|
06/23/04
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 1,516
Year to date: 68,092
FTAA
POLICE BRUTALITY VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE!
HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENDED!
At the 2004 Legislative Conference we screened a 12
minute video of the police brutality following the 20,000 strong march
for fair trade during the Fair Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
ministerial meeting in
Miami
. Dozens of labor leaders
wanted to secure a copy so that they could spread the word about what
happened on the streets of downtown
Miami
. The AFL-CIO is continuing
to push for accountability in various legal channels but too many people
still don’t know what happened and how bad it really was.
Hundreds of union members, students and retirees were victimized by
the over 3,000 members of the law enforcement community and we have the
video to prove it! Funding
for the massive police build-up was provided by President Bush from the
original $87 billion Iraqi war legislation and you should see what your
tax dollars paid for. This
video makes a disturbing but powerful statement as to the lengths in which
President Bush and his supporters are willing to go to hand control of our
nation and our planet to the biggest multi-national corporations.
This is an excellent
organizing and mobilization tool that will fire up the troops for the
election battles that lie ahead.
This is the footage the
corporate media doesn’t want you to know about!
COPIES
OF THE VIDEO CAN BE ORDERED AT OUR WEBSITE AT www.flaflcio.org.
Check out the following article:
Panel
faults police during FTAA
Miami
Herald
6/3/2004
(From
the AFL-CIO Work in Progress)
'POLICE
TRAMPLED FTAA MARCHERS' RIGHTS'--Activists who went to
Miami
Nov. 18-20 to
protest the closed-door meetings to finalize the Free Trade Area of the
Americas
were met by the
equivalent of martial law. In some cases, police reacted with an
"unrestrained and disproportionate use of force" and "civil
rights were trampled," according to a draft report released late last
month by the Miami-Dade County Independent Review Panel, which is
examining police conduct during the conference. At a public hearing in
December, union members, retirees, students and community members
described mismanagement by police officials in
Miami
that led to
numerous instances of obstruction, intimidation, harassment and repressive
tactics against 20,000 peaceful protestors during a march in downtown
Miami
Nov. 20. To
read a copy of the report, visit http://www.miamidade.gov/irp/Library/5-19-04_FTAA_Exec_sum.pdf
.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make
sure you see this movie!
Fahrenheit
9/11 sparks controversy
(06/18/2004 © Panama
City News Herald)
LOS ANGELES While
the White House and the Republican National Committee have taken an
official 'no comment' approach to Michael Moore and his new anti-Bush
documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, some groups have mobilized a letter-writing
campaign and crafted ads that slam the film
POLITICAL
TICKER: Brown gets screen time in Fahrenheit
(
06/21/2004
© Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
U.S. Rep. Corrine
Brown of
Jacksonville
is in the movies. Brown
said she has gotten word she's in Fahrenheit 9/11, the new Michael Moore
movie said to blister President Bush.
Check
out this preview clip
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.fahrenheit911.com/trailer/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*
Click on blue, underlined text to open full article
STATE
NEWS
Hey,
Hey! Great job Harry Brown, Mike Williams, Debbie Booth and everyone else
in
Orlando
!
It
is my distinct pleasure to announce that today,
June 21, 2004
,
the City of
Orlando
passed by 5-2 a Responsible Contractor
Policy for the City of
Orlando
. This provision includes
prevailing wage thresholds established by Davis Bacon and include
mandatory involvement of either a health care package provided by the
employer or a twenty percent increase in the wage if the company is unable
to offer healthcare for all construction projects over $100,000.
Additionally, there is an apprenticeship program built into this policy
which will be enacted next year. We are excited about this new
policy for our City and thank Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioners for their
support.
Sincerely,
Debra Booth
President
Central Florida
AFL-CIO
Orlando grants trade unions right to 'prevailing wages,' apprentices
--------------------
By Mark Schlueb
Sentinel Staff Writer
June 22, 2004
Trade unions won a victory Monday from Orlando City Hall, which agreed to
pay "prevailing wages" to construction workers on its
public-works projects. The policy change, which was pushed by some of the
same union officials who backed Mayor Buddy Dyer's campaign, also
stipulates that contractors on city jobs will be required to use
apprentice laborers starting in October 2005.Union leaders and city
officials said the new policy would ensure the city gets quality work and
provide new opportunities for trade workers. Building-industry
representatives
predicted it will drive up the cost of government construction projects.
The city will require its contractors to pay workers no less than the
"prevailing wage" for a given position, such as carpenter or
electrician. The U.S. Department of Labor conducts periodic wage studies
to determine that amount, but city officials say it won't be lower than
the "living wage" of $8.50 already required by the city.
Contractors also will have to provide their workers with health benefits
or pay them 20 percent more so they can buy health coverage. "I think
by raising that
floor, we can make it so everybody can at least make a living by working
full time," Commissioner Patty Sheehan said. Mike Williams, president
of the Florida Building Trades union, said an apprenticeship program gives
entry-level workers the ability to climb the career ladder while still
moving from job to job. Commissioners Daisy Lynum
and Ernest Page, the
council's two black members, expressed concerns that the apprenticeship
requirement could leave behind some minorities who otherwise might be able
to work on city projects. They ultimately voted for it, saying they would
watch new projects closely to see if the policy works. Commissioner Vicki Vargo
expressed some of the same concerns, and Commissioner Phil
Diamond worried about the policy's impact on the city budget. Both voted
against the change. Mark Schlueb can be
reached at 407-420-5417or
mschlueb@orlandosentinel.com.
Florida
Election 2004
Group:
Registering poor voters in Tampa area is difficult
(06/20/2004 © Miami
Herald)
ST. PETERSBURG,
Fla. - A field director working on a campaign to register poor and
minority voters in the Tampa Bay area has found that many people seem
uninterested. 'A lot of people ... have given up a long time ago,' said Lavinia
Frank, with the Florida Consumer Action Network Foundation.
Barbara
Revels seeks House District 20 seat
(06/21/2004 © St.
Augustine Record)
click photo to
enlarge Barbara Revels Contributed Photo As a moderate Democrat like
Rep. Doug Wiles, Barbara Revels said she hopes to cross partisan
boundaries to represent all residents in St. Johns, Flagler and Clay
counties in her bid for state House District 20.
Republicans
court the faithful
(06/21/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TAMPA - As U.S.
Senate candidate Mel Martinez discusses his Catholic faith, an adviser
passes out cards asking pastors to pray for him or join the Pro-Family
Leaders for Mel Martinez Committee. Former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum is
introduced at Sunday services at Idlewild
Baptist in
Tampa
Two
more abandon Byrd s campaign
(06/22/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - Two
more Republican legislators from Miami-Dade have defected from state House
Speaker Johnnie Byrd's campaign for the U.S. Senate, citing his inability
to make good on promises and underscoring the widespread dislike many have
for the outgoing leader of the House of Representatives.
Harper
finds gun in campaign office
(06/22/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
WEST PALM BEACH --
State Rep. James Henry 'Hank' Harper Jr. called police last week to assert
he found a handgun in his campaign office the day after firing his
campaign manager during a heated argument.
Deutsch
ads woo black voters
(
06/23/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE
- U.S. Senate candidate
Peter Deutsch on Tuesday launched a radio ad campaign aimed at
African-Americans, who his supporters say could account for one of every
four voters in the Aug. 31 Democratic primary.
|
|
Harper
says commission race still on
(06/23/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
State
Rep. James Henry 'Hank' Harper Jr. says he's committed to
running for the Palm Beach County Commission despite a recent
fax that said he'd seek reelection to his House seat. The fax,
headlined 'Re-Elect Hank Harper Campaign,' was sent by the
Florida Democratic Party House Victory
|
State
of sprawl
(
06/23/2004
© Orlando
Sentinel)
The upcoming
elections provide an excellent opportunity for a debate on whether or not
to fully account for the costs of growth in
Florida
. Those costs, as in
other fast-growing states, have been accumulating for decades and are now
impossible to ignore -- suburban sprawl is a white elephant
Black
voters get high level of attention
(06/23/2004 © Miami
Herald)
U.S. Senate
candidate Peter Deutsch began a radio campaign Tuesday described as one of
the largest statewide efforts to attract black voters. The commercials,
estimated to cost the Democratic congressman representing Broward and
Miami-Dade at least $250,000, will air on urban radio stations
continuously over the next 10 weels until the
Aug. 31 primary election.
Will it be stolen?
Rights
leader scolds Bush on felons
(06/22/2004 © Miami
Herald)
Hearkening back to
the 1960s, when Southern states used poll taxes and intimidation to shut
blacks out of elections, the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Monday accused Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush of engaging in ''disenfranchisement schemes'' by asking
counties to purge felons from voter rolls.
Editorial:
More rights are restored, but system is unchanged
(06/22/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
As many as 22,000
Floridians will be able to vote, serve on juries or do state-licensed work
because Gov. Bush and the state Cabinet restored their civil rights last
week. They committed felonies, did their time and deserve to rejoin
society.
State
shouldn t withhold ex-felons civil rights
(
06/21/2004
© Miami
Herald)
Gov. Jeb Bush and
the Cabinet returned to thousands of former inmates what a mean-spirited
and anachronistic law continues to take away: the right to vote. The
state's top officials cut a two-year-old backlog of 60,000 ex-felons's
applications to about 8,000.
Michael
Peltier: Voting issues again put Florida in spotlight
(
06/21/2004
© Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE
? Will it be deja
vu all over again? The infamously quotable Yogi Berra
likely did not have
Florida
's election system in
mind when he coined the phrase now inseparable with things that happen
over and over again.
No
one said democracy would be easy, but should it be so hard?
(
06/21/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
Buddy Johnson, the
Hillsborough
County
elections supervisor,
thought he was doing me a favor. He sent me a flow chart to explain how
he'll figure out who's a felon and who's not, and, as a result, who can't
vote this year.
Dade
ballot request denied
(06/23/2004 © Miami
Herald)
Miami-Dade County
initiated legal proceedings Tuesday against the state's Division of
Elections after the state said numbers can't be placed next to ballot
questions and candidates during the Aug. 31 mayoral elections.
New
disclaimer law spelling confusion
(
06/23/2004
© Ft. Myers
News-Press)
Campaign
advertising disclaimers are supposed to make it clear to voters who paid
for the brochure, sign or ad. A recent election rule passed by the Florida
Legislature, however, is causing confusion and frustration for candidates
across the state when it comes to this required
Elections
supervisor to add 4 new polling places
(06/23/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
# PALM COAST --
Already facing a crowded field of candidates in local elections, the
Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office is also contending with
rising population numbers in the county.
Health
Care
Big
Tobacco s poison
(
06/21/2004
© Florida
Today)
There's progress
in the battle to prevent teens from lighting up. Continuing education
campaigns and the rising cost of a pack of cigarettes have contributed to
a major drop in the number of teenagers who smoke, according to
a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Governor
in town to tout health plan
(06/21/2004 © Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
Florida businesses
and consumers have another choice for health coverage under recent changes
to the law, which state officials say will improve access and cost of
insurance.
Florida
s new plan for managing mental illness could be a disaster
(
06/22/2004
© Miami
Herald)
Nowhere in
Florida
is mental-health
treatment a bigger issue than it is here in
Miami-
Dade
County
. More than 200,000
people, or almost 10 percent of our population, suffer from a mental
illness -- the highest rate of any urban county in the nation.
Patients
cant use state laws to sue for denied coverage
(
06/22/2004
© Naples
Daily News)
WASHINGTON
? The 130 million
Americans who get health coverage through work cannot use state
malpractice laws to sue their managed-care plan for refusing to cover
treatment their doctor prescribes, the Supreme Court held Monday.
Education
Feds
flunk schools that pass FCAT
(
06/23/2004
© Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
Eight
Clay
County
public schools that
received the coveted A grade from the Florida Department of Education for
2004 were considered failing for the same time period by the U.S.
Department of Education.
Report
Card On Schools Proves Confounding
(06/21/2004 © Tampa
Tribune)
WASHINGTON - It's
no surprise few people understand the mixed messages from state and
federal government about public schools in Florida. State and federal
laws, supposedly designed to help students and hold schools accountable to
taxpayers, have put classrooms at the center of a political tug
Payouts
could cost millions
(06/22/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE -
Florida's school districts could soon pay out millions each year to
administrators, principals and superintendents under a bill now sitting on
the desk of Gov. Jeb Bush. With little discussion or dissent, the
Legislature this spring repealed a 3-year-old prohibition that bans school
districts from handing out ''golden parachutes'' to its retiring or
departing administrative
High-speed
rail proponents tout benefits to state
(06/23/2004 © Northwest
Florida Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE (AP) -
A high-speed train will make money for Florida in the long run, proponents
said Tuesday as a panel of state analysts begin looking at a proposal to
kill the voter-approved project.
Till
proposes loophole for special education students who failed FCATs
(
06/23/2004
© Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Broward school
officials created the faint promise of a loophole for thousands of special
education students held back a year because they failed the FCAT this
month. Admitting that some administrators made mistakes, Superintendent
Frank Till told the School Board on Tuesday that he was setting up a
compromise.
2004
Session fallout
Veto
payout bill
(
06/23/2004
© Miami
Herald)
Paid sick leave is
a hard-fought right with a sensible purpose: to keep workforces healthy.
This logic has been distorted into a costly perk in the public sector,
where many government employees can accrue unused sick pay for a cash
payout at retirement. The incentive, therefore, is to take your germs to
work rather than stay home and recover.
New
laws affect businesses
(06/20/2004 © South
Florida Business Journal)
Florida recently
enacted new workers' compensation insurance laws that will impact most
Florida businesses and have specific effects on South Florida companies,
particularly those in the construction industry.
Affordable
housing funds siphoned off
(
06/21/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
HOMOSASSA - There
are 15 pictures of Christina Hallinan's three
children in her living room. Four hang taped to the wall, surrounding a
crucifix,, seemingly symbolizing the single
mother's faith that frames will come later.
State-worker
stats don t tell whole story
(
06/21/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
If you play around
with statistics long enough, you can find some that will bolster or refute
just about any conclusion. But when you start reading a poll, an insurance
table or a government study, the fun comes when you factor in some nonmath
things that you know about the subject.
Bad
direction
(06/22/2004 © Orlando
Sentinel)
There are plenty
of reasons for Gov. Jeb Bush to veto a poorly conceived bill that would
vest agricultural interests with sweeping new development opportunities.
But the governor's own Department of Community Affairs, which monitors
land-use regulations in the state, offers him the most
Bill
Cries Out For Bush s Veto
(
06/22/2004
© Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
If ever a piece of
legislation cried out for a trip to oblivion, it's SB 1376. Gov. Jeb Bush
should veto it without hesitation. The bill would require judges to
sentence five-time misdemeanor offenders to a minimum of six months in
jail.
Capital
Case Fee Cut Called Tragedy
(06/21/2004 © Tampa
Tribune)
TALLAHASSEE - It
soon could be harder for murder suspects to find a lawyer because the
state is refusing to guarantee private lawyers more than $3,500 for
representing low-income defendants facing the death penalty. Currently,
the fees are paid by counties, most of which have adopted their own
payment schedules, providing higher fees for private lawyers who agree to
represent the poor
Constitutional
amendments
Anti-rail
campaigns send diluted messages
(06/20/2004 © Jacksonville
Business Journal)
Gov. Jeb Bush and
Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher have launched a full fledged
disinformation campaign to discredit and defeat the Florida high-speed
rail project voted into our constitution in November 2000.
and
started this month with less than half as much campaign cash left as his
GOP rival.
Property
Tax Pickle
(
06/21/2004
© Tampa
Tribune)
TALLAHASSEE
- He worked for 17 years
in
Washington
and says he has seen
firsthand the ``horrible waste'' that goes on in government. ``I don't
want to see it grow any bigger,'' said Theodore Melichar,
a mobile-home owner in
Largo
. That antitax
sentiment is common in
Florida
.
Scripps
watch
Project
about roads, not jobs
(
06/21/2004
© Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Ex-land-developer
Jeb Bush is using $300 million in state funds to anchor Scripps as a
biotech magnet in the rural area of northern
Palm Beach
County
. Remarkably, the road
extensions required by the Scripps project will also provide a bonanza of
windfall profits to land speculators and developers in the path of the
area's development.
Other
state news
Crist
attends insurance conference
(
06/21/2004
© Bradenton
Herald)
SARASOTA
- Gathered at the Ritz
instead of the Rotunda, insurance agents and industry lobbyists took the
chance Sunday to talk business with Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.
Members of the Florida Insurance Council and their families kicked off the
trade association's 42nd annual conference Sunday afternoon at the
Ritz-Carlton hotel in downtown
Sarasota
.
Inmate
populations skew representation
(
06/22/2004
© Miami
Herald)
One major player
in
Florida
's seemingly endless
voting rights controversies is the criminal-justice system. Recently,
debates have centered around the merits of
ex-felon disenfranchisement and finding a fair method of removing
ex-felons from voter rolls.
Nothing
will be done without Republican support
(06/21/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
I was disappointed
that a June 17 news story by Alva James-Johnson and Mark Hollis quoted a
source who characterized my letter to Gov. Jeb Bush as 'trying to make a
political issue' out of his June 16 visit to Haiti, but did not give me an
opportunity to respond.
Utilities
costing state big bucks
(
06/23/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
You think you're
getting hit with big electric bills this summer? Imagine the plight of
state government, which finds itself $1.6 million short for utilities. The
Legislative Budget Commission approved the money Tuesday to cover the one
week remaining in the fiscal year.
State
starts surprise inspections of youth offender programs
(
06/23/2004
© Bradenton
Herald)
MIAMI
- The Department of
Juvenile has started a practice of conducting unannounced inspections of
programs for youth offenders. DJJ Secretary Anthony J. Schembri
said four-person "mobile inspection" units will spend at least
12 hours at facilities across the state, and report findings directly to
him.
NATIONAL NEWS
Election
2004
Democrats
TV spoof targets Harris, others
(
06/21/2004
© Miami
Herald)
She's a survivor.
Former Secretary of State Katherine Harris plays a starring role in an
online spoof created by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
that urges partisans to vote their favorite Republican off the island.
Presidential
Campaign Ads More Targeted
(06/20/2004 © Miami
Herald)
WASHINGTON - When
President Bush visits Cincinnati on Monday, a liberal interest group will
air a radio commercial that says 'Ohio's economy was humming along' before
Bush took office.
Kerry
Outspends Bush in May by $10 Million
(
06/20/2004
© Sarasota
Herald-Tribune)
WASHINGTON
-- Democratic
presidential hopeful John Kerry outspent President Bush by about $10
million in May
To
sway voters, campaigns hit phones, doors
(
06/23/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
BRANDON
- Under the fluorescent
lights of a stark strip center office, the Bush-Cheney machine produced a
steady babble. 'President Bush has an optimistic vision for
America
, including strengthening
the economy and keeping
America
safe ...' 'Are you
worried about Democrats proposing to raise
Wage
‘stagnation’ seen as election snag for Bush
Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette
6/22/2004
Bush
Loses Advantage in War on Terrorism
Washington
Post
6/22/2004
Union members take it to
the street
WALKING
TO VICTORY--Union
volunteers continued their drive to call on hundreds of thousands of union
members in a series of June precinct walks in key presidential
battleground states June 19. The walks began June 12 and culminate with a
massive walk June 26 in more than 70 cities. The mobilization is part of
the AFL-CIO's Labor 2004 program. The walkers talk with union household
members about where the presidential candidates stand on good jobs, health
care and other issues. They also distribute literature that compares the
failed policies of President George W. Bush with the plans and record of
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). Your participation is urgently needed--please
sign up for the June 26 walks and other Labor 2004 actions by contacting
your local union or central labor council or visiting http://www.aflcio.org
.
“Voice
at Work” week of action
Workers and
their unions are gearing up to celebrate Independence Day with a Voice@Work
national workplace week of action June 28 to July 4. They will declare the
freedoms we celebrate on Independence Day must include workers' freedom to
form unions and bargain for good contracts. Workers are expected to send
tens of thousands of postcards supporting the Employee Free Choice Act to
the presidential candidates--thanking Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) for
co-sponsoring the legislation and urging President Bush to change his mind
and support the bill. The measure would clear many of the unfair obstacles
workers face when they try to join together in unions. Activists also will
distribute fliers highlighting the differences between Kerry and Bush on
the freedom to form unions and bargain good contracts. Unions, state
federations and central labor councils are mobilizing for a range of Voice@Work
actions. In
Oakland
,
Calif.
, the Alameda County
Central Labor Council will hold a hearing June 28 in which workers will
tell their stories about what happened to them when they tried to form
unions. In
Seattle
, the King County Labor
Council is linking the week of action to ongoing organizing campaigns. On
June 15, the Chicago Federation of Labor hosted a conference about the
obstacles workers face when trying to form unions. Led by AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney and central labor council President Dennis Gannon,
the 500 local activists signed the postcards and took stacks of them to
distribute at their worksites. To order materials, call 202-637-5102 or
e-mail bboyce@aflcio.org by June 23. Quantities are limited.
This
election…focus on the jobs!
KERRY SAYS JOBS EXPORT IS WRONG--"I've met steelworkers and
mine workers and autoworkers who are now ex-workers. They've watched their
jobs and equipment unbolted before their eyes and shipped overseas--and
some have even had to train their foreign replacements. That's wrong.
That's dead wrong, and I'm going to change it," Sen. John Kerry
(D-Mass.) told a cheering crowd at the New Jersey State AFL-CIO convention
June 15. Kerry outlined his plans to stop corporations from shipping jobs
overseas, revive the nation's economy to benefit working families, provide
affordable, quality health care and improve educational opportunities. He
also told delegates at the
Atlantic City
convention,
"It's time once and for all we change the laws so workers can
organize when a majority of them wants to, without intimidation and
interference from management." Visit http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/politics/nj_remarks.cfm
to read the entire speech.
HOUSE
DEMS' JOB PLAN--A new American Jobs Plan would boost job growth in the
United States and help slow the corporate export of American jobs
overseas, U.S. House Democratic leaders said June 16. Rep. George Miller
(D-Calif.) said the new jobs plan would
counter "the inaction of the Bush administration." The
legislation will call for a new business tax credit for newly created U.S.
manufacturing jobs and jobs in other industries harmed by outsourcing; the
elimination of tax incentives for businesses to operate overseas; reviving
the federal extended unemployment insurance program for jobless workers
who exhaust their benefits; and increased funding for job training and
math and science education. Also, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced
legislation (S. 2531) that would eliminate tax deductions and other tax
breaks for companies that ship
U.S.
jobs offshore.
Legislatures in 38 states are considering bills to address job exporting.
In May,
Tennessee
passed a law to allow
the state to give preferences to companies that do not send work overseas.
…and
health care
82
MILLION LACKED HEALTH COVERAGE--One
of every three people in the
United States
younger than
65--nearly 82 million--lacked health care coverage for all or part of 2002
and 2003, according to a new study by Families USA. One-quarter of
middle-income families went without coverage. The report, One in Three:
Non-Elderly Americans Without Health Insurance,
2002-2003, finds more than half of the 81.8 million were uninsured
for at least nine months--an increase of 7 million over 2001-2002. Four
out of five lived in working families. For more information, visit http://www.familiesusa.org
.
A
BRIDGE TO ACTION--On
June 19, tens of thousands of workers took action to Bridge the Gap for
Health Care, participating in historic bridge walks across the
Golden Gate
Bridge
in
San Francisco
and the
Brooklyn
Bridge
in
New York
, and in marches
and rallies in 163 other cities in the Health Care National Day of Action.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney addressed the
Brooklyn
Bridge
marchers. The
events, sponsored by Americans for Health Care, SEIU, Jobs
with Justice and Rock the Vote, are a national call to action for quality,
affordable health care for all. Eight of every 10 of the 44 million
Americans who currently lack health care insurance live in working
families. For more information, visit http://www.bridgingthegapforhealthcare.org
.
GET WELL SOON OR ELSE--States are not doing all they should to
guarantee paid sick leave to employees, according to a new report from the
National Partnership for Women & Families. "Get Well Soon:
Americans Can't Afford to Be Sick," released June 15, analyzed laws
and regulations governing paid sick leave in the United States and found
states and the federal government are doing a poor job of ensuring workers
can use paid sick days to care for ailing children and other relatives. A
separate study by the Project on Global Working Families at
Harvard
University
finds the
United States
lags far behind
the rest of the developed world in giving workers paid sick days. While
117 nations guarantee their workers paid sick leave, the
United States
does not. On
June 15, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
introduced Senate and House versions of the Healthy Families Act that
would require employers to provide full-time workers at least seven paid
sick days per year. For more information on the reports, visit http://www.nationalpartnership.org
and http://www.globalworkingfamilies.org
Justices
Limit Ability to Sue Health Plans
New York
Times
6/22/2004
Drug
Card Confusion (Editorial)
Washington
Post
6/22/2004
Turns out we don’t have
to privatize social security
CBO
SHOWS SOCIAL SECURITY STRENGTH--Social
Security finances are stronger than previously believed, according to new
report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO estimates Social
Security has enough resources to pay full benefits until 2052, a decade
longer than was estimated by the program's trustees earlier this year. The
report "is more evidence that the sky-is-falling tactics that have
been employed for years by those who want to privatize the system for
ideological reasons should be rejected," said AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney.
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