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8/26/03
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 1,941
Year to date: 102,495
St. Pete
Times: Journal of an F year
Second in two-part series: How one school battled the worst label in
Florida
.
© St. Petersburg Times
published
August
25, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/25/Tampabay/Journal_of_an_F_year.shtml
Universities
in Decline
Public colleges and universities have been steadily
undermined by state budget cuts and a mood of legislative indifference.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/26/opinion/26TUE3.html?th
Election
2004
Bush 'Compassion' Agenda: An '04 Liability?
Some supporters admit that the president's "compassionate
conservative" agenda has fallen so far short that he could be
vulnerable on the issue in 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/26/politics/26MEMO.html?th
Miami
Herald: Political analysis | Graham's stance on war risks harm at home
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/6616925.htm
JobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobs
Manufacturers
act to get government action
(08/25/2003 © Miami Herald)
Textile mill executives gave Commerce Undersecretary Grant Aldonas a round
of applause when he pledged trade relief last spring during an industry
meeting in Coral Gables. But the April 3 American Textile Manufacturers
Institute's gathering at the Biltmore Hotel perhaps was the last time the
text...
The
call to move overseas
St.
Petersburg
Times
8/25/03
Sun-Sentinel: Trade ministers, protesters due in
Miami
for new
regional summit
Posted
August
25 2003
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-zftaaupdate25xaug25,1,7273730.story?coll=sfla-news-miami
United
Teachers of Dade problems near conclusion
AP: Union chief admits taking $650,000 from teachers accounts
Tuesday,
August 26, 2003
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/08/florida/d971099a.htm
California
Coup
Bustamante
Has Big Lead on Schwarzenegger
Los
Angeles
Times
8/24/03
Schwarzenegger
goes after Bustamante, woos conservatives
San
Jose
Mercury News
8/26/03
AFL-CIO
Deciding on Calif. Recall Stance
Seattle
Times
8/26/03
Former
Davis Donors Give to Rivals; Schwarzenegger Breaks Money Vow
LA Times
8/26/03
Pity
the Winner
The
California
recall election may well be a lose-lose-lose proposition for the state's
Republican Party.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/opinion/24LCAN.html?th
Different
campaign expected from Davis
San
Jose
Mercury News
8/25/03
Democrats
court state labor vote in governor race
Seattle
Times
8/24/03
Democratic
Bandwagon Forcing Shift in Davis Camp
New
York
Times
8/23/03
Schwarzenegger the Investor Relies on Expert Advice
State records and interviews with investment advisers
indicate that Arnold Schwarzenegger appears to be
tamer
than his on-screen persona when
it comes to his own money.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/national/24MONE.html?th
STILL
TALKING AT VERIZON--Negotiators
for two unions, the Communications Workers of America and the
Electrical Workers, reported Aug. 25 that substantial progress had been
made in contract talks with Verizon Communications, but several important
issues remain unresolved. Meanwhile, the grassroots mobilization for a
fair contract is growing rapidly. More than 15,000 people have sent faxes
to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, calling on the company to keep well-paying
jobs in their communities. Working families along the East Coast,
including 750,000 AFSCME members, have pledged to switch their local and
long distance service to AT&T, another unionized carrier, if the
negotiations do not produce a fair contract. The nearly 80,000 workers in
New
England
,
New
York
,
New
Jersey
,
Pennsylvania
,
Delaware
,
Maryland
,
the
District
of Columbia
,
Virginia
and
West
Virginia
have remained on the job beyond an Aug. 2 strike deadline. For more
information, visit http://cwa-union.org/fairnessatverizon
.
Verizon
'Close' to Contract Deal
The
Washington
Post
8/26/03
Verizon,
unions still in talks; CWA chief rips management
San
Jose
Mercury News
8/26/03
'Progress'
in Verizon Talks
The
Washington
Post
8/23/03
Verizon
and Unions Plan All-Night Talks
The
New York
Times
8/25/03
Once
again, White House secrecy puts your health at risk.
Working heroes at 9/11 Ground Zero at high risk, Bush knew and lied about
it.
Dust
and Deception
Under pressure from the White House, the E.P.A.
systematically misled New Yorkers about the health risks of
the
World
Trade
Center
's
collapse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/26/opinion/26KRUG.html?th
Fouling
the Air
In defiance of Congress, the courts and the requirements of public health,
the Bush administration is on the verge of repealing a key section of the
Clean Air Act.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/23/opinion/23SAT1.html?th
St.
Pete Times: Sneaky Friday
Did you miss the EPA's announcement last week that it will relax
enforcement of the Clean Air Act? You were supposed to.
published
August
26, 2003
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/26/Opinion/Sneaky_Friday.shtml
Fiscal
Conservatism?
Congressional Deficit Estimate May Exceed a Half-Trillion
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is likely to forecast on
Tuesday a federal budget deficit for next year that is even larger than
the Bush administration has predicted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/26/politics/26DEFI.html?th
The
battle to save overtime nears its final act.
DOWN TO THE WIRE ON OVERTIME PAY--There's
still time
to stop the Bush administration's overtime protection take-away. Congress
is expected to vote the week of Sept. 2 on Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-Iowa)
amendment to the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill,
which would block the White House's attempts to change the rules and
eliminate overtime pay protections for millions of workers. The vote will
be extremely close, and working families have been meeting with members of
Congress in their home districts during the August recess to urge them to
vote to save overtime pay and to pass the Harkin amendment. For more
information on how you can make your voice heard and keep overtime pay,
visit www.unionvoice.org/campaign/senateOTrider
.
New
leadership for AFGE
AFGE DELEGATES ELECT NEW PRESIDENT;
JOHN GAGE BECOMES NEW UNION LEADER
(
Las
Vegas
,
NV
)-Over
1,200 government employees-serving as delegates to
AFGE's 36th National Convention-yesterday elected John Gage as their new
National President, defeating second term incumbent Bobby L. Harnage, Sr.
Gage's victory reflects the delegates' confidence in his ability to
effectively combat the most hostile administration government employees
have faced in several decades. Gage
was elected on the second ballot with a 53 percent majority of voters.
President of Local 1923, Gage has been in office for over 20 years
running the largest federal employee Local in the country and
representing approximately 30,000 employees nationwide at such
agencies
as the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (formally HCFA), Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and the
National Mediation Board.
Gage has negotiated state of the art contracts, testified at
many
congressional hearings on behalf of federal employees and has
successfully organized many new units under the federal sector. Gage
also serves as Vice President on the Executive Board of the
Baltimore
Metro Central Labor Body and is a member of the SSA/AFGE Union
Management Committee.
Convention delegates also re-elected Jim Davis for a second term as
National Secretary-Treasurer with a 60 percent majority.
Women's
Director Andrea Brooks was elected by acclamation on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Gage
notes his plans for the next three years include an aggressive
assault against Bush Administration policies that AFGE believes are
dismantling critical government services to the public. "AFGE has the
responsibility to let the American public know what is really going on
with government. The Social Security Administration is being starved of
resources, VA hospitals are being threatened with closures, billions of
taxpayer dollars are being dumped into Defense contractors' pockets, and
public services are being directly converted to "for-profit"
corporations.
"We
will make it clear to the American people that the Bush
Administration's efforts to privatize half of our government's workforce
have nothing to do with saving money or improving services.
It's all about political payoffs for well-connected campaign
contributors. Further, Bush's efforts to eliminate collective bargaining
rights have nothing to do with 'flexibility' and everything to do with
outright de-unionization.
The
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, is the largest union
for federal workers, representing some 600,000 federal employees in the
United
States
and overseas, as well as employees working for the
District
of Columbia
.
Challenger
Ousts AFGE Leader: Harnage Defeated at Government Workers' Convention
Washington
Post
8/23/03
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
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