Archive for July, 2007
House Says Supreme Court Pay Ruling Wrong, Passes Ledbetter Fair Pay Bill
The House of Representatives said today that the Bush-dominated U.S. Supreme Court was wrong when it ruled that workers have no right to sue to remedy pay discrimination if they wait more than 180 days after their first short paycheck, even if workers don't discover the pay discrimination until years later.
By a 225-199 vote, the House passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that in effect overturns the court's 5-4 decision. (See today's earlier post for details on the bill.) President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.
House Set to Vote on Ledbetter Fair Pay Bill; Bush Veto Looms
Today the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to send a message to President Bush: "We believe in fair pay. Do you?" Bush answered that question last week, when he threatened to veto the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Maybe after sleeping on it over the weekend, he's changed his mind. Don't hold your breath.
(We will bring you the vote as soon as we hear.)
Ledbetter worked for two decades at a Goodyear tire plant in Alabama where she was paid less than men doing the same work as she was. But she didn't find out how much less until years into her career and so could not file a pay-discrimination lawsuit until 1998. A jury awarded her $3.8 million, but in May the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter and tossed out the pay-discrimination verdict, saying she had waited too long to file suit.
Only a Few Days Left to Vote for Your Top Questions
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More than 2,200 of you have submitted questions, and more than 25,000 have voted, in our contest, "What Do You Want to Ask the Candidates?" We're one step closer to choosing the questions you want answered. MSNBC "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann, who is moderating the forum, will ask the winning questions, and the candidates will respond in front of an audience of 15,000 working men and women at Chicago's Soldier Field.
Does Bush Admin. See Union Membership as Sign of Terrorism?
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If a passenger flying from Europe to the United States is a member of a union, is gay or a Buddhist, will knowing that information help Homeland Security fight terrorism? The Bush administration thinks so. Starting in August, airlines flying from Europe to the United States will be required to provide sensitive personal passenger data about a person's race, sexual orientation, health, religion and more if it's in the airline reservation system.
The Washington Post reported last week that under a new agreement, approved by the European Union (EU) Parliament and signed by the United States, background information on travelers includes:"racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership" and data about an individual's health, traveling partners and sexual orientation.
Medicare at 42: Take a Minute to Make Sure It Has a Long Life
Today's is the 42nd anniversary of Medicare—the primary health insurance policy for nearly all Americans age 65 and older and people with long-term disabilities. With 43 million Americans not covered by any health insurance plans, older Americans need Medicare now more than ever.
But there's a lot that needs to be done to strengthen Medicare.
Saying Medicare has reached a "dangerous crossroads," Edward Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, points out that
the increasing privatization of key Medicare programs—fueled by $7.5 billion in annual overpayments to insurance companies through falsely named Medicare Advantage plans—siphons away money from the Medicare Trust Fund. Seniors’ health care is being sacrificed for the profits of large corporations.
Give Me Dirty Laundry
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Have you caught yourself watching a story on a national or local newscast lately and thought, "Wait a minute haven't I seen this before?" or "That's pretty one sided." Or, "That might as well have been a company press release."
More than likely your instincts were right. According to a new study and survey of broadcast news by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), the quality of broadcast news is rapidly declining and most of the blame is directly attributed to a frenzy of corporate cost-cutting.
The report, Broadcast Newswriters Speak About News Quality, says:
The conglomerates have slashed jobs overall, converted full-timers into part-timers and combined jobs. The result is too many conflicting demands on the few workers who are left, resulting in a lower quality news product.
L.A. Sheriff Who Cut Paris Hilton Loose Holds Deputies’ Computers Hostage
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The Los Angeles Country sheriff who tried to let Paris Hilton out of jail early has been holding hostage his deputies' right to information for months without hope of release. The Los Angeles Times reports Sheriff Lee Baca has blocked access from hundreds of department computers to the website of the union that represents his deputies.
The union, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS), an affiliate of the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, has been highly critical of Baca's management of the department. Union President Steve Remige strongly criticized Baca's decision to release Hilton from jail, a decision that was overturned by a judge. The union also released a survey that showed a large majority of deputies are unhappy with the way Baca is running the department.
Bush to Ledbetter, ‘Tough Luck’; Veto’s in Store for Fair Pay Bill
It was probably just a matter of when, not if, President Bush would threaten to veto the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The when came this afternoon as the Bush administration announced its intentions to say "no" to strengthening equal pay laws.
The legislation seeks to remedy the kind of pay discrimination Ledbetter suffered for two decades at an Alabama Goodyear tire plant, where she was paid less than men doing the same job. The U.S. Supreme Court in May ruled against Ledbetter, saying she should have initiated her lawsuit no more than 180 days after she received the first short paycheck, even though it took her years to discover the difference—and longer to dig up the proof. The decision tossed out a lower court's award of $3.8 million for her for two decades of pay discrimination.
Mine Safety Job ‘Not Done’—Law Needs More Teeth
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Last year, as more coal miners were being killed on the job since 1996—eventually 47 died—Congress passed the first major mine safety laws in more three decades. Mine safety advocates hailed the MINER Act as a good first step in improving mine safety and responding to emergencies.
But, "The job is not done," Dennis O'Dell, Mine Workers (UMWA) Health and Safety director, told a House panel yesterday. O'Dell and other witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections that two recently introduced bills (H.R. 2768 and H.R. 2769) address many of the most pressing needs in mine safety and health. (Click here to read O'Dell's full testimony.)
Human Levee Set to Highlight Inequity of Flood Plans for New Orleans
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Louisiana apparently believe that protecting the affluent communities in New Orleans' Jefferson Parish that border the flood-prone Monticello Canal is more important than keeping flood waters out of working-class neighborhoods on the other side of the canal in Orleans Parish.
As part of the continuing rebuilding and flood protection efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, an 8–to–12 foot levee and flood wall was built along the Jefferson Parish side of the canal. But the Carrollton and Holly Grove neighborhoods on the canal's opposite bank have been left unprotected.
This Saturday, to draw attention to the flood protection inequity, several hundred neighbor residents, labor activists, including members of United Teachers of New Orleans/AFT, members of the community group ACORN and representatives from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, will form a human levee along the canal's bank.
