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November 4, 2009National/Political
Republicans scored big victories in both Virginia and New Jersey Tuesday, but the majority of voters in both states told poll takers that President Obama was not a factor when they cast their vote. In New Jersey exit polls, 60 percent of voters said Obama did not figure into their decision, while 57 percent of the Virginia electorate echoed that sentiment, numbers that could potentially calm some Democrats' fears of a backlash against the administration heading into next year's mid-term elections. ... As expected in an off year election, youth turnout was low in both states. ... Only 15 percent of African Americans turned out to the Virginia polls, compared with 20 percent last year. About the same percentage of African Americans turned out in New Jersey where minority voters were expected to play a key role in Corzine's reelection bid. Related:
Labor group touts 50k letters to lawmakers for health reform A labor group is promoting a high water mark Tuesday of handwritten letters that have been delivered to lawmakers in favor of healthcare reform. Working America, a labor group which is a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, said in a release that it had now delivered 50,000 handwritten letters to members of Congress to support efforts to overhaul the U.S. health system. ... Working America will also work with the AFL-CIO this Thursday during the union's "national day of action" to drive support for the bills. Reid indicates timetable for health care may slip In a blow to the White House, the Senate's top Democrat signaled Tuesday that Congress may fail to meet a year-end deadline for passing health care legislation, leaving the measure's fate to the uncertainties of the 2010 election season. As Vote Looms, Interest Groups Intensify Push (no link) ... As the House prepares to vote on massive health care legislation as early as Friday, outside groups on the left and right with deep pockets are going into overdrive to make sure their opinions are heard. ... Richard Kirsch, president of Health Care for America NOW, a coalition of union and community organizations that has been pressing for health care reform, said he didn’t want to take anything for granted in advance of the House vote. ... HCAN, along with the AFL-CIO, plans to place from 50,000 to 100,000 phone calls to Congressional offices Thursday. Liberal group invokes history in health reform push A key liberal group released an ad Tuesday encouraging lawmakers to support health reform, likening the vote to support for historic social programs. A new 30-second television spot from the group Americans United for Change pushes lawmakers do weather any controversy over the health proposals before Congress and cast a vote in favor of the reforms. House Bill Would Assure Workers Paid Sick Days In an effort to rein in the spread of the H1N1 flu, Representative George Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would guarantee five paid sick days for workers sent home by their employers with a contagious illness. Senator demands Cigna clarify premiums, claims For-profit insurance companies use a smaller amount of premium dollars on medical claims than consumers are being told, according to a Senate analysis of data filed with insurance regulators. The analysis was released late on Monday by a top Democratic senator who has been pressing Cigna Corp and 14 other large health insurance companies for information about how much of premiums go toward medical care. Health Bills Aim a Light on Doctors’ Conflicts As part of the health care overhaul under consideration by Congress, lawmakers have included so-called sunshine provisions intended to shed light on the financial relationships between the medical industry and doctors. The targets are common business practices like drug company payments to doctors for speeches and consulting services, which have the potential to influence patient care and drive up the nation’s medical bills. ARRA Executive Compensation Data No Longer Anonymous In a victory for transparency, the ARRA data on Recovery.gov now has names--the names, that is, of the highest paid officers at companies that received Recovery Act contracts directly from the federal government. HUD audits: $220M to go to at-risk agencies The government is sending millions of dollars in stimulus aid to communities and housing agencies that federal watchdogs have concluded are unable to spend it appropriately, increasing the risk that the money will be wasted. UAW says both EFCA labor law, NLRB important Obama administration appointments to a key labor board are important to labor's agenda, but they do not diminish pending legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize, the president of the United Auto Workers said on Tuesday. OSHA’s Barab Testifies about State-Plan States Before Congress Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary for OSHA, told a Congressional committee that the serious shortcomings discovered during his agency's evaluation of the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration's safety program raised concerns about federal OSHA's monitoring of all state plan states. BLS releases Workplace Injuries and Illnesses for 2008 — BLS News The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among private industry employers in 2008 occurred at a rate of 3.9 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers — a decline from 4.2 cases in 2007. Refusing Their Own Medicine: Vaccination policy spurs legal action When public health officials tell Americans to get vaccinated against potentially deadly influenza, they do so against this puzzling backdrop: Less than half of health care professionals become vaccinated themselves. .. New York, which had been the only state in the union to require health care workers to receive both seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccinations, backed off the policy a week ago because of the H1N1 vaccine shortage. Finally, an issue in Washington that isn't partisan ... The TSP operates like a 401(k) retirement plan for Frankie and Flo Fed, but it's better than many in the private sector. As Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform panel in his opening statement, the TSP is "one of the best retirement plans offered by any employer . . . this is an excellent program that many of our federal employees benefit from greatly." Small public companies win exemption from audits A House committee, under pressure from the White House, voted Tuesday to exempt small public companies from part of a federal law designed to prevent financial fraud, despite objections from regulators and key Democratic leaders. State/LocalBeil accuses Walker of wrecking state services The leader of the state's largest union said Milwaukee County Scott Walker would "wreck services" if he became governor because of his pledge to cut wages and benefits for state workers. "His prescription for Milwaukee County has been to wreck services so badly that the state has had to step in repeatedly just to make sure vital functions don't collapse completely," Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, said in a statement. "Who can we call on to save us when he starts destroying the entire state?" Panel backs child-care reforms, public funding of Supreme Court races Lawmakers advanced additional reforms Tuesday to crack down on Wisconsin's publicly funded program for child care by requiring more frequent background checks of day care providers, barring workers guilty of serious crimes and creating new whistleblower protections. Bloomberg Wins Third NYC Mayor Term, Beats Comptroller Thompson ... . Thompson won backing from about 30 labor organizations including the city’s largest municipal labor union, District Council 37 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents 125,000 city workers and 50,000 retirees; the Uniform Firefighters Association, and the Transportation Workers Union. Two county staffers get raises as others’ pay is cut Some Snohomish County employees facing a possible 5.7 percent pay cut next year believe that their leaders aren’t making the same sacrifices. .. “We would like to see (the pay raises) delayed until such time that other employees aren’t either getting laid off or have pay cuts from the furloughs,” said Brian O’Neill, a detention officer at the county’s Denney Juvenile Justice Center and president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local 1811. Puerto Rico to delay nearly half of 15,000 layoffs Almost half of the 15,000 government employees scheduled to be laid off this week because of a budget deficit will keep their jobs until next year, Puerto Rican officials said Tuesday. The decision came as a judge reviews dozens of complaints that the U.S. territory's government did not follow proper procedure in issuing dismissal letters. Groups want special session to cancel Furlough Fridays With House Democrats set to caucus tomorrow, parent groups are peppering legislators with phone calls pushing for a special session to restore funding for education and stop Furlough Fridays at public schools. ... Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge David Ezra, a court-appointed special master, is trying to mediate an out-of-court settlement of two federal lawsuits filed to block Furlough Fridays. He is meeting this week with parties to the suits as well as representatives of the teachers union and the Hawaii Government Employees Association, according to a court spokeswoman. 28 Department of Ag workers to lose jobs A leaner state government continues to take shape, with dozens of positions shaved in the Department of Agriculture and the Capitol security force. ... "I'm sure they are coming back again and they are going to be looking at staffing levels. They always look at the low-hanging fruit," said Scott Dianda, president of the Michigan State Employees Association, which represents the state police troopers who serve on the Capitol security staff. Granholm warns of 20% budget cuts Gov. Jennifer Granholm warned Tuesday of a possible 20% cut in state spending next year, a draconian step after billions in cuts since 2003 already have dented police and fire services, pushed schools toward insolvency and reduced oversight of prison inmates. Council cuts police deepest The City Council on Tuesday endorsed reductions in the city's 2010 budget whittling a once massive $14.5 million deficit down to $643,000 while maintaining a 9 percent reduction in the city's work force. .. Ardis' comments addressed positions by the Peoria Police Benevolent and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3464. Neither union has agreed to wage concessions, which the City Council requested months ago. Dispatchers trapped by faulty door While Gary police officers were responding to the latest in a string of homicides in their city Monday at midnight, dispatchers at the public safety building say they were trapped in the radio room because of a faulty electronic lock. ... Willie Wallace, president of AFSCME Local 3491, said he is trying to learn more about the incident. Report: Thousands of state workers hired despite freeze Colorado Gov. Bill RitterGov. Bill Ritter promised a hiring freeze last year to help bridge the budget gap, but a 7 News investigation found that as many as 2,300 employees were hired during the “freeze.” TABOR, excise tax questions soundly defeated Maine voters soundly rejected a pair of tax-related referendums that sought to reduce the excise tax on some vehicles and place limits on state and municipal spending. Proponents of Question 2, the excise tax initiative, and Question 4, known as TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) II, both conceded defeat shortly after 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Maine Voters Repeal Law Allowing Gay Marriage In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state’s new law allowing same-sex marriage. AFSCME Wins Flu Vaccination Arbitration On November 1, 2009, an independent arbitrator sustained the grievance the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 61 filed to oppose the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' work directive to require mandatory vaccinations for all staff. State employees undeserving scapegoats of budget crisis As we await the governor's decision to sign or not to sign the Legislature's drastic 7.6 percent budget cuts to state agencies, my question as a state employee is, "How did our state get to this point?" Obviously, there is a lot of blame to go around. ... Some would say that state employees, who are the average citizens, have it made, and it is time for them to feel the pain of the economic downturn. Trust me, they have. New Mexicans also need to know that the two big unions that represent most state employees have worked with the governor, allowing negotiations that include no raises when bad economic times hit. Steubenville Mayor Wins Reelection Incumbent Democratic Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci won his bid for reelection Tuesday. .. "In 2010 we have three contracts up for renewal -- AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) and the firefighters. We need to build consensus within those three unions and bargaining units and make them understand our budget concerns," Mucci said. Group seeks support on liability issue West Virginia School Boards Association President Rick Olcott is urging county board members to contact lawmakers for support in removing financial liability for promised retiree health benefits from the local boards' books. Olcott said Tuesday he planned to send an electronic memo in the next couple days to all 275 of West Virginia's county school board members about the unfunded liability of public employees' non-pension, other post-employment benefits, or OPEB. |
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