Member of Congress
Jan Schakowsky
- Role
- Current Representative
- State
- IL
- Party
- Democrat
Speeches
HEALTH CARE REFORM FOR SENIORS2010-03-17
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. And annual caps----
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Where people in the first few months of the year have great expenses on health care and suddenly they find that they're not going to be able to be insured any more. That's it. So we do a lot of things immediately. I will get back to some more of them later, but I did want to talk a bit about what we do. Go ahead.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Plus additional things. We're so good at it.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. And who ends up paying for that?
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. What is it, about 3 percent?
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Let's talk a little bit more about that, about why it is that the insurance industry would be against this bill. Because you could say, Well, 30 million more people are going to go into the insurance market. Why wouldn't they want more people?
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. And also, they are able to pick right now.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I want to talk a little bit about something else that stops right away. And that's what is perhaps the meanest of all the insurance company practices, and this is called rescission. Which in plain English means canceling your health insurance when you get sick. We had testimony in our committee from a woman who had been a nurse most of her working life. She is now in her fifties. She left nursing to start another kind of career, went out in the private market and bought insurance that she could afford, thought it covered everything she needed. Then she was diagnosed with very aggressive breast cancer. She went to her insurance company. She got scheduled for the surgery. The Friday before the Monday of her surgery--her name is Robin Beaton. I will never forget her because we adjourned the committee for 5 minutes while she got herself together. And she said that on that Friday, they called her and said, I'm sorry. We went back in your medical records, and what we found is something on there that says that you had a preexisting condition. And do you know what it was? There were two things. One was acne that, of course, could lead to some sort of a cancer cell. They said that she had lied about that. She didn't even remember that.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. And the other was that she had misstated her weight-- understated her weight. Now I make a little joke, like what woman hasn't? You know, you have an accident, and people look at the driver's license and say, Who is this woman? She is not 120 pounds. Anyway. And so she was out of luck. She spent the next 9 months looking for health care. Finally--actually it was her Congressman who convinced the insurance company to do it. And by that time, the cancer had progressed and was in her lymph nodes. So she was much sicker. That policy of rescission will end on day one. I see that we've been joined by someone else, Keith Ellison, a Representative from Minnesota. I'm happy to turn it over to you. How time flies.
HEALTH CARE REFORM2010-03-17
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Let's talk about rates for a minute. We had testimony from customers of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which is owned by Wellpoint. We also had the CEO of Wellpoint, a woman named Angela Braley, who I suppose it was somewhat rude for me to ask her how much money she made. But she was kind enough to answer, and said that she made $1.2 million a year, plus $8 million in stock options. That was how well she did. But then she went on, of course, to absolutely justify these rate increases for their private insurance market. Three people had testified before she got up there about what these rate increases meant to them. An individual, middle-aged guy, tended toward younger man, who had a preexisting condition. He had seen his rates go up about 75 percent, not quite the 90; but it was too much for him. A woman who, because her son had a preexisting condition, had such a high deductible they had never even made their deductible, and yet their rates were going to go up even higher. And another woman who had a preexisting condition, who was unable to keep her policy. And Ms. Braley is making all this money. The company, overall, was making literally billions of dollars in profit.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Seventy-five percent of them already have health insurance. They're going bankrupt.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Let me comment on this gender discrimination. I think the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, put it really well today--some of the women had a meeting with her--when she said, being a woman is a preexisting condition.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. And the truth of it is that pregnancy, in some cases, is considered a preexisting condition. A C-section, a cesarean section, being a victim of domestic violence is a preexisting condition that could make you ineligible. If you go out on the private market right now, only about 12 percent of policies actually cover pregnancy. Women overall are charged about 38 percent more for health care than men are. And in some cases it is as much as 70 percent more than men for health care just because we have slightly different--well, maybe extremely different parts to our bodies. That is so wrong. This bill ends gender discrimination. But I do want to say one thing about rates that I don't want to forget to say.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Thank you. And that is so important to every woman in America, that we will finally be on a par, which under current circumstances isn't good enough, because the insurance companies--why is it that adding 30 million more people isn't good for them? Because they don't want everybody. They want to pick and choose. They want to pick the healthiest people. It really shouldn't be called health insurance. Well, I guess it is, it is only for healthy people. That is accurate. What we do is we start deciding whether or not rate increases are reasonable or unreasonable. We are not against profits here. We are still doing private insurance. But for heaven's sakes, when you start talking about 50, 60, 94 percent rate increases, they are going to have to justify that. I am proud to have introduced that amendment that says that we are finally going to get a handle on it. I come from a State where there are no limits, there is no regulatory body that can say how high rates can go. And as you can see, right now--in fact the insurance companies are kind of helping us pass this bill because they are showing us if we do nothing, they are going to keep raising their rates double digits, or almost triple digits and charging people.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Right. Not our caucus.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I wanted to point out that our colleague, Representative Carolyn Maloney from New York, is head of the Joint Economic Committee, which just did a study, too, on the effects of health care, the current health care problems that women face. One of the things that she mentioned, which I hadn't really thought about, is that a number of men reach the age of 65 and retire and go onto Medicare while their wives, who are often younger than they are, are then left stranded. Because many of them have been on their husbands' policies, so the husbands go into retirement, they have the coverage, and women don't. So we have this period between 50 and 65 where men and women alike are left stranded. One of the things our bill does is to create a $5 billion pool that would be available for people in those 50 to 65 years to get some help with their health care. So in addition to making sure that women can go onto the exchange. The other point I wanted to make about women is many women--men too, but women--often work in small businesses. A big beneficiary of this legislation, and it starts right away, are small businesses who are going to get up to a 35 percent tax credit on their premiums. And that will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage to their employees. And a lot of those employees are women. A lot of those business owners are women. So this is another way that our bill will help women and men alike.
HEALTH CARE REFORM2010-03-16
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. The utter hypocrisy of the debate about process is absolutely astonishing. I just learned that Speaker Hastert used the technique of a self-executing rule 113 times. Then we hear the Republicans attack reconciliation--which really means a majority of votes--and yet call for an up-or-down vote in the House. News flash: People in the real world don't care about self-executing rules or reconciliation and don't even know what it is. What they do care about process is the process of the insurance companies. Not the process of reconciliation, the process of rescission, which means canceling policies when you get cancer; the process of refusing a child who has asthma; the process of raising prices 39 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent, for your insurance policy. We each have the opportunity in the next few days to be on the right or wrong side of history. We can either stand with the American people or with the insurance companies. I hope that the vast majority of us stick with the American people.
RECOGNIZING CORPORAL CHAD WATSON2010-03-11
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize Cpl Chad Watson of the United States Marine Corps, a true American hero. Corporal Watson gave up his final year of a wrestling scholarship at Indiana University to serve his country in Iraq with the Marine Corps in 2006. He was quickly assigned to be a team leader, and led his team on five ambushes and more than 60 combat patrols. Corporal Watson was popular with his team and was even voted as the one Marine his fellow Marines would most like to serve with in combat. However, after serving a little more than three months in Fallujah, Corporal Watson's time in Iraq was cut short when he was severely injured by an IED while on a mission. He spent the next 17 months in various forms of recovery and rehabilitation. Corporal Watson received the respect and praise of his colleagues while serving in the military, and was named Marine of the Quarter for his actions in Iraq. Despite his injuries and substantial recovery time, he continues to serve his country and his fellow servicemen through his work with the Wounded Warrior Project. This organization seeks to empower injured veterans by spreading awareness and enlisting the aid of the public to meet the needs of men and women who have been injured in service to their country. The Wounded Warrior project also helps severely injured service members aid and assist each other. Corporal Watson's devotion to his country before, during, and after his time in Iraq is an example of true patriotism. I want to both recognize him and, on behalf of the United States Congress, thank him for his selfless service on the frontlines in Iraq and for his continued dedication to serving as a tireless advocate for our nation's veterans.
HONORING THE MEDICAL TEAM ORGANIZED BY DR. JESSE BUTLER2010-03-11
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize a medical team from my district that recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide life-saving spinal surgery to victims of the Haiti earthquake. In the immediate aftermath of January's devastating earthquake, Dr. Jesse Butler, an orthopedic spinal surgeon from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, found a way to contribute his unique skills. In just a few short days, Dr. Butler was able to organize a medical team, collect medical equipment worth millions of dollars, and travel to the Dominican Republic. Members of the team included anesthesiologist Dr. Howard Konowitz, from Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park; scrub nurse Teresa Dudic, from Gottlieb; registered nurse Maria Korbel, from the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute in Morton Grove; nurse Aimee Duque-Randolph; and physician's assistant Alicia Granger-Carlson. Dr. Butler's team operated on 11 patients, ages 14 to 35, at Dario Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo, where many earthquake victims were treated. Conditions were far from ideal: patients waited in crowded hallways, and surgeries were performed in rooms as hot as 85 degrees. Victims withstood the pain of their injuries without the aid of morphine. Upon their return, members of the team recalled the fear and desperation of those they treated, but also the Haitians' will to live and persevere. And though they could only meet a fraction of Haiti's enormous medical needs, they said they hope that their work will inspire others to similarly volunteer their time and talents. I would like to submit for my colleagues' interest the following article from the February 10th edition of the Chicago Tribune about the team's trip. Life-Saving Trip for Earthquake Victims `Life-Changing' for Surgical Team--Spinal Surgery Unit Inspired by Resolve of Haitians (By Courtney Flynn) When orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Jesse Butler saw images of the lives shattered by the Haiti earthquake, he knew he had to help the only way he knew how: by fixing broken backs. Within 48 hours of the Jan. 12 quake, the physician from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge organized a spinal surgery team, called in favors to collect millions of dollars of medical equipment and boarded a plane to the Dominican Republic. ``Instead of going the traditional route through a relief agency, we thought it would be more successful if we took charge of the logistics ourselves,'' Butler said. ``We put together a team that could pretty much handle anything thrown at them.'' In one week, the team operated on 11 patients, from 14 to 35, including a 25-year-old pregnant woman whose injuries had left her a quadriplegic. Nine of the patients were Haitian earthquake victims; two were injured in a motorcycle crash. Despite the severity of the patients' injuries and the tragedy they'd been through, members of the surgical team said they were struck by the Haitians' resolve to live and wait for help. ``When you looked into their eyes, you saw a terror and fear that just burns into your soul,'' said Dr. Howard Konowitz, an anesthesiologist from Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park who was on the trip. ``There was no morphine . . . but no one was moaning, no one was screaming.'' The team performed its work at Dario Contreras Hospital, a public hospital in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo where many Haitians have sought medical attention since the earthquake. Team members chose the hospital consulting with the Ministry of Health on where their skills would be of most help. The team worked in grueling conditions, operating in rooms where the heat reached 85 degrees. Some patients waited in crowded hallways, others on thin mattresses atop rusted metal frames. ``We were working long hours. The rooms were so hot, people were dehydrated,'' said Teresa Dudic, a bilingual scrub nurse from Gottlieb. ``And the patients, you could see the desperation in their eyes, they were scared.'' Konowitz described the trip as ``life-changing.'' ``All the other catastrophes that I can remember in my lifetime, there was nothing medically like this that I can remember,'' he said. ``It's haunting what we saw.'' And although it was gratifying to provide what help they could, team members recognized it was a tiny fraction of the need. ``We may have fixed their spine during the week, but we only got to 11 (people),'' Butler said. ``There were another 20 we couldn't take care of.'' And the people they did treat need long-term care. Maria Korbel, another member of the team who's bilingual and a registered nurse at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute in Morton Grove, said she hopes their work will inspire others. ``If we were able to start a chain reaction, I think that would be fabulous,'' Korbel said. ``I hope we started something good, something positive, something that will keep going.'' Physician's assistant Alicia Granger-Carlson and nurse Aimee Duque-Randolph also were members of the team.
IMPEACHING JUDGE G. THOMAS PORTEOUS, JR.2010-03-11
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 102, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH2010-03-03
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, Monday marked the kickoff of Women's History Month, and in celebration, every day of this month the House will be opened by a woman Member. As co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I am honored to be a part of the largest number of women ever to serve in the House of Representatives. It is 76; still too few. It is a testament to the women's rights movement that my female colleagues represent the full political spectrum, bringing a diversity of thoughts, ideas, and opinions to the House. Women have made great strides in the last decade. Fifty years ago, high school and college students across the country were not given support for their sports activities; and yet last week, women of Team USA, our Olympiads, brought home 13 medals from Vancouver. It was not long ago that girls were discouraged from obtaining a degree in higher education. Today, 57 percent of graduating undergraduates in this country are women; and according to the Center for American Women in Politics, the number of women serving in State legislatures has more than quintupled since 1971. And this is not just a trend in the United States. Women across the globe are breaking barriers. We have a long way to go, but we need to celebrate how far we have come.
INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 20102010-02-25
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Chair, I am proud to support this legislation because it will provide the men and women of our intelligence community with the tools they need to protect the Nation while implementing vital provisions to promote accountability and oversight. As the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I have worked to limit the intelligence community's dangerous overreliance on private contractors. To that end, I have worked hard to include section 338 in this bill, which requires the Director of National Intelligence to provide a comprehensive report to Congress on the intelligence community's use of personal service contracts. It is my hope that this report will finally give us a clear picture of how much our national security has been doled out to the lowest bidder. I want to talk for a minute about the issue of torture. I think it is so important to underscore that the manager's amendment includes language originally proposed by Mr. McDermott that reiterates existing law on torture and that provides statutory criminal penalties for individuals who knowingly commit an act of cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment. What I have been hearing from the Republicans is that somehow we are sacrificing our national security by not allowing the torture of our enemies. In fact, I think we are enhancing our national security by saying that we will eliminate provisions which allow for terrorists to be empowered and to recruit more people. If we stick to our values, we enhance our national security. These are already in law right now, and that is all this bill does is underscore the lawfulness of the new rules.
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN IRAQ2010-02-23
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker. I rise tonight in support of H. Res. 44, a resolution expressing concern about the situation facing religious minorities in Iraq. I'd like to thank my colleague, Congressman Peters, for introducing this resolution, and for being a persistent champion on this important issue. I am proud to cosponsor this resolution, which encourages the United States government, the Iraqi government, and the international community to take positive steps to protect Iraqi religious minorities. Nearly seven years after the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq faces one of the largest displacement crises in the world. The country's religious minorities face a particularly desperate situation. Iraqi ethno- religious minorities, including Iraqi Jews as well as Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriac Christians, continue to face targeted killings, sexual assaults, abductions, and other forms of threats and violence. They comprise a disproportionately large percentage of the over 4 million Iraqis who have been displaced by the ongoing violence and instability. Those who flee Iraq often encounter a life of crippling poverty. Many have great difficulty finding work in their new countries and often cannot support their families. They may bear physical and emotional scars as a result of years of trauma, tragedy, and abuse. Those who stay in Iraq, on the other hand, face a life of constant fear, intimidation, and outright violence. I have a longstanding concern for Iraq's ethno-religious minorities. In particular, I have worked closely with Chicago's vibrant Assyrian community on efforts to protect Iraqi religious minorities and provide opportunities for refugees. In August of last year I wrote to Secretary Clinton, urging her to develop a comprehensive plan for protecting these groups. This critical issue is crying out for the attention it deserves. That's why this resolution is so important. The protection of ethno- religious minorities must be a component of our overall strategy in Iraq, and the United States government must do more in partnership with the Iraqi government and the rest of the international community to ensure that all Iraqis, regardless of religious affiliation, can live free of fear and intimidation.
SUPPORT FOR NORTH AMERICAN INCLUSION MONTH2010-02-04
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Representative Towns on H.R. 1014 which recognizes and supports the goals and ideals of North American Inclusion Month. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution which demonstrates Congress' support for ensuring that all individuals are included in communities across the Nation. I would also like to commend Yachad and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America for their continued support of disabled Americans. I recently introduced two bills that support the ideals and goals of North American Inclusion Month, H.R. 4533, the Technology Bill of Rights and H.R. 1408, the Inclusive Home Design Act. The Technology Bill of Rights would allow the blind and visually impaired equal access to rapidly advancing electronics, which millions of Americans use every day. Because the blind are currently not able to interact with many new technologies, they must overcome barriers of which other Americans may not even be aware. The visually impaired are not able to use touch screens and visual displays, which have replaced knobs and buttons on many appliances. They face challenges in choosing new stoves, microwaves, fax machines, and cell phones. These technologies have become essential for many Americans, and inaccessibility has challenged the independence of and work opportunities of the blind. Even in good economic times, the blind face enormous barriers in their attempts to join the workforce, because of the inability to use many office technologies that require visual interaction. The recent economic downturn has amplified these hurdles to employment. H.R 4533 would ensure blind and visually impaired Americans equal access to these new technologies. The bill would mandate that consumer electronics, home appliances, kiosks, and electronic office technology are designed with nonvisual access components so that they are usable by all people. There are already inexpensive mechanisms that have been created which manufacturers can use to ensure equal access. This includes text-to-speech technology that has unfortunately not seen widespread implementation. This bill would increase the implementation of existing technologies and create new jobs as new technologies are developed to ensure that products are accessible for the visually impaired. The Inclusive Home Design Act would mandate that all new homes built with the assistance of Federal funds would be accessible for the disabled. This legislation is based on the principle of integrating basic accessibility, establishing ``visitability'' standards, and allowing elderly Americans to ``age in place'' rather than being forced to move, be institutionalized, or spend thousands of dollars on home renovations. This is a sustainable, affordable, and inclusive design approach. It would require the new homes to meet four accessibility standards. First, it would require at minimum one accessible entrance into the home. Second, doorways on the first floor must be large enough to accommodate wheelchairs. Third, at least one bathroom must be wheelchair accessible. Finally, the light switch and thermostats are required to be at a reachable height for those in a wheelchair. I am proud to have the support of Access Living and the Paralyzed Veterans of America in passing this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support the resolution recognizing North American Inclusion Month, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure equal access for all.
INNOVATIVE EFFORT TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES2010-02-04
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I would like to draw my colleagues' attention to a new and extremely innovative campaign to encourage businesses to employ workers with disabilities. I also want to congratulate Health and Disability Advocates for overseeing the campaign. Health and Disability Advocates, a non-profit organization located in Chicago, is a leading voice on disability issues and, under the talented leadership of Barbara Otto, has been a valuable resource for Illinois and the nation. As of December 2008, 54.4 million people in the United States--18.7 percent of our population, or nearly one in five Americans--reported some level of disability. Official figures show that unemployment among persons with a disability was 13.8 percent this past November, compared to 9.5 percent among nondisabled people, but this doesn't include many people who are too discouraged to even look for work. When disabled persons are employed, promotion opportunities may be scarce. The cost of employing a person with a disability is minimal, averaging only $313 in 2007. Employees with disabilities had nearly identical job performance ratings to those without disabilities according to a 2007 study by DePaul University researchers. Employers say that employing a disabled person is well worth the expense, finding these individuals to be loyal, reliable, and hard-working, serving long tenures with low absenteeism rates. Additionally, hiring disabled employees serves to diversify the work environment, which has an overall positive impact. Health and Disability Advocates has undertaken a campaign to highlight the importance of hiring people with disabilities that is imaginative and persuasive. I hope that my colleagues will take an opportunity to read the following article that ran in the New York Times on January 29 to read about it. Using Humor in a Campaign Supporting Disabled People A national effort to encourage businesses to employ workers with disabilities is not your father's hire the handicapped campaign. One difference is that the new ads are paid rather than pro bono, with an estimated budget of $4 million for the first two quarters of 2010. The ads will appear on television, in print, online and outdoors; there is also a sponsorship deal with NPR. The ads are being financed largely by agencies in 30 states that provide employment services as well as health and human services to their citizens who are disabled. The agencies have set a goal of raising $10 million for the campaign's budget for the full year. Typically, ads that seek to make a case for employing people with disabilities run as public service announcements. That makes them dependent on the kindness of media outlets to place them prominently on television, in print or online. ``We'll never have enough money to oversaturate the media,'' said Barbara Otto, executive director at Health and Disability Advocates in Chicago, which is overseeing the campaign, ``but we wanted to do something different, something that didn't look like a P.S.A.'' To that end, the campaign takes a light-hearted tack rather than a sober or earnest tone. The ads try to challenge conventional wisdom about workers with disabilities by offering humorous examples of people with ``differences'' already employed. For instance, in a television commercial, a worker in a wheelchair points out her colleagues who ``you could label as `different.' '' Among them are a woman dressed in a nightmare wardrobe of clashing patterns, who is ``fashion deficient''; a klutzy young man at the copier, who is ``copy incapable''; and a shouting man who suffers from ``volume control syndrome.'' The punch line of the commercial is that the worker in the wheelchair is different, too: Her skills at a basic office function are so bad that she is labeled ``coffee-making impaired.'' Print ads introduce employers to a man in a suit whose awkward dance moves make him ``rhythm impaired'' and an awkward man who is hard to understand because he is ``jargon prone.'' The text of the ads elaborates on the point the campaign strives to make. The ad with the worker who is rhythm impaired declares: ``Just because someone moves a little differently doesn't mean they can't help move your business forward. The same goes for people with disabilities.'' The ad with the jargon-spouting worker reads: ``Just because someone talks differently doesn't mean they don't bring something of value to the conversation. The same goes for people with disabilities.'' The tongue-in-cheek differences in each ad appear as Dymo- style labels across the faces of the employees, to set up the theme of the campaign, ``Think beyond the label.'' The theme is repeated in the address of a microsite, or special Web site (thinkbeyondthelabel.com), where additional information is available about, as the home page puts it, ``just how silly labels can be.'' The concept was tested, Ms. Otto, said ``to get that employment decision-maker thinking that everyone in the workplace is different,'' but not so much that it would make anyone--with disabilities or otherwise--feel uncomfortable. ``We knew it needed to be disruptive,'' Ms. Otto said, ``but we wanted it to be tasteful.'' In the research, ``people said they liked the funny and human tone,'' she added. The tenor of the campaign was endorsed by the actor in the wheelchair, Alana Wallace, who is an advocate for people with disabilities as well as a performer. ``I knew I needed to be a part of this campaign,'' Ms. Wallace said, because ``there were enough of the pity-party approaches'' to the subject. The commercial ``speaks to our similarities in that we all have a label someone could put on us,'' she added. ``We never use the word `disability' throughout the entire ad.'' Among those collaborating on the campaign are Wirestone; Kelly, Scott & Madison; and Fuor Digital, a unit of Kelly, Scott & Madison, all based in Chicago. ``People go through life labeling other people: `the funny guy,' `the bald guy,' `the girl with the glasses,' '' said Brian Addison, director for brand strategy at Wirestone. ``The labels can go from harmless to hurtful.'' ``We're saying, before you label someone, think twice whether it correlates to productivity in the workplace,'' he added. In developing the creative approach, ``we wanted it to be on that fine line of provocative but not polarizing,'' Mr. Addison said, adding that he believed the campaign accomplished being ``human instead of being overly serious.'' The ads are being concentrated in media outlets preferred by the intended audience of people who ought to, as the campaign suggests, ``evolve your work force,'' those who influence hiring decisions at small, midsize or large companies. They include senior managers, executives and staff members of human resources departments and hiring managers. The commercial is to run during Sunday morning news programs on ABC, CBS and NBC and on cable channels like BBC America, CNN, ESPN and HLN. The print ads are to appear in publications like Fast Company, HR Magazine, Inc., Time, The Wall Street Journal and The Week. Among the Web sites scheduled to run the digital ads are CNN.com, ESPN.com and WSJ.com. There will also be search- engine marketing tied to keywords on Web sites like Google.