02/20/04
E
Messenger
The Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 2,260
Year to date: 7,790
Our
building renovations are almost completed, check out our progress at our
website, www.flaflcio.org.
STATE NEWS
Check
out these
Florida
organizing victories!
The Miami Dade County
Commission unanimously passed a "Resolution in Support of
Employees' Effort to Engage in Collective Bargining
at Pan American Hospital," sponsored by Commissioner Natasha
Seijas and co sponsored by
Commissioner Jimmy Morales. (see
full text below)
The resolution
called for
Pan
American
Hospital
to
1. withdraw its challenge
to the union election & recognize their employees' rights to have a
union
2. begin good faith
bargaining
3. reconsider the
termination of union supporters
As Commissioner
Rebeca Sosa
emphatically stated, this resolution sends a strong message to the
hospital from the entire community -- having a voice will lead to better
services for the community and better conditions for the workers!
Martha
Baker, 1991 President,
rose in support of the resolution and explained to the Commissioners
that their support of the Pan American workers was crucial to the
delivery of quality patient care.
An 11 year
veteran RN at Pan American, Marietta Vasquez made the
following compelling statement prior to the vote:
"On
behalf of my entire Pan American family, I would like to thank each and
everyone of you in advance, for what I hope would be an overwhelming
support for our quest to gain a voice in patient care -- by choosing to
be represented by the Service Employees International Union, so we could
engage in collective bargaining in our workplace. Through your
help, we will be empowered to deliver the best care to the community we
serve.
98%
of the nurses voted overwhelmingly for unionization, 90% overall
including technical and service employees, in spite of this,
Pan
American
Hospital
refuses to recognize our democratic election.
Thank
you once again in advance for supporting this resolution!
God Bless democracy!
God
Bless
America
!
and most of all may God bless your
beautiful hearts. Thank you."
Great teamwork
led to this momentous accomplishment.
- The
newly organized
Pan
American
Hospital
workers,
led by Juan Carlos, made numerous calls and
visits to Commissioners to seek their support
- Alicia
Junco, lead organizer
for SEIU on the Pan Am campaign, kept things organized and moving
while simultaneously preparing for 2 more Pan American elections AND
preparing for the hearing
- The
Commissioners and their staff: Commissioner Seijas
- Terry Murphy, Commissioner Morales - Crystal
Connor, and Chairwoman Carey Shuler - Oscar Braynon, who
moved the resolution through the democratic process
-
South Florida
Jobs with Justice's
GetActive email generated over 50 emails
to commissioners, and thanks to Andy Balash
and HERE for coming to the hearing to show their support
- Congressman
Kendrick Meek's
District Director Anthony Williams attended the
Commission meeting to express the Congressman's support for the
resolution
- and
many more..............
Where do we go from
here?
We need to get
the word out -- generate as much public outcry as possible prior to the
hearing before the NLRB on Monday Feb 23rd.
- encourage
community leaders and elected officials to sign the Open
Letter to Pan American Administration calling on them to
respect the election results and begin bargaining in good faith
(signed by Cong. Kendrick Meek, Rep. Julio Robaina,
Rep. Ralph Arza, Mayor Alex Penelas,
and others)
- publicize
the
County
Commission
's Resolution on the radio, in
newsletters, online
- call
in to local radio programs in support of the workers
- call
Pan American hospital and ask the administration to drop the
objections to the election and respect the workers' rights to a
union
Vicente
Sanchez, CEO - 305
264 1000 ext. 6496,
Pan
American
Hospital
, 5959 NW 7 Street,
Miami
,
FL
33126
RESOLUTION
IN SUPPORT OF EMPLOYEES' EFFORTS TO ENGAGE IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AT
PAN
AMERICAN
HOSPITAL
WHEREAS,
nurses, technical and service employees of Pan American Hospital have
expressed their desire to form a union or unions to represent them at
Pan American Hospital; and
WHEREAS, such
employees have voted in elections conducted by the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB); and
WHEREAS, such
employees have voted in overwhelming numbers in favor of unionization;
and
WHEREAS,
Pan
American
Hospital
has declined to recognize its employees'
right to be represented by a union in collective bargaining; and
WHEREAS,
Pan
American
Hospital
has filed challenges to the NLRB
elections; and
WHEREAS,
allegations have arisen that Hospital employees were terminated because
they supported unionization,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF
COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
OF
DADE COUNTY
,
FLORIDA
, that this Board:
Section
1. Encourages
Pan
American
Hospital
to withdraw its
challenges to the NLRB elections and to recognize its
employees' rights and desires to be represented
by a union.
Section
2. Urges
the Hospital to commence good faith bargaining with its
employees' choice of union representatives.
Section
3. Urges
the Hospital to reconsider any decisions to terminate employees
in the wake of the elections to ensure that no such termination was
related to any legitimate union activity.
ORLANDO
IRONWORKERS WIN
Landslide
victory for Addison Steel workers
Orlando
,
Florida
, February
20, 2004 – On
Thursday
February 19, 2004
, the National
Labor Relations Board held a representation election for the workers at
Addison Steel.
Addison
is a
fabricator of structural and miscellaneous steel and a subsidiary of Schuff
International. By a vote of
31 to 12, the workers resoundingly decided to have a Voice At
Work. The issues in the
campaign were pay, discrimination and respect.
The
company hired a law firm that used intense one-on-one worker
intimidation tactics. But,
with a strong committee that represented the diversity of the workforce,
the workers gained strength and won their struggle to have a
Union
.
A
celebration is planned for Wednesday February 25th, for more
information contact Angel Dominguez at 305-607-1850.
Like
it or not…Session is coming
Florida
s Honest Leadership can be had at bargain-basement prices
(
02/18/2004
© Ocala
Star Banner)
Every winter at
about this time, Floridians experience a creeping onset of dread and
despair. Darkness will soon be upon us. The Legislature is preparing to
convene in
Tallahassee
.
Speaker
balances political aspirations, session priorities
(02/18/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. - House Speaker Johnnie Byrd will be talking a lot about issues
like abortion, the right-to-life and lowering taxes during the upcoming
legislative session.
Tough
Battles Lie Ahead for Legislature
(02/19/2004 © St.
Augustine Record)
click photo to
enlarge THE JUSTISS CHILDREN, from foreground left, Kody,
Jordan, and Austin James 'AJ,' sit with their parents, Stacy and James,
at their home in Crawfordville.
Editorial:
A Trojan horse
(
02/18/2004
© Stuart
News)
Hoping to curry
favor with the taxpayers,
Florida
legislators are
considering raising the Homestead Exemption for elderly, low-income
citizens. The reduction would be made by barring any future increases in
property value for the elderly with incomes of less than $20,000 a year.
Class
Size On Back Burner
(
02/17/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
Remember all
that talk about putting the classsize
amendment back on the ballot so the voters could correct their mistaken
mandate? That's apparently all it was: a lot of talk.
Class-Size
Law Challenge Unlikely
(
02/18/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
By JEFFREY S.
SOLOCHEK St. Petersburg Times Leading Senate Republicans are backing
away from the governor's call to repeal the class-size amendment that
won voter approval in 2002. "As far as I'm concerned right now, the
voters have spoken," said Senate Majority Leader Dennis Jones,
R-Seminole. "I think, basically, we need to move on."
Arts
backers fight to restore millions in funds slashed by Legislature
(02/18/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE ·
The Legislature last year stripped millions of dollars from the arts,
including grants that help support exhibits, history events and
children's museums.
Ignoring
needy kids
(02/19/2004 © Florida
Today)
Somewhere, they
must offer a course in solving political embarrassments through sleight
of hand, because that's the trick some Florida lawmakers are using to
deal with criticism about waiting lists for poor kids needing medical
help.
No
will be heard many times as lawmakers shape budget
(
02/19/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
Florida
's got a couple billion
dollars more to spend next year. But lawmakers don't expect to have an
easy time balancing a budget. Health care costs for the elderly and
disabled are soaring and the waiting list of uninsured children needing
coverage has mushroomed.
Naming
of buildings creates spat
(02/20/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE -
Saying they want to improve healthcare in Florida, members of a Senate
committee decided Thursday to name buildings after Senate President Jim
King and the father of House Speaker Johnnie Byrd as part of a bill to
spend $30 million on pet programs pushed by the two leaders of the
Legislature.
Give
us a break
(
02/20/2004
© Northwest
Florida
Daily News)
The forecast for
Florida
's 2004 legislative
session: Tax cuts. At least a couple. Maybe
more. According to The Associated Press:
'Gov. Jeb Bush has proposed a return of the popular back-toschool
break from the sales tax, and the Senate and House are both likely to go
along.
$30
million set for GOP pet projects
(02/20/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
The first word hasn't been inked on the legislature's budget, but that
didn't stop the Senate Appropriations Committee from voting Thursday to
dedicate $30 million a year for three pet projects of the legislature's
Republican leadership, all involving medical research or education.
Head
off more Schiavos
(
02/20/2004
© Palm
Beach Post)
The Florida
Senate president and majority leader have renounced their votes for
'Terri's Law.' They can make up for that mistake partly by not giving
the Legislature a chance to make another one.
The
swarm that moved a legislature buzzes still
(
02/20/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
Dennis Jones
will not soon forget it. How could he? The Legislature's phone system
was down for three days.
Attack on citizens’
initiatives continues
The
60 percent solution -- trying to get voters to shut up
(
02/17/2004
© Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
Legislative
leaders have been fulminating about voters' habit of doing
constitutional revision on the fly every other year. They say the people
have voted for too many dumb things and must be stopped. Of course, a
cynical person might offer the same argument for abolishing the Florida
Legislature. More than a dozen proposals for curtailing constitutional
amendments have been filed.
Lawmakers
Target Initiative Process
(02/18/2004 © Lakeland
Ledger)
By JACKIE
HALLIFAX The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE -- It's no thanks to the
Legislature that retired teacher Valerie LaHart
can eat in restaurants again and not have to leave halfway through the
meal because of secondhand smoke. "I don't think any of you guys
would have stood up to Big Tobacco," LaHart
told the House Select Committee on Constitutional Reform.
Don
t water down citizen control of initiative process
(02/20/2004 © Bradenton
Herald)
On the surface,
Vern Buchanan's Monday guest column urging reform of Florida's
constitutional amendment procedures sounds like an extremely reasonable
position. After all, he only wants to ensure that the voting public be
protected from making the Florida Constitution "a yard sale of
items or goofy issues paid for by wealthy special-interest groups
imposing their will on all Floridians."
Let them drink lead
Health
officials decry gun bill
(02/18/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
PINELLAS PARK -
Three people who frequented indoor gun ranges in Pinellas County last
year breathed in too much lead dust from the ranges, and two developed
lead poisoning, according to Pinellas health officials.
Bill
on lead is a sad joke
(02/18/2004 © Pensacola
News Journal)
It took Gov. Jeb
Bush to introduce even a semblance of sanity to a bill being pushed
through the Florida Legislature under the bogus 'reasoning' that it's
about fending off gun control.
Lead
Poison Protections
(02/18/2004 © Lakeland
Ledger)
If committee
action is any indication of what's going to happen during the
Legislature's session opening next month, a bill to make shooting ranges
immune from any regulation -- including environmental laws -- will sail
to the governor's desk.
Governor
s aim is true Don t shield gun ranges from liability for cleanups
(02/18/2004 © Sarasota
Herald-Tribune)
Gov. Jeb Bush
displayed excellent marksmanship recently when he was asked about a
proposal to free the owners of gun ranges from all responsibility for
cleaning up lead and arsenic contamination. "Blanket liability
protection isn't going to happen," he bluntly replied. "Is
that clear enough?" Yes, it is.
Gun
range cleanup bill advances in Senate
(02/19/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE - A
Senate committee passed a bill Wednesday that would throw out a state
lawsuit against a Pinellas Park gun range and force taxpayers to clean
up polluted ranges. No source of cleanup money exists, but senators said
they would look for one.
Education
Palm
Beach County socked with state s biggest penalty for not trimming class
sizes
(02/18/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Seminole The
Palm Beach County School District on Tuesday was given a $636,000
penalty -- the stiffest in the state -- for failing to comply with a law
limiting class size.
Miami-Dade
County
fared significantly
better; its penalties dropped from an anticipated $9.5 million to
$323,778.
Bill
would help fend off harassment, coalition says
(
02/18/2004
© Miami
Herald)
When Roselaure
Derosier was student body president at
Edison Senior High, almost all her friends were taunted for something.
Some because they were gay, others because they were girls, a few who
were told they just looked funny. ''I feel like harassment was part of
the curriculum,'' said Derosier, who
graduated in 2002 and has traveled the state to urge support for
antidiscrimination laws.
Editorial:
Stop school-money raid
(
02/18/2004
© Palm
Beach Post)
Like a gallon of
milk or gas, educating a student does not cost the same everywhere in
Florida
. The Legislature
recognized this fact more than 30 years ago and devised a formula to
ensure that students get equal access to an education.
Schools
matching funds to return
(02/18/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE -
State legislative leaders agreed Tuesday to give Florida's universities
and community colleges $186-million to match hundreds of private
donations for scholarships, endowed chairs and research programs.
State
eases up on school penalties
(02/19/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
PALM COAST -- A
last-minute scramble to hire extra teachers to meet Florida's class-size
limits would save Volusia schools from a $2.1 million penalty and
greatly reduce Flagler's penalty under a new state plan.
Advocates
demand a quality pre-K program
(02/19/2004 © Miami
Herald)
As state
lawmakers prepare to build a universal preschool program in Florida,
leaders of the early-childhood education movement held a town-hall
meeting in Miami Wednesday night to discuss crucial questions so far
unanswered.
2004 March on
Tallahassee
Democrats,
minorities to march against governor
(02/18/2004 © Orlando
Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE --
State Democratic leaders and minority groups are planning a march on the
Capitol to coincide with Gov. Jeb Bush's State of the State address
March 2, saying they will protest economic, educational and health-care
policies.
Organizers
planning Tallahassee march on session opening day
(02/17/2004 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
Organizers of a
march on the Capitol that drew some 11,000 participants four years ago
hope to recapture that enthusiasm and channel it to the polls come
Election Day. A coalition that includes the Florida State Conference of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the
Florida AFL-CIO, the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators
Do
you trust the phone companies?
Hollow
promises
(02/17/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
Big phone
companies have convinced Florida lawmakers -- twice -- that massive
local-service rate hikes were needed to spur competition in the local
phone market. The argument never made much sense, even in the crazy,
mixed-up world of telecommunications. But the Legislature and Gov. Jeb
Bush still bought it.
Crist
downplays party for PSC
(02/19/2004 © Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
TALLAHASSEE --
Attorney General Charlie Crist has shelved
an ethics investigation of the state's Public Service Commission over a
four-day Miami Beach convention partly funded by Florida's largest phone
companies.
Voting
in
Florida
It
s the election ballot, stupid
(02/19/2004 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
As gently as
possible, Secretary of State Glenda Hood's new public service
announcements about voting are saying, "Look, we've tried to make
this as simple as possible, but we can't do it for you."
Florida
shuns backup of ballots
(02/19/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - It
is ''extremely unlikely'' that Florida voters in November will be able
to check their machine-vote ballots against a paper printout before
leaving the polls, the head of the state's election process told the
Legislature on Wednesday.
Campaign
Florida 2004
Marianna
man announces candidacy for House seat
(
02/18/2004
© Jackson
County Floridan)
David Coley has
announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to the
District 7 seat of the Florida House of Representatives. Coley, who grew
up in Graceville and has been a long-time resident of Marianna, is no
stranger to politics.
Castor,
Penelas Bash Both Bushes
(02/18/2004 © Tampa
Tribune)
LONGBOAT KEY -
Betty Castor and Alex Penelas are battling
for the Democratic nomination to Florida's U.S. Senate seat, but their
barbs these days are aimed more at the Republican Bush brothers than at
each other.
Political
Opponents Polite at Polk s First Tiger Bay Club
(
02/19/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
By Bill Rufty
The Ledger bill.rufty@theledger.com BARTOW Say, were those two on the
same side? The first ever Tiger Bay Club of Polk County luncheon held
Wednesday was a huge success -- unless you like your politics served a
little on the raw. More than 150 people attended the event at the Peace
River Country Club.
Dean
backers in Florida ask: Now what?
(
02/19/2004
© Miami
Herald)
ETHAN KATZ,
24-year-old graduate student from Tallahassee Deeply disappointed but
still motivated, many of the Howard Dean supporters in Florida who
organized by the thousands said Wednesday that they will stay
politically active, but some aren't sure how they will channel their
energy.
Fla.
ballot lists 9 Democratic hopefuls
(
02/19/2004
© Palm
Beach Post)
Florida
Democrats will find they still have nine candidates on their March 9
presidential primary ballot. As required by law,
Florida
's Presidential
Candidate Selection Committee met Jan. 7 and formally placed names on
the ballot.
Martinez
taps conservative points in Delray
(02/19/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
DELRAY BEACH --
Calling Janet Jackson's flesh exposure at this year's Super Bowl 'a low
point' in society, Republican Mel Martinez said Wednesday he will 'fight
for family values' if elected to the U.S. Senate.
Election
2004: The mudslinging is under way
(
02/18/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
Anyone who is
not enjoying American politics at this point is missing an important
gene and a sense of humor. Whee, we're off!
Like a dirty shirt, like a herd of turtles, it's the 2004 presidential
campaign.
Candidates
Tout Differences
(02/19/2004 © Tampa
Tribune)
BARTOW - In what
could be a preview of Florida's U.S. Senate race, Democrat Betty Castor
and Republican Bill McCollum used a political forum Wednesday to differ
over President Bush's policies on education, health care and the war in
Iraq.
FTAA
Watch
Gov.
Bush promotes trade in Nicaragua visit
(
02/18/2004
© Naples
Daily News)
MANAGUA
,
Nicaragua
? Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush has received another endorsement in his quest to help bring the
headquarters of the proposed Free Trade Area of the
Americas
, this time from
Nicaraguan president Enrique Bolanos.
Salvador
candidate backs Miami for free trade headquarters
(02/20/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Add another
endorsement from Central America for Miami's bid for the headquarters of
the 34-nation Free Trade Area of the Americas: the frontrunner in El
Salvador's elections set for next month.
Democrats say “new
international outsourcing”
Politicians
spar with state over contract
(02/20/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE -
Democrats tried to seize on a growing national political issue Thursday
by criticizing Republicans for replacing state workers with a private
company that then sent some jobs to India.
Democrats
Want to Keep Jobs in Florida
(
02/20/2004
© Capitol
News Service)
Democratic state
lawmakers say
Florida
is losing too many
jobs to people overseas. The legislators say every company that receives
tax breaks or incentives should have to prove the jobs they create go to
Florida
workers.
More news on new DEP
chief
Guest
editorial: New DEP chief a rare bird
(
02/18/2004
© Naples
Daily News)
Here is a
rarity: an important environmental decision by Gov. Jeb Bush that drew
almost universal praise. When the governor picked Colleen Castille
last week to head the state Department of Environmental Protection, he
got a thumbs up even from hard-line
environmental advocates...
Editorial:
Degree of protection?
(
02/19/2004
© Palm
Beach Post)
Gov. Bush has
chosen a woman who has the trust and support of environmentalists to be
Florida
's next secretary of
the Department of Environmental Protection.
NATIONAL
NEWS
AFL-CIO Endorses John Kerry
for President
AFL-CIO
Votes to Endorse Senator John Kerry for President
13
Million-Member Group Pledges to Launch Biggest and Earliest Effort Ever
(
Washington
; February 19) - - Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with working men and
women and union leaders from around the nation, Senator John Kerry
accepted the 13 million-member AFL-CIO’s endorsement today at a
vibrant rally beneath a banner reading “America Needs Good Jobs.”
“We’ve had three years of national priorities that placed the
special interests of corporations and the wealthy over those of regular
workers and their families,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
“John Kerry will lead us in our fight to make creating good
jobs America’s number one priority…to make affordable health care a
right and not a privilege…He will fight so that we have trade that’s
fair to workers here at home and fair to workers around the world.”
Senator Kerry was introduced by a group of workers, including a
factory worker, a striking Safeway worker, a teacher and an engineering
technician who is likely to be hurt under President Bush’s attempts to
allow employers to slash overtime pay to eight million workers.
“
America
has a jobs crisis. We’ve
lost 2.8 million good manufacturing jobs over the past three years, more
than in the preceding 22 years,” read the AFL-CIO General Board’s
statement to endorse Kerry. “Today
we are unified in our support of a presidential candidate, one who not
only can take on President Bush, defeat him and turn our nation around,
but who is all of the best things
America
has to offer.”
“The AFL-CIO wholeheartedly endorses Senator Kerry for
president,” continued the statement.
“We pledge to him and to the nation that we will run the most
powerful campaign in the history of our movement - - a campaign of, by
and for
America
’s working families.”
Sweeney pledged that the union movement would mobilize earlier,
and on a larger scale, than ever before in its history for the 2004
elections. One out of four
voters in 2000 were from union households.
The
General Board of the AFL-CIO voted without opposition to endorse Senator
Kerry earlier in the day. The
General Board represents the top democratically elected leadership of
the union movement, including the top leaders of all 64 member unions,
the AFL-CIO Executive Council, representatives of state federations as
well as trade departments. In
2004, an AFL-CIO endorsement required a two-thirds vote of the General
Board.
Act now to help
University
of
Pennsylvania
employees
University
of
Pennsylvania
graduate
student employees need your help now. Please take a minute to send a
message urging UPENN to respect the rights of its graduate employees to
form a union and bargain a contract. Click on the link below, or keep
reading.
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/gdzEB9n1C1uo/2
UPENN's
graduate employees voted to form a union in an NLRB-supervised union
election in February 2003. But by exploiting legal loopholes, UPENN had
the ballots impounded.
Please click the link below to send a fax to James S. Riepe,
chairman of UPENN's Board of Trustees and
vice president of the T. Rowe Price Group, urging him to end this
un-democratic stand against workers' rights and to avert a planned
February
26-27, 2004
walkout among
UPENN's graduate teaching and research
assistants.
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/gdzEB9n1C1uo/2
Please reach out to your friends and co-workers who care about workers'
rights and ask them to send a fax supporting the UPENN graduate
employees, too. Click on the link below to send them your message.
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/7pzEB9n1Z1je/1
Thank
you for all you do to restore workers' freedom to form unions and
bargain collectively!
If you have suggestions on how we may improve this online
publication or have information you would like to see posted please
contact our communications director at (850) 224 – 6926 or at rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
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Rich
Templin
Communications Director
Florida
AFL-CIO
