NTA Personnel Policy Committee Meeting March 20, 1996

To: Personnel Policy Committee

From: David Trumbull

Date: March 22, 1996

Re: Personnel Policy Committee Meeting March 20, 1996

The Northern Textile Association Personnel Policy Committee met on March 20, 1996 at the Best Western Lord Wakefield, Wakefield, Massachusetts. In attendance were Brenda Perry, Cascade Woolen Mill, Inc.; R. Michael Butler, Carleton Woolen Mills, Inc.; Sandee Muzaca, Crown Yarn Dye Co., Inc.; Alexis K. Paskevich, Dorr Woolen Company; Mickie Richardson, Homestead Industries, Inc.; Mike Schwotzer, Key Polymer Corporation; Dan Brown, L.W. Packard & Company; Katie O’Mara, O’Mara Incorporated; Leslie Dietrich, Raffi & Swanson, Inc.; William Giblin and Tina Askew, Tweave Inc.; Diane Wing, Warren Corporation; Carol Clark, Warwick Mills Inc.; and David Trumbull, Northern Textile Association. Kathy Skala from Malden Mills Industries could not attend due to rebuilding at Malden; she sent her best wishes to the group.

The next Personnel Policy Committee meeting will be May 15, 1996 at the Best Western Lord Wakefield, Wakefield, Mass. The topic of that meeting will be “Sex and Violence: Review of Policies on Sexual Harassment and Violence in the Workplace.” Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring copies of their company’s sexual harassment policy in sufficient quantities to pass out to all attendees (about 12-15). The meeting will feature a professional who develops sexual harassment and violence prevention plans.

Enclosed you will find the minutes from the March 20th meeting and the results of the survey of company policies and practices regarding charitable contributions.

Also enclosed is a three-page executive summary of The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed changes to recordkeeping requirements. OSHA states that the proposed changes are intended to simplify recordkeeping and increase the accuracy and usefulness of the data recorded. OSHA invites public comment on these proposed changes. Written comments are due by May 2, 1996. For the complete 38-page notice of proposed changes (as published in the February 2, 1996 Federal Register), please call David Trumbull at 617-542-8220.

Personnel Policy Committee Meeting
March 20, 1996
Minutes

Mr. Trumbull reported on the textile training program being developed by Kennebec Valley Technical College and several Maine and New Hampshire mills. Personnel Policy Committee members expressed considerable interest in training programs for dyeing and finishing, weaving, quality, and how to train trainers. Teleconferencing among mills, KVTC, and UMass was discussed, and committee members respond that many of the skills needed could be taught by teleconferencing, although some would need hands-on training. The comments of this group will be passed to the KVTC Curriculum Planning Committee for their April 9th meeting.

The format for today’s meeting was round table discussion on “Attracting and Retaining Qualified Employees, and Achieving Productivity and Quality with your Workforce.” Under the topic of testing for entry-level jobs a couple of participants suggested Wonderlic Personnel Test, Inc., 1509N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL 60048 (800-323-3742). There was some discussion of FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act). Also discussed was ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), in particular with regard to the need to have good “essential job descriptions.” The topic of giving references came up again. There was some discussion of interviewing techniques. The discussion of finding qualified personnel revealed that by “qualified” many HR managers did not mean “experienced in textiles,” rather they meant “trainable and with a stable work history.” On the general topic of finding HR resources, Mike Butler, who is a regional officer of the Society for Human Resource Management suggested that organization as a resource and mentions the “HR Assistant” software available through Commerce Clearing House, selling for under $500.

The meeting continued through lunch with members discussing current employment issues. Business conditions were reported to be fairly good, with cautious optimism. Woolen mills reported some pick up from the poor conditions of last winter.

Suggested topics for future meetings were: ADA, ISO, software for HR, workplace violence, and developing a sexual harassment policy.

Respectfully submitted,

                                                                        David Trumbull
                                                                        Member Services
                                                                        Northern Textile Association