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Talk of the Bay

By Times Staff
Published April 30, 2007

More are working, but fewer are joining unions

Somewhere, Samuel Gompers is crying. Despite more people entering the work force last year, membership in American labor unions fell from 12.5 to 12 percent of workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says this continues a trend that started in 1983, when about 20 percent of the work force was unionized. Put another way, the number of people in a union last year dropped by 326, 000 to 15.4-million. Union membership remains highest for government workers, and lowest for those in the financial sector. Florida also saw a drop in union membership, from 401, 000 to 397, 000 out of a work force of about 7.6-million. Who was Gompers? A founder and the first president of the American Federation of Labor.

More and more join global economy

More proof of the ever-growing presence of globalization: Sixty-two percent of St. Petersburg businesses engage in international trade, according to a survey by the city's economic department. That's way up from 2003, when 34 percent of companies said they did. The strongest potential markets for building business relationships are Mexico and China, the economic department says. Enterprise Florida offers several networking outlets to bridge the gap between Florida businesses and international trade partners. To learn more, visit www.eFlorida.com.

Too stressed out to add a little fun

Fewer business travelers are taking advantage of a traditional perk: extending work trips for a little R&R. One-third plan to add time off to business trips, down from 60 percent in 2000, according to an annual survey by travel industry marketing firm YPB&R. Why? Probably the stress of life on the road. The latest edition of YPB&R's Business Travel Monitor doesn't paint a pretty picture. Just less than half of business travelers (48 percent) say they don't get enough sleep on business trips. Significant numbers don't sleep well (27 percent), eat too much (26 percent) or get lonely (19 percent). Forty-three percent say airport security rules are a big hassle. Better to get back home.

Help hire and train an at-risk youth

Project Bridge, a program sponsored by Goodwill Industries, is helping employers recruit and train at-risk youth. Goodwill will hold an information session for businesses on at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Marchman Technical Education Center, 7825 Campus Drive, New Port Richey. A youth meet and greet will follow at 1 p.m. Goodwill will repeat the presentation twice: First on May 11, at the Boys and Girls Club Royal Theatre, 1011 22nd St. S in St. Petersburg; and on June 1 at the Children's Board, 1002 E Palm Ave. in Ybor City. For more information, call Sandra Lewis at (727) 523-1512, ext. 1261.

[Last modified April 27, 2007, 22:10:32]