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Daily NewswireUC Workers' Strike Continues Democratic California State Assemblymember Ira Ruskin headed towards the picket lines on day four of the UC service workers' strike. But even with the support of a politician like Ruskin, a settlement between the workers' union and the University of California has not yet materialized. ... Lakesha Harrison, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, said it is the union's constitutional right to strike and the union is actually in compliance with the law, since they notified the university about their intention to strike before the strike began. Related articles:
National/PoliticalAFL-CIO in Coalition to Fight McCain’s Efforts to Gamble Away Social Security ... During a telephone press conference hosted by Americans United For Change, union, retiree and activist leaders outlined plans to keep voters informed of McCain’s support of privatization and the wide gap between his and Obama’s proposals for Social Security. ..... Joining Sweeney on the call were AFSCME President Gerald McEntee; Ed Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans; and USAction President William McNary. McEntee, who chairs the AFL-CIO Political Committee, puts it this way: “The American people need Social Security benefits they can count on—benefits that aren’t subject to the highs and lows of the stock market or the partisan proposals of politicians. At a time of market uncertainty and economic distress, only a politician as out-of-touch as John McCain would suggest that now is the time to gamble with Social Security.” National Organization for Women to Honor Chavez-Thompson Resolutely courageous, fearless and bold. While those words describe all of the women being honored by the National Organization for Women (NOW) at the group’s annual Intrepid Awards Gala, they especially fit AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson. Along with four other pioneering women, Chavez-Thompson will be recognized for her accomplishments at a gala Thursday in Washington, D.C. Chavez-Thompson, the first person to hold the office of executive vice president and the first person of color to hold one of the top elected offices at the AFL-CIO, retired last September to return home to San Antonio and be with her family. She was elected in 1995 after serving in a series of leadership roles in AFSCME and on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Editorial: No Friend of the Workers It should surprise no one, at this point, that an arm of the Bush administration charged with protecting Americans’ rights or safety is not doing its job. Even so, a government report and a Congressional hearing this week painted a disturbing picture of a Labor Department that simply is not standing up for workers. ... To lead the Department of Labor, Mr. Bush appointed Elaine Chao, who took office in 2001 arguing that states should be able to opt out of the federal minimum wage — a terrible idea that would drive down wages for the lowest-paid employees. For more than seven years, Ms. Chao has run a department that has tilted toward employers and failed to properly enforce labor laws. ... The G.A.O.’s findings suggest that the government is not doing its job of going after employers who “cheat their employees out of their hard-earned wages,” said Representative George Miller, the California Democrat who chairs the committee that held this week’s hearing. ... The first step in getting the nation’s laws enforced again will be entrusting enforcement to people who believe in them. We hope the next president will do that. New Stimulus Plan on Tap / Senate Democrats to Present Proposal Next Week Senate Democrats plan to unveil a second fiscal stimulus plan next week, this one worth at least $50 billion, arguing that soaring energy prices and the crisis in the housing market require a major jobs program to kick-start a faltering economy. The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a stimulus plan Tuesday, the first step toward legislation drafted by Democrats that President Bush and congressional Republican leaders oppose. The final details of the Senate legislation are still being developed as lawmakers and staff members pick through an assortment of traditional liberal programs, such as increased funding for highway construction, food stamps and home heating assistance. Also under consideration is another round of government payments to workers. .. House and Senate Democrats agreed they had consensus on a large infusion of infrastructure spending, particularly on highways. Other items under consideration are helping states with Medicaid costs and more money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as well as a possible extension of unemployment benefits beyond the 13 extra weeks that were recently approved. Pelosi: Bush 'a total failure' President Bush has been a "total failure" in everything from the economy to the war to energy policy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill. .. "You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," Pelosi replied. She then tsk-tsked Bush for "challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again." States Can Fume About Real ID — or They Can Find Ways to Cope With It The deadline for implementing REAL ID has been extended to 2014, and so the fight between states and the Department of Homeland Security over a federally approved, state-issued identification card is cooling off, at least for the moment. That doesn’t mean states are happy about things, or that they all have backed off expressing their displeasure over what Washington is imposing on them. The sniff of rebellion still hangs in the air. At least half a dozen legislatures voted this spring to opt out of REAL ID (PL 109-13). Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer sounded a Boston Tea Party note, declaring his state’s obstinate refusal to comply with what he decried as a multibillion-dollar unfunded federal mandate. But while the anger is understandable, it probably is time for state officials to shelve the hot rhetoric and start thinking about what to do in the next five years to get ready for REAL ID requirements, as vexing and annoying and expensive as the prospect might be. Gas Tax Holiday Could Mean Job Losses In States The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere. Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day to Labor Day moratorium, lawmakers quickly concluded -- with a prod from the construction industry -- that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of jobs losses. .... The consequence of that shortfall is that only about $27 billion in federal money will be available next year to states and local governments for new infrastructure investment even though the current highway act calls for spending $41 billion a year. For many, the solution is to raise rather than suspend or cut federal fuel taxes, which haven't changed since 1993. States battle mortgage foreclosure threat; see chart Frustrated by the slow pace of federal relief, states around the country are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into their own programs to stem the rising tide of home foreclosures. ... At least nine states have committed more than $450 million to provide mainly subprime homeowners with emergency or short-term loans, a study by The Pew Charitable Trusts found. In some cases, states are buying foreclosed homes outright. California fines two health plans $13 million Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield -- two of the state's biggest health plans -- agreed Thursday to pay a total of $13 million in fines and to offer new health coverage to more than 2,200 Californians the companies dropped after they became ill. Neither company admitted to any wrongdoing in agreeing to pay the stiffest penalties yet in efforts by state authorities to curb what they view as an abusive practice of investigating and canceling policies after policyholders run up big medical bills. Disease Prevention Programs Worth the Investment Community-based health programs aimed at diet, exercise, smoking prevention and other known risk factors for chronic diseases could cut health-care costs in the United States by $16 billion a year, a new report says. "We worked with economists at the Urban Institute who looked at health-care costs associated with these chronic diseases," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the Washington-based Trust for America's Health, which issued the report(.pdf). "They estimated a 5 percent reduction in these chronic diseases to derive these savings." The estimate was based on a model developed at the Urban Institute and a review of studies on the cost and effectiveness of prevention programs by experts at the New York Academy of Medicine. Academic Health Centers Call for New Way to Plan Work Force (no link) The nation's decentralized approach toward planning its health-care work force could leave millions of Americans without adequate care at a time when aging baby boomers will need it most, the Association of Academic Health Centers warned in a report released on Thursday. The association, which represents more than 100 academic health centers, is calling for the creation of a new policy-making and planning body that would work with state and local experts to come up with a national strategy to avert what it describes as an impending crisis. Delaware Court Rules for CA in Suit (no link) The Delaware Supreme Court said a shareholder bylaw that would require companies to reimburse challengers who succeed in getting elected to the board was invalid. In the closely watched case, the pension fund of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees sought to impose a bylaw that would require CA Inc. to pay the "reasonable expenses" to shareholders who successfully elected at least one independent candidate to a board seat. The court found that the bylaw, as written, went too far because it didn't allow CA's directors to exercise their judgment "to decide whether or not it would be appropriate, in a specific case, to award reimbursement at all .. The ruling is a blow to some activists, who have argued that their ability to nominate independent directors is circumscribed by the high expense. But it could give holders a road map in seeking other changes to the director-election process consistent with the court's decision. .. Richard Ferlauto, director of pension investment policy for AFSCME, said, "We're happy to see Delaware law clarified, but the decision makes Delaware less relevant to the discussions about shareholder election rights." He said "the focus for shareholders has to be on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the creation of an appropriate right of shareholder access at the federal level. Related article from the News Journal: Del. Supreme Court rules for CA on shareholder issue Ideoblog has posted a copy of the ruling (.pdf) San Francisco & UC NewsNew UC president unveils accountability initiative for public data University of California President Mark Yudof yesterday outlined a sweeping accountability initiative that he said will allow regents and the public to measure the system's performance on an array of fronts, from access and affordability to student performance. .. Yudof said the collection and disclosure of hard data would give the public a new window into the system and help regents plot the university's future and make budgeting decisions. George W. Bush Sewage Plant plan is on ballot San Francisco voters will be asked to decide whether to name a city sewage plant in honor of President Bush, after a satiric measure qualified for the November ballot Thursday. Backers of the measure, who for several months circulated a petition to place the measure on the ballot, turned in more than 12,000 signatures on July 7, said organizer Brian McConnell. ... The measure, if passed, would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. McConnell said the intent is to remember the Bush administration and what the group sees as the president's mistakes, including the war in Iraq. State/LocalGrowing cities may outsource ambulance care Apple Valley, Lakeville and Farmington are considering replacing their current ambulance service because of growth in the communities, leaving local paramedics worried that they may lose their jobs. With the number of medical emergencies steadily rising, leaders of the cities' cooperative ambulance service say it may be time to hire a contractor. ALF (for Apple Valley, Lakeville and Farmington) Ambulance has invited outside providers to submit proposals by Aug. 5 to take over the job starting in January, though the plan aims to retain current workers. ... "This came as a big surprise to us," said Sturz, who found out about the plan last month. His union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), had gotten no prior indication that there were problems, and paramedic supervisors said just a few months ago that they weren't concerned about the 24-hour shifts, he said. The union hopes to find a way to keep the current service running, he said. Jobs cut from St. Peter hospital The Minnesota Department of Human Services confirms it is cutting 55 positions at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter to help resolve an $11 million budget shortfall. Almost 200 sex offenders are on the campus, and another 327 mentally ill patients are treated in the hospital. .... "Most of these folks would be in prison if they weren't mentally ill," noted AFSCME union director Eliot Seide. "So reducing the number of security personnel in this setting puts both those employees at risk and the community at risk." Public employees’ union endorses slots referendum The union representing more than 60,000 state and local employees came out strongly for the constitutional amendment authorizing slot machine gambling on the November ballot, saying jobs and services will have to be cut if the referendum fails. “We already have a $200 million deficit,” said Patrick Moran, state director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “Public employees have borne the brunt” of earlier budget cuts. If slots gambling doesn’t pass, “state budget makers will certainly cut services.” Related articles:
D.C. Child Agency To Borrow Staff, Hire Workers With the recent deaths of several children and a major backlog of cases, the District's child welfare agency will "act on an emergency basis" by pulling in social workers from other city offices and hiring more staff, a top city official said yesterday, one day after the resignation of the troubled agency's director. ... The typical agency social worker handles 35 to 40 cases, compared with the national recommended load of 12 to 16, experts said. "The system is broke. Morale is in the toilet," said Geo. T. Johnson, executive director of District Council 20 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Johnson said the problem wouldn't be solved by appointing a new director, but by reducing the caseload, which he said his union has been trying to push since last year. Shelter home closing date delayed The closing date for the Madison County Shelter Care Home was pushed back from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17 because of legal discrepancies in the notice of closure letter sent to the 38 residents. .... Despite the announced closure of the Shelter Care Home, area organizations including the United Congregations of the Metro-East, AARP, Association of State, County and Municipal Employees, Friends of Shelter Care and the residents and their representatives are collecting signatures to put the question about closing the site on the November ballot, according to Doris Robinson, secretary for United Congregations. AFSCME Kentucky Corrections Officers An AFSCME C.O. from Minnesota talks about her experiences organizing and talking with Kentucky C.O.'s. CSEA proposes settlement with village over retirees' benefits A lawsuit filed against South Glens Falls on behalf of retired village employees could be dropped if village officials agree to provide the retirees with a so-called Medicare Advantage Plan. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Saratoga County in July 2007, accuses the village of breaching its contract with retirees 65 and older when it required they choose between medical insurance coverage or Medicare coverage. The village had previously provided both. A lawyer for the Civil Service Employees Association, which represents the retirees, asked the Village Board on Wednesday to provide the retirees with a Medicare Advantage Plan that he said would cost the village less and provide equal or better coverage than the current insurance. Party to benefit Operation Sunshine Each day brings operation Sunshine that much closer to its $52,400 summer fundraising goal, and Jeff Williams of CSEA intends to bring the total beyond its goal with an event he’s hosting this weekend. At $52,087 Thursday evening, just over $300 remains to be collected for the Observer-Dispatch charity that helps send kids to summer camp. ... “We’re trying to raise money to help out for kids in Operation Sunshine, said Ralph Cavo, vice president of CSEA. “This is our unit of the union’s first year trying a fundraiser of this magnitude. We donate to a lot of charitable organizations, and we’re just trying to get people in the area to come out and raise as much money as they can for these kids.” Group resubmits sewer petitions With the ball back in their court, Citizens to Save Our Sewers and Water on Thursday resubmitted their petitions seeking a November vote on a proposal to lease Akron's sewers and other public utilities. ''We now have 157 petitions and 5,615 signatures. That's more than we had last time,'' said Willie Smith, president of Save Our Sewers (SOS), a coalition of union members and concerned citizens seeking to amend the city's charter to require that any action to sell, lease or transfer a public utility be approved by voters. .... Jack Sombati, a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and of SOS, said he is offended by the mayor's attempts to ''Swift boat'' — a reference to attack ads aired during the 2004 presidential campaign — the organization and its backers. Toledo schools finishing '08-'09 budget Toledo Public Schools is finalizing a $363 million operating budget for the current fiscal year that includes changes in union contracts. The budget for the 2008-2009 school year anticipates the district generating about $2 million less and spending about $19 million more than last year. Much of that extra money will be spent as a result of salary and benefit changes in the contract with the Toledo Federation of Teachers and pending contracts with the district's other unions - the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Bucks OKs pact with largest union / With 3% and 4% hikes, workers must pay toward health. Bucks County Commissioners approved a five-year contract with the county's largest employee union Wednesday night, ending several weeks of sparring with opponents of the deal. The contract awards the 892 mostly clerical employees raises of 3 percent from 2008 to 2011, and a 4 percent increase in 2012 -- costing the county about an additional $5 million over its life. It also requires union members, for the first time, to pay up to 1.5 percent of their income for health insurance. ... Opponents of the deal with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who argued with Cawley repeatedly over its provisions, were not impressed. Reform state government to help voting, share pain Lately there has been a lot of discussion about the Reform Michigan Government Now! ballot issue. Who's behind it? Where did it come from? Let me set the record straight. Concerned political activists from the Republican and Democratic sides came together to initiate this proposal. I am one of them. Our group includes regular citizens, lawyers, labor leaders and union members, as well as elected officials and party (Democrat and Republican) activists. Some AFL-CIO-affiliated unions support this effort, as do many individuals. This is a grassroots campaign. Nursery arbitration ordered A Wayne County Circuit Court judge granted a union's request Thursday to order arbitration in its grievance against the City of Detroit for putting a nonprofit group in charge of an abandoned nursery on the city's west side. The Greening of Detroit won approval earlier this month from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and the City Council to clean up the W.I. Meyers Nursery -- which has been abandoned for three years -- and use it to grow trees to be planted throughout the city. But the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has objected, saying the collective bargaining agreement with the city requires any employees at the nursery to be subject to the bargaining agreement, meaning union employees would have to work there. An arbiter could hold a hearing in 30 days. Legislature considers raiding voter-approved funds Legislative leaders are drafting a complicated scheme to help close the state's massive deficit by raiding funds voters have set aside for transportation and local government services, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday, adding that it probably would force a state sales tax hike. .. Officials involved in the confidential budget negotiations, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said lawmakers also were looking to borrow $200 million voters set aside for early childhood education programs through 1998's Proposition 10. Council, mayor spar over furloughs The mayor and City Council were locked in a dispute Thursday about who has authority over the pay of the council's employees, with the council saying its staff would not be part of the city's "voluntary furloughs" to balance the budget and the administration of Mayor Scott W. Lang questioning that move. The City Council's 11 members are subject to the furloughs, which amount to a cut of about 1/40th in annual pay, because they voted in May to support Mayor Lang's furlough program. .... The local chapter of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees voted for the furloughs and all administrative and non-union city employees are affected by Mayor Lang's executive order on furloughs. Unions protest mayor over wage freeze, Slay assistant enjoys hefty pay raise To the chant of “Mayor Slay, where’s our pay?” more than 100 union workers and supporters, black and white, protested outside City Hall last Friday in reaction to Slay reneging on pay-increase promises. .. The gathering on Friday included members of Firefighters Local 73 and the Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality, as well as workers from IBEW Locals 2 and 4, Operating Engineers Local 148, Plumbers and Pipefitters 562, Painters’ District Council 2, AFSCME 410, Teamsters, Carpenters District Council and other unions. Could obese state workers pay higher premiums? State employees who are significantly overweight could pay more in health insurance premiums. The State Employees Insurance board will meet in August to discuss whether to charge extremely overweight state employees $24 a month more in health insurance premiums, the same charge for smokers, SEIB chief operating officer Gary Matthews said Thursday. ... The SEIB notes that in 2007, nearly 43 in 100 state employees were overweight and 19 in 100 were extremely overweight with a body mass index of 35 or above. Based on 37,500 state employees, that's about 7,100 extremely overweight employees who would have to pay the $288 annual surcharge unless they start to lose weight or have medical excuses. Property tax restraint appears headed for election ballot Former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle’s constitutional amendment to limit property taxes is closer to being added to the November ballot. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled today that signatures on the initiative petition submitted through Thursday, June 17, should be accepted as valid. A constitutional amendment setting the deadline at June 17 supercedes a law that established a May 20 deadline, the court said. Previous Daily Newswires |
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