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August 25, 2008National/PoliticalOrganized for Obama / 18 union leaders speak, rallying their workers behind the candidate Organized labor flexed its muscle and its vocal cords Sunday during a rally in support of Barack Obama on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. … Eighteen labor leaders spoke to unite union members behind Obama and against presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. … "This race is still too tight and many of our members are for this guy (McCain)," said Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "It's too close. We've got to fight like hell. We even have to fight with some of our own members." Fractured labor unions displays unity at DNC rally A divided labor movement has begun to show signs of unity again. … American Federation of State and Municipal Employees' President Gerald McEntee told the boisterous crowd that labor has been a "sleeping giant" that has just started to stir again in recent years. McEntee drew cheers from the placard-waving union members when he told them the labor movement's "really gotta wake up now. . . . It's now or never." Related articles: Word Of Mouth Fueled Obama's Star Turn How did an obscure state senator from Illinois get tapped to deliver the extraordinary 2004 keynote address that vaulted him onto the national stage and sparked talk that one day he might be the Democrats' presidential nominee? Barack Obama's name was put on the short list by John Kerry's convention manager, Jack Corrigan, who had first heard of him less than a year before. In fall 2003, Corrigan, who is a Boston lawyer and a longtime Democratic operative, got a call from an old political buddy, Henry Bayer, who wanted a favor. Bayer is executive director of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees' Council 31, which represents Illinois public employees. He had been Corrigan's boss when they worked together on the 1974 re-election campaign of Democratic Rep. Abner Mikva in Chicago. Bayer vividly recalls telling Corrigan about Obama, then an underdog candidate for the U.S. Senate: "I said, 'This is a good guy. He's going to be a great senator. You should raise money for him.'" Delaware's Day / Delegates From Biden's Home State Savor VP Pick In Scranton, celebration for local boy who made good … "He's experienced. He's one of the most intelligent men I ever heard speak. He can talk to normal people," said Jack Evans, 48, president of the Lackawana County AFSCME union, which endorsed Mrs. Clinton in the primary but now backs Mr. Obama. Excitement builds for DNC bash … Under DNC rules, delegates pledged to a certain candidate must vote for that person during the first round of voting for the Democratic nominee at the convention. That means Austintown Trustee David Ditzler and Jaladah Aslam of Austintown, both Clinton supporters, will vote for her. But both said they are committed to working hard to get Obama elected president. … This is the first convention for Aslam, a staff representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8 union. “I don’t know what to expect [but] I’m very excited,” she said. “Obama accepting the nomination is historic.” New Jersey delegates grasp ticket's historic significance … Union leader Sherryl Gordon, executive director of AFSCME Council 1, a delegate who switched her support to Obama when it became evident Clinton wasn't going to win, calls Obama the "right candidate at the right place at the right time." Clinton's union supporters key to Obama's chances / 'It is going to take a lot of work by the Democrats at the convention and beyond to unify the party base.' Tom Ritchie and Marica Knox, both from the Dayton-area, are here as Hillary Clinton delegates to the Democratic National Convention, but both are already backing Barack Obama in the November election. "If you were for Hillary, you have to be for Barack," said Knox, on Sunday, Aug. 24. Knox, like Ritchie, is a leader in AFSCME, the largest public employee and health care workers union in the United States. Sweeney on Biden: We’re More Enthusiastic Than Ever AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says Barack Obama’s selection of Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) as his running mate “has affirmed the judgment it takes to be president of the United States and an understanding of the team it will take to turn around America.” AFL-CIO to target a million voters this week AFL-CIO officials have kicked off their push to introduce Barack Obama to union voters in 24 “priority” states, unveiling a mail piece that will go out to more than a million swing voters in four states this week. The effort is part of a $53 million dollar mobilization, the largest in the AFL-CIO’s history. K Street Files: Union Dues Uninsured to Spend $30 Billion, Study Says (no link) Americans who lack health insurance will spend about $30 billion out of pocket on medical care this year, but others -- mainly the government -- will end up covering another $56 billion in costs, according to a new study. The tab to cover all the uninsured would be $208.6 billion -- $122.6 billion more than this year's projected total -- mainly because people with insurance tend to use more health-care services, the study found. The report from researchers at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and the Urban Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., is to be published Monday in the journal Health Affairs online. New Insurance, Poverty Data to Play in Races (no link) On Tuesday, with the Democratic National Convention in its second day, the Census Bureau will release two reports detailing the poverty rate, income and the number of Americans without health insurance. They are sure to find traction in the presidential race, where health care remains a large issue. 8 States Cut From System That Tracks Rate of H.I.V. Eight states and Puerto Rico will no longer receive federal money for an advanced H.I.V. monitoring system that showed that the annual infection rate in the nation was 40 percent higher than previously estimated, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The change will lower the number of jurisdictions using the system to 25, from 34, just as health departments are struggling to react to the news, released earlier this month, that the spread of AIDS is far worse than they had thought. The jurisdictions that lost financing were Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Tax loopholes cost billions annually: report Tax and accounting loopholes that largely benefit rich taxpayers and companies cost the U.S. government $20 billion a year even as the pay gap between chief executives and employees has widened, two groups said on Monday. The biggest loss comes from a "stock option accounting double standard" that allows corporations paying executives stock options to deduct more than their actual expenses, they said. For example, when UnitedHealth Group Inc paid CEO William McGuire 9 million stock options, it put on its financial statement that the compensation cost the company nothing, according to the Institute for Policy Studies and the group United for a Fair Economy. But it claimed a tax deduction of $317.7 million, the groups said. … A practice known as deferred compensation -- which allows executives to defer an unlimited amount of pay -- costs the government $80.6 million a year, while other loopholes bring the total lost tax revenue to $20 billion, the groups said. … The report said large U.S. companies paid CEOs an average $10.5 million in compensation last year, 344 times what the average worker earned. Related article from the Kansas City Star: Average taxpayers subsidize executive pay, report says State/LocalState worker briefs - Aug. 25 Bargaining continues for the largest state government employee's union, with talks possibly going into early September. Washington Federation of State Employees executive director Greg Devereux said a new round of talks has not been scheduled, but would talk place in the next two weeks. Related article from the Olympian: Economy may stifle state raises First state worker contract: 1.6, 1.7 percent The Washington Public Employees Association has reached an agreement with Gov. Chris Gregoire's bargaining team for a 1.6 percent general pay raise in 2009, followed by 1.7 percent in 2010. Union members must approve the deal. The union closed bargaining on the contract primary election night, Aug. 19, said Diane Leigh, Gregoire's lead negotiator. It's news to me. I didn't hear from the WPEA about it (no news on their Web site, either), and hadn’t been able to connect with Leigh until today. The largest general government union, the Washington Federation of State Employees, is still at the bargaining table, but if past experience is any indication, all pay raises will follow a very similar scale. Related article from the Associated Press: Wash. gov, 1 union reach early pay raise agreement No employer opts for convict labor plan In this realm, the Department of Corrections has more than enough employees. What it wants are qualified employers. For the first time since a 2004 state Supreme Court ruling, the agency has the ability to contract with private businesses to run operations inside prisons, using inmates for a work force. … The program became the subject of a lawsuit, however, when some businesses said their competitors had an advantage in using state facilities. It led to the 2004 ruling, which cited a constitutional provision dating to 1890, saying the state may not contract out convict labor. Ruling on Council 94 expected Monday Arguments will continue Monday morning on another bid to block the governor from charging state workers more for their health insurance. A Superior Court judge is expected to rule in the Council 94 case Monday. Union members have asked the judge to 'stay' her own order, that clears the way for the governor to charge more pending their appeal. PARTA drivers' union to strike this morning / Employees decide to picket after years of negotiations fail PARTA employees were to strike at 4 a.m. this morning after more than two years of failed contract negotiations. According to a PARTA press release issued yesterday, federal mediator Laura Shepard called a meeting between PARTA's representatives and Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 037, but the two parties did not reach a tentative agreement or meet face to face. Trina Molnar, a field representative for OAPSE Local 037, said about 55 to 65 union members will picket at the PARTA office on Summit Road. Related article from the Plain Dealer: Buses run on time despite strike in Portage County Labor Leader of the Week: Dave Fillman, Executive Director of AFSCME Council 13 Dave Fillman is Executive Director of AFSCME Council 13. Over 65,000 public employees and private non-profit employees around the commonwealth have their union with AFSCME Council 13. Members are employed at the state, county, township, borough, and city level, and in health care and social service facilities. More Pittsburgh school support workers may strike Hundreds of custodians, food-service workers, truck drivers and others in the city's school district have joined clerical workers in threatening to go on strike. Members of two locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have been working under terms of contracts that expired in December 2006. Negotiations were scheduled to resume Monday. Related article from the Post Gazette: City school workers authorize a strike Agency seeks to unionize workers … Only one group of county employees - some 120-plus adult and juvenile probation officers and domestic relations hearing officers - are unionized. This group, which voted for a union in February 2002, is represented by District Council 88 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME also had represented an approximate 245-member group of non-supervisory employees in court-related offices including the deputies but was voted out in January 2006. Shouting at the library … For example, until this summer, when employees voted to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the library had never had a union. The consensus is that the union formed largely in response to the board’s failure to react to deteriorating work conditions under the former library director Cindy Gray. Paul was the first and only board member to go public with concerns about Gray and to call for her resignation. By the time Gray finally did resign, the wedge between management and staff was too deep. Library staff voted by a 56-44 margin to unionize. Related series from the Bloomington Alternative: How public is our library? Administrator: Beatrice center needs staff, funds The top executive of the Beatrice State Developmental Center said Friday that the troubled facility isn't likely to meet federal care standards with the budget available to it currently. Ron Stegemann said the center doesn't get enough money from state government to fill all current vacancies for direct care staff and for health care professionals. The center is short about 90 direct care staff and has no psychiatrist and only limited hours of neurology services. It also has vacancies for speech therapists, physical therapists, among other care positions as well as psychologists and specialists in swallowing disorders. … Mandatory overtime and the possibility of being accused of abuse and neglect make people reluctant to work at the center, said Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, the largest state employees union. "While money is a motivator and money is necessary, job satisfaction is probably more important," he said. "For years, this was the employer of choice in Beatrice. It is now the employer of last resort." Related article from the Omaha World Herald: Developmental center staffing focus of hearings Union, Derby relations in the dump The city tries to bypass the union representing Department of Public Works employees when dealing with employee issues, union leaders charge. The latest dispute over the running of the municipal landfill prompted union officials to speak out against what they term the city's pattern of ignoring union requirements when dealing with issues. "The administration has shown continual disregard for both the workers and the law," said Larry Dorman, Public Affairs Coordinator for AFSCME Council 4, which represents the 25 employees who work for the Public Works and Water Pollution departments. "The employer fails to recognize the union, and with all these issues where we are having to file all these board charges demonstrates in our mind that the employer continues to act in bad faith, denying their rights as both union members and employees of the city." The latest incident came late last month when the Board of Aldermen decided to bring in an outside firm to run the landfill. The board took the action at the end of its July 24 monthly meeting. Gary closes 4 fire stations Four fire stations closed their doors Friday after Mayor Rudy Clay promised to abide by a judge's order and staff four firefighters to every Gary fire engine. ….. Firefighters Local 359 President Raynard Robinson said Friday the administration plans to send 14 workers home without pay beginning Sunday. … Meanwhile, AFSCME Local 4009 declared victory after some of its members returned to a 40-hour work week, and all city unions called on Clay to return to the negotiating table. … Ayanna Wright, president of AFSCME Local 4009, said some of her members are employed to work for grant-funded programs and an AFSCME representative informed the agencies funding those programs of the reduced hours. Now those employees' original hours have been restored. "We're fighting every way we can," Wright said. Which employees take city-owned cars home? … Former Mayor Michael J. Albano tried to curb the number of take-home cars in 1996, issuing an order that all city cars be turned in at the end of the work shift, with a few exceptions. The order was short-lived, however, as one union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Council 93, temporarily won back the right, returning cars to 42 employees, and the issue died. The union represents laborers and foremen in the Public Works and Park departments. Picket at Harvard Square / Standing Up to Union-Busting Here in New England autumn starts early, and on this late August morning the weather was especially chilly. Nonetheless, approximately 65 union members and supporters found their way to the picket planned here in Harvard Square at the Sheraton Commander Hotel on August 20th. The action was organized by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO in protest of an anti-union event being held at the hotel. The event, a day-long seminar organized by an outfit calling itself, “HR Heroes,” was sponsored by M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC, and charged a $500 registration fee for employers and Human Resource Directors wanting to learn how to keep their workplaces union-free. Number of state workers on the rise The state has added about 1,900 new workers in the past year even as Gov. Deval Patrick warns of possible budget cuts to help deal with a $1 billion deficit. Unions consider county health care changes / Plan means workers likely will pay more St. Clair County officials estimate changes in the county's self-funded health care coverage for employees could result in annual savings of $677,780. But that's only if all 20 unions that represent county employees agree to the changes. Even then, it could be several years before all the potential savings are realized. "It's a major change for county employees because county employees haven't paid before," said Jerilyn Brown, president of Local 1089 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. Pontiac prison workers see little reason for closure … One reason that has surfaced in recent weeks has focused on safety. The 137-year old building facility houses 1,600 of the state’s 42,700 male inmates, but Pontiac supporters say the age of the prison should not be an issue. And the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents most prison workers, recently issued a report that concluded maximum-security prisons like Pontiac are already 5 percent overcrowded. Related article from the Daily Leader: Overwhelmed by citizen response Union talk loses steam / Workers in Central Park urged to organize, but fears remain high A steady stream of workers showed up in golf carts, slowing down to look before speeding away. “They’re afraid,” said Edgar deJesus, organizing director for District Council 37, the city employees’ union. He was offering free drinks and brown-bag lunches from a folding table in Central Park. For the last eight months, DC 37 has been locked in a battle with the Central Park Conservancy over whether about 200 park employees can join the union. Union Negotiations Continue … City officials and JCAA members will soon begin negotiating a contract for 2009 and beyond. In May, an agreement was also hammered out with the CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME and AFL-CIO, a union representing other clerical and municipal workers. Under the agreement, members agreed to pay 16 percent of health insurance premiums in 2009 and 17 percent in 2010 in exchange for pay raises. … Negotiations are ongoing with AFSCME Council 66, Local 418. According to Bruce White, who works in the city's central garage and serves as AFSCME local president, both sides are nearing an agreement and they hope to have it wrapped up in a couple weeks. Duffy officials eye Oct. 1 for start of residency rule for new hires New city hires could be required to live in the city, effective Oct. 1. The policy still is taking shape, but this is the first time that a date has been set for implementation. The city is working to roll out incentives, while also pushing the City School District to adopt a residency policy of its own. … Anthony Gingello, president and executive director for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 66, representing most non-uniform city government employees, did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday. Pay raise puts county judge pay on par with others … Bill Arballo, the labor consultant for the American Federation of State County Municipal Employees in El Paso, said the way raises are doled out in the county needs to change. The commissioners get to give themselves raises, while employees are dependent on supervisors to approve a pay increase for them. "There is an imbalance here," Arballo said. "The higher wages are something we strive for, but this isn't fair for all employees." Wacker, Johnson appointed to investment board Carrie Wacker, who works for the Iowa Department of Human Services' Child Support Recovery Unit, was recently appointed by Gov. Chet Culver as a member of the Workforce Investment Board for Region 13 (the Iowa counties of Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby). Wacker and four other members were sworn in by Jim Richardson, chief elected official from Page County, at the Board's July 23 meeting. The Board, made up of representatives from business, labor, city government, county government, and education oversees Workforce Development programs and activities within the Region. Wacker is a member of AFSCME Iowa Council 61 and has been appointed by the governor to complete a four-year term as a labor representative. Candidate profile: Marsh Stenersen for State Representative I am married with one son and one step-daughter. I am 61 years old. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis, and attended Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. I moved to Duluth in 1978 to attend the College of St. Scholastica, and I graduated in 1980. I’ve been a Field Representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, 1990-present. Labor Day activities range from picnics to protests … Union members are expected to participate in a march to protest the Iraq War, starting at 11 a.m. Labor Day at the state Capitol and winding down to the Xcel Center, site of the Republican convention. "On Labor Day, all union members and their families have an excellent opportunity to come together with a broad range of community groups and movements to call for an end to the war in Iraq, for the troops to be brought home now and for the funds used for this war to instead be used to meet human needs.," said Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME Local 3800, which represents clerical workers at the University of Minnesota. DHS firings could be first wave of state terminations … The dismissals of the DHS employees, all executive service appointees who lack civil service job protection, appear to be the first firings of state employees that are directly related to the agency reorganizations ordered by Gov. Phil Bredesen as a result of the state's fiscal downturn. Union protests low wages, lost jobs About 30 members of a state workers' union rallied against what they called unfair pay and the privatization of jobs Saturday, within earshot of the Governor's Mansion. Members of UE Local 170 gathered on the Capitol steps to call for better wages and benefits before marching down Kanawha Boulevard to their union hall. |
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