January 29, 2013

National/Politics

Labor Sees Bright Spots in Membership Trends
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, New York Times, January 28, 2013, 10:51 am

…. Professor Hirsch suggested that the reported drop-off in union members in the Midwest might be exaggerated because when questioners doing the household survey that was crucial to last week’s report went to workers‘ homes to interview them, some union members might have grown reluctant to acknowledge to the questioners that they belonged to a union because unions had taken such a public relations beating from government officials.

Immigration plan gets praise from business and labor
Rachel Weiner on January 28, 2013 at 2:10 pm, Washington Post

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO have both endorsed the bipartisan immigration reform proposal being outlined today, suggesting a new alliance between business and labor. In 2007, the major union federation and the business lobby split over a guest worker program that the AFL-CIO deemed exploitative.  … AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was a bit more cautious. “Much remains to be seen” on the path to citizenship in the deal, he said, citing concerns over proof of employment. But he called the framework “an important and long overdue first step.”

23 states raising minimum wage or weighing increases
By Emma Beck, USA TODAY, Jan 29, 2013

Nearly half the states have increased their minimum wage this year or are considering plans to hike it as the economy transitions from recession to a stronger recovery. Thirteen states have weighed wage increases since Jan. 1. Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii are among the most recent. … The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2011 that 73.9 million American workers were paid hourly rates, of which 1.7 million earned the minimum wage. The average hourly wage in December for all privately employed workers was $23.73, up 6% from 2009, according to the bureau.

Report: States making jobless pay needless fees
Daniel Wagner, AP, January 29, 2013

Jobless Americans are paying millions in unnecessary fees to collect unemployment benefits because of state policies encouraging them to get the money through bank-issued payment cards, according to a new report from a consumer group. People are using the fee-heavy cards instead of getting their payments deposited directly to their bank accounts. That's because states issue bank cards automatically, require complicated paperwork or phone calls to set up direct deposit and fail to explain the card fees, according to a report issued Tuesday by the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit group that seeks to protect low-income Americans from unfair financial-services products. An early copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press.

Federal unions, except postal groups, grow as other labor organizations decline
By Joe Davidson, Washington Post: January 28

… In May of fiscal year 2012, 1.2 million federal employees were in a bargaining unit, according to the Office of Personnel Management. That’s an increase of almost 98,000 since 2002. Federal employees are joining unions because the workers want a greater say in their working conditions.

Treasury approved big pay raises at bailed-out AIG, Ally and GM, report says
By Danielle Douglas, Washington Post: January 28

The Treasury Department ignored its own guidelines on executive pay at firms that received taxpayer bailouts and last year approved compensation packages of more than $3 million for the senior ranks at General Motors, Ally Financial and American International Group, according to a watchdog report released Monday. … The inspector general’s report accuses Patricia Geoghegan, Treasury’s acting special master for compensation, of sidestepping protocol that kept pay packages at the midpoint of comparable firms. Geoghegan, however, said the audit is riddled with inaccuracies and mischaracterizes the data provided to the inspector general.

Tactics change in health law fight / Attention turns to state capitals
Tom Howell Jr.-The Washington Times Monday, January 28, 2013

In stark contrast to the last congressional session, Republican lawmakers have introduced only a handful of bills to strike down or dismantle President Obama’s health care law in the first weeks of the new Congress — the latest indication that the epicenter of debate over “Obamacare” has shifted to the nation’s statehouses. …. Nearly half of the states have declined to set up state-run exchanges — which burdens the Obama administration with setting one up for them. And some GOP-led states are also declining to expand Medicaid eligibility — a provision of Mr. Obama's law that the Supreme Court deemed optional.

Medicaid choice tough for states
Jan. 28, 2013 6:29 PM,  |  Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press

… A major worry for states is that deficit-burdened Washington sooner or later will renege on the 90-percent deal. The regular Medicaid match rate averages closer to 50 percent. That would represent a significant cost shift to the states. …. States can refuse the expansion outright or indefinitely postpone a decision. But if states think they’ll ultimately end up taking the deal, there’s a big incentive to act now: The three years of full federal funding for newly eligible enrollees are only available from 2014 through 2016.

States rethink high-risk pools, exchanges
By: Brett Norman, Politico, January 29, 2013 04:27 AM EST

When the health exchanges open next year, they will cover some of the sickest and costliest patients, people who cannot easily get insurance precisely because they are so likely to run up bills that no insurer would want to be on the hook for. The federal health law contains several measures designed to spread the risk and tamp down some of the expected turbulence in the market. But a recent change in how the Department of Health and Human Services plans to run a three-year, $20 billion fund — known as reinsurance — to cushion health plans that end up with lots of high-cost customers is forcing states to rethink their own timetable for shifting some of their highest-risk people into the exchanges.

State/Local

CA: Bill would exempt thousands of California public employees from pension overhaul
By Jon Ortiz, sacbee.com Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 - 6:22 am

Three months after lawmakers enacted public pension rollbacks, a new measure has surfaced that would exempt thousands of public transportation workers from the law. … The Teamsters and two other unions sponsored the bill, which would exclude 20,000 local and regional mass transit workers statewide from the higher pension contributions and lower retirement benefits passed last year.

CA: In California, Son Gets Chance to Restore Luster to a Legacy
By JENNIFER MEDINA, New York Times, January 28, 2013

…. Now, with the tax increase approved and universities anticipating more money from the state for the first time in years, the second Governor Brown is a man eager to take an active role in shaping the University of California and California State University systems. Governor Brown holds a position on the board of trustees for both Cal State and UC. Since November, he has attended every meeting of both boards, asking about everything from dormitories to private donations and federal student loans. He is twisting arms on issues he has long held dear, like slashing executive pay and increasing teaching requirements for professors — ideas that have long been met with considerable resistance from academia.

CT: Reliving Horror and Faint Hope at Massacre Site
By RAY RIVERA,  New York Times, January 28, 2013

….. And the officers themselves, many of them fathers, instinctively used their most soothing Daddy voices to guide terrified children to safety. The stories also reveal the deep stress that lingers for officers who, until Dec. 14, had focused their energies on maintaining order in a low-crime corner of suburbia. Some can barely sleep. ….. The officers and their union are reaching out to state lawmakers, hoping to expand workers’ compensation benefits to include those who witness horrific violence. “Our concern from the beginning has been the effects of PTSD,” said Eric Brown, a lawyer for the union that represents the Newtown police. “We estimate it is probably going to be 12 to 15 Newtown officers who are going to be dealing with that, for the remainder of their careers, we imagine, from what we’ve been told by professionals who deal with PTSD.”

FL: State employees adjust to 3-percent FRS contribution
Jan. 28, 2013 11:49 PM,  |  Tallahassee.com

Teresa Stallings said on Monday she has made the necessary sacrifices to handle the 3 percent of her pay she now contributes to her own plan in the Florida Retirement System. … More change is almost certainly coming: Gov. Rick Scott and Republican leadership in the Legislature favor doing away with the defined-benefit plans for new hires, instead offering only the defined-contribution plans common in the private sector. A ruling earlier this month from the Florida Supreme Court is the final word on the contributions required since July 1, 2011, of all 623,000 public employees enrolled in FRS. Stallings said it forced her to drop cable TV and put an end to a 30-year tradition.

FL: State leaders pay less than workers for insurance
GARY FINEOUT, AP, Jan 28, 2013

Gov. Rick Scott and state legislators will soon decide whether Florida should extend health insurance coverage to nearly 1 million residents, and those officials all get their plans from the state, many paying less than state workers. Scott, as well as the three other Republican members of the Cabinet, and nearly all state lawmakers are enrolled in Florida's health insurance plan. … The 40 members of the Florida Senate also are covered by the state, but this month they started paying the same as rank-and-file career service employees under a proposal pushed by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart. Career service workers pay $50 a month for individual coverage and $180 a month for family coverage.

IA: I.C., Coralville residents get a good deal with SEATS
Jan. 28, 2013 5:53 PM, Rod Sullivan is member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Press Citizen

… Most importantly, SEATS staff (represented by AFSCME) are extremely experienced and well-trained. They know the riders personally. They care deeply about the riders. It is very difficult to put a price on a deep level of commitment. The people of Iowa City and Coralville get a very good deal when they contract with SEATS. I hope their leaders recognize this fact and enter into a contract.

IL: SHA approves 3-year contract calling for 11 percent in raises
JASON NEVEL, The State Journal-Register, Jan 28, 2013 @ 10:54 PM

The Springfield Housing Authority approved an agreement with its union employees Monday night, one month after tabling the same contract over concerns that the raises called for in the agreement were excessive. … The contract allows the SHA to renegotiate the deal with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 if the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development significantly changes funding it gives the SHA in 2014 and 2015. The federal agency is the SHA’s main source of funding. Jeff Bigelow, regional director of AFSCME 31, said the vote Monday will help bring SHA workers closer in pay to employees at other housing authorities across the state.

IL: County employee contracts on agenda
By JOE WARD, The Register-Mail, Jan 29, 2013 @ 07:00 AM

After swearing in a new board member and approving payments for County Courthouse renovations, the Knox County Board on Wednesday will vote to authorize new labor contracts for employees in the nursing home, state’s attorney’s office and corrections unit. County workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have been negotiating contracts for more than a year. The stalled negotiations, paired with what union members called “big concessions” from the workers, led to several demonstrations in and outside of County Board meetings.

IN: Families may get bigger payment if state employee killed at work
Dan Carden @nwi.com, Jan 29, 2013

The family of a state employee killed in the line of duty would receive a $100,000 death benefit under legislation backed by two region lawmakers that was approved by the Indiana Senate Monday.

MA: Salem police, AFSCME agree to contracts
BY TOM DALTON, Salem News, Jan 29, 2013

The Police Patrolmen’s Association and another large city union will get 6 percent pay hikes spread over the next three fiscal years in contracts that also slash controversial and costly sick leave buybacks. Beginning this month, new hires in the police union and AFSCME Local 1818 will not be eligible for sick leave buybacks at retirement, which often amount to thousands of dollars for unused sick time. This fiscal year alone, those costs exceed $700,000, according to the city.

MD: Employees at 4 state agencies vote to unionize / AFSCME will represent nearly 1,500 workers
By C. Benjamin Ford, Gazette, January 28, 2013

Nearly 1,500 Maryland workers at four state agencies will be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees after the majority of workers who cast their ballots voted for unionization. AFSCME Council 3 received nearly 70 percent of the mail-in votes cast that were tallied Jan. 23 by the Maryland Labor Relations Board. The employees with the Office of the Comptroller, Department of Education, the Retirement and Pension System and the state Transportation Authority had not been included in the original 1997 collective bargaining order issued by then-Gov. Parris Glendening, said Jeff Pittman, communications director for AFSCME Maryland.

ME: Right-to-work, 'fair share' bills surface in Maine
2:17 pm, Monday, January 28, 2013, AP

A pair of labor bills that have been rejected in past sessions, so-called right-to-work and fair share, are being introduced again this session. … In Maine, Lockman's bill would allow workers at unionized private businesses to opt not to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. Lockman says it's good for jobs and good for business. The second bill takes away a requirement that state employees pay fees to the Maine State Employees Association whether they join the union or not.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder puts right-to-work law before high court, making other challenges moot
January 29, 2013  By Kathleen Gray and Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press

Opponents of the state's new right-to-work law promised a challenge of the controversial bill that passed the lame-duck Legislature in December. But those challenges may become a moot point since Gov. Rick Snyder asked the Michigan Supreme Court on Monday to review the bill and determine whether it passes constitutional muster. … The Michigan Civil Service Commission has questioned whether the right-to-work laws can be applied to employees in classified state civil service jobs. A group of labor unions has said it plans to do everything possible to fight the bill, including possibly challenging it on constitutional grounds. One area that could be challenged is the exemption of police and firefighters from the act.

MI: Stuck in Reverse, Detroit Edges Closer to Bankruptcy
Reuters, Tuesday, 29 Jan 2013

…. The city's labor costs, including health care and pensions, are shrinking in absolute terms but rising as a share of the budget. They are slated to drop to $968 million, or nearly 49.5 percent of the operating budget, in the fiscal year ending June 30 versus $1.14 billion, or 45.5 percent, a year earlier. …. A bankruptcy would be messy. The interests of creditors would likely collide with those of labor unions wanting to protect workers' benefits, said Eric Scorsone, a Michigan State University economist who has written papers on municipal bankruptcy and on the state's emergency manager laws. …  One of the city's biggest challenges is its complex set of labor agreements with a whopping 48 bargaining units that represent most of the city's workforce.

MI: Panel's stalling may delay vote on Belle Isle lease
BY DARREN A. NICHOLS AND CHRISTINE FERRETTI THE DETROIT NEWS, JANUARY 29, 2013 AT 1:00 AM

A controversial lease agreement to turn Belle Isle into a state park was stalled by a City Council committee Monday, possibly delaying a vote scheduled for today. …. Dozens of residents, most of whom object to the lease proposal, took turns speaking Monday.  … "A 90-year lease is ownership," said Phyllis McMillan, president of AFSCME Local 542, which represents employees on Belle Isle. "We have been getting by on duct tape while (Gov. Rick) Snyder and (Mayor Dave) Bing have been manipulating the red tape."

MI: State police spent more than $900,000 for security during right-to-work protests
2:06 PM, January 28, 2013 |  Detroit Free Press

The Michigan State Police spent more than $900,000 on beefed-up Capitol security during the week of Dec. 5-12 when right-to-work legislation was pushed through the Legislature, according to figures released today by the Michigan State Police. … Zack Pohl, executive director of the liberal group Progress Michigan, said the security levels at the Capitol and the resulting costs were excessive.

Lansing's mayor says privatizing the city's power company is not going to happen on his watch
By STEVE CARMODY, Michigan Radio, Jan 29, 2013

….. Last year, Mayor Virg Bernero appointed a committee to study ways of solving Lansing’s chronic budget problems.  One option the panel has been looking at is privatizing the Lansing Board of Water and Light. But Bernero says he wants that idea off the table. “I just want to be clear…that’s not going to happen. Not on my watch,” Bernero said, which drew large applause from those gathered to hear the mayor’s State of the City address.

MI: Flint faces 'unanswered question' of how to eliminate $19 million deficit
By Kristin Longley | mlive.com, January 28, 2013 at 10:06 PM Print

Flint's state-appointed emergency financial manager is expected within 30 days to present to the state a plan for reducing the city's $19-million deficit, Finance Director Jerry Ambrose said Monday, Jan. 28.

MN: State employee contracts win committee approval
5:53 PM on January 28, 2013 by Tom Scheck, MN Public Radio

A two percent across-the-board pay hike for state employees is one step closer to reality. The joint Subcommittee on Employee Relations is recommending the Legislature approve state contracts for thousands of state employees. The plan would give a two percent raise to seven separate groups of workers, including AFSCME Council 5, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, middle managers and corrections officers.

Minnesota's stressed local governments
Lori Sturdevant Star Tribune: January 28, 2013 - 5:37 PM

For all the money trouble state government has had since 2008, Minnesota local governments have had it worse. So concludes a report in the latest issue of Fedgazette, the regional business and economic newspaper of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. Among the six states in the Ninth Federal Reserve District, Wisconsin and Minnesota have endured more sustained financial stress in the past five years. In Minnesota, the report says, trouble has more than trickled down to local governments.

NH: $23.5 million proposed budget for Merrimack includes increases in health insurance, retirement
By ERIN PLACE, Tuesday, January 29, 2013, Telegraph

… Mahon said the council declared an impasse with AFSCME 93 Local 2986 union, which represents public works employees, laborers and machine operators. The issue will now head to mediation.

NJ: Christie vetoes minimum wage bill, Democrats vow to put measure on ballot
Jenna Portnoy/The Star-Ledger, January 29, 2013 at 7:43 AM Print

Gov. Chris Christie rejected a bill today to raise the minimum wage and countered with a proposal of his own, virtually ensuring Democrats will ask voters in November whether they favor a $1-an-hour increase. Christie said the Democrats’ bill, which would have raised the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and tied future increases to the rate of inflation, would have hurt the state’s economy.

NJ: Sweeney Won’t Challenge Christie in N.J. Governor’s Race
By Terrence Dopp - Jan 28, 2013 12:04 PM, Bloomberg

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, New Jersey’s highest-ranking Democratic lawmaker, said he won’t challenge Governor Chris Christie’s re-election bid this year. The decision by Sweeney, who is from West Deptford, leaves Senator Barbara Buono of Metuchen as the party’s only declared candidate. … Buono, 59, an attorney, has scheduled a noon press conference at a Trenton hotel to announce a “major endorsement” from a New Jersey political leader.

NJ: Christus St. Vincent staffing issue set for hearing Phaedra Haywood | The New Mexican
New Mexican: Monday, January 28, 2013

A judge is scheduled on Tuesday to consider the merits of an unfair labor practices complaint against Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The complaint is the result of a grievance filed by the local branch of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees last summer alleging that the hospital administration refused to provide information requested by the union for the purpose of evaluating staffing needs at the hospital. …. The hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday Jan. 29 at the Toney Anaya building 2550 Cerrillos Road.

NY: Comptroller Criticizes Cuomo’s Plan to Cut Pension Costs
By DANNY HAKIM, New York Times, January 28, 2013

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s plan to allow municipalities to defer more of their pension costs came under fire Monday from the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, making him the second prominent Democrat to take aim at the plan. Mr. DiNapoli’s office said in a statement that it had “serious concerns” about the plan, in part because of its potential impact on the funding level of the state pension system and the balance sheets of local governments. The comptroller’s statement came as Mayor Stephanie Miner of Syracuse, the co-chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, continued to criticize the plan. On Monday, she did so at a legislative hearing here.

New York state comptroller launches "fiscal stress" monitoring system
By Glenn Coin | syracuse.com, January 28, 2013 at 12:02 PM Print

The state Comptroller's Office today launched a new system to keep track of municipalities and school districts in financial trouble. The office will calculate and then publicize "fiscal stress" scores
for about 2,300 municipalities and school districts. The "early warning system" will look at nine financial indicators and broader demographic information such as population trends and tax assessment growth.

NY: Plan to keep Manor faces doubt, scorn
By Joe Mahoney, The Daily Star, January 29, 2013

A plan aimed at derailing the privatization of the Otsego Manor nursing home was dealt a setback Monday when Otsego County Rep. James Powers — who heads a key committee on the county board — pronounced the proposal dead on arrival. …..  Mark Kotzin, spokesman for the Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing the Manor workers, said he could not foresee his organization asking members to make concessions when there is no certainty the sales tax could be boosted.

OH: Athens Co. jobs face relocation
January 29, 2013 - 3:25am  Ryan Clark, The Post

Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, is adding his voice to calls for Gov. John Kasich and his administration to consider alternatives to closing 13 Ohio Department of Job and Family Services regional offices. …. Though the call-center jobs are not tied to any one location, Gentile and union representatives said the workers benefit local economies, and the three to four hour commute to and from Columbus will hurt workers and their families.

OH: ODOT closing highway travel centers, despite benefit to tourism
By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer, January 27, 2013 at 12:11 AM Print

Friendly folks who are quick with the answers and brochures at Ohio's highway information centers will soon be gone -- and tourism pros say that's too bad. The Ohio Department of Transportation is eliminating the 34 jobs staffing 11 travel centers on Ohio interstates and one in the Statehouse Capitol. …. But tourism experts say the move is shortsighted. The face-to-face between travel-center staffers and travelers drives more tourism for the state, they say.

PA: Corbett's budget to affect state employee pensions
January 29, 2013 12:20 am By Karen Langley / Post-Gazette

The state budget that Gov. Tom Corbett will propose next week requires savings in public employee pensions -- changes likely to include future benefits earned by current workers -- to avoid deep cuts elsewhere, the governor's budget secretary said Monday. …. The executive director of the statewide council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has argued that Pennsylvania case law does not allow the state to change the retirement terms of current employees.

PA: AFSCME sues over city furlough policies
Philly.com,  Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 6:10 AM

A union affiliated with more than 800 municipal supervisors is suing the City of Philadelphia, saying it asserted an unrestricted ability to furlough those employees for any reason and length of time. AFSCME District Council 47 filed the suit in federal court Friday. The furlough provisions were recently enacted by the Civil Service Commission, appointed by Mayor Nutter.

PA: Home-care workers waiting for late pay
Harold Brubaker, Inquirer, Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 3:01 AM

Eugene Govan, a home-care worker for a disabled man in North Philadelphia through a state-run Medicaid program, has not been paid since last month. Govan and others who work directly for 22,000 disabled and elderly Pennsylvanians have been caught in a messy consolidation of payroll services from 37 entities across the state to just one Boston firm. The problems have left some home-care workers - who are paid $10 to $12 an hour to help with dressing, bathing, and other needs - feeling compelled to work for weeks without pay.

RI: Privatization hits roadblock
Woonsocket Call, January 28, 2013

The Budget Commission has refused to let the city’s plan to privatize a new water treatment plant move forward after hearing from a well-organized band of opponents at its last meeting. But Mayor Leo T. Fontaine, a member of the commission and one of the staunchest advocates of privatization, says the panel could revisit the issue as early as Feb. 5. At issue is whether the city should ask outside engineers to develop bid specifications for the $50 million proposal based on the premise that the new water plant will be designed, built and operated by one for-profit firm.  … Fontaine asserts that much of the blowback to privatization of late has been orchestrated by employees of the Charles Hamman Water Treatment Plant on Manville Road, roughly 30 individuals who are represented by Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union. … John Burn, a staff representative for Council 94, said privatization is a bad deal for both workers and ratepayers.

RI governor vows to reform state employment system
10:43 am, Monday, January 28, 2013 (AP)

Gov. Lincoln Chafee vowed Monday to modernize the state's personnel system by providing online job applications and streamlining what he said is an inefficient and unwieldy professional classification system. The independent governor on Monday released a report concluding that the state's human resources system needs significant improvements. Chafee said his administration will work with representatives from organized labor to streamline the system over the next few years.

SD: Aylward to run for Huron mayor
Monday, Jan 28th, 2013, BY: ROGER LARSEN, Plainsman

Paul Aylward has announced his candidacy for mayor of Huron in the April election. …. He worked for Armour and Company for 15 years before being named executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 59 in March 1984.

TN: DCS, jails would get more money in Haslam's budget
Jan. 29, 2013 5:18 AM,  |   The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Haslam said he would hire more agents to investigate child abuse claims, set aside more money for local jails to house state inmates and fund demolition of a downtown landmark, all as part of his budget for the upcoming year. …. The state would set aside $27.9 million to increase the pay for high-performing workers. All state employees would receive a 1.5 percent salary increase, at a cost of $22.1 million.

Virginia Senate kills right-to-work, charter school amendments
January 28, 2013 | 3:26 pm, Examiner

…. Sen. Dick Black, R-Leesburg, proposed giving constitutional protection to tough right-to-work measures that prevent union membership from being a condition of employment. But it fell one vote short of the necessary 21 votes needed to advance after all 20 of the chamber's Democrats voted against it. Virginia is already a right-to-work state with a relatively weak union presence. While Republicans said the amendment merely guaranteed those rights, Democrats said it was unnecessary.

WA: Jail considers private sector medical staff
Bellingham Herald: January 29, 2013 

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is exploring the possibility of saving money by contracting out medical care provided by 38 nurses, physician assistants and other workers at the county jail. Declining jail bookings and revenue, coupled with overtime expenses, are putting pressure on the Sheriff’s Department to reduce costs. ….. Dylan Carlson, who represents medical staff for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said he opposes contracting out the clinic positions and is worried his members will lose their jobs.