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Accomplishments Report U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao is strongly committed to providing working women with the tools to succeed in America’s workplace. Under her leadership, as the first woman of Asian descent to serve in a President’s Cabinet, the Department has undertaken the following activities for the benefit of working women. 2001-2003 Women’s Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century Initiative — During Elaine L. Chao’s first two years as Secretary of Labor, she sponsored a series of conferences focusing on the needs of and issues concerning today’s women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs are shaping and redefining the workplace, business networks, financial institutions, and our American culture. They are concerned about roadblocks to growth, long-term business viability and financial health. As a result, conferences have been held in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Florida to address these issues, with satellite sites including Arkansas, Missouri, and Maine. Corporate Mentoring for Women Business Owners — The Department of Labor's Women's Bureau is establishing a multi-regional demonstration project that includes mentoring relationships between women business owners and corporate executives so that women business owners may learn from others' expertise regarding workplace flexibility issues. Women with Disabilities Entrepreneurship Project — The Women’s Bureau funds a two-year multi-regional project that trains women with disabilities to become entrepreneurs. The project will help women with disabilities explore their options, develop a viable business plan, and secure funding to open their own businesses. New OSHA Office of Small Business Assistance — With Secretary Chao’s leadership, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created the Office of Small Business Assistance. The office is part of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs that not only administers OSHA's nationwide on-site consultation program, but also serves as a point of contact within the agency for small businesses, many of which are owned and run by women. Women’s Equality Day — On August 26, 2003, DOL commemorated the 84th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. Ms. Ellen Zavian, a sports attorney, served as keynote speaker for this ceremony. Also participating were 22 exhibitors representing health, education, nonprofits, and other organizations offering information of importance to today’s working women. The Women’s Bureau sponsored a panel of experts who addressed strategies for overall financial well-being and a secure retirement. Women’s History Month (March) — This year’s events at the Department featured Secretary Chao, as well as seven of eight female presidential appointees at the Department of Labor, sharing career lessons learned and their own success stories. Women and Money Conferences — Between October 2002 and July 2003, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) conducted or participated in 80 outreach events directed at women, including the Women and Money Conferences. The majority were sponsored by State Treasurers, and addressed the unique financial issues facing women, especially those that impact their retirement. Also, the Department participated in Successful Women 2002, sponsored by the Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, that was designed to reach women owners of small businesses. Fortune’s Leadership in Turbulent Times Conference — On November 8, 2003, Secretary Chao addressed 400 conference attendees regarding the President’s Back to Work Relief Package, which was proposed immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks to insure that Americans could continue to support themselves and their families during the recovery. Association Health Plans (AHPs) — Secretary Chao joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress in endorsing legislation giving millions of America’s small business owners and employees access to quality and affordable health insurance through AHPs. This issue is particularly important to women entrepreneurs, who now own 46% of privately held U.S. businesses (Source: Center for Women’s Business Research, U.S. Small Business Administration). Retirement Savings Education Campaign — This DOL initiative helps workers understand the importance of saving for a financially secure retirement. This year, Secretary Chao, as part of her Financial Independence Day (July 4) message, released an updated and expanded version of Savings Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future, to encourage American workers to save for retirement. This publication, developed by the EBSA along with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, includes information focusing on the challenges facing women in saving for retirement. Secretary Chao’s message and release of the publication was the topic of an interview in USA Today, published on July 3, 2003. New and Ongoing Publications — The EBSA continues to distribute several popular publications, including Top 10 Ways to Beat the Clock and Prepare for Retirement and Women and Retirement Savings: What Women Need to Know and Do. All of these publications are available at (www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/women.html) in both English and Spanish. Publications are also being updated regarding qualified domestic relations orders in order to provide guidance to women facing divorce and increase awareness of its impact on spousal retirement benefits. SAVER Summit — Secretary Chao hosted the 2002 National Summit on Retirement Savings Education in February, pursuant to the Savings Are Vital to Everyone’s Retirement Act (the SAVER Act of 1997). The purpose of the Summit was to increase public awareness of the value of personal savings for retirement and to develop specific recommendations for action. Financial Security Outreach Program — Sponsored by the Women’s Bureau, this program helps women nationwide achieve financial security through education workshops and conferences. Over 100 events have been held to date. The Women’s Bureau regional offices are reaching out to diverse communities and using community and faith-based organizations and volunteers as partners. Program for Hispanic Women — “Las Mujeres y el Dinero” (“Women and Money”) is a series of financial education conferences hosted by the Women’s Bureau across the country. These events are designed for Hispanic women who face unique challenges when it comes to financial security; the kickoff event was in Phoenix, Arizona on October 23, 2003. WI$E Up — The Women’s Bureau created a financial security and retirement savings project that will be accessible via the Web and at six learning institutions in six of the Women’s Bureau’s regions. This project is designed to appeal to women 22-35 years old. The Women’s Bureau is partnering with the University of Texas at Dallas on this project, starting in January of 2004. Focusing on Women and Health care — EBSA’s assistance to health plan participants and their families often focuses on women, because women are more likely to be the primary decision maker for the family as well as the caregiver. Accordingly, the Department of Labor continues to offer quality publications and assistance to help women understand their rights and responsibilities under the federal health benefits laws. Major publications include: Top 10 Ways to Make Your Health Benefits Work for You; Life Changes Require Health Choices, Work Changes Require Health Choices; and Your Rights After A Mastectomy. These publications are available in English and Spanish at (www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/women.html). In addition, the DOL provides information on health benefits options for workers facing job loss or a reduction in hours to assist with time-sensitive decisions. The Department of Labor is committed to providing its customers — America's workers, job seekers, employers, and retirees — with clear and easy-to-access information on how to comply with federal employment laws. Such information and guidance is often referred to as "compliance assistance." DOL provides compliance assistance in a variety of ways, including:
QuickTakes — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has an innovative outreach tool, QuickTakes, their e-mail news memo. Two pages twice a month keep the subscribers up to date on what is happening at OSHA and the latest in safety and health news. Launched a year ago, OSHA's QuickTakes now has more than 37,000 subscribers. OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs — OSHA has over 1,000 sites recognized for their exemplary safety and health programs. OSHA has also created a new form of partnership, called alliances. Alliances promote the value of safety and health. There are now over 100 national alliances, potentially affecting thousands of worksites and they are looking for many more. The purpose is to partner with professional societies, industry associations and educational institutions to reduce injuries and illnesse Administration of Executive Order 11246 — The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) administers and enforces Executive Order 11246, which prohibits discrimination and requires federal contractors to implement programs that ensure all individuals have equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status. OFCCP's jurisdiction covers approximately 29 million or nearly 23% of the total civilian workforce at nearly 100,000 establishments nationwide. Corporate Management Reviews — OFCCP also conducts Corporate Management Reviews to ensure women have equal opportunity to advance into executive positions. In fiscal year 2002, OFCCP conducted 42 Corporate Management Reviews and completed 52 such reviews in fiscal year 2003, the most such reviews in the agency’s history. Compliance Evaluations — OFCCP conducts compliance evaluations to ensure that women receive equal opportunity in the workplace. In fiscal year 2002, OFCCP conducted over 4,100 compliance evaluations and over 7,700 compliance evaluations in fiscal year 2003, obtaining nearly $12 million in financial remedies for approximately 7,118 women. These numbers show that more compliance evaluations were conducted in 2003 than any other year since 1991. Health Benefits Education Campaign — Through EBSA, this campaign provides compliance assistance to many women small business owners. Working with the state insurance commissioners, the Campaign has sponsored 17 compliance assistance seminars in the last two years to help small businesses, third party administrators, and insurers. The Department has also included the IRS and Department of Health and Human Services in the seminars to provide comprehensive information on the subject matter. In addition, the Department has developed numerous publications that are provided at the seminars as well as distributed in other outreach. These publications include a Self-Compliance Tool for Part 7 of ERISA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Other Health Care Related Provisions, New Health Laws Notice Guide, Compliance Assistance for Group Health and Disability Plans, and Compliance Assistance for Group Health Plans: HIPAA and Other Recent Health Care Laws, as well as Secretary Elaine L. Chao’s memo to small business owners providing tips on selecting health insurance. Support for Women Veterans and Families Labor/Defense Memorandum of Understanding — The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Defense have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote cooperative efforts to improve the quality of life for service members and their families, and to contribute to the quality of the American workforce. The MOU will help military members and their spouses to establish careers, despite having to transition to new job markets due to frequent relocations. Women in Community Service Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project — This program located in New Orleans, Louisiana, is an employment-focused outreach effort to help homeless female veterans. The program started July 1, 2002, and successfully placed 74% of entrants into positions of employment. The program also features classroom and on-the-job training in computer technology and software programming. Providing Opportunities for Employment of Veterans (PROVET)
— VETS also operates PROVET in Georgia. It is funded through the
Veterans Workforce Investment Program and helps military personnel, separating
personnel and their spouses find employment in "portable" careers
with CVS Pharmacies nationwide. PROVET is now represented at all military
installations in Georgia. Outreach to Women Veterans — VETS funds veterans’ employment representatives to assist female veterans; 221,697 women veterans, including 10,852 disabled female veterans, have received employment assistance at local career One-Stop Centers around the world. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2002 data, the unemployment rate for female veterans was 5.0 percent, compared to 4.7 percent for male veterans, and 5.1 percent for female non-veterans. Assistance for Military Reservists and Their Families — VETS and EBSA worked together to provide assistance to America’s reservists, National Guard members, and their families with respect to their rights regarding employment, re-employment, and their job-based benefits. The Department of Labor, VETS, and EBSA have posted information on their respective Web sites and provided cross links to provide comprehensive assistance on these critical issues. On January 10, 2003, Secretary Chao announced updated information to help Reserve and National Guard units preparing to be deployed understand their rights to retirement and health benefits coverage through private sector employers. “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Reservists Being Called to Active Duty” provides basic information about how retirement benefits of reservists are protected during service to our country. They describe the rights of family members to maintain health coverage, including the right to coverage under COBRA as well as other health benefit options available to family members. EBSA and VETS worked together to deliver assistance promptly to those reservists and National Guard members preparing to enter active duty. Since that time, VETS and EBSA have continued to work together to provide further assistance, including working to address issues facing returning reservists and National Guard members, and a public service announcement from Secretary Chao highlighting re-employment rights. OSHA Initiatives on Workplace Safety — Violence in the workplace most often affects women. In the health care field, for instance, 21.9 nurses per 1,000 are victims of violence every year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey for 1993-1999. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that of the nearly 24,694 workplace assaults or violent acts in 2001, 14,170 (60%) involve women workers. However, BLS statistics show that homicide in the workplace has declined 44% from 1994 to 2002. OSHA provides workplace violence prevention education and outreach, as well as guidelines to reduce assaults in the workplace, through publications such as Preventing Workplace Violence for Health-Care and Social-Service Workers. Trafficking in Persons — The Secretary of Labor is a member of the Inter-agency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking created by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA). It is estimated that approximately 50,000 women and children are trafficked, or bought and sold as trade, into the United States annually. During Secretary Chao’s tenure, the Women’s Bureau, in collaboration with several agencies of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and State wrote the publication, Trafficking in Persons: A Guide for Non-Governmental Organizations. In addition, representatives from DOL have met with numerous international visitors and delegations interested in learning about measures being taken to combat trafficking. Furthermore, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) offers guidance through the One-Stop delivery system to victims of trafficking. Job Recruitment and Advancement for Women Advancing the Roles and Responsibilities of Women (ARROW) — In March 2003, OSHA established ARROW, the agency’s first women advisory team. The mission is to provide a positive environment in which women employed by OSHA can grow professionally and receive encouragement and support from one another, while learning new skills to enhance their careers. The High School High Tech Program (HS/HT) — Funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), HS/HT has actively increased the participation of young women in its programs. Traditionally, high tech jobs were perceived as male careers. This initiative helps break down the barriers to people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on the career aspirations of young women with disabilities. President’s Council on the 21st Century Workforce — In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed the Council to address various issues 21st Century workers face. In addition, Secretary Chao created three committees to support the work of the Council. Twenty-two of the Council and Committee members are women, who give guidance to the President and the Secretary on changing demographics, the skills gap, and other workplace issues. Web-based e-Products — OSHA has developed a series of Web-based e-Products available at (www.osha.gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/index.html#eTools) to inform business owners and workers about workplace safety and health issues in industries and occupations with a high percentage of female workers, such as nursing homes, clerical/data entry, health care, and textiles. Women's Bureau e-News — In response to the President's Management Agenda call to increase the public’s awareness of government programs, in 2002 the Women's Bureau launched e-News, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter to inform women workers about the key programs and activities of the Bureau. The e-News reaches approximately 235,000 women and can be found on the Web at (www.dol.gov/wb). Girls' E-Mentoring in Science, Engineering and Technology (GEM-SET) — A multi-regional technology program designed to provide group mentoring for girls ages 13-18 sponsored by the Women’s Bureau, GEM-SET connects young women (mentees) with professional women (mentors) in the science, engineering and technology (SET) professions through a listserv and Web site (www.gem-set.org) in 10 regional offices nationwide. This SET project increases girls' awareness of education and career opportunities, as well as the benefits of working in SET fields. As a result of lessons learned in GEM-SET, the Women’s Bureau has launched GEM-SET III to address the unique situation of young women in immigrant families. Group E-Mentoring in Nursing (GEM-Nursing) — The GEM-Nursing Initiative is designed to increase awareness of the benefits of a career in nursing. GEM-Nursing consists of a dynamic Web site (www.gem-nursing.org) featuring valuable information on the nursing profession, educational programs, and links to financial aid resources. The project also includes an online mentoring component aimed towards young women and men ages 15 to 21 who are interested in pursuing nursing as a career. GEM-Nursing is a multi-regional demonstration project of the Women’s Bureau in partnership with the University of Michigan School of Nursing. online Learning Demonstration Project — This Women’s Bureau pilot program provides online learning for single mothers with school-age children in five New Jersey counties. It tests the feasibility of participants to earn computer certification or an associates degree through online courses, compared with traditional educational settings and methods. Health Benefit Education Campaign — This DOL program assists consumers in making critical health benefits decisions. This year, an interactive Web site was inaugurated, the elaws Health Benefits Advisor (www.dol.gov/elaws/ebsa/health) to assist participants and their families in making informed decisions about health benefits during key life and work changes. Retirement Savings Education Campaign — This program is part of the DOL’s ongoing effort to assist small business employers to explore the various available retirement plan options and answer questions regarding key elements of maintaining a plan. The Department’s EBSA works closely with its partners, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to update the free, interactive Web site (www.selectaretirementplan.org), which provides information to assist small business owners in identifying the type of retirement plan that is best for their situation. The site receives over 35,000 visits a month. The DOL, its partners, and the Internal Revenue Service also worked together to update a brochure, entitled Choosing a Retirement Solution for Your Small Business to accompany the Web site. Small Business Retirement Savings elaws Advisor — The DOL also offers the Small Business Retirement Savings elaws Advisor. This is a free interactive Web site (www.dol.gov/elaws/pwbaplan.htm) to help small business owners identify which type of retirement savings plan is best for them. Apprenticeship Program for Older Women Workers — The Women’s Bureau partners with CVS Pharmacies to reach out to older women workers, where they receive computer training and eventual employment at new CVS Distribution Centers in Dallas, Texas and Chicago, Illinois. NEW (Nontraditional Employment for Women) At Night — NEW At Night addresses the needs of the construction industry by increasing both the number of female workers in the industry and the level of technical assistance available to building trades unions and potential employers seeking to bring workers into the industry. The program accommodates working women by providing classes at night for women seeking to increase earnings through participation in apprenticeship programs. Connections to Success/Wheels of Hope — This Employment and Training Administration/Women’s Bureau contractor offers a holistic approach to serving the needs of women and families by interviewing each participant and examining seven different areas of life to develop an all-encompassing life plan that addresses major life needs. The program forms a Care Team of three to four adults to mentor one woman or family. Mentor volunteers are drawn from multiple denominations and assigned to a mentee for an entire year. This service is offered to women and families transitioning from various circumstances, including public assistance, incarceration, and extreme poverty. Bridges to Hope — This Employment and Training Administration/Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives grant recipient provides mentoring and support services by combining successful mentoring and material assistance programs with the workforce-development resources of the local One-Stop Career Centers nationwide. A strong emphasis is placed on education and parenting courses, with a primary goal of achieving reintegration into community and workplace for female ex-offenders. The motto is: “We are committed to changing the world, one woman at a time.”
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