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Nominate Your Health Care Reform Champion of Change
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The White House Champions of Change program wants to honor those people who have helped people in their communities take advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s growing benefits and those who have championed access to health care for everyone in their community throughout their careers.
Before the nearly two-year-old Affordable Care Act was passed, children were refused insurance coverage because of a pre-existing condition and people with chronic conditions ran out of insurance coverage because their expenses hit lifetime limits. Now young adults under the age of 26 can stay on their parent’s coverage.
Union Plus Lets You Say It with Flowers for Valentine’s Day
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There’s still time to show your love to the special someone who Occupies your heart on Valentine’s Day, and Union Plus and Working America members can get a 20 percent discount on flower arrangements through Teleflora. (Click here to join Working America and get your flower discount.)
Earlier this week, Union Plus posted a few labor-inspired messages on its Facebook wall the union lover in you might want to include with the flowers.
- My love, like a union contract, gives you a feeling of security.
- My heart skipped a beat…I need workers’ comp.
- They might withhold my paycheck, but I’ll never withhold my love.
Click here for more or to add your own.
Mine Workers Help Power America
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Check out this video from the Mine Workers (UMWA) showing coal miners providing the energy that powers America.
We are proud of who we are and what we do. We power America and make a difference for our communities every day. We’re working families—just like yours.
Rep. Ellison Calls for End of Crystal Sugar Lockout
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Wednesday marked the six-month anniversary of America Crystal Sugar Co.’s lockout of 1,300 workers and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told the U.S. House: “It’s time for the company to negotiate.”
In a speech on the House floor, Ellison said the workers, members of Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 167G at plant sin Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa, have been
denied the basic and most fundamental right to work and support their families. These workers have gone to bat for the company. These workers stood shoulder to should with the company to fight for a better sugar program in the farm bill just because that’s how dedicated they. What have they got in return? They’ve gotten locked out. They are not on strike. They are locked out because they refuse to accept an unfair take it or leave contract. They have been locked even though they have agreed to a no-strike guarantee. It’s wrong, these 1,300 folks deserve better from this company. Read the rest of this entry »
Important Note for Recent Union Plus Scholarship Applicants
Tom Chiancone, Union Plus Scholarship Program Manager, sends this report on recent problems some people had applying online for a Union Plus scholarship.
If you tried to complete the Union Plus Scholarship application prior to the Jan. 31 deadline, please accept our apologies for any problems you may have experienced submitting your application in the past couple of days. Our partner’s online application system had trouble handling the recent extremely high volume of activity, but we’ve worked with them to resolve the issues.
We have a record of all applicants who logged in or attempted to log in to the application system since Jan. 29, 2012 and our provider sent an e-mail to all applicants at 12 pm ET on Feb. 1, 2012. This e-mail noted that your application has been re-opened and you have until 5 p.m. (EST) Friday, Feb. 3 to login to complete and submit your application. NOTE: E-mails were sent to the email address provided during the set up your scholarship login ID. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Brotherhood Outdoors’ Voted Top Hunting/Fishing Show
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“Brotherhood Outdoors,” the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA‘s) union-dedicated hunting and fishing TV show, was honored with the 2011 Sportsman Choice Award as best combination (hunting and fishing) show. More than 140,000 viewers of the Sportsman Channel cast ballots for the network’s best outdoors shows.
Hosted by noted outdoorsman Tom Ackerman and produced by Warm Springs Productions, “Brotherhood Outdoors” is a unique outdoor TV series that pairs union workers’ commitment to their communities with their love for the great outdoors. Union members can win a guided hunting or fishing trip in North America or the opportunity to show off their skills by taking Ackerman to their own favorite hunting or fishing sites.
USA Executive Director Fred Myers says the show has:
the potential to help shape the American public’s understanding and positive impression of unions. This was a very competitive category and winning clearly demonstrates that America’s sportsmen and women are engaged and respect the dedicated volunteers and conservation heroes prevalent in the union community.
Currently in its second season, “Brotherhood Outdoors” airs in 31 million homes at 8 p.m. EST and PST Read the rest of this entry »
‘The Help’ Actors Receive Top SAG Awards as Union Boards Vote to Merge
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The red-carpet glamor and prestige of the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards last night put the pre-Oscar spotlight on the cast of “The Help” in the theatrical motion picture category, with actors themselves choosing the best of the best.
“The Help” cast also was recognized with Viola Davis taking the award for best performance by a female lead and Octavia Spencer receiving the honor for best supporting female actor. Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) was credited with best performance in a male leading role and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) took the award for best supporting actor. Top television performance awards went to Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Lange, Betty White and Kate Winslet, with television ensemble honors taken by “Boardwalk Empire” and Modern Family.” Mary Tyler Moore received SAG’s highest honor, the 48th annual Life Achievement Award. See the full list of awards here.
This year’s awards came as the national boards of SAG and AFTRA (Television and Radio Artists) in separate meetings over the weekend approved a merger between the two mega-entertainment unions. SAG National President Ken Howard said the agreement, which will be voted on by members in February and March, is a “terrific outcome.” Read the rest of this entry »
This Is So Cool!
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You’ve got to check this out…it’s meant for kids, but, really, how can you go wrong at a website that rocks noisy engine revs, animated potato chips and full-color awesomeness?
It’s a new site, ManufacturingIsCool.com, and it’s the definition of fun-while-learning.
Produced by the Society for Manufacturing Engineers, the site uses an interactive “desk” to send kids on a journey through everything from how paper, Pringles and bike helmets are made, to the ins and outs of building a concept car—and way, way beyond.
Our friends at the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) sent us the link, and we agree—it’s great to get kids excited about manufacturing. AAM is a partnership of the United Steelworkers and a group of leading manufacturers with a mission to strengthen manufacturing in the United States.
Gov. Daniels: Against ‘Right to Work’ Before He Was for It
Look what just came to light! Here’s a video clip of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who’s now teamed up with statehouse Republicans to ram into law a “right to work” for less bill, telling a Teamsters Local 135 stewards dinner back in 2006 that he opposes “right to work.”
“We can’t afford to have super wars over issues that might divide us….I have said it over and over again, and I’ll say it again tonight: I’m a supporter of the labor laws we have in the state of Indiana and I’m not interested in changing any of them—not the prevailing wage law and certainly not a ‘right to work’ law….”
Don’t Take the Vote Away from Seniors
Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara Easterling wrote this at Huffington Post.
I don’t know Ruthelle Frank. But I do know that what is happening to her is enough to make my blood boil. Along with many other seniors, Ruthelle may lose the right to vote because she lacks a government-issued photo ID card.
Over the past year, GOP-controlled state houses have been passing what are known as Voter ID laws. Proponents say it is to cut down on voter fraud. Opponents say fraud of this nature is quite rare and that the true intent is to keep certain voters at home. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, nationally about 18 percent of seniors and 25 percent of African Americans do not have photo identification.
