First, let me start by wishing my Christian audience a Happy Easter and my Jewish audience a Happy Passover. For those of you in neither category let me just wish you happiness. After volleyball today since bagels qualify as a bread product we were treated to what is referred to as matzah brie. When Manuel asked what it was I explained that it was what a lot of us call fried matzah. To which Manuel said he knew what fried matzah was but this dish looked different. Sam said it was just shaped into a nice omelet form. Mike said it resembled a kugel. I noted that my grandmother used to use the Yiddish word gfrishta to describe the dish, which I believe means fried matzah. Ham never inspired such confusion or controversy, probably another reason it is not kosher. Beyond epicurean delights the news this week contained an unanticipated change. Instead of the continuing loss of jobs our country has faced for the past two years the month of March actually had an increase of 162,000 jobs. According to the Los Angeles Times this marks a “3-year high” in job growth. Some, like myself, feel this must be taken in the larger context of an economy that has lost some 8 million jobs during the tumultuous recession. While I remain cautiously optimistic and continue to look for the silver lining inside each and every cloud I am not ready to say, “We are beginning to turn the corner,” as the president said yesterday. Certainly, it is good to hear people are finding employment even if it is temporary, such as census workers. Another way people are finding employment is by freelancing. From graphic designers and chefs to architects and human resource specialists opportunities to work as an independent contractor for a limited period of time is a growing trend. As is implied in the term freelance the freedom to select the projects the worker wants to become involved in and construct a schedule that balances other areas of personal life remains attractive to numerous individuals. On the other hand many see this as a way for employers to shed responsibility to loyal workers and hire people without providing them benefits such as health insurance or a retirement plan. Coming from a pragmatic point of view, at least I think that’s where I am at, individuals need to decide whether they need the paternalistic security of union bargained or employer granted benefits. While savings may be gained from the group approach, an individual with specific skills related to a given task may be able to gain compensation in excess of previous levels of salary and benefits combined. Only time will tell what freelance or independent contract workers will earn as a segment of the entire workforce in the future. Someone who hasn’t had trouble increasing her compensation package is Angela Braly, the chief executive officer of Wellpoint. Her total earnings rose from $8.7 million to $13.1 million at the same time Anthem Blue Cross, a subsidiary of Wellpoint, announced its intention to raise rates on policy holders by as much as 39%, supposedly because of an increase in medical costs. Even Kobe Bryant who once again is leading the Lakers into the playoffs signed a contract extension which will earn him only $2 million more each year. Makes you wonder what the earning power of one of the Butler Bulldogs or Duke Blue Devils playing in tomorrow night’s championship game might be. If they don’t make it into the NBA they might consider becoming a health insurance executive. Comments welcome.
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