by Web Editor | Apr 24, 2017 | News
North Idaho College has been awarded a $482,582 grant by the Idaho Department of Labor to train more than 200 workers in the wood products manufacturing industry.
The two-year grant is a partnership with Lewis-Clark State College and five wood products manufacturing companies in North Idaho. The positions will pay wages ranging from $15 to $25 per hour plus employer-assisted medical benefits.
“This grant will go a long way in training the next generation of wood products manufacturing workers,” said NIC President Rick MacLennan. “These are solid, high-paying jobs and an outstanding opportunity for more than 200 people in North Idaho. We’re grateful for the Idaho Department of Labor’s foresight and the hard work put in by many people to make this grant a reality.”
The funds will be used to address skill gaps for high-wage, high-demand occupations in the forest products industry and increase the employment and wages of Idaho workers in mostly rural areas. The project also supports the Apprenticeship Idaho program, which expands innovative apprenticeships into high-growth occupations and industries. Idaho Forest Group, Potlatch Land and Lumber LLC, Stimson Lumber Co., Empire Lumber Co. and Plummer Forest Products (a total of 11 mills) are the five business partners in the grant. A match is required from industry partners, who gave a total of $141,834.61 in cash and in-kind donations.
The North Idaho College Wood Products Center of Excellence will provide training along with structured on-site training at the mills.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/grant-helps-college-train-200-woodworkers-addresses-skill-gap?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | May 23, 2016 | News
Tens of thousands of U.S. businesses – including wood manufacturers and their suppliers – will be affected when new changes to the wage and hour rules take effect December 1.
The Department of Labor has amended the annual earnings threshold for employees to qualify for overtime pay – known as exempt status – from $23,660 to $47,476, a 101 percent jump. This would require employers either to increase pay, or change the status of any employee earning less $47,476 to “non-exempt status,” which under the Fair Labor Standards Act means they would get overtime pay.
Non-exempt status comes with another whole set of rules, including paying overtime and having work hours accurately tracked. Beginning in 2017, the minimum salary would automatically increase every three years to match the 40th percentile of the average salary earned by full-time employees in the United States. DOL estimates that 4.2 million workers are impacted by the rule.
According to the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, the new wage and hour rules are fraught with potentially unintended consequences for many of the workers it is meant to benefit. Employers might choose to cut staff or reduce some employees to part-time status. In addition, exempt employees who currently enjoy flexible hours might lose that privilege as their employers require them to log their hours to make sure they do not exceed 40 hours in any given week. Many employees will also find that the rules create new roadblocks to advancing their careers.
Bills in the House and Senate were introduced in March 2016, one by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and another by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), that would nullify the proposed new rules (S. 2707 & H.R. 4773 – Protecting Workplace Opportunity and Advancement Act). Additionally, the bills would require that a comprehensive economic analysis be conducted to minimize the impact on affected employers before promulgating any substantially similar rules.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/new-rule-could-make-millions-salaried-workers-eligible-overtime-pay?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
