Archive for September, 2007
Bush Plans for Flu Pandemic Flawed, GAO Says
With influenza season approaching, the Bush administration still has not developed complete and effective measures to combat the threat of a deadly flu pandemic.
Now comes an analysis by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which shows the federal government’s plans are inadequate and key questions about leadership and responsibility for dealing with a pandemic remain unanswered.
Senate Passes Children’s Health Bill with Veto-Proof Margin
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By a veto-proof margin, the U.S. Senate voted 67–29 today to renew the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The reauthorization would cover some 4 million of the nation’s 9 million uninsured kids and continue coverage for the more than 6 million children already enrolled.
But President Bush, who has railed against the bill’s inclusion of the additional children, says he will veto the bill. The House passed the bill earlier this week, but its 265–159 margin is about 25 votes short to override a veto.
Massachusetts Public Employees Celebrate New Freedom to Form Unions
What a difference a new governor makes. This morning, at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s 50th annual convention, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) signed a bill that grants public employees the freedom to form a union through majority authorization. Last year, then-governor, and now Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, vetoed the bill.
Click here to watch the video of the signing ceremony.
The legislation, passed last week by the state Senate and House, enables workers to form unions by signing union authorization cards, similar to the majority sign-up provisions of the Employee Free Choice Act unions are pushing to pass in Congress. Under majority sign-up, an employer agrees to recognize the union when a majority signs the cards.
Biden Sets the Hill Record Straight on Safety Standard
Last week, we reported that Democratic presidential candidates planned to pursue tough new workplace ergonomics rules if they reach the White House, including reinstating the ergonomics standard President Bush repealed in 2001, shortly after he took office.
The rule was designed to reduce the repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome that strike more than 1 million workers a year.
Murders of Union Members Worldwide Increase 25 Percent
Some 144 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers’ rights last year, a 25 percent increase from the number of deaths in 2005. More than 800 suffered beatings or torture, according to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) annual survey of trade union rights violations.
According to the report, nearly 5,000 union members were arrested and more than 8,000 fired due to their trade union activities. Some 484 new cases of trade unionists held in detention by governments are also documented in the report. Click here to read the full report.
Union Members Know What’s at Stake When They Vote
Welcome to Shant Mesrobian, a new AFL-CIO political writer, in his debut post.
In an article for Salon.com titled “So Long, White Boy,” political scientist Tom Schaller notes the decreasing influence of blue-collar, white male voters—as Schaller calls them, “Bubba” voters—within Democratic politics. Schaller, who makes a similar argument in his book, Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South, advises Democrats that the solidly Republican voting pattern of white males coupled with their ever-decreasing share of the electorate makes them unattractive targets for Democratic appeals.
Take Action to Protest Murder of Guatemalan Union Leader
Another horrific reminder that in many places in the world supporting a union can cost you your life.
On Sept. 23, as Marco Tulio Portela Ramirez prepared to go to work at a banana plantation in Izabal, Guatemala, he was gunned down at his house by armed masked men. Ramirez was the secretary of culture and sport at SITRABI, the union for banana workers in Izabal. His brother, Noé Ramirez, is the general secretary. He leaves behind a wife and young children.
According to the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center:
The assassination of Ramirez came just three days after SITRABI learned that military officers had been disciplined by the Ministry of Defense in response to SITRABI complaints about the unlawful entry.
Toxic Toys No More. USW Launches ‘Protect Our Kids’ Campaign
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There were some scary headlines this year about tainted and toxic imported products. They made you wonder if your kids would get lead poisoning from their toys, if pet food would kill your dogs and cats or if your family was about to become a traffic statistic because of defective tires on your car.
Today, the United Steelworkers (USW) launched a major campaign to “Protect Our Kids—Stop Toxic Imports” in which the union will distribute thousands of Get the Lead Out Screening kits and spearhead a series of “Safe Home Sessions” so families can learn more about protecting themselves and their loved ones.
At the same time, these programs help working families fight the failed trade policies and inadequate regulatory protections that allow these dangerous products to threaten families and jobs.
Speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference today, USW President Leo W. Gerard said:
Toxic toys. Lead-laced baby bibs. Poisoned pet food. Red lead in Chinese-made steel. Every day the list of imported products that endanger our families and workers grows. It’s time for this to stop. Our political leaders must deal with the failed trade policies that are the root cause of this crisis.
Activists Mobilize to Ensure Maine Doesn’t Shut Out Internet Access
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Robert Masciola, deputy director of the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research, and Rand Wilson, field communications specialist for the center in Massachusetts, highlight the growing public opposition to corporate greed that results in limited access to high-speed Internet.
A delegation of union and community activists delivered more than 5,000 postcards in a wheelbarrow to Maine Gov. John Baldacci’s office Sept. 25, asking him to oppose the proposed sale of Verizon to FairPoint Communications.
The group, made up of representatives from seniors, telephone workers, first responders, parents and health care providers, sought to ensure Baldacci gets the message: Stop the Sale! The postcards ask Baldacci to “Take a strong stand against allowing Verizon to sell its assets to FairPoint.”
O! USW Member Skvara Set to Chat with Oprah, Michael Moore
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You’ve seen him on “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and on “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric,” but tomorrow retired United Steelworkers (USW) member Steve Skvara hits the big time—”The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Skvara entered the national spotlight at the AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum in August when he spoke about how his former company’s bankruptcy had robbed him of part of his pension and all of his family health care coverage. He asked the White House hopefuls:
What’s wrong with America and what will you do to fix it?
