Recently, the Women's Initiative received a generous donation of 600 new soft-covered books from the Detroit Media Partnership, comprised of The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

This delightful selection of books, geared for ages 7-12, included many award winners. While the focus of our Early Childhood Literacy Initiative is improving literacy among children 0-3 so that they are ready to enter school prepared to learn, the chance to help older children is appealing. Securing books for these age levels provides our initiative an opportunity to include older siblings as part of the literacy process and supply “role modeling” for their younger brothers and sisters.

The collection of donated books were divided into piles designated for each of the agencies we presently fund through our home-based literacy program. We are also providing books for other partners and potential collaborators. If only members of the Detroit Media Partnership could have been in the car with me as I delivered these wonderful books.

Each of the six agencies who received books were made aware of the generosity of the Detroit Media Partnership. I still have several deliveries yet to make.

The recipients responded to the gifts with comments like, “These books will be put to good use,” “Sometimes the older siblings feel left out, they will be so appreciative,” and “I recognize you from the last time you provided us with some books," which made my day.

For me personally, the greatest part of this project is being able to say, “keep up the good work,” each time I drop off books at an agency and prepare to leave, empty handed.

2-1-1 strengthens reach, expands coverage

United Way 2-1-1’s presence is growing across the region as more users reach out for help, and a greater number of callers are connecting to the service in different ways for different needs.

In addition to expanding our reach into communities throughout Monroe and Washtenaw counties, United Way 2-1-1 now links callers to 21,448 services and 6,610 programs across the region. The three-digit helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers assistance to callers in multiple languages. In February, 19,607 users dialed 2-1-1, an increase of 161 percent over the same month a year ago. February's volume was also 13 percent higher than in January.

While most callers last month were interested in securing assistance with gas and electric utility bills, along with food, rent and other services needed to help them get by, a growing number of users turned to 2-1-1 in an effort to access the Earned Income Tax Credit and mortgage foreclosure prevention resources -- a trend that is expected to continue.

These initiatives are tied to our Agenda for Change, through which we focus on addressing educational preparedness, financial stability and basic needs as the most effective means of changing individual lives and communities across Southeastern Michigan in measurable and lasting ways. Both the EITC and the mortgage foreclosure initiative align with the financial stability focus of the Agenda, which seeks to increase financial literacy, increase and sustain home ownership and increase financial resources across the region.

For the second consecutive year, United Way and our community partners are recruiting and training volunteers to prepare tax returns for low-income residents help more of them access the EITC, which provides a rebate of up to $4,700 that families can use to pay off debt, cover tuition or get a fresh start. More than 8,300 people were served in 2007, and a larger number are expected to benefit this year. The volunteers staff free tax preparation sites across the region, and in February, referrals to these sites was a top 10 request from 2-1-1 callers from Macomb, Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw counties.

Along with EITC assistance, callers are screened to determine whether they qualify for federal economic stimulus package benefits. The government plans to provide more than 130 million Americans rebates ranging from $300 to more than $1,000 this spring, depending on marital status and the number of children in the family. In order to collect the rebate, individuals must earn at least $3,000 in income, provide valid Social Security information and file a 2007 income tax return. 2-1-1 callers who meet the requirements are referred to a volunteer tax site where they can have their returns prepared at no cost.

In conjunction with other 2-1-1 operations across the state, United Way 2-1-1 is deeply involved in mortgage foreclosure prevention work. Our response to the crisis affecting a growing number of Michigan families is to sharpen our focus on sustaining home ownership. Requests for assistance with mortgage payments, staving off foreclosures and related services are increasing each month. 2-1-1 launched a supplementary Web site this month to provide homeowners who are struggling, delinquent or facing foreclosure a collection of valuable and instructive resources.

In Wastenaw County, 2-1-1 is involved in a program to help working class residents facing eviction pay rent during crisis situations. The program is designed to slow the growing rate of evictions in the county, while improving housing stability in communities threatened by decline.

As part of our community outreach in the area of basic needs, 2-1-1 is partnered with the Michigan Dental Association to assess and schedule callers with children between the ages of 4 and 18 for the Give a Kid a Smile Day. Volunteer dentists provide free screenings and cleanings for nearly 500 children who otherwise would not have gotten the care. Call center specialists were able to connect children to the care providers simply by asking callers to 2-1-1 whether they were parents and letting them know about the free program. This is a procative way 2-1-1 helps those in our community with limited resources -- making preventive care accessible to vulnerable residents, addressing issues before they become problems. 2-1-1 is playing a major role in our work to create positive, lasting change for the region.

To find out what else is new at 2-1-1, or to view monthly reports with information on your county, visit www.uwsem.org/211.

Women's Initiative Events
WI has presence at leadership event

The Michigan Business & Professional Association invited The Women’s Initiative to participate in its exhibiting gallery March 6 at Burton Manor in Livonia. The event theme for the day was “Let’s Get Real – Transformation is Here.” The day included a breakfast, visits to the exhibit gallery, networking, two workshop sessions and an awards presentation and luncheon. About 200 people attended.

The Women’s Initiative, a United Way for Southeastern Michigan program, had a significant presence at the conference, including a table in the exhibit hall, which provided an opportunity to promote its Early Childhood Literacy Initiative and other work.

The Detroit Media Partnership donated 600 books to the initiative and a portion of those were made available through the booth during the event. Attendees were encouraged to take one of the new soft-cover books and share it with a child. United Way board member Edward Deeb is president of the Michigan Business & Professional Association and supported the initiative's outreach and awareness activities.

Women and Leadership in the Workplace 2008 Honorees:

• Business: Human Services - Dorothy Deremo - Hospice of Michigan
• Education: Barbara Mieras - Davenport University
• Media: Mary Kramer - Crain’s Detroit Business
• Government: Lisa Webb - Sharpe State of Michigan
• Philanthropic: Danialle Karmanos - Work it Out
• Professional: Juliette Okotie-Eboh - MGM Grand Detroit Casino
• Small Business: Lydia Gutiérrez - Hacienda Mexican Foods
  

Kurt's Corner
Increasing union numbers could benefit United Way

United Way for Southeastern Michigan and other United Ways across the country have been partnering with the men and women of organized labor practically since our inception in the 1940s. The contributions of time and money union members provide each year continue to be critical to the success of our work. Just last month, for instance, the International Union UAW committed to recruiting 1,000 volunteers from its ranks to support United Way's newly lauched Operation ABC -- a unique initiative focused on getting every child in the region to read at grade level by third grade. Union members also contribute to ongoing United Way work that takes place across southeast Michigan year 'round.

It is in this context that we recognize the importance of recent news from the U.S. Department of Labor. In January, the department'sBureau of Labor Statistics announced the number of workers represented by a union nationwide rose by 311,000 to 15.7 million in 2007. Michigan ranks fifth among the states with union membership above the national average.

The represented workforce accounted for 12.1 percent of employed wage and salary workers, essentially unchanged from 12 percent in 2006. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent.

Highlights from the 2007 data include:

• Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly five times that of private sector employees
• Education, training and library occupations had the highest unionization rate among all occupations, at 37.2 percent, followed closely by protective service occupations at 35.2 percent.
• Among demographic groups, the union membership rate was highest for black men and lowest for Hispanic women.
• Wage and salary workers age 45 to 54 (15.7 percent) and age 55 to 64 (16.1 percent) were more likely to be union members than were workers age 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).

Membership by Industry and Occupation

The union membership rate for public sector workers was substantially higher (35.9 percent) than for private industry workers (7.5 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership rate - 41.8 percent. This group includes many workers in several heavily unionized occupations -- teachers, police officers and fire fighters, among others. Private sector industries with high unionization rates include transportation and utilities (22.1 percent), telecommunications (19.7 percent) and construction (13.9 percent). (Table 1)

Among occupational groups tracked in 2007, education, training and library professions (37.2 percent), and protective service professions (35.2 percent) had the highest unionization rates. Farming, fishing and forestry workers (2.7 percent), along with sales and related occupations (3.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.

Table 1. Union Affiliation of Employed Wage and Salary Workers by Industry

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members

In 2007, the union membership rate was higher for men (13 percent) than for women (11.1 percent). The gap has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. The rates for both men and women declined between 1983 and 2007, but the rate for men declined much more rapidly.

Black workers (14.3 percent) were more likely to be union members than were whites (11.8 percent), Asians (10.9 percent) or Hispanics (9.8 percent). Within these major groups, black men had the highest union membership rate (15.8 percent), while Hispanic women had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).

Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to 64 years old (16.1 percent) and 45 to 54 years old (15.7 percent). The lowest union membership rates occurred among the 16 to 24 age group (4.8 percent). Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union members, 13.2 compared with 6.5 percent.

Earnings

In 2007, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median weekly earnings of $863 while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $663. The difference reflects a variety of influences in addition to coverage by a collective bargaining agreement, including variations in the distributions of union members and non-union employees by occupation, industry, firm size or geographic region.

Union Membership by State

In 2007, 30 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the national average, 12.1 percent, while 20 states had higher rates (Table 2). At 19.5 percent, Michigan placed fifth, behind New York, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state.

The largest numbers of represented workers lived in California (2.5 million) and New York (2.1 million). Nearly half (7.8 million) of the 15.7 million union members in the U.S. lived in six states (California, 2.5 million; New York, 2.1 million; Illinois, .8 million; Michigan, .8 million; Pennsylvania, .7 million; and New Jersey, .7 million) though these states accounted for only about one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.

While Michigan’s total wage and salary employment dropped by 2.6 percent between 2006 and 2007, representing a loss of 106,000 jobs, the number of workers represented by a union dropped only 1.6 percent, from 879,000 to 863,000. This resulted in a slight increase in the share of workers who were represented from 20.4 to 20.6 percent.


Table 2. Union Affiliation of Employed Wage and Salary Workers
Ranked by State

Take Action Now
Video contest will honor outstanding volunteers

Volunteering can involve as little as taking a neighbor to a weekly doctor’s appointment or as much of a commitment as becoming a mentor to a troubled youth. United Way for Southeastern Michigan believes all acts of volunteerism, large and small, should be recognized and we need your help to honor those people and groups who give back through community service.

Now through April 11, United Way is accepting nominations in six award categories. To nominate someone, you must create a video that tells the audience -- in two minutes or less --why the volunteer being nominated should be honored with an award and submit a nomination form. United Way will also be involving the community in the award selection process, allowing individuals to view videos of the top three volunteers in each category and vote for who they believe should win each award.

“We wanted to create an experience that allows the entire community to lift up the volunteers it feels truly make an impact,” said Angela Walker, manager, United Way Volunteer Center. “Allowing everyone to vote on the volunteers they want to honor creates a community-wide celebration of volunteerism.”

You may submit more than one nomination, and the video can be as simple or elaborate as you want as long as it conveys the volunteer’s impact on our community. A panel of United Way staff and volunteers will review the video award entries and select the top three volunteers in each award category. The semi-finalists will then have their videos posted on our Web site and the public will be invited to vote for the winners during National Volunteer Week, April 27-May 3.

Awards will be given in six categories:

Bernie Firestone Award – Recognizes an outstanding rank-and-file member of a local labor union dedicated to community service. A $1,000 donation is given to a nonprofit of the winner’s choice.

Exemplary Group Service Award – Recognizes families, couples or groups who strive to improve the lives of neighbors, friends and their community through volunteer work. A $500 donation will be made to a nonprofit of the winning group’s choice.

Heart of Gold Award – This has become one of the most distinguished volunteer awards in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Winners are a select group of individuals whose efforts, enthusiasm and immeasurable commitment to volunteerism are set apart from all others. Awardees receive a 14-karat gold heart in tribute to their dedication. Two individuals will be recognized with the Heart of Gold award this year.

Outstanding Youth Award – Recognizes a youth, 12-18, who is taking action to make our world a better place to live through volunteering. Nominees in this category show leadership, commitment and character through their service in many different activities or in giving a significant amount of time to one project. In honor of the award, a $250 donation will be made to a nonprofit of the winner’s choice.

Young Adult Award of Excellence – Recognizes an adult, 19-25, who represents the highest standards of service, leadership, commitment and character in their community. A $250 donation will be made to a nonprofit of the winner’s choice.

Outstanding Business Award – Businesses recognized by this award excel in and are committed to community involvement through volunteering. This commitment can be made by all employees, both hourly and salaried, and can take many forms including, but not limited to, corporate volunteer programs. Any small, medium or large company that supports volunteerism is eligible. A $1,000 donation will be made to a nonprofit of the honoree’s choice.

Nomination forms and video submission instructions are available online at www.uwsem.org/volunteer2008. If you don’t have a video camera, consider borrowing one from a friend or relative. Your employer, or perhaps a community organization you belong to also might have a video camera that you could borrow. Public libraries and schools often have video equipment as well. In any case, grab a camera and start filming, because your favorite volunteers deserve to be recognized!