MEETING MINUTES – July 14, 2004

Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Association held on at Renaissance Hotel in Asheville.  Should you have any questions, comments or corrections, please contact Bridget Downey, PHR.

Chapter Business:

Our Chapter President, Renee Anderson, invited today’s guests to introduce themselves.  She then raffled off the door prize – Dinner for Two at Trevi’s Restaurant.

Frank Pomeroy introduced Laura McCue, July’s featured vendor.  Laura and Kevin Martin founded White Oak Financial Management, and then entered into a partnership with the Bank of Asheville to serve their customers with the ability to buy stocks, bonds and other investments through the bank. White Oak Financial Management is located at 1270 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803.  Laura or Kevin can be reached at 828-274-7844.

White Oak advises its clients on personal finance and risk management.  Laura presented us with a sneak peak at a new service they will soon be offering to help 401(k) investors manage the risk of investing in uncertain times.  This product provides an update on current levels of risk and presents guidelines for entering and leaving the market.  The law of supply and demand is used to determine market direction.  It is currently available only to clients but will soon be something that we can offer to our employees.

Program Highlights:

Jonathan Yarborough introduced our guests from the NC Department of Labor. Nancy Lipscom, who is the Director of Human Resources for the NC DOL, reminded us how fortunate we are to be at-will employers, in sharp contrast to State employees, who have a property right to their jobs.  Cherie Berry, the Commissioner of Labor, gave today’s presentation.  She has a wide range of experience, having owned a manufacturing plant in Catawba County prior to entering public service.  She has hired and managed people in both the private and public sectors.

Because the private sector is so different from the public sector, Ms. Berry cautions us against believing campaign promises to “run the government like a business.”  It simply can’t be done.  The legislature makes all wage decisions, and distributes raises across the board, without considering performance.  That’s the one thing Ms. Berry would like to change.  She’s like to be able to reward the high performers and not the underachievers.

A major responsibility of the NC DOL is keeping employees safe and healthy.  That is no simple job.  According to Ms. Berry, there are more words in the OSHA regulations than in the bible.  Of particular emphasis is the construction industry.  Although they comprise only 6% of the workforce, they incur 45% of the fatalities.  The NC DOL is working hard to change those statistics.  One problem is that many work sites have few or no English-speaking employees.  That makes it difficult to get necessary safety information across to them.  One new program that is addressing the language gap is a mobile classroom – Mobile I.  They provide customized training for job sites in both English and Spanish.  The service is free, and information can be found by calling 1-800-NCLABOR.  They really would like to help.  Ms. Berry notes that 99.99% of work sites are safe.

To help HR professionals adapt to the new FLSA regulations, compliance assistance seminars are being presented across the state.  They are scheduled for September 2 in Charlotte and September 17 in Winston-Salem.  The new regulations are designed to strengthen and clarify overtime regulations, which should help enforcement and help prevent frivolous lawsuits.

The good news is that we don’t have to change our employment posters.  They remain valid.

Although Ms. Berry jokingly remarked about her name appearing on the wall in every elevator in NC, elevator safety is one of the NC DOL’s areas of responsibility.  She proudly announced that they employ over 20,000 elevator inspectors, all nationally certified.  The NC DOL also inspects all amusement devices, from large fairs to individual rides in parking lots.  They follow the 100% rule – if not 100% operable, they are not allowed to run.

Due to the large number of workers who have lost their jobs due to plant closings, the NC DOL now offers apprentice training programs.  Over 900 occupations are eligible to take part.  The programs generally last about four years and are a combination of classroom and on the job training.  Ms. Berry feels it is her duty to make sure all residents of the state can earn to their highest potential throughout their lifetimes.

Pillowtex was the largest layoff in the history of the state, but there have been many plant closings.  The NC DOL works diligently to ensure that employees are not deprived of their last few weeks of pay when a plant closes.  Ms. Berry gave some heartwarming examples of the agency waging and winning battles to ensure that people receive what they have earned.

As employers, we can expect the following from the NC DOL:

·        They operate on a value-added premise.

·        They maintain an open-door policy.

·        Feedback and suggestions on ways they can improve are welcomed.

·        They are open to all ideas to help workers do a better job, businesses become more competitive, and everyone to share in the rewards.

Ms. Berry closed with a quote from Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; and working together yields success.”

Announcements:

Holly Waltemeyer of UNCA’s Career Center asks that members contact her if they are interested in hosting interns.

Sharon Moore of Kelly Services thanks everyone who remembered her with get-well cards during her recent surgery.

The WNCHRA Executive Committee voted to provide funds to send our President-Elect, Bettina Hall, to the SHRM conference in Virginia this fall.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.