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May 5, 2008National/PoliticalMcCain is Wrong on Collapsing Bridges and the Mafia's Good Works U.S. Senator John McCain has said some pretty crazy things on the campaign trail this year. .... This week, McCain added two more crazy statements to the list. First, he blamed the collapse of the Minnesota I-35 bridge last year on congressional earmarks. He went on to explain that comment by suggesting that the U.S. Congress was similar to the Mafia. He's wrong on both counts. ... For years, AFSCME members in Minnesota and across the country have been warning that public services are under-funded and understaffed. We complained that Minnesota had too few inspectors to examine bridges, and too few maintenance workers to keep up with necessary repairs. Thousands cast ballots / Official says many choosing different ballots than in the past ... By Thursday, about 1,000 ballots had already been cast in advance of Tuesday's primary, according to estimates by a local election official, as Wayne County pilots the use of vote centers. ... “Politics is a big part of being a municipal employee," Sexton said, who is president of local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "The salaries, everything that is going on. Flap over pastor pulls Obama down, poll finds / Clinton now tops national survey .. In the USA Today survey, taken Thursday through Saturday, Clinton leads Obama among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by 7 percentage points, the first time in three months she has been ahead. Two weeks ago, before the controversy over comments by Jeremiah Wright reignited, Obama led by 10 points. In Poll, Obama Survives Furor, but Fall Is the Test A majority of American voters say that the furor over the relationship between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor has not affected their opinion of Mr. Obama, but a substantial number say that it could influence voters this fall should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll. States & Localities: Falling Bridges You need not look far to be reminded of the nation’s ongoing infrastructure problem. .. A nonpartisan coalition of 15 governors, plus New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have found federal infrastructure spending declining as a share of non-defense expenditures, from around 10 percent before 1966 to 4 percent or less since the 1990s. Now three-quarters of all infrastructure spending is by states and localities. .. The public-vs.-private debate on who can best build and operate infrastructure of any kind is a false choice, the report said, since both sectors can mess it up. What’s needed is a public-private relationship, in the report’s words, in which government exerts its influence in the conceptualization and design of projects, “with a firm but light-handed oversight role that emphasizes goals instead of means.” States Look to Rein In Private Medicare Plans State officials say they will soon ask Congress for more power to regulate the marketing of private Medicare insurance plans to older Americans because they are still receiving complaints of high-pressure sales tactics that have led some beneficiaries to sign up for unsuitable policies. The proposal would be a profound change, but state officials say it is needed to protect consumers and reduce confusion. States' welfare caseloads starting to rise State welfare rolls, which declined for more than a decade after a 1996 overhaul of the nation's cash-assistance program, are beginning to rise, due in part to the struggling economy. Federal data for the last half of 2007 show welfare rolls rose about 0.6%, and 27 states reported increases. That follows a decline of 68% since the federal law imposed work requirements, time limits and penalties for recipients who don't follow the rules. Fiscal Pressures Lead Some States to Free Inmates Early Reversing decades of tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug offenders, many cash-strapped states are embracing a view once dismissed as dangerously naive: It costs far less to let some felons go free than to keep them locked up. Gus Puryear is a poor choice for federal judicial appointment Several recent editorials, including an April 13 opinion piece by former Sen. Bill Frist, have expressed support for the federal judicial nomination of Gustavus A. Puryear IV, general counsel for Corrections Corp. of America (CCA). ... An April 28 article in the National Law Journal described Mr. Puryear's nomination as one of only two that have "vocal opposition." Where is that opposition coming from? Not from just one group, but from the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, the National Council of Women's Organizations, AFSCME (one of the nation's largest labor unions, which represents public employees), the Alliance for Justice and other civil rights organizations. ... For more information about Mr. Puryear's contested judicial nomination, please visit http://www.againstpuryear.org/. Investors want a say on executive pay Tess Vigeland: Ever had that fantasy about getting to decide how much the boss is paid? Turnabout is fair play, no? Well, on Monday, shareholders of the insurance company AFLAC will, in a way, get to do just that. They'll get to vote on executive pay packages. .... If you can bear it, it's worth digging through those proxy statements that stuff your mailbox every year. Richard Ferlauto directs pension investment for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. He says proxy statements should contain information on executive pay. Analysis: Early Season Trends Resolutions calling for advisory votes on pay have received less support at a number of firms this year versus last, according to a RiskMetrics Group analysis of preliminary vote results through April 30. ... “It’s a theory at this point, but e-proxy may play a role in the decline,” notes Richard Ferlauto, director of pension and benefit policy at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, referring to the decline at some companies. “There’s some preliminary data showing a drop-off in retail voter participation, and our understanding of retail voter trends is that they’ve supported ‘say on pay’ when they’ve cast their ballots.” State/Local‘We’re fired up, and we can’t take it’ After snarling Friday rush hour traffic in downtown Providence with a “Unity March” from the Westin Hotel to the Statehouse, a coalition of labor and community groups held a rally in support of state workers, immigrants and union labor. ....“We’re here to tell Gov. Carcieri it’s time to support workers . it’s time to show some respect for workers,” said Paul Booth, national organizing director for AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). .. “We defy him,” Booth declared to the cheers and whoops of the crowd. Related article from the Providence Journal: Union workers rally for respect at Rhode Island’s State House Pennsylvania child care workers join union Some 20,000 home-based child care workers in Pennsylvania have voted to join the Child Care Providers United union. All of the workers who joined the union receive a subsidy from the state because they care for children in low-income families. The move is expected to give the workers more power to negotiate the size of those subsidies, according to child care worker and union founder Bonnie Caldwell. Things tough all over Fla. / State employees’ salaries to stall, staffing to fall .. The budget showed a net loss of about 700 “full-time equivalent” positions statewide, including 199 probation-officer jobs. How that will affect active employees remains to be worked out agency-by-agency before the fiscal year starts July 1. .. Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, and Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, worked with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to pass a plan requiring the Department of Management Services to develop objective criteria for retaining employees during layoffs. .. Dean praised AFSCME for pushing the Career Service bill. He said the union “got some communication going at the highest level” between parties in the Legislature and the governor’s office. Vacant Manatee school jobs will go unfilled The Manatee County School District is cutting 104 vacant positions, a move that could save the district $5.6 million next year, officials announced Friday. ... District officials are asking the two unions that represent its employees, the Manatee Education Association and the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, to come to the table and bargain reductions in salary to avoid layoffs, according to a district news release. State agency that manages Medicaid to eliminate 554 jobs The state agency that oversees food stamps and health insurance for the poor is eliminating about 554 jobs to comply with Gov. Ted Strickland’s order that the agency reduce spending by $67.5 million. ... The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, which represents many of the agency’s union employees, said deeper management cuts should have been made. Related articles
Prison Union Pickets for Safety The chapter president of the union at Belmont Correctional Institution says job cuts at the prison continue as the prison population grows. AFSCME Belmont Chapter President Terry Dayton said there are more than 50,000 inmates housed across the state of Ohio, and Governor Ted Strickland's plan to restructure the prison system called for 700 positions that were elliminated in January of this year. PARTA accuses union of unfair labor Charge against group stems from contract negotiations The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union representing PARTA's full- and part-time bus drivers. PARTA filed the complaint this week with the State Employee Relations Board, charging that OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4 has bargained in bad faith by refusing to meet at reasonable times to negotiate, engaging in regressive bargaining and not being prepared to bargain during meetings. Local officials outraged The normally mild-mannered state Sen. Larry Bomke called Friday for Gov. Rod Blagojevich to be impeached. The news that the Illinois Department of Transportation wants to move 150 jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois was the last straw, said Bomke, a Springfield Republican. .. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. which represents about 100 of the employees who would be moved, also challenged the economic rationale for moving the employees. AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the employees could simply be moved from the so-called IDOT annex into the department’s next-door headquarters building. Champaign County nursing home plans 27 layoffs Champaign County's struggling nursing home will lay off 27 employees next week. .. Last week, the county board voted to hire St. Louis area consultants to help the home find resources and cut expenses. It also voted in a new board for the home, which meets for the first time Monday. Tara McCauley, staff representative from AFSCME Council 31, said the union was not happy with the news. Personnel panel wants less restrictive policy ... AFSCME staff representative Randy Lynch, who was outspoken in his criticism of the residency requirement at the April board meeting, spoke in favor of the committee’s recommendation. “Most employers have removed residency requirements from their contracts and personnel policies. They are not able to get qualified people,” he said. “It really benefits you because (a residency requirement) limits your ability to get good people that you want.” Budget is tight, but what to do? Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack and City Manager Jim Payne agree that the city is in for a tight year. Where they differ, however, is how to manage the budget. .. Another kink to be worked out is the $500,000 allocated in the budget to begin implementing pay raises for city employees belonging to AFSCME union. N.J. has fewer employees, higher OT costs Overtime costs for state workers rose $16 million last year even though the number of employees dropped, according to new payroll data. New Jersey government spent $250 million on overtime pay last year, more than the $190 million Gov. Jon S. Corzine wants to cut from aid to municipalities. Overtime was up 7 percent from 2006, a Gannett New Jersey analysis of the payroll shows. ... "These facilities have to be open 24/7," said Little, of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "If the (staffing) cap is at 500, we're short 60 members and 10 people leave, we still have to make the coverage." State sees trouble in Pontiac Gov. Jennifer Granholm has appointed a team of finance experts to determine whether the City of Pontiac faces a fiscal emergency, but many local residents have already made up their minds. ... Thirteen other cities in metro Detroit also appear on a state watch list for financial difficulty, according to fiscal scorecards compiled by the state's Treasury Department for the first time based on 2006 financial data submitted to the state last year. Mayor Seeks to Outsource Some City Jobs Waste collection, street sweeping and road maintenance are among 11 municipal services San Diego will consider outsourcing to private businesses in an effort to save money, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced Friday (.pdf). Privatizing the 11 services would cut 291 municipal jobs and save the city $63.1 million in expenses, according to city officials. But union officials representing city employees questioned the timing of the announcement, which came as contract negotiations between the Mayor's Office and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 127 have stalled. .. "We are ready and willing to compete," AFSCME Local 127 President Joan Raymond said following the mayor's announcement. "We are not afraid of competition as long as the process is fair." L.A. city unions push retirement incentives over layoffs Six Los Angeles city employee unions have asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to offer early retirement to thousands of senior city workers, saying such a program could save $177 million annually and avert layoffs over the next year. ... The union coalition began circulating its proposal Thursday afternoon, just as council members received complaints about the mayor's plan to cut Sunday library hours, reduce animal shelter hours, slash park maintenance and eliminate Channel 36, a city-owned television station that offers high school sports coverage and other programming. Vallejo city manager advises bankruptcy Vallejo's city manager advised the City Council on Friday to declare bankruptcy next week after weeks of negotiations with police and fire unions failed to turn around the city's economic tailspin. ... Vallejo spends about 74 percent of its $80 million general fund budget on police and fire salaries, about 25 percent higher than the state average. It is not known whether bankruptcy would void the city's labor contracts, which some officials have pointed to as the main reason for the city's financial mess. Related column in the Sacramento Bee: Marcia Fritz: Unions must lead the way in pension reform effort Firms Adjust to Health-Care Law / In San Francisco, Businesses Move To Adapt to Costs (no link) An innovative San Francisco health-care law is prompting some businesses to raise prices and curtail hiring. But it also is showing early signs of doing what it was intended to do: push employers to defray medical costs for more workers. ... San Francisco's law aims to provide affordable health care to the city's estimated 73,000 uninsured residents, roughly half of whom work. It requires businesses with 20 or more employees to spend a minimum amount toward their health care, either by providing insurance, reimbursing medical expenses or contributing to a municipal health-services program. Western State passes accreditation test Western State Hospital has won renewal of its accreditation by a national organization that monitors hospitals for quality and safety. ... The union that represents most Western State workers, the Washington Federation of State Employees, says it is pleased the accreditation was renewed, but remains concerned about worker injuries. It says workers suffered 524 injuries last year, most from assaults. Shelton municipal union OKs 4-year contract A city employee union that has been working under the terms of an expired contract approved a new fouryear contract offer from the city this week. The City of Shelton Employees Union Local 1303-238 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 4 has 48 members .. While the membership rejected a contract proposal earlier this year, this week the union approved it with a 26-to-9 vote, with one abstention, according to union President Thomas Dingle, the city's zoning enforcement officer. Fiscal fix to go to public / Romanoff wants to gather signatures to get an initiative on the November ballot rather than fight in the legislature. The author of a proposed state budget fix announced Sunday he's bypassing his Capitol critics and making his case directly to voters, in a move sure to ignite a fierce ballot battle over the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Collecting the 76,000 signatures needed for a ballot initiative will be easier than persuading two-thirds of the House and Senate to support the budget plan, said House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver. |
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