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7/27/2010
"Ready to Fight! Ready to
Lead"

135 National Groups
Urge Congress to Pass Needed State Medicaid
Extension
AFSCME, with the support of scores of national organizations, is
calling on senators to pass a jobs bill that includes a six-month
extension of the increased federal Medicaid match (FMAP), which was
included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Negotiations on a jobs bill which includes the needed extension of the
increased Medicaid match continues but it is not clear when the Senate
will vote on legislation that includes these federal funds to help
states avert job-killing cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of
workers. The addition of Senator Carte Goodwin (D-WV) to the Senate
improves support for aid to states, but to reach the 60 votes needed to
close off debate, support from several Republican senators is required.
Given the urgency and limited time for the Senate and House to act to
help state and local governments, it is very important that AFSCME
members and families call both their Senators and Representatives to
urge them to pass a jobs bill with aid to states now.
CALL YOUR SENATORS AND
REPRESENTATIVE NOW!!
Tell them to finish the work on a jobs bill that includes a six-month
extension of increased federal funds for state
Medicaid programs.
Call Toll-Free Right Away!
1-888-340-6521
Take
Action - Tell your senators to help save one million jobs!
Contact
Amy Klobuchar
Washington,
DC - (202-224-3244) Metro Office - (612-727-5220)
Contact
Al Franken
Washington,
DC - (202-224-5641) Metro Office - (651-221-1016)
Take
Action Now!
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Other
Stories
Emmer
Math Redux (7/8/2010)
Horner
Proposes Ending Aide to Counties
Quote of the
Week |
Primary Election Day - Remember to
Vote - August 10th
AFSCME has
endorsed Mark Dayton for Governor!
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AFSCME has created a web
page to
help answer questions about health-care reform. |
ROWE
- Results Only Work Environment
Marcia
Dietz is a Local 34 member and long-time volunteer for the
Wellness Committee. Her story and her spirit have inspired
many in her area and within HSPHD.
I met Marcia through the HSPHD Recognition Committee. Her
smile and sincere interest in others drew me to her. During
one of our meetings, Marcia said she wouldn't be attending the
next month's meeting due to a medical procedure that had been
scheduled. Eventually, we heard the devastating news that
Marcia Dietz had been diagnosed with cancer.
During our next committee meeting, we discussed how to help
Marcia. The committee arranged for food and entertainment
packages to be dropped off at Marcia's home. Supportive cards and
calls were sent to Marcia to help her to keep her strength and
focus on anything but the pain...to help her keep fighting. Marcia
also received generous financial support through HC Employee
Donation Program, and cards and donations were sent by her fellow
Child Support employees.
At the time of Marcia's diagnosis, one of Marcia’s co-workers
was working in a ROWE and was able to arrange her work schedule to
offer rides to and from treatment during the day when Marcia was
scared to go alone.
Marcia's unit was migrated to a ROWE in early 2010. Marcia
was then able to work between doctor's appointments, from the Mayo
Clinic, at home, and in the office. She could work when she
had the strength to do so, which sometimes was in the evenings or
early morning hours. She contacted the ROWE team via e-mail
last year. The subject line was “Working from the Mayo
Clinic:”
“Can you believe it? I am in between my 9:00 AM Doctor
appointment and my 2:00 PM Doctor appointment, and I'm able to
work. Systems are up and running and I'm able to access
them. I had to play around with it a little but it works.
Hurray!. How awesome is that? Instead of wasting
this time I can actually work in between. (Feel free to
share with anyone you want to tell.)”
Marcia later explained that working from the Mayo Clinic helped
her to focus on something other than her medical issues. She felt
that she had a purpose during the time she waited for the next
appointment, and she felt that she was emotionally stronger
because of it.
Even when struggling with complications from the treatment, she
was still able to do the work. She sent this statement to
the ROWE team after being congratulated for being one of her
team's "YTD over 90%" collectors:
"I just wanted to share this with you and say thank you for
ROWE. For me this has worked just as it was supposed to
(retaining good talented workers), building computer/tech savvy
while working from home, finding efficiencies to keep up with my
ever expanding caseload, eliminating unnecessary stress that
coming to the office brings including commuting......and if it
wasn't for the timing in my case, I might even be a former
employee, but I'm not and I thank you for your vision, your
dedication, your insight, your commitment...everything that worked
together to make this happen.
Did I mention the commendation letter I received from Hennepin
Volunteers and the Minnesota Twins for helping them open the
ballpark this spring? So what if toot my own horn a little?!
I'm alive, I didn't lose everything or really anything when major
illness came into my life and every day I'm stronger, better,
healthier and more hopeful. I live right next to Public
Housing and when I walk out my back door I'm reminded and grateful
for what I have because it could have turned out different. Thank
you for believing and supporting me personally as well."
Two years after receiving the devastating news, Marcia is now in
full recovery.
Her story reminds us that HSPHD was a great place to work before
we became a Results Only Work Environment, but now that we have
the opportunity to balance our work and life demands as long as
the work gets done, we can go that extra mile to accomplish our
goals and help others.
The world of work at Hennepin is changing, impacting our lives in
a way that it never has before. Life is good. Let’s
enjoy it together. ~ Carolyn Johnson, MS, SSW, Front Door Service
Planning, ROWE Internal Change Agent Note:
Telework Bill Passes House:
Last week the House passed the Telework Improvements Act of 2010
(H.R. 1722) by a vote of 290 to 131. The bill will make it easier
for federal employees to telecommute by requiring executive
agencies to establish policies and provide training to maximize
program use without diminishing performance. It will also prohibit
management from making a distinction between teleworkers and
non-teleworkers for performance appraisals, training or other
purposes.
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Farewell
Cliff
Throughout
these past 44 years, Brother Robinson has served the membership of
AFSCME
Local 34 and AFSCME Councils 3, 14 and 5 in a number of
significant roles – President of the Local, Chief Steward,
negotiator, Chair of the Council 5 Social Services Committee…But much as Bill Lucy represented the heart and soul of
AFSCME International, Cliff Robinson has represented the heart and
soul of Local 34.
Cliff has brought a passion to his work representing
members of the Local, working with Management on behalf of the
rights of Hennepin employees and negotiating for the best
contracts possible at the time, fighting for responsible
legislation to help our clients and to help public employees, and
working to elect pro-public employee public servants. Our current
Chief Steward and member of the Council 5 Executive Board will be
greatly missed.
Cliff's
"Farewell Message"
Brothers
and sisters - I
recently announced that I will be retiring from Hennepin County on
August thirteenth. I was asked to write an article in which I
would contrast and compare the state of the union when I first
joined the union with where we find ourselves today.
When I joined
Local 34 in 1969, the world was much different from today. The
county was still flush with money from President Johnson’s War
on Poverty (the other war that he lost). Incumbents in both the
governor’s office and the state legislature were friendly
towards organized labor. As a result of that political support,
the legislature passed and the governor signed, the Public
Employee Labor Relations Act. It
is this law that gives us the right to a labor contract through
collective bargaining. I was on the local’s first bargaining
team, which created our first contract.
This was a period of intense learning for both the union
and the county as both sides had to learn how to negotiate wages
and benefits for the first time. Much of my work for the union, during the time I was
president of the local from 1973 through 1978, was directed
towards developing a vigorous effort to protect members from
abuse, and extend their rights and benefits. It was during this
period that we adopted our rattlesnake banner which graces the
masthead of our newsletter, and continues to symbolize the
character of our local.
Local unions by
themselves have little negotiating and political power. That is
why we have always joined together into associations of locals for
mutual protection and advancement. When
I joined the union, the local was part of District Council 3,
which was composed of several City of Minneapolis and Hennepin
County local unions. This council was later merged into a larger
District Council 14, which represented many local unions in the
Twin Cities area. In 2004, three district councils were combined
into the present District Council 5, which represents most of the
local unions in the state with about forty three thousand members.
With each of these changes, our negotiating and political power
has increased enormously.
The increase in political power has been both beneficial and
necessary for the survival of public unionism in Minnesota. The
political landscape has changed drastically since the 1970s.
Organized labor has only uncertain support in the legislature and
a hostile governor who would destroy public unions if he could. We
have been fortunate to have had talented, hardworking leaders in
the local and the council who have put service to the union above
personal gain. However, what has remained constant throughout my
career is that the real power of the union lies not in its
leadership, but in an aroused and committed membership. Political
action is the life blood of organized labor. What the Congress,
the President, the State Legislature and the Governor give, they
can also take away.
Two
areas in particular, need your continued attention. The first
is the protection of the Public Employees Labor Relations Act
(PELRA). Your right to continue negotiating wages and benefits
depends upon this law. Every year bills have been introduced in
the legislature to weaken or eliminate this Act, and every year we
have been able to beat them back. But next year, if we end up with
a legislature which learns further to the right and
a Governor Emmer, your right to collective bargaining may become a
thing of the past. The
second is the
continuation of your Defined Benefit retirement program through
PERA. At one time in
America, organized workers in both the private and public sectors
could depend on a comfortable retirement with their defined
benefit retirement programs. Over the past forty years, defined
benefit programs in the private sector have virtually disappeared
as bosses have enriched themselves and their stockholders at the
expense of the workers. Politicians in many states have cast
covetous eyes on the funds in defined benefit programs, or have
failed to fund them appropriately. This has not yet happened in
Minnesota because your union has been vigilant in protecting our
pension program. In the last legislative session, efforts were
made to replace our defined benefit program with a defined
contribution program where the amount of your future retirement
would be defined by the health of the stock market. That effort
failed, but it will return.
My
parting thought for you is this: your
dignity and rights in the workplace were not given to you by a
benevolent employer or government. They were earned by the work
and sacrifices of those who preceded you.
They will be maintained only by the efforts you make to
maintain them. You are the union. Keep the faith. ~ Cliff
Robinson |
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Emmer
Math Redux
A couple of
weeks ago, Hindsight made its first foray into the strange
world of Emmer Math
when we examined Rep. Tom Emmer’s claim that state government
spending has doubled over the last ten years. In fact, state
spending has come nowhere near doubling. After adjusting for
inflation and population growth, real per capita spending has
grown by a total of 5.1% over the last decade (an annual average
rate of 0.5%). If we add local spending into the equation,
total real per capita government spending has declined since 2000.
Rep. Emmer was
quick to provide us with more examples of his statistical prowess.
In an attempt to justify a reduction in the minimum wage for
workers who receive tips, Rep. Emmer recently told us about
waiters and waitresses who are making a $100,000 a year.
Let’s do some Emmer Math.
According to the
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
as reported in MinnPost,
the average hourly wage—including tips—for waiters and
waitresses in Minnesota is $9.36 an hour. In order to make
$100,000, the average waiter would have to work 10,684 hours in a
year. That’s a problem, given that there are only 8,760
hours in a year. Perhaps uber-waiter can work faster than
the speed of light, allowing him to go backward in time so that he
can squeeze the extra 1,900 hours into his year. And if he
works even faster yet, he might be able to make $100,000 and still
sneak in a mid-year bathroom break.
Of course,
uber-waiter must be making considerably more than the average
Minnesota waiter or waitress. Let’s assume that
uber-waiter works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks a year.
(Uber-waiter needs no vacation.) To make a $100,000 a year,
uber-waiter would have to make $48.08 an hour—just more than
five times the statewide average.
According to the
Emily Post Institute as cited in CNN
Money.com,
the appropriate tip for mediocre service is 15% of the bill,
excluding tax; tips for superior service should be 20%.
Uber-waiter of course gives superior service, so he consistently
gets 20% tips. After receiving his minimum wage of $6.15 an
hour (the average for high gross establishments), uber-waiter must
still clear $41.93 an hour in tips for 40 hours a week for 52
weeks a year. Assuming tips of 20%, uber-waiter must schlep
$210 worth of food and drink every hour (pre-tax). If
uber-waiter’s customers are cheapskates who tip the more
standard 15% despite superior service, our intrepid server must
deliver $280 dollars of food every hour.
In fairness,
there are probably some high-end restaurants where sales of this
magnitude are achievable. However, the number of
establishments where waiters and waitresses can consistently
average $200 to $300 of pre-tax sales every hour over the course
of an entire year are indeed few and far between. According
to MinnPost, “those $100,000 servers are the rarest of
people.”
In reality, the
average annual wage of Minnesota waiters and waitresses is just
more than $19,000 a year, according to DEED numbers as cited in
MinnPost. And keep in mind that most of these workers do not
receive benefits, such as health care coverage. If Rep.
Emmer has his way, this meager wage will drop even further.
Where are those right wing pundits who fret about “class
warfare” when you really need them?
Among
Minnesota’s 45,000 waiters and waitresses, the $100,000
uber-waiters are extremely rare. As with the claim that
“Minnesota spending has nearly doubled,” the $100,000
uber-waiter is an absurdity used to justify policy arguments that
cannot be supported by a more legitimate analysis. Don’t be
fooled by Emmer Math. ~
Minneaot 2020, July 8th, 2010 at 7:32 am By Jeff Van Wychen
Horner
Proposes Ending Aide to Counties
On
a visit to Wadena, Hubbard, Otter Tail and Cass counties, Tom Horner
was asked why he switched from the Republican party to the
Independence party, and responded
that “he did
not think he had changed, but that the Republican party had
changed.” That really says something about how extreme the
Republican party has become, because Horner’s ideas are already
very conservative. For example, on that same trip, he proposed ending
County Local Aid:
Horner
also advocates eliminating County Local Aid. According to Horner,
the State currently gives counties about $500 million a year in
Local County Aid, then puts all kinds of strings and mandates on
the County. He advocates eliminating that aid, and instead giving
counties the option of increasing the sales tax by 1/2-cent and
keeping the additional revenue. Each County would then decide how
to spend the revenue to provide its residents with basic services.
Where there are counties too poor to raise enough revenue from the
additional sales tax to provide basic services, then the State
would step in on a targeted basis and give only as much as needed.
I
can’t stress what a terrible idea this is. The whole reason we
have programs like County Local Aid is because the tax base in some
small or poor counties would force them to choose between exorbitant
taxes or insufficient services — either of which would
lead to an exodus from that county. Horner’s plan would leave a
handful of dead counties in its wake.
I
guess this is what Horner means, though, when he says the Republican
party has changed. Horner’s plan is very conservative. The
Republican version, though was to slash local aid and then forbid
the local governments from increasing taxes
to make up the difference. Horner is ever so slightly more moderate,
but that’s not saying much.,
~ by Jeff
Rosenberg
Quote of the
Month
"Eight
years of Governor Tim Pawlenty's conservative policy leadership has
created a declining, retreating Minnesota. Emmer's vision won't
simply extend Pawlenty's direction; it accelerates it. In this
century's first decade, we've drifted to the middle among a pack of
states that we used to lead. Emmer's policy priorities will lead
Minnesota in a sprint to the bottom.
Minnesotans want a progressive policy direction, repeatedly
expressing support for strong public schools, affordable health
care, a robust transportation infrastructure, and real economic
development policy. We are adrift when we should be pressing
forward. Only effective, progressive public policy leadership can
move Minnesota forward. Conservative policy won't be any better for
Minnesota than it will be for Minnesota's waiters and waitresses."
~ John Van Hecke, Minnesota 2020
Fellow
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