02/06/04
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 1,563
Year to date: 5,530
STATE
NEWS
Geraldine
Ferraro to Join Progressive Women in walk for change
Women’s
Voices works to register voters, to share information about issues that
affect our lives, and to provide opportunities to raise a unified voice
for women’s priorities - issues that affect our families before
political leaders and candidates. Some
of these priorities are education and child care, health care, jobs,
overtime pay, and safety.
Women’s Voices is going door-to-door armed with three objectives
–register, educate, and mobilize.
The mission is to register women voters, to establish ongoing
communications sharing information about critical working family issues,
and to provide opportunities to raise a unified voice for social and
economic justice before political leaders and candidates.
The first Women’s Walk
will take place on Saturday, February 7, 2004 departing from the offices
of the United Teachers of Dade Union, 2200 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL.
Geraldine Ferraro will be joining the walk which takes place from 9am-
1pm Please make every
effort to join in, and/or to pass this information on t others in the
area.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT: Dorothy Townsend (305) 654-7411 or at dt291@bellsouth.net
Fighting
unfair tax cuts
On
Tuesday, the Florida AFL-CIO participated with many other advocacy
organizations in a press conference to call attention to the latest
round of proposed tax cuts. Below
is a copy of President Hall’s statement as well as some newspaper
accounts.
Good
Afternoon,
I know there are many of us here today who want the opportunity to
speak with you so I will keep my comments brief.
On behalf of the 500,000 workers, retirees and their families I
represent I am here to voice our opposition to another roll back in
Florida
’s Intangibles Tax.
Students are taught in basic economics that there are three
possible sources of revenue for democratic governments.
Income, wealth and transactions.
As
Florida
’s wealthiest
citizens are proud to say,
Florida
has no tax on income
except on the biggest corporations and those taxes have all but been
eliminated under the current administration.
In the past,
Florida
taxed wealth in the
form of stocks and bonds to ensure that wealthy citizens who relocate to
our state pay their fair share to safeguard the quality of life that
brought them here. Today
the Governor is requesting that this source of revenue also be
eliminated. That leaves
taxes on transactions,
Florida
’s well known sales
tax. Those same students in
basic economics classes also learned that sales taxes are the most
regressive and place the highest burden on seniors on fixed incomes and
on working families struggling to get by and build better futures for
their children.
The people of
Florida
have been told that
the intangibles tax is an, and I quote, “onerous tax on our seniors
and savers.” This is
simply untrue. The
intangibles tax, at it highest levels were only paid by 4% of the
state’s population and of those, the majority of the tax was paid by
individuals with over $500,000 and couples with over $1 million dollars
in stocks and bonds. That
is the truth. That is what
the working families I represent realize and that is what the majority
of Floridians need to understand before the Legislature moves forward
and further restricts this critical source of income for our state.
The working families I represent will not benefit from this and
the other high end tax cuts that have been enacted over the past 4 years
but they do depend on the programs and services that are being
sacrificed to pay for it.
Florida
is on the front lines
in the so-called “jobless recovery.”
We still have almost 400,000 who are out of work and that does
not include the estimated 100,000 more who have been permanently removed
from the job rolls because they have been looking for work for so long.
When
the federal government gave $449 million to help those workers, the
Governor and the Legislature refused and instead used that money to help
fund more tax breaks and some of the biggest corporate welfare packages
in
Florida
’s history.
These workers can’t afford stocks and bonds, they are doing
whatever they can to put food on the table, clothing on their
children’s backs and give them health care when they are sick.
This tax cut is an affront to basic decency and fairness.
I know many of you in the press understand this.
I have read it in your stories an in the editorial pages of your
newspapers. The people of
Florida
are relying on you to
continue to expose this sham for what it is.
The working people in
Florida
do not need and can
not afford another giveaway to
Florida
’s wealthy.
They need good schools, quality healthcare, responsible jobs
creation and a healthy environment.
These needs can not, I repeat can
not, be met through the Governor’s Robin Hood in reverse policies.
We call on the Legislature to do their job, to really look at the
condition of our state and do what’s right and think of everyone when
they make their decisions about
Florida
’s budget.
Advocates,
Democrats criticize proposed tax cuts
(02/03/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. - Advocates for poor and working families spoke out Tuesday against
tax cuts proposed by Gov. Jeb Bush, charging they would help the wealthy
and drain funding from services to the needy.
Advocates
Bash Tax Cuts
(
02/04/2004
© Capitol
News Service)
Advocates for
Florida
's low-income residents
are bashing Governor Jeb Bush's proposal to cut more taxes.
Plenty
for tax cuts, not enough for anything else
Commissioners
blast Bush on senior aid cuts
(02/04/2004 © Bradenton
Herald)
MANATEE - The
plight of senior citizens needing a little help - but instead left
lingering on waiting lists - drew the wrath of Manatee County
commissioners Tuesday, and it was aimed squarely at Gov. Jeb Bush and
the Florida Legislature.
Jeb
s insurance shell game is hurting kids
(
02/04/2004
© Orlando
Sentinel)
It can happen to
you. Ask Jennie Johnson-Niven. She never thought she'd be jobless and
that her kids would go without health insurance. That was before August
2002, when she lost her job of 15 years at Tyco -- yeah, that Tyco, the
one that corporate execs raided for their personal pleasure.
Florida
Has More Kidcare Money
(02/06/2004 © Capitol
News Service)
Governor Jeb
Bush and Republican leaders say Florida now has the money to eliminate a
waiting list of more than 100-thousand children hoping to get on the
KidCare insurance plan. But they don't want to spend that money - yet.
The delay is angering people who say sick kids can't afford to wait.
Education
Tech
fee increase urged with tuition
(02/04/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
RLANDO - At a
time when Florida's university students could see tuition rise 7.5
percent, as suggested by the governor, students also could end up paying
extra in fees for new technology.
Universities
student leaders skeptical of technology fee proposal
(02/03/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
ORLANDO, Fla.
tudent leaders from Florida's public universities expressed skepticism
Tuesday about a proposed per-credit-hour fee that would pay for
technology upgrades on campuses.
Playing
catch-up in education
(02/05/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
In proposing to
give community colleges $104.5-million more to spend next year, Gov. Jeb
Bush acknowledged the colleges have been left, even in good times, with
budgetary "crumbs."
Accounting
for Voucher Schools
(02/04/2004 © Lakeland
Ledger)
Last week, a man
in Ocala was arrested and charged with fraudulently bilking the state
out of more than $200,000 in private school voucher funds.
Health care issues
State
senators urge tough penalties for Medicaid drug fraud
(02/04/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE -- A
Senate panel set up to crack down on Medicaid fraud on Tuesday demanded
tough new laws to give health officials the power to swiftly discipline
doctors who prescribe grossly excessive amounts of narcotics for the
poor.
Dems:
Let companies buy into state health insurance pool
(02/06/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
TALLAHASSEE --
Seeking to help some of the nearly 3 million uninsured Floridians,
Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that small private businesses should
be able to buy the same health insurance for their employees as state
government does for its workers.
Campaign finance and
voting
Oliphant
case gets Senate lawyer
(02/05/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE
Senate President Jim King has asked the Senate's top lawyer to direct
him on how to handle a trial in front of the full Senate for suspended
Broward Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant.
Palm
Beach County avoids lawsuit, will buy printers for voting machines
(
02/04/2004
© Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
County
commissioners got themselves out of a lawsuit Tuesday by agreeing to buy
printers for the county's 5,400 touch-screen voting machines. The county
positioned itself to be among the first in the state to get printers for
its machines, but getting them in time for the November election could
prove tricky.
Bush
seeks to unveil donors
(02/05/2004 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
Gov. Jeb Bush
and the incoming legislative leadership want state lawmakers to disclose
who donates to their political funds and how they spend the money in
climbing their way to the top of the Capitol's power structure.
Bush
urges mandatory disclosure
(02/04/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE ·
With an election year dawning, Gov. Jeb Bush outlined proposals Tuesday
that he said would help Floridians know exactly who is pouring cash into
political campaigns.
Campaign
Bucks
(
02/04/2004
© Capitol
News Service)
The Governor
wants to close a loophole in the state's campaign finance law. The
problem is C-C-E's... Committees of Continuous Existence.
Florida
election 2004
Andersen
files to run for Kosmas legislative seat
(02/04/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
Volusia County
School Board member Judy Andersen has filed papers to run for the
Florida House, stepping into one of the most-closely watched legislative
races in the state. Andersen, a Democrat, is seeking the District 28
seat held by Rep. Suzanne Kosmas,
D-New
Smyrna
Beach
, who will leave office
this fall because of term limits.
Florida
primary might count more this year -- http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7868536.htm
Ethics
shmethics
Governor
must choose Struhs successor carefully
(02/04/2004 © Charlotte
Sun Herald)
Florida
Department of Environmental Protection head David Struhs did Gov. Jeb
Bush no favor with his surprise resignation last week -- bolting for a
position with International Paper. Some environmentalists, however,
believe
Florida
will be better off
with the 43-year-old Struhs leaving.
Senators
defend trip to Vegas as personal
(02/04/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE -
Top Florida Senate leaders traveled to Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend
with the chairman of an Indian tribe that wants the Legislature to give
it authority to decide when law enforcement agencies can visit the
reservation.
Bennett
downplays trip to Vegas with tribe s chairman
(02/05/2004 © Bradenton
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE -
HERALD STAFF AND WIRE REPORT Senate President Jim King says his Super
Bowl weekend trip to Las Vegas with the chairman of the Miccosukee
Indian Tribe is "much ado about nothing."
State
loses another top official
(
02/05/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
Florida Chief
Information Officer Kim Bahrami announced her resignation Wednesday. She
is the third top official in Gov. Jeb Bush's administration to resign in
a month. Bahrami will leave her position Feb. 27 to "pursue
opportunities in the private sector," she said in a letter e-mailed
to the staff.
House
panel passes bill putting testimony under oath
(02/03/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. bill approved Tuesday by a House committee says people testifying
before the Legislature would have to sign a form saying they are
presumed to be under oath and are telling the truth.
Other
legislative issues
Short
Takes
(02/04/2004 © Lakeland
Ledger)
Short Takes THE
REAL CULPRITS Legislators, concerned that there are too many citizens'
petitions seeking to amend the state Constitution, have set up a
commission to study the matter. Here's an interesting finding: There
have been 73 amendments proposed in the past 25 years. Of those, only 15
made the ballot using the citizen petition.
House
bill would make it harder to end life of incapacitated
(02/04/2004 © Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE —
People incapacitated by disease or injury who've never written down
whether they'd want to be fed through a tube would kept alive regardless
of their family's wishes under a measure under consideration in the
state House.
Lawmakers
goal for law: Keep Tampa woman alive
(02/04/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE -
For the second time in a year, conservative state legislators want to
pass a law to prolong the life of Terri Schiavo, the comatose Tampa
woman whose plight has provoked a national debate over the right to live
and die.
Medical
life sentence
(
02/05/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
Imagine watching
a loved one dwell in a permanent unconscious state, hooked up to feeding
tubes and other life support machines
Senator:
Water transfer plan dead issue
(02/05/2004 © Sumter
County Times)
State Sen. Nancy
Argenziano on Wednesday said she thinks the debate about water transfers
is dead for the time being and that it won't surface in the Legislature
this year. Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, said a proposal from an advisory
group to the governor to privatize water and form a statewide board died
when lawmakers realized the concept was unpopular statewide.
NATIONAL
NEWS
Overtime
takeaways already mounting
VETS'
O.T. AT RISK--Employers
are setting the wheels in motion to deny some of their military veteran
employees overtime pay under changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act the
Bush administration intends to issue soon. The changes could eliminate
overtime pay protections for 8 million workers and would allow employers
to drop overtime pay for workers who have received certain kinds of
training while in the military. The Washington Post reported Jan. 29
that Boeing Co., along with other firms, wrote the Department of Labor
last year strongly supporting the changes that would affect veterans.
Pro-worker lawmakers in Congress plan to seek legislation to halt the
Bush administration's attack on overtime pay. Both the House and Senate
voted to protect overtime pay as part of an appropriations bill, but
Bush administration veto threats along with its strong-arm tactics
forced Congress to drop the overtime pay guarantee from the legislation.
Visit www.aflcio.org
to tell President Bush to withdraw his overtime pay take-away.
Election
2004
Gephardt
Throws His Support to Kerry
New York
Times
2/6/04
Rising anti-Bush sentiment driving Democrats to polls –
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10416-2004Feb3.html]
Labor
ponders Edwards, Kerry --
http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=1231
Military
service becomes a weapon in a Kerry-Bush race -- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/04/politics/campaign/04MILI.html
Winless,
Lieberman drops out --
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/04/politics/campaign/04LIEB.html
Howard
Dean girds to fight another day
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dean4feb04,1,5421414.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Dean
calls union leaders, shoring up his labor support
NewsFlash
2/5/04
More
coverage of Grocery workers strike and lockout
CHRONOLOGY-Key
events in U.S. supermarket dispute
Reuters
2/5/04
Striking
Supermarket Workers Picket Wall Street
KNSD-TV NBC
San Diego
FTAA
Update
FTAA
After Action Review
Miami
Herald
Judge
says Miami anti-protest law has 'serious constitutional problems'
Sun Sentinel
Police:
Protests justified any use of force
Miami
Herald
As
jobs crisis continues, AFL-CIO scores a victory
House
Backs Extended Jobless Benefits (washingtonpost.com)
The
Washington
Post
2/5/04
Fewer
Jobs Than Expected Created in January, Report Says
Reuters
2/6/04
Resistance
is futile – you will be assimilated
CLEAR
VIEW OF MEDIA RULE--Clear
Channel, the nation's largest radio station owner, cuts costs in ways
that endanger public safety and lead to homogenized news and
entertainment, according to a
Cornell
University
study. The
AFL-CIO released the study Jan. 28 to coincide with a field hearing by
the Federal Communications Commission on the impact of its June 2
decision to lift decades-old rules limiting media ownership. The study,
"The Clear Picture on Clear Channel," shows what is wrong with
media consolidation and the rule lifting limits on media ownership, said
Paul Almeida, president of the AFL-CIO Department for Professional
Employees. For a full copy of the study, visit http://www.aflcio.org
.
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
