Momentum Grows for NLRB Rule Changes
Momentum is building as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) gears up to hold hearings next week on its proposed rule designed to ensure a fair process for workers who want to vote on whether to form a union. More members of Congress and academics have joined a growing group of working people and workers’ rights advocates in voicing their support for the rule changes.
Here are a few of the people and organizations who’ve spoken out for the rule change.
Laborers (LIUNA) President Terry O’Sullivan:
The common-sense reforms the NLRB has proposed will begin to bring union elections into the 21st century and are a step toward reducing the possibility of unscrupulous employers interfering with the right of workers to make an informed decision on whether to unionize.
Poll: 80 Percent Say Don’t Cut Social Security
Congressional Republicans listen up. In a new poll, more than eight in 10 likely voters across the political spectrum say they oppose cutting Social Security to reduce the national deficit. Reducing the deficit through raising the retirement age for Social Security and other cuts are key proposals by the incoming Republican congressional leadership. That finding goes across party lines among those who identify themselves as Democrats, Republicans, Independents and tea party members.
The poll released today by the Strengthen Social Security campaign showed the cuts are opposed by 83 percent of Democratic respondents, 82 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of Independents and 74 percent of tea party members.
Could Simpson or Boehner Pass the Social Security Test?
AFSCME President Gerald McEntee has a great idea for a reality television show. He suggested it as part of a conference call today where participants outlined efforts to strengthen Social Security and combat attempts by the federal budget deficit commission and others to raise the retirement age, cut benefits or even privatize Social Security.
The show would star three people: Deficit Commission co-chair Alan Simpson, who has called seniors “greedy geezers”; House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) who wants to raise the retirement age to 70; and former Lehman Brothers chief executive Peter Peterson, who has bankrolled a major PR campaign to convince the public Social Security is on the brink of disaster. But McEntee admits it might be short-lived.
Give each of these guys the average annual Social Security benefit of $14,000 and make them live on it for a year. But deduct $100 a month for Medicare part B premium and $200 a month for Medigap insurance. When do you think they will stop calling for benefit cuts? Probably after the first episode. Read the rest of this entry »
Social Security’s a Vital Lifeline for Older Women
The Alan Simpsons and John Boehners of the world talk about raising the retirement age and cutting Social Security benefits for “greedy geezers.” If they have their way and the federal budget deficit commission—of which Simpson is co-chairman—ends up recommending raising the retirement age, cutting benefits or even privatizing Social Security, women will be the hardest hit.
Here are some sobering statistics from Retirement USA and the Social Security Administration (SSA) that show just how vital Social Security is to older women.
The estimated income that older Americans need to meet basic needs, depending on homeowner status, is between $16,163 and $20,869, according to the Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index.
But half the women ages 65 and older have an annual income of less than $14,429 (men’s median income is $25,344). On top of that, 11 percent of women 65 years and older live below the federal poverty line of $10,326 for single persons ages 65 and older. That is well below what is necessary to meet basic needs.
Don’t Raise the Retirement Age
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If anybody knows the ins and outs of Social Security, it’s Henry Ballantyne. He was the Social Security Administration’s chief actuary between 1982 and 2000. Today, he told a telephone press conference that
“Social Security is financially sound….We don’t need to raise the retirement age.”
The press conference, held with several Social Security advocates, addressed the growing number of reports that the federal budget deficit commission is likely to recommend raising the retirement age and making other cuts when it makes its recommendations after the November elections.
That post-election date is a convenient excuse for lawmakers, enabling them to dodge taking a stand to protect Social Security with the lame explanation that they are waiting to see what the commission recommends.
Momentum Building to Repeal Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law
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Momentum continues to build for repeal of Arizona’s new anti-immigrant law and as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says: The law is not only an affront to American values of fairness and respect for the U.S. Constitution—it “severely undermines workers’ rights.”
Any employer faced with Latino workers’ complaints—in the form of a picket or a lawsuit—can simply call the police and have workers arrested under the guise of “reasonable suspicion.” The law’s chilling effect is all too clear.
The law requires a police officer to demand proof of immigration status when the officer has “reasonable suspicion” to believe the person is not authorized to be in the United States, regardless of whether he or she is suspected of a crime. The law puts Arizona’s entire Latino population—the great majority of whom are U.S. citizens or legal residents—at risk of arrest, Trumka said.
Report: Helping Latina Students Succeed Helps Us All
In today’s global economy, our nation cannot afford to leave any of our children behind. We must ensure that every girl and boy receives the best education possible to achieve their dreams and that our nation can benefit from their talents.
Yet Latinas, the fastest growing group of school-aged females in the country, are dropping out of school at alarming rates—41 percent—depriving the nation of much-needed young talent.
A new report shows that Latina students drop out at such high rates because they face more serious barriers to graduating from high school than many of their counterparts. The report, “Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation,” released today by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), addresses the challenges facing Latina high school students in the United States and explores ways to overcome obstacles that undermine their chances of graduating from high school.
Health Care ‘Co-Ops’: Strategy for Killing Real Health Care Reform
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U.S. House and Senate health care reform bills that have won committee approval contain a public health insurance option as a vital component and that, says a new report released this morning, “is considerable cause for celebration.”
The report’s author, Yale University professor Jacob S. Hacker, also warns that efforts to push health care cooperatives, which recently have been floated as an alternative to a public option, are meant
“to kill the public plan and, with it, the prospect of an effective competitor to consolidated insurance companies that have too often failed to provide affordable health security.”
The report, commissioned by the Institute for America’s Future, details how a strong public health insurance plan is critical to successfully achieving the goals of health reform—lower costs, higher quality and guaranteed health security for all Americans.
