Channel: Bush & Co.
Chao Misses Mine Safety Deadline. Bush Appoints Stickler—Again
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao missed the Dec. 15 deadline to issue new federal rules for better trained mine rescue teams at the nation's coal mines. The Charleston Gazette reports:
The rules are still not finalized and are sitting at the White House, under review by the Office of Management and Budget.
In 2006, spurred by what would become the highest coal mine death toll since 1996—including the deaths of 19 coal miners at the Sago, Aracoma and Darby mines in West Virginia and Kentucky—Congress passed and President Bush signed the MINER Act that mandated several mine safety improvements, including rescue teams.
Bush Nation by the Numbers: 2007 Injustice Index
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From the subprime mortgage crisis to toxic toys to kids without health care to—yes, brace yourself—even Paris Hilton, the Drum Major Institute's (DMI's) 2007 Injustice Index paints quite a picture of the nation in 2007.
The Injustice Index is part of a great year-in-review piece by the nonpartisan progressive think tank. DMI takes a look at the best and worst policy decisions of 2007, offers a progressive's reading list and shines a light on the year's actions by several right-wing organizations from the Cato Institute to the Heritage Foundation.
Below are some facts and figures from the 2007 Injustice Index. (Click here for the full index and here for DMI's Year in Review.)
Cutting Children’s Health Funding in One Program Isn’t Enough for Bush
Last year, the Bush administration denied health coverage to millions of low-income children by vetoing expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) twice and issuing new rules to prevent states from expanding the kids' health insurance program.
Now the Bush administration is going after Medicaid.
The New York Times reports that the Bush administration is telling states that have long been free to set their own Medicaid eligibility rules, they cannot offer Medicaid coverage to families with modest incomes.
To cover more children in low-income families—many of whom would have been eligible for coverage under the vetoed SCHIP bill—officials in Ohio, Oklahoma and Louisiana developed plans to expand Medicaid eligibility. But the Bush administration now is telling those states that expanding Medicaid is not allowed.
2 Million Commercial Cooks Could Be Exposed to Deadly ‘Popcorn Lung’
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An extensive investigation by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer finds the threat diacetyl poses to workers may be more widespread than previously thought.
We’ve reported on the dangers that diacetyl, an artificial flavor additive used in microwave popcorn and other processed foods, presents to workers. The butter-flavored additive can cause bronchiolitis obliterans, a severe illness known as “popcorn lung.”
Over the past seven years, hundreds of workers in plants where diacetyl is produced or applied to food have developed the rare and sometimes fatal disease. Popcorn lung has been tied to three deaths and serious illness in at least 200 people. So far, doctors have not found a way to reverse the symptoms. A lung transplant is the only option after the symptoms set in.
Anti-Worker Labor Board in Spotlight as 2007 Comes to a Close (Part 4)
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From a new Congress taking the reins on Capitol Hill in January to the AFL-CIO's first-ever global organizing conference in December, working families have seen significant victories, unfortunate setbacks and a lot of unfinished business this year. We take a look back at 2007 in a series of posts, ending today with a quick glance at top items from October through December. Click here to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
October
* After watching the Bush administration's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issue anti-worker, pro-employer decisions time after time, systematically reducing workers' freedom to join unions, the AFL-CIO sought international assistance. We filed a complaint with the U.N. organization, the International Labor Organization, charging the NLRB with denying workers' rights in violation of international labor standards. Said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney: "Under Bush, America’s labor board has so failed our nation’s workers that we must now turn to the world’s international watchdogs to monitor and intervene."
A Working Family Presidential Forum with Olbermann and More 2007 Highlights (Part 3)
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From a new Congress taking the reins on Capitol Hill in January to the AFL-CIO's first-ever global organizing conference in December, working families have seen significant victories, unfortunate setbacks and a lot of unfinished business this year. We take a look back at 2007 in a series of posts, continuing today with a quick glance at the top items from July through September. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2.
July
* Tens of thousands of public employees in New Hampshire, Oregon and Massachusetts won a voice at work with unions in 2007. The victories came after union members in 2006 elected pro-working family candidates to governors' offices and state legislatures, where lawmakers passed majority sign-up legislation. Under majority sign-up—which is a key part of the Employee Free Choice Act—workers form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.
From Passage of Minimum Wage to Senate Block of Employee Free Choice: AFL-CIO Blog Looks at 2007 (Part 2)
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From a brand new Congress taking the reins on Capitol Hill in January to the AFL-CIO's first-ever global organizing conference in December, working families have seen some significant victories, unfortunate setbacks and a lot of unfinished business this year. We take a look back at 2007 in a series of posts. Today in Part 2, a quick glance at top items from April through June. Click here to read Part 1.
April
* It's good work and pays well if you can get it. In 2006, the average CEO of Standard and Poor's 500 company made $14.78 million. But as the 2007 AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch reported, some of that was what some might call "funny money"—backdated stock options, a scandal that exploded in 2006.
2007: The AFL-CIO Now Blog’s Year in Review (Part 1)
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From a brand new Congress taking the reins on Capitol Hill in January to the AFL-CIO's first-ever global organizing conference in December, working families have seen some significant victories, unfortunate setbacks and a lot of unfinished business this year. We take a look back at 2007 in a series of posts starting today with a quick glance at top items from January through March.
January
* As the battle to win congressional passage of the Employee Free Chance Act heated up, a new study showed one in five union organizers or activists are illegally fired for trying to bring a union into the workplace.
Now Bush’s Labor Board Wants to Shut Down Union E-Mail
The Bush administration’s National Labor Relations Board has continued its anti-worker, anti-union campaign, ruling that employers can bar workers from sending union-related e-mails at work.
That’s the modern day equivalent of blocking us from talking around the office water cooler or using the break room bulletin board.
Republican Obstruction Strategy Stalls Key Legislation in Senate
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Senate Republicans have hit a dubious record this year. On Dec. 18, they forced the 62nd cloture vote of the 110th Congress, effectively blocking yet another bill. With half of the session still ahead, the roadblock Republicans have broken the record for the use of the filibuster to halt Senate legislation.
In a new report, the Campaign for America’s Future examined the record of reactionary obstruction in the Senate, and the media’s ineffective response. In short, the report’s authors note:
The first session of Congress was more marked by conservative obstruction than by progressive gains.
