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Union Plus has awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 130 students representing 43 unions, including three children of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) members, in the 2011 Union Plus Scholarship Program.

“For years Big Labor has been looking small,” begins the article in Wednesday’s Politico, “but it doesn’t feel that way now.”

It doesn’t feel that way because it isn’t that way. Workers across the country are pulling together like never before to stand up to corporate-backed politicians and their scheme to wipe us out.

The article notes the win against Gov. John Kasich’s SB5 in Ohio last year as one of the reasons not to count labor out. The victories have been piling up, note authors Jonathan Allen and Robin Bravender:

And on Tuesday night, they kneecapped Rep. Jason Altmire in a Pennsylvania Democratic primary — getting payback for his vote against the president’s health care law.

Not bad for a movement that had been read its last rites.

“The labor movement has huge momentum in terms of electoral politics,” said Robert Reich, former Clinton administration labor secretary. “Many union members have been stirred up by the anti-union animus of the Republicans.”

It’s the GOP that threw the unions a lifeline by going too far when it took office after the 2010 election, labor sources say, and it has only itself to blame if the public is more sympathetic to working stiffs than free-marketers.

We could add 1.6 million more reasons to that list of big wins – the 1.6 million men and women of AFSCME who are the true definition of what ‘big labor’ means. Politico’s interviews with AFSCME associate political director Ricky Feller and other labor leaders make it clear: Unions, with our people power, are going to turn the tide for working families, and pave the way for fairness in this country.

Read the full story by Allen and Bravender at Politico.

Consumer Price Index (CPI):
+0.3% in Mar 2012
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Unemployment Rate:
8.2% in Mar 2012
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Payroll Employment:
+120,000(p) in Mar 2012
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Average Hourly Earnings:
+$0.05(p) in Mar 2012
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Producer Price Index (PPI):
unchanged in Mar 2012
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Employment Cost Index (ECI):
+0.5% in 4th Qtr of 2011
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Productivity:
+0.9%(r) in 4th Qtr of 2011
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U.S. Import Price Index:
+1.3% in Mar 2012
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U.S. Export Price Index:
+0.8% in Mar 2012
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Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has launched a massive attack on the rights of Centennial State voters this year. Gessler has been lobbying the state legislature to block efforts – supported by AFSCME and allied groups – to prevent voters from being considered "inactive" after missing only one election. 

The idea that missing a single election would make a voter inactive is so ridiculous that AFSCME members and staff in Colorado have been fighting Gessler's anti-democratic rules on multiple fronts. Currently, there is a bill going through the Colorado state legislature that would fix the definition of "inactive status" by allowing citizens to miss more than one vote without being tossed off the rolls. Local voting clerks across the state support the legislative language that could re-enfranchise up to 300,000 Colorado voters.

AFSCME has also led the way on a "fundamental right to vote" citizens' ballot initiative, that would expand, then lock in, Colorado suffrage rights. This measure would prevent further voter ID legislation, reinstate "inactive" voters and protect Colorado voters from future disenfranchisement. AFSCME and allied organizations are also considering a ballot measure that would take election administration away from the partisan Secretary of State and give it to a nonpartisan election administrator.

The tactic of voter disenfranchisement, whether through deactivation or Voter ID legislation, part of a larger plan from anti-worker, corporate-funded groups – such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – and their state legislative allies. Taking away working families' voices at the ballot box will make it easier for these groups to take away our voices at the workplace as well. 

(04/26/12) A ?potential consolidation list? developed by the Postal Service and provided to members of the Senate on April 24 has generated a lot of interest at postal facilities across the country, but it is not an official management proposal or reliable list, the union is warning.

April 26, 2012 - As Congress takes up the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today urged lawmakers to implement key reforms to protect U.S. airline workers’ jobs in connection with the Bank’s financing of aircraft for foreign airlines.
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DeLois Brown, 1953 – 2012

AFSCME mourns the tragic loss of DeLois Brown, 59, an activist from Minnesota Council 5’s Child Care Providers Together who was murdered in her home, along with both of her parents, on April 9.

Police were searching for an unidentified suspect who witnesses say fled on a BMX-style bicycle from Brown’s Brooklyn Park home, where she operated Visions and Butterflies Daycare. Also found slain were Brown’s mother, Clover Bolden, 81, and father, James Henry Bolden, 82.

A young child who was also found at the home was not harmed. Authorities gave no motive for the triple slaying, according to news reports.

Brown is survived by two daughters and six grandchildren. She was mourned by an overflow crowd. See the story and video here.

Brown “embodied AFSCME’s creed,” said Council 5 Exec. Dir. Eliot Seide. For us, public service isn’t just a job – it’s a calling to make a real difference in our communities. It’s a chance to truly help our neighbors, their families and strangers we’ve never even met.”

Brown’s “life’s mission was to raise strong children and empower young mothers,” added Seide, also an AFSCME International Vice President. “With three daughters and six grandkids, DeLois had plenty of wisdom to share. The Osseo Area Schools employed her as a child care instructor and that commitment to professional development got DeLois involved in Child Care Providers Together. She saw strength in joining together for mentorship and training – and she witnessed how unions helped her father and husband gain the respect and benefits they deserved.”

Memorials can be made to the “Brown-Bolden Memorial Fund,” and dropped off at any Bremer Bank location, or mailed to: Bremer Bank, 427 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55104.

President Obama appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show last night to slow jam his message about college affordability, but behind the laughter there was a very serious message: On July 1, more than 7.4 million students with federal student loans will see their interest rates double unless Congress acts.

Those rates – which will double to 6.8 percent – will saddle students and/or their parents with an additional $1,000 in debt this year, on average, and for each year Congress allows the rates to double.

Unfortunately, some in Congress are out of touch about the burden this would cause for working students and middle class families.

“I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 in debt because there’s no reason for that,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said.

Well, there is one reason for it: the Ryan Republican Budget. College costs have been on the rise for decades, with the typical college tuition tripling in the last 30 years.

By voting for the Ryan Republican budget, Representative Foxx and her colleagues are trying to make college even less affordable. The Ryan Republican budget could eliminate Pell Grants for more than 1 million students and it slashes work-study funding that could affect hundreds of thousands of students. This is the same budget that gave millionaires $394,000 in tax cuts.

Just looking at the unemployment rates for high school and college graduates shows how valuable a college education is, especially during the current economic downturn. According to the Department of Labor’s recent jobs report, 4.3 percent of college graduates are currently unemployed, compared with 10.5 percent of those with only a high school diploma. Additionally, the wage difference between college-educated adults and high school graduates has tripled from 75 percent in 1979 to 230 percent in 2003. Given the benefit a college degree provides for a worker or a family, Congress should be acting to make college more affordable, not less. 

Today, Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) unveiled a bill to prevent the interest rate hike on student loans: the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike of 2012.

Urge your members of Congress to prevent the interest rate hike on Twitter using #DontDoubleMyRate, and watch the video here:

Melissa Matoushek, Robin Calabria and Patti Cilwick (left to right) contacted caregivers across Vermont to help form their union, Vermont Homecare United/AFSCME. (Photo by Helen Cox)

BURLINGTON, Vt. – This past week, AFSCME members came together in Vermont to support the efforts of caregivers in forming their union, Vermont Homecare United/AFSCME.

Members from Pennsylvania, Kentucky and right here in Vermont have already reached hundreds of caregivers at their homes and have significantly grown our Council 93 family.

“Visiting caregivers to talk about their work is an amazing experience and the first step in ensuring that they can continue providing quality care and maintaining strong programs in our state.” said Patti Cilwick, a social worker at HowardCenter, a local non-profit. “All of our voices are stronger when we come together with AFSCME.”

More than 5,000 caregivers in the Green Mountain State provide Medicaid-funded in-home services to children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Since January, caregivers have come together to stand up for quality care and respect for the care they provide.

“We all deserve dignity and respect,” caregiver Florette Dorr said. “Caregivers and consumers need a voice in ensuring quality services and shaping the future of our programs.” 

This week’s efforts were made possible through AFSCME’s Volunteer Member Organizing program which combines classroom and field-based training in building the fight for public service. Click here to learn more about the VMO program.

(04/25/12) The Senate passed an amended version of the 21st Century Postal Service Act (S. 1789) on April 25 by a vote of 62-37. ?Although the bill is flawed, the amended version is far better than the original,? said APWU President Cliff Guffey. ?That is a result of the tremendous effort of APWU members, postal customers, and elected officials who appreciate the importance of the Postal Service to American life. We will now take our fight to the House of Representatives, where we hope to improve the bill.?

Seventeen-Year Staff Member Brings More Than 35 Years Of Experience To Position Press Contact Galen Munroe [email protected] 202-439-7427

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced the appointment of Fred McLuckie to director of the union’s Department of Federal Legislation and Regulation today. McLuckie formerly served as the legislative director prior to this appointment. 

McLuckie started with the Teamsters Union 17 years ago when he was hired as a legislative representative. He brought with him 18 years of experience on Capitol Hill where he served as chief of staff to a member of Congress and as a professional staff member of the Subcommittee on Labor Standards, Health and Safety in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As director of the department, McLuckie will oversee all legislative and regulatory initiatives and lobbying activities for the Teamsters Union.

“Fred has served the Teamsters Union with distinction for the last 17 years and will do an outstanding job as director of our Department of Federal Legislation and Regulation,” Hoffa said. “His experience and knowledge are tremendous assets and he will continue to excel at what he does best –
representing our members by fighting for their rights in the halls of Congress.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @TeamsterPower.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker handed out $765,000 in bonuses and raises to his top staff, as AFSCME members and other public service workers tightened their belts in the wake of his anti-worker budget. These payouts are part of Walker's politicization of Wisconsin state government. After taking office he replaced 40 top civil service positions with political appointees.

Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in jobs lost while the rest of the nation has started to turn the corner on the path to recovery. Despite lagging revenue growth, Governor Walker found hundreds of thousands to lavish on his top aides, even as working Wisconsinites have seen their work hours, pay checks and public services slashed.

Walker and four of his allies in the Wisconsin State Senate are facing recall elections on June 5, based largely on their failed anti-worker policies and willingness to politicize their offices at the expense of working families. AFSCME members and our allies remain on the frontlines of the fight to restore collective bargaining for Badger State public service workers and integrity to the State Capitol.

A BRIEF LISTING OF RECENT AGREEMENTS SIGNED AND RATIFIED BY BOILERMAKER LOCAL LODGES

Local D92 - Bellefonte, Pa.

Effective June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2014, for 147 members of Local D92 (Bellefonte, Pa.) who work in maintenance and the production of lime at Graymont Inc. located in Pleasant Gap, Pa.

Tags  Collective Bargaining, Settlements

The announcement that South Carolina state Rep. Ted Vick is resigning from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because it “has steadily drifted to the right” is a reminder of what AFSCME has long said: ALEC is part of a secretive, corporate-backed network of right-wing, anti-worker organizations that cannot flourish under the bright light of day.

In the past weeks and months, ALEC has lost key corporate sponsors over its extreme agenda. Specifically, it’s lost support over its agenda to push “Stand Your Ground” laws, such as the one at the center of the defense of George Zimmerman, the shooter of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

ALEC also received a lot of bad publicity over its effort to spread voter-suppression laws throughout the country. As a result, ALEC recently announced that it will end its programs that advanced those two agendas.

But ALEC’s opposition to collective bargaining, efforts to undermine health care reform, and attempts to rig elections makes clear that this is an organization that cannot be trusted to operate in the dark.

That’s why AFSCME will continue to shine a light on ALEC and other anti-worker organizations like Crossroads and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan, and right-wingers like the billionaire Koch brothers.

Learn more about how ALEC is undermining democracy in this column by AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee.

Your Seniority Integration Committee, after another session of negotiations, has proposed an offer of three years seniority enhancement to AMFA members who were on their seniority list as of May 2, 2011, over Teamster members who were on the IBT list as of the same date. AMFA’s counter was for a four-year enhancement. In an effort bridge this gap, the IBT committee has offered some proposals to the company which may result in a tentative agreement which we will then bring to our members for a vote. Both committees have made separate tentative transition agreements with the company. We will be meeting again on April 23 for further discussions.

Safe Skies Act of 2012 Would Protect All Airline Pilots from Fatigue
April 25, 2012 - In testimony before the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee today, Capt. Sean Cassidy, first vice president and national safety coordinator of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), called on Congress to swiftly act to apply new Federal Aviation Administration science-based flight- and duty-time regulations to both passenger and cargo airline pilots.

“All pilots are human, and we experience fatigue in the same way, regardless of whether we are flying passengers or cargo in our aircraft,” Capt. Cassidy told the Subcommittee. “Despite this, the new science-based fatigue regulations apply only to pilots who fly passengers, and not to those who fly cargo. Leaving all-cargo pilots out of the regulations is a serious safety concern.”
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Leo W. Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers (USW), issued the following statement that cited a big "unified labor movement, boots-on-the-ground' push by union members as behind Pennsylvania's CD-12 Democratic primary win by Congressman Mark Critz following the 10:15 pm concession by U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire. 

"Pundits were skeptical we could prevail with our endorsement of Congressman Critz in yesterday's Democratic primary contest, but sheer determination and a tenacious commitment by our members ‘boots-on-the-ground' persuaded the voters, and motivated a solid turnout to overcome the advantages in the re-drawn district that was thought to belong to Rep. Altmire." 

Gerard said more than 400 USW activist volunteers participated in this campaign and in the past two days alone, USW activists knocked on 5,211 doors in the congressional district, while another 192 USW and other union members operated phone banks to urge voters to the polls for Critz. Click here for the complete statement.