Archive for August, 2006
Katrina One Year Later: A Rapid Response from Unions
In the last in our series of profiles highlighting Hurricane Katrina survivors, we talk with oil worker David Canale, who shares how he and his fellow union members have gotten back on their feet through the generosity and assistance of their union family.
Bush Makes Backdoor Appointment to Wage and Hour Office
President Bush this afternoon made another backdoor appointment to his administration. He used a recess appointment to install a lawyer who represented Wal-Mart with a long record of urging restrictions to the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (FLSA’s) overtime pay and other provisions to head up the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Kentucky Air Traffic Controller: Too Much Work, Too Little Sleep
As we pointed out yesterday, the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) violated its own policies when it assigned only one air traffic controller to the Lexington control tower is one of the causes behind the fatal Comair crash in Kentucky this past weekend.
Fed Head: Don’t Worry, Raising Minimum Wage Won’t Raise Inflation, Labor Costs
Another argument against raising the minimum wage was shot down yesterday. Who did the shooting? None other than Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, President Bush’s hand-picked choice to be the nation’s guru of all things economic.
Labor Day—A Poor Cousin to May Day?
Today, we launch the first in a series of Labor Day posts highlighting some of the historical contributions of workers and their unions. The series will conclude with a look at the challenges America’s workers face today when seeking to form unions.
Labor Day is more than just a Monday holiday marking the end of summer.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on AFGE’s ‘Inside Government’ Radio Program
With Labor Day just around the corner, tune in and hear AFL-CIO President John Sweeney discuss the issues facing today’s workers tomorrow, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m., on AFGE’s radio program “Inside Government.” You can catch the show on Federal News Radio or 1050 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.
If you miss the show, you’ll still have a chance to hear it. The programs are archived on the Federal News Radio website and can be heard on demand anytime after the broadcast.
“Inside Government” is dedicated to issues that impact federal and D.C. government employees. Since the show debuted June 30, guests have included AFGE President John Gage, White House correspondent Helen Thomas and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
Lots to Say
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Last week, we took a quick survey on Bush’s Medicare Part D and your experiences with it personally or through someone you know. Based on your responses, Bush’s Medicare drug plan is an overwhelming failure, with 87.4 percent describing their experiences as “bad” and only 4.7 percent saying their experiences had been “good.” The remainder, 7.9 percent, selected “don’t know.
Video Clips: AFL-CIO’s Labor Day Press Briefing
Check out excerpts from the AFL-CIO’s Labor Day press briefing Aug. 30 by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman and pollster Guy Molyneaux, from Peter Hart and Associates.
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AFL-CIO President John Sweeney “The president claims to have a faith-based approach to leadership. But that gives people of faith a bad name. His approach is fantasy-based, at best, and so it falls to us in this election season to wage a “reality-based campaign” that delivers the message: The country needs a change in leadership in order to get a much-needed change in direction. Windows Media | Real Media |
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AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman “In 2004, they said the Republicans stole a page from labor’s playbook. Well, this year we’re launching the labor playbook, version 2.0, and the union vote will be the difference in key races across the country.” Windows Media | Real Media |
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Guy Molyneaux, Peter Hart and Associates: “This is the first time since the early 1990s that Americans don’t believe things will be better for their children than it was for them.” Windows Media | Real Media |
‘Working Families Are Fed Up and Ready to Make a Change’
As Labor Day—the unofficial opening of the election campaign season—approaches, America’s working families are struggling hard to make ends meet. Instead of the benefits of the economic recovery that President Bush is touting, the average family’s pocketbook is stretched to the limit, and voters are fed up enough to make a sweeping change in Congress.
To make sure these economic issues stay in the forefront of the 2006 elections and that workers’ voices are heard, the AFL-CIO is launching its largest-ever off-year political mobilization. During a press conference in Washington, D.C., today, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said:
This Labor Day, it appears that a “perfect storm” is gathering that may well sweep away Republican control of the Congress this fall.
FAA Admits too Few Air Traffic Controllers Partly to Blame for Kentucky Crash
As Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators look into the causes behind the fatal Comair crash that killed 49 people in Kentucky over the weekend, one leading cause is clear: The FAA violated its own policies when it assigned only one air traffic controller to the Lexington control tower.
