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August 21, 2008National/PoliticalObama stresses importance of unions Barack Obama held a discussion on the economy at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia today. The Democratic presidential contender reinforced the fact that he is a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act. The legislation would allow labor organizations to unionize workplaces without secret ballot elections. The bill was co-sponsored by Obama and opposed by his Republican rival John McCain. Unions Take the Lead at Democratic National Convention AFSCME Takes Largest AFL-CIO Delegation to the Democratic National Convention / Union Sets Plans for Its Biggest Mobilization Program Ever The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is taking the largest delegation in the AFL-CIO to the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week. More than 150 AFSCME members from across the country will serve as delegates, alternates and committee members. AFSCME, widely regarded as America’s most politically active and powerful labor union, will host daily caucuses and events for its members that include governors, members of Congress and other special guests. The AFSCME caucus meetings will be held daily beginning Sunday, August 24, through Thursday, August 28. AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee chairs the AFL-CIO’s Political Committee. Chibebe: Zimbabwe’s Union Movement Remains Strong Zimbabwe’s union movement remains strong, despite the government’s reign of terror and oppression, Wellington Chibebe, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), told a crowd of about 100 last evening in a forum at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C. …… Zimbabwe is “a nation in crisis,” says AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy, who chairs the AFL-CIO Executive Council’s international affairs committee. Lucy, who introduced Chibebe at the open forum, says the crisis in Zimbabwe: affects every aspect of life, and it is all caused by the incredible desire of a government to hang on to power no matter what. U.S. Rep. Van Hollen, State Delegates Call for Fiscal Relief for Maryland Families Tuesday, U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Maryland State Delegates Gerron Levi, Bill Bronrott, James E. Proctor, Jr., and Heather Mizeur and former Talbot County Councilmember Hilary Spence on a telephonic press conference call to discuss the budget crisis facing Maryland. The speakers also urged Congress to help protect Maryland’s families with a fiscal relief package. The press conference also featured the release of a new report on Maryland’s budget crisis by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The report highlights the immediate need for aid to Maryland with a series of recommendations for Congressional action to protect Maryland families. McCain and Obama tax plans diverge on wealth True to party doctrine, the GOP candidate's economic proposals would ease the burden on the rich, while the Democratic candidate's would increase it. How Obama Reconciles Dueling Views on Economy As Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic nomination this week, it is clear that the economic policies of the next president are going to be hugely important. Ever since Wall Street bankers were called back from their vacations last summer to deal with the convulsions in the mortgage market, the economy has been lurching from one crisis to the next. The International Monetary Fund has described the situation as “the largest financial shock since the Great Depression.” The details are too technical for most of us to understand. (They’re too technical for many bankers to understand, which is part of the problem.) But the root cause is simple enough. In some fundamental ways, the American economy has stopped working. Voters in Poll Want Priority to Be Economy, Their Top Issue Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are heading into their conventions neck and neck in the presidential race, with voters focused overwhelmingly on economic issues but convinced that the candidates are not paying enough attention to their priorities, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. McCain Closes Gap on Obama In Poll as Conventions Loom (no link) Sen. John McCain has all but closed the gap with Sen. Barack Obama, underscoring how international crises -- and some well-placed negative ads -- have boosted the prospects of the Republican presidential candidate. A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll also points to a big challenge for Sen. Obama as his party gathers in Denver next week for its convention: rallying Sen. Hillary Clinton's supporters to his cause. Only half of those who voted for Sen. Clinton in the primaries say they are now supporting Sen. Obama. One in five is supporting Sen. McCain. The Republican has reached out to Clinton supporters by offering steady praise for the former first lady and hinting that he'd be open to a running mate who supports abortion rights. Report Rejects Medicare Boast of Paring Fraud Medicare’s top officials said in 2006 that they had reduced the number of fraudulent and improper claims paid by the agency, keeping billions of dollars out of the hands of people trying to game the system. But according to a confidential draft of a federal inspector general’s report, those claims of success, which earned Medicare wide praise from lawmakers, were misleading. In calculating the agency’s rate of improper payments, Medicare officials told outside auditors to ignore government policies that would have accurately measured fraud, according to the report. For example, auditors were told not to compare invoices from salespeople against doctors’ records, as required by law, to make sure that medical equipment went to actual patients. ……. Some lawmakers and Congressional staff members say the irregularities that the inspector general found were tantamount to corruption and raise broader questions about the credibility of other Medicare figures. ……. The report — a draft of which was obtained by The New York Times — will probably be made public within the next week, according to federal officials. McCain unsure how many houses he owns Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own. "I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you." The correct answer is at least four, located in Arizona, California and Virginia, according to his staff. Newsweek estimated this summer that the couple owns at least seven properties. Risk assessment planned for voting systems / Election Assistance Commission assessment to create benchmark for new voluntary guidelines Labor Dept: Fewer workers killed on job in 2007 The number of workers killed on the job annually dropped to a historic low in 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Wednesday. The number of worker deaths dropped to 5,488 last year -- the fewest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track in 1992. That's down 6 percent from the 5,840 deaths reported in 2006. Still, the government found significant increases in some types of fatal injuries: a record number of workers died from falls and the number of workplace homicides increased 13 percent. States push laws to require paid sick days … About 46 million U.S. workers lack paid sick days, but lawmakers in 12 states — including California, Connecticut, Minnesota and West Virginia — have proposed legislation in the past year that would require businesses to provide them. ……. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 43% of the private industry labor force worked in 2007 without paid sick time, a group primarily made up of low-paid employees at small businesses. ……. Paid sick days are already law in Washington, D.C., where employees earn days off based on the number of hours worked and the size of the business, and in San Francisco, which requires one hour sick leave for every 30 hours worked. New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday. The plan, which could be made public next month, has already generated intense interest and speculation. Little is known about its precise language, but civil liberties advocates say they fear it could give the government even broader license to open terrorism investigations. Web site to educate employers about hiring vets They survived war, but for some veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, returning to work back home hasn't been easy. An estimated 300,000 veterans from the two wars have come home with mental health problems, so-called invisible wounds, and about the same number suffered head injuries, according to a private study by the RAND Corp. think tank. Associated problems can include depression, flashbacks, irritability, headaches and short-term memory loss. ……. Starting Wednesday, the Labor Department is making available to current or potential employers resources to help them better understand the mental health issues veterans may face. It is rolling out a Web site, America's Heroes at Work, and has created a toll-free number, 800-526-7234, for employers with questions. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones dies Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) died Wednesday at the age of 58, becoming the seventh member of the House to die in office since January 2007. A Huron Hospital spokeswoman said Tubbs Jones had suffered an aneurysm that caused her to lose consciousness while driving her car near Cleveland Tuesday night. White House missing hundreds of days of e-mail The White House is missing as many as 225 days of e-mail dating back to 2003 and there is little if any likelihood a recovery effort will be completed by the time the Bush administration leaves office, according to an internal White House draft document obtained by the Associated Press. The nine-page outline of the White House's e-mail problems invites companies to bid on a project to recover the missing electronic messages. A Labor Book Liberals Should Read: Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi It's always hard to know what book to recommend to liberal friends looking to understand the labor movement, since you want a book that has frames of reference that non-labor folks can identify with, yet gets to the meat of what unions are about. So my new first choice may be The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor: The Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi, a book that will introduce them to a labor leader they may not understand existed, one who fought for civil rights in the workplace before anyone had heard of Martin Luther King Jr., who as a leader of unions in defense industries actually led labor opposition to nuclear testing and the Vietnam War, who built a labor-environmental alliance with Ralph Nader and others around pollution in the workplace, and whose history within his union, the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers (OCAW) can give a wonderful sense of the internal life of the best of labor institutions. State/LocalGovernor Carcieri is barred from forcing any state employees — outside the executive branch — to pay more for their health insurance A Superior Court judge has told the largest state employees union that it is up to the Rhode Island Labor Relations Board — not the courts — to decide whether Governor Carcieri can, by executive order, force thousands of state employees who work for the executive branch to pay a greater share of their health costs, a move the governor has been counting on to save $10 million. But the judge yesterday flatly barred Carcieri for imposing similar increase on state workers employed by the other branches of government: the courts and General Assembly. In the 19-page decision (.pdf) she issued yesterday, Superior Court Judge Patricia Hurst criticized Carcieri for taking the position that he can disregard “the laws of the state when he deems it expedient,” and trying to deflect blame for the state’s current financial predicament. …… But Republican Carcieri nonetheless declared her decision a “victory,” that will allow him to retroactively — and without further negotiation — require higher health-insurance contributions from thousands of members of Council 94, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — and several smaller unions — who soundly rejected the proposals in contract votes last month. Related articles: Appeals court: City workers can't sue if jobs go private A Detroit ordinance designed to give city employees protection against proposals to privatize public services does not give those employees the right to sue the city if a privatization proposal goes ahead, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled. Reversing a Wayne County Circuit Court decision, the appeals court, in a 2-1 decision released Wednesday morning, said Detroit City Council exceeded its authority when it adopted a Privatization Ordinance that included the right for public employees to go to court to enforce the ordinance. Taxpayer-funded entities, like cities, counties and the state, are generally immune from lawsuit unless immunity has been waived by state law. The lawsuit was filed in 2005 by Albert Garrett, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 25, who claimed City Council violated the ordinance by not allowing public employees a last chance bid on services slated to be bid out, or voting to waive the ordinance requirements. Related article from the Detroit News: Court tosses class-action suit from laid off city of Detroit workers Widespread random drug testing planned for state employees Thousands of Utah state employees may soon have to submit to random drug testing, under a plan being discussed by government officials. Employees with access to "highly sensitive" information, which could include addresses, Social Security numbers, bank accounts and medical history details would be tested. …… Although he acknowledged the plan may be challenged in the courts, Torgensen said he believed Utah could successfully defend such testing. ……. Utah passed a law allowing drug testing of government employees in 1989. Related article from the Salt Lake Tribune: State employees handling sensitive data may be drug-checked Lawmakers question official on guv's four-day workweek While it's barely three weeks old, state lawmakers want to know how the governor's new baby - the four-day workweek - really behaves. The only answer, so far, is that it's still too early to tell. "Has public service suffered with state offices being closed on Fridays?" Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, wanted to know. 2,000 people flood Pontiac High School during prison hearing Local officials wanted a large turnout for the much anticipated public hearing regarding the closing of the Pontiac Correctional Center on Wednesday night. Well, they got it. Approximately 2,000 people flooded the Pontiac Township High School auditorium, the lobby area outside of the auditorium and even the adjacent gymnasium. They came to hear what the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the numerous public officials, businesses, economic groups and area residents had to say. Village to institute volunteer-based road maintenance program A Wauconda village union made its claim this week for the village's new Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A-Hydrant programs. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2904 will clean about two miles of Anderson Road from the "T" intersection at Route 176 to the village limits, said Wauconda Water Reclamation Department Foreman Jacob Mann. Twenty-two village union employees will pick up cans, bottles and paper, he said. Starting this fall, the project will be three times a year, and the village will be notified in advance so it can pick up trash bags for the program. Portage transit talks to continue today KENT: Both sides in union contract talks between the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 037 were expected to meet at 3 p.m. today at PARTA headquarters in Kent with a federal mediator. The union on Aug. 15 filed a 10-day strike notice with the transit authority. The union, which represents between 55 and 65 full- and part-time workers, is trying to get its first contract with PARTA. Hearing date means California workers get full pay for August California workers targeted by a gubernatorial order to cut their pay to federal minimum wage have dodged that bullet – at least for August. A Sacramento Superior Court judge Wednesday set a hearing to decide the pay dispute for Sept. 12, too late to affect this month's payroll. Judge Timothy Frawley's timetable ensures that 145,000 state employees and an additional 30,000 managers and supervisors will receive full pay for August. COUNTY LEGISLATURE: Deputies new deal is approved Members of the Niagara County Legislature on Wednesday approved a new contract with Sheriff’s Department road patrol deputies that the county manager believes sets a good precedent for labor deals to come. ….. The new deal, Lewis said, achieves several goals the county had entering into talks, including a desire to bring all of the road patrol deputies into the county’s self-funded, single provider health insurance plan. The county’s plan already covers members of the Civil Service Employees Association, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, DSA — the union representing corrections officers and E911 dispatchers — as well as all of the county’s non-union employees. The road patrol deputies had previously been covered by BlueCross Blueshield. Nassau County Legislature OKs health benefits measure The Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved a bill yesterday requiring new, nonunion county employees to have 10 years on the public payroll in New York State, including five with the county, to get lifetime health benefits after retiring. Currently, those employees are eligible after five years on the public payroll, and with as little as one year with the county. The last government employer pays the benefit. Statewide Wireless Network on Ropes An ambitious plan to create an emergency radio network that was intended to connect all emergency agencies and local police and fire departments in New York State appears to be in danger of falling apart. The $2 billion network has been plagued with problems and has also been the victim of the latest round of budget cuts, which included a $40 million cut to the project. Long Thompson calls for review of privatization efforts Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson called Wednesday for a bipartisan review of privatization projects initiated under the administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels, saying some of the deals don't appear to be serving Hoosiers well and actually may be adding to taxpayers' burden. Long Thompson specifically cited the Family and Social Services Administration's eligibility modernization project -- in which a private consortium is being paid more than $1 billion over 10 years to handle initial intake functions formerly done by state workers. Bell builds support in the Central Ward Former Councilman Charles Bell is generating considerable support in the Central Ward as Newarkers continue to jockey for position in the event that former Councilwoman Dana Rone loses her appeals and does not return to the governing body. "I did pick up the petitions and I had more than enough as of last night's gathering," Bell told PolitickerNJ.com. "I am running, yes, but at the same time, I'm hoping Miss. Rone is successful in her appeals. That would solve my problems, but if she is not successful I am prepared." …… "It was a gathering of some supporters who are supportive of me going back into the system to help stabilize it," said Bell, 65, a retired labor official with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers Union who served on the School Board for 27 years before serving on the City Council from 2002 to 2006. He is also a veteran of the Newark Housing Authority. Alabama to Charge Obese State Employees More Alabama state employees suffering from obesity and three other health problems will eventually have to pay extra for their health insurance if they don't try to control their problems. The State Employees' Insurance Board has approved a plan that will charge state workers an extra $25 per month, starting January 2010, if they don't have a free health screening. If the screening turns up no problems, they don't have to pay the $25 in the future. |
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