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August 14, 2008National/PoliticalPurple states: The playing field expands Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has long promised to bring the presidential campaign against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to states that have been Republican bastions — not just to places like Virginia, Nevada and Colorado, considered competitive for well over a year, but also to more unexpected states, like Alaska, North Dakota and Indiana. Republicans' Fortunes Falling in Nevada / Governor's Scandals Top A List of Woes ... If Republicans are hurting nationally this election year, there may be few places where the pain is quite as acute, or has arrived as quickly, as Nevada, where a confluence of problems has left a once-potent state party in tatters. Just two years ago, Republicans occupied all six statewide constitutional offices. Today, they hold only the posts of governor and lieutenant governor. .. In the past 40 years, Nevada has gone Republican in all but two presidential elections -- 1992 and 1996, when Ross Perot's independent candidacies helped Bill Clinton pull off upsets. In addition to how dispirited many Republicans are, the Democrats enjoyed a huge boost in registration and fundraising from its Jan. 19 caucuses. About 116,000 Democrats took part, more than double the number of Republican participants. AFL-CIO organizes veterans for Obama U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who spent 23 years in the U.S. Navy and seven in a Vietnamese prison, may not have the unanimous support from veterans. Fifteen veterans gathered Tuesday at a Pittsburgh hotel for the first meeting of the AFL-CIO Pennsylvania Union Veterans Council, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. They support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the likely Democratic Party nominee for president. Social Security Too Hot to Touch? Not in 2008 Ignoring the warnings that Social Security can derail political careers, Senator John McCain has infuriated his party’s right wing by saying that “everything has to be on the table” in discussions about keeping Social Security solvent. Mr. McCain, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, does indeed seem to have put everything on the table. In the space of one week, he opened the door to an increase in Social Security taxes, denied he would raise payroll taxes and then, through an ally, called a tax increase a “dumb idea.” He has also sowed confusion about whether he favors privatizing Social Security, or continuing with the current system. Senator Barack Obama, Mr. McCain’s likely Democratic rival, has been attacked for offering his own, far more specific plan that would raise payroll taxes, though only for the rich. But that criticism has not come from his party and has not been as intense as the denunciations of Mr. McCain. Related Issue Brief from the Economic Policy Institute: Social Security: Here today, still here tomorrow The Obama Tax Plan Even as Barack Obama proposes fiscally responsible tax reform to strengthen our economy and restore the balance that has been lost in recent years, we hear the familiar protests and distortions from the guardians of the broken status quo. ... Overall, Sen. Obama's middle-class tax cuts are larger than his partial rollbacks for families earning over $250,000, making the proposal as a whole a net tax cut and reducing revenues to less than 18.2% of GDP -- the level of taxes that prevailed under President Reagan. Foreclosure filings surge 55% over July '07 The number of homeowners stung by the slumping housing market jumped last month as foreclosure filings were 55% higher than a year ago, according to data released Thursday. Nationwide, more than 272,000 homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice in July, up from about 175,000 in the same month last year and up 8% from June, RealtyTrac said. That means one in every 464 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing last month. Study: Many Latinos Lack Usual Health Care Provider Many Latinos lack a regular source of health care and health information other than hospital emergency rooms, a trend that threatens to worsen their health outcomes, according a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In a Generation, Minorities May Be the U.S. Majority Ethnic and racial minorities will comprise a majority of the nation’s population in a little more than a generation, according to new Census Bureau projections, a transformation that is occurring faster than anticipated just a few years ago. The census calculates that by 2042, Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will together outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Four years ago, officials had projected the shift would come in 2050. Related article from USA Today: Census data projects more diversity at work Promises of Pay Parity -- Dashed Again .. Under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, the disparity between pay for federal and non-federal workers should be down to 5 percent. But Uncle Sam hasn't followed the law. To reach that point now, he would need to boost D.C. area federal pay by almost one-third, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued last month. Raises for other areas would vary because of differences in local labor markets. The nationwide hike would average more than 19 percent. But "the law has never been implemented as originally enacted," the report says. You can't put Uncle Sam in jail for flouting this law. It gives him a big loophole. He's free to ignore the otherwise required pay raises primarily for GS (General Schedule) employees "in the event of a national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare," the report explains. 36 states release ill or dying inmates North Carolina and Alabama have joined a growing number of states establishing programs that allow the release of dying or infirm prisoners to cut prison system health care costs. .. A USA Today review of state department of corrections' policies found 36 states have some program allowing for the early release of dying or infirm prisoners. Before Alabama and North Carolina, Wisconsin was the most recent to add such a program in March. Michigan and Montana added programs in 2007. Hospital Infections: Preventable and Unacceptable On July 30, a jury awarded over $2.5 million to James Klotz and his wife Mary in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a heart surgeon, his group practice and St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis, Mo. .. This verdict should send a warning to physicians, hospitals and hospital board members. Until recently, infection was considered an unavoidable risk. But now there is proof that nearly all hospital infections are avoidable when doctors and staff clean their hands and rigorously practice proper hygiene and other preventive measures. Hospital infections will cause the next wave of class-action lawsuits, bigger than the litigation over asbestos. The germ that Mr. Klotz contracted, hospital-acquired MRSA, infects about 880,000 patients a year and accounts for only 8% of all hospital infections. Hospital infections caused by all kinds of bacteria sicken millions. Unions seek Wal-Mart probe over election law: report Labor groups are requesting an investigation into whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) violated federal election laws by telling employees that electing Democrats would lead to passage of legislation making it easier to unionize companies, The Wall Street Journal said citing a letter. The groups are asking the Federal Election Commission to determine whether the company "made prohibited corporate expenditures" by organizing meetings across the country to warn employees that a Democratic president would back legislation known as the Employee Free Choice Act, which the company opposes, the paper said. American Rights at Work, a worker advocacy group, the AFL-CIO and Change to Win labor federations and WakeUpWalMart.com, a labor-backed group, are filing the complaint and are likely to deliver the letter as early as Thursday, the paper said. Related article at New York Times Caucus blog: Groups to File Complaint Against Wal-Mart Note: the comic Candorville has been spoofing Wal-Mart’s labor policies in this week’s strip. Fired Target worker kills Ark. Democratic chairman Police and neighbors cannot explain why a loner fired from his job at a Target store drove more than 30 miles to Arkansas' Democratic Party headquarters and shot its chairman dead after rushing past workers and barging into his office. Officers said Bill Gwatney, 48, was shot multiple times Wednesday by Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy. Neighbors said Johnson was unmarried and that both of his parents had died in the past 10 years. One called him "kind of different." At Conway, police said a Target store had fired Johnson early Wednesday because he had written graffiti on a wall. Before noon, Johnson was in Gwatney's office in Little Rock with a handgun. State/LocalCommonwealth Court backs Rendell on furloughs A Pennsylvania judge has upheld (.pdf) Gov. Ed Rendell's authority to furlough most state employees when a state budget is not passed on time. Commonwealth Court Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt rejected arguments by three state-employee unions that mass furloughs could be averted during a budget impasse by continuing to pay state employees with unappropriated money in the state treasury. Leavitt said that's barred by the state constitution and that the governor's options are limited to furloughing employees or requiring them to work without pay until a budget is passed. David Fillman, director of the Council 13 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says an appeal is likely. Related article from the Associated Press: Pa. court sides with governor on furloughs Some DPW workers eligible for new bonus program Amid calls to end bonuses for state workers after a bonus program for legislative staffers triggered a criminal investigation at the Capitol, the state Department of Public Welfare is about to launch a bonus program for some of its workers. .... Karen Black, AFSCME's executive assistant, said the union's primary concern is that the program would turn into a quota that would have employees being penalized if goals are met. She said she has been assured that will not be the case. Board says poor communication led to discord over health plan Labor contracts for the support workers' and the teachers' unions in the Indiana Area School District turned out differently because of changes in the negotiating teams and procedures, according to current and former school board members. Representatives of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 2772 asked the school board Monday to reopen their contract and change the health insurance provisions. AFSCME members protest rise in health-care costs Hundreds of state government workers showed up at Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday to protest the Blagojevich administration’s demand that they pay a lot more for their health insurance. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees clustered around entrances to the fairgrounds passing out leaflets detailing their objections to paying higher health insurance costs. Related articles
Pontiac fighting to save prison from closure A proposal to close the Pontiac Correctional Center in order to fully open the Thomson Correctional Center is coming under fire. Now, Pontiac is bracing for a battle to save jobs and its identity. .. "There are families, personal issues that are at stake here," said AFSCME Staff Representative Joe Pluger. Harrisburg still expecting IDOT jobs despite panel's rejection Despite a unanimous rejection from a panel of Illinois lawmakers Tuesday, Southern Illinois officials are still counting on the transfer of Illinois Department of Transportation jobs from Springfield. .. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 represents many of the workers affected by the proposed move. The union in a statement issued Wednesday called on the governor to reconsider, and it said it is exploring all options, including legal action. What's new at the zoo? Possibly management The continued survival of the Lake Superior Zoo may depend upon developing a suitable answer to what Lake Superior Zoological Society Executive Director Sam Maida says is a common question: “What’s new at the zoo?” .... It is a challenge thrown into sharp relief by Mayor Don Ness’ plan to turn the zoo over to the private, nonprofit zoological society by year’s end. It was one of a list of cuts and revenue-generating ideas Ness proposed in June to reduce the city’s budget deficit. The zoo posted a $617,368 loss last year. ... The union, city and zoological society have been meeting to discuss the zoo’s future since Ness’s announcement. “Obviously we’re concerned about protection of the workers there,” said Alan Netland, president of AFSCME Local 66, which represents city employees at the zoo. “And we want both the city and the society to be realistic about what it takes to run an accredited zoo. County staff may be asked to take unpaid leave Union and Prince George's County officials are saying furloughs for nearly 6,000 county employees are on the way, but leaders are staying mum on plans to make up for a $48 million budget shortfall. Initially, labor unions were asked to renegotiate contracts to save money, but when negotiations fell flat last month, rumors began to circulate of a plan requiring government employees to take at least a week of unpaid leave this year. ... On July 14, county administrative officer Jacqueline Brown sent a memo to workers freezing all raises until the talks concluded. Unions protested the move, filing formal letters of grievance. "Your county's workers help run your county," said Wanda Shelton-Martin, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 2,900 workers in several county departments. "They haven't even asked for our suggestions. All they have done is attack our workers." Atlanta schools pension fund needs cash Atlanta's public school system has one of the most poorly funded retirement plans in the state and has racked up a half-billion dollars in liabilities. Now those costs — stemming from years of underfunding of the pension by past school boards — are set to drain the school budgets of tens of millions annually for years. ... The problem is exacerbated by poor returns on investments in recent years. Finances were so poor that by 2005, the funding rate for the pension was as low as 17 percent at one point. It's administered by the city of Atlanta's General Employees' Pension Fund but depends on money from the school board and the 1,000 working members. The local union that represents Board of Education staff, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1644, could not be reached for comment. Inspection reports of health facilities now available online For the first time, Floridians can go online to find inspection reports and the results of complaint investigations involving most health facilities — data that previously took a formal public-records request to obtain. The state Agency for Health Care Administration this week began posting the reports online to give consumers another tool for assessing 32,000 hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, surgery centers, dialysis units and others. .. Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association, called the online reports "unsettling" because they may mislead consumers and attorneys to think there's a problem where none exists. Florida's budget shortfall may hit $1.2B Florida's dwindling state budget could fall about $1 billion deeper into deficit due to a combination of record-high gas prices, the crashing housing market and record job loss in the state. State economists plan to meet Friday to determine just how big the hole will be, but the previous quarter's lower-than-expected tax collections indicate they'll be facing a deficit benchmark of as much as $1.2 billion. Hospital officials: More flexibility needed / Private partnerships, programs seen as options in face of massive deficit WAILUKU - Maui Memorial Medical Center executives joined the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. on Monday in calling for a $62 million legislative bailout and a new law giving the public acute-care hospitals new options for governance and planning for the future. .. In referring to costs of contracts for workers represented by the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the , Driskill said he has no intention of breaking up the unions or their collective bargaining agreements. Union files suit to void Synagro sludge contract The union representing City of Detroit sewage plant workers filed a lawsuit against the city Wednesday, seeking to have a controversial multimillion-dollar contract with Synagro Technologies Inc. declared null and void. The FBI and a federal grand jury are investigating possible bribes in connection with the Detroit City Council's awarding of the Synagro contract last November, in a 5-4 vote. "We think this contract should be canceled," said George B. Washington, a Detroit attorney representing Local 207 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Daniels suggests lottery as way to fund scholarships A plan from Gov. Mitch Daniels to help more Hoosiers get into college was hailed Wednesday by Republican and Democratic leaders, but there could be a fight over how to fund the estimated $50 million annual cost. Daniels, who announced the Hoosier College Promise scholarship program in April, revealed more details and two potential funding sources -- including privatizing the Hoosier Lottery -- during an appearance Wednesday at Terre Haute. .. A similar proposal to privatize the lottery -- with revenue used for college scholarships, life-science research and police and fire pensions -- died in the Democrat-controlled House in 2007 after narrowly passing in the Senate. Unions waiting for cuts before taking action City employee unions might wait until after a 20 percent pay cut is implemented next week before taking legal action against the administration. Several unions have already voted against the cuts, announced by Mayor Rudy Clay last month, but the city administration warns it will run out of money by Oct. 1 if they aren't implemented. .. AFSCME Local 3491-01 President Willie Wallace said his attorneys are still trying to understand how the law will apply to each of his members, as well. McShurley limits media access by city employees Mayor Sharon McShurley has forbidden city employees from making "public announcements" -- specifically, comments to the media -- that have not been reviewed "by the mayor, or her designee, to ensure accuracy that it is well written and appropriate for the intended audience." The new policy, announced in a Wednesday memorandum to "all city and (Muncie Sanitary District) employees," has attracted criticism from a union official who accused the mayor of trying to restrict free speech. ... Rosemary Lipscomb, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3656, accused the mayor of being heavy-handed. "Not only are we city employees, we are citizens," Lipscomb said. "I have a right to say whatever I want to say." Judge Holds City in Contempt on Take Home Cars Issue A judge ruled Tuesday the city of Buffalo was in contempt of court in its ongoing dispute with one city union over take-home vehicles. As a result, city officials have temporarily returned seven take-home vehicles to blue-collar workers who lost them when the Mayor announced his cutbacks earlier this summer. Officials of AFSCME Local 264 say they're pleased with the judge's ruling. But City Corporation Counsel Alisa Lukasiewicz expressed her disappointment. She's planning an appeal. State cuts could cost Buffalo $10 million Gov. David A. Paterson’s plan to close a state budget gap could slash up to $10 million in aid to Buffalo, the city’s finance chief warned Tuesday. .. “The problem would become having to negotiate our labor contracts in this environment of fiscal uncertainty,” said Penksa. “If these cuts hold, most of the reserves we’ve put aside for new labor contracts would be gone.” Penksa said that without the additional state aid, any salary increases included in new labor pacts would have to be offset by benefit reductions or other savings. Health care premiums could rise for smoking SC employees State employees who smoke may soon be paying more for their health insurance. The state Budget and Control Board will consider Thursday whether health care premiums should go up for smokers. State says incentive has led to 570 new non-smokers In its first six months, a new insurance benefit to offer more tobacco cessation assistance to state employees has helped an estimated 570 state workers successfully quit using tobacco. The State Worker: How budget impasse affects the rank and file Some ground-level snapshots of how California's budget mess has affected state workers: Attorneys with the Department of Consumer Affairs, the agency that investigates and prosecutes everything from unlicensed contractors to shady auto repair shops, can't do legal research online. Federal medical receiver wants $8 billion for California prisons Frustrated and showing signs of temper, California's prison medical receiver on Wednesday asked a federal judge to give him what the governor, the controller and the Legislature have not – enough money to fix the state's correctional health care crisis. The bill will be $8 billion over five years, J. Clark Kelso said at his downtown Sacramento office. It would go toward building seven new chronic-care facilities to house 10,500 inmate patients and upgrading medical units at all 33 state prisons. In the legal motion filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Kelso blasted ahead in what amounted to the receivership's boldest move yet in the 2 1/2 years since it was created by judicial mandate. |
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