The Special Exemptions Act bans union members from making voluntary payroll deductions for politics, while still allowing unlimited political spending by corporations. It’s about tipping the balance of power in state government even further in favor of big business, at the expense of working men and women.

“This initiative would result in significant undue advantages for one set of interests over another that we believe will do more harm to California's democracy than good,” California Common Cause said in a statement. “We urge voters to vote ‘No.’” 

Nationally, Common Cause is a key player in exposing the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a shadowy organization that’s a corporate-friendly, bill-drafting machine. Common Cause is currently challenging ALEC’s tax-exempt status granted because it is allegedly a charity.

AFSCME members across California are talking to their co-workers, neighbors and family members about how the Special Exemptions Act would roll back the progress working people have made over decades. That includes winning minimum wage, overtime provisions and funding for life-saving safety equipment on the job. 

Stephen Williams, an engineering technician for the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles and president of Local 1902, is one of the AFSCME members fighting back in California.

“Every day we make sure that 19 million people in Southern California have safe and reliable drinking water,” Williams said. “We aren’t going to let our voices be silenced.  If only corporations have a say, it will not be in the best interest of the public that we serve.”

The week is set aside for AFSCME’s 1.6 million members and others across the nation to recognize the incredible work of these providers. We honor the dedication, skill and sacrifice of EMS workers, who make the day-to-day heroism of lifesaving medical services happen.

“I love the chance to help people and to be a part of the most dedicated group of men and women I’ve ever met,” said Martine Bustamante, an EMT for eight years in San Jose, Calif. “I lost my dad to leukemia when I was eight years old. I took this job because I wanted to be there for all the kids and all the families who are facing life-threatening emergencies and who need emergency medical care.”

Well-trained, equipped, and experienced EMS workers make the difference when lives are at risk. That’s why they need a voice on the job, to work for safety standards, quality training and fair working conditions. Paramedics and EMTs know that having enough ambulances on the streets and updated equipment is essential to saving lives.

“We arrive at a scene of chaos and pain, and provide emergency services, create trust, and offer care to help people survive what may be the worst day of their lives,” said Dave Norris, a paramedic in Plymouth, Mass. “A union gives us the ability to be full participants in ensuring excellent care for our patients.”

Americans deserve quality care in their hour of need. That’s why EMS workers are pulling together to have a real voice on the job, to speak up for the care that people rely on and the skilled professionals who provide it. Together they have formed United EMS Workers/AFSCME Local 4911, a union organized by and made up of EMS workers with the full backing of AFSCME’s national unity and strength. Earlier this year, 400 EMS workers in California voted to join. And this month, 600 EMS workers in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire took a step toward joining the union.

Every day EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, chair car drivers and support personnel serve our communities and save lives. Check out this video saluting their work:

Across the country, AFSCME is engaging young people as a key part of the Main Street movement, and is developing young worker activists and leaders.  We’re building alliances with organizations of pro-labor student groups and now AFSCME is launching a partnership with United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) as part of their Campus Community Solidarity Campaigns. 

Higher education in America employs 1.5 million non-instructional staff nationwide, a 24-percent increase in the last decade alone.  At the same time, public higher education faces staggering budget cuts, putting education for the nation’s young people at risk and threatening the livelihoods of higher education workers. 

AFSCME represents 150,000 higher education workers and continues to look for opportunities to help more workers get a voice on the job. 

At universities in Florida and Ohio, we’re making progress in bringing workers and students together to stand for justice and a better future. At Florida International University, students and workers recently had a bilingual dinner discussion of the challenges they face and about coming together as a community.  

“We are here and we aren’t going anywhere.  This is a family,” said a maintenance mechanic on the FIU team [Note: FIU workers identities are protected because they are at will and do not have a ‘just cause’ clause in their contract].

When a worker mentioned her son who is an FIU student, and students recognized several workers they knew from around campus, connections were formed which provide a base for this budding relationship. They plan to work together over the summer months to help strengthen and develop this important partnership.

“It was good to meet the workers and know what they are going through,” said Joey Basna, a student at Florida International University. “It sheds new light on the university and how it treats employees.” 

Last year, his actions inspired thousands of people to take to the streets of Madison to show their outrage, and to stand in solidarity with their union brothers and sisters.

Documentarian Amie Williams was there from the beginning and created a feature length film about the experiences of six regular people who joined the protests called “We Are Wisconsin.”

The video also prominently features Rachel Friedman who is a Wisconsin social worker and AFSCME Local 2436 member.

Watch the We Are Wisconsin trailer here:

Through hard bargaining and grassroots legislative activism AFSCME members in Maryland and Missouri were able to secure pay raises in their respective state budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

In Maryland, a “doomsday” all-spending cuts budget was overturned by state legislators as AFSCME members from across Maryland successfully lobbied lawmakers to pass a budget that included new revenues to pay for an across-the-board pay raise and to save more than 500 jobs. The budget package required a special session called by Gov. Martin O’Malley after the legislature failed to approve a revenue package during the regular session that ended in April.

In Missouri, AFSCME Council 72 successfully bargained for a 2 percent pay raise for all state workers making $70,000 or less — approximately 97 percent of the total state workforce. After the state House Budget Committee released the plan that funded the collectively bargained pay increase, AFSCME members in the Show Me State followed up with aggressive lobbying at the state capitol to ensure the measure stayed intact.

AFSCME members across the country have been working proactively to encourage state lawmakers — at the bargaining table and through legislative lobbying efforts — to protect public services, workplace rights and retirement security. Although there is still much to do, AFSCME members in Maryland and Missouri show that lawmakers still respond to grassroots pressure.

By an overwhelming margin of 98.6 percent, the bargaining unit – which represents approximately 1,800 blue-collar workers in the City of San Diego – ratified a one-year tentative agreement on May 7 and 8. The unit will return to the bargaining table at the end of the year and negotiate a multi-year contract with increases in compensation.

“Negotiations were tough because anti-worker politicians continue to demonize us and the City Council refused to put any money on the table,” says sanitation driver and Local 127 Pres. Joan Raymond. “But the great news is we gave no concessions for the first time in six years.”

Workers have already given major concessions, notably the 6 percent pay cuts in 2009. AFSCME 127 members haven’s had raises in years, and cost savings from the sacrifices of these employees have contributed significantly to the city’s fiscal turnaround.

Moreover, San Diego has been ground zero for the battle to save pensions and retirement security. In 2000, the city systematically underfunded the worker’s pension plan, which created severe underfunding. In 2005, the unit reached a three-year agreement to “fix” the pension plan, and took a temporary 1.9 percent cut in exchange for the city’s promise to achieve $600 million worth of pension reducing mechanisms. In 2009, workers agreed to lower guaranteed pensions for new hires.

Despite all of these sacrifices, politicians taking advantage of the economic downturn and misconceptions about pensions pushed for a June ballot measure that would gut city worker retirement security to unacceptable levels. These same politicians have refused to ask for any sacrifices from the wealthy. The city’s fiscal woes also hasn’t stopped Mayor Sanders from giving hefty raises to his top aides.

Meanwhile, AFSCME members are gearing up for the November mayoral and City Council elections and vote out corporate-backed politicians, including a well-funded, right wing extremist who has personally made millions off government contracts and has vowed to privatize city jobs. “We’re hitting the campaign trail harder than ever,” says Raymond. “But first, we’ll pull all stops to defeat Proposition B, the ballot initiative that will eliminate pensions for new city workers and will not even give them Social Security. Then we’ll get out the vote to make sure candidates who don’t stand with working people will no longer be with us.”

“We’ve worked closely with our International Union throughout these difficult negotiations and campaigns,” adds Raymond. “We have been provided with valuable resources that enabled us not only to win this contract fight but will also help us with other upcoming battles.”

According to the new Equal Rights Advocates’ report “Expecting a Baby, Not a Lay-Off,” there are 43 states that do not require employers to provide reasonable pregnancy accommodations for workers.

While women represent nearly half the workforce, in these states many employers refuse to give pregnant workers simple accommodations such as limiting heavy lifting. This noncooperation is especially unfair considering that many of the same accommodations pregnant workers ask for are provided under law for injured workers, and those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 2008.

In a recent CNN special on the issue, Jeannette Cox tells the story of retail sales associate Heather Wiseman who “lost her job because consuming water while working violated store policy.” Because there were no federal or state laws protecting her, Wiseman had no recourse to her termination during a time when most families need stability the most.

Unwillingness to cooperate with pregnant workers often leads to women being fired or expectant mothers taking months of unnecessary unpaid leave with no promise they’ll have a job to come back to.

“At a time when American families are struggling to make ends meet, it’s imperative that we do everything we can to keep people in their jobs, and this is especially true for pregnant women on the verge of having another mouth to feed,” Rep. Nadler said. “Protecting the health and well being of pregnant women should be central to our society’s support for strong and stable families.  The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is an essential means of clarifying our laws to ensure that pregnant women and their families are not allowed to slip through the cracks.”

As AFSCME sisters and brothers, let's do our part and stand together to make sure that all working families are protected at the workplace, and that includes health and job security. Take action here: AFSCME.org/pregnantworkers

Adelson, the same billionaire who almost single-handedly financed the failed campaign of GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, is now “one of the embattled Wisconsin governor’s biggest donors,” according to John Nichols, writing in The Nation.

Adelson, an anti-union casino owner whose right-wing ideology makes him a perfect fit to fund Walker’s campaign, isn’t Walker’s only out-of-state backer. Nichols reports that 74 percent of all Walker’s donations “came from residents of other states, with Floridians providing more than $1 million and Texans, Californians and New Yorkers providing roughly similar amounts.”

Walker may have money, but recent polls show he’s got a lot of work to do if he’s going to keep his job. AFSCME members and our coalition partners will work harder to make sure he doesn’t.

In a state with some of the highest poverty and foreclosure rates in the nation, you would think legislators would have been hard at work creating jobs and helping working families climb out of this recession. Instead, these lawmakers began their session pushing a package of anti-middle class, union-busting bills despite the fact that most Americans favor collective bargaining rights.

Let’s take a look briefly at what they tried – and failed – to accomplish. One measure would have killed collective bargaining entirely. Another, aimed at undermining the bargaining power of working families, would have required employees to re-sign up annually to have their union dues deducted from their paychecks. And despite being tossed out by courts last year for being unconstitutional, lawmakers introduced another bill that attempted to silence the voices of union members in the political process.

Teachers, firefighters, police officers and the public service workers of AFSCME joined forces to kill these bills. They succeeded – none of the measures passed.

Another ALEC-inspired bill championed by Gov. Jan Brewer did pass despite the efforts of AFSCME and our partners. It wiped out civil service protections for state employees, making it easier for politicians to fire public service workers who don’t toe the line for them and their cronies. Some employees are already being re-classified and told to re-apply for their own jobs.

On a more positive note, Governor Brewer recently signed a bill a bill that returns money taken from AFSCME members’ paychecks for pensions. But her action came only after AFSCME stood up against these unconstitutional cuts in court - and won. But challenges remain.

The right-wing super-majority also tried to ensure its power would not be watered down by attempting to remove the chair of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. This unjustified power grab was overturned by the state Supreme Court.

The super-rich and corporations can also thank Arizona lawmakers for giving them additional tax cuts in a package that was passed in the final hours of the session. The tax cuts include slashing the income tax rate on capital gains, among others. They will cost Arizona taxpayers $107.8 million a year by 2019.

“One thing is clear. In order to stop these politicians who have failed their constituents, our members and co-workers must register to vote and then go to the polls,” says Sheri Van Horsen, president of AFSCME Local 3111. “It is up to us to take our state back to the land of sanity for our families and our future.”

Within hours, JP Morgan was a trending topic on Twitter. Across the world, tweeters united to show that Wall Street will not go unchecked…at least in social media.

Here are some favorites:

Indeed, it is scary. However, if the company had an independent chair of the board who provided improved oversight and risk management, JP Morgan’s loss could have been avoided.

Until JP Morgan Chase gets meaningful controls over risk and real oversight of management, Twitter will have to keep up the regulation. 

Those programs include the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) and the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants that assist state and local law enforcement agencies in carrying out and updating their justice programs. AFSCME is urging its members and community allies to use the toll-free Public Safety hotline to contact their U.S representatives and senators. Simply dial 877-267-2485 and follow the instructions to be directly connected to the office of your member of Congress.

Such programs are vital to preventing the violence that claims the lives of too many officers each year. On average, one law enforcement officer dies in the line of duty in the United States every 53 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1971, more than 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

On Sunday, the 24th Annual Candlelight Vigil takes place at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The ceremony recognizes the hundreds of heroes killed in the line of duty and their names are added to the walls of the memorial. The National AFSCME Law Enforcement Board will be attending the ceremony.

“As we gather this week in our nation’s capital to pay honor and respect to our fallen brothers and sisters who have given the ultimate sacrifice, let us never forget that our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each and every day to protect our nation and keep it strong,” said James Lyman, executive director of the New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union (Council 82). “God bless them and keep them safe.”

Among those risking their lives is William Beeler of the Manchester, Conn., police department (Local 1495, Council 15). Beeler suffered serious injuries last year while responding to a domestic violence call. Like the 125,000 public safety officers – including 30,000 police officers – represented by AFSCME, Beeler was not afraid to act in spite of the potential threat to his own life.

It is also a fitting time to welcome the law enforcement members now bolstering our ranks. Last month, AFSCME grew by 325 police officers in Greater Salt Lake City, Utah, after they voted to unionize. They are now represented by The Unified Police Federation/AFSCME Local 45, which has set the standard for quality representation for police officers in Utah.

Congress established National Police Week in 1962.

In his new “crusade against unfairness,” Romney is trying to co-opt the growing chorus of middle class voices rallying against corporate excess for his own political purposes. What America really needs is for Romney to stop the unfairness of playing fast and loose with the facts at the podium.

Romney’s manufactured image of public service workers is just plain wrong. In many places, because of their union contract, public service workers make a fair wage and receive fair benefits. In other places, there is still much work to be done. Whatever the case, we need to pull together to promote economic opportunity. We don’t need to pull everyone down as part of Romney’s never-ending race to the bottom.

We know why Romney thinks it’s unfair for working folks to have the right to participate in the political arena. People-powered organizations don’t support him. And that’s because AFSCME members and others know that a public sector run by Romney and his minions wouldn’t work for public service workers or for the families we serve. We know how important it is to support elected officials who support high quality public services.

Romney’s telling the truth about one thing. There is a lot of unfairness in this country and we need to stop it. His new stump speech makes it clear: Under Romney's economic plan, working families will never get the fair shake we deserve. Under President Obama’s plan, on the other hand, we will.

The battle to preserve quality public services is not over in Louisiana.

Corrections officer Paul Wilson knows the big business interests, who want to privatize his and other prisons, will be back. But as long as he’s president of Local  3803, he’s not about to let prison operators like GEO or Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) have big fun on the bayou. As in, big profits from running state corrections facilities.

A corrections officer for 19 years at the Avoyelles Correctional Center (AVC) in Cottonport, Wilson says “we have been able so far to beat back private prison operators from gaining a foothold in the state. And we are determined to keep it that way.”

Last year, Gov. Bobby Jindal tried but failed to sell some of the prisons. Legislators didn’t like the idea of balancing a budget with one-time revenues from a prison sale.  Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy compared the strategy to “a junkie selling the television set and radio to generate money for his next fix.”

Eager to please his corporate backers, Jindal tried again this year. Again – thanks to Democrats and Republicans who opposed the move, Jindal bowed to public pressure and backed off from the sale.

“But we know these profit-hungry corporations and their allies in Baton Rouge [the state capital] will keep pumping campaign money to politicians to get their way,” Wilson says. “We won’t let them. There’s too much at stake to hand over the prison to private control.”

Wilson’s immediate concern is the financial impact to his 300 coworkers at AVC. “Privateers claim they will save money for the state,” Wilson says. “But I’ve read studies that show most of the savings are achieved by dramatically reducing salaries and benefits for employees. Many of our members won’t be able to feed their families. I know our members are worried about bankruptcies and house foreclosures, not to mention losing their jobs.”

“Expect high turnovers because of poor pay and benefits,” he adds, “and the hiring of inexperienced officers who will settle for lower wages. That’s a recipe for danger. When you have overcrowding and staff shortages inside prison walls, that fosters disturbances, break outs and even hostage situations. When that happens, you endanger the staff, inmates and the general public.”

Wisconsin voters have chosen Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as their candidate to recall Gov. Scott Walker on June 5 for his attack last year on workers’ rights, and AFSCME members are unifying behind him in this historic recall election.

Whether you’re a Wisconsinite or not, the stakes are too high to sit this election out. Scott Walker is the poster boy for the anti-union attacks we have faced from coast to coast and has already raised millions of dollars from some of the most anti-union people in the country, including billionaire right-wing extremist David Koch. 

While AFSCME endorsed former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk in the primary, we’re rallying around Tom Barrett now.

“AFSCME members have been proud to support our friend Kathleen Falk,” said AFSCME Council 24 Exec. Dir. Marty Beil. “But the ultimate goal has always been to defeat Scott Walker. The grassroots campaign we’ve built to counter Walker’s millions from out-of-state billionaires will be working hard to help Tom Barrett.”

Added Rick Badger, executive director of AFSCME Council 40: “We are unified in our support for Tom Barrett and will do everything we can to make sure he defeats Scott Walker on June 5.”

“Wisconsinites have a choice on June 5,” said AFSCME Council 48 Exec. Dir. Rich Abelson. “Tom Barrett will pull Wisconsin together again and heal the wounds that Scott Walker has inflicted. Scott Walker will continue to tear our state apart with his bullying, ‘my way or the highway’ political tactics. The choice is clear.”

“Women and African Americans constitute a disproportionately large share of the state and local public-sector workforce” because those employers “have provided more equitable opportunities for women and people of color,” the EPI report states. As a result, they suffer disproportionately higher job losses in the public sector.

“Between 2007 (before the recession) and 2011, state and local governments shed about 765,000 jobs. Most of them are women and African Americans. EPI says “approximately 540,000 fewer women are employed in state and local government jobs than in 2007.” Among African Americans, a whopping 7.6 percent (177,000 people) lost their jobs. EPI’s report calls that “the largest percentage change for all racial groups.”

The shame is that this didn’t need to happen. Instead of cutting services, state and local governments should have increased revenue. Unfortunately, right-wing legislators are demonizing public service employees so they can justify cutting their jobs, wages, retirement security and other benefits in order to avoid having to pay their fair share of taxes.

Read about how AFSCME is fighting back.

If it weren’t for AFSCME members pulling together last November, Kasich’s beloved Senate Bill 5 would have destroyed working families in Ohio by wiping out collective bargaining. That bill went down in a 61 to 39 percent people’s veto. As a result of his actions, his approval ratings plummeted. Only 38 percent of Ohioans approve of the job he's doing, making Kasich one of the most unpopular governors in America.

Yet, presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, himself once governor of Massachusetts, took to the podium and lauded Kasich for doing a “heckuva job.” It’s the most recent in a series of blunders that prove that Romney is out of touch. Corporations aren’t people, and Kasich isn’t doing a “heckuva job.”

Share this video on Facebook and Twitter if you agree.

In his endorsement today of same-sex marriage, it is clear that Pres. Barack Obama wants to level the playing field for LGBT working families. This afternoon, in an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, he said:

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee and Sec.-Treas. Lee Saunders released a statement applauding President Obama’s message. They said: 

“President Obama’s announcement today recognizes a fundamental American right – that every citizen is entitled to respect and dignity, and the equal protection of our laws.  For too long, lesbian and gay Americans have been denied the right to marry the person they love, raise a family and live as equal citizens in our country.”

Yesterday, North Carolina became the latest in a list of states that have passed constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. In places where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender couples are denied the right to marry, working families lack access to pension benefits, Social Security survivor benefits, family health and bereavement leave and immigration of spouses and family.

Because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a measure which President Obama opposes, even in states that allow same-sex marriage or where workers have won domestic partner benefits through union contracts, LGBT families are denied access to more than 1,000 federal protections and benefits.

AFSCME is on the frontlines of the fight for equality in the workplace and in every place. We are making sure LGBT public workers get a fair shot. Join us in the fight.

Last week, William Purnell Short III, an AFSCME Maryland member and social worker in Baltimore’s social services office, ran to the aid of an infant who was being stabbed by her mother.

According to police reports, 23-year agency veteran Short heard his co-worker scream, ran into the room, subdued the assailant and saved the wounded infant.

The attack calls to question security at the office, which is patrolled by private guards. How did someone with a knife get through the metal detectors and bag check undetected?

AFSCME Maryland leaders have pressed managers for better security, calling for the private guards to be replaced with police from the Maryland Department of General Services. However, managers have refused to act, citing “budget constraints.”

Thanks to the swift action by Short, the infant remains in good condition at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The assailant is being held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault and child abuse. And state officials are investigating the security breach. 

Looking for a break from the conservative voices that dominate cable news in the morning and talk radio all day long?

The Bill Press Show, heard on radio stations nationwide, is now also seen on Current TV from 6 to 9 a.m. EST. Launched by the progressive news network in March, the live simulcast – alongside The Stephanie Miller Show – gives viewers a rare progressive voice on cable news in the mornings.

Shortly after his show debuted, we talked to Bill Press about Current TV’s role in today’s political environment and other topics.

You helped launch Current’s foray into daytime programming.  Is this what it takes to, as you put it, break “the conservative stranglehold on morning cable news television in America?”

There’s a huge imbalance in TV and talk radio between the right wing and progressives – almost 10 to one. Five years ago, almost all of the 2,000 news talk radio stations were dominated by owners who don’t allow progressive voices to be aired. There was not one progressive nationally-syndicated talk show. Today, we have six or eight, including Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and myself. So, it’s getting better for us. Current TV now reaches an audience of 64 million homes.

That’s impressive. But how is Current TV keeping the right wing in check?

Progressives have very limited opportunity to influence the national dialogue and counter the lies from the right. So we give liberals what has been lacking: the truth. All we get from the likes of Rush Limbaugh are lies. Issues are not one sided. Current TV and I share a common goal of cutting through the talking points and shouting heads to present sane, intelligent political commentary and analysis.

In previous programs, you featured AFSCME Sec.-Treas. Lee Saunders and AFL-CIO Pres. Richard Trumka.  How else do you highlight labor and issues affecting working families?

Those who peddle these lies (about public service workers) are skillful propagandists who know there are gullible people out there who repeat these lies. We need to shine the light on the corporate big money that’s behind all these attacks, expose funding sources like the Koch brothers and other political front groups who have been operating under the radar for so long. We can’t let them control the airwaves.

These vicious attacks from corporate-backed politicians have been relentless. What’s at stake for workers in the 2012 elections?

No doubt, there’s a war on labor, a war on women, a war on working families. We saw that in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. The right wing is out to destroy the middle class. They want to end collective bargaining and are vowing to cut, if not end, Medicare. But unions are determined more than ever to defeat their enemies and make sure they are not put in charge. We need to keep the White House and the Senate and take back the House.

What are the chances of making all these happen, especially Obama’s re-election?

Six months ago, I thought we would have a hard time. But now the odds are in Obama’s favor. The economy is improving. The Republicans, on the other hand, have fielded an incredibly amateur bunch of candidates. I also think the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare, whatever the outcome, will benefit the president. A reversal by the justices will just anger a lot of people because there’s a human element to the health care law and you don’t want people, especially working families, back at the mercy of insurance companies.

You’re a union member yourself, aren’t you?

I’m a lifetime union member and proud of it. We need to fight like never before, to hold on to what we have accomplished and make sure our brothers and sisters have the same opportunities like everyone else.

The foundation for modern nursing was established by Florence Nightingale, whose work –  during the 19th century until her death in 1910 – is celebrated annually on National Nurses Day (May 6). During her career, she helped to improve medical care of the wounded during wartime and, later, patient care in peacetime.

AFSCME – a union for more than 360,000 health care workers across the nation, including more than 60,000 nurses represented by AFSCME/United Nurses of America – is carrying out Nightingale’s legacy by supporting Pres. Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The law is helping to make sure that everyone can get affordable health care. But we need to make sure that those who provide it have the resources they need to deliver high quality and safe nursing care.

That’s why another priority of AFSCME/United Nurses of America is to pass the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2011 (H.R. 2187), introduced by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). The legislation will save lives and improve the quality of care. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a similar bill (S. 992). 

Specifically, the legislation would require that hospitals meet minimum nurse-to-patient staffing levels. Research shows that increasing the ratio of nurses to patients reduces nurse burnout, improves patient safety, and also cuts down on preventable complications, such as medication errors. Patients at hospitals where too few nurses have to cover the care for too many patients  had 9 percent more urinary tract infections, 6.5 percent more cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia and were 6 percent more likely to die from complications like shock or sepsis after surgery. Learn more here.  

AFSCME has long been a leading advocate for improving health care, including that of the professionals who provide it. We successfully pressed for legislation to help prevent nurses and other health care workers from getting injuries from needles and sharps.  That law is working. It  has contributed to the decline in such injuries among U.S. hospital workers.

Learn more about AFSCME nurses and health care workers.

In an article published in Truthout, Baker contends that these politicians are “using heaping doses of the politics of envy to try to arouse the anger of workers” in the private sector.

How do they do this? Baker says these politicians – and the right-wing economics they rely on – add the value of a pension over time to inflate the current compensation they say these public service workers are getting. In other words, they contend that $1,000 placed by a government employer into a defined-benefit pension today is worth close to $2,000 over time because the employer guarantees the investment return. That, they argue, would make a pension worth more than a 401 (k)-style private investment account.

Yet, Baker notes, the folks who claim today that public pensions are too rich are the same folks who worked hard “to eliminate traditional pensions in the private sector” by pointing to the higher returns that could be made through a private 401(k)-type account. Of this contradiction, Baker writes:

“When we were talking about cutting back protections for hundreds of millions of workers and their families, we were not supposed to take into account the value of a guaranteed benefit. Now that we are talking about cutting the pay of public-sector workers, it is essential to include the value of the guarantee in the calculation. Is it any wonder that so many people have contempt for economists?”

Read more about public pension truths here. Also, check out this letter from AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee correcting untruths about public worker compensation.

We are proud of the extraordinary service provided by the 62,000 corrections officers and 23,000 corrections employees represented by AFSCME Corrections United (ACU).

Yet, these officers continue to be used as scapegoats by corporate-backed politicians who undervalue the difficult and dangerous work they do. Governors in Florida, Louisiana, Michigan and Ohio have brazenly attempted to privatize prisons even as evidence mounts that this jeopardizes prison safety and doesn’t save money. Corrections officers know about the greater threat of injury or death within prisons operated by for-profit companies.

But our members are fighting back. In Florida, AFSCME scored a major victory when we overcame overwhelming odds to beat back a prison privatization bill. Working in partnership with members of AFSCME Council 79 and other labor unions, we defeated Senate Bill 2038, which would have led to the largest expansion of private prisons in American history.

We stalled a move by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and his allies to privatize a state prison. Working with a national coalition to fight prison privatization, our members flexed their muscles and raised a public outcry. We commend those courageous legislators, like Florida State Sen. Mike Fasano (a Republican), who oppose prison privatization because they value public safety more than the profit for private prison companies, which have engaged in pay-to-play politics.

During this week’s commemoration, we also pay homage to unsung heroes who continue to take risks and make ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty. One of our own, Sgt. Barbara Ester of Marianna, Ark., was simply doing her job when she was fatally stabbed to death early this year. Other members, like Michael Whitehead of Somers, Conn., saved a fellow officer’s life on the job.

“We will never forget the life-and-death struggles that define the vital service you provide,” Sec.-Treas. Lee Saunders said at last year’s Public Safety Congress. “Because we will never forget, we will continue the fight for the public safety officers on the job today.” Adds Pres. Gerald W. McEntee:  “The  courage and commitment shown by our members reflect what is best about our country.

BOSTON –  Six hundred EMS Workers in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are one step closer to United EMS Workers, a  union founded on AFSCME’s national strength and unity.

A majority filled out cards calling for unionization with United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911, which will give them a voice in the life-saving services they provide. On Tuesday they filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board requesting a union election.

James Slattery, an EMS worker at American Medical Response (AMR) from Taunton, Mass., has worked his entire life in public service and has seen Emergency Medical Services transform into a recognized profession. He began volunteering on an ambulance when he was just 14 years old. Having spent 52 years of his life working and advocating for EMS, Slattery says this is the first time his colleagues will have a democratically run union.

Lisa Scardino

“AMR is a national company – and that’s more reason for us to have a strong national union as United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911,” Slattery said. “Building our own EMS local with AFSCME will ensure that we have a strong foundation with democracy and oversight.”

Lisa Scardino, a 16-year EMS worker employed with AMR is standing with her co-workers because she believes the union is a strong advocate for patients.

“A vote for United EMS Workers is about making sure we always get the best training available and that patients always get the best care possible,” she said.

As the Maryland General Assembly session came to a close in April, legislators passed a bill that gives state workers in four previously excluded agencies collective bargaining rights already enjoyed by their sisters and brothers in the state service.

AFSCME members across the state worked to get this critical expansion of workers’ rights through the legislative process.

“My co-workers and I are voting for collective bargaining to win the respect we deserve and new rights on the job in an AFSCME contract we can count on,” said William “Will” Randall, a Facilities Maintenance Technician at the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The new law, which becomes effective July 1, will give workers at the Maryland Transportation Authority, the State Board of Education, the Office of the Comptroller and the Maryland State Retirement Agency the right to vote for collective bargaining. AFSCME activists are working every day on an organizing campaign with the approximately 1,800 workers covered by these new bargaining units.

AFSCME members lobbied hard for this ‘Freedom to Vote’ legislation. At a time when far too many governors and legislators across the country are trying to diminish workers’ rights, Gov. Martin O’Malley and legislative leaders worked with AFSCME members to expand the rights of public service workers.

Speaker Pro-Tem, Adrienne Jones, said “I was proud to sponsor this bill (Freedom to Vote) because these hard-working employees deserve the same right to vote for collective bargaining that most other state and university employees in Maryland already have.”

Together we have helped workers gain more of a voice in the workplace and at the bargaining table.

Since his election 16 months ago, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s offensive rhetoric has only been matched by his controversial actions including the removal of a pro-union mural from the Department of Labor, and the use of line-item veto power to cut public access to Maine’s last-stop safety-net program ‘General Assistance.’

But last Friday, Governor LePage stepped up his anti-worker rhetoric when he said, “Middle management of the state is about as corrupt as can be.” His comments even caused leading Republicans to release statements disassociating themselves from his anti-worker views.

Don’t think this was the only outlandish statement the first-term governor has made.

Below we’ve compiled 10 of the worst Governor LePage quotes. If you have one you’d like to share, tweet at us using the hashtag #meanlepage or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AFSCME.

April 30, 2012: “Middle management of the state is about as corrupt as can be.”

Dec. 8, 2011: “Conservation is just another word for a Ponzi scheme in many respects.“

Oct. 26, 2011: “I’m a big believer in trying to get the state regulations no stricter than federal, and we’re trying to encourage the local communities to work with us to make their rules no stricter [than either].”

April 13, 2011: (Less than 100 days in office) “I went on vacation last week because I had nothing to do.“

March 25, 2011: In response to Maine residents who disagreed with his removal of a Labor Mural from the Department of Labor: “I’d laugh at them, the idiots.“

March 4, 2011: “Buying a Maine daily newspaper is like paying someone to lie to you.“

Feb. 22, 2011: “If you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards.“

Feb. 5, 2011: “I’m working for the people of Maine, not the whales of Maine.”

Jan. 14, 2011: When invited to Maine NAACP’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: “Tell them to kiss my butt.“

Sept. 28, 2010: “You’re going to see a lot of me on the front page saying ‘Governor LePage tells Obama to go to hell.’”