Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 10, 1992, edition 1 / Page 10
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Business Briefs U it.1 ?> ;r' :1 ? . An opportunity is all we need By MALCOLM R GRAHAM Special to the Chronicle Economic opportunity is part of the promise of the American Dream. In business, the dream becomes a reality when companies are given a chance to compete fairly and equally in the market place. The Carolinas Minority Suppli er Development Councils, Inc. (CMSDC) will celebrate 15 years of opening doors of economic opportunity for minority firms, dur ing our Business Opportunity Con ference, set for September 15-18 at the Charlotte Omni and Charlotte Apparel Center. While we are proud of the major accomplishments and the sig nificant achievements that we have made over the years, we understand that we still have a long road to travel until meaningful equality is reached. If we are to ever reach full equality, we must call on both the private and public sectors to join us as partners, and to help us demon strate that doing business with a minority firm does not mean coin* promising standards, but means gel ting the same quality, price, or ser vice that a company would other* wise demand. ? We must work to solve tfe* problems that still plague minority firms in the 90's. Problems such as obtaining sources of capital and access to credit, securing business with state/local governments, and private markets, slow payments of money owedJtnd discrimination which is as potent in the business Community as in society at large. Therefore, just like the first fif teen years, the CMS DC will contin ue to bring major corporations and the minority business communities together, and work to solve the problems of today, so that we can ? . ? ? u Knil.'ru,' > u,'* . secure economic , tomor row. This type of progrstyg bene: fits the entire r eg*94? boosts employment and eowofnic opportu nities for miooritjfeo* and that strengthens our economic system and fosters ,a}t^me seiise of equality,, V. i aoiq *>lf? a} /; iOt. We invite those, ^ho are. fiQt familiar with our organization to attend the Busings .Opportunity Conference, and t$ participate in the process. .. . There are great opportunities ahead of us. But as- with anything that is worthwhile*,.^ are going to have to ask something *xtxa of our selves to make, these opportunities pay off. Let's work together to make the Carolinas a true land of oppor tunity for all of our citizens, [Malcolm R. Graham is Presi dent ofCarolinas Minority Supplier Development Councils.] Equal employment vanishing? Jobless rates up from 1 990 to 1 991 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobless rates for blacks, Hispanics, and whites increased from the end of 1990 to the end of 1991: ? For blacks, the 12.6% unem ployment level in the last qtr. of 1991 was .5 percentage points high er than it was a year earlier. In the 2nd qtr. of 1992, it rose to 14.5%. ? For Hispanics, unemployment rose to 10.1% in the last qtr. of 1991 ? 1.4 percentage points high er than the same period a year earli er. In the 2nd qtr. of 1992, it was 112%. ? For whites, the 6.2% jobless rate in the 4th qtr. of 1991 was 1.1 percentage point higher than that of a year earlier. In the 2nd qtr. of 1992, it was 6.5%. ? Earnings of blacks lagged behind those of whites at the end of 1991. Median earnings of black men were 72.5% of that of white men. Black women earned a medi an 86.3% of that for white women Dlslplaced workers Increase drastically during last recession ? An August report said 5.6 million workers who had been with their employers at least three years were displaced between January 1987 and January 1992. Nearly two-thirds were back at work when surveyed at the beginning of the year. Of those who had full-time work, only about half earned as much or more than they had when they lost their jobs. ?The number of displaced wockers in this survey was 1.3 mil lion higher than the number posted in the 1985-1990 period. In the 1990 survey, 72% of the displaced were working again. ? Of those displaced, 52% lost their jobs because a company or plant closed or moved. Nearly a third cited slack work. ?HHi hC#ntraJ Los Angeles n stow since many X'vXv.'v Kllflpl i :sssssi: ;vx:-x-:>-S: 11811 . ? yw oecae to apply for a secured ? _ interea rate applied to ym clmtge# and the imerea n^ th? Bsact l?QF? on your deposli^llaitirttl, ^ to otx^t ftdntow&fct chrrarl /^ftVwui^\ {?/?? ....? . ?V. a. '* ' 'X?? ?:? ?? ;:- ? - - ....... s-^'WWIW#. ? good- credit hiotory. Ooce ?$ **?? mm'trntwrn* 0- pi tkrMh tk* ^ Ifa ?WartryT^gTrri iH in r ri ? r .- - - | ^?'SSSSSSSSSS ^ te jxasfettOte Bante*d Holdmof AmericeiU its list fi* %??*??? ? ,? a Blue-collar workers struggle to keep pace CHICAGO, 111, (AP) ? For Matthew Kolodiziej, these were supposed to be the good years ? no alarm clocks, no factory grind, no money troubles. He thought 30 years of hard work would guarantee that. He was mistaken. Seven years later, he's still on the job, pondering Bis finances and his future. His house is paid for, his six children growp but, at the age of 60, he can't afford to retire. Tm standing still*" he says, frustration creeping into his voice. "You can't save^gough for^your . old age. What happens when I get t to be 62? I collect'iriy pension, my Social Security . . . and in another five years, I'll really be going downhill." ' David Trampas expected life to be easier after l$!years in one factory. But he ha* a mortgage and bills, and his wife works part time to help support their two children. He sees no easy 'days ahead, earn ing $26,000 a year. "I feel like I'm going back wards," the 37-year-old worker says quietly. "The American dream, it's just harder to attain. You look to improve your standard of living, maybe move up to a big ^ ger house, buy a car. Now it's hard to do that. You're trying to pinch pennies." | Two men, two generations, one small steel plant. One man at the end of his career, the other near the halfway mark, sharing the same problem: Their blue-collar wages no longer secure a middle class life. In the recession-wracked Mid west, many on the assembly lines fear they're working harder but falling behind. Some worry they wont do as well as their fathers ? and that their children could fare even worse. < v ?? Job security is gone, more wives are working, prices are heading up and wages going down. "For blue-collar Americans, the age of cxpannkTn ended a long tithe ago," saidlSrthefrfte New man, a Columbia University anthropology professor. 'The age of stagnation began in the '80s. In the *90s, it's the age of decline." "There's a lot of insecurity for them," she said. "There's a general pessimism about whether the U.S. can ever recover the dominant economic position it had in the past This doesn't feel like a tem porary blip. It feels like a long tun nel, and no one is sure there's an exit point" While more than 1 million manufacturing jobs disappeared in the '80s, those working are in trou ble, too, according to the Econom ic Policy Institute, a liberal Wash ington-based think tank. It says: ? Blue-collar wages have fall en 7.6 percent from 1987 to 1992. The average hourly salary dropped from $12.91 to SI 1.93. ? White-collar earnings. which rose through much of the '80s, fell, too, in the same period, but less dramatically ? from $15.82 an hour to $15.27 an hour, a 3.5 percent decline. ? The wages of young male high school graduates ? those with up to five years in the job market ? dropped 26.5 percent from 1979 to 1991. For womenJn the same group, it was 15.5 per cent. Wilson Art & Nevarmar Laminated Plastic American Olean & Armstrong Ceramic Tile s Savings Up To 30% Off Vinyl Flooring Designer Solarian II NOW ON SALE month of |p.'- y ^pp^SEPT. Ask about our Roll Balances & Remnants Plush - Trackless - Tweeds ? Berbers & Multi tones. All stain treated for long wear From ?6" sq. yd. & up Hardwood Floors Bruce 3/?" Solid Oak Plank. 3 beautiful shades with 5 coats Durable Urethane Finish. *32s sq. yd. Wallcovering Now the newest looks at Reduced Prices. 100's to choose from all in stock. Reg. $14M single roll. Now *8" Single roll. Free In House Estimates nn i/i(i Decorating Center 2701 P*ter? Crack Pkwy. ? 788-3628 Mon., Thure. 8 to 7; Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 to 6; Sat. 9 to 5 . 90 Days Same As Cash With Approved Credit
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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