U.S.A.'s interesting news

What happens to us when it becomes “normal” to live with high levels of chronic violence? How does it affect our development as individuals, how we raise our children and relate to others in society, our attitudes and actions as citizens, and the ways we are governed? These were the questions that motivated the work of Tani Adams and led her to develop the Chronic Violence and Human Development Framework. Join us for a discussion about the important intellectual and policy contributions of Adams’ work with experts and practitioners who worked alongside her to develop her ideas and see them implemented.

Co-sponsored with the Wilson Center's Latin American Program. Simultaneous interpretation will be available.

Welcoming Remarks

Cynthia Arnson
Director
Latin American Program

Paloma Adams-Allen
President
Inter-American Foundation

Panelists

Claudia Paz y Paz
Secretary for Multidimensional Security
Organizations of American States

Helen Mack
President
Myrna Mack Foundation, Guatemala

Phillip Thomas
Founder and Principal
D3 Associates

Gabriela Leva
Citizen Security Specialist, Democracy and Governance Office
United States Agency for International Development, Honduras

Juanita Roca
Foundation Representative for Colombia and Chile
Inter-American Foundation

Moderator

Eric L. Olson
Deputy Director
Latin American Program
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New Out of the Crucible Publication

New US Army, Borden Institute publication entitled, Out of the Crucible documents the dramatic advances in combat casualty care developed during Operations Enduring Freedom and Operations Iraqi Freedom. This new publication is now available in paperback, and as a FREE eBook download! Read more in our blog at https://bit.ly/2JtKEUe

FTC alleges MOBE tells a whale of a tale with misleading money-making claims By Lesley FairThe company’s name is MOBE – pronounced Mōb, not Moby – but according to a lawsuit filed by the FTC, the defendants tell quite a fish story to the consumers they hook with money-making promises. Read more > Decoding Mobile Money Code’s deceptive earnings claims and CAN-SPAM violations By Lesley Fair When it came to Mobile Money Code’s “system,” money was mobile all right. It traveled in a one-way direction from consumers to the pockets of the principals behind the get-rich-quick venture. That’s what the FTC alleged in a lawsuit filed against an international network of defendants. The FTC says they used affiliate marketing to promise that people would earn “60k a month on 100% autopilot,” but the typical consumer never got off the runway. In addition to the FTC’s ongoing concern with misleading earning claims, the just-announced proposed settlements serve as a timely reminder to conduct a pre-flight CAN-SPAM check before your company sends commercial email.Read more > Pittsburgh District Office Wednesday, June 13, 2018 CSX TRANSPORTATION TO PAY $3.2 MILLION TO SETTLE EEOC DISPARATE IMPACT SEX DISCRIMINATION CASE Railroad to Cease Challenged Physical Abilities Testing, Federal Agency Announces HUNTINGTON, W.V. – CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) will pay $3.2 million and furnish other relief to settle a company-wide sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Oppor­tunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, CSXT conducted isokinetic strength testing as a requirement for workers to be hired for various jobs. The EEOC said that the strength test used by CSXT, known as the “IPCS Biodex” test, caused an unlawful discriminatory impact on female workers seeking jobs as con­ductors, material handler/clerks, and a number of other job categories. The EEOC also charged that CSXT used two other employment tests, a three-minute step test seeking to measure aerobic capacity and a dis­continued arm endurance test, as a requirement for selection into certain jobs, and that those tests also caused an unlawful discriminatory effect on female workers. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, including the use of tests that are administered to all applicants and employees regardless of sex but that cause a discriminatory effect or impact on persons of a particular sex or any other demographic category. Employers using such tests must prove that those practices are necessary for safe and efficient perform­ance of the specific jobs for which the tests are used. Even if this necessity is proven, such tests are prohibited by Title VII if it is shown that there are alternative practices that can achieve the employers’ objectives but have a less discrimin­atory effect. The EEOC originally filed the lawsuit (U.S. EEOC v. CSX Transportation, Inc. Case No. 3:17-cv-03731) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia in Huntington on Aug. 1, 2017. The EEOC and CSXT agreed to settle the EEOC’s disparate impact claims before any ruling by the federal court. The EEOC did not allege any intentional discrimination by CSXT in this case. The consent decree settling the EEOC’s lawsuit, which has received approval by the federal court, requires CSXT to cease the physical abilities testing practices that the EEOC charged were causing a disparate impact against female workers. The decree also requires CSXT to pay $3.2 million into a settlement fund to pay lost wages and benefits to a class of women in over 20 states who were denied positions because of the testing. Under the decree, CSXT must also retain expert consultants to conduct scientific studies before adopting certain types of physical abilities testing programs for use in its hiring. “We commend CSX Transportation for working collaboratively with the EEOC to address our concerns about the railroad’s physical abilities testing program,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence. “The company’s willingness to confer with the EEOC about the agency’s concerns and its agree­ment to cease the testing practices at issue reflect a corporate commitment to gender diversity and inclu­sion that will benefit both workers and the company.” EEOC Pittsburgh Area Office Director Roosevelt Bryant said, “Railroad and other transportation occupations provide excellent career opportunities for women when sex-based barriers to their participa­tion in those jobs are removed. The EEOC is committed to ensuring that all workers have an equal oppor­tunity for hiring and advancement in such work.” EEOC District Director Jamie R. Williamson said, “The EEOC will continue to carefully examine employer testing and screening practices to identify those that operate as systemic barriers to employment based on protected characteristics. Workers who believe they are being subjected to the discriminatory effects of such practices should bring them to the attention of the EEOC.” Eliminating barriers in recruitment and hiring, especially class-based recruitment and hiring practices that discriminate against racial, ethnic and religious groups, older workers, women and persons with disabilities, is one of six national priorities identified by the Commission’s Strategic Enforcement Plan. According to company information, CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation's leading transportation suppliers. CSX’s principal operating company, CSX Transportation, provides an important link to the transportation supply chain through its approximately 21,000 route-mile rail network, which serves major population centers in 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. CSX serves more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. CSX also serves thousands of production and distribution facilities through connections to more than 240 short line and regional railroads. The lawsuit was commenced by the EEOC’s Pittsburgh Area Office, one of four component offices of the agency’s Philadelphia District Office. The Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys of the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia. The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates. www.eeoc.gov (410) 209-2734 When was the last time you revisited your workplace safety plan? Not only is it the law, but it can also ensure that you and your employees are always safe. In honor of National Safety Month, we would like to highlight four resources that will help you identify unsafe behaviors, create opportunities for improvement and help you (and your employees) make well-informed safety decisions. Learn more  FBI Public Service Announcement  The FBI recommends any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware of infected devices. Foreign cyber actors have compromised hundreds of thousands of home and office routers and other networked devices worldwide. Learn more Blog How Your Business can Benefit From Podcasting Nearly two-thirds of Americans are familiar with podcasts - according to the 2018 Infinite Dial Study. Moreover, 44 percent of Americans age 12 and older have listened to at least one, and those ages 25 to 54 are most likely to listen. Here’s how your small business can benefit from podcasting. Learn more Small and medium-sized businesses regularly use outside vendors to help them manage daily business operations. When using a vendor, it's important to assess vendor security. During this webinar, learn about the cybersecurity considerations you should use when evaluating whether or not to use a particular vendor.  Register Webinar: Combating Ransomware  June 11, 2018 | 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT Join the Department of Homeland Security for an upcoming awareness briefing on ransomware. Panelists from the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center will discuss recent malware variants, emerging trends, incident response tips and best practices to help protect organizations from being compromised.  Join the webinar SCORE Live Webinar: Social Media- What Small Businesses Need to Know June 14, 2018 | 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT For many small business owners, staying up to date with social media can feel impossible. In this webinar produced by SCORE, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Deluxe Corporation will examine the changing landscape of social media, what you need to do and where you need to be. You will learn: The top social media myths that are holding you back How and where to build a social presence What makes great social content  Tips to amplify with paid content Register here  Understanding Your Customer Knowing your customer is a vital part of effectively selling your product or service. This course will introduce you to tools and resources that will help you understand your customer and increase sales. Launch the course EEOC SELECT TASK FORCE ON HARASSMENT HEARS FROM EXPERTS ON HOW TO PREVENT WORKPLACE HARASSMENT WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplacereconvened today to hear from expert witnesses on “Transforming #MeToo Into Harassment-Free Workplaces” at a meeting open to the public. “Our co-chairs’ report on harassment laid the groundwork for the launch of a renewed effort to prevent harassment,” stated Acting EEOC Chair Victoria A. Lipnic. “Since last fall, the public’s demand for action has coalesced with this effort. The EEOC will continue to lead the fight against workplace harassment and to promote solutions to prevent it.” EEOC Commissioner Chai R. Feldblum added, “Our challenge is to use this #MeToo moment well. We have a road map given the work we have done at the EEOC. We have the attention and commitment of the range of different actors in society that we need. Together, we can channel that energy to create significant and sustainable change.” Legal scholars and attorneys who represent workers and employers highlighted a range of issues raised in the wake of high-profile allegations of sexual harassment since October 2017 and the rise in the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. These experts discussed non-disclosure and arbitration agreements and training mandates, and shared proposals for legal reform from state legislatures and industry groups, who have taken up action to address sexual harassment in the workplace. Elizabeth Tippett, a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, provided an overview of a range of legal issues and noted the importance of also addressing other forms and aspects of harassment. “It would be a mistake for employers and state legislators to limit their response exclusively to sexual harassment,” Tippett said. “In doing so, they risk laying a foundation for the next crisis, whether it involves other forms of harassment, or discrimination and retaliation.” Debra Katz, a partner with Katz, Marshall and Banks, said, “#MeToo movement forces society to see the gaps between the promises of our politicians and lawmakers and the realities of individuals, face to face in the workplace.” Katz outlined how Title VII and state laws have been thwarted for too long by evasions that the legal system itself has sanctioned. “#MeToo illustrates the immense cost of that failure,” Katz noted. Kathleen McKenna, a partner at Proskauer Rose, who represents employers, testified that arbitration provides a neutral and confidential process to resolve individual harassment complaints for conduct that employers “invariably prohibit and work to guard against.” McKenna also explained that proposals to prohibit non-disclosure agreements are likely to be counterproductive, as that could lead to an increase in litigation rather than private resolution. Suzanne Hultin with the National Conference of State Legislatures testified that over “125 pieces of legislation have been introduced this year in 32 states.” Hultin noted that many states are looking to go beyond federal regulations to prevent workplace sexual harassment. She projected that proposals to address and prevent harassment would continue to be a priority for state legislatures this year and next.  A second panel presented innovative strategies that employers, unions, and others have developed to promote workplaces free of harassing conduct. Jill Geisler, a fellow with the Newseum’s Freedom Forum Institute, described the Power Shift Project, a solutions-based effort about what newsrooms and media organizations are doing to deal with emerging cases of sexual misconduct, and what systemic changes are needed to end harassment and promote opportunity for all. While discussing the Power Shift Summit, the kick-off event for the project, Geisler described “a sense of new urgency and serious commitment among participants to fix these problems and create meaningful, sustainable change.” Kasey Nalls, a member of the union UNITEHERE, described the “Hands Off Pants On” campaign that was spearheaded by UNITE HERE Local 1 and the Chicago Federation of Labor two years before the #MeToo movement exploded last fall. The initiative helps protect hotel workers from sexual harassment and assault by guests and an ordinance adopting it was unanimously passed by the Chicago City Council in October 2017. “Since the anti-sexual harassment policy went in to effect in January 2018, we’ve observed a chipping away at culture that permeates the hospitality industry that the “‘guest is always right,’” said Nalls. Erin Wade and her staff at a restaurant called Homeroom developed a simple color-coded system for wait staff to use to signal if they confront harassing conduct from a customer, which then triggers a specific, mandated action by the manager to handle the situation. Wade emphasized that “We need to listen to the suggestions of women for how to solve the problems plaguing them, and put them in the position to change their own worlds.” She reported the success of this system as customer harassment is no longer a significant problem and the system has created a safe workplace for staff. Jess Ladd, founder and CEO of Callisto, testified about her non-profit’s online documentation and reporting platforms in which the first report of a harassing incident creates a "matching escrow" that allows victims of sexual harassment to hold their identities in escrow until another victim of the same harasser comes forward. The second report triggers both victims being put in touch with the same Callisto legal advocate. “Callisto Expansion is designed to help victims understand the full range of their options, from HR to police to the press to the EEOC to confronting their perpetrator. We help victims understand which of these options they can pursue, given their case and the case of linked victims,” Ladd testified. Lisa Gelobter, CEO and co-founder of tEQuitable, has created an independent, confidential platform to address issues of bias, discrimination and harassment in the workplace. She said that tEQuitable has built a third-party, tech-enabled Ombuds program, which “is the only platform implementing solutions to proactively stop harassment, not just reactively catch harassers after the fact.” The Select Task Force, co-chaired in 2015 and 2016 by EEOC Commissioner Chai R. Feldblum and Commissioner and now-Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic, consisted of representatives of academia and social science; legal practitioners on both the plaintiff and defense sides; employer and employee advocacy groups; and organized labor. Co-Chairs Feldblum and Lipnic released a reportbased on the work of the task force on June 20, 2016. The report includes recommendations regarding leadership, accountability, policies and procedures, training, and developing a sense of collective responsibility. As a result of the co-chairs’ report, the EEOC developed an innovative training program called Respectful Workplaces that has been provided in over 200 training sessions to over 5,200 employees and supervisors in 18 states. Since June 2016, when the report was released, the EEOC has also con-ducted about 2,700 outreach events related to harassment, reaching approximately 300,000 individuals. The Task Force heard from the following witnesses during the meeting: •    Elizabeth Tippett, University of Oregon School of Law •    Debra Katz, Katz, Marshall & Banks •    Kathleen McKenna, Proskauer Rose •    Suzanne Hultin, National Conference of State Legislatures •    Jill Geisler, Power Shift Project, Freedom Forum Institute •    Kasey Nalls, UNITEHERE •    Erin Wade, Homeroom Mac & Cheese •    Jess Ladd, Callisto •    Lisa Gelobter, tEQuitable The written statements of the witnesses are available at www.eeoc.gov. The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.