Publications

March 3, 2006

'King George's Flying Circus'

This 30-second, web-accessible movie, created by AFSCME for its e-Activist Network, humorously underscores the very serious dangers posed by President Bush's relentless public services cuts. For six years in a row, Bush and the GOP congressional majority have voted relentlessly to cut public services wile increasing tax cuts for the rich. How are they paying for that? Watch the movie to find out! Then help us mobilize at least 200,000 people before March 6, when Congress votes on the cuts. You can roll the film by going to www.actnow.org and following the prompts.

Reporting organizing wins in ...

Ohio, where a unit of 66 fire and police communications officers in the City of Toledo voted to join Council 8. AFSCME prevailed by better than 2 to 1 over a rival union, the Ohio PBA. Connecticut, where Council 4 organized 14 workers at the Cheshire public library. New York, where, for a unit of 12 custodial workers at a new branch of the Public Library in the Bronx, DC 37 won voluntary recognition from One Source, a private contractor.

Beating back the privatizers

Two affiliates notched wins against privatization:

  • In Indiana, after opposition from Local 1389 (Council 62), Penn-Harris-Madison school board members voted not to pursue the privatization of custodial services. Forty union members and their families had picketed outside the middle school where the board meeting took place. Trustees who were against the outsourcing plan said they wanted to honor the current contract, which runs through Dec. 31.
  • In New Mexico, the State University (NMSU) administration gave in to pressure from workers, students and faculty to stop Aramark's expansion on campus. Just last month, university officials announced that they would terminate the leases of local businesses and award the privateer all food-service contracts. But NMSU organizing committee members collected 1,800 signatures on a petition, and faculty and students protested the change, the administration decided to renew the local leases after all. Activists used AFSCME successes against Aramark on other campuses to help get allies at NMSU to sign on to the campaign.

Bubbling upward

A contract won by some 30 water utility employees in Waukesha, Wis., members of Local 3938 (Council 40), calls for wage increases of 3 percent effective January 1 of this year, with additional 3 percents scheduled for January 1, 2007 and 2008. The utility continues to pay 90 percent of the single and family health-insurance premiums.

Nurses front & center

Eight diverse unions, including AFSCME, launched a joint effort to recruit more registered nurses, and to bolster bargaining and advocacy for the 200,000 nurses they already represent. The effort marks the first application of new "industrial coordinating committees" that are designed to bridge union jurisdictional barriers and develop common organizing, bargaining and political strategies among unions in the AFL-CIO. Said Kathy Sackman, president of AFSCME's UNAC nurses affiliate and an IVP: "Our collective voice will help us be more effective in our fight for adequate and appropriate staffing levels — one of the most critical factors impacting our ability to provide safe patient care."

'Pay for performance'

A common-sense concept, but one that eludes U.S. companies that insist on giving greedy top executives lucrative grants of stock whether or not the execs do their jobs well. Enough, says AFSCME's Pension Plan, which has filed shareholder proposals asking Bristol Myers Squibb, JPMorgan Chase and Time Warner to use performance criteria in making those awards. All three companies invited AFSCME to discuss the issue — a far cry from the past, when they simply dismissed such suggestions for reform.

Half a loaf ...

Minnesota state employees represented by Council 5 have reluctantly accepted Governor Pawlenty's (R) offer to restore half the pay, vacation and comp time they lost during last July's partial, eight-day government shutdown that forced some 9,000 employees to take unwanted and unpaid furloughs. The agreement affects 2,886 AFSCME members, mostly in human services and road maintenance. "Half is better than nothing for our average member, who lives paycheck to paycheck on $35,000 a year," said Eliot Seide, executive director of Council 5. "It could mean up to $300 to help cover winter heating bills."

'Bounty' buck banned

A U.S. district court in Oregon court has upheld an AFSCME-sponsored ballot initiative to ban paying "bounties" to paid signature gatherers. Instead, they must be paid by the hour rather than signature. Council 75 led the campaign.

Welcome aboard

Michael Marvin, former COPE/legislative director for the Transport Workers Union, Local 223 in Omaha, is the new executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE)/AFSCME Local 61. For the past four years, Marvin has served as president of the Southwest Iowa Labor Council.

Crime stopper

Tony Holmes, a member of Washington, D.C., Local 2027 (Council 26), has won a 2005 Governor's Crime Prevention Award for his service as president of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police Volunteer Association.


 

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