Employers' Council of Iowa
Business and Government Working
Together
for a Stronger Iowa
Next State ECI Board
Meeting Date:
Wednesday, November 17
Originating Site – Iowa Workforce Development
Conference Call Meeting - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Capitol View Room - 1000 E. Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa
If you would like to join the meeting via a conference call, the
instructions are:
1. At the specified time, dial the toll free number 1-866-685-1580
2. When prompted, enter conference code followed by #: 0009990910#
3. At the tone, state your name or location followed by #
4. You will then be placed into the conference; if the leader has not
joined the conference you will be placed on hold.
The Great Plain ADA Center
serves the State of Iowa by providing information and assistance
regarding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) at not cost to any
interested party, including employers.
www.adata.org -
1-800-949-4232
From the Great Plains ADA
Center in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the
landmark civil rights legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Think Beyond the Label is
committed to making the business case for employing people with
disabilities. We are a partnership of health and human service and
employment agencies with federal grants, coming together to build a
uniform national infrastructure and approach that connects businesses to
qualified candidates with disabilities. Our goal is simple: to raise
awareness that hiring people with disabilities makes good business
sense. Employees with disabilities have unique, competitively relevant
knowledge and perspectives about work processes, bringing different
perspectives to meeting work requirements and goals successfully. Hiring
someone who “thinks outside the box” might be thinking too small when
there’s an opportunity to hire someone who lives outside the box.
Health & Disability Advocates (HDA), is a national nonprofit
organization that promotes income security and improved health care
access for children, people with disabilities, and low-income older
adults. HDA is spearheading the Think Beyond the Label campaign on
behalf of more than 40 states and various national and regional
organizations by serving as its fiscal agent.
This Web site is Section 508-compliant, and is accessible to people with
disabilities.
http://www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/
HIRE (Hiring Incentives to
Restore Employment) Act
Payroll Tax Exemption for Hiring
Unemployed Workers
This can give companies a
financial incentive to hire a previously unemployed or underemployed
worker:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=220746,00.html
The Employer’s Disability Resource
Network (EDRN)
The Employer’s Disability
Resource Network (EDRN) partners can provide technical assistance,
information, resources, and training to help businesses effectively
recruit, hire and retain qualified employees. EDRN can also provide
consultation and resources to create a welcoming environment for
applicants and employees with disabilities by assuring that facilities
are accessible. In addition, EDRN can customize training to fit your
needs.
These resources not only assist employers in building a diverse
workforce, but they can also enhance a business’ services to customers
with disabilities.
Learn more about EDRN by
visiting:
http://www.edrnetwork.org/ or calling (515) 281-0264.
ODEP Alliance Partner Provides
Useful Tips on Making Recruiting Sites Accessible for All
ODEP’s Alliance Partner, The
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), has published a
comprehensive article about making a key element of the recruiting
process accessible to all.
http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/RecruitingSitesAccessible.aspx
The Campaign for Disability
Employment
The Campaign for Disability
Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment
outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and
others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace.
http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/blog/index.php/what-can-employers-do/
New Federal GINA
Law Takes Effect
On November 21, 2009
Includes Workplace Poster Change
On November 21, 2009, a new
federal law titled the “Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act”
(GINA) will go into effect. Title II of the new law signed on May 21,
2008, prohibits the intentional collection of genetic information about
job applicants and employees, and use of genetic information in
employment decisions. According to the EEOC, “genetic information”
includes, for example, information about an individual’s genetic tests,
genetic tests of a family member, and family medical history. Genetic
information does not include information about the sex or age of an
individual or an individual’s family member, or information that an
individual currently has a disease or disorder. Title I of the law also
includes strict confidentiality requirements for handling of genetic
information.
Title I of GINA amends portions of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal
Revenue Code, and addresses the use of genetic information in health
insurance. Additional information on this aspect of GINA is available at
the following link:
http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/qanda_geneticinfo.html.
Lastly, another portion of the GINA law amends the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA) to allow the federal Department of Labor to assess penalties
of up to $50,000 for each child labor violation that causes the death or
serious injury of a minor. Such penalties may be doubled up to $100,000
each if the violation is found to be repeated or willful.
The EEOC is providing an update to its mandatory “EEO is the Law”
workplace poster to reflect the new GINA law. The EEOC provides a
supplement to its federal “EEO is the Law” poster available at the link
below. Employers may simply print off the supplement and place it near
their current “EEO is the Law” poster which is part of the large, free
workplace poster distributed by Iowa Workforce Development.
IWD updated its large, free workplace poster about a year ago after
changes were made to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and
Americans With Disabilities Act. The agency is awaiting any additional
law changes before deciding whether to reprint the poster again. A
decision is anticipated in the summer of 2010.
ECI Partnership Agreement
At the January 28, 2009,
State Employers' Council of Iowa (ECI) meeting the Iowa Committee for
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) presented a certificate
of appreciation for outstanding support of military personnel at the
state and local level by ECI.
Matt Ricke, ECI State President, and Barry Spear, ESGR Iowa Chairman,
have also signed a strategic partnership
agreement between ECI and ESGR to continue and strengthen the
relationship that has been forged between the two groups.
Unemployment Insurance Benefit Options
New FMLA Regulations Released by
U.S. Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor
published final Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rules on Monday,
November, 17, 2008. The new rules will become effective January 16,
2009.
Federal officials said highlights of the revised rules include, among
others:
-
Military Caregiver Leave:
Implements two previously announced new benefit extensions for
military family benefits;
-
Serious Health Condition: Retains
the current six individual definitions of “serious health
condition,” but clarifies when “periodic visits to a health care
provider” must be made;
-
Notice Obligations: Clarifies and
strengthens the employer notice requirements to employees to ensure
employees are informed of their FMLA rights and obligations and
similarly tightens requirements for employee’s obligation to provide
FMLA notice to their employers.
Information on Iowa's statewide smoke-free air law can be found
at www.IowaSmokefreeAir.gov
Iowa Registered
Apprenticeship Site
The 21st century economy demands a
workforce with postsecondary education credentials and the adaptability
to respond immediately to changing economic and business needs.
Registered Apprenticeship is a critical postsecondary education,
training and employment option available in every state in the country.
An Integration Program To Educate, Promote, Train, Target and Partner...
Resources For
Businesses Economic Developers, Grant Writers Etc., Reference Guide
(PDF-259 KB)
The Clinton Employers' Council of Iowa (ECI)
recently created two PowerPoint presentations to help students prepare
for the world of work. John Gentzkow and Doug Rempfer, IWD, presented
the Clinton Area Employment powerpoint during the Clinton Community
College Career Day.
Local ECI members presented 6 sessions of the Employment PowerPoint to
around 150 Camanche High School juniors and seniors in March. In January
the Clinton ECI presented the Job Interviewing for Success PowerPoint,
which also includes tips on developing soft skills, to freshman and
sophomores.
Job
Interviewing For Success
(PowerPoint - 551 KB)
Download For Microsoft
PowerPoint Viewer
Popular Documents
Employment Trends
(PowerPoint - 2.1 MB)
Iowa Fringe Benefit Profile
(PDF - 285 KB)
Iowa Workforce Development and its Board of Directors
worked in partnership with the Employers’ Council of Iowa to contact a
random sample of local employers across all industrial classifications
and employment ranges to provide information on the benefit packages
offered by businesses in the State of Iowa. The information gathered
provides a detailed analysis of employer-provided benefits.
Consequently, this information will assist businesses, community
leaders, and workers to make better informed decisions on expansion
initiatives, community development projects, and job offerings.
Who We Are
Iowa's
Employers' councils are groups of employers who work in partnership with
Iowa Workforce Development to meet the workforce needs of employers. They
provide an employer perspective in advising IWD and other policy makers on
the full range of workforce issues and topics of concern to employers. The
special role of the state level Employers' Council is to help gather and
disseminate information about the activities of local councils, and to
represent the local councils at the state and federal levels.
Our Mission Statement
The
mission of the Employers' Council of Iowa is to support the efforts of
local employers committees to:
Advise
Iowa Workforce Development, legislators, and other officials
concerning its products, services, and policies that affect employers;
and
Provide
opportunities for employers to exchange information and develop
education programs for employers.
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