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October 28, 2009National/PoliticalDemocrats Divided Over Reid Proposal for Public Option WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats voiced deep disagreements on Tuesday over the idea of a government-run health insurance plan, suggesting that the decision by the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, to include a public plan in major health care legislation had failed, at least initially, to unite his caucus. Simply to get the Senate to take up the legislation, Mr. Reid has said he needs 60 votes — effectively all 58 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, who had been open to supporting the bill, said Tuesday that she would oppose Mr. Reid’s version because of the public plan. But while some who oppose a public plan said they were willing to let Mr. Reid bring the legislation to the floor, the continuing apprehension of others indicated substantial uncertainty. Behind Harry Reid's Bid for a Public Option As the battle to shape the health-care reform bill comes down to the wire, maneuvering in Washington is intensifying enormously. Politicians are strategizing to get the votes they need, while lobbyists and other interest groups are scrambling either to maximize what they can get -- or minimize the costs and the damage -- as push comes to shove over what each bill will contain before the Senate and House move into final conference negotiations. Now comes a surprise announcement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [D-Nev.] that the Senate health-care reform bill he'll put forward will include language to create a government-run insurance option -- with an provision to allow states that don't want to sign up for the public plan to "opt-out" of it. … A third prospect has to do with the Democrats' general need -- and Reid's, specifically -- to keep unions on board as they head into the final fight over health care and into next year's elections. Labor officials in recent weeks have made it increasingly clear that they want to see a bill with a public option. But they don't want it to rely on taxing the so-called "Cadillac ", high-cost insurance plans, which many union members hold, to pay for expanded health-care coverage. The Democrats know they can't afford to lose labor's support. Health reform's Chevy tax With Harry Reid's announcement Monday that he will send a bill containing a "public option" to the Senate floor, the biggest remaining difference between the pending Senate and House versions of health-care legislation may well come down to how to fund this $900 billion reform. On the House side, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed that the lion's share of funding come from a surtax on the wealthiest Americans -- individuals who make more than $500,000 a year or couples who make more than $1 million. Pelosi's surtax would raise an estimated $460 billion, more than half of health reform's projected decennial cost. The Senate version contains no such surtax. Instead, the bill that emerged from the Finance Committee proposed establishing a tax on the more costly, or "Cadillac," insurance plans that employers provide their workers. Unfortunately, that excise tax targets a lot of Chevy plans as well. A Delicate Dance for 2 Health Lobbyists WASHINGTON — One is a smooth-talking former congressman from Louisiana — “the Swamp Fox,” constituents called him — who relishes his image as a rascal, a charmer and a Cajun raconteur. The other is a fireman’s daughter from working-class Rhode Island, strait-laced and studious, who mastered the arcane world of health policy as an analyst for the A.F.L.-C.I.O. As perhaps the two most powerful health industry lobbyists in Washington, the two of them, Billy Tauzin and Karen Ignagni, are the odd couple of the capital’s health care debate. Their paths are as opposite as their personalities. Labor's 'Bulldog' Trumka Challenged by Dwindling Ranks, Public Perception JIM LEHRER: And finally tonight, a new leader takes over the country's largest union organization. Economics correspondent Paul Solman has our profile. It's part of his ongoing reporting on making sense of economic and financial news. RICHARD TRUMKA, president, AFL-CIO: The American labor movement is right here with you today. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with you for as long as it takes and with whatever it takes. PAUL SOLMAN: New AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka at a recent protest of teacher layoffs in Washington, D.C. RICHARD TRUMKA: And it is time that we win together! PAUL SOLMAN: As the new head of the labor movement, Trumka needs to move workers old and new, and reverse a decades-long thinning of the ranks. Related from The Newshour: Inside the AFL-CIO’s Health Care Lobbying Efforts Early reports: Job gains signal stimulus impact WASHINGTON — States have reported using stimulus money to create or save more than 388,000 jobs so far this year, buttressing the Obama administration's claim that the $787 billion plan has had a significant impact on the economy. That total, based on a USA TODAY review of reports from 33 states and Puerto Rico, includes teachers, construction workers, and others whose jobs were funded by stimulus money awarded to states. The administration plans Friday to release reports from all 50 states, providing the broadest accounting yet of the stimulus plan's impact. Privately run infrastructure deals dry up A rush by state and local governments to sell roads, bridges and airports to private operators in return for eye-popping upfront sums has all but collapsed in the recession. Thousands gather to criticize banks opposition to financial regulation Before a crowd of thousands in Chicago, national labor and religious leaders attacked the nation's bankers for opposing financial reform and misusing taxpayer money. The rally was held in front of the Sheraton Chicago Hotels and Tower, where members of the American Bankers Association had gathered for their annual conference. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Anna Burger, the chair of Change to Win, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson all criticized “too-big-too-fail” banks and their efforts to defeat the Obama administration’s proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, as well as recent CEO bonus payments. “You treated the money we worked so hard to earn like Monopoly,” proclaimed Trumka. “This is not a game.” “Taking on the banks is not a spectator sport,” declared Burger. “We need to break the power of the big banks and Wall Street over our country.” Trumka laid out four concrete goals: establishment of a CFPA; reform of the Federal Reserve; regulation of “shadow markets”; and reform of corporate governance, in particular CEO compensation. Addressing the bankers inside, Trumka declared, “We didn’t put you back in business so you could pay billions of dollars to the suits." But in the convention hall, some bankers were distressed that they are being included in daily protests outside. On Monday several asked Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairwoman Sheila Bair and Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan, who addressed the meeting, why regional and local bankers, who make up the majority of the ABA’s membership, are lumped in with large banks, investment banks and bank holding companies generally deemed major contributors to the current economic distress. “It’s a public education issue,” said Bair. “Maybe there should be some legal constraints on who should call themselves banks.” Related: The Hill: AFL-CIO president calls for new financial regulations Bill Seeks to Shift Rescue Costs to Big Banks WASHINGTON — The Obama administration and the head of an important House committee unveiled legislation on Tuesday to give the government broad new powers to shift the cost of rescues of big, troubled financial institutions from taxpayers to other large companies. The legislation, drafted jointly by Treasury officials and Representative Barney Frank, the head of the House Financial Services Committee, would create a special fund, paid by assessments on financial companies with more than $10 billion in assets, to bear the costs of big firms that fail. New contracting guidelines mean more gov't hires The size of the federal workforce will grow even more next year, as agencies and departments will need to increase the number of contracting officers by at least 5 percent, according to new guidelines issued Tuesday by the Office of Management and Budget. President Obama earlier this year vowed to save at least $40 billion annually by cutting non-competitive contracts and ending the use of contractors to conduct certain government functions. Despite that pledge, the new guidelines do not define the meaning of "inherently governmental," the term used to describe government functions that contractors could no longer conduct. OMB expects to define the term by year's end, according to a spokesman. Officials privately describe the process as complex, acknowledging that any definition will inevitably mean the loss of billions of dollars in revenue for contractors. For labor and management, rebalanced interests President Obama wants to issue an executive order creating panels that would foster greater collaboration between management and labor in federal agencies, but it's hard to craft a document that pleases both sides. Union leaders, who had felt good about an early draft, aren't so happy with a revised proposal from the White House this month. But groups representing managers are glad that the October draft responds to their complaints that the earlier document would gum up and slow down federal operations. The big issue is bargaining rights. Report: ICE at Odds With Labor A new report released Tuesday by three labor and employment advocacy organizations claims that the Bush administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, combined with lax enforcement of labor laws, undermined federal labor standards, leaving not only illegal immigrants but many legal workers at risk of abusive employment practices. Philadelphia Museum Guards Finally Win Their Own Union Seventeen years after security guards at Philadelphia’s Museum of Art lost their union in a Democratic mayor’s privatization spree, they beat long odds in early October and voted in an independent union. The victory came after a committee of guards organized for years before seeking legal recognition for their union. The success of this unusual “non-majority” union was aided by a tireless Jobs with Justice chapter and the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) at Temple University. The 68 to 53 win followed weeks of non-stop activity: a spirited rally on the museum steps, a prayer vigil, and pickets by volunteers, who also infiltrated museum events to call attention to the drive. Museum management claimed to be neutral but allowed the guards’ employer, AlliedBarton, to use textbook union-busting tactics. … Organizing among the 130 or so guards started about a decade before the vote. The Service Employees (SEIU) had initiated a campaign to unionize security guards nationwide. … In a surprise move in September 2006, SEIU agreed not to organize the estimated 10,000 AlliedBarton guards in Philadelphia, in exchange for access to guards elsewhere. Despite SEIU’s pull-out, AlliedBarton guards at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and the museum continued to organize, creating a non-majority union called Philadelphia Security Officers Union. UNITE HERE Delivers Crushing Blow to SEIU in Philadelphia SEIU’s campaign to take over key UNITE HERE locals suffered a major setback yesterday, as 2300 workers at the Philadelphia School District voted by a 2-1 margin to remain affiliated with UNITE HERE rather than switch to SEIU. The New York-based SEIU 32BJ had led efforts to win the election, viewing Philadelphia as a stepping stone to its larger goal of taking over all of UNITE HERE’s food service locals. Instead, workers dealt SEIU a crushing 1,121-551 defeat. UNITE HERE’s victory comes after recent wins over SEIU in St. Louis and among Delaware North company food service workers, indicating that not only has SEIU’s attempted raids failed, but UNITE HERE is even stronger today than when SEIU’s attacks began. H1N1 flu 'pushing hospitals to their limit' BALTIMORE — To Mitchell Goldstein, the flood of sick children seemed endless. Day after day, nearly three times as many kids as usual streamed into the rainbow-colored pediatric emergency room at Johns Hopkins Hospital, sniffling and feverish, worried parents hovering. The press of children with swine flu was so relentless that doctors opened an annex in a hospital dining room to handle the overflow. "Our worst day" was Sunday, Oct. 11, says Goldstein, one of the ER doctors. "We had 15 to 20 patients an hour. It was 24/7. There wasn't a lull." Last week, the epidemic of ailing children let up somewhat. But doctors here are expecting a new run of flu patients — the children's parents. "What we see first in (children) we see two to three weeks later in adults," says Trish Perl, the hospital's director of infection control. The scenes at Johns Hopkins are being repeated at hospitals in Denver and Duluth, Seattle and San Diego, as waves of flu patients arrive at their doors, doubling their emergency room volume. Just as significant is the effect on intensive care units: A relatively small number of flu patients are requiring intensive care, but some are so ill they will need round-the-clock care for weeks. State/LocalVote forces mayor back to talks with unions San Diego's city labor unions yesterday beat back the latest effort by Mayor Jerry Sanders to push forward with a long-stalled outsourcing program approved by voters three years ago as a way to cut costs. By a 6-2 vote, the City Council rejected Sanders' request to impose a set of rules on the unions to carry out the managed-competition program whereby city employees must vie with private contractors for government jobs. The council directed Sanders to return to the negotiating table to work out differences with the Municipal Employees Association and Local 127 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The vote came down along party lines. The six Democrats on the council sided with organized labor, which argued that some of the rules the mayor, a Republican, has proposed for outsourcing are unfair. “I hope the negotiating team has gotten the message that this isn't just about saving money,” Councilwoman Marti Emerald said, addressing Sanders' representatives at the dais. “It's about honoring our work force in the city, and that we will have a good, honest open discussion and that we will be able to bring this matter to a resolution.” Related: 10News.com: Council Votes In Outsourcing Program Effort Colo. gov orders more furloughs for state workers DENVER — Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter ordered state employees to take four more unpaid furlough days in an effort to save money as he prepared to tell lawmakers on Wednesday how he plans to cut an additional $280 million by next June. The new furlough days were in addition to the four that workers already are taking. Ritter said Tuesday that the eight closure days will save about $27.2 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which started July 1 and ends June 30.Sen. Moe Keller, D-Wheat Ridge, who heads the Joint Budget Committee, said she's expecting more bad news when the governor's office briefs the committee on the new cuts that are in store. … Scott Wasserman, spokesman for Colorado WINS, the union coalition that represents state employees, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Statement From Colorado WINS Regarding New Round of State Employee Furloughs Related: Denver Daily News: More budget cuts coming? Denver Post: Gov. Ritter adds four state furlough days in 2010 Options sought for furloughs Responding to pressure from a majority of state Senate Democrats, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa yesterday named a special committee to look at options to restore classroom instruction time lost to teacher furloughs. The seven-member committee, led by state Sen. Brian Taniguchi, D-10th (Manoa, McCully), and state Sen. Will Espero, D-20th (Ewa Beach, Waipahu), will hold public meetings as soon as Friday. The committee is expected to make recommendations to the full Senate, including whether lawmakers should return in special session and tap the Hurricane Relief Fund, the rainy- day fund or raise taxes to bring back classroom instruction time. … Espero, the special committee's vice chairman, said the options include using money from the state's Hurricane Relief Fund, the rainy- day fund, or a general-excise tax increase to keep schools open on furlough Fridays. But lawmakers may not only have to find the money for teachers, but also for principals and other school personnel represented by the Hawaii Government Employees Association. 4 School District unions join forces ROCKFORD — The Rockford School District has a $70 million surplus, and four labor groups want their share of it. AFSCME Council 31 staff representative Jay Ferraro revealed the figure Tuesday, the same day the labor groups announced they have joined forces in an attempt to leverage public support and more money while they negotiate with the Rockford School District for new contracts. … Paraprofessionals and food service workers, represented by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 31; and secretaries and interpreters represented by the Illinois Education Association/NEA announced Tuesday they have a formed a coalition called Unity 205. “By forming this, we’re hoping to show district leadership that every employee should be valued,” Ferraro said. Decision day arrives for Culver on budget cuts Gov. Chet Culver will release at 3 p.m. today his plan for slicing $565 million from the budgets of 39 state departments and agencies. One question that is expected to be answered is whether 43 people will be laid off in the Iowa Department of Commerce. Doubts lingered Tuesday about whether those layoffs — in the divisions of banking, insurance and utilities — would actually help ease the state's money crunch. If not, the agencies may dodge the 10 percent across-the-board cut. Another big question is whether the governor would initiate changes to the contract with the largest state employees union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 61. "Our conversations with the governor's office are to focus on one thing, and that is saving people's jobs," said Danny Homan, president of the Iowa council. "There are a number of ways to do that." Homan said he couldn't comment on the latest decisions inside the union on possibly reopening that contract, which raises pay a total of 3 percent for union members during the next two years. Corrections and human services workers would see the brunt of the 793 layoffs outlined under preliminary budget-cutting plans written by department heads. With the elimination of vacant jobs, the state faces a total loss of 1,322 positions. State officials ask to reopen UNI faculty union's contract Unionized faculty members at the University of Northern Iowa say state officials have asked them to reopen their contract for the first time in seven years, as talks of budget cuts intensify at the three state-run universities. The move comes in the wake of concerns that labor contracts could hamper attempts by Iowa's three state-run universities to consider employee layoffs and salary cuts in their plans to chop a combined $58 million from their budgets. … Clerks, custodians, security guards and other workers at the three schools are represented by Iowa's largest state workers union, Council 61 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Spokesmen for AFSCME and the U of I's graduate assistants' union said they weren't aware of similar contract requests. Moline and AFSCME Agree To Save Jobs It's a first for the QCA. The local AFSCME chapter in Moline has entered into an agreement with the city. The agreement, union employees will have to take furlough days and delay their annual raises. It's a way to save jobs. Part of the deal, members of Moline's local AFSCME chapter can't be laid off due to budget cuts. And union members that were let go, will get their jobs back. "The membership agreed with concessions to bring the 2 people back that were laid off, they were going to eliminate 2 other jobs, save those 2 other jobs," says Arnie McCollom, President of AFSCME Local 1132. That's only one of the factors why the local AFSCME chapter made the deal. Knowing they won't be laid off to balance the budget is another reason. McCollom adds, "It gives them piece of mind that with what's been going on throughout the city financially, that they're going to have their jobs, they're going to keep their wages." Social workers weigh in on Boni Bill Kentucky’s legislature has come under fire recently for failing to provide $4 million it promised to spend improving state social workers’ safety, but some Danville social workers say more money isn’t necessarily what they need. … Social workers told the legislature on Wednesday that finding the funds to increase the number of social workers and make them safer is imperative. Close to 400 front-line worker positions are currently unfilled, and almost half of protection and permanency workers say they’ve experienced a dangerous incident while on the job, according to AFSCME. Insurance change upsets workers CUMBERLAND — Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees were upset by the potential change to their health insurance plans due to the state budget cut to Cumberland’s general fund, and they let their concerns be known at the city council meeting Tuesday night. … Jim Bestpitch, president of the Western Maryland Central Labor Council, said the proposed change is being forced upon employees and not open for discussion. “We signed a legal, binding document with you on a certain level of health care, and our contract is pretty iron-clad in its language and we shouldn’t suffer any losses or reductions or benefits on that,” he said. “This is a legal document you all signed and that we went into in faith and goodwill ... but to go back and arbitrarily force a health plan with less benefits, more out of pocket money, not able to use out of state (services) ... we have members who take their children to Morgantown to specialists, because they can’t get the proper care in Cumberland, and to deny these children the proper care we’ve negotiated is outrageous.” Bespitch said if the city were to hold a contract with someone else, they wouldn’t let them go back on that contract but make them stick to their word. “That’s all we’re asking, live up to your word,” he said. Patrick prepares ax; layoffs possible BOSTON - Gov. Deval L. Patrick said on Tuesday he is worried about possible layoffs of state workers and hurting services for the mentally ill as he prepares to unveil a plan to cut $600 million from the state budget. Patrick said he will take the wraps off his emergency cuts by Thursday. About two weeks ago, Patrick announced that the state's $27 billion budget for this fiscal year is plagued by a $600 million deficit, caused by tax collections falling below projections. He now needs to impose spending reductions and other measures to close the gap, including possibly cutting about 2,000 jobs from state government. Andover union agrees to furlough plan ANDOVER — Road crews, custodians and maintenance workers and other union employees will take 8 1/2 unpaid days off so four full-time employees won't lose their jobs. The move will save the town $120,000 this year. "We obviously wanted to do what was right for everybody," said Wayne Belloir, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union in Andover and a painter in the Plant and Facilities Department. "We all gave up to make sure there wouldn't be any layoffs in our unit." Under an agreement signed Oct. 21, union members must take the unpaid time off between Nov. 1 and June 30. The furlough plan equates to the loss of 68 hours of pay for every member of the roughly 70-member union. County Seeks Private Youth Shelter Operator, Employees Fear Pink Slips CREST HAVEN — Cape May County Youth Shelter teacher Terence O’Neill, on Oct. 13, went before freeholders in his second bid to dissuade them from privatizing the 12-bed shelter. At that same meeting, the board authorized seeking requests for proposals (RFP) seeking quotations from private firms seeking to operate the Crest Haven Road facility as a five-bed facility, where at-risk children, aged 10-17, are placed for no longer than 30 days by Family Court, Cape May County Juvenile Family Crisis Intervention Unit and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative once implemented. … Lamar “Woody” Lewis, vice president of the county union Local 3596 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, asked if the union could get a copy of the RFP. O’Connor reassured him the union could get a copy. Until those RFP’s are received, there is no certainty if any providers will want to provide services. … O’Neill, in an effort to show the failings of private providers, read from a Children’s Rights press release “Documents Released Detailing Abuse and Neglect of New Jersey Foster Children by Staff While living…” It cited detailed abuse and neglect of children placed by N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services in various institutions. State agencies warn of furloughs, layoffs More than 4,000 state employees from just two state agencies may be forced to take unpaid time off. Lawmakers were hoping to avoid furloughs while trying to balance the state's $650 million revenue shortfall. But state employees who are struggling now in this economy could take another big hit by being forced to take time off without pay—a lot of time if you work for the Human Services Department. "We are analyzing this and are thinking it could be as many as 15 days that we would have to furlough staff across the department," said Katie Falls, secretary of the Human Services Department. That means more than 2,000 people. That time would have to be taken off in the current fiscal year—meaning three weeks unpaid leave between now until June. "This is the paycheck they use to feed their families. And when you start cutting into people's salaries, it has a big impact on our staff across the state," Falls said. Human Services is even talking about layoffs as it faces a 7.6 percent cut. Another state agency, CYFD, is talking about furloughs. It could amount to nine days off without pay for around 2,400 employees. Both agencies expect their clients to suffer too. Benefits could be cut or eliminated for many people on Medicaid. And at CYFD, they expect to have a much tougher time investigating child abuse and neglect cases. Meetings aim to soften the budget blow Educators and state employees. People representing youth shelters, behavioral health organizations and literacy programs. Law-enforcement officers dealing with border crime. Emergency 911 operators. These were just some of the New Mexicans who showed up at the Capitol on Tuesday to tell Gov. Bill Richardson that they want to be spared from looming state budget cuts. … Arcie Baca, local leader of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, was part of a union delegation that met with Richardson on Tuesday. He said AFSCME asked him to veto the entire 7.6 percent budget cut. If signed into law that proposal would translate to a day of unpaid furlough for each state employee every two weeks, Baca said. Child Care Providers Will Be Represented by Union The more than 2,600 home-based providers run day cares for children on state's child care assistance program Child care providers who run day cares out of their homes for children on New Mexico's child care assistance program have voted to be represented by a union. The more than 2,600 home-based child care providers across the state will be represented by Child Care Providers Together-NM, which is part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), according to a news release from the union. Measures face little opposition Voters on Election Day will get to say "yes" or "no" to two relatively new state ballot propositions: One that would allow a land swap for construction of a power line right of way in the Adirondacks, and the other to let inmates work on nonprofit projects as well as on the government projects they are currently allowed to do. … The second proposition also appears to drawing little opposition. It originated with the New York State Sheriffs' Association, some of whose members have long used volunteer jail inmates to perform tasks such as painting or cleaning town or county facilities. In some cases, inmates had worked in cemeteries, which are non-government, raising the question of whether that was allowed. That led to the proposition, said Tom Mitchell, counsel for the association. … The Civil Service Employees Association, one of the state's largest public employees unions, has taken no stand on the issue. But spokesman Stephen Madarasz noted that "It's a bit ironic that they are looking at allowing prisoners to take jobs away from law-abiding citizens when we have record unemployment." Area News Brief: CSEA unit approves contract Unit 8100 of the CSEA, which represents Otsego County workers, has overwhelmingly approved a proposed five-year contract with the county. On Tuesday evening, John Imperato, the Unit's president, said that 377 union workers voted for the contract, which would grant raises of about 3 percent a year, and 18 voted no. School aides facing layoffs have jobs for another week The roughly 500 school aides the city has targeted for layoffs will keep their positions for another week under an extension of a temporary restraining order first issued last week. State Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead ruled today that officials from D.C. 37, the union that represents the school aides and plaintiffs in the case, made a convincing argument that the layoffs violate parts of the state constitution and education law. Edmead focused on D.C. 37’s argument that the city is illegally replacing unionized school aides with less expensive temporary workers who will not receive benefits. The judge found that the Department of Education’s contract for temporary workers to perform many of the same duties of the laid-off school aides may violate the state constitution and a chancellor’s regulation that requires school workers to report to the education department. Idea of state consolidation study praised As the largest state employee union blasted his plan to consolidate state government from 24 agencies to 11, Sen. Timothy J. Grendell even drew praise from some Democrats for saying yesterday that he is willing to move forward with a study commission instead. With the state budget headed for a potential multibillion-dollar shortfall in two years because of the use of billions in one-time federal money to balance the current budget, the Chesterland Republican says there is no better time to look at ways to make state government more efficient. When Jim Petro, the former state auditor and state attorney general who was key in crafting the bill three years ago, suggested yesterday in a Senate committee hearing that a study commission could get the process moving, Grendell agreed. … The total plan would eliminate an estimated 11,000 state jobs. … Ohio Civil Service Employees Association officials said state government is already undergoing unprecedented downsizing. Spokeswoman Sally Meckling noted that in the past decade, the union's state-government work force has dropped from 38,000 to 32,876. The state has 4,900 fewer employees than in March 2007. Union workers highlighted what they say is rising danger as Ohio's prisons and youth-detention facilities become increasingly crowded while staffing is reduced. Several also warned of continued reduced service under further staff reductions. They highlighted that the most-recent government consolidation, which created the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, is largely considered a failure. "What has happened with this agency is we have taken away that one-on-one face contact that individuals need," said Cindy Bobbitt, a customer service representatives for the Hocking County Job Service Center. "They want to know that someone real is helping them." Related: Toledo Blade: Ohio union opposes plan to shrink government |
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