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Author: Peter

Profiles of Diversity -:- Caitlin Jermey

Caitlin JermeyProfiles of Diversity is a series in which we profile in each post one of the members of our Board of Directors.

Today’s member is Caitlin Jermey.

Caitlin is the Secretary on the Board.

Caitlin works in the field of Human Resources. Here greatest strength is interacting, and communications. Her hobbies are being in a Choir, on the Board of the same Choir, and going to the gym.

She was interested in Journey to Diversity Workplaces because she wanted to volunteer her time towards a cause. Her proudest achievement is graduating from University, and in 5 years she sees J2DW having grown.

Email Caitlin!

Minimum wage is failing us

[themify_quote]

More than 60 million people in U.S. households depend on the earnings of a low-wage worker, according to a new report released on Tuesday.

The research shows that most low-wage workers are frequently the primary breadwinners in their families and they are not, as commonly thought, teenagers with few skills still living with their parents, according to the report by Oxfam America and the Economic Policy Institute.

~ More than 60 million households rely on low-wage workers

[/themify_quote]

Is it not sad when families have to depend on minimum wage to pay their bills? That they rejoice because their wages can go no lower – it’s the law.

It used to be that our minimum wage earners were your stereotypical pimply teenager who worked at a fast-food place, or some other retail job. But with how our economy has been, more and more adults, and families are relying on minimum wage. Almost 40 per cent of minimum-wage workers are 25 or older.

Ontario’s minimum wage is $11 an hour. Imagine working 40 hours on that, and having to feed two kids.

So what is the alternative then, if minimum wage is failing us as a society?

  • Some would suggest an earned income tax credit.
  • Others suggest a basic income for every Canadian.
  • And even more suggest a negative income tax.

I think employers also have a duty, where possible, to pay their employees a fair wage. What is a fair wage? Depends on both the job, and how long the employee has been there. If someone is still making minimum wage after 5 years, something is seriously wrong. Employers can pay a livable wage, and still make a tidy profit.

Moments of Action

[themify_quote]Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Signifying nothing.

~ Macbeth, by William Shakespeare[/themify_quote]

This past weekend, I went to see The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 1. It was an exceptional movie, as the previous movies have been. It inspired me, and made me think a bit about what we are doing.

I am pleased to report that we are on the cusp of something significant. This past Thursday, the board approved two actions to move forward. The first is to start up a low cost business from scratch. The other, to investigate a business listed in the MLS database. Both are being worked on as I type this.

Coming up in just over a week is Giving Tuesday. This is your opportunity to help us reach the finish line, to move past the cusp into reality. How can you help?

 

  1. Become a member. Or purchase a gift membership for the holidays.
  2. Donate today, or on Giving Tuesday.
  3. Purchase donation certificates as stocking stuffers.
  4. Volunteer for us!
  5. Join the board!

 

There is a reality we face as a brand new non-profit, and that is we have no credit rating. That means for whichever business we start and/or purchase, we will likely need a co-signer to get a loan. If you’d like to consider becoming a co-signer, contact us!

Coming up the day after Giving Tuesday will be our one year anniversary.

During the month of December, we’ll have more blog posts from our Voice of our Nation series, plus we’ll be profiling our board members in a new series titled Profiles of Diversity.Please help us to make our upcoming goals a reality!

[themify_quote]It changed the future .. and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future .. or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have care for one another, because if we don’t, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly, though, I think it gave us hope .. that there can always be new beginnings .. even for people like us.

~ General Susan Ivanova, ‘Sleeping in Ligh’t, Babylon 5[/themify_quote]

Why I am thankful

We are lucky here in Ontario, Canada to have some really nice weather – despite it being almost mid-October. Usually I expect snow by now, but instead it has held off in favour of both unseasonable high weather, and a balmy autumn.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Canada, and I am more than thankful for a few things.

We are a country of enormous natural beauty and with thousands upon thousands of square kilometres of untouched wilderness. We have pockets of wild places within reach of most urban centres. ~ Elizabeth May

So what is it I am thankful for?

  1. Health and safety standards in Ontario. Things like the right to refuse unsafe work. Health and safety isn’t a priority everywhere, and that is when it is or is not enforced. Some countries don’t even have such legislation.
  2. Minimum wage. Many countries have no such thing, and while I think Ontario’s could be a lot higher, at least we have one.
  3. Television. Because we all need to be able to relax. Our lives, and jobs, are stressful enough.
  4. A diverse culture here in Canada, that makes things more interesting, and more creative.
  5. The changing winds that bring us new technology, new foods, new friends, and certainly new culture.

I hope you and your family had an amazing Thanksgiving, and have a wonderful autumn!

How Safe Are You From Promotional Barriers?

Almost one year ago, Journey to Diversity Workplaces was incorporated to help fill a need in this arena. A place where those on the front lines can seek help, or volunteer. An organization that wants to make a difference, but rather than preach about it, we’re leading by example! 

We want to make a difference in their lives, in our lives, and in your life.

Right now we are researching the correct business to purchase. We are on the cusp of finding one that fits right with what we do.
To get there, however, we need your help. If you would become a member, or donate $50 that will help us to reach out to more people, and to continue to find that right fit. 
It’s easy to become a member. Visit us online! You can also donate online! Our website at www.j2dw.ngo is a community gathering place. With our recently launched blog, Voices of our Nation, where we are hearing from you, and taking your blog submissions! There are several levels of giving. Here is an example of what your gift will achieve:

$25 – will help keep our communications hub going for a month
 
$50 – will help keep our communications hub going for two months

$100 – will help keep our communications hub going for two months, and allow us to reach out to those affected by barriers to internal promotions at their workplaces.

Please help make a difference in our community by contributing to our campaign.

Would you rather become a member, or donate via mail? You can do that too! We are not a charity, so unfortunately there won’t be a tax receipt. However, every dollar you can contribute goes right into our mandate! 

Thank you so very much for your ongoing support, for reading this email, and for your help meeting our goals for 2015! You truly are a kind soul.

It’s go time!
 
Peter V. Tretter
President & CEO
Journey to Diversity Workplaces 

P.S. – We’re already leading by example, with a diverse board of directors with backgrounds such as working in H.R., finance, I.T., healthcare, teaching, and the military!

 

A New Year of Volunteering

Can you believe it? Today is already August 18th. In some places, kids have already gone back to school. In others, they prepare to return in the next few weeks. I can hardly believe this gorgeous summer is almost over!

With the end of summer, and the start of school, comes a new year with the opportunity to volunteer. We all do it. Girl Guides, Scouts, Hockey, etc. The fall is a great time to start volunteering, and we would love for you to take the opportunity to volunteer with us!!

Volunteering certainly is very rewarding, and most of this can be done from the comfort of your own home! It’s easy get get involved!

We need volunteers for:

  • The Board of Directors
  • Committees
  • Recruitment
  • Graphic design
  • Fundraising
  • Copy writing & editing (especially for blog posts and library articles)
  • Community outreach
  • Admin/clerical
  • Promotion and Media
  • Photography and/or Videography
  • Translation
  • Nationbuilder website design
  • And so much more!!

We would love to have you involved with J2DW this fall! We’re on an upward ascent, and we’d love to have you on board!

How can you get involved? Apply online! It’s easy!!

Thank you for reading today’s post, and I hope to see your volunteer application soon!

Be sure to join us on social media!

eBay is winning at gender diversity in technology

BY MARIELLA MOON

Online auction service eBay has followed in the footsteps of other tech companies and published a diversity report of its own — one that indicates that it’s winning at gender diversity in the workplace. According to the report, 42 percent of its 33,000 employees all over the globe are women. Among those firms that shared their diversity percentages recently, Pinterest comes the closest with a 40 percent female workforce, and then Yahoo whose female employees make up 37 percent of the total. Google and Twitter tie for the last place, as women make up 30 percent of all employees in both companies (though to be fair, Google has projects to encourage more women to take up careers in technology). (Read more…)

Failing to live up to diversity, inclusion goals

BY Dan Cook
April 15, 2014

Despite efforts over the years to take diversity and inclusion in the workplace seriously, evidence continues to surface that suggests neither are organizational priorities.

The Society for Human Resource Management recently reported that, when asked if diversity was a goal included in their vision statement, just over a quarter of respondents answered “yes.” Now comes a study in which the research firm Bersin by Deloitte performed in-depth interviews with 50 D&I professionals and followed that up with a survey that gleaned feedback from 245 large companies.

The study identified a gap you could drive a Mack truck through. (Read more…)

Cancer fight puts focus on lack of minorities on stem-cell donor lists

A Quebec woman’s desperate online plea for a compatible stem-cell donor in her bid to fight cancer a second time is shedding light on the lack of minorities on official lists in Canada and abroad.

Mai Duong finds herself battling leukemia again and doctors say they would like to proceed with a transplant of bone marrow or cord blood stem cells within a month. (Read more…)