3/8/2010
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AFSCME
Local 34 Elections: Final
nominations for AFSCME Local 34 officers were taken at the
March General Membership meeting. As there were no
contested races, nominations were closed and the following
Rally
for Jobs:
Wednesday, March 10, 1:00pm, State Capitol Steps, 75 Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Mn. 55155. The
Building Jobs Coalition will highlight their legislative
agenda regarding the Bonding Bill and Job Legislation.
House
Passes Senate Jobs Bills:
The House, by a vote of 217-201, approved a Senate-passed jobs
bill (H.R.2847), the first in a series of jobs bills expected to
clear Congress. The $15 billion bill provides payroll tax relief
for businesses that hire new workers and extends the Highway Trust
Fund, the Build America Bonds program, and expense deductions for
small businesses. The House modified some of the tax provisions in
the Senate-passed version, requiring the bill to be approved again
by the Senate before it can go to President Obama for his
signature.
Second
Jobs Bill Under Senate Consideration: The
Senate is currently considering its second jobs bill, the American
Workers, State and Business Relief Act (H.R. 4213). The bill
includes a six-month extension of the Recovery Act's increased
federal Medicaid contribution (FMAP), an extension through the end
of 2010 for unemployment insurance (UI) and unemployment health
care benefits (COBRA), and a number of tax credits. AFSCME
strongly supports the FMAP extension because it will help states,
which are required by law to balance their budgets, avoid harmful
cuts and prevent job losses. 
Chavez-Thompson
Wins Texas Democratic Primary:
Congratulations to AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Emerita Linda
Chavez-Thompson, who last week won the Democratic primary for
lieutenant governor of Texas. Chavez-Thompson won with 53 percent
of the vote. Chavez-Thompson prevailed despite a three-way race,
avoiding a run-off election. In January, the AFL-CIO Executive
Council strongly endorsed Chavez-Thompson’s candidacy,
saying she “is a tireless advocate for civil, human, women’s
and worker rights.” Chavez-Thompson was a former member pof
AFSCME.
Sisters
in the Brotherhoods:
Captain Brenda Berkman, a native Minnesotan, is on the cover of
Jane LaTour’s “Sisters in the Brotherhoods.” A retired
25-year member of the New York Fire Department, she said as late
as 2004 men wouldn’t sit next to her at union meetings. Her
lawsuit broke the barrier for women. 
Senate
Logjam on Unemployment Benefits Finally Broken: The
Senate finally ended an impasse, allowing for passage of
legislation continuing federal unemployment insurance benefits and
COBRA subsidies for another 30 days. The 78-19 vote in favor of
the legislation, which was immediately signed by President Obama,
came after Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) finally dropped his objection
to considering it. Although not the only Senate Republican to
object to considering the unemployment benefits/COBRA extension
during February, Sen. Bunning had held up the bill for four
straight days, allowing these benefits to expire. As time passed
even some Republicans began to distance themselves from Bunning's
tactics. When it finally became apparent that a vote to end his
delaying tactics would attract at least one Republican and
possibly more, he finally backed down.
Midwest School for Women
Workers: ‘Taking
a stand in tough economic times’ - Addressing the challenges
posed by the economic crisis will be the focus of the 2010 Midwest
School for Women Workers hosted by the Labor Education Service at
the University of Minnesota. The School, open to all working
women, will be held July 28 to Aug. 1 on the university’s
Minneapolis campus. The School is a four-day residential program
that brings together participants from several states for general
sessions, skills workshops and networking. This year’s theme is
“Taking a stand in tough economic times.”
Workers
Call on Legislators to Save Jobs, Public Services:
Members
of AFSCME Council 5 rallied at the state Capitol Wednesday
(2/17) and
met with legislators to help shape a state budget that will put
Minnesota back to work. AFSCME Council 5 represents 43,000
public and non-profit workers across the state. The theme of
this year’s Day-on-the-Hill was “For a Better Minnesota.”
Nearly 800 union members participated, the union said. They
packed the Capitol rotunda and filled the balconies to call on
lawmakers to save jobs and preserve important public services. 
Kitchen
Table
Talk!
Pension
Fix:
AFSCME is reluctantly supporting benefit adjustments recommended
by MSRS and
PERA to
ensure the retirement systems have sufficient funds to pay
benefits for retirees, active employees and future hires.
Legislative action would allow both systems to reduce the cost
of living increase. Our Board originally asked the Legislature
to wait until next year to take action. We had hoped that
investment returns would be enough to make up for market losses
over the past two years. Unfortunately, the slow economic
recovery demands an immediate fix. 
Union
Wages and Benefits Didn't Cause the Deficit!
by Eliot
Seide, Director, AFSCME Council 5. Every
day, more Minnesotans are losing their jobs, their homes and their
health care. When these victims of the poor economy need help, it's
unionized public workers who come to their rescue. We're their life
preserver, not an anchor weighing them down, as Katherine Kersten
suggests ("Public sector: An anchor as we sink," Feb. 14). We're
the blue-collar workers who take care of South St. Paul while Gov. Tim
Pawlenty cuts his hometown. We feed grandma while he forces her nursing
home to close. We staff the emergency rooms while he cuts hospitals to
the bone. We help minds soar while he crowds classrooms, hikes tuition
and closes libraries.
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3/8/2010
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Updated 10/15/2009 |
Contract
Negotiations
Updated 2/26/2010 |
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