More Than 270 Lawmakers Oppose Taking Away Public Employee Bargaining Rights
 |
||||
|
||||
UPDATE: As of this morning, 284 state lawmakers have signed on in support of Wisconsin Senators, according to Progressive States Network.
Progressive States Network today released a letter signed by a bipartisan group of more than 270 state legislators representing 44 states voicing their solidarity with the Wisconsin state senators who oppose an extreme measure to take away the right of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs.
In the letter, the lawmakers noted that in contrast to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and others attempting to force through legislation benefiting corporate CEOs, they were dedicated to working “in a constructive manner with all relevant parties to advance a vision for our nation’s future that truly ensures the economic security of our communities.”
The full text of the letter and list of signers is available here.
Report: New Communications Technology = Good, Green Jobs
New communication technologies can be a key part of making our economy more energy-efficient and help create good jobs in the future, according to a new report.
“Networking the Green Economy: How Broadband and Related Technologies Can Build a Green Economic Future,” illustrates how a highly-networked economy with smart buildings, smart grids, teleconferencing and digital education will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and retain good, green jobs. The report was released yesterday at a Capitol Hill press conference by the Progressive States Network, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Sierra Club and the Blue Green Alliance. You can read the report here.
Speaking at the press conference, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming said the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) much anticipated National Broadband Plan could be a key part of an economic recovery.
700 State Legislators Back Public Health Insurance Option
The health care reform debate is now on center stage on the national level. But for several years, state lawmakers have fought to develop health care reform initiatives to ensure affordability, quality and fairness in health care. One thing they have learned, says Christopher Donovan, speaker of the Connecticut state House, is that
we know that America wants the choice of a public plan because we’ve been out there in the trenches for years now coming up with models for one. We’ve been going door to door talking to our constituents. We’ve been drafting legislation that creates public insurance options and opens employee insurance pools to the private sector. We’ve passed these things, so we know people like them.
A public insurance plan option for workers and families who either have private insurance coverage or no coverage at all is one of the AFL-CIO’s key health care reform principles.
