Business
A high-tech woman, who can find?
Chaim Levinson
Published: 26.12.06, 16:58
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2. Haredi Women ROCK!!!
malcolm   (12.26.06)
Here in NYC they many are in the back office making things happen. From bookkeeping to computer programming they make great contributions to many an NYC company.
3. Fantastic !!! A real revolution in the Haredi circles
Michael ,   Raanana   (12.26.06)
What a brilliant idea to bring top notch work INTO the Haredi towns! These women are clearly intelligent - and it's great for Israeli society to have them working professionally. Kol Hakavod to Guterman and Citybook!!!
4. One major issue overlooked
fred ,   World   (12.26.06)
I believe that these companies highlighted in this article are taking advantage of Chareidi women getting them to work at slightly above minimum wage levels. In fact, these women could command greater salaries in a general high tech environment (inappropriate work surroundings). Due to the fact that they have to work close to home the companies can capitalize on this factor and pay poor salaries.
5. Not yet a revolution, but an encouraging trend
Raymond from DC ,   Washington, DC USA   (12.27.06)
Contra "fred", Jewish tradition supports a free market in labor. As employers see the value in hiring these women, the wage scale will drift up. Since these women hold themselves at a distance from opportunities that would compromise their lifestyle, it's not the responsibility of employers to pay for the flexibility they're not getting. Yes, since haredi men are not pulling their own weight in the economy (they have a lower participation rate than anywhere else in the Jewish world) the women have to fill in the gap to avoid living in poverty. (Bnei Brak, it should be noted, is the poorest city in Israel due to low economic participation and large families.) Perhaps in time, these wives will remind their husbands that virtually all of the Torah greats engaged in labor or commerce. Pirkei Avot itself says "Im eyn kemah, eyn Torah". *That* will be the start of the revolution Michael speaks of.
6. Reply to FRED
Yehudah Brochin ,   Jerusalem   (12.27.06)
Dear Fred: You are quite misinformed! Citybook employees enjoy at starting wage which is 62% ABOVE minimum wage and after 1 year many are at DOUBLE minimum wage. Team Leaders and mid-level managers are compensated well beyond that. Furthermore, Citybook invests tens of thousands of dollar$ (and 4 months) providing a FREE training course--while actually paying the full starting wage to the trainees---all of this before we even see Dime One from their work product. We also provide very generous holiday bonuses several times a year and, we have an onsite 'Mother's Room' which provides for the needs of nursing mothers on our Staff. I invite you to come visit our highly successful Business Process Outsourcing center and see for yourself how advanced and Employee-friendly our Company really is. Yehudah Brochin, CEO Citybook Services, Ltd.
7. 20 years at GM and Ford
Haredi Female Eng. ,   Detroit   (12.27.06)
If I make aliyah, can I find a decent job?
8. a wonderful initiative BUT
batya ,   israel   (12.27.06)
I was very disturbed to read Mayor Guterman's denigrative comments about stay-at -home mothers. Certainly a woman's contribution in raising the next generation of citizens -- full-time if she so desires, and it is feasible -- should be appreciated as much as a working woman's contribution to the city's financial prosperity. Any mother, employed or not, will tell you, motherhood is not about sunning yourself in the park and "going around doing nothing." Mayor Guterman should not make the same mistake as the rest of the western world. Support working mothers - absolutely! - but not at the expense of the stay-at-home mother's integrity.
9. thanks Yehudah
Fred ,   World   (12.27.06)
Yehudah, Thank you very much for correcting my wage figures and your generous invitation to visit your offices. B'Hatzlacha
10. in response to Yehuda
Wilma ,   world   (12.27.06)
I am not so sure how misinformed Fred is. If I had never been to Israel, your benefits would sound quite impressive. they do. As it is, standard benefits in high-tech companies in Israel also include paid meals [2 -3 meals a day, including the main meal of the day], paid transportation or auto allowance or leasing, contributions to various kupot, or funds for workers, and more. I understand that a business is in business to make money and not to lose it, but you are paying very very low wages comparatively to those working in other hi-tech firms here in Israel and receiving American compensation from your customers, which is based on a regular salary several times higher than what you are paying your employees. Yes, you do provide a paid training period but then the wages of these women do not rise after training to what they are worth in the market. Your employees here must also work on chol hamoed against the advice of their rabbonim who hold that women must not work during those days. All in all, you are indeed providing a service and it is a good business idea for you but you are also taking advantage of those in the chareidi world who are not familiar with what skilled employees are paid in the "real world", as their knowlege of monthly incomes comes from kollel wages that are several hundred to a couple of thousand shekels a month, or about 1/4 of the average Israeli monthly salary.
11. All the workers here are women except for the boss
Arieh Lebowitz ,   New York, USA   (12.27.06)
That doesn't seem right! Another point that comes to mind: are these women unionized - that is, do they have a voice in the workplace for collective bargaining purposes?
12. #11 Tech worker Unions
Haredi Female Eng. ,   Detroit   (12.27.06)
Greetings from UAWLand. IT workers in the U.S. are white-collar, salaried professionals. There are no unions for IT workers. About 20 years ago UAW tried to organize GM IT workers when EDS took over their information services division, but nothing came of it. Do you live in the real world or are you an academic?
13. #111: There are no unions for IT workers.
Arieh Lebowitz ,   New York, USA   (12.28.06)
Greetings from the Big Apple. Hope all is well in UAWLand. Yes, IT workers in the U.S. are white-collar, salaried professionals. But there are unions for IT workers. More outside of the US than in ... A search on http://news.google.com for the two items: "IT workers" and "union" [no need to put quotes on the latter, of course] will bring back something on UNITES - the UNI-launched union for workers in the fast growing IT-enabled industry in India - which has just celebrated its first birthday. It's active in IT hotspots Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kerala and has already signed two collective bargaining agreements. The article here http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12334 mentions that the "CWA is backing Techs Unite; a new IT workers union which offers training and representation and argues that, `in the new economy, workplace security and working one job for an entire career are truly anachronisms.' " If 20 years ago UAW tried to organize GM IT workers when EDS took over their information services division, and nothing came of it ... perhaps its time to try again. I live in the real world; I'm not an academic.
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