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7/22/03
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 2,451
Year to date: 91,200
WE
NEED YOUR LABOR DAY NEWS
Labor Day is OUR
holiday! The
Florida
AFL-CIO is compiling a press packet
to send out to state-wide media to help promote your Labor Day events.
This is the best time of year to discuss the working families
agenda and the press is already calling us looking for information about
labor day events across the state. As
you plan your events please let us know and we will include it in our
press packet. Also, we will
advertise your events on our website so that others can find out about
them and help you celebrate. Resources
and flyer toolkits are available at www.aflcio.org
and as always the state fed will be happy to help you plan for the media
at your event. Send your
information or requests for assistance to rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
Thanks!
AFL-CIO
Presidential Forum To Be Televised August 5th.
PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES FORUM--Be sure to watch C-SPAN for live coverage of the
national AFL-CIO forum for presidential candidates focusing on working
family issues Aug. 5 in
Chicago
at
8 p.m. ET
, in conjunction
with the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting. All current Democratic
candidates are scheduled to attend. President George W. Bush has been
invited to speak to the council in
Chicago
or at a
specially scheduled meeting. The AFL-CIO asked the presidential candidates
to respond to a detailed questionnaire about issues critical to working
families such as jobs, health care, retirement security, education,
corporate accountability, a strong and secure
America
, civil and
human rights and the freedom of workers to form unions. You can read their
responses by visiting www.aflcio.org/candidates2004.
AFL-CIO
WORKING FAMILIES PRESIDENTIAL FORUM
TUESDAY,
AUG. 5
BROADCAST LIVE ON C-SPAN
7 P.M. CENTRAL
8 P.M.
EASTERN
The
AFL-CIO Can Help You Host a Watch Party - Order
an AFL-CIO Working Families
Presidential Forum Watch Party Toolkit and copies of My Voter Guide by
calling 1-800-442-5645 (in Washington, D.C., call 202-637-5042). You can
also contact the Florida AFL-CIO in
Tallahassee
for assistance
at (850) 224-6926.
AFSCME
Scores a big win…Service Worst takes a hit.
Court
allows Service First redos
Employees can challenge their reclassification
Tallahassee
Democrat 7/20/03
Thousands of state employees who lost Career Service protection can try to
regain their job security under a court ruling that shot a hole in Gov.
Jeb Bush's "Service First" personnel system.
Aides to the governor said Bush is confident that most employees in the
16,300 jobs that were reclassified two years ago like the added vacation
time and free health insurance they gained as Selected Exempt Service
employees. But the head of the employees union that challenged Service
First, and her attorneys, said the ruling by a three-judge First District
Court of Appeal panel might knock down the whole system.
"The court's ruling does what the governor should have done when he
moved all those people to Selected Exempt," said Jerry Traynham, who
argued the case for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees. "It may go a long way to restoring some morale to Career
Service."
Appellate Judges Michael Allen, Anne Booth and Edward Barfield ruled in
favor of five employees — four in the Department of Children &
Families and one in the Agency for Health Care Administration — who
challenged their reclassification from Career Service to Selected Exempt.
All five were fired without cause, which is permitted in Selected Exempt
Service and Senior Management Service.
"We agree that appellants should have been provided a point of entry
into the administrative process when their positions were reclassified as
Selected Exempt," said the brief, unanimous ruling. The judges
ordered "administrative proceedings to determine factually whether
appellants' positions at the time they were reclassified to Selected
Exempt status met the Legislature's specific statutory criteria of Career
Service exemptions..."
State agencies will start contacting employees next week, giving them 21
days to ask for a hearing if they think they were improperly moved from
Career Service to Selected Exempt.
Bush's office has drafted a form letter emphasizing bonuses, free
insurance and annual leave benefits of Selected Exempt Service status —
but none of the disadvantages, such as loss of overtime pay or protection
against "at will" firing.
Traynham and Ben Patterson, who also represents AFSCME, said Bush and his
department heads made a wholesale reclassification of any workers they
considered "managerial, supervisory or confidential" under
Service First. The lawyers said some DCF workers who "supervise"
patients at state hospitals, but don't oversee any co-workers, were
reclassified — and that some clerical workers who had access to test
scores or planning documents got a blanket reclassification as
"confidential."
Traynham said the legislative standard for "supervisory"
employees is that they spend more than half their time managing other
workers "and there's virtually nobody until you get to the
bureau-chief level that actually does that much supervision."
Service First moved 16,300 positions out of Career Service, making it
easier for managers to reassign the employees, redefine their duties, and
promote or fire them.
The new system was accompanied by a bonus plan that rewards top
performers. Selected Exempt Service employees do not pay for life and
health insurance, and they get 176 hours of vacation per year — compared
with 104 to 156 in Career Service, depending on length of service.
"The court's decision is a clear setback to the administration's
attempt to make all state employees at-will," said Jeanette Wynn,
state president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees. Employees who can't appeal a dismissal or reassignment are
known as "at-will" workers, since they hold their jobs at the
will of their bosses.
"The court ruled that the administration violated the law in
transferring Career Service workers to Selected Exempt without affording
them appeal rights that all Floridians enjoy," Wynn said. "Just
as we have defended their rights in court, now we will assist these
employees in challenging their transfers and rejoining the Career
Service."
Department of Management Services spokesman Towson Fraser and Jill Bratina,
Bush's communications director, said they don't expect a flood of appeals.
The governor's legal staff has decided not to appeal the district-court
ruling, and agencies will send a letter to affected employees next week,
they said.
"I think most employees at this point see the benefits and believe
they are better off than they were two years ago," Fraser said.
"I don't think many employees will want to go back to Career
Service."
The letter advising employees of their appeal rights praises them for
helping to "make our government stronger and better." It does
not actively try to deter Selected Exempt Service workers from seeking
hearings but restates the benefits of their new status.
"The renewed dedication of our employees under Service First has
helped place
Florida
in a very strong position relative to other states," said a draft of
the letter, furnished to the Tallahassee Democrat by the governor's office
Friday. "While many other states struggle with huge deficits,
Florida
's
state budget continues to grow and we continue to lead the nation in job
growth. You have helped our state continue to deliver services effectively
to our citizens, and I hope you share the pride in what we have
accomplished together."
A survey by some
Florida
State
University
researchers in March indicated widespread employee dissatisfaction with
Service First. The survey of 457 employees who had been moved from Career
Service to Selected Exempt said that 57 percent thought one goal of the
new system was to "increase the state's flexibility to hire, fire,
reward and punish employees," while only 10 percent thought that
Service First led to better pay.
The study, conducted after the first year of Service First, showed that 74
percent of those who were moved did not expect the new plan to improve
their benefits.
The
continuing shameful politics of Medical Malpractice Insurance – The
experts have stated under oath that there is no medical malpractice
crisis, that doctors are not leaving the state, that the insurance
carriers are making more money in
Florida
than ever before and
that caps will do nothing to reduce rates.
The question then, why are we still dealing with all this?
Two words – “campaign donations”
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072003/opl_13062486.shtml
Gainesville
Sun: Senate panel takes sworn testimony
GARY
FINEOUT and LLOYD DUNKELBERGER
Sun
Tallahassee Bureau
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030720/EDITORIALS/307190015
Associated
Press
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/6348792.htm
Tampa
Tribune: A Word Of Counsel To Jeb Bush From A
Republican Of Long Ago
Published:
Jul 22, 2003
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGAP0L5XEID.html
Senators
expect to be targets of harsh tactics as malpractice reform drags on.
©
St. Petersburg Times
published
July 22, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/22/State/Business_remains_as_s.shtml
Florida
Today: Legislators
fold on malpractice cap bill
Lawmakers
to meet Aug. 5 to tackle issue
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryA6644A.htm
Here
we go again!?
Tampa
Tribune: Senior
Care Lobby Wants Its Own Caps
Published:
Jul 21, 2003
http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGADWCTVDID.html
The
Byrd machine moves on – at your expense.
Miami
Herald: Byrd to curtail hefty contributions
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/6353800.htm
Melone/St.
Pete Times: Is labeling Byrd
'lunatic' an insult, or a diagnosis?
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/20/Columns/Is_labeling_Byrd__lun.shtml
Orlando
Sentinel: 2 Bush aides hired for House speaker's race for
U.S.
Senate
Posted
July 22, 2003
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-locbyrd22072203jul22,0,6593947.story?coll=orl-news-headlines
Florida
Today: Legislators fold on malpractice cap bill
Lawmakers
to meet Aug. 5 to tackle issue
FLORIDA
TODAY
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryA6644A.htm
Senate
President Jim King
Tallahassee
Democrat: King leads with heart, humor
Senate
chief taking heat for standing up to governor
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/6347923.htm
The
Bush family forum for education reform – talk up improvements when they
happen, invent them when they don’t.
In
Texas
and
Florida
the truth is coming out
that “fuzzy math” has been the rule of thumb for both Bush
administrations in the area of education reform.
Houston
's
School Dropout Debacle
Rod
Paige, the former
Houston
school superintendent and
current
education secretary, has declined to comment on the scandal. He can remain
silent no longer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/21/opinion/21MON2.html?th
Tampa
Tribune: Tax Credit Scholarship Program Needs Serious State Oversight
Published:
Jul 21, 2003
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGAEOMGQAID.html
Where
the state sees progress the federal government sees failure, allowing for
transfers out of four schools.
©
St. Petersburg Times
published
July 21, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/21/Tampabay/Improved_schools_may_.shtml
Palm
Beach
Post: Bush vs. Bush on schools: State should sort it out
Palm Beach
Post Editorial
Monday, July 21, 2003
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/opinion_f3a1bfa8224211280096.html
Reform
law is flawed
USA
Today
7/22/03
Election
2004
Posted
July 21 2003
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-abubba21jul21,0,5254665.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla
The
senator has accused the administration of ignoring the terrorist threat
from al-Qaida so it could ill-advisedly focus on attacking
Iraq
.
©
St. Petersburg Times
published
July
22, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/22/Worldandnation/Graham_has_big_stake_.shtml
Tallahassee
Democrat: Castor speaks out at Democratic picnic
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/6347948.htm
Associated
Press
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/6347407.htm
Monday, July 21, 2003
Associated
Press
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/07/florida/d889981a.htm
St.
Pete Times: In
Iowa, rivals grab, gab, repeat
Democratic
presidential candidates spend long days looking for leverage in union
halls, coffee shops and garages.
©
St. Petersburg Times
published
July 21, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/21/Worldandnation/In_Iowa__rivals_grab_.shtml
Palm
Beach
Post: Negron announces run for Congress
Tuesday,
July 22, 2003
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/tuesday/local_news_f3c1c91a224262981000.html
Kucinich
brings liberal, spiritual, long-shot presidential bid to town
Seattle
Times
7/20/03
Democratic
Race Wide-Open
Washington
Post
7/21/03
New
study – Votes tied to fundraising – shocking!
Follow
the Money to See Lawmakers' Votes
Associated
Press (AP)
7/19/03
Analysis
shows votes, campaign donations are often correlated
Baltimore
Sun
7/20/03
Attack
on workers’ overtime rights continues
OT
plan divides workplace
Denver
Post
7/20/03
Tell
Bush to Leave OT Alone
Rocky
Mountain News
7/22/03
Thomas:
Don't turn back clock on overtime for workers
Houston
Chronicle
7/20/03
Another
win for the Gipper
Fort
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
7/21/03
Working
families’ overtime campaign changes White House E Mail system…
E-MAIL
UPSET--After hundreds of thousands of workers jammed the White House
with e-mail messages protesting a Bush administration plan to take away
overtime rights, the White House re-engineered its e-mail system,
"The New York Times" reported July 18. In the front-page story,
a national Web design authority called the new system "a very
cumbersome process" that was "probably designed to cut down on
e-mail." After the "Times" article, the White House changed
the system again to acknowledge receipt of e-mails and to make its privacy
policy more prominent. For more information, visit www.aflcio.org
.
Writing
to the President, Now at Easiertofind.com
The
New York
Times
7/19/03
Seniors
still fighting for a real
prescription
drug benefit
Congress
Knows a Bad Deal When It Drafts One
Detroit
News
7/21/03
Subsidies
to Poor Pose a Hurdle to Compromise on Medicare
Bill
The
House and the Senate differ widely on how to treat poor people in
legislation adding prescription drugs to Medicare.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/21/politics/21POOR.html?th
DEMANDING
A REAL DRUG BENEFIT--The
Alliance
for Retired Americans will launch a massive campaign working with the
AFL-CIO and affiliated unions this week to protest two sham
Medicare drug benefit bills passed by the Senate and House. The protests
and rallies will be held in the home districts of members of Congress who
supported the bills. The
Alliance
is mailing more than 750,000 postcards to members nationwide and is
providing a toll-free number for retirees to call their senators and
representatives to tell them not to privatize Medicare and to retain
existing employer-provided drug benefits.
Alliance
members also will tell their stories at town hall meetings nationwide this
summer. During the
Alliance
's
national legislative conference, Sept. 3-5 in
Washington
,
D.C.
,
members will lobby Congress for a real Medicare prescription drug benefit.
The two Medicare bills are now in the hands of a conference committee that
may work through the summer to reconcile the different versions. Both
bills leave millions of seniors with huge drug costs and encourage
employers to drop retiree drug coverage. The bills also would lead to
Medicare privatization and drive up premium costs for seniors who want to
stay in traditional Medicare, while doing nothing to contain drug costs.
On average, prices of the 50 drugs most prescribed to seniors rose 3.5
times the rate of inflation in 2002, according to "Out of Bounds:
Rising Prescription Drug Prices for Seniors, a new report by the health
care consumer group Families USA." For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org
. To get a copy of the report, visit www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/Out_of_
Bounds.pdf?docID=1522.
Unions
build strength even while numbers drop
Lance
Compa Article
How Unions
are Staying Strong, Despite Falling Numbers
The
Washington
Post
7/21/03
Who
is in charge in
Washington
,
Texas
?
Washington
Post: Fundraising Focus Earns DeLay Wealth of Influence
PACs
Widen Clout in
Texas
and
Washington
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25766-2003Jul21.html
Washington
Post Staff Writer
Tuesday,
July
22, 2003
;
Page A01
Bush
support continues to wane, are people finally reading?
USA
Today: President's approval rating drops in poll
By
Jim Drinkard,
USA
TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-07-21-bush-poll-usat_x.htm
A
new privatized army?
OP-ED
CONTRIBUTOR
Have
Guns, Will Travel
By
P. W. SINGER
The
Pentagon is planning to outsource postwar
Iraq
through
the
private sector. This mix of profit motive and war has
more
problems than it does solutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/21/opinion/21SING.html?th
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.
If you would
not like to receive future copies of this newsletter or would like to be
added to our subscription list please let us know at cbell@flaflcio.org.
Rich
Templin
Communications Director
Florida
AFL-CIO
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