APWU OF WISCONSIN

Letter From Senator Ron Johnson

2012-01-30T17:06:00.000-06:00

Recently I contacted our Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson regarding legislation affecting Postal and other Federal Workers. It is strongly apparent that he is walking lockstep with our favorite Representative from California Darrell Issa. Perhaps those Postal and Federal employees who voted incorrectly in the last election may want to save this letter and read it again while you are at the ballot box? (If that is supposed to be my average salary – where are the rest of my checks?)

John Durben, Editor APWU of WI

Read Letter…

2012 APWU of Wisconsin State Convention

2012-01-19T18:14:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

Here is the info I have so far for the APWU of Wisconsin Convention. I will be asking some of you to be on committees which may influence the date you will arrive. Also, there will be an Executive Board meeting on the morning of the 26th. Please register for the convention and hotel as soon as possible to make planning easier. I will also mail this info to all locals.

See you soon,

Steve Lord President

APWU of Wisconsin

Convention Registration

Hotel Registration Information

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS OPEN SEASON

2011-11-21T17:44:00.001-06:00

SIGN UP, CHANGE OR TRY SOMETHING NEW

It’s getting to look a lot like open season. In the next several weeks, employees will have opportunities to sign up, make changes to their employee benefits — or consider a new program.

Open Season for the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) program begins Monday, Nov. 7, while Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) begin Monday, Nov. 14.

Employees should note that the 2010 Affordable Care Act changed FEHB eligibility requirements allowing children up to age 26 as eligible dependents for Self and Family coverage (Link, 8/17/2010). Employees also should check their insurance coverage for details that could save them money.

Employees can make FEHB and FSA selections on PostalEASE. For FEDVIP elections, go to www.benefeds.com or call 877-888-FEDS (877-888-3337) or TTY 877-889-5680.

Open Season for the Annual Leave Exchange (ALE) begins Tuesday, Nov. 15. Employees eligible to make an ALE election will receive a letter.

FEHB, FSA and FEDVIP booklets also will be arriving in the mail. Look for the information and save it when it arrives or go to the “My HR” section on LiteBlue for more details.

Employees will need their employee identification numbers (EIN) and USPS personal identification numbers (PIN) to enter PostalEASE or LiteBlue.

Enrollment changes and new enrollments made during the 2011 FEHB Open Season will become effective Jan. 14, 2012 (pay period 03-12). New premium payments will be reflected in paychecks dated Feb. 3, 2012. New enrollments made during the 2011 FEDVIP and Flexible Spending Accounts Open Season will be effective Jan. 1, 2012.

OSHA’S 2011 TOP TEN VIOLATIONS

2011-11-15T18:58:00.001-06:00

Apply Now for a Union Plus Scholarship

2011-11-14T18:05:00.000-06:00

Application deadline Jan. 31, 2012, for $150,000 in awards

Washington, DC-Applications are now open for the 2012 Union Plus Scholarship Program, which provides $150,000 in scholarships to union members, their spouses and dependents.

To apply, visit UnionPlus.org/Education. This year's application is entirely online-allowing students to complete their application over time and save their responses. The application deadline is January 31,2012.

How the Scholarship Program Works In addition to demonstrating academic ability, applicants are required to submit essays of no more than 500 words describing their career goals, detailing their relationship with the union movement and explaining why they are deserving of a union scholarship.

Individuals must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Graduate school students are also eligible for Union Plus Scholarships. There is no requirement to have participated in any Union Plus program in order to apply.

Since 1991, Union Plus has distributed more than $3.2 million in scholarships to working families.

In addition to the Union Plus Scholarships, the following benefits help union families afford higher education:

•Scholarships to help union members and leaders finish their degrees with an affordable, flexible and convenient online program at the National Labor College.

•Discounts of 15 percent to 60 percent on college and graduate school test preparation courses from The Princeton Review. Includes classroom, online and private tutoring for the SA®, AC®, GMA®, LSA®, GRE® and MCA ®as well as college affordability and admissions online courses. Visit UnionPlus.org/CollegePrep or call 1-888-2437737.

Visit UnionPlus.org/Education for applications and benefit eligibility.

Death by a Thousand Cuts – Yet One More

2011-11-13T13:47:00.000-06:00

Another Perspective

By: Donald L. Foley

If you have had any involvement with compensation contracts, then you know that cost of living adjustment (COLA) clauses never result in real economic advancement for the recipient of the adjustments. These adjustments, generally based on the consumer price index (CPI), give the person receiving them some percentage of the full rise in the cost of living as an upward adjustment in wages or salary or other compensation. They never fully keep up, much less advance the individual’s economic status. And they always come after-the-fact – that is, they are calculated on cost of living increases that have already taken a toll and they are applied in subsequent payments of income. Certainly, they are a worthwhile benefit to the recipient but that person will continue to slide just a little further behind economically in spite of receiving them.

Now comes more “shared sacrifice” from the Obama administration with, apparently, bipartisan support from members of Congress. This is the proposal to change the method of computing the CPI for the purpose of applying COLAs, changing to something called the Chained Consumer Price Index (reported by Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press). Allegedly this would “save” the federal budget almost twelve and a half billion dollars over the next decade. And we all know how important it is for all of us to share in the sacrifices necessary to get the federal budget out of the red.

Using this chained CPI, they say, is more realistic because for one thing it takes into account the fact that as prices go up people just naturally learn to live more poorly – and, consequently, don’t really have to spend more to live. In other words, becoming poorer does not have to be measured as becoming poorer. One of the real effects of changing to the use of the chained CPI will decrease COLAs for Social Security recipients on a regressive scale – by which, as one gets older and older, one loses more and more. It would also reduce federal military and civilian pensions by $112 billion over the next decade. And it would result in an effective tax increase on the poor far greater than any increase on the rich. By the end of the coming decade, taxpayers in the $10,000 to $20,000 income range will pay about 14.5% higher federal taxes, while taxpayers with more than $1 million income would see a tax increase of just 0.1%. And fewer people would become eligible for federal benefits as they slip deeper and deeper down the economic ladder, because they would take longer to fall below “poverty” level thresholds.

However, as I said, this idea has bipartisan support and was introduced to the debt debate by the White House. It is one of those sleight-of-hand maneuvers politicians are so good at; it involves some rather arcane mathematics and bookkeeping rules; and it is fairly obscure in its basic statement – just change to a “more realistic” CPI. Certainly, to slip through a change like this might go generally unnoticed and would not generate a large public outcry. It is not an overt increase in taxes, so the Republicans have plausible deniability; and the Democrats can claim they have not cut Social Security. How perfect could you get?

Perfect, indeed. Yet another perfect tactical thrust in the class warfare prosecuted for the past forty years so successfully by the ruling class against the working class.

NPMHU Releases Contract Update #8

2011-11-10T06:45:00.000-06:00

2011 No. 8 – November 10, 2011

Postal Service Submits Harsh Proposals at Bargaining Table

Bargaining between the NPMHU and the U.S. Postal Service is reaching its critical stages, as the November 20th deadline draws closer.

Full Story

House panel approves bill to shrink federal workforce

2011-11-09T18:03:00.000-06:00

By Kellie Lunney / klunney@govexec.com / November 3, 2011

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would reduce the federal workforce through attrition by 10 percent over the next three years.

In a 23-14 vote, the panel approved the measure, which calls for hiring one federal employee to replace every three workers who retire or leave their job, shrinking the workforce across-the-board by 10 percent by 2015. The bill was amended to include the contractor workforce as well as government employees. There are about 2 million federal employees and the contractor workforce is roughly 10.5 million.

H.R. 3029 would make exceptions for certain national security concerns or any event that threatens public health or safety. The attrition policy would stay in effect through Sept. 30, 2014. The proposal also includes a provision that limits procurement on service contracts to supplement the reduced workforce "except in cases in which a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be to the financial advantage of the government." Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., the bill's sponsor, estimates the legislation will save $139 billion over the next decade.

In recent days, federal employee groups have publicly opposed the legislation through letters to the committee and press releases. "The bill undermines critical government services for the American people, ranging from defending our borders to safeguarding our food and drugs to assisting taxpayers and processing tax refunds," National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley said. "The list goes on and on. Yet, this legislation fails to consider the negative impact on those services."

The Government Managers Coalition, composed of the five major federal sector executive and management professional associations, wrote a Nov. 2 letter to committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., expressing concern over the impact downsizing the government will have on agencies' ability to serve the public. "A reduction in the size of the federal workforce could well amount to a reduction in vital services Americans expect on a daily basis," the letter stated. "Past efforts to reduce the civil service carried out during the Clinton administration resulted in an immediate deterioration of service to the public, leading to the hiring of contractors to make up for lost work."

During the committee's markup Thursday, Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., suggested changing the bill to allow the government to hire two employees, rather than one, to replace every three workers who retire or leave. Issa said he didn't have any "inherent objection" to that number and pledged to work with Cooper on a figure as the bill winds its way through the House. "We have a little headroom in the 10-year window," Issa said, referring to the savings the bill's supporters claim attrition will produce over the next decade.

Opponents of the legislation complained that a 10 percent across-the-board reduction in the government workforce was arbitrary and did not take into account such critical services as law enforcement or those provided to veterans. "I don't think it's a good management principle," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who voted against the measure.

Reducing the federal workforce through attrition was also a recommendation of the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission, created by President Obama and led by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson from Wyoming and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

During an Oct. 26 hearing of the joint congressional super committee on deficit reduction, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf mentioned the effect a smaller federal workforce could have on government operations. "Having fewer federal workers would probably lower the levels of service that federal agencies provide to the public, unless cuts in the agencies' workforces were accompanied by actions to enhance productivity," he said.

Source: Government Executive

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

2011-11-09T17:54:00.000-06:00

On Ohio Issue 2 Citizens Veto
November 8, 2011

One message rang loud and clear tonight in Ohio and across the country: those who spend their time scapegoating workers and pushing a partisan agenda will only strengthen the resolve of working people. From the very beginning, it’s been clear that Gov. Kasich, and indeed many politicians, were pushing an agenda that was about politics, not about solving our nation’s problems or creating jobs.

Today’s defeat of Issue 2 is a major victory for working families in Ohio and across the country. Ohio’s working people successfully fought back against lies pushed by shadowy multi-national corporations and their anonymous front groups that attempted to scapegoat public service employees and everyone they serve by assaulting collective bargaining rights. And it’s a great day for common sense, as Ohioans from all backgrounds and political parties rejected the crazy notion that the 99 percent -- nurses, bridge inspectors, firefighters, and social workers -- caused the economic collapse, rather than Wall Street.

Politicians in Ohio and across the country should finally understand that working people will fight hard to ensure the survival of the middle class, and politicians who fight battles for the richest 1% will find their radical efforts stopped by the voices of working people.

Memorial of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks

2011-10-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Click on Poster to Enlarge

Union Denounces USPS Plans to Dismantle Mail Processing Network

2011-09-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

APWU Web News Article 101-2011, Sept. 15, 2011

APWU President Cliff Guffey condemned USPS plans to study 252 mail processing facilities for possible closure, saying widespread closures would “dismantle the mail-processing network.” On Sept. 14, the USPS released a list of offices where studies will take place.

“The Postal Service should be urging Congress to address the cause of its problems – not slashing service and demolishing its network,” the union president said.

A 2006 law has pushed the USPS to brink of insolvency by imposing a burden on the Postal Service that no other government agency or company bears. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires the Postal Service to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees. The mandate, which forces the agency to pre-fund a 75-year liability in just 10 years, costs the USPS more than $5.5 billion annually.

“The mail processing network is a major asset,” Guffey noted. “Destroying it is misguided and counterproductive.

“Degrading service is not the answer to the Postal Service’s problems,” he said, noting that extensive closures would force the USPS to reduce delivery standards and delay mail delivery. “The Postal Service should be looking for ways to strengthen service and increase its relevance in the age of digital communication.”

Guffey said he was extremely displeased by the Postal Service’s refusal to provide the union with any advance notice of its plans.

Contact Your Member of the House Today!

2011-09-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

When Congress comes back into session right after Labor Day both Houses of Congress are going to be looking at revamping the Postal Service and/or fixing billions in FERS and CSRS overpayments which have been made by the Postal Service. Many bills have already been introduced in both Houses of Congress taking aim at overhauling the Postal Service while others look to allow access to billions in overpayments made by the Postal Service into both FERS and CSRS retirement funds. Multiple legislators have polarizing views as to how to fix the Postal Service and the USPS’s financial problems.

The APWU are asking our members to reach out and urge their member of Congress to cosponsor and support Congressman Lynch’s H.R. 1351, which will let the USPS use billions of dollars in CSRS and FERS overpayments to meet its financial obligations. Unlike, other bills that address the pension overpayments, H.R. 1351 will not attack the rights of workers to collectively bargain.
Also, tell your member of Congress to oppose Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309. Rep. Darrell Issa’s H.R. 2309 does not correct the massive USPS overpayments to its CSRS and FERS pension accounts. Congressman Issa’s bill will wage an attack on current negotiated wages, benefits, and protection against layoffs of postal workers.
What can you do to help? Contact your member of Congress today! You can reach your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard today at (202) 224-3121 or to find your member of congress click here.

If you have not already sent a quick message to your member of congress asking them to cosponsor H.R. 1351 and oppose H.R. 2309 take action today by clicking both of the links below.
To send your member of congress a quick message asking them to cosponsor and support H.R. 1351 please click here.

To send a quick message to your member of congress asking them to oppose Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309 please click here.

Below you will find a list of those members of Congress who have not yet signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1351. If you see your member of Congress listed below please reach out to them and ask that the cosponsor and support H.R. 1351.

Adams, Sandy    FL    24    R
Aderholt, Robert    AL    04    R
Akin, Todd    MO    02    R
Alexander, Rodney    LA    05    R
Amash, Justin    MI    03    R
Austria, Steve    OH    07    R
Bachmann, Michele    MN    06    R
Bachus, Spencer    AL    06    R
Baldwin, Tammy    WI    02    D
Barletta, Lou    PA    11    R
Barrow, John    GA    12    D
Bartlett, Roscoe    MD    06    R
Barton, Joe    TX    06    R
Becerra, Xavier    CA    31    D
Benishek, Dan    MI    01    R
Berg, Rick    ND    AL    R
Biggert, Judy    IL    13    R
Bilbray, Brian    CA    50    R
Bilirakis, Gus    FL    09    R
Bishop, Sanford    GA    02    D
Black, Diane    TN    06    R
Blackburn, Marsha    TN    07    R
Boehner, John    OH    08    R
Bonner, Josiah    AL    01    R
Bono Mack, Mary    CA    45    R
Boustany, Charles    LA    07    R
Brady, Kevin    TX    08    R
Brooks, Mo    AL    05    R
Broun, Paul    GA    10    R
Brown, Corrine    FL    03    D
Buchanan, Vern    FL    13    R
Bucshon, Larry    IN    08    R
Buerkle, Ann Marie    NY    25    R
Burgess, Michael    TX    26    R
Burton, Dan    IN    05    R
Calvert, Ken    CA    44    R
Camp, David    MI    04    R
Campbell, John    CA    48    R
Canseco, Francisco    TX    23    R
Cantor, Eric    VA    07    R
Capito, Shelley    WV    02    R
Carney, John    DE    AL    D
Cassidy, William    LA    06    R
Chabot, Steve    OH    01    R
Chaffetz, Jason    UT    03    R
Christensen, Donna    VI    DL    D
Clyburn, James    SC    06    D
Coble, Howard    NC    06    R
Coffman, Mike    CO    06    R
Cole, Thomas    OK    04    R
Conaway, Michael    TX    11    R
Cooper, Jim    TN    05    D
Cravaack, Chip    MN    08    R
Crawford, Eric    AR    01    R
Crenshaw, Ander    FL    04    R
Cuellar, Henry    TX    28    D
Culberson, John    TX    07    R
Davis, Geoffrey    KY    04    R
DeFazio, Peter    OR    04    D
Denham, Jeff    CA    19    R
DesJarlais, Scott    TN    04    R
Diaz-Balart, Lincoln    FL    21    R
Dicks, Norman    WA    06    D
Dold, Robert    IL    10    R
Donnelly, Joseph    IN    02    D
Dreier, David    CA    26    R
Duffy, Sean    WI    07    R
Duncan, Jeff    SC    03    R
Duncan, John    TN    02    R
Ellmers, Renee    NC    02    R
Farenthold, Blake    TX    27    R
Fincher, Stephen    TN    08    R
Flake, Jeffrey    AZ    06    R
Fleischmann, Charles    TN    03    R
Fleming, John    LA    04    R
Flores, Bill    TX    17    R
Forbes, J.    VA    04    R
Fortenberry, Jeffrey    NE    01    R
Foxx, Virginia    NC    05    R
Franks, Trent    AZ    02    R
Frelinghuysen, Rodney    NJ    11    R
Gallegly, Elton    CA    24    R
Gardner, Cory    CO    04    R
Garrett, Scott    NJ    05    R
Gibbs, Bob    OH    18    R
Gibson, Chris    NY    20    R
Giffords, Gabrielle    AZ    08    D
Gingrey, Phil    GA    11    R
Gohmert, Louie    TX    01    R
Goodlatte, Robert    VA    06    R
Gosar, Paul    AZ    01    R
Gowdy, Trey    SC    04    R
Granger, Kay    TX    12    R
Graves, Samuel    MO    06    R
Graves, Tom    GA    09    R
Griffin, Tim    AR    02    R
Griffith, Morgan    VA    09    R
Guinta, Franklin    NH    01    R
Guthrie, Brett    KY    02    R
Hall, Ralph    TX    04    R
Harper, Gregg    MS    03    R
Harris, Andy    MD    01    R
Hartzler, Vicky    MO    04    R
Hastings, Richard    WA    04    R
Hayworth, Nan    NY    19    R
Heck, Joseph    NV    03    R
Hensarling, Jeb    TX    05    R
Herger, Wally    CA    02    R
Herrera Beutler, Jaime    WA    03    R
Hoyer, Steny    MD    05    D
Huelskamp, Tim    KS    01    R
Huizenga, Bill    MI    02    R
Hultgren, Randy    IL    14    R
Hunter, Duncan    CA    52    R
Hurt, Robert    VA    05    R
Issa, Darrell    CA    49    R
Johnson, Bill    OH    06    R
Johnson, Samuel    TX    03    R
Johnson, Timothy    IL    15    R
Jordan, Jim    OH    04    R
Kelly, Mike    PA    03    R
Kind, Ron    WI    03    D
King, Steve    IA    05    R
Kingston, Jack    GA    01    R
Kinzinger, Adam    IL    11    R
Kline, John    MN    02    R
Labrador, Raul    ID    01    R

Lamborn, Doug    CO    05    R
Landry, Jeff    LA    03    R
Lankford, James    OK    05    R
Larsen, Rick    WA    02    D
Latta, Robert    OH    05    R
Lewis, Jerry    CA    41    R
Lewis, John    GA    05    D
Long, Billy    MO    07    R
Lucas, Frank    OK    03    R
Luetkemeyer, Blaine    MO    09    R
Lummis, Cynthia    WY    AL    R
Lungren, Daniel    CA    03    R
Mack, Connie    FL    14    R
Manzullo, Donald    IL    16    R
Marchant, Kenneth    TX    24    R
Matheson, James    UT    02    D
McCarthy, Kevin    CA    22    R
McCaul, Michael    TX    10    R
McClintock, Tom    CA    04    R
McCotter, Thaddeus    MI    11    R
McDermott, Jim    WA    07    D
McHenry, Patrick    NC    10    R
McKeon, Howard    CA    25    R
McKinley, David    WV    01    R
McMorris Rodgers, Cathy    WA    05    R
Mica, John    FL    07    R
Miller, Brad    NC    13    D
Miller, Candice    MI    10    R
Miller, Gary    CA    42    R
Miller, Jeff    FL    01    R
Moore, Gwendolynne    WI    04    D
Mulvaney, Mick    SC    05    R
Murphy, Tim    PA    18    R
Myrick, Sue    NC    09    R
Neugebauer, Randy    TX    19    R
Noem, Kristi    SD    AL    R
Nugent, Richard    FL    05    R
Nunes, Devin    CA    21    R
Nunnelee, Alan    MS    01    R
Olson, Pete    TX    22    R
Palazzo, Steven    MS    04    R
Paul, Ronald    TX    14    R
Paulsen, Erik    MN    03    R
Pearce, Stevan    NM    02    R
Pelosi, Nancy    CA    08    D
Pence, Michael    IN    06    R
Petri, Thomas    WI    06    R
Pitts, Joseph    PA    16    R
Poe, Ted    TX    02    R
Pompeo, Mike    KS    04    R
Posey, Bill    FL    15    R
Price, David    NC    04    D
Price, Thomas    GA    06    R
Quayle, Ben    AZ    03    R
Rahall, Nick    WV    03    D
Reed, Tom    NY    29    R
Rehberg, Dennis    MT    AL    R
Reichert, David    WA    08    R
Renacci, Jim    OH    16    R
Ribble, Reid    WI    08    R
Rigell, Scott    VA    02    R
Rivera, David    FL    25    R
Roby, Martha    AL    02    R
Roe, David    TN    01    R
Rogers, Harold    KY    05    R
Rogers, Michael    AL    03    R
Rogers, Michael    MI    08    R
Rohrabacher, Dana    CA    46    R
Rokita, Todd    IN    04    R
Rooney, Thomas    FL    16    R
Roskam, Peter    IL    06    R
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana    FL    18    R
Ross, Dennis    FL    12    R
Royce, Edward    CA    40    R
Ruppersberger, C.A.    MD    02    D
Ryan, Paul    WI    01    R
Scalise, Steve    LA    01    R
Schilling, Robert    IL    17    R
Schmidt, Jeannette    OH    02    R
Schock, Aaron    IL    18    R
Schweikert, David    AZ    05    R
Scott, Austin    GA    08    R
Scott, David    GA    13    D
Scott, Tim    SC    01    R
Sensenbrenner, Jim    WI    05    R
Sessions, Pete    TX    32    R
Shimkus, John    IL    19    R
Shuster, William    PA    09    R
Simpson, Michael    ID    02    R
Smith, Adrian    NE    03    R
Smith, D. Adam    WA    09    D
Smith, Lamar    TX    21    R
Southerland, Steve    FL    02    R
Stearns, Clifford    FL    06    R
Stivers, Steve    OH    15    R
Stutzman, Marlin    IN    03    R
Sullivan, John    OK    01    R
Terry, Lee    NE    02    R
Thompson, Bennie    MS    02    D
Thompson, Glenn    PA    05    R
Thornberry, Mac    TX    13    R
Tiberi, Patrick    OH    12    R
Tipton, Scott    CO    03    R
Turner, Michael    OH    03    R
Upton, Frederick    MI    06    R
Vacant    NV    02    R
Vacant    NY    09    D
Vacant    OR    01    D
Van Hollen, Chris    MD    08    D
Walberg, Tim    MI    07    R
Walden, Gregory    OR    02    R
Walsh, Joe    IL    08    R
Watt, Melvin    NC    12    D
Waxman, Henry    CA    30    D
Webster, Daniel    FL    08    R
West, Allen    FL    22    R
Westmoreland, Lynn    GA    03    R
Whitfield, Edward    KY    01    R
Wilson, Joe    SC    02    R
Wittman, Robert    VA    01    R
Wolf, Frank    VA    10    R
Womack, Steve    AR    03    R
Woodall, Rob    GA    07    R
Yoder, Kevin    KS    03    R
Young, C.W.    FL    10    R
Young, Todd    IN    09    R

Source: APWU E-TEAM

Yet Another Appeasement in Store?

2011-09-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

Another Perspective Donald L. Foley - NBA, retired

Not to state it over-broadly, but the fate of collective bargaining for postal employees and the fate of the Postal Service itself may well depend upon the decision of the National Mediation Board concerning employees of the Federal Aviation Administration. Altering a rule of some 75 years standing, last year the Board ruled that union certification votes in the aviation and railroad industries should be by ordinary rules for counting votes in a democratic election. That is to say, the Board revised the old rules in a manner that requires a union certification election to be controlled by the votes of only those who vote, not including votes of those who choose not to vote. Under the old rules, in a union certification election for a bargaining unit of 100 employees, if 75 employees cast ballots, the remaining 25 employees who chose not to vote were all counted as ‘nay’ votes – meaning in effective that, regardless how many employees voted, the only way to achieve an affirmative result would be to register a full majority of all 100 employees in the bargaining unit. In nearly all democratic election processes, a majority is of those who vote; it does not count those who fail to exercise the right to vote. So the National Mediation Board changed the rule – a majority vote would be of those who vote.

As one might imagine, this rule – making it easier to achieve a majority in favor of union certification – ran afoul of the agenda of most Republican Congress persons. And, because of this rule by the National Mediation Board, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives brought the operations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to a very near standstill earlier this year. The House refused to adopt the normally perfunctory funding bill for the FAA, causing the FAA to experience a circumstance not unlike the economic situation presently confronting the Postal Service. In short, the FAA did not have the money to operate all of its functions – contracted work was halted, inspections were delayed or terminated, nearly everything other than manning the control towers of our airports stopped. Finally, before Congress recessed, a very short term extension of funding the FAA was adopted – with a requirement to revisit the issue after the summer recess (stop-gap funding expires September 16).

When Congress gets back to work very soon, Postal employees would do well to pay very close attention to what happens with the FAA funding and the Federal Mediation Board rule. We ought not to simply sit on the sidelines, either.

It amazes me that so little has been said about this fight in labor or progressive media sources, though there does appear to be some appetite among some Democratic members of Congress to take on the fight – one of the few that may bear fruit for labor. Labor should get behind this issue in a big way. And I believe we would be right to fear that, at some point, President Obama will decide to exercise his unique “negotiation” skills to resolve the impasse over FAA funding. Should President Obama negotiate away the gain achieved through the National Mediation Board ruling – recognizing simple democratic voting principles – in order to appease the Republican radical right (once again) it would be a significant setback for labor. But even more important to Postal employees, it would signal to us that we cannot count on this administration to protect the collective bargaining rights of Postal employees. Where, supposedly, little is actually at stake – the FAA is not all that big a government agency, and no presently protected union employees’ jobs are threatened – one might easily see Obama cause the National Mediation Board ruling to be reversed to achieve ordinary financing of the FAA operations.

However, such a move by Obama – unfortunately typical appeasement of the radical right – would also signal that he will have no stomach for the support necessary to save the collective bargaining rights of Postal unions in the struggle to save the Postal Service. The stakes for the economy in the battle to save the Postal Service from itself and from Republican radicalism are so high that, I’m afraid, they will sway Obama in exactly the wrong direction. If Obama cannot muster the intestinal fortitude to protect future union recognition votes in the aviation and railroad industries, he will fold like a house of cards when confronted with the need to protect the Unions while preserving the Postal Service. My deepest hope is that Obama never becomes involved “resolving” this fight; my deepest fear is that he will.

While we wage our campaign to convince Congress to save the Postal Service and to save our jobs, we should also take the time to convince Congress to save the National Mediation Board ruling in favor of democratic union certification elections. Or ignore it at our peril.

2011 Labor Day Events Around the State

2011-08-30T17:05:00.000-05:00

September 05 - Fox Valley / Neenah-Menasha

10:00 A.M. The Parade Route starts in Menasha on Milwaukee Street to Main Street down Tayco Street to Neenah Commercial Street and turns on Wisconsin Avenue ends at the intersection of Church and Main Street.

FOX VALLEY AREA LABOR COUNCIL LABOR DAY CELEBRATION
Neenah Labor Temple 157 S Green Bay Road, Neenah, Wisconsin LIVE MUSIC BEAKER STREET 11:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. LITTLE VITO & THE TORPEDOES 3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Corn Roast, Paddlewheel, Beverage & Food Tents, Huge Crafts & White Elephant Sale. FACE PAINTING by BEST FRIENDS BADGER BOUNCERS

September 05 - Kenosha Laborfest

12:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This is the annual Kenosha Laborfest featuring booths from all labor organizations in the Kenosha area. Exceptional variety of food vendors at reasonable prices and free kids activities. Raffle prizes, beer tent and activities for the whole family. Rain or Shine! Sponsored by: Kenosha Central Labor Council. Location: St. Therese Picnic Grounds, 9005 22nd Ave. (91st. St. & 22nd Ave.), Kenosha, WI 53142

September 05 - Marinette Labor Day Picnic
Noon to 5:00 PM. City Park, Marinette. We will have food, beer, and a first class blues band (Kilborn Alley Blues Band- http://www.kilbornalley.com/) to celebrate solidarity. The local police and firefighters will also be having events for children. Show up and join the fight.

September 05 - Greater Green Bay Labor Council Annual Labor Day Family Picnic

11:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Bay Beach Park. Food and Refreshments, Rides, Raffles, Music, Bingo, Games for the Kids. Click here for flyer and agenda.

September 05 - Oshkosh Labor Day Picnic and Car Show
The Winnebago County Labor Council will be hosting the Annual City-Wide Labor Day Picnic and Car Show in South Park in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Along with the picnic we will be having our 11th Annual Antique and Classic Automobile Show all day in the park. Food and refreshments will be sold from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Live music will be from 12 noon till 4:00 P.M. Raffle prizes will be given away and BINGO will be played all day at the picnic. We hope to see you there!!

September 05 - Wausau Labor Day Parade
Assembly @ 3:00 p.m. (On West Wausau Ave between 1st And 3rd Ave). Parade Starts @ 4:00 p.m. Grand Marshal Donna Seidel Rep from the 85th Assembly District. Citizen of The Year John Spiegelhoff AFSCME Bus Rep. Labor Day Parade Food Drive: We will be collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations. Donations will be given to the Neighbors Place. (Look for vehicle and staff at the end of the parade or drop off at the Labor Temple parking lot.) For more info Contact Randy Radtke @ cell 715-370-8908, home715-845-7094 or rkradtke@solarus.biz or check us out on the web @ www.marathoncountylaborcouncil.org

September 05 - Milwaukee Labor Day Parade & Laborfest
Parade assembly begins at 9:30am with kick-off at 11:00am from Zeider Union Square Park. Laborfest is held on the Summerfest grounds and runs from noon until 5:00pm. There is plenty of food, fun and speakers. Please join the festivities!! Click here to print poster

September 05 - La Crosse Labor Fest

The Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO LABOR DAY Parade begins at 10 a.m. on the North Side of La Crosse. Labor Fest runs from 10 a.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. at the north end of Copeland Park. Food Sold by Pogy’s Catering: Brats, Hot Dogs, Chips and Candy (cash must be used to purchase this food, no tokens accepted) City Brewery Beer and Pepsi Products Sold by the Labor Council. Bingo Games hosted by IAFF Local 127 -- approximately 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Music provided by Vic Stone, Disc Jockey. Saw Dust Pile with coins for the Kids (time to be announced) To buy labor day tokens before the event, please contact Mike Koziara at (608) 317-9755. Click here for flyer & parade route.

September 05 - Eau Claire

Greater West Central Area Labor Council Labor Day Walk, Rally and Picnic. Walks from 4 locations around the city of Eau Claire to Phoenix Park in beautiful down town Eau Claire begin at 10AM. Rally at Phoenix Park 11-Noon. Picnic, music, and prizes 12-3 PM. Raffle for $ with proceeds to “Feed My People” in West Central Wisconsin. Open to “All Who Labor” but we ask for a non-perishable food item for our food bank. Contact information to Jack Connell (715-529-3426).

September 05 - Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade and Picnic
The Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade begins at 11:00am followed by a picnic at Lakeside Park in Oven Island. Food and refreshments will be served and live music will play from 1:00 - 5:00.

September 05 - Madison LaborFest
Annual Labor Day Celebration. Two bands, food & drink, kids activities, display tables, Solidarity Roll Call

September 05 - Racine County Labor Fest

Runs from noon to 5:00P on Monday, September 5th. Through the generousity of the tavern league,local unions, and their members food, beer, and soda are free. Games for the children, antique auto show, and political speeches. The three annual awards will be presented by 2:00 PM. Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave., Franksville, WI 53126. Click here for flyer.

Source: Wisconsin AFL-CIO

Tea Party Joe

2011-08-24T18:03:00.000-05:00

Joe gets up at 6 am and fills his coffeepot with water. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, Joe takes his daily medication. His medicine is safe because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but ten dollars of his prescriptions are paid by his employer's medical plan, because liberal union workers fought for medical insurance -now Joe gets it too. He prepares bacon and eggs for breakfast. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meatpacking industry.

Joe takes a shower and reaches for the shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its proportion of the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. .

Joe walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. He saves a lot of money in parking and gas because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, benefits, retirement, and paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker's comp or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It is lunch time and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some· bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car, which is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by the Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe doesn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car to drive home, and listens to a talk radio show. The host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection Joe enjoys throughout the day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big government liberals running our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

This piece has been circulated in various forms on the Internet.

PPA Reprint: The Communicator

PPA Conference – Orlando FL August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T16:33:00.000-05:00

Attached is an excerpt from and interview between National APWU President Cliff Guffey and Radio and Television Host Ed Shultz on Progressive Radio in Madison, Wisconsin today.

Editors look on as the interview between Guffey and Schultz is played live.

Part of the interview revolves around the over-prepayment of $75M in funds by the Postal Service.

The entire interview will be linked at a later date.

30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore

2011-08-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Friends,

From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.

Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."

Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.

And they've succeeded.

On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.

It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?

Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.

Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:

* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.

* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.

* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.

* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.

* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!

* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!

And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:

The AFL-CIO.

The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.

Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.

And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.

And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.

I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.

But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).

It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?

Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.

When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?

Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?

Yours,

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:

Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union, from the AFL-CIO (They've learned their lesson and have a good president now) or UE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)

Office of Inspector General Report: Oshkosh, WI Processing and Distribution Facility Consolidation

2011-08-04T08:09:00.000-05:00

WHY THE OIG DID THE AUDIT:
We performed this review as a result of a congressional request on the consolidation of mail processing operations from Oshkosh, WI Processing and Distribution Facility (P&DF) into the Green Bay, WI Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). The objectives were to determine whether a business case exists to support the consolidation and to assess compliance with established area mail processing (AMP) guidelines.

WHAT THE OIG FOUND:

Although the consolidation would result in cost savings, adequate facility and machine capacity does not exist at the Green Bay P&DC to process the additional mail volume and service could be negatively impacted. Our analysis also indicated that: (1) No career employees will lose their jobs at either location although there may be some reassignments; (2) Oshkosh P&DF is more efficient and processes its mail volumes at a lower cost than Green Bay P&DC; (3) Mail processing cost savings were overestimated, but significant savings still should be achieved; and (4) Some AMP guidelines were not followed, but had no impact on the business case.

Click here for full report

Huck 7/2011

2011-07-21T17:42:00.000-05:00

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on

2011-07-20T17:39:00.000-05:00

“Gang of Six” Plan
July 20, 2011

Both parties keep telling us that deficit reduction requires “tough choices” and “shared sacrifice” and “taking on sacred cows.” But then we keep seeing bipartisan support for plans like the so-called “Gang of Six” that cut Social Security benefits, kill jobs, give tax incentives for corporations to export good jobs overseas, tax health benefits, and lower tax rates for billionaires and corporations. There’s no shared sacrifice here. The only sacred cows being gored are working people, the middle class, seniors and the poor. Though the plan is very specific when it comes to spelling out tax cuts for rich people, there are still a lot of blanks to be filled in. Even so, we’ve seen enough to know that there is nothing here for working people. We need to keep asking our leaders: “Who got us into this mess?” It wasn’t working people. The people who got us into this mess are getting off scot-free, and this Gang of Six proposal shows they have accomplices in both parties.

APWU Health Plan’s Blueprint to Medicare

2011-07-15T07:13:00.000-05:00

This guide is designed to help you understand how APWU Health Plan works with Medicare. Dealing with one health insurance company is complicated enough, having to deal with another can be overwhelming. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for individuals:

     • Over 65 years of age
     • With certain disabilities
     • Who have end-stage renal failure
     • Lou Gehrig’s disease

Click Here for Medicare Brochure

Now is the Time to Contact Your Legislators!

2011-07-12T18:06:00.000-05:00

On Thursday and Friday of last week a small but dedicated crew stuffed, stamped, and labeled 4000 letters to be sent out to all members of the APWU of Wisconsin. Included in this mailing is a letter for our members to sign and a stamped and addressed envelope for them to mail the letter in to their congressional representative. As local leaders your job is to make sure they mail it in. Please contact all of your stewards and tell them to remind members to send in their congressional letter. They should do this on the workroom floor and at service talks. You should also do follow ups with your representative to get them to cosponsor HR1351. No one else will do this for us. It is up to you to make sure this gets done.

Thanks,

Steve Lord, President - APWU of Wisconsin

Webmeister Note: If you are an APWU member and have not receive the aforementioned letter, you can contact President Lord at the following email address: Steve Lord lordsa@charter.net or at:

PO Box 2371
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Cell 920-279-0638

National Call-In Days: July 14-15

2011-07-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

TELL YOUR SENATORS

DON'T CUT SOCIAL SECURITY

Your Social Security benefits are under attack by politicians in Washington. They want to:

Cut Social Security's Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to reduce the deficit. But Social Security doesn't contribute a penny to the deficit.
Raid Social Security by using your contributions to give a tax break to Wall Street banks, Big Oil and other corporations.

They shouldn't get another taxpayer handout. Social Security belongs to you. You pay for it in every paycheck. Don't let them cut it or raid it!
Call your Senators on Thursday and Friday, July 14-15, at 1-866-251-4044.
Tell them:

NO cuts to Social Security!
NO cuts to Social Security's COLA!
NO Social Security payroll tax holiday!

Contact WI Alliance for Retired Americans
6333 W. Bluemound Road
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53213
414-771-9511

wiara@att.net

Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling Affront to Democracy, Sets Dangerous Precedent - Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

2011-06-14T19:18:00.000-05:00

Earlier today the Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned a permanent injunction issued by Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi earlier this month, effectively stripping workers of their collective bargaining rights. In the wake of the ruling, Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO issued the following statement:

The inability of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to separate partisan politics from the well-being of Wisconsinites is the latest indication that citizens do not have a voice in this state. And the only way for Wisconsinites to repair that voice is to take back the Senate this summer, stop Walker’s unbridled assault on working people and take back the statehouse in 2012.
Let’s be clear: This ruling will not silence the voices of millions of Wisconsinites who are appalled by Walker’s extreme choices, his addiction to corporate interests and his insistence on putting the wealthy ahead of the working. In their attempt to steamroll education, healthcare, and funding for seniors programs, Republicans have alienated countless Wisconsin families. Now, more than ever, Wisconsinites across the state are committed to holding Republicans accountable for their bad choices.
This ruling is an affront to our democracy. Green-lighting the sort of shady, backroom tactics that Governor Walker used to ram his extreme budget through the legislature sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our state. Democracy is the system by which all people, not just corporation and the wealthy, have a seat at the table – but this ruling is just one more indication that Wisconsin Republicans do not believe in a functioning, sound democracy inclusive of checks and balances.

2011 John Akey Seminar

2011-05-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks… here is the latest information regarding the 2011 John Akey Seminar.

Click here to view the updated registration information as well as the seminar listing of training classes.

Milwaukee to Host Basic Steward Training Seminar

2011-05-18T16:10:00.000-05:00

Mark Ferrari and Sue Pederson are putting on a basic steward's training class in Milwaukee on July 12th. They would be more than happy to accept people from other locals if they would like to attend.

They need to know if anyone is interested in attending the Seminar by June 30th.

The training will be at the Milwaukee Union Hall at 417 N. 3rd St., in Milwaukee. The training will start at 9am and last 4-6 hours. A light lunch will be provided (probably ham and/or turkey, rolls, chips, soda.)

For more information contact Mark Ferrari at: ferrariapwu@yahoo.com

Legislators Must Apply Pension Overpayments to Pre-Funding Bill

2011-05-17T15:40:00.000-05:00

APWU News Bulletin 09-2011, May 17, 2011

Guffey to Senate Subcommittee:

In testimony before a Senate Subcommittee on May 17, APWU President Cliff Guffey urged legislators to take immediate action to restore financial stability to the cash-strapped agency.
“This is not a request for a subsidy or bailout of the Postal Service,” Guffey said at the hearing before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security.
“The Postal Service is very capable of dealing with the challenges it is facing because of declining mail volumes and a shift to electronic transmissions,” the union president said. “What it cannot sustain is the burden of the unique and unreasonable requirement that it pre-fund its retiree health benefits over a 10-year period.” No other government agency or private company bears this burden.
The hearing was called to examine management plans and legislative proposals to address the USPS financial crisis, including an updated version of a bill introduced last year by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), chairman of the subcommittee.
A Mixed Bag
Guffey praised provisions of Sen. Carper’s “POST Act” that would permit the USPS to use overpayments to its pension accounts to meet the pre-funding obligations, noting they would “give the Postal Service more than $5 billion in breathing room each year.”
But he also criticized several negative aspects of the bill. The proposed legislation would give the Postal Service authority to close post offices solely for financial reasons, and would require arbitrators to consider the financial health of the USPS when contract negotiations end in arbitration, he pointed out.
Guffey objected to proposals to allow management greater freedom to close small post offices, saying consideration must be given to the availability of postal services in these communities.
“We are sensitive to the cost and the possibility of deficits in small postal offices,” the union president added. “In our new National Agreement, we have agreed to flexible schedules and to the use of lower-wage and temporary workers in small facilities where such savings might increase the viability of small postal facilities.” Cutting service is not the answer to USPS financial difficulties, Guffey said.
Postal Workers Get the Blame
The union president also expressed the APWU’s “unalterable opposition” to proposals that would change the standards for arbitration when contract negotiations end in an impasse.
“The draft legislation we have seen would destroy the fairness of postal bargaining in several ways: It would put an arbitrary time limit on interest arbitration; it would make postal employees pay the price for congressionally-caused deficits employees have been powerless to prevent or alleviate, and it would place a cap on increases in postal wages.
“These provisions would gut free collective bargaining by postal employees, and the APWU is adamantly opposed to them,” Guffey said.
The APWU appreciates Sen. Carper’s leadership is addressing the pre-funding requirement and the overfunding of postal pension funds, Guffey said. “We will help in any way we can to support sensible legislation that does not seek to address postal financial problems at the expense of postal employees.”
APWU members are encouraged to contact their local legislators and urge them to support bills to correct the USPS financial crisis. “We must make legislative action a priority,” Guffey said.

Union Members Ratify Contract

2011-05-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

APWU members approved a new contract May 11, with more than 75 percent of those casting ballots voting in favor of ratification. The final tally was 69,451 to 22,351 in balloting that ended May 10. The agreement will expire May 20, 2015.
“The new contract is an important achievement for the APWU,” said President Cliff Guffey. “We were able to retain protection against layoffs, bring back thousands of jobs in each craft, and limit excessing.
“The agreement includes many big changes, and I realize that some union activists are apprehensive,” Guffey added.“With help from the national union, I am confident that locals can implement the new provisions and protect the rights of APWU members.
“We also must make legislative activity a priority,” Guffey said. “We must support bills — such as H.R. 1351 — that will enable the Postal Service to remain viable in the future. This measure, which would correct postal funding inequities, is essential to our future.
“APWU members must visit members of Congress frequently and talk to them about our issues,” he said.
“In addition, we must focus on organizing,” the union president noted. “We have an opportunity to reach out to newly-hired workers and to non-members who are already on the rolls,” he said. “They will benefit from many of the new provisions, and we must let them know that their participation will make the union stronger.
“As a result of the new contract, the USPS will begin hiring — for the first time in many years. New people will strengthen the union and improve work life for current employees,” Guffey said.
New Provisions
In addition to safeguarding jobs and restricting excessing, the contract [PDF - members only] awards wage increases of 3.5 percent, as well as seven uncapped Cost-of-Living Adjustments. The first increase will take place in November 2012.
The agreement also includes several new concepts: The “full-time” designation will apply to any position of 30 or more hours per week and to any position of 48 hours or less per week. This will allow for the creation of a variety of full-time schedules, including four 10-hour days, three 12-hour days, and four 11-hour days.
However, no current employee can be forced into a full-time position of less than 40 hours per week or more than 44 hours per week. Furthermore, there will be no mandatory overtime for employees in non-traditional assignments or in functional areas that utilize non-traditional full-time assignments.
The new agreement also provides for the creation of new positions for non-career Postal Support Employees.
These employees will have the opportunity to join the ranks of the permanent, career workforce by seniority. They will be part of the APWU bargaining unit, and will receive raises, health benefits, and leave.
Transitional Employees and Casuals will be eligible for conversion to Postal Support Employees if they have passed the appropriate tests and are on the register. “We will begin to spread the word among TEs and Casuals right away and encourage them to take the necessary exams,” Guffey said.
The Numbers
Ballots were mailed to 176,611 union members, and more than 50 percent were returned by the deadline.
“I wish more union members voted,” Guffey said, “but I am pleased that participation increased substantially over previous ratification votes.” Forty percent of eligible union members took part in the ratification process for the 2006-2010 contract.
“The increase demonstrates that our membership is interested and active,” he said.
Ballots were mailed to 35,668 non-members, who were invited to vote, provided they completed union sign-up cards that were enclosed in their ratification packets.
The vote count was conducted by the American Arbitration Association on May 11 near Washington, DC, under the supervision of the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee. Clarice Torrence, chairperson of the committee, announced the final results at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Results showing the voting by individual locals will be posted at www.apwu.org as soon as they become available. Winners of the union’s voter-participation contest will be announced as soon as they have been identified.
Bargaining between the APWU and the USPS began Sept. 1, 2010, approximately 90 days prior to the expiration of the old contract on Nov. 20. The parties agreed to several extensions while negotiations continued.
On March 14, the union and management announced a tentative agreement. The Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee voted unanimously to endorse the agreement, as did the National Executive Board.
Thanks
“I want to thank the members of the union’s Negotiating Team for their invaluable assistance,” Guffey said. “They are Greg Bell, Executive Vice President; Mike Morris, Director of Industrial Relations; Rob Strunk, Director of the Clerk Craft; Steve Raymer, Director of the Maintenance Craft, and Bob Pritchard, Director of the Motor Vehicle Craft. In addition, APWU staff worked long hours and provided expertise that was crucial to our success.
“I also appreciate the seriousness and dedication of the members of the union’s Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee,” Guffey said. “They worked diligently to represent the membership of our union.
“Finally, thank you to all the union members who made the effort to read the agreement and vote. No matter how you voted, the APWU is stronger and better because of your participation.”

2011 John Akey Seminar Scheduled–Make Your Plans Now!

2011-05-10T18:28:00.000-05:00

The 2011 John Akey Seminar has been scheduled and as in the past, it looks to be a good one.

The Minnesota Postal Workers Union will host the seminar this year and it will be held August 13 - 14 at the Crowne Plaza in St Paul, MN. Registration fee is $90 per person if paid by July 15th, $110 if paid later.

CLICK HERE... for information regarding room rates and educational seminar opportunities.

Workers Memorial Day 2011: APWU Honors Those Killed or Injured on the Job

2011-04-20T18:05:00.000-05:00

APWU Web News Article 046-2011, April 20, 2011

Each year, the APWU and the labor movement honors hard-working Americans killed or injured on the job and renews the fight for better health and safety protections in the workplace.

On April 28, the union joins the AFL-CIO in observing Workers Memorial Day on the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). This year’s theme is Safe Jobs Save Lives: Our Work’s Not Done.

Despite the gains that have been made in the past four decades in ensuring safe workplaces, thousands of workers are still killed on the job, and millions more suffer from work-related injuries and illnesses.

“Unregulated and uncontrolled job hazards put workers in serious danger and cost lives,” AWPU Cliff Guffey said. “We must continue the fight to ensure every worker has the right to a safe job.”

This past year, the Postal Service was scrutinized for numerous willful and serious safety violations, including exposing employees to electrical hazards, under-recording illnesses and injuries in the workplace, and risking workers’ health from risks posed by Delivery Bar Code Sorter Machine operation. OSHA fined the USPS millions of dollars for these violations, and inspections are ongoing.

Although the union and our allies have fought hard for tougher enforcement on serious violations, proposed new safeguards for workplace hazards, and won protections that have made jobs safer, many anti-labor representatives are attacking these measures and trying to slash the budget for job safety enforcement and standards.

“No stone must be left unturned in our efforts to protect workers,” Guffey said. “On April 28, let us pause to remember those who have suffered and rededicate ourselves to safety on the job.”

For Workers Memorial Day materials and suggestions for how to organize an observance, please visit the AFL-CIO Web site.

Workers Memorial Day – April 28, 2011

2011-04-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

Do You Have A Problem With Gambling?

2011-04-19T17:49:00.000-05:00

Most compulsive gamblers will answer ‘yes’ to at least seven of these questions.

(Click Here to see questions)

GUIDE TO CORPORATE FREELOADERS by: Senator Bernie Sanders

2011-04-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

What would happen if…?

2011-04-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

Keeping a Tight Line

With Local Business Agent Peggy Whitney

What would happen if my next pay check was reduced by 10 percent?

What would happen if my next pay check was reduced by 10 percent and my share of health insurance premiums increased by 50 percent on my next paycheck and every paycheck? What would happen to my actual take home pay?

What would happen to my retirement pension account if my contributions to my Thrift Savings Plan were no longer matched by my employer? What would happen to my retirement?

What would happen if, in addition to the reductions in my pay, pension and health care benefits, my earned sick leave and annual leave was also reduced by 50 percent, and What would happen if I was a young female with a difficult pregnancy or a middle aged man recovering from knee surgery and needed light duty work for 3-4' weeks and my boss told me "there isn't any such thing as light duty-Go Home !"?

What would happen to my bills and my mortgage payment?

What would happen if my 25 years of service was no longer considered Seniority, and

What would happen if there was no such thing as Seniority so, I couldn't bid for jobs, work locations or even work schedules?

What would happen if there is no such thing as Seniority so, Management could mandate me to work, massive overtime, every single holiday, or placed me on a work schedule I couldn't work, and

What would happen if I absolutely couldn't work when Management mandated me to, or I made a mistake and forgot to scan a parcel, and I was fired?

What would happen if I was fired from my job after 25 years of Service and I went to my Union to file a grievance and

I didn't have a Union?

What Would Happen to Me?

What Would Happen to You?

Source: PPA Reprint - The Northern Light (Minneapolis Area Local APWU)

Another Perspective

2011-04-10T08:33:00.001-05:00

By: Donald L. Foley

Full member, retired

I’ve read the comments of former president Bill Burrus on the tentative Agreement. And it seems no great surprise he has criticized it. You may have heard the rumors I did that Brother Burrus thought he ought to have been kept on for contract negotiations after the end of his term of office and that he told the Executive Board that, should the contract go unresolved to arbitration, the Union should hire him with an appointment as our arbitrator for the panel. Instead, the new Executive Board did as it should – took upon itself the full weight of securing a new National Agreement. And it would seem, it has been successful. That Brother Burrus disagrees with one aspect of the economic package merely reflects the tunnel vision that dominated his involvement in contract negotiations during his tenure.

As I have suggested previously, the Union has hamstrung itself for one negotiation after another by pandering, to the near exclusion of all other matters, to the obvious desire of the members for pay raises. Not that there is anything wrong with pay raises. Everyone wants to earn more for what we do. I’ve defended the professional athletes’ enormous pay packages, because they have derived from the effort to force ownership to share the enormous profits derived from the exercise of those workers’ skills. But, when the APWU has focused so narrowly on pay raises, it has done so at the expense of a great many other pressing issues. For thirty years it should have been obvious that there were problems in the workplace that, though demanding of correction, went ignored when the contract was negotiated (or arbitrated) every few years.

And, while Brother Burrus would place himself in the company of Stu Filbey and other great leaders of this Union, contract reality shows stagnation in National Agreement negotiations for thirty years. The APWU National Agreement – originally negotiated by a team representing the joint efforts of all the great Unions/Craft organizations – was a work of art perhaps unmatched by anything in labor management negotiation of a first contract anywhere. It established rights and procedures to protect the bargaining unit that were reflective both of long-held labor principles and of what was then the thought that the federal government ought to act as a model employer. And it was perfected (though with some difficulties and some setbacks even then) in the next couple Agreements. Thus, the great contract under which hundreds of thousands of postal workers have worked and been protected was that created prior to 1980 – not by Brother Burrus or Brother Moe Biller, who first reached national office as the Biller-Burrus-Richards ticket in the 1980 elections. Since that time what dominated each successive contract negotiation was – how much more money are we going to get? And little attention was paid to our other issues.

Is it right that we have negotiated for future workers a less advantageous pay scale? For their long-term economic benefit, perhaps not; but on that point, all we can do is speculate. Consider that Burrus negotiated into the last National Agreement a transfer of jobs from career bargaining unit jobs to non-career, non-bargaining unit jobs; and consider that the last National Agreement did nothing to stem the persistent outflow of jobs from the Postal Service. How well did these factors of the last Agreement serve the interests of future postal workers – some of whom would never become career, some of whom would never even be postal workers? Not only does the new tentative Agreement eliminate the casual employment that Burrus helped to bolster, but it also creates a career path based on seniority for the new bargaining unit non-career assistant (NCA) workers. So, if one wanted to speculate about the cost to future workers, one would also have to speculate on such things as – how many more workers we will have; how many of those workers will be career instead of casual; how their pay scales may eventually be improved as this dismal economy regains its strength.

And, speaking of this economy, I cannot see any rational expectation that arbitration of this National Agreement could have accomplished a positive economic outcome, nor would it have achieved the bold initiatives we see in this Agreement. Additionally, there is simply no reason to suppose the economy will improve much any time soon. There are far too many factors in play, far too much damage has been done in the transfer of wealth to the wealthy, far too little political will exists for real job creation. In other words, the Union had to work with the hand we were dealt.

I fully expect I will have some good reason to offer specific criticism of some of the terms of this New Agreement – that seems evident from the highlights and talking points being presented. However, a full assessment of this Agreement cannot be made without having the opportunity to read and digest the entirety of it. Looking forward to that opportunity when the full tentative Agreement is published, let me urge every member to exercise due diligence and study what has been negotiated and then, VOTE.

The Extreme Conservative’s Warped Philosophy Forecasts a Destructive Path for Country

2011-04-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Time to focus on the realities

By Kevin Gallagher, General President, Scranton, PA

YOU are responsible for YOURSELF! Stop asking for help and being a drain on all of us! If you are not happy with your pay, benefits, etc., then get a second job. If you already have one, then have your wife get a second job and improve your lot. Having trouble raising and educating your children? Child rearing and education are YOUR problem as we can't be expected to help when such severe financial problems exist. Are your parents having difficulty with energy costs and living expenses? Then YOU help them. That is what was done decades ago before Social Security and Medicare. Families took in their parents when they got old and could not afford to live alone. Yes, the oil companies got $58 billion this year from the government and will get at least that much next year. Natural gas drilling in our state is not taxed and won't be. So get over it! While much of our natural gas goes to China, realize that exploration and drilling are expensive and thus financial support is needed. If we do not subsidize this, the cost of gas and energy could be much higher.

Medicine and medical care getting too expensive? Get a second job! Research and development is expensive and unless the drug industry can return profits to investors, the investors will put their money elsewhere and drugs could be even more expensive. Health insurance cost too much? Insurance companies have a right in our capitalist economy to make as much profit as possible. You voted against socialist medical care and this is capitalism at its purest -make as much profit as possible. Unions were good in their time many decades ago, but in this time of huge economic turmoil, our society just can't afford public and federal unions with their wages and benefits that are so much better than the private sector. Taxpayers can't afford this system anymore so collective bargaining will be done away with. First, the State public Unions and then the Federal Unions will be reduced or eliminated. And again, YOU are responsible for YOU, so we will stop this socialist Union system and YOU will be free to negotiate with your employer for YOURSELF. This is the capitalism that you voted for.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be addressed later this year. Medicare and Medicaid are a drain on the economy so they will be greatly reduced or eliminated. The average age expectancy in our country is nearly 77 years and people can begin receiving Social Security (at a reduced rate) at age 62. That is 15 years that people can withdraw benefits that we have to pay for. So we will reduce the benefits currently being received by the elderly, raise the age at which you can qualify for benefits, reduce future benefits, and increase what people pay into this system. We won't eliminate it yet, but the very word SOCIAL in Social Security stands for socialism and we intend to gradually privatize it or do away with it in the name of capitalism -what you voted for.

Understand we are doing what we said we would do in our campaign pledges and if you don't like it, too bad! Get over it and realize that YOU are responsible for YOU; and that pure capitalism has no room for social or moral ideals; so move on!

NOW -Once you see through the rhetoric, cut through the slanted commercials and realize the vague campaign slogans were merely a smoke screen, this is the brutal real message of the State and National Republican Party. If you do not understand this message of the Republicans then I fear you are misguided and blinded by ideology or lack common sense. It is not my intent to anger anyone, but this is what I truly believe. The facts are what they are, and they must be viewed in the clear light of logic and common sense.

A simple joke shows the clear intent and philosophy of the Republican Party A corporate CEO, a Tea Party member and a Union worker are sitting at a table. There is a plate in front of them with a dozen cookies on it. The corporate CEO takes 11 cookies and then tells the Tea Party member "Watch out for that Union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie!"

Unfortunately, I fear our members who have less than 27 years of service face the prospect that their collective bargaining rights will be reduced or completely taken away and this will significantly shrink wages, benefits and retirement plans. This is because the Republican Party, at all levels, continues to act on their philosophy of catering to wealthy elitists and subsidizing corporations at YOUR direct expense while attacking Unions. YOU face a future that may be much less comfortable than your past.

I have said for years that we must act by registering to vote and voting for our jobs and futures, only to speak to members at election time and hear they "didn't have time to vote" or voted Republican because of some ideological reason that defies the logic of voting for your job and future. This apathy and lack of logic is now coming back to haunt everyone.

Moreover, I have said for years that we must support our union through COP A donations to lobby Congress for us and to support and elect those politicians who support us. While the Scranton APWU always surpasses the COPA goals, I am ' disheartened at the refusal by many members to donate to the only organization that fights for them. It's time to donate to COPA, or those few dollars you save now will be nothing compared to what you will lose as the Republican Party comes after you!

Source: PPA Reprint 101 Facts

Who is the Real Enemy?

2011-04-10T07:50:00.000-05:00

The Lion’s Den Written by Leo Persails

ARE THEY PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES?

America has a lot of enemies now, maybe even more than any other time in history. It’s never hard to determine our enemies from the outside; almost every American could list them. The enemies from within and all around us are the hard ones to identify. Most of us are too busy making a living or just getting by in the present economy to find the time to really pinpoint them. We rely on the news media and those of importance to let us know those things.

Recently we have been bombarded from the media with stories about Public Service Employees. We are being shown figures of their salaries compared to private sector jobs. Were being told they are making a lot more than the private sector. It’s not just their salaries, it’s their retirements and their healthcare costs that are breaking state and national budgets, so the news media reports. Is that the truth? Did you consider that you or someone like you doesn’t own or operate the news corporations? News corporations are owned and operated by multimillionaires, and actually most of them, when sold, sell for billions. Do they report the news, or do they slant it for corporate America? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have been around long enough to know that news reporters’ treatment of the news has changed over the years. It’s been a long time since we have heard, Good night Chet, Goodnight David, and the type of news they presented.

While the news media has spent a lot of time lately trying to convince you and me that Public Service Employees are to blame for the budget shortfalls and our high taxes, I m not convinced. Are Public Service Employees our real enemy, and why are we being told that? A better question is who is telling us that? We see it in the news, but who is saying it? Who started this new argument about the American enemy that causes taxes and budget shortfalls?

The news media may be reporting it and they may even be slanting it, but NON service public employees are the ones that invented it and are pursuing it. Yes, NON service public employees, the ones with the BIGGEST retirements, the BEST healthcare, and the LARGEST salaries, are the ones pointing the finger. They legislated their own personal retirements, healthcare, and salaries for themselves. They are also the ones trying to convince you that the real Public Service Employees are the enemy.

REAL Public Service Employees are the ones that serve us on a daily basis. They protect our streets and our homes from crimes. They protect our neighborhoods from fires. They teach our children and grandchildren. They repair and keep our roads, storm sewers, and street lights on. They keep our planes and airways safe. They protect our food and our medicines. They sort, transport and deliver mail, and secure our communications better than the Internet ever could. ARE THEY THE REAL ENEMY?

Let’s consider the NON service public employees, those ones pointing fingers and claiming Public Service Employees are the enemy. They are the ones that AFTER TWO YEARS in Congress qualify under THEIR laws, for LIFETIME retirement and healthcare. They are the governors and state legislators who have the best retirements and healthcare in the state, far better than any school teacher, police officer, or firefighter. They are the ones that spend their full time making laws after 200+ years of laws have already been made. Most of those laws are new ways to reach into our pockets, like cameras at traffic lights, or seat belts when all new cars have air bags. They are the ones that start the wars over weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist. Wars that we can’t get out of that now cost us 12 billion dollars a month. WHO IS THE REAL ENEMY HERE?

NON service public employees don’t repair any roads, protect any streets, put out any fires, or teach any children. They are the greatest drain on our taxes for their healthcare, retirements, expenses, offices, travel, and salaries. Yes I know, it isn’t all of the NON service public employees that are attacking our Public Service Employees, but it’s not hard to figure which ones are, just watch the news, and determine who you think is the real enemy.

In Solidarity....

Source: PPA Reprint: AUTO CITY FLINT FACTS

Solidarity Forever - for the Union makes us strong!

2011-03-21T17:18:00.001-05:00

by: Paula J. Gallo (Kenosha, WI - APWU)
My father is a retired UAW worker. He has been a proud member of the union for over 60 years including as a retiree. I was raised learning from and about the struggles of the working class all my life. I remember my Dad picketing and even striking, and yes, I even walked the picket line with him; for wages and improved working conditions. I have been a union member for almost 34 years and a union officer for over 25 years.
I have also witnessed the apathy of workers and union members over the last 30 years. We have become complacent, and let our rights slowly begin to slip away. We have accepted the status quo, busy with our lives and families and trying to get by. But now, that time is over. Workers woke up and saw the battle that needs to be fought. The line can never be clearer than it is today regarding what side you are on; you’re either for the rich or for the middle class.
I am so impressed by the people of Wisconsin that have finally said “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” I have attended several rallies in Madison as well as locally. On Saturday March 12^th I was in Madison and helped cheer for and welcome back our heroic “Wisconsin Fabulous 14.” Never have I been so moved by the outpouring of pride and thanks that these men and women were shown, and rightfully so. They had the courage to do what so many people only hoped that we could do. To stand up against what is wrong and fight for what is right. Now hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens are awakened to fight the battle that we have ignored for years. To see all ages of people from seniors to little children, men and women, people of different religions, and ethnicity. It wasn’t just teachers, nurses and other state employees. It did not matter what your job is. Wisconsin workers and families stepped up to support all employees, not just in our state but also across this country. It was so awesome to be in Madison! Words can never describe the feelings I had. I will remember this forever.
This is our generation’s time in history to pay thanks for all that our grandparents and parents did for us in fighting the early battles. Those battles that gave us the rights to form Unions, collectively bargain, gain safety in the workplace, 40 hour work weeks, weekends, vacation pay and overtime, just to name a few. Past generations fought hard, many with their lives, to pursue the rights that we enjoy today.
Now it is our time to carry and lift that torch; to thank past generations and fight for future generations. This is our time to stand up, to be proud and fight. We are making history and I am proud to be part of it here in Wisconsin.
Actress Susan Sarandon (Top Right Photo) participated in the welcoming back of the DEM 14 in Madison on March 12.
(Photos by Paula Gallo) Click on photos to enlarge.

APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract

2011-03-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

APWU News Bulletin 01-2011, March 14, 2011

The American Postal Workers Union and the U.S. Postal Service have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, union President Cliff Guffey announced today.

“Despite the fact that the Postal Service is on the edge of insolvency, the union and management have reached an agreement that is a ‘win-win,’ proposition,” he said.

“Throughout the bargaining process, the union has sought to negotiate a contract that would be fair to our members and that would enable the USPS to succeed in the future,” he said. “The tentative agreement accomplishes those goals. [Full Story]

APWU President Cliff Gufffey announces we have a tentative agreement.

Message from PPA President Tony Carobine

2011-03-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin rebellion reaches new level

Dear PPA Member:

In the aftermath of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signing a bill stripping public workers of their collective bargaining rights, a record number of working class Americans gathered in and outside the capital building in Madison on Saturday, March 12. By some estimates, the crowd numbered over 150,000 and clearly was the largest thus far in day 27 of protests against the attack on working families in Wisconsin.

The demonstrators consisted of not only union workers (public and private sector) but also democrats, republicans, former republicans, independents, small business owners, religious groups, retiree organizations, students, and many others all coming together to express their views in a peaceful manner. There are no words that can accurately describe the feeling of solidarity generated by over 150,000 people assembled for a common cause – to defend their way of life and to keep the “American Dream” alive.

As with past gatherings, this was nonviolent and rather festive affair, a disappointment to some far right commentators and politicians who continue to spread lies referring to the protestors as union thugs under command of their “union bosses,” or slobs, freaks, and long-haired bug infested Michael Moore followers, among other derogatory and hateful descriptions. An honest assessment of the crowd would reveal that all are everyday middle class Americans, many of whom are accompanied by their children.

Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland.” Joining the March 12 protest with a “Tractorcade” to support public workers and bring attention to their cause were Wisconsin farmers. In his budget, Governor Walker has proposed cuts in a state health insurance program known as Badgercare and if the budget cuts are enacted, would affect Wisconsin’s self-employed family farm owners’ health care coverage.

Aside from legal challenges as to the procedure used by the Republican-controlled state Senate to move the union rights bill to the governor for his signature, there are now recall petitions being circulated against eight of the Republican senators who supported this measure. If the required numbers of signatures for recall are obtained (and that is fully expected), recall elections will take place within the next three months.

As in Wisconsin, the battle in other states goes far beyond an attack on public worker unions but also includes a large segment of the citizenry as well, regardless of union status or political affiliation. The fact is a war has been declared on the middle class and our democracy.

In a March 9 interview on FOX News, Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald inadvertently revealed the true reason behind the attack on public worker unions in Wisconsin (as well as several other states) and it has nothing to do with budgetary concerns. He said, “If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you're going to find is President Obama is going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin."

Efforts are also underway through the legislative process in 32 states to make it more difficult for college students, minorities, the poor, and others to cast a vote on Election Day. (Historically, these groups tend to vote for more Democratic Party candidates rather than candidates from other political parties.) Elimination of same-day voter registration, residency definition changes, highly restrictive voter identification requirements are some examples of attempts at putting obstacles in place to affect voter turnout.

Meanwhile, efforts to transfer more of the wealth from the middle class and those least able to afford it continue. Here are two examples. In Michigan, Republican Governor Rick Snyder has proposed placing a tax on retiree pensions and elimination of the low-income tax credit. The $1.7 billion tax increase on the poor and old people would be used to help pay for a $1.8 billion corporate tax cut. In Florida, Republican Governor Rick Scott has proposed a massive $1.7 billion cut in K–12 public schools. The money saved from education cuts would be used for corporate and property tax breaks.

Currently, the gap between the richest one percent of Americans and the middle and poorest parts of the population is at the highest it's been in over 80 years. This gap will continue to increase if the politicians under control of their billionaire “puppet masters” are able to continue their assault on the middle class and democracy in America.

For this reason the rebellion in Wisconsin and in other parts of the country that has not only generated the participation of union members but other groups and individual citizens is so important. It is more than a battle for union rights. It is a battle for the future of our country and our way of life.

Please visit the PPA website at www.apwupostalpress.org for photographs of the Saturday, March 12 demonstration in Madison. There is a slide show on the main page and “Photo Gallery” in the left column that contains two March 12 photo galleries in addition to previous galleries.

APWU Supports Bargaining Rights of Wisconsin Workers

2011-03-03T18:31:00.000-06:00

By: John E. Durben

The Headline above that the APWU supports the rights of Wisconsin Workers is only because the current turmoil between Republicans and Tea baggers vs. the “Middle Class” began here in Wisconsin because of our puppet Governor and the rest of his party. In reality, we support the rights of all workers across this great Country. Wisconsin just happens to be the first victim that fell between the crosshairs of Corporate America. Like a powerful predator, they have decided that they will crush their prey… the middle class (the Unions) and brainwash the poverty stricken working class. The ones who are working two or three jobs to survive.

Why don’t they strive to raise the wages of these poverty workers up to at least middle class and eliminate the lower class… instead of trying to divide us? It’s because of Corporate Greed and the legislators they have bought and put in their back pockets. Legislators who have become traitors to their constituents just to receive future funding to protect “their jobs”!

I took the photos below on March 2, when APWU organized the rally there. We had about 300 APWU members from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin show up. In addition we had several National Representatives in attendance like Vice-President Greg Bell, Director of Organization Martha Shunn-King and NBA Marty Mater (Past Madison Local President). If I forgot someone, I apologize.

There are over 500 photos from February 26 and March 2 on our Facebook page if you want to check them out. Look for the Facebook icon on this page.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Impressions from Madison

2011-02-28T18:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Brothers & Sisters:

(Saturday, February 26) Despite a temperature of around 12 degrees and a steady snowfall, a crowd estimated at over 70,000 gathered around and inside the capital building in Madison, Wisconsin to protest Governor Walker’s plan to strip public workers of their right to collective bargaining. This was day twelve of demonstrations against the governor’s proposal, approved by the Republican-dominated State Assembly in a vote that was permitted to only last a few seconds at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, February 25. This measure remains stalled in the Republican controlled Senate due to that body’s inability to achieve a quorum, as the Senate’s 14 Democrats continue their support of public workers in Wisconsin by their holdout from an undisclosed location in Illinois.

Another reason for the Democrats’ actions are too slow down movement of the bill to allow Wisconsin residents to learn more about its contents. For example it has now become known that a provision in the bill empowers the governor to "sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids." This has lead to speculation these provisions were included for financial benefit of the multi-billionaire Koch Brothers, owners Koch Industries significant donors to the Walker for Governor campaign.

Claims by the governor that his proposal was necessary due to budget problems were shattered when public worker unions agreed to meet the governor’s demand for an increase in pension and health benefit contributions in exchange for dropping the union busting portion of the bill. The governor has continued his refusal to compromise. Besides ending collective bargaining, other provisions in this measure would end union dues deductions from payroll and require public sector unions to be re-certified by their members each year. When the governor took office in January, Wisconsin had a surplus that he quickly turned into a deficit by enacting tax breaks for companies at a cost of $117 million.

Attendance at the daily protests in Wisconsin’s capital has continued to increase since they began on February 12. In my 34 years as a member and officer in the APWU, I have never witnessed such a harmonious and diverse gathering of not only union people but really a cross section of everyday Americans coming together for a common cause – to stop the assault on the middle class. Amid chants of “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!; I say recall…you say Walker! and many others, as well as labor songs filling the cold Wisconsin air, there were: teachers, librarians, firefighters, police officers, bricklayers, prison guards, municipal workers, university professors, postal workers, electricians, laborers, painters, communication workers, teamsters, theatrical workers, democrats, republicans, former republicans, nonunion workers, small business owners, religious groups, retiree organizations, students, and many others all marching together in solidarity.

Although some mainstream media outlets reported that the daily gathering in Madison is comprised of a bunch of “union thugs,” myself and my wife Cathy along with APWU of Wisconsin Editor John Durben and his wife Mona were unable to find any thugs during the four hours we participated in the demonstration. On the contrary, everyone, and I mean everyone we encountered was friendly and courteous. Overall, the atmosphere was rather festive. It was also remarkable at the number of children and infants in attendance.

One could also not help notice the large number of offices and restaurants around the capital that are displaying messages of support for public workers and unions in their windows. Late last week a Madison radio station reported that since the demonstrations began, individuals from all 50 states and 52 foreign countries (in a show of support) have phoned pizza establishments near the capital ordering pizzas for the demonstrators.

While it is uncertain how the standoff in Wisconsin will end, one residual result is that the pushback from this incident could trigger the rebirth of the Labor Movement in America. Aside from the continuing demonstration in Madison, protests also took place in all 50 states this past weekend with more planned. Please visit the APWU website (www.apwu.org) for a listing of upcoming demonstrations and for a message from APWU President Guffey about the importance of APWU members lending their support by participating in these gatherings.

I invite you to visit the PPA website ( www.apwupostalpress.org) for a slide show of Saturday’s gathering in Madison. An extensive collection of photos are also posted in the “Photo Gallery” that can be found in the upper left column on the site’s main page. Also on the main page is a video of the Madison protest produced by onewisconsinnow.org.

In solidarity,

Tony Carobine

President, National APWU Postal Press Association

Click on photo to enlarge (Note: Subjects in photo L-R : John Durben, APWU of WI State Editor, Mona Durben, Cathy Carobine, National PPA APWU Postal Press President Tony Carobine)

First they came…

2011-02-18T18:37:00.000-06:00

First They came... - Pastor Martin Niemoller

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Wisconsin Labor Jams Capitol To Resist Governor’s Attacks

2011-02-18T18:14:00.000-06:00

Howard Ryan | February 16, 2011

Wisconsin’s new Republican governor inadvertently issued a wake-up call to the state’s labor movement by announcing legislation February 11 that would crush public employee unions.

Scott Walker made the proposals just two days after similar measures were unveiled in Ohio.

Wisconsin’s labor movement and allies mobilized three days of emergency rallies in Madison, the state capital, ahead of an expected vote in the legislature February 17. Thirty thousand drumming, chanting protesters descended on the Capitol February 16. Some made plans to camp out there that night.

Building trades members planned to set up a grilling operation to feed bratwurst to workers and students there.

Madison schools had closed that day when about half the teachers called in sick. About 800 Madison high school students walked out of class and marched to join protests. University of Wisconsin students, who had planned an action around university funding, turned instead to workers’ rights and brought an estimated 1,000 protesters to the Capitol.

A thousand teachers and supporters stopped traffic as they walked from Wisconsin AFL-CIO headquarters to Walker’s house near Milwaukee. Two hundred protesters turned out when the governor spoke in Eau Claire.

A massive phonebanking and door-knocking campaign urged voters to contact the more moderate Republicans in the state senate. In the face of such massive resistance, Republican legislators signaled a willingness to back off late Wednesday.

A PART OF HISTORY

Jim Cavanaugh, president of Madison’s 90,000-member South Central Federation of Labor, described an outpouring of solidarity. An AFL-CIO news conference brought private sector union leaders to declare their support for embattled public employee unions.

In an email, Dave Poklinkoski, president of a utility workers local, said, “The breadth and depth of the solidarity at these rallies is beyond anything witnessed in Madison in living memory.” He invited friends to come “be a part of history.”

Walker would eliminate collective bargaining for public employees on all matters except wages. Any wage increase surpassing the consumer price index would have to be approved by voters. His plan calls for state employees to contribute much more to their pensions and health insurance costs—the equivalent of an 8 percent pay cut.

For good measure, Walker added that he had briefed the National Guard, so it would be ready to address any potential disruption of services caused by union protests. A veterans group slammed the governor, asking if he understood the military is not a “personal intimidation force to be mobilized to quash political dissent.” A spokesman later said soldiers would only replace prison guards.

Police and firefighter unions would be exempt from the new law. Both of Milwaukee’s uniformed unions endorsed Walker’s gubernatorial bid last year, leaving other unionists in the state muttering about backroom deals. But firefighters, to great applause, joined the throngs descending on the Capitol.

‘BUDGET REPAIR’

Walker is selling his anti-bargaining proposal as part of a “Budget Repair Bill” aimed at addressing the state’s immediate $136 million deficit as well as a larger deficit of $3.6 billion projected for the next two-year budget cycle. He says his proposals on health and pension contributions would save $30 million and help avert wide layoffs of state employees.

But AFSCME Council 24 points out that state employees have already sacrificed for years, taking unpaid furlough days and heavier workloads. Late last year, they offered a contract containing $100 million in concessions—an offer legislators rejected and the governor ignores.

The Economic Policy Institute think-tank said Wisconsin public employees actually earn 5 percent less in wages and benefits than private-sector counterparts, when workers with similar experience and education levels are compared.

Much of the governor’s proposal does not concern the state budget at all, but serves to cripple public employee unions. It would prohibit collecting member dues through payroll deductions and end any requirement that employees pay union dues at all. It would require union bargaining units to hold an annual certification vote in order to maintain representation.

Cavanaugh believes Walker may have overreached politically and that, assuming the immediate threat can be turned back, the labor movement can reap benefits.

“We’re getting a lot of people off their butts, seeing what these right-wing fanatics are capable of,” he said. “We’re achieving more union solidarity than we’ve seen in a long time.”

SOURCE: LABORnotes

Message from Labor Cartoonist Mike Konopacki

2011-02-18T17:49:00.000-06:00

"For the last week, working people in Wisconsin have staged a rebellion against a brutal attack on the rights of workers by a governor and legislature dominated by sociopathic Republicans. These plutocrats want to destroy collective bargaining for all public employees and turn Wisconsin into a right to work state for private employees.

Gary Huck and I both grew up in Wisconsin. Gary was raised in Racine and I grew up in Manitowoc. Both towns are on the shores of Lake Michigan and both towns were manufacturing centers. Racine and Manitowoc were devastated by the Reagan recession of the 1980s and are still part of the Rust Belt.

I've lived in Madison since 1971 when I came here to finish college. Wisconsin was the birthplace of Fightin’ Bob LaFollette, the founder of the Wisconsin progressive movement. Progressivism merged into the New Deal and Wisconsin was influential in the creation of laws and culture that respected working people. This is from the Wisconsin Historical Society : “Wisconsin's workers and reformers made significant contributions to the history of labor in the United States, helping to enact legislation such as workers' compensation and unemployment insurance that served as models for similar laws in other states. The study of labor history itself also began in Wisconsin when University of Wisconsin economist John R. Commons set out to document the history of work and labor in America at the turn of the twentieth century. Commons and his associates also joined labor leaders, the business community, and politicians to bring about some of Wisconsin's groundbreaking social policies.”

Wisconsin was also the birthplace of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, formed in 1932. They created what would later become Wisconsin State Employees Union/Council 24. We are proud to say that Council 24 is one of our subscribers. The progressive pro-labor culture dominated the state until the dismal 1950s when Joe McCarthy was elected and launched the McCarthy era of brutal repression of working people.

We are now experiencing another period of repression. The workers of Wisconsin know their history and know what is at stake. Again, robber barons are trying to destroy our traditions and the history that our forbearers fought and died for. We are determined to preserve our proud history and fight against the forces of decay.

In the election of 2008 we thought that change was coming. But change never comes from the top down. It comes from the bottom up. Allow me to use a football metaphor. The Green Bay Packers won this year’s Super Bowl. The Packers, the smallest market city in the NFL, are named after a meat packing plant in Green Bay. They are not owned by a plutocrat, they are a non-profit owned by the community. To Wisconsin, Packer football is as much a part of our tradition as the labor movement.

In the Super Bowl the team, devastated by injuries all season, lost two of their top players to injury in the first half. The game went back and forth, and in the fourth quarter the Packers found themselves in trouble. Kevin Greene, outside linebackers coach, pulled linebacker Clay Matthews aside and told him that the time had come to take control of the game. “It is time!” He said. Matthews helped cause a fumble that lead to victory.

For those of us who believe in dignity of workers, and believe in fighting for the least among us, IT IS TIME. Wisconsin workers are up to the challenge."

One Heck of a Move By the Dems… I salute you…

2011-02-17T18:13:00.001-06:00

By: John E. Durben, Editor

I salute the Democratic Senators who decided to call in sick (more or less) before the big vote on Walker’s attack on Wisconsin workers. I know it had to be a hard last minute decision with their constituent’s welfare in mind.

Walker and his cronies are trying to ramrod a bill through that would strip Wisconsin Public Employees of their collective bargaining rights. These are rights that have been in place for years and years. The issue is not that they pay more into their retirement or pay more for healthcare. It’s the stripping away of their negotiating rights.

Much is said about private sector employees (the have-not's) paying more than their share because of the bad economy that we inherited from the previous Administration. With the various situations mentioned - Harley, Mercury etc.; At least these employees had an opportunity to negotiate the take-aways and perhaps got something else in return (We know the the State fattened the pot a bit with our tax dollars otherwise they’d be gone to Mexico or someplace with cheap labor and taxes and no environmental concerns.) If they (the employees) don’t get something in return today, perhaps in the future or perhaps a non monetary gain might have been negotiated.

Corporate America is calling the shots now since they where able to contribute limitless funds to Legislative Representatives who would support their personal agenda during the recent elections last year. This is where the payback begins.

Wisconsin Public workers are symbolized as the “haves” while private sector employees are the “have not's”.The” haves” (public employees) are depicted as a special group that has not been paying their fair share. Has anyone remembered that they are already getting docked 16 days of pay a year with their furlough days?

Their salaries are mostly public if you want to check the internet and there is nothing really out of line. My concern would be why can’t we get everyone’s salary and benefits uplifted rather than trying to tear someone else down to a poverty level. That’s because these so-called haves and the “have-not's" can’t afford to buy their legislators

Another concern I would have is: Why are only certain Wisconsin Public Worker groups targeted? Why aren’t the Workers who supported Walker in his bid for the Governor included?

My other question is: What about the two percent or so that control most of the assets in the Country? If Wisconsin Public employees are called the “Haves”, what are these people… Gods? When are they going to pay their “FAIR” share?

Wisconsinites organize to block Gov. Walker's unionbusting

2011-02-16T16:56:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin is the state to keep an eye on this week, as Republican Gov. Scott Walker has declared open war on his state's public workers' unions. Last week, Walker even went so far as to alert the National Guard to be ready in case of mass protests. Calling him the "cheesehead Pharaoh," writer Harold Meyerson compares Walker to autocrats like Hosni Mubarak, and wonders how far his repression of workers will go.

The response from the people of Wisconsin has been unequivocal: show teachers and state social workers and administrative staffers some respect and stop threatening them with budget cuts and the National Guard. Students, teachers, firefighters, private sector union workers, and thousands more showed up Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at the state capitol building in Madison to stop Walker in his tracks.

There's a roundup of Wisconsin rally schedules and news reports over at We Party Patriots. At least two separate campaigns span across labor and progressive groups, and each has a Facebook and Twitter presence: StopScottWalker and NotMyWisconsin. Check them out, and see if you think Walker will be able to stay true to his threat not to bargain with unions.

The scene yesterday inside the state capitol, Madison, WI. Photo by @millbot via Twitter.

Source: ILCA Insider Newsletter

Statement from Senator Hansen: Governor is misleading state. Issue is not benefits, but Governor’s assault on workers’ rights and middle class families

2011-02-16T16:40:00.000-06:00

(Madison)—State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) called on Governor Walker to stop misleading the public on the contents of his budget “adjustment” bill saying that the issue is not employee contributions for benefits, but the Governor’s assault on the rights of Wisconsin workers:

“The Governor’s actions are a lie by omission. He is trying to convince the people of this state that there is nothing extreme in his bill, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Governor Walker knows that public employees are willing to contribute to their benefits. He is trying to eliminate over 50 years of collective bargaining rights that allow workers and their employers to negotiate over issues involving workplace safety, patient wellbeing and educational opportunity for our children.

Wisconsin has a long, proud history of working together to resolve our problems. We face our challenges together. We don’t divide our citizens against each other and vilify working men and women, especially not for political gain as Governor Walker and Republican leaders are doing with this legislation.”

What I Saw Today

2011-02-15T17:40:00.000-06:00

By: Mike Tate

Today, I went to our Capitol and saw something more magnificent than the gilded bronze or the carved marble there. I saw average Wisconsinites standing up. I saw the rebirth of a movement. Nurses from Burnett County. Snowplow drivers from Shawano. Ironworkers from Waukesha. Firefighters from Madison. Union and non-union alike, from big cities like Milwaukee and Appleton, and small cities like Siren and Belmont.

All of them unified with one voice against Scott Walker's big-government power grab that's going on right now that threatens not merely public employees, not only members of the union movement that have made Wisconsin great, but every single person in this state.

Today and tomorrow, individuals and groups from all around the state are converging on the Capitol in an awakening that has rarely been seen in our state as Walker's overreach is being ramrodded through a lockstep Legislature.

Walker has shown political cowardice by using a budget bill to make radical policy, in this case ending seven decades of collective bargaining by public employees and using a divisive campaign against the nurses and lunch ladies, teachers and corrections guards that are our friends and neighbors.

I believe that what I saw today is just the beginning of a movement that will help stop Scott Walker's extreme and partisan efforts to roll back protections for the middle class and to stunt Wisconsin's modern economy.

What I saw today gave me great hope, and it should give you great hope, too.

Amid Proposals to Attack State Employees, Non-Partisan Study Finds Wisconsin Public Employees are Undercompensated

2011-02-10T17:48:00.000-06:00

(Milwaukee, Wis.) – The Economic Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank, has released the results of a vigorous study that compares the compensation of Wisconsin public employees to the compensation of Wisconsin private sector employees and finds that – despite pervasive myths to the contrary – Wisconsin’s public employees are in fact undercompensated. This simple “apples to apples” study controls for education, years of experience, gender, race, citizenship and organizational size.

“Public employees – such as firefighters, teachers and nurses – provide quality services that protect and enrich Wisconsin’s families, for less than their private sector counterparts,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “Unfortunately, politicians’ attacks on public service workers not only hurt the middle class – they hurt the children and families that depend on these vital public services.”

According to the report done by University of Rutgers Professor Jeffrey H. Keefe, the annual wages of public sector employees are 14.2 percent lower than wages for comparable workers in the private sector. Even when benefits, such as health care and pension plans are also considered, total public employee annual compensation is still 8.2 percent lower than their private sector counterparts.

“Wisconsin public service employees take great pride in the services they provide that keep Wisconsin’s families safe and our economy working,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “We want to work with the governor to find balanced solutions that will create jobs and protect – not attack – the middle class.”

The complete report from researcher Jeffrey H. Keefe is available at the Economic Policy Institute’s website: http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/6759/

As Storm Approaches Thank a Public Sector Worker

2011-02-01T17:02:00.000-06:00

Sheila Cochran, Secretary-Treasurer of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, reminds us to remember the hard-working men and women of Wisconsin who keep our cities safe in inclement weather.

Today as the snow falls and we prepare for the upcoming blizzard, many people will expect and know that we will get through the blizzard conditions. Many people stayed home today and are preparing to go home early as I write.

I just want to remind you all and say thank you to those who will help us today. Our mail has already been delivered and the deliveries will continue; the streets are being salted and plowed; fire, police and emergency management are kicked into gear; the Deputy Sheriffs have been assisting in emergencies on our roadways, and many other public servants and officials are doing all we expect them to do. The airport might have delays but it will get plowed and flights will get out.

Our children are being sent home and their teachers and Principals will do their best to make sure they are home safe. I am certain there are a host of others who are working very hard to make sure that we get through yet another snow emergency, these are services provided by public sector workers. Many will not ever know that they are appreciated or even thought of today.

This is why I am a taxpayer in the state of Wisconsin and proud of it. I know and expect certain things will just happen and they do. So when you think about the services you receive and the ones you take for granted, thank a public sector worker! They are worth every dime we pay for them and more.

Statement by Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt on President Obama’s State of the Union Address

2011-01-26T16:49:00.000-06:00

We strongly support the vision laid out by President Obama on supporting infrastructure and American innovation to create good jobs right here in the United States.

The working families of Wisconsin are ready to work with the President and hold him to his promise. Labor, business and everyday Wisconsinites are united in our desire to strengthen our economy and communities -- by rebuilding schools, bridges, highways and investing in green jobs.

A spending freeze, however, will slow down job growth -- it's simply the wrong medicine at the wrong time. And it is essential to preserve our retirement security programs -- Social Security and Medicare.

We must move to put the 112, 082 unemployed Wisconsinites back to work and rebuild bargaining power and good jobs for our middle class.

Urgent Alert: Workers Paid 8 Cents for Each $25 NFL T-shirt They Sew

2011-01-24T17:17:00.000-06:00

DATE: Monday, January 24, 2011
TO: NLC Contacts
FROM: Charles Kernaghan
RE: Urgent Alert: Workers Paid 8 Cents for Each $25 NFL T-shirt They Sew

Women at the Ocean Sky sweatshop in El Salvador are paid just eight cents for each $25 NFL T-shirt they sew. Their wages amount to just 3/10^thsof one percent of the NFL shirt’s retail price!

Workers NFL, Reebok, Puma, Old Navy (GAP), Columbia, Talbots and Penguin (Munsingwear) are drenched in their own sweat…Drinking water is filthy…They are cursed at…Garments hurled in their faces…Surveillance cameras monitor the workers’ every move…Overtime is forced…Wages of 72 to 92 cents an hour—one quarter of what a family needs to survive… Anyone even asking for their rights will be immediately fired and blacklisted.

Read full report

Don’t let NFL, Reebok, Puma, GAP and the other companies get away with it. Their corporate codes of conduct and corporate monitoring have failed miserably.

The U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement has ended in a race to the bottom, with workers stripped of their rights and trapped in poverty.

Ask the U.S. Government to finally implement the worker rights provisions in the US-CAFTA. Right now, only corporations have rights. But the workers want to be treated like human beings.

Please help.

We are calling upon U.S. and Salvadoran Government officials, along with representatives of the NFL, Reebok, Puma, GAP and the other labels to travel to El Salvador and meet face to face with the Ocean Sky workers.

Sign the petition

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union members in 2010

2011-01-22T16:39:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual “Union Members – 2010” report released on Friday, January 21.

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that, in 2010, the unionization rate of employed wage and salary workers was 11.9 percent, down from 12.3 percent in 2009. Among private sector employees, the rate dropped to 6.9 percent from 7.2 percent in 2009.

“The data also shows the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary union members were $917 per week, compared to $717 for workers not represented by unions. For Latinos, the wage disparity is even greater with union members earning an average of $771 compared to $512 for workers not represented by unions, a difference of 33.6 percent.

“When coupled with existing data showing that union members have access to better health care, retirement and leave benefits, today’s numbers make it clear that union jobs are not only good jobs, they are central to restoring our middle class.

“As workers across the country continue to face lower wages and difficulty finding work due to the recent recession, these numbers demonstrate the pressing need to provide workers with a voice in the workplace and protect their right to organize and bargain collectively.”

(From the Secretary of Labor regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics union member report for 2010)

Events in Tucson

2011-01-22T08:37:00.000-06:00

Twelve days ago the entire country was shocked by the tragic events in Tucson. Congresswoman Giffords now begins a long road to recovery.

If APWU members, particularly veterans, would like to send get well wishes and to thank her for support in the past they can do so by simply clicking the link below:

org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/dia/action/public/

Special Session Serves Corporate Special Interests, Not Job Creation

2011-01-22T08:11:00.000-06:00

Statement from Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt:

Governor Walker called a Special Legislative Session under the guise of job creation. Yet there is scarcely a job associated with any of the four bills that passed this week. These new laws will add millions of dollars to Wisconsin’s deficit, chip away at the safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, and amount to a handout for companies who have made no employment commitments in return.

Rather than pushing for measures that would alleviated the jobs crisis, Senate Bill 1 blatantly places the interests of negligent employers over the needs of workers injured or killed on the job. It also strips the citizens of Wisconsin of important consumer protections. This so-called reform doesn’t create a single job, and yet, it does immeasurable harm to ordinary people seeking justice.

OSHA at 40: Time for a Makeover

2011-01-15T13:08:00.000-06:00

Tom O’Connor | January 14, 2011

The notion that Democrats and Republicans could come together and enact legislation that would protect American workers from on-the-job injury or death seems almost unthinkable today, but almost exactly 40 years ago, that is precisely what happened.

On December 29, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, a compromise that sought to “assure every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources,” according to its text.

The OSH Act has saved many thousands of lives. If workers had the same risk of death on the job as they did in 1933, government figures estimated that 40,000 more workers would die every year.

But today, the regulatory system that is the legacy of that landmark legislation is broken. The OSH Act has not been significantly updated since it became law and OSHA is hopelessly overmatched, struggling to oversee a 21st century workplace with 20th century tools. Nearly 5,000 American workers pay the price every year—with their lives.

OSHA is woefully understaffed, given the magnitude of its task. A mere 2,000 inspectors endeavor to cover more than 7 million worksites. The sanctions they can use against employers who routinely flout the law are too weak to function as deterrents.

When violations are discovered—all too often after the tragic fact—the penalties are laughable. The average penalty for a violation resulting in a worker’s death is only about $4,000.

Criminal penalties are nearly impossible to impose, even in cases of reckless disregard for workers’ lives. As a result, far too many employers make the calculation that it is simply cheaper to pay the fine, if they are one of the few who are caught, than it is to invest in a safe workplace.

Other federal agencies overseeing health, safety, and environmental regulations—from EPA to the FDA—all have been updated in the years since they were created to reflect changing circumstances. OSHA simply has not kept pace.

The fact is, OSHA will never have sufficient resources to protect all American workers. OSHA investigators cannot be everywhere at once.

ONE TO MANY

We need to rethink how to make workplaces safe. The answer lies not in developing new OSHA standards on a one-by-one basis. This process has produced important worker protections in the last 40 years, but business and industry interests have learned that they can block new regulations indefinitely by constant legal challenges and political pressure. As a result, new OSHA standards to protect workers have become exceedingly rare.

A whole new approach has been proposed by OSHA Director David Michaels. His new Injury and Illness Prevention Program Standard, if enacted, would require employers to assess their workplaces, determine what hazards are present, and come up with solutions.

The standard doesn’t tell employers exactly how they should prevent hazards, but instead provides flexibility in determining the best way to protect employees.

How would this avoid giving employers giant loopholes? Who’s to check? OSHA inspectors, already overstretched, would need a bigger enforcement budget, certainly.

But to stand any chance of success, these efforts must include meaningful worker participation. Workers know the hazards in their workplaces better than anyone. They must be allowed to participate actively in identifying workplace hazards and they must have the right to stop work, without fear of retaliation, if a hazardous situation develops.

Giving workers that measure of control over workplace safety in an environment of 7.2 percent private-sector union density would be no small feat. Health and safety advocates agree that safety committees should be mandatory in union workplaces. But in non-union shops, would a boss-dominated safety committee be desirable?

Workers, with or without a union, need new rights to protect themselves. Armed with that confidence, the workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig and at the Upper Big Branch Mine might have been able to prevent last year’s disasters at their workplaces.

Without it, we’ll be stuck in the same piecemeal system that fails to address the total picture of safety on the job—and wait for the next workplace disaster to strike.

Tom O’Connor is executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition of unions, health and technical professionals, and others interested in promoting worker health and safety.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17)

2011-01-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

Click on cartoon to enlarge

Working Families Oppose Senate Bill 1/ Assembly Bill 1 Tort Reform

2011-01-11T17:14:00.000-06:00

Labor and community groups hold press conference to urge Legislature to focus on job creation

(Madison, WI) – Labor and community groups gathered this afternoon in the State Capitol to express concern over Special Session Senate Bill 1/ Assembly Bill 1 Tort Reform. This is the first initiative of the emergency economic session and contains numerous changes to Wisconsin’s civil justice system which will negatively impact workers and their families.

“Unfortunately, the special session on job creation is being used as a cloak for corporate interests to achieve a long-desired goal – to deny meaningful access to the courts for workers who are injured or killed on the job, as well as consumers and other victims who have been harmed,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

The Bill would have the following consequences for workers and the community:

· Changes punitive damages criteria for those injured on the job. Victims of at work accidents will now have the burden of proving that the injury was “intended” by the employer in order to be awarded punitive damages. This new heightened standard effectively closes the courthouse door to most victims of egregious conduct resulting in serious injury or death.

· Changes to product liability law that encourage the export of jobs. The bill requires that victims harmed by faulty products seek compensation from the manufacturer first. Since it is near impossible to track down manufacturers and pursue legal remedies in countries such as China, this bill creates a perverse incentive to shift more manufacturing jobs out of Wisconsin.

· Eliminates retailer responsibility for harmful products sold in sealed packages. This means that if a child is injured by a faulty toy the family has limited rights and options.

· Limits the rights of nursing home resident’s families to protect their loved one from negligent care. The bill changes legal standards for nursing homes making it significantly harder to hold institutions accountable.

“The legal climate sought by business through this legislation is one that nearly eliminates accountability to citizens for corporate wrongdoing and recklessness. This is not about job creation. This is an extreme shift in the balance of the law to dramatically favor corporate interest over ordinary people,” concluded Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Organizational sponsors of the press conference include the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Wisconsin Association for Justice.

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO launches Wisconsin Jobs Campaign

2011-01-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

Labor unions and community allies hold Governor Walker accountable for the creation of family-supporting jobs

(Milwaukee, WI) - Governor Walker made job creation a centerpiece of his campaign with a promise to create 250,000 jobs for Wisconsin within his first term. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, along with community groups and concerned citizens, intend to hold Governor Walker accountable for the promised jobs and to ensure that any job created includes family supporting wages and benefits.

“Wisconsin needs jobs and it needs jobs now. Temporary, part-time work is different than a full-time job with benefits. The goal of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is to make certain that new jobs are stable jobs that can support a family. The Wisconsin Jobs Campaign will be a way to track how many jobs are created or lost over the next four years. I look forward to cheering Governor Walker on to our mutual goal of job creation,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin starts with a substantially larger jobs deficit because of Governor Walker's rejection of federal funds for a high-speed passenger rail line that would have created thousands of jobs. However, it is the hope of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO that our state can overcome the deficit and create 250,000+ good jobs.

From progressive to regressive: Wis. GOP declares war on workers

2011-01-05T18:29:00.000-06:00

by Mike Konopacki and Kathy Wilkes

Wisconsin governor-elect Scott Walker and the new Republican legislature have declared war on working people. They want to abolish public employee unions and turn Wisconsin into a so-called “right-to-work” state, meaning no more “union shops” and no more dues from anyone who objects. This also means no more pressure from anywhere to keep wages at a livable level for anyone, union or not.

It’s all under the guise of cutting the State’s $3 billion budget deficit and creating 250,000 jobs. Sound familiar? Since the Reagan era, Republicans and corporate Democrats have pushed the big lie that tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and busting unions would bring jobs and prosperity. Instead we got the Great Recession. And now the people of

Wisconsin have voted to cure the disease with more disease and turn our state into an economic dictatorship.

Harsh words? You bet. Reality is worse. One of the first things dictators do is go after organized labor:

- When Hitler outlawed “trade unions, collective bargaining and the right to strike, the German worker in the Third Reich became an industrial serf, bound to his master, the employer, much as medieval peasants had been bound to the lord of the manor,” writes William Shirer in his classic, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. This was done “democratically” when Germany’s parliament passed the 1934 Charter of Labor that “put the worker in his place and raised the employer to his old position of absolute master.”

- Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini abolished free trade unions.

- Communist China—America’s banker and manufacturer—only allows government-controlled unions.

Walker won’t round up labor leaders and have them jailed as Hitler did; he just wants them neutered. And there’s no comparison with Mussolini, who reportedly made the trains run on time. Walker hates trains; he lost us $810 million dollars and 5,500 jobs opposing high-speed rail. And where China requires even antiunion Wal-Mart to be unionized, Walker would never permit such an outrage.

A better comparison is Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, and L. Paul Bremer. In 1987 the Iraqi dictator declared that workers in his huge state enterprises were civil servants and therefore prohibited from forming unions and bargaining collectively. After Bush invaded Iraq, Bremer’s Coalition Provisional Authority abolished all of Saddam’s laws but one: the ban on labor unions.

For 80 years, Republican plutocrats have chipped away at “New Deal” laws that raised millions of families out of poverty and into the middle class. They’ve busted union membership down from 35% of the private sector in the 1950s to less than 8% today. Wages stagnated while income inequality soared. From 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the total increase in incomes went to the richest 1% percent, which now owns more wealth than the bottom 90%.

Republicans don’t care about creating jobs or cutting deficits. GOP wunderkind Paul Ryan, for example, sat idly by as the remains of his district’s auto industry were dismantled, leaving Racine, Kenosha, and Janesville the most economically depressed cities in the state. Instead he plotted to privatize Social Security, despite the Wall Street debacle, and promoted tax cuts for the rich, despite the ballooning deficit.

If Republicans win their war against workers, we face dire consequences. As Shirer observed, “Between the Right and Left, Germany lacked a politically powerful middle class, which in other countries – in France, in England, in the United States – had proved to be the backbone of democracy.”

Mike Konopacki is a labor cartoonist in Madison. Kathy Wilkes is a Madison writer and editor.

Most Americans Say Tax Rich to Balance Budget: Poll 81% Say Tax Rich or Cut Military; 3% Say Cut Social Security

2011-01-05T18:16:00.000-06:00

Most Americans think the United States should raise taxes for the rich to balance the budget, according to a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll released on Monday.

[Full Story]

Published on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by Reuters

Konopacki–January 2011

2010-12-16T17:08:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt on the Departure of Talgo Jobs from Milwaukee

2010-12-11T08:32:00.000-06:00

While it is extremely disappointing to learn that high speed train manufacturer Talgo plans to leave Milwaukee at the end of their lease in 2012, it’s not really surprising, nor can you blame the company. Governor-elect Scott Walker sent a clear message that high speed rail and the family supporting jobs that come with it aren’t welcome in our state.

DEADLINE TO SEND PACKAGES TO TROOPS NEARS

2010-12-02T17:42:00.000-06:00

This Saturday, Dec. 4, is the deadline to ship First-Class Mail or Priority Mail packages to Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding areas — or to Army Post Office (APO), and Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses with the ZIP Code 093. The deadline for packages to all other APO/FPO ZIP codes is Friday, Dec.10.

To help the friends and families of service members, the Postal Service offers a $2 discount on its Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box shipped to APO/FPO addresses.

Mail addressed to military post offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. Items mailed to APO/FPO addresses generally require customs forms.

Statement by Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt on the Need to Pass the Unemployment Extension

2010-12-01T17:13:00.000-06:00

“Don’t Leave the Jobless Out in the Cold”

At midnight last night, 800,000 unemployed workers lost their unemployment insurance benefits. By the end of December, 2 million are projected to lose their unemployment insurance. Shame on those in Congress who aren't supporting this emergency lifeline.

The domino effect of the unemployment insurance expiration will affect more than just the families of the unemployed. When jobless families are unable to pay their mortgage, buy groceries or generate tax revenue, local communities, businesses and governments all suffer. The expiration of unemployment insurance benefits slows our economy down when we need to speed it up.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and working families are calling on Congress to approve a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance. Never before has Congress allowed unemployment insurance to expire when so many people are looking for work but unable to find jobs. But instead of focusing on working families, the newly-elected GOP Congress is pushing to pass tax cuts for millionaires by extending the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.

Thank you to Wisconsin Representatives Baldwin, Obey, Kagen, Kind and Moore for supporting the extension of benefits. Representatives Petri, Ryan and Sensenbrenner voted against even a short-term extension.

Don’t leave Wisconsin’s economy in the cold this December. Keep our communities and jobless families afloat; support a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance.

Guffey: USPS Will Have to Do Better

2010-11-18T17:59:00.000-06:00

APWU Web News Article 132-2010, Nov. 18, 2010

Postal Service negotiators continue to express interest in APWU contract proposals, “but so far have failed to put anything in writing,” APWU President Cliff Guffey reported to the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee on Nov. 18.

At a morning bargaining session, management representatives re-

APWU President Cliff Guffey briefs the union’s Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee on Thusday.

Postal Service negotiators continue to express

hashed their previous oral statements, he said. “If they expect to get an agreement, they will have to do better.”

“We want to see everything in writing,” the union president said.

“Work and stability remain our paramount concerns.”

[more 2010 contract negotiations news]

Above Photo: APWU President Cliff Guffey briefs the union’s Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee on Thursday.

Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement — Changing Your Current Mailing Address

2010-11-18T17:40:00.000-06:00

To facilitate processing of 2010 tax information and to ensure correct and timely receipt of a 2010 Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, all employees must have a current mailing address on file by December 29, 2010, in order to update the W-2 mailing file.

The following options are available for current employees to change their mailing address on record:

1. By Computer

Change your information using LiteBlue:

Go to the LiteBlue home page (www.liteblue.usps.gov).
Enter your Employee Identification Number and USPS PIN.
Click the My HR tab at the top of the page.
Click Change My Address.
Click Edit.
Change any necessary mailing address information.
Click Review.
Click Save.

2. By Kiosk

All postal employees can change their mailing and residential addresses using the personnel computer kiosks located in large Processing and Distribution Centers and some Post Office™ facilities. Click the tab titled Present Job Info/Change of Address on the main Kiosk webpage.

3. By Mail

Send PS Form 1216, Employee’s Current Mailing Address, to: HRSSC COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PO BOX 970400 GREENSBORO NC 27497-0400

4. By Telephone

Call HRSSC at 877-477-3273, option 5; and follow the prompts to speak to a service representative who will assist you. — Payroll, Controller, 11-18-10 Source: Postal Bulletin 22298 (11-18-10)

Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons

2010-11-16T17:27:00.001-06:00

Follow Contract Negotiations on Facebook, Twitter

2010-11-14T12:55:00.001-06:00

APWU Web News Article 126-2010, Nov. 12, 2010

With the Collective Bargaining Agreement scheduled to expire Nov. 20, the APWU will post frequent updates about the status of negotiations. To stay informed about late-breaking developments, union members can visit www.apwu.org, or they can follow the union on Twitter and Facebook.

To receive text-message notifications when updates are posted, union members can establish a free Twitter account at www.twitter.com. Once the registration process is complete, account holders should search for “apwunational,” and click the “follow” button. Members can then choose to receive text message alerts when the union has posted an update. In addition, members can visit www.twitter.com/apwunational for the latest news.

The APWU will also be posting updates on its Facebook page frequently. To join the many APWU members, officers, and supporters who are already “fans” of the union, members with Facebook accounts can search for “APWU,” or may access the union’s page directly by typing in www.facebook.com/APWUnational. Members may then click “Like” to join the group and view the union’s recent posts.

Post-Election Statement from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

2010-11-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Governor-elect Scott Walker and to the new and returning members of the Wisconsin State Legislature. The challenge ahead in governing the state is a substantial one. Labor in Wisconsin is committed to economic policies that preserve the gains of working class families, and our voices must be heard, especially during deliberations on the next biennial budget. American workers have borne the worst of the economic crisis, and the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is committed to ensuring that middle-class families share in the recovery.

USPS Wage, Benefit Proposal: An Insult to Postal Workers

2010-11-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Burrus Update #19-2010, Nov. 1, 2010

Contract negotiations took a dramatic turn today as postal management presented its economic proposal, which would establish employees’ wages and benefits for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Notwithstanding my expectation that management would seek to restrain costs, I was surprised to receive a USPS proposal that would destroy 20 years of progress.

Postmaster General Potter has said he intends to protect current employees by “grandfathering” their wages, and imposing lower pay and benefits on future employees. Management’s wage proposal reflects that objective: It would severely reduce the pay and benefits of employees hired after the signing of a new agreement, and would make postal jobs substantially less desirable.

Management’s proposal is just one step in the bargaining process, which requires additional intense negotiations — but it is not a good starting point.

Upon receipt of the proposal, I informed USPS negotiators that it is an insult to all postal employees who have dedicated their working lives to maintaining the best postal system in the world. There is zero possibility that the union will agree to wage cuts.

We hope that as bargaining proceeds, management will join us and engage in serious dialogue about the terms and conditions of a new contract. We have come too far to consider revisiting the past.

William Burrus
President

FALL SEMINAR/COUNCIL OF LOCALS PHOTOS

2010-10-29T16:38:00.000-05:00

Day one of the APWU of Wisconsin Fall Seminar and Council of Locals has come to a close. Click Here to see a few of the photos that have been posted on Facebook.

The Lyle Krueth Dinner/Roast is scheduled for later tonight.

RETIREMENT PLANNING - TRICK OR TREAT?

2010-10-29T09:30:00.002-05:00

By Tammy Flanagan, National Institute of Transition Planning - October 29, 2010

The secret is finally out: the Office of Personnel Management still processes retirement claims in 2010 much the same way it did in 1920. The process remains paper-based, requiring a human being to sift through the paperwork documenting an employee's career to be sure that he or she is receiving the proper retirement benefit. [Full Story]

Source:GovernmentExecutive.com

Huck and Konopacki

2010-10-21T18:34:00.000-05:00

Second Early Out Payment Scheduled for Oct. 29

2010-10-21T17:50:00.000-05:00

APWU Web News Article 116-2010, Oct. 19, 2010

Former postal employees who retired or separated from the Postal Service in 2009 as part of the negotiated Early Out Incentive agreement are entitled to receive an additional $5,000, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 29, 2010.

Those who participated in the retirement incentive program received $10,000 as part of the agreement in 2009. The final $5,000 payment is scheduled to coincide with the Pay Period 22 payroll.

Checks will be mailed with other paychecks from the Postal Data Center to the local office where eligible retirees were employed. Those who choose to retrieve their checks in person should contact the office in advance to determine where they should report. Those who prefer to have checks mailed to their current address should provide a written, signed request to the highest-ranking postal official at the installation where they were employed.

Retirees are encouraged to join the APWU Retirees Department to stay in touch with postal friends and retirees; learn more about retiree benefits and issues, and assure and protect benefits. To join, visit the Retirees Department Web page for an enrollment form, or download one at www.apwu.org/dept/retiree/retjoinform.pdf.

Postal Service Denies Plans for Oshkosh Town Hall Meeting

2010-10-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

By Chris Hrapsky

Postal workers in Oshkosh say a town hall meeting will take place in November to discuss the potential closing of the mail processing facility in the city. It's a claim the U.S. Postal Service denies.

Postal Service workers in Oshkosh fear their plant is one step closer to shutting down for good. [Full Story]

Source: WBAY TV Green Bay, WI

USPS facing millions in fines for ‘willful’ safety violations

2010-10-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

The United States Postal Service is set to lose tens of millions of dollars for a series of “willful” health and safety violations at its processing facilities across America.

While desperately searching for possible cutbacks to stem its multi-billion dollar losses, the organisation is being sued by the federal government for what are described as an “indifference to employee safety and health”. [Full Story]

Source: Post & Parcel

History of the Combined Federal Campaign

2010-10-19T17:11:00.000-05:00

A brief history of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) will demonstrate why it is one of the largest, most successful, and convenient workplace giving programs in the United States. Programs offer a myriad of choices for giving and it is convenient for federal employees to participate. The CFC allows participants to chose to give to organizations at the local, national, and international level. No other workplace giving program offers this type of variety of choice and convenience for charitable agencies.

Prior to the 1950's workplace giving campaigns in the federal government were an uncontrollable free for all which not surprisingly produced poor results. At times supervisors applied pressure to employees to give and quota's were wrongly established. Employees were asked to give throughout the year and there was no established order in how things were conducted.

In the 1950's President Eisenhower took steps to correct the prevailing situation. Various campaigns were assigned to particular times of the year. Local United Way Campaigns were conducted in the Fall and National Health Agencies and International Service Groups were assigned to the Spring. The American Red Cross drive was done in Spring if it was not part of the local campaign in Fall. Although this was an improvement there was still more work to accomplish.

President Kennedy came up with the concept of a combined giving campaign and in 1964 this idea was introduced with experiments around the United States. This program proved to be very successful along with the innovation of payroll deductions. Under President Nixon in 1971 the modern day CFC was born.

The CFC has over 1600 national and international agencies where employees can designate their contributions. In addition hundreds of local organizations exist allowing employee to contribute to the charities in their own home town. The payroll deduction systems make it easy for agencies after applying to receive quarterly checks. The CFC has proven to be very successful growing tremendously each year. The concept of a combined campaign with payroll deductions laid the foundation for one of the most successful workplace giving programs in history.

PRC Denies USPS Rate Increase Request

2010-09-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

The Postal Regulatory Commission in a unanimous decision has denied the US Postal Service the emergency rate increase it requested earlier this year.

PRC Chair Ruth Goldway said that while the USPS made its case that the recession was an “extraordinary” circumstance, she found that the rate changes requested were actually related to long term market changes.

PRC member Dan Blair concurs in the decision, but does not believe the USPS proved the recession was an exceptional circumstance.

In answer to questions asked at the news conference, Goldway said “Our decision is final.” She also said, however, that she doesn’t know if any of the parties will appeal to the courts.

Goldway also said that the USPS could implement a 1.6-2% increase under the normal price cap process.

Statement of PRC Chairman Ruth Goldway

Full text of the decision

Text of the PRC’s press release:

Washington, DC – The Postal Regulatory Commission today issued Order No. 547 in Docket R2010-4 denying a Postal Service request for an average 5.6 percent rate increase. The Commission found that the Postal Service failed to justiff rate increases in excess of its statutory CPI price cap.

“The Commission finds that the Postal Service has shown the recent recession to be an exigent circumstance but it has failed both to quantify the impact of the recession on its finances and to show how its rate request relates to the resulting loss of mail volume; therefore, we unanimously deny its exigent rate request,” said Chairman Ruth Y. Goldway.

The law requires the Postal Service to demonstrate that any exigent rate adjustments are due to the identified exceptional circumstances. This prevents a bona fide extraordinary or exceptional circumstance from being used as a general rate increase mechanism that would circumvent the price cap system.

The Postal Service’s recent volume losses and multi-billion dollar shortfalls are recognized. However, Commission analysis confirms that the Postal Service’s cash flow problem is not a result of the recession and would have occurred whether or not the recession took place. lt is the result of other, unrelated structural problems and the proposed exigent rate adjustments would neither solve nor delay those problems.

The Postal Service may be unable to continue to meet a statutory 1O-year payment schedule – averaging roughly $5.5 billion per year – to create a fund to pay future retiree health benefit premiums. lt has been unable to fund this obligation from operations, and has instead used up all of its retained earnings and drawn down from its $15 billion borrowing authority. Even with the requested increase, the Postal Service would be unable to meet this annual obligation either in 2011, or in succeeding years.

The Postal Service achieved over $6 billion in cost reductions in 2009. While volume declines outstripped cost reductions during the actual recession, Postal Service cost containment programs are producing results and work hours have declined faster than volumes in 2010.

Related Stories:

Statement of Postmaster General on PRC Ruling, Fully Paying Retiree Health Benefit Mandate

Press release

Five postal workers, three others indicted for mail theft in Alabama
postalnews blog

DMA praises PRC decision as a ‘job saving’ action
Press release

Senator Carper statement on PRC decision to deny rate increase

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Elects New President, Secretary-Treasurer

2010-09-29T18:02:00.000-05:00

Convention delegates adopt the “Solidarity Wisconsin” vision with jobs at the top of their agenda

(Green Bay, WI) It should come as no surprise that the theme of the 26th Biennial Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Convention, which concluded today, was “Good Jobs Now!” These are trying times for workers. High unemployment is crushing the dreams of millions of families. Millions more are bringing home smaller paychecks and have fewer benefits. Meanwhile, companies are sitting on record profits and cash reserves. Yet the mood of the convention was optimistic as delegates representing 250,000 Wisconsin workers in over 1,000 affiliated unions chose new leadership and committed to a plan of action.

“We don’t think Labor’s best days are behind us. In fact, we believe the time is right to inspire a new generation to fight for justice and prosperity for all workers. Together we can turn a new page in the history of Wisconsin’s labor movement,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, the newly elected President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Prior to Monday’s election, Neuenfeldt had served four terms (16 years) as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. Stephanie Bloomingdale, who was until recently the Public Policy Director for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals, AFT, was elected to the office of Secretary-Treasurer. Neuenfeldt and Bloomingdale ran on a detailed “Solidarity Wisconsin” platform.

“Solidarity Wisconsin is the vehicle through which Wisconsin’s workers will build a bridge to a new era for organized labor in our state,” explained Bloomingdale. “We are guided by the principle that each union is only as strong as our overall movement. We commit ourselves to this important work in the firm belief that working people must organize and stand together in order to be fairly paid for the work that we do.”

“Moving forward, we will honor the struggles of the union brothers and sisters who went before us, and recognize that their hard-won gains on behalf of the labor movement are under assault,” pledged Neuenfeldt. “We will stand together to mount an aggressive response to the challenges of the 21st century and bring justice and prosperity to Wisconsin’s working families.”

Other highlights of the convention included a speech by national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and remarks by AFL-CIO endorsed political candidates including Sen. Russ Feingold, Rep. Steve Kagen and gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett.

Over the course of three days, prominent speakers from academia and within the labor movement discussed a plethora of topics related to job creation and the economic power of Wisconsin working families including: international manufacturing and the need to renegotiate failed trade policies; the effective use of economic stimulus to retain existing jobs and spur job creation; the implementation of the health care reform bill and the long-term strategy to achieve quality, affordable health care for all; eroding retirement security and what can be done to reverse the trends; the need for sensible immigration reform; and corporate media consolidation and the implications for labor news coverage. The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance also introduced its first “Boots on the Ground” conservation project, in which union members will weld deer traps for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources white-tailed deer study.

“Don’t be fooled; there is an economic recovery happening in America today — but it’s banks and businesses that are benefiting, not America’s working families,” warned President-elect Neuenfeldt. “By developing a common agenda, coordinate strategy and hold each other accountable, I believe that working people can reign in Wall Street, and in the process, bring good jobs and a higher standard of living to Main Street.”

WISCONSIN STATE AFL-CIO OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES

PRESIDENT PHIL NEUENFELDT began his career with fourteen years in the manufacturing sector where he was elected shop steward, and he still believes that making things in Wisconsin is key to long-term prosperity and a viable middle-class. As an active member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Phil fought for fair contracts, improved health and safety conditions, and economic development that benefited union workers as well as the community at large. He held various positions of leadership in his local union, including Chair of the bargaining committee.

Prior to his election as President, Phil served the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO in many capacities, most notably as Secretary Treasurer and Legislative Director. As Legislative Director, Phil put the Wisconsin labor movement on the offensive and advanced a working family agenda which included extending the ability to organize, workers’ rights, installing prevailing wage protections, defending the Family and Medical Leave Act, teaching labor education in the schools, creating fairer tax codes which close corporate loopholes, preventing the outsourcing of public services, creating and retaining manufacturing jobs, and adopting green energy initiatives which will include family-wage jobs.

Because individual workers and the labor movement as a whole must continuously evolve to keep up with changing conditions, Phil continues to develop strategies to upgrade workplace skills and address changes in technology and the economy. Some of his programs have been used as national models.

As a veteran and a father, Phil has deep roots in his community. His vision for the labor movement extends beyond current union members, and Phil continues to take on projects that expand the sphere of solidarity and improve the lives of all working families. Even beyond his union activity, he plays an active development and implementation role within the nonprofit community.

SECRETRARY-TREASURER STEPHANIE BLOOMINGDALE has more than 20 years of experience in labor as an organizer, negotiator, trainer, and activist. As Director of Public Policy for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, she held a key role in the struggle to strengthen the power of nurses and healthcare workers throughout Wisconsin. In arbitrations and grievance hearings, she is known as a tough negotiator. In her electoral work, she has a statewide reputation for managing effective voter mobilization campaigns and holding elected officials accountable.

During a career that began as an activist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Stephanie has been committed to the ideals of organized labor and the power of collective action to create a strong middle-class. She is dedicated to building grass-roots, member-driven campaigns that advocate for social and economic justice for everyone.

Stephanie was raised by working-class parents who often struggled but always believed in hard work and education.

Fake United States Postal Service Emails Distribute Trojan Downloader

2010-09-28T17:32:00.000-05:00

Fake United States Postal Service Emails Distribute Trojan Downloader
Source: Softpedia

Senator Collins’ remarks on USPS from yesterday’s Senate session

2010-09-28T17:23:00.000-05:00

Senator Collins’ remarks on USPS from yesterday’s Senate session
Source: postalnews blog

Non-Dependent Children Can Join FEHBP Next Year

2010-09-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

Non-dependent children can join FEHBP as of January 1st, 2011. The child doesn't have to be your own. It can be your gay partner's or someone else's. If it is your own child, the child can be married and have their own employer-sponsored insurance. Almost any child living with a federal employee can be added. See the attachments from OPM. Some employees and retirees may overlook this important benefit change this Open Season.

Click Here for OPM attachment

APWU of Wisconsin/LaCrosse Area Local to Host Fall Seminar

2010-09-10T08:01:00.001-05:00

APWU of Wisconsin and the La Crosse Area Local will host a Fall Seminar in La Crosse, WI. on October 29 and 30. The seminar will be held at the Radisson Hotel in La Crosse and the hotel reservation deadline is September 28.

CLICK HERE for information concerning: Seminar Registration, Class Agenda, and Hotel Reservations. You are encouraged to complete the attached pdf registration form and print it and submit it with your registration fees to Dale Anderson.

PICKET ON FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER GETS MUCH ATTENTION

2010-09-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Up to 50 participants picket the Oshkosh Mail Processing and Distribution Center at 1025 W 20th AV from 7am to 10am. Over 40 come out for the 1pm to 4pm picket! Special thanks go out to City Council Member Bob Poeschl, Rep. Dick Spanbauer of 53rd Assembly District, Rep. Gorden Hintz of 54th Assembly District, Mayor Paul Esslinger, and Deputy Mayor Jessica King for stopping in and some carrying singage. Retirees, former postal employees, as well as members of the public with labor union affiliation, current employees, the President of the Green Bay Local APWU, and Santa stood to support NOT closing down the Oshkosh P&DC. Flyers were distributed to customers many of which went out of their way to learn what they can do to help raise public awareness. Yard signs were available for pick up and going by the handful. Thanks to every one who mailed a signature card/petition showing their support of keeping 549 mail processing in Oshkosh!

Source: http://www.save549mail.com/

Union Label Week - September 6 - 12, 2010

2010-08-31T18:25:00.000-05:00

eRetire

2010-08-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

The following is a "Service Talk" provided to Offices in the Lakeland District:

The Lakeland District has been selected by Headquarters to serve as the initial site for a new employee self-service application called eRetire. To use the program employees must be eligible for optional retirement within the next five years.

Optional retirement means you meet the minimum age and service requirement for retirement. Eligible for CSRS employees are those who have attained 55 years of age and 30 years of service. Eligible for FERS employees are those who have attained their minimum retirement age and have at least 10 years of creditable service and are eligible for an immediate, reduced annuity.

With eRetire, eligible employees can start the retirement process on LiteBlue. eRetire also has capabilities for Disability Retirement and Voluntary Early Retirement, but those options are not currently available.

On eRetire, you can immediately:

• View/print annuity estimate of eligibility date;
• View/print annuity estimate of eligibility date plus 6 months; or
• View/print annuity estimate of eligibility date plus 1 year.

Employees within 180 days of retirement can:

• Enter a custom date and receive an annuity estimate within 24 hours of your request; and
• Print or order a retirement application.

Employees ready to begin the retirement application process can schedule a retirement counseling session.

eRetire is available to eligible employees through the Lakeland District LiteBlue Web site. When you finish using the eRetire, you will be asked to complete a survey. You will also be provided a dedicated email address where you can send questions and comments. Your input will be evaluated prior to the national rollout of eRetire.

This program is open to Lakeland District employees who are eligible to retire within the next five years to participate. eRetire will be available beginning August 2 and we ask that you complete the survey by August 31.

The Rich Got Theirs: What About the Rest of Us?

2010-08-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

A Labor Day Message from Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby

Labor Day is the one day of the year intended to honor workers for their work. On this day all work should be acknowledged as conferring dignity, and working people should be recognized as the creators of wealth in this society.

Labor Day 2010 should be no different—except that this year working people have little to celebrate. We have the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. We have lost nearly 70,000 manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin during this Great Recession (and that’s in addition to more than 50,000 manufacturing jobs that our state lost due to fundamentally flawed trade agreements such as NAFTA). Tens of thousands have lost their homes.

Yet the “experts” say that there is little that can be done. Recovery from this recession is going to be slow and long in coming, they say.

And so the economy stagnates. But we don’t have to tolerate this. We can make large public investments in our infrastructure and increase support to state and local governments to get our economy moving again.

However, the rich and the right-wing have mounted a sophisticated, well-funded and alarmist campaign to convince us, falsely, that the immediate threat is not unemployment but the growing federal debt. This well-orchestrated media operation has persuaded an astounding number of politicians and pundits (and, unfortunately, a small but vocal minority of working class and middle class Americans) that our biggest problem is indeed the deficit, and that we need to cut back government spending.

What we need is precisely the opposite.

What we really need is public investment to keep people in their homes, provide desperately needed heath care, feed and clothe those who are struggling, and put people back to work so they can support their families and regain their pride. We need to fire up the factories, keep small businesses alive, and operate our financial system so that it supports our economy, promotes economic growth, and fosters home ownership.

For the health of our whole society, we need to rebuild, maintain and adequately fund our public structures including schools, roads and transportation systems, libraries, police and fire protection, and parks. We need to end the consolidation of media ownership, which excludes almost every progressive voice.

There is so much to be done. To its credit, the labor movement has tried to sound the alarm. While some progress has been made, the voices of workers and unions have been largely muffled—and certainly ignored. Meanwhile, Wall St. and CEOs prosper.

Still, we will not be silenced. Unions in America will continue to sound the alarm and fight for the interests of working people here in the United States and around the world. We will find new ways to communicate, new ways to organize, new ways to exercise power, and new structures that serve working families—because even when everyone gets back to work, we still will not have established social and economic justice in our society. But workers will always find a way—to restrain greed, restore economic justice, and build community for us all.

Solidarity!

David Newby, President
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

Resolution seeks three cent PPA funding adjustment

2010-08-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

A matter of cents (sense)

by Tony Carobine, National PPA President

For the first time in 14 years, the APWU National Postal Press Association is asking national convention delegates to support an adjustment in its funding. Currently, Article 16, Section 2(e) of the APWU Constitution provides that "The APWU shall remit five (5 ¢) cents of the national per capita tax, per month, per member to the Postal Press Association." The resolution calls for adjusting this amount to eight cents per month per member. This measure has gained wide support and has been adopted in various forms by 23 state conventions and a number of locals throughout the APWU. [Full Story]

Why is Wal-Mart blocking 35 cents an hour for Bangladeshi workers?

2010-07-28T18:07:00.000-05:00

Over 3.5 million mostly young women garment workers are trying to climb out of misery. With a new minimum wage of just 35 cents an hour, the workers could live with a modicum of dignity. Ask Wal-Mart to stop lobbying against a new minimum wage of 35 cents an hour forBangladesh's garment workers. They should be ashamed!

Please call Wal-Mart today.

Wal-Mart "Organic" Jeans Sell for just $8.00......Is that a great deal, or what? Imagine, women's "Faded Glory" relaxed-fit, flared blue jeans selling at Wal-Mart for just $8.00! (Full Story)

Source: National Labor Committee via APWU National Postal Press Association

Crucial Postal Bill Clears First Hurdle

2010-07-22T17:22:00.000-05:00

APWU Web News Article 071-2010, July 22, 2010

Legislation to restore financial stability to the Postal Service cleared its first hurdle July 21 when the House postal oversight subcommittee approved H.R. 5746. The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) on July 15, would alter the methodology for allocating the Postal Service’s share of pension costs for employees whose careers spanned the former Post Office Department and the USPS.

“This is an important first step,” said Myke Reid, APWU Legislative and Political Director, “but we still have a long way to go.” The bill must be considered by the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee before it can be voted on in the House. (Full Story)

Statement by Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby: Long-term Unemployed Workers Finally Get a Lifeline

2010-07-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

(Milwaukee – July 22, 2010) Finally, the House and Senate have extended Unemployment Insurance benefits to workers who have been without a job for more than six months.

As outrageous as it may seem, Senate Republicans engaged in a filibuster to stop a vote on this bill; they are responsible for over two million unemployed workers being denied jobless benefits. These same Republican Senators have no problem with extending tax cuts to the very richest Americans, but somehow they don’t understand or don’t care about the basic needs that ordinary people have. Even with the extension, ordinary people are struggling to pay the rent or mortgage, buy food for their families, and pay for other necessities of life.

The Republican defense—that extending benefits to the unemployed will increase the deficit—is total nonsense. Unemployed workers who receive benefits spend every dime on essentials—which puts more money into the economy and helps businesses stay afloat without more layoffs. The immediate deficit we need to pay attention to is the deficit in family-supporting jobs. Once we get people back to work, they will pay taxes again and much of the current deficit can be eliminated.

Labor Day Cartoon

2010-07-21T19:41:00.000-05:00

OSHA Launches New Whistleblower Protection Site

2010-07-18T06:50:00.000-05:00

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that workers who blow the whistle on safety violations and other unlawful practices “play an important role in assuring compliance with federal laws.”

But, say workplace safety advocates, too many times workers don’t speak up about safety and health problems on the job because they fear retaliation from their employers, even though it’s illegal.

OSHA now has a new website specifically dedicated to its whistleblower protection program, http://www.whistleblowers.gov/. (Full Story)

Finally, Financial Reform!

2010-07-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

The following is a statement by national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:

Today’s vote represents a historic shift of power—away from big bankers and CEOs to working families and Main Street. For years, big banks have profited on the backs of working families. Millions of working families lost their jobs and still can’t find work because of the reckless and selfish actions of Wall Street and the big banks.

After the financial meltdown brought on by Wall Street’s greed and irresponsibility, it would have been an outrage for the status quo to stand. Yet all but three Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted against reforming our bloated and unaccountable financial sector.

Fortunately, President Obama and working family leaders in Congress stood firm to put our country back on track toward an economy that works for everyone. In the end, fifty-seven Democrats and three Republicans voted for this landmark legislation. This vote will make it a lot harder for big bankers to indulge their greed at the expense of working people.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will:

Create a strong consumer protection agency to protect working people from predatory lenders;
Shed light on the shadow markets by requiring most derivatives to clear and trade on open, transparent exchanges and mandating that large managers of hedge funds and private equity funds register with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
Give long term investors new tools to hold corporate boards and senior management accountable; and
Help prevent future bank bailouts by creating a council of regulators to oversee systemic risk, giving regulators authority to dissolve failing financial institutions while prohibiting bailouts for bank shareholders and executives
Move toward restoring of Glass Steagall by limiting banks ability to make risky bets backed by taxpayer funds.

We will continue to fight for reforms that will further address too big to fail financial institutions and make Wall Street pay its fair share to create the 8 million jobs it helped destroy.

As we look ahead to November, when voters will once again have the ability to stay on the path to change or look back to the failed policies of the past, this vote is a defining line in the sand. Working families will be dedicated to supporting leaders who vote to create jobs and hold Wall Street and big business accountable.

Voters now have a clear picture of those who stand on the side of Main Street and those who choose instead to stand on the side of Wall Street.

We will not forget.

Source: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Union Urges Affected Workers To Complete NRP Questionnaire

2010-07-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

APWU Web News Article 068-2010, July 15, 2010

(07/15/10) To strengthen the fight against the Postal Service’s harsh National Reassessment Program (NRP), the APWU is encouraging limited-duty and permanent-rehabilitation employees to complete a questionnaire sponsored by a law firm that has filed a class-action complaint against the USPS. The complaint alleges that the NRP discriminates against disabled employees. The NRP, which was initiated nationwide in 2006, “is part of an aggressive campaign by the Postal Service to reduce costs by denying work to injured employees,” said APWU President William Burrus. “The union has fought the program every step of the way,” he said. [full story]

Postal Employees’ Relief Fund

2010-07-12T17:01:00.001-05:00

PERF is a CFC funded agency; below is an example of how your annual CFC contributions do make a difference….

COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS. The Postal Employees’ Relief Fund — jointly administered by USPS, its unions and management associations — gave more than $1.1 million to 207 employees throughout the country in 2009. Since it began in 1990, the fund has provided more than 3,000 grants totaling nearly $15 million to active and retired employees in need of humanitarian aid.

OSHA Safety Citations Update OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations at Minneapolis MPC

2010-06-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

(06/29/10) Adding to the growing number of safety citations issued to the Postal Service in recent weeks, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $210,000 for exposing employees to electrical hazards at the Eagan, MN Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). OSHA issued the Postal Service citations for “severe and ongoing” violations at the facility. Inspectors found employees working on live machinery without proper equipment or training, exposing them to the risk of electric shock.

[full story] | [USPS Also Cited for Violations at Southern Maine PDC]

Lessons of Financial Collapse Can’t Be Ignored

2010-06-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

If the nation ignores the history of what caused the collapse of the financial system, says Phil Angelides,

“We will be doomed to bail it out again.”

Angelides is chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission charged with finding the causes and culprits behind the nation’s economic disaster. Speaking at panel discussion this afternoon at the America’s Future Now conference, Angelides said he dubbed the meltdown, “the immaculate financial crisis” because no one on Wall Street, the Big Banks or the deregulating policy makers that controlled the reins of the system, will take responsibility.

There has been almost no reflection by Wall Street over the crisis because the American taxpayers gave them $1 trillion. Wall Street reform is a start, not an end. We have to commit to changes in our financial system so it works for the many, not the few.

Read the rest of this entry »

Source: AFL-CIO Now Blog