington, D.  More...

(cnn) Do you know what TMI is? Chances are you're either guilty of it or have been its victim. It stands for "too much information" and it's making daily life awkward for people across the country. Just think back to a recent uncomfortable conversation you had with someone -- a friend, family member or total stranger. Things were going well until the other person just laid it all out there: an unnecessary peek into his or her financial situation, sex life or health problems. No matter what you do, your view of an oversharer is forever changed.  More...

(nyt) I had five guests in my home recently. One announced that he had just been laid off. The woman next to him said she had, too. A third guest, who is self-employed, said she is not getting any new clients. I recounted this grim story to an old friend, who replied that her husband had just learned that his job was ending.  More...

(cepr) The unemployment rate jumped to 6. 1 percent in August, the highest level since September of 2003. The establishment survey showed the economy losing another 84,000 jobs in August. With downward revisions to data for the prior two months, the economy has lost an average of 81,000 jobs over the last three months. Virtually all the data in the household survey indicates that the labor market is weakening at a rapid pace.  More...

Losing your means of income can be emotionally and financially traumatic. Here are a few tips to help you cope, if you find your self out of work or know someone who has lost their job. . . .  More...

(nnpa/an) Grace Salvant, a 19-year-old public relations student at Howard University, needed a job. Trying to help her parents pay her college tuition, she went to reapply for her old server’s job at a Ruby Tuesday restaurant in the heart of Washington, D. C. , where she worked just last year. But Salvant was shocked by what she was told upon reapplying for her old job at the restaurant in China Town in mid-January.  More...

Great tips on writing at work. Writing well is a must in the workplace. View source for tips on writing. . .  More...

New York's Madison Garden owners along with their prize coach Knicks Coach Isaiah Thomas are defending themselves against a $10 million dollar sexual harassment and wrongful termination uist by former Knicks marketing executive, Anucha Brown Sanders. It doesn't matter who you believe or want to believe in this case, the case raises the question of what constitutes sexual harassment. "View source" for a good source of information on the subject. . .  More...