|
Press Room | ||
July 11, 2008National/PoliticalMcCain, Obama Economic Messages Thrown Off Course by Diversions John McCain and Barack Obama sharpened their differences this week on economic policy, the top concern of most Americans, though their messages were sidetracked by self-generated diversions. .. The flap over Gramm followed a misstep on Social Security on July 7, when McCain said it was a ``disgrace'' that ``we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers.'' Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and an Obama supporter, said McCain proved he ``doesn't understand how the Social Security system works. It's always been pay-as-you-go.'' The Candidates Speak Off the Cuff, and Trouble Quickly Follows .. Groups supporting Mr. Obama have been quick to jump on Mr. McCain’s statements. “Multimillionaires like John McCain and George W. Bush don’t have to worry about making ends meet, and they could care less about a program that has proven its worth for generations of Americans,” Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, wrote on the Huffington Post blog. McCain: A Campaign-Changing Mistake? ... AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, writing on the Huffington Post: "John McCain admits that he doesn't know a lot about the economy. Now we also learn that he doesn't know a lot about Social Security." Related articles
Guest Editorial: Organized labor must not take African-Americans for granted There is no question the civil rights and labor movements have shared a public commitment to issues of parity and justice affecting African Americans and working people over the years. Forty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King embodied that partnership when he led his last march for justice in support of the striking sanitation workers of AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis. But, it is also true that the union movement has been slow to practice what it preaches when it comes to equality within its own ranks. ... Listen to what William Lucy, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer and the highest ranking African-American in American labor has to say. In remarks to a 2005 national summit on labor and diversity in Chicago, Lucy said that at a time when the vast majority of new union members are women and people of color, “a majority of people of color still encounter barriers to gaining leadership positions within their union and even where they have reached leadership positions, they face additional challenges.” Lucy recommends mentoring support, education, training, and other pro-active efforts to achieve opportunities and equality within the union movement. Government Rule Makers Looking at Pensions As cities and states struggle with ballooning retirement costs, accounting rule makers started an ambitious project Thursday to force state and local governments to issue better numbers and reveal the true cost of their pension promises. .. In a public meeting here on Thursday, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board began the project by tackling just this issue: whether the accounting rules must be changed to stop systematically undercounting pension costs. Proponents of sweeping change say the rules now give rise to bad numbers everywhere — not just when governments are cutting corners or making mistakes, but even when the plans are run responsibly. .. A report recently prepared by the accounting board’s staff shows a variety of ways in which cities and states have been losing track of their pension obligations, even as they issued detailed annual statements. The report said, for instance, that many places had given retirees retroactive pension increases without recognizing the added cost. The practice may be unsound, but the current accounting rules do not proscribe it. State and Local Government Pension Plans: Current Structure and Funded Status Millions of state and local government employees are promised pension benefits when they retire. Although these benefits are not subject, for the most part, to federal laws governing private sector benefits, there is a federal interest in ensuring that all American have a secure retirement, as reflected in the special tax treatment provided for private and public pension funds. Recently, new accounting standards have called for the reporting of liabilities for future retiree health benefits. It is unclear what actions state and local governments may take once the extent of these liabilities become clear but such anticipated fiscal and economic challenges have raised questions about the unfunded liabilities for state and local retiree benefits, including pension benefits. GAO was asked to report on (1) the current structure of state and local government pension plans and how pension benefits are protected and managed, and (2) the current funded status of state and local government pension plans. GAO spoke to a wide range of public experts and officials from various federal and nongovernmental entities, made several site visits and gathered detailed information about state benefits, and analyzed self-reported data on the funded status of state and local pension plans from the Public Fund Survey and Public Pension Coordinating Council. .... . Many experts consider a funded ratio (actuarial value of assets divided by actuarial accrued liabilities) of about 80 percent or better to be sound for government pensions. We found that 58 percent of 65 large pension plans were funded to that level in 2006, a decrease since 2000 when about 90 percent of plans were so funded. McCain Adviser Refers to ‘Nation of Whiners’ Senator John McCain has spent the week trying to tell people that he feels their economic pain. So it was more than a little unhelpful when one of his top economic advisers was quoted Thursday as saying that the United States was only in a “mental recession” and that it had become a “nation of whiners.” The adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, Republican of Texas, sought to clarify his remarks Thursday by saying he had been referring only to some of the nation’s leaders. But it was too late to keep from complicating things for Mr. McCain, who has been trying to strike a more empathetic tone after sometimes struggling to maintain a balance between displays of optimism about the nation’s future and demonstrating an understanding of Americans’ economic hardships. New poll shows Obama ahead, with ominous signs for McCain .. Among all voters, Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by 48 to 40 percent. Pew polled 2,004 people by land line and cell phone from June 18 to 29. A Hint of New Life to a McCain Birth Issue In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a “natural-born citizen.” The analysis, by Prof. Gabriel J. Chin, focused on a 1937 law that has been largely overlooked in the debate over Mr. McCain’s eligibility to be president. The law conferred citizenship on children of American parents born in the Canal Zone after 1904, and it made John McCain a citizen just before his first birthday. But the law came too late, Professor Chin argued, to make Mr. McCain a natural-born citizen. McCain's broken marriage and fractured Reagan friendship Outside her Bel-Air home, Nancy Reagan stood arm in arm with John McCain and offered a significant -- but less than exuberant -- endorsement. ... In a written statement, she described McCain as "a good friend for over 30 years." But that friendship was strained in the late 1970s by McCain's decision to divorce his first wife, Carol, who was particularly close to the Reagans, and within weeks marry Cindy Hensley, the young heiress to a lucrative Arizona beer distributorship. ... McCain did not sue his wife for divorce until Feb. 19, 1980, and he wrote in his court petition that he and his wife had "cohabited" until Jan. 7 of that year -- or for the first nine months of his relationship with Hensley. .... The senator has acknowledged that he behaved badly, and that his swift divorce and remarriage brought a cold shoulder from the Reagans that lasted years. President George Bush: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter' George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan. The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter." He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock. .. One official who witnessed the extraordinary scene said afterwards: "Everyone was very surprised that he was making a joke about America's record on pollution." Pelosi says House Judiciary may hold hearings on Kucinich impeachment resolution Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House Judiciary Committee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). Kucinich is expected to offer a "privileged resolution" this afternoon calling on the House to look at whether President Bush should be removed from office for lying to Congress and the American public when he sought congressional approval back in 2002 for taking military action to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. Make it easier to form union / Reform federal labor organizing law to revive middle class, economy As the election draws closer, we are going to hear a lot about how to improve our economy here in Michigan and across the United States. The Employee Free Choice Act, a proposed law that would boost the power of America's workers, should be a key component of our economic overhaul. It has the potential to revitalize our middle class. Our next president should make signing it into law a top priority. Bush to veto bill restoring Medicare doctors' pay President Bush intends to block a bill protecting doctors from a cut in their Medicare pay, even though Congress seemingly has enough votes to override his veto, a White House spokesman indicated on Thursday. Kennedy’s Big Day .. Later that day, however, those same Senate Democrats won a huge victory on Medicare. News reports stressed the cinematic quality of the event: Ted Kennedy, who is fighting a brain tumor, made a dramatic appearance on the Senate floor, casting the decisive vote amid cheers from his colleagues. (Only one senator was absent: John McCain.) But the vote was bigger than the theatrics. It was the first major health care victory that Democrats have won in a long time. And it was enormously encouraging for advocates of universal health care. ... What it was really about, however, was the fight against creeping privatization. Democrats finally took a stand — and, thanks to Senator Kennedy, seem to have prevailed. The story really begins in 2003, when the Bush administration rammed the Medicare Modernization Act through Congress, literally in the dead of night. That bill established large de facto subsidies for Medicare Advantage plans — plans in which Medicare funds are funneled through private insurance companies, rather than directly paying for care. After Medicare Vote, SCHIP Gets Another Look After watching Republican opposition to a Medicare bill crumble in the Senate this week, emboldened Democrats are considering whether to force a new vote on expanding a children’s health insurance program. Lawmakers, aides and lobbyists say House Democratic leaders may schedule a vote in September on an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a priority for Democrats since they took over Congress last year. State/LocalHartford Schools' Layoffs Confuse, Anger Those Affected .. In the past several weeks, at least 85 employees in the school district have been laid off, most without much warning, according to numbers provided by school employee union heads — 16 special education teachers, 31 custodians, two guidance counselors and 36 secretaries. ... Many of the layoffs since the end of June, according to union heads, have occurred without warning or explanation, prompting outrage and confusion, said Larry Dorman, spokesman for Council 4, the state's largest AFL-CIO union, which represents about 35,000 employees in state and local government and school systems. ... Mark Blumenthal, president of AFSCME Local 566, which represents district custodians, said service workers are the "bloodstream" of the system. Budget woes to hit 300 Wayne County workers Nearly 300 Wayne County workers will report to reassignments -- at a lower pay rate -- or the unemployment office come Monday, barring an 11th hour deal. County officials said Thursday they'll continue to negotiate, but union workers say the notices ordering employees for reassignments or layoffs had been received over the last several days. It appears the county made up its mind weeks ago to go through with layoffs, said Bob Smilley, president of AFSCME Local 101. Akron receives sewer petition / Grass-roots group seeks amendment to charter regarding leasing, selling Akron voters are one step closer to having a say in deciding whether the city's sewers will be sold or leased. Petitions bearing 5,293 signatures were presented Thursday morning to the clerk of Akron City Council by members of Citizens to Save Our Sewers and Water. ...Jack Sombati, SOS campaign coordinator and an official for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the union that represents Akron's sewer and water department workers, called the mayor's desire to raise scholarship money for Akron students honorable. However, he said selling off the city's sewers isn't the way to do it. State workers taking a hard look at contract proposal The votes are starting to roll in on new contracts that would leave most state workers without raises this year and force them to pay more and more each year for their health insurance packages, until they are paying up to 25 percent of the premiums. .... And several thousand other state workers are caught in the middle of a war between leaders of the largest employees union, Council 94, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that has put that union’s executive director — and lead negotiator — Dennis Grilli on the defensive about his own raise and the $10,044 “waiver payment” he got for taking his wife’s state-provided health insurance, instead of a union package. Stunned that after 30 years in the union trenches he has become one of the targets of the angry debate, Grilli this week said he would give up the 3 percent raise awarded him by his union’s leadership board last spring that boosted his salary to $102,900 a year. .. Among the highlights of the Council 94 contract proposal: raises of zero, 2.5 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent during each of the next four years; a one-day pay reduction in the current year that employees can recoup as a paid leave day; and escalating increases in the percentage-of-premium the employees will be required to pay for their health insurance that will hit some — who are currently paying a relatively small percentage of their salary for the coverage — harder than others. Arbitration panel awards Phila. police one-year deal An arbitration panel awarded a labor contract yesterday that gives most Philadelphia police officers raises of about 5 percent, cuts how much the city spends on officers' health care, and lasts only one year. ... Speaking not for attribution, people involved in ongoing negotiations with District Councils 33 and 47 said those unions would push for many of the same terms awarded to the police. The city has also been pressing those unions for one-year deals, the sources said, but on Wednesday, District Council 33 - the largest union, with 9,400 members - told the city it wanted a longer contract. Contracts for police, other workers approved North Huntingdon residents can expect labor peace for municipal employees over the next four years. Township commissioners recently approved a new four-year bargaining agreement with township police, who negotiated the deal six months before the contract was set to expire. Earlier this year, the board approved a new four-year bargaining agreement with public works and administrative employees and police dispatchers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Westrum resigns for new jail job WISCASSET — Sagadahoc County Sheriff Mark Westrum has accepted an offer from the Lincoln and Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority to take the helm of the Two Bridges Regional Jail. Westrum has been the interim corrections administrator since May, when Leonard LeGrand resigned suddenly for personal reasons. .. Aaron Skolfield, president of the local American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents sheriff's department employees, said he was pleased with Westrum's resignation. City workers get space in center parking garage City employees will use about 20 percent of the parking spaces in the garage under the new convention center following a City Council policy vote Wednesday night. ... Union officials are pleased with the decision, although they plan to push for more spaces for employees during upcoming contract negotiations, said Nick Lovato, vice president of the city's chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Bill would help poor use law providing larger refunds Annie Lewis, a nurses’ aide at Buffalo General Hospital in Western New York for the past 35 years, is a typically underpaid health care worker. Over these three-plus decades, Lewis has raised her children, some of her grandchildren, and currently her 6- year-old niece, Nadia, without ever making more than $29,000 a year. Each spring, she paid to have her taxes done. She was never informed about the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides a refundable income tax credit for low-and moderate-income working individuals and families. The EITC, hiding in plain view, is one of the government’s best-kept secrets. State not moving toward alternate work schedules Iowa won’t follow in the footsteps of other states by introducing a four-day workweek for state employees any time soon. News from San Francisco and UCUC asks state board to help block hospital strike University of California officials have asked the state's Public Employment Relations Board to obtain a court order to prevent a strike July 14 by the union representing service and patient-care workers at university campuses and hospitals. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Thursday morning that its bargaining unit representing service workers, whose jobs range from cleaning dorm rooms to serving hospital meals, would hold a strike July 14. Related articles:
SF Expands Universal Health Care Program Backed by doctors and administrators for Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom spoke Thursday on the current success and future expansion of Healthy San Francisco, the city's year-old universal health care program. Since the program was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors last July, nearly 26,000 city residents have enrolled at an average rate of 600 per week, and the number of hospitals participating has increased from one to five, Newsom said. San Francisco LaborFest 2008: July 5 - July 31 LaborFest was established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival. It begins every July 5th, which is the anniversary of the 1934 “Bloody Thursday” event. On that day, two maritime workers Howard Sperry, member of the ILA and George Coundourakis of the Marine Cooks and Stewards were killed by the police attack on strikers and their supporters. |
 |
 |
|
.gif)
