06/15/04

E Messenger

The Electronic Newsletter of the Florida AFL-CIO

 New Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 2,155
Year to date: 66,576

 

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 .

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 * Click on blue, underlined text to open full article  

STATE NEWS  

Florida Election 2004

 Castor campaign demands information on group linked to Deutsch
(06/14/2004 © Bradenton Herald)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Betty Castor demanded donor information from an independent group with ties to rival Peter Deutsch on Monday, following reports that the committee would probe her handling of University of South Florida employees with alleged links to terrorism.

 Clock ticking for Martínez camp
( 06/15/2004  © Miami Herald)
Refugee from Castro's Cuba . Former U.S. housing secretary. One-time political leader from swing-voter-rich Orlando . On paper, Mel Martínez looks like the perfect GOP candidate for U.S. Senate to campaign with President Bush for Florida 's crucial Hispanic vote.

 Deutsch backers take aim at Castor
(06/15/2004 © Orlando Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE -- A political committee that's supporting U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch in Florida's U.S. Senate race criticized Democratic front-runner Betty Castor on Monday over her handling of an alleged terrorist case while she was a university president.

 Group attacks Castors USF role
(06/15/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
WEST PALM BEACH -- Florida's messy Democratic Senate campaign got a bit messier Monday with Betty Castor accusing Peter Deutsch of being linked to a 'secretly financed' political organization which in turn accused Castor of failing to stop campus terrorist activity when she ran the University

Hastings official calls criticism mudslinging
(06/15/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
The first volley in what could become a nasty reelection campaign for U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings was fired Monday with the six-term congressman shrugging off the attack as uninspired.  

Dean Web Guru Aids Fla. Senate Campaign
(06/15/2004 © Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
By VICKIE CHACHERE Associated Press Writer TAMPA, Fla. -- When Howard Dean's campaign for the presidency turned to the Internet to raise money and motivate potential supporters, it made modern political history. Now a key player from Dean's campaign has turned his attention to Florida , making Betty Castor's otherwise traditional Senate campaign into a hip venture

'Deutsch s `Fair Share Shuttle Hits Tampa
(06/15/2004 © Tampa Tribune)
TAMPA - Florida could hire 10,000 more teachers, buy 275,000 school computers and provide housing aid for 120,000 families if the state got its fair share of federal money, U.S. Senate candidate Peter Deutsch said Monday.

U.S. chamber backs Martinez s Republican Senate bid
(06/16/2004 © Pensacola News Journal)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Senate hopeful Mel Martinez landed the endorsement Tuesday of the United States Chamber of Commerce for this summer's Republican primary, betting that he has a better chance to win in November than former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum.

 Senate candidates stump in Tallahassee
(06/16/2004 © Tallahassee Democrat)
Two U.S. Senate candidates - a Republican hoping a big business endorsement will offset his image as a trial lawyer and a Democrat linking himself to John Kerry with a promise of universal health care - brought their campaigns to Tallahassee on Tuesday.

 Justice seeks third term to push education goals
(06/15/2004 © St. Petersburg Times)
ST. PETERSBURG - As an academic adviser for the University of South Florida and the husband of a public school teacher, state Rep. Charlie Justice has a vested interest in education.  

The elections fix is in 
 Former state official won t be investigated
(06/15/2004 © Miami Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - Attorney General Charlie Crist Monday rejected a request by a Democratic congressman to investigate whether the head of the state Division of Elections lied under oath about whether he knew about a software flaw in the state's touchscreen machines.  

Court chides state on voting rights
(06/16/2004 © Orlando Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE -- A panel of appeal judges Tuesday called the state's explanation for not helping tens of thousands of former prison inmates to regain their legal rights baffling, contradictory and something out of 'Alice In Wonderland.

 Editorial: Elections Establishment still missing the message
(06/16/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
The hope was that last week's conference of elections supervisors in Key West would show that the state has corrected all the problems that created the 2000 fiasco. Instead, the meeting raised more concerns and more issues.

 Voting Machines In 11 Counties Have Audit Flaw
( 06/15/2004  © Tampa Tribune)
TALLAHASSEE - Touch-screen voting machines in 11 counties have a software flaw that could make manual recounts impossible in November's presidential election. The machines, made by Election Systems & Software of Omaha , Neb. , fail to provide a consistent electronic ``event log'  

New rules for fine print has candidates seeing red
( 06/16/2004  © St. Petersburg Times)
A change in state law that will require candidates to write out a few words that can currently be abbreviated on campaign literature is causing great consternation statewide. Many local candidates, who have spent thousands of dollars in printing, fear they may have to scrap bundles

 Other state political news

 More blacks running as Republicans in the South
(06/15/2004 © Daytona Beach News-Journal)
ATLANTA -- Herman Cain is a well-to-do black businessman with a strong belief that the Democratic Party that blacks embraced during the civil rights struggle has swung too far to the left.  

Editorial: Doctors-lawyers brawl doesnt belong on ballot
( 06/15/2004  © Palm Beach Post)
Last week, the state's doctors and trial lawyers continued their political smackdown battle, this time before the Florida Supreme Court. Their arguments made clear again that this fight should end before the justices, not the public.

Broward OKs payment of almost $500,000 for Elections Office legal bills
(06/15/2004 © Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Broward County commissioners on Tuesday voted to forgive almost $500,000 in legal bills and deficit spending run up during the tumultuous tenure of suspended Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant.

 Shoppers statewide expect huge savings in Tax-Free Week
(06/16/2004 © Jackson County Floridan)
A bill passed this year by the Florida Legislature will once again afford Jackson County and other state residents big savings when they go to purchase school clothing and supplies. 'Tax-Free Week' starts July 24 at 12:01 a.m. and runs through midnight Aug. 1.

 FDLE sheds core values
(06/16/2004 © Orlando Sentinel)
As a former spokesperson for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (Jacksonville Region), I am disgusted by the pictures of the FDLE agents seizing Orlando City Hall computers and deeply disappointed in the agency for which I was so proud to work.

 Grading Florida ’s schools

 Ratings come up short again
(06/16/2004 © Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
One out of every four Broward County schools will have to offer students the chance to attend a different campus in the fall after failing to meet tough new federal academic standards. Sixty-four local schools that serve poor students did not make enough progress for the second year in a row, according to a federal report card released Tuesday that rates schools across the country.

 State urges Broward to close failing school; 240 others earned top grades
(06/16/2004 © Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Branded with a second F on Tuesday, North Lauderdale Academy High charter school became the first Broward County school whose students can receive tax-paid vouchers to attend private schools. But they may not get the chance.

 More public schools achieve high performer status in 2003-04
(06/15/2004 © Orlando Business Journal)
More than two-thirds of Florida public schools were high performers during the 2003-2004 school year, Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday. Under the A+ Plan for Education, 68 percent of Florida 's public schools garnered an 'A' or 'B' this year, compared to 21 percent in 1999,

 'Schools post more A s -- and F s
(06/16/2004 © Orlando Sentinel)
More schools than ever earned A's on Florida's 2004 state report card, but a spike in D's and F's showed that students in many middle and high schools still struggle with reading and math, state officials said Tuesday.  

Record As in the FCAT
(06/16/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
Palm Beach County schools earned a record 81 A's from the state Department of Education Tuesday, overshadowing nine D's and three F's and launching celebrations in every corner of the county.

 3 of 4 county schools fail on federal progress
(06/16/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
An overwhelming 77 percent of Palm Beach County schools failed to meet federal standards under President Bush's education plan, clearing the way for private companies to cash in on tax dollars for tutoring and making school choice available to thousands of students.

 Scripps Watch
Scripps could cost taxpayers $1 billion
(06/15/2004 © Palm Beach Post)
WEST PALM BEACH -- Developing the Scripps biotechnology research village could cost Palm Beach County $667 million over 37 years, pushing the public's investment past the $1 billion mark.  

Immokalee workers keep up the fight against Taco Bell

TACO BELL (Y) FLOP--Former President Jimmy Carter said recently Taco Bell's solution for changing the appalling working conditions in the Florida-based tomato industry "cannot be considered a serious proposal." The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is pressing Taco Bell to ensure its profits are not derived from abuse of workers in its supply chain. During talks held recently at the Carter Center in Atlanta , YUM! Brands, owner of Taco Bell, proposed CIW drop its boycott campaign against the company. In turn, Taco Bell would support efforts to improve wages, but only if the rest of the industry does.

 Other state news

 Cherish the children
( 06/16/2004  © Florida Today)
Florida is just treading water when it comes to meeting the needs of children. That's the truth found in the annual Kids Count survey for 2004, released this month by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Prison industry execs suspended over loans
(06/16/2004 © Bradenton Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - The CEO and president of the non-profit company that sells items made by Florida prisoners have been suspended by the company's board as auditors probe loans the firm made to affiliates.

 Insurer battles HCA Inc.
( 06/15/2004  © Tampa Bay Business Journal)
TAMPA -- An Indianapolis-based insurance company has filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court in Tampa accusing the Florida Hospital Association and several hospital systems in the state of price fixing.

 A new take on health care
(06/15/2004 © Tallahassee Democrat)
Called 'the wave of the future,' health-care savings accounts are generating buzz in Florida as potentially the most available and affordable new option in health insurance.

 Senate leader seeks curb on self-promotion
(06/15/2004 © St. Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Senate's next president has asked fellow Republican senators to stop raising money to fuel their leadership ambitions and focus their time on Senate campaigns.

 Bush signs bill aimed at making health care more affordable
(06/15/2004 © St. Augustine Record)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Gov. Jeb Bush signed a wide-ranging bill Monday designed to lower the cost of health insurance and reverse the growing number of Floridians without health care coverage.

 NATIONAL NEWS

 Election 2004

 Dems rip Bush prior to stopover
(06/16/2004 © Bradenton Herald)
TAMPA - As President Bush prepared to deliver a speech at MacDill Air Force Base and meet with families of soldiers killed in combat, veterans who support John Kerry accused the Bush administration of neglecting soldiers' needs.

Conservative Campaign Ad Features Reagan
(06/15/2004 © Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
By LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON -- Days after Ronald Reagan was laid to rest, a conservative interest group on Tuesday unveiled a campaign ad that aligns him with President Bush and criticizes Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.  

Back-To-Back Visits By Cheney, Bush Highlight Security
( 06/17/2004  © Tampa Tribune)
TAMPA - It has long been clear that George W. Bush would campaign for re-election as a wartime president. Homeland security and the threat of terrorist attacks are frequent topics for Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

 Tom Delay may finally get caught! 

Well, long considered to be the most crooked politician in Washington, the guy who called trade unionists terrorists (yeah before Rod Paige) old “hammer” Tom may finally get his just desserts. 

Texas Democrat filing ethics complaint against DeLay
(06/15/2004 © Bradenton Herald)
WASHINGTON - A Texas Democrat who saw his political career halted by the maneuverings of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and other Republicans filed multiple complaints with the House ethics committee Tuesday, accusing DeLay of 'serious criminal acts.

   

Bush snubs workers at the G8 Summit

President Bush showed "total disrespect for the views of millions of working people" by refusing to meet with top union leaders of the world's major industrial nations, known as the G-8, said John Evans, general secretary of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Bush is the first head of a host country to refuse to meet with labor leaders in 29 years of G-8 summits. The labor leaders issued a joint trade union statement in advance of the G-8 summit meeting in Sea Island , Ga. , June 8-10. Previous U.S. presidents who hosted the summit--Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton--met with the labor leaders, as did Britain 's Margaret Thatcher when she was prime minister.  

NLRB watch  

NLRB POISED TO RESTRICT RIGHTS--In what could foreshadow a radical change in federal labor law, the Bush National Labor Relations Board announced June 7 it will review the legality of rules regarding majority verification and neutrality procedures workers currently use to win a voice at work. Workers increasingly are using the process to form unions instead of the more onerous NLRB election process, which allows employers to use debilitating obstacles to block workers' free choice. Because some unscrupulous employers exploit the drawn-out NLRB election process to interfere with workers' freedom to have a voice on the job, activists are building support for the Employee Free Choice Act, federal legislation that would guarantee workers the right to form unions through majority verification. Activists have persuaded 202 members of the House of Representatives and 31 senators to co-sponsor the bills, H.R. 3619 and S. 1925.

Bush, Clinton Exchange Rare Mutual Praises
(06/15/2004 © Lakeland Ledger)
WASHINGTON -- For a moment in the White House on Monday morning, it seemed like a political mirage: President Bush and Bill Clinton, joking as they walked together into the East Room, then spending the next 20 minutes effusively praising each other.  

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