http://www.council26.org AFSCME Council 26 Tue, 6 Jan 2009 2:31:11 CST en-us http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/opinion/29mon1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/opinion/29mon1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:12:24 CST NY Times There is no doubt that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen a labor secretary who could be a transformative force in a long-neglected arena. The question is whether he will let her. Hilda Solis, a United States representative from Southern California, is the daughter of immigrant parents with union jobs. She has been an unfailing advocate of workers’ rights during eight years in Congress and before that, in California politics. Ms. Solis has been a leader on traditional workplace... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/opinion/23herbert.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/opinion/23herbert.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:27:35 CST NY Times Toward the end of an important speech in Washington last month, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said to her audience: “Think of a teacher who is staying up past midnight to prepare her lesson plan... Think of a teacher who is paying for equipment out of his own pocket so his students can conduct science experiments that they otherwise couldn’t do... Think of a teacher who takes her students to a ‘We, the People’ debating competition over... http://candorville.com/2008/12/15/candorville-121508-the-economic-bailout-part-1/ http://candorville.com/2008/12/15/candorville-121508-the-economic-bailout-part-1/ Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:26:17 CST Candorville http://www.sweatfree.org/shopping http://www.sweatfree.org/shopping Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:22:01 CST AFSCME Council 26 SweatFree Communities and International Labor Rights Forum are excited to bring you the 2009 Shop with a Conscience Consumer Guide filled with excellent products made in good working conditions. We believe that one of the most important criteria for meaningful and dignified work is that workers themselves have an effective, collective voice in determining their wages and working conditions. Therefore all the products in this shopping guide are made by workers organized into democratic unions... http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/contracting_reform.html http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/contracting_reform.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:51:38 CST Center for American Progress Action The federal government is failing to live up to its legal and moral obligations as a model employer. Through numerous laws and executive orders, Congress and the executive branch have expressed a clear and long-standing objective to set and enforce high standards for the treatment of contracted workers. The federal government, however, is falling far short of this goal. Instead of helping to create quality jobs, all too often the federal government contracts with companies that pay very low... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41602&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41602&dcn=e_gvet Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:14:54 CST Government Executive The Democratic Congress is unlikely to take on many investigations or oversight hearings scrutinizing the incoming Obama administration in its next session, which could lead lawmakers to steer their oversight focus toward contractors, procurement experts said on Wednesday. "I think the oversight on the Hill is going to be fairly gingerly applied the first couple of months ... they'll give this administration a chance to get people in place and priorities started," said Alan Chvotkin, vice... http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3852110 http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3852110 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:25:58 CST Federal Times President George W. Bush last week took away collective bargaining rights for about 1,500 employees, almost all of them at the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). An executive order that Bush signed Dec. 1 also removed the possibility for employees at 36 other agencies and offices � mostly intelligence, investigative or national security agencies � to join a union. Those agencies are in the Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, Transportation... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97535322 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97535322 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:39:44 CST NPR President-elect Obama has said he wants public employees to take back some of the work that the Bush administration has given to contractors � and he wants to crack down on contractors' abuses. But the president-elect could face huge obstacles. Bush administration officials have hired corporations to do more of the government's work than ever before � twice as much, in dollars. And even though the government's own investigations reveal that many of those corporate contractors have bungled... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97322339 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97322339 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:36:42 CST NPR The economic crisis. Two wars. A flood of wounded veterans. Those are just a few of the huge problems that President-elect Barack Obama will face in office. But the president-elect has said he also plans to grapple with a dilemma that's much less visible: the explosion in government contracts under the Bush administration. The Bush administration has hired private industry to take over more of the government's work than any administration ever. It has made history: -Since President Bush... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/24/AR2008112402752.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/24/AR2008112402752.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:50:52 CST The Washington Post One of the good things about being a federal employee is the benefits package. The choice of health insurance plans, for example, is enough to make a private-sector worker jealous. If there's a downside to that variety, it's that the choices are so great that Frank and Flo Fed can be confused by all the possibilities. That's where Checkbook's 2009 Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees comes in handy. Published by the nonprofit Center for the Study of Services, which also publishes... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111802787_pf.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111802787_pf.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:57:08 CST Washington Post As The Washington Post reported this week, President-elect Barack Obama wrote American Federation of Government Employees in October promising that he would do everything in his power to rebuild the federal service. He also promised to protect collective bargaining rights and to restore funding cuts that have eviscerated the federal government's ability to faithfully execute the laws. The past eight years have been a horror to many federal employees. The Bush administration has rarely missed... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/74210 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/74210 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:41:26 CST When President Obama takes over in January as manager-in-chief of nearly 2 million federal employees, he will need a plan to reinvigorate a frustrated and demoralized workforce, career employees warn. http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/73293 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/73293 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:19:28 CDT "Your help with food and my rent really saved the day for me," said one grateful Community Services Agency (CSA) client. "I would have been on the street without your assistance." Your contribution to the CSA through Combined Federal campaigns now going on in your workplace will make a huge and tangible difference in the lives of working families in the metro Washington area. As little as a dollar a week will help the Community Services Agency keep providing emergency financial... http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1735/ http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1735/ Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:28:48 CDT Fedsmith Readers of the FedSmith site have been asking questions about the health benefits premiums they will be paying in 2009. According to OPM, federal employees in the FEHBP will pay, on average about 8% more for their health coverage next year. The reality is that the average increase in cost may not be that important as some are going up much more and some will be going up less than the 8%. There are about 269 different options available and there is a wide range of price changes. Here... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/73095 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/73095 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:46:53 CDT The law firm of Ashcraft Gerel, LLP offers a scholarship to area union members and their families to help with the high cost of education. http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1729/ http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1729/ Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:22:42 CDT Fedsmith There is plenty of negative financial news filling the airwaves. As of this writing, the I fund is down almost 30% for the year; the C fund is down more than 23% and the S fund is down almost 19%. You can check the daily performance of your TSP in this portion of the TSP corner. But the news is not all bad for federal employees. Federal retirees are in line to get a COLA that is going to be about 6% in January (the final figure will be calculated in October.). In response to those readers... http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/major-progressive-labor-leaders-demand/story.aspx?guid=%7b54578A04-BB20-40A9-8A35-343E6133505E%7d&dist=hppr http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/major-progressive-labor-leaders-demand/story.aspx?guid=%7b54578A04-BB20-40A9-8A35-343E6133505E%7d&dist=hppr Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:17:39 CDT The Wall Street Journal Major progressive, labor and consumer rights leaders joined forces today to demand important corrections to the Bush administration's financial rescue proposal despite warnings from the administration's top economists who got us into this mess. The groups, representing more than 20 million Americans, sent a letter to members of Congress today urging them to require basic conditions before agreeing to any financial bailout request. The groups also announced that hundreds of events will be... http://www.governmentexecutive.com/basics/hatchact.htm http://www.governmentexecutive.com/basics/hatchact.htm Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:02:07 CDT Government Executive What Is It? The Hatch Act is the 1939 law that regulates the political activities of federal employees and some state and local government workers. The legislation originally prohibited nearly all partisan activity by federal employees, banning them from endorsing candidates, distributing campaign literature, organizing political activities and holding posts in partisan organizations. Those restrictions were loosened in the early 1990s after a battle that dated back to the 1984... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/71756 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/71756 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:32:36 CDT Wellington Chibebe does not look like a dangerous man. A quiet man of average height, he doesn't stand out in a crowd. But a crowd is exactly where you're most likely to find Chibebe - Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions - and his outspokenness on behalf of Zimbabwe's workers has led the government there to arrest him nine times in the last five years, most recently in May, when he was shackled, held in solitary confinement and subjected to long interrogations,... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40699&dcn=todaysnews http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40699&dcn=todaysnews Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:04:02 CDT Government Executive Gas prices are up $1.13 per gallon since the summer of 2007. Agencies are struggling to inculcate cultures of performance. Hackers and employee carelessness have made information technology security a major concern. A new generation of federal recruits wants workplace flexibility. Labor and management find it hard to agree on just about anything. Ensuring continuity of operations has more urgency in a post-Sept. 11 world. In the face of all these challenges, the federal government is... http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=22&sid=1451442 http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=22&sid=1451442 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:29:45 CDT Federal News Radio Looking forward to a pay raise? Would you like to be reimbursed for what is now use-it-or-lose-it sick leave? If the answer is yes to either or both, the news is good. Congress is on a roll. Up to a point! First, the good news: 1. Congress is moving right along to nail down a 3.9 percent white collar pay raise effective next January. That raise will be subject to locality pay calculations which could boost it considerably for feds in many cities where private sector pay is high.... http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=7 http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=7 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:04:54 CDT Federal News Radio I once worked for an outfit that decided it needed a pay-for-performance plan. Prior to the change, we all got the same percentage pay raise each year. Obviously that meant that higher paid people got bigger pay raises, but hey, that's life! We all got the same percentage which, we thought in our ignorance, was all that mattered. People could and did make side deals for more money, but by-and-large we all got the same raise each year. Until... A newly-arrived MBA, who knew nothing about... http://www.afscme.org/press/19906.cfm http://www.afscme.org/press/19906.cfm Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:02:09 CDT AFSCME The nation's largest public service union to dramatically reduce paper use, forego bottled water, and serve local, organically grown food during Convention beginning July 28. Washington, D.C. � The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the 1.6-million-member public service union, is planning their "greenest" convention ever during their 38th International Convention in San Francisco from July 28 to August 1. The union, nicknamed "the Green Machine," for... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/70840 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/70840 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:46:43 CDT Did you know that AFSCME offers a free Investor Education Program? The Investor Education for Working Families workshops provide bias-free personal investment learning opportunities through self-paced online classes and resource materials specially designed for union members and their families. For more information click on the link below http://invested.afscme.org/BI.aspx http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401215_pf.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401215_pf.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:49:18 CDT We've seen the federal government at its worst over the past six months. Consider the controversies over contaminated tomatoes and meat, tainted toys, toxic trailers, counterfeit Heparin, aircraft groundings, veterans' care, missing warheads and unrelenting contract fraud. For every NASA success on the surface of Mars, there seems to be a failure back on Earth. http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40281&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40281&dcn=e_gvet Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:26:10 CDT The House on Thursday passed legislation that would institute a paid parental leave policy for all federal employees. The House voted 278-146 to pass H.R. 5781, which would provide four weeks of paid maternal or paternal leave for the birth or adoption of a child. It would, for the first time, let new parents use their accrued sick leave for an additional eight weeks of paid leave. http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40114&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40114&dcn=e_gvet Fri, 30 May 2008 16:05:44 CDT Government Executive Although their goals remain relatively similar, House and Senate lawmakers appear to be following noticeably different paths toward implementing a series of much debated contracting reform bills. Last week, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, introduced a wide-ranging set of acquisition provisions that covers everything from prohibiting the use of lead systems integrators to providing greater protection for private sector... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/69258 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/69258 Mon, 19 May 2008 07:16:35 CDT At the Internal Revenue Service, one employee over a two-year period took sick leave on 13 of the 14 Tuesdays after a Monday holiday. That's an extreme case of sick-leave abuse, but the IRS employee had plenty of co-workers who also liked to take Tuesdays off, a report by the Inspector General for Tax Administration found. For weeks that had a holiday falling on a Monday, 27 percent of all sick leave at the IRS was taken on a Tuesday in 2005 and 2006, the report said. And 24 percent of... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39847&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39847&dcn=e_gvet Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:33:16 CDT Government Executive The House passed three pieces of contracting legislation on Wednesday aimed at increasing transparency in contracting and avoiding waste, fraud and abuse. The 2007 Government Contractor Accountability Act (H.R.3928) would require companies to disclose the names and salaries of their most highly compensated officers if more than 80 percent of their annual revenue came from federal contracts and they held contracts worth more than $25 million in any fiscal year. The compensation of heads of... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68748 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68748 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:11:13 CDT The federal government has an opportunity to take the lead in promoting telework, but hurdles remain, Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) said today. "With plenty of encouragement and congressional oversight, the federal government can set the example for teleworking," Davis said at the Spring 2008 Telework Exchange Town Hall Meeting in Washington. "I'm one of those individuals who believes that you can't lead where you don't go, and you can't teach what you don't know," said Davis, chairman of the... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/15/AR2008041502979_pf.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/15/AR2008041502979_pf.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:30:42 CDT Washington Post A proposal to provide eight weeks of paid parental leave to federal employees was cut to four weeks by a key House Democrat yesterday as Republicans expressed concerns about the benefit's cost. Still, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child would make the government a leader in strengthening families and would be a "prudent fiscal approach." Waxman's scaled-back leave... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68495 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68495 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:47:48 CDT ...a resolution to grant all federal employees, including members of the military, access to the House exercise facility also passed the House unanimously. The gym, open for a little more than two years, is in the southwest corner of the Rayburn building. Only House staff members are currently allowed to use its equipment. The resolution put forward by Brady would grant gym access to active military members who are working in the House's military liaison office.... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39783&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39783&dcn=e_gvet Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:05:57 CDT Government Executive Today millions of procrastinating Americans will rush to their local post office to make sure they file their tax returns on time. For contractors interested in doing business with the federal government, missing this year's deadline may be particularly costly. On Tuesday, the House approved H.R. 4881, which would withhold large federal contracts and grants from firms that are delinquent in paying taxes. The Contracting and Tax Accountability Act, sponsored by Rep. Brad Ellsworth,... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68324 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68324 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:08:23 CDT Katherine Porzel, the daughter of Walt Porzel, Council 26 Secretary and Local 3925 President (U.S. Department of Agriculture), won an AFSCME Family Scholarship for $2000 per year for four years of college. Ms. Porzel was one of thirteen winners out of approximately 600 applicants. She is currently a senior at George Mason High School and plans to attend James Madison University in the fall. In her essay, Katherine spoke of going to work with her father on Take Your Daughter to Work Day... http://www.afscme.org/about/17418.cfm http://www.afscme.org/about/17418.cfm Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:10:47 CDT AFSCME It's been 40 years since April 4, 1968, when Dr. King., was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. Workers have particular reasons to remember and honor Dr. King...He was in Memphis leading a workers cause: A union cause. http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68160 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/68160 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:59:25 CDT Area supermarket workers overwhelmingly approved a new 4-year contract Tuesday. Nearly 10,000 Safeway and Giant workers -- members of UFCW Local 400 -- turned out for the vote at the DC Armory on a contract proposal that maintained pension benefits and no co-pay on healthcare benefits, as well as guaranteeing that Safeway and Giant will cover any increases in healthcare costs. Pay raises over the life of the contract for those at the top of the wage scale - which includes 70% of the current... http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/477913.html http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/477913.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:49:00 CDT Miami Herald When Norman Daniels started out with ATT in 1974, he faced unequal treatment and prejudice because he was black. The phone company was under pressure to hire more minorities, but some supervisors were holding black technicians to a higher standard, looking for reasons to flunk them before they passed probation. But Daniels said his union, the Communications Workers of America, helped ensure he and other workers were treated fairly. Now, 34 years later, he is the president of the CWA's... http://www.afscmestore.org/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=11 http://www.afscmestore.org/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=11 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:48:23 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Martin Luther King Jr. shirts, posters and more are available from the AFSCME Store. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502459.html?hpid=sec-business http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502459.html?hpid=sec-business Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:49:20 CDT AFSCME Council 26 For decades, the government has hired at lower grade levels and encouraged employees to work their way to the top. But a study released yesterday suggested that agencies are increasingly turning to job seekers from outside the government to fill upper-level jobs. Many of the upper-level jobs filled by these outsiders were in occupations involving technology, homeland security and national defense -- all priorities of the government since 2000. The majority of the people hired for... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/67971 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/67971 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:27:38 CDT House Republicans are hoping to strip a controversial provision from a Democratic procurement oversight bill that could allow large federal contractors to be targeted for suspension or debarment based on the actions of a select few employees, according to a congressional aide who specializes in contracting measures. The staffer, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record to the media, said the Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act (H.R. 3033)... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/67846 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/67846 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:15:06 CDT Well over 100 activists have already signed up to support local supermarket workers in their fight for a fair contract. Many are downloading pocket-sized worker support cards to give to their neighborhood checkout clerks, while others will be delivering solidarity cards to local store managers or helping organize leafleting actions outside their neighborhood Giant or Safeway. Community support for grocery workers is key to their winning a just contract; negotiations are ongoing and the... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39530&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39530&dcn=e_gvet Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:51:51 CDT AFSCME Council 26 A bill to set up a public database on federal contractor performance and misconduct won approval Thursday from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee despite Republican concerns the measure could allow unfair attacks on contractors as well as end up barring large companies from receiving government contracts. Introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and passed by voice vote, the measure (H.R. 3033) would require creation of a publically accessible list of any completed... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603657.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603657.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:12:04 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Last summer, Amy S. Costantino suddenly went into labor and gave birth to twin sons -- 3 1/2 months premature. Each weighed less than two pounds, and they spent 90 days in a neonatal intensive-care unit. She soon was confronted with a stark choice: use the sick leave and vacation time she had accrued over her 16-year career as a federal employee to be with her sons in intensive care, or go back to work and save the paid leave so she could be at home when her sons were released by the... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030302794.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030302794.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:41:41 CST AFSCME Council 26 It's the start of budget season on Capitol Hill. Congressional budget committees begin writing their fiscal 2009 spending plans this week, no doubt tossing out and reshaping many of President Bush's priorities. Democrats and Republicans -- especially because it's an election year -- will be jousting over spending, taxes, health care, Social Security and other entitlements. It's uncertain where federal employees will end up in this debate. Take next year's federal pay raise. The president... http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3405053 http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3405053 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:39:20 CST AFSCME Council 26 Rep. James Moran, D-Va., plans to introduce a bill March 10 that would compensate more retiring federal employees for a portion of their unused sick leave. Moran’s bill would provide employees retiring under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) up to $10,000 in compensation. Employees would be paid 10 percent of the hourly average of their three highest salaries for all but the first 500 hours of their unused sick leave. Employees under FERS currently receive no compensation... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/66863 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/66863 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:56:57 CST John Lennon may have been just a dreamer about world peace, but he was willing to walk the line when it came to issues of workers' justice. On the day of his death, Lennon was making preparations to fly to San Francisco to attend a rally with striking Teamsters. Lennon was an ardent activist and supported many causes, most notably the anti-war movement. But the strong interest he and his wife, Yoko Ono, took in labor affairs is less familiar to the public. In California, the Teamsters... http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/66817/pid/525 http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/66817/pid/525 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:38:23 CST AFSCME Council 26 Workers at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) won a five-and-a-half-year battle against unionbusting last Friday when DHS officials dropped demands to implement a new personnel system that would have curbed union rights, reported Stephen Barr in Wednesday's Washington Post. The personnel system - initiated by the Bush Administration - would have overridden "any provision in a union contract by issuing a department-wide directive," reported Barr. "The rules also would have made it... http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1511/ http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1511/ Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:55:34 CST AFSCME Council 26 In a recent article, we highlighted the proposal from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to change the time in grade requirements for federal promotions. Since this change could have an impact on most of our readers who are still active federal employees, we asked readers for their opinion on the proposal. At first glance, one might think that most federal employees would prefer to have time-in-grade restrictions removed. Taking away these restrictions could mean faster promotions for... http://www.afscme.org/publications/17662.cfm http://www.afscme.org/publications/17662.cfm Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:57:45 CST AFSCME Council 26 PROVIDERS TOGETHER �" Maryland home care providers voted overwhelmingly in February to organize a union with AFSCME. More than 4,000 home care providers throughout the state voted overwhelmingly this month to make AFSCME their union. The providers work in the homes of some 20,000 seniors �" and others with disabilities �" who otherwise might be consigned to nursing homes or state facilities. Audra Feldman, a Baltimore provider who has been working for years to build a union with... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003446.html?wpisrc=newsletter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003446.html?wpisrc=newsletter Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:24:09 CST AFSCME Council 26 The push-and-pull over the 2009 federal pay raise is underway. Ten Washington area House members, led by Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), urged President Bush yesterday to provide equal raises to the civil service and the military next year, a practice they said Congress has encouraged for the past two decades. The president is to send his fiscal 2009 budget recommendations to Congress on Monday, and a pay proposal will be a part of the package. It is not uncommon for Congress and... http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/65426/pid/525 http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/65426/pid/525 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:37:06 CST AFSCME Council 26 A yearlong battle to protect workers rights and stop unionbusting at the Library of Congress (LOC) ended with a major victory for workers Wednesday, reports the LOC Professional Guild, AFSCME Local 2910 website. "This dispute had broad ramifications for the protection of employees rights and union rights in the federal sector," Local 2910 President Saul Schniderman told UNION CITY. LOC management - after losing a fight to force union representatives to report all representational time last... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/65256 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/65256 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:47:23 CST On Thursday, Jan. 17, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) President Gerald W. McEntee will join children at Hollywood Head Start to announce a number of donations to Memphis-area children. The donations include a computer lab and dozens of computers as well as $15,000 and school supplies. The group will then proceed to Caldwell Elementary School, where AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will dedicate a computer lab and meet... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/65244 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/65244 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:22:41 CST If you can’t make it to Memphis this weekend, Martin Luther King is just a click �" or short subway ride �" away: Four brief video clips featuring the civil rights leader are now available online from the AFL-CIO. Included are a 10-minute version of “I Am A Man” which tells the story of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. King talks about the dignity of labor in the 2-minute “Support for Sanitation Workers” clip, the right to protest in the 1-minute “Somewhere I Read” and... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/09/AR2008010903275.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/09/AR2008010903275.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:52:57 CST AFSCME Council 26 Just as it appeared the Ping-Pong battle between the Defense Department and its largest union was ending, the union has stepped up to the table for one last serve. The American Federation of Government Employees this week filed an appeal with the Supreme Court to stop a Bush administration effort to curb union rights in the department. The appeal marks the latest bounce in a legal case that began five years ago. Only a few weeks ago, the dispute seemed settled. Congress, as part of the... http://www.opm.gov/oca/08tables/html/dcb.asp http://www.opm.gov/oca/08tables/html/dcb.asp Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:25:16 CST AFSCME Council 26 Salary Table 2008 Incorporating the 2.50% General Schedule Increase and a Locality Payment of 20.89% For the Locality Pay Area of Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Total Increase: 4.49% Effective January 2008 Annual Rates by Grade and Step Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 1 20607 21295 21980 22662 23347 23750 24427 25110 25137 25779 2 23169... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/04/AR2008010402402.html?sub=AR http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/04/AR2008010402402.html?sub=AR Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:24:06 CST AFSCME Council 26 President Bush signed an executive order yesterday that provides pay raises this year for federal employees, military personnel, Cabinet officers and members of Congress. The order covers about 336,000 federal employees in the Washington-Baltimore region. Workers will receive a 4.49 percent increase under a salary formula that gives higher adjustments to certain metropolitan areas where officials believe federal pay has lagged the private sector the furthest. The average civil service raise... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/01/AR2008010101713.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/01/AR2008010101713.html Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:38:16 CST AFSCME Council 26 The Democratic candidates for president are taking aim at federal contracting, which they describe as shoddy and corrupt. The Republican candidates also have ideas about how to fix the bureaucracy and restore trust in Washington. The presidential campaigns are in high gear this week as Iowans get ready to make their choices, and the contenders' rhetoric is in equally high gear as they pledge to change the government and better manage federal employees. Among the Democrats, Sen. Hillary... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/09/AR2007120900897.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/09/AR2007120900897.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:48:44 CST AFSCME Council 26 It's a compromise aimed at ending four years of controversy. House-Senate negotiators unveiled legislation Friday that would restore collective bargaining rights to unions at the Defense Department, permit the Pentagon to go forward with new pay rules and perhaps ease the angst of many Defense employees. The legislation would modify significant parts of the National Security Personnel System, a Bush administration effort that sought to sharply curb union rights at Defense and to more... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/02/AR2007120201482.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/02/AR2007120201482.html Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:01:31 CST AFSCME Council 26 Employees at the Federal Aviation Administration have been operating under a performance-based pay system for the last decade. Some still don't like it. Tim O'Hara, a 24-year FAA employee, sent a letter last month to Robert A. Sturgell, the agency's acting head, listing his complaints with the pay system. He e-mailed copies to about 1,000 FAA colleagues. The problems with the pay system, O'Hara wrote, "are both myriad and a significant depressant on the morale of the FAA workforce.... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38676&dcn=todays_most_popular http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38676&dcn=todays_most_popular Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:47:30 CST AFSCME Council 26 President Bush moved Wednesday to limit the locality-based increase for white-collar federal civilian employees to 0.5 percent next year, bringing the total overall increase to an average of 3 percent. Under federal law, the president has until the end of November to propose an alternative to pay levels set under procedures laid out in the 1990 Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act. Under that law, employees would be due a 2.5 percent base pay raise in 2008, plus locality pay increases... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR2007111502364.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR2007111502364.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:19:39 CST AFSCME Council 26 A Senate committee this week approved a bill that would make it possible for more federal employees to become telecommuters, acting a week after supporters of at-home work introduced similar legislation in the House. The bills would encourage agencies to allow eligible employees to telecommute four days a month, on average. The chief sponsors in the Senate, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), said that expanded telecommuting in the government would get cars off the road,... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/05/AR2007110501586.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/05/AR2007110501586.html Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:44:36 CST AFSCME Council 26 Concerned that too few federal employees are getting plugged into telecommuting, House Democrats are drafting legislation that would encourage agencies to allow eligible employees to telework four days a month, on average. Reps. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), chairman of the House federal workforce subcommittee, and John Sarbanes (D-Md.) are the chief sponsors of the proposal, which would require every federal agency to establish a telework policy so more employees could choose to work from home... http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004582.php http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004582.php Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:10:29 CDT AFSCME Council 26 When John Tanner, the chief of the Justice Department's voting rights section, goes before Congress tomorrow, he'll have a lot to answer for. One of the most uncomfortable topics, to be sure, will be continuing charges of discrimination in the section that is supposed to be the font of civil rights enforcement -- charges that point squarely at Tanner himself. Things became so bad that a 33-year veteran analyst sent out an email to colleagues on her last day last December: "I leave with... http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004582.php http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004582.php Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:12:51 CDT AFSCME Council 26 When John Tanner, the chief of the Justice Department's voting rights section, goes before Congress tomorrow, he'll have a lot to answer for. One of the most uncomfortable topics, to be sure, will be continuing charges of discrimination in the section that is supposed to be the font of civil rights enforcement -- charges that point squarely at Tanner himself. Things became so bad that a 33-year veteran analyst sent out an email to colleagues on her last day last December: "I leave with... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101142.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101142.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:25:54 CDT AFSCME Council 26 The annual open-enrollment season for federal employees is on its way, loaded with insurance industry argot and acronym-laden programs. For the first time, the open season is no longer just about health insurance, but also about how to mix and match dental and vision coverage and flexible spending accounts. It's the world of FFS, CDHP, FEDVIP and HCFSA, to name a few. To help federal employees navigate the jargon, the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the government's... http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/10/15/save-my-home-hotline-set-up-for-union-members http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/10/15/save-my-home-hotline-set-up-for-union-members Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:50:28 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Many homeowners have adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs)�"but nearly half who have them admit they do not know how their ARMs adjust or reset, and nearly three-quarters do not know how much their monthly mortgage payments will increase when they do, a new national survey reveals. The survey, conducted Sept. 13�"25 by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the AFL-CIO, finds that ARM holders are generally not concerned about mortgage payments until their rates reset. Then anxiety sets in as... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/60074 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/60074 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:06:00 CDT Federal Unions and our allies on Capitol Hill have been working hard to level the playing field in public-private competitions. This is the status of these efforts to date: HR 2829 The Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act as passed in the House and reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee prohibits an executive agency (DOD and other exceptions discussed below) A-76 public-private competition from being won by a private contractor on the basis of their... http://www.govexec.com/story_page_pf.cfm?articleid=38271&printerfriendlyvers=1 http://www.govexec.com/story_page_pf.cfm?articleid=38271&printerfriendlyvers=1 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:15:48 CDT AFSCME Council 26 A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to decide whether to retire from federal service to work in the private sector or continue in your federal career. Several readers commented about the salary rates I used in the examples, saying they'd like to see how scenarios would work out for employees who don't earn executive-level pay. Others had some questions about computations of Social Security benefits discussed in the column. This week, I'll respond to each of those issues, using a couple of... http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/09/21/workers-joining-afl-cio-unions-at-highest-rate-in-two-generations/ http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/09/21/workers-joining-afl-cio-unions-at-highest-rate-in-two-generations/ Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:55:06 CDT AFSCME Council 26 The highest priority of the union movement is to help more workers join unions and, in doing so, to open the doors for millions of Americans to enjoy the benefits of union membership. Despite the incessant anti-union efforts of the Bush administration and employers, the union movement is growing. The AFL-CIO and its affiliates are working hard to change to organize and train a new generation of organizers�"and those efforts are paying off. Workers are choosing to join unions affiliated... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091601300.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091601300.html Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:46:54 CDT AFSCME Council 26 The Pentagon is taking its first big step to break away from the government's primary pay system, sending a strong signal to Defense Department civilian workers that their salaries will increasingly hinge on job performance. The department's change in pay strategy applies to about 110,000 civil service employees who are in the first phase of the new National Security Personnel System, known as NSPS. The Pentagon will divert money that would have been paid out across the board to these... http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37961&dcn=todaysnews http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37961&dcn=todaysnews Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:34:35 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Legislation that would provide student loan forgiveness for federal employees after 10 years of service will now move to President Bush's desk. The bill (H.R. 2669), sponsored by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., was agreed upon by a conference committee Wednesday and cleared by the House and Senate on Friday. The president, who had threatened to veto the measure, has agreed to sign it. The legislation includes language that would make it easier for college graduates who have high student loan... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090200955.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090200955.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:59:59 CDT AFSCME Council 26 The American labor movement is divided on which candidate to support for president. Its membership is at one of its low ebbs in our history. And yet the nation's unions are more politically influential today than they were in the movement's heyday in the 1950s. Organized labor's clout is reflected in a Democratic presidential race in which every candidate is seeking labor's blessing. No Democrat is criticizing unions as "a special interest," a common line of attack from moderate and... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090200957.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090200957.html Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:31:56 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Here's a little something for federal employees to celebrate while flipping the burgers and dogs on the grill this Labor Day: a pay raise drawing bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. The House has approved a 3.5 percent raise for the civil service in January as part of the fiscal 2008 financial services-general government appropriations bill, and a Senate committee has included the proposed raise in its version of the bill. The House also has passed two bills that would provide a 3.5 percent... http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/afl-cio-likely-to-sit-out-primary-endorsement-2007-08-29.html http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/afl-cio-likely-to-sit-out-primary-endorsement-2007-08-29.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:54:40 CDT AFSCME Council 26 A day after two unions announced their presidential endorsements, AFL-CIO leaders said Wednesday their union is still unlikely to throw its support behind a candidate during the primary season. Under current rules, a candidate would need the support of two-thirds of the union’s membership, making it difficult to see how an endorsement could be offered anytime soon, according to Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. However,... http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070828/NATION06/108280058 http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070828/NATION06/108280058 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:02:47 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Time and the financial bottom line are working against a package of attractive bills that would increase most federal workers' take-home pay and trim the federal tax bite on most federal retirees. The two plans, one to cut federal-postal worker premiums and the other to cut taxes for federal retirees, seem like a good idea �" to federal workers and retirees. But the costly changes are not so popular beyond the Beltway, or in the congressional committees where federal workers and retirees... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37874&dcn=todays_most_popular http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37874&dcn=todays_most_popular Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:04:00 CDT AFSCME Council 26 After spending much of 2005 on the defensive in the wake of countless contracting scandals spurred by Hurricane Katrina, acquisition offices at civilian federal agencies had hoped for a more low-key, back-to-basics year. It didn't go quite as planned. Within weeks of assuming control of Congress, Democrats initiated a renewed level of oversight of procurement, shining a light on noncompetitive deals, mismanaged and wasteful contracts and ethical missteps at the General Services... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37728&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37728&dcn=e_gvet Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:21:27 CDT AFSCME Council 26 An appeals court has rejected a request from federal employee unions for a full court review of a panel's decision upholding rules that would scale back collective bargaining rights for civilian Defense Department employees. The coalition of unions that had asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review a May ruling in favor of the Defense Department will now take the case to the Supreme Court, said Joe Goldberg, lead attorney for the group. The unions... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52663 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52663 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:19:52 CDT New York Times The A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s executive council voted on Wednesday against endorsing any presidential candidate, reflecting divisions over which Democrat to support and setting the stage for its 55 member unions to make individual endorsements. Labor leaders said several large unions were leaning strongly toward Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and others toward former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. The labor federation, which represents 10 million union members, gave the green... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52379 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52379 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:08:44 CDT One of President Bush's most ambitious efforts to reform government, one that struggled for years to overcome high-level neglect, bureaucratic resistance, and congressional Republican opposition, now faces its Waterloo in the Democratic Congress. ... In the spring of 2006, OMB officials predicted that 26,000 jobs would face competitive bidding during that fiscal year, but only 6,678 jobs did. At last count, fewer than 48,000 government jobs have faced competitive sourcing over the life of the... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52321 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/52321 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:14:18 CDT Danna Thomas, daughter of Duane Thomas, a member of Local 1509 at the Federal Aviation Administration, has received a $1000 AFSCME Advantage Scholarship, which is funded by the Union Privilege Scholarship Program. Danna is one of 103 applicants from 45 AFL-CIO unions who received scholarships from the program for the 2007/2008 school year. Applicants were evaluated on academic ability, character, letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay about their appreciation of the labor movement. In... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072501882.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072501882.html Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:57:53 CDT AFSCME Council 26 You don't trifle with Robin Smith when it comes to keeping America safe. Smith is a former airman first class who won a Sharpshooter badge and was one of 125 women selected by the Air Force for a test combat training program. She comes from a family that was almost a stranger to civilian life; until her brother retired from service in the mid-'90s, she says, "there was a member of my family on active military duty for over 100 consecutive years." Smith is black; her forebears joined up in... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/us/politics/31unions.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/us/politics/31unions.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:51:21 CDT AFSCME Council 26 Union leaders say they are so happy with the Democratic presidential aspirants, though unsure of whom to support, that they are unlikely to endorse any of them before the primaries next year. If the unions do delay throwing their weight behind any candidate early in the campaign, it would be particularly frustrating to former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Mr. Edwards has vigorously courted unions, hoping to win the coveted A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsement and the accompanying... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37497&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37497&dcn=e_gvet Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:07:04 CDT AFSCME Council 26 House lawmakers selected to negotiate with the Senate on major homeland security legislation said Tuesday that they are unsure whether they'll be able to address an effort to grant collective bargaining rights to federal airport screeners. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said at a press briefing that conferees are hoping to begin negotiations this week on a bill to implement the unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. But... http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37372&dcn=e_gvet http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37372&dcn=e_gvet Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:34:45 CDT AFSCME Council 26 A coalition of labor unions on Monday filed a petition for a full appeals court review of a ruling that upheld the Defense Department's new personnel and labor relations rules.The unions are seeking a rehearing of a decision issued in May by a panel of judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia regarding the department's National Security Personnel System. The appeals judges found that the law creating the system grants the Defense Department temporary authority to... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/49161 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/49161 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:13:55 CDT Your free speech rights to protest in DC may be in jeopardy. The proposed Noise Law bill -- introduced by Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Mary Cheh (Ward 3) and Kwame Brown (At-large) �" currently being considered in the DC City Council “would ban the use of bull-horns and ‘loud’ shouting at all protests any time of day,” says Rick Powell, Metro Council Political Coordinator. “Under the existing law, ‘non-commercial public speech’ is... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/49221 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/49221 Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:01:00 CDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Given a strong and crowded 2008 Democratic presidential field, a prominent labor leader said on Thursday his union will have a tough time reaching a consensus to make an endorsement before the primaries. Gerald McEntee, president of the public employees union AFSCME and chairman of the AFL-CIO's political committee, said there was only a 35 percent chance his 1.4 million-member union will agree on a Democrat to back in the 2008 White House race. "It's going to be hard... http://http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/29/rebusting_the_air_traffic_controllers.php http://http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/29/rebusting_the_air_traffic_controllers.php Tue, 29 May 2007 11:54:44 CDT TomPaine.com It’s not easy for air traffic controllers with a Republican in the White House. First, it was Ronald W. Reagan firing 11,000 of them in 1981 for striking to try to better their onerous working conditions. Now, it’s George W. Bush making the conditions even worse. The controllers aren’t the only ones involved. Millions of airline passengers and employees and many fliers who pilot their own aircraft face serious threats to their safety because of what’s being done by the... http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37033&dcn=todaysnews http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37033&dcn=todaysnews Tue, 29 May 2007 12:06:03 CDT GovExec A Senate panel on Thursday approved language that would significantly limit the implementation of a controversial personnel system at the Defense Department and authorize a 3.5 percent 2008 pay raise for members of the military.In a markup of the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill that began Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to repeal the existing authority of the Defense Department to move forward on the labor relations portions of its National Security... http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/47376 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/47376 Tue, 22 May 2007 13:12:58 CDT Over 3,000 tickets have already been sold for the Community Services Agency’s “Labor Night with the Nats” on Friday, 7/20. Tickets are still available! Buy 50 or more tickets and your local’s name will appear on the scoreboard. For more info, email Kathleen McKirchy, kmckirch@dclabor.org. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/21/AR2007052101580_pf.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/21/AR2007052101580_pf.html Tue, 22 May 2007 14:10:46 CDT Labor Coalition to Appeal Ruling at DefenseSteven Barr, Washington Post, May 22, 2007 A coalition of 40 unions representing Defense Department employees will ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review a decision by three of its judges upholding a 2004 law that permits the Pentagon to curtail collective bargaining rights, four union leaders announced yesterday. Click title to read full story. http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/47386 http://www.council26.org/ht/d/ArticleDetails/i/47386 Tue, 22 May 2007 14:54:01 CDT Labor Coalition to Appeal Ruling at DefenseSteve Barr, Washington Post, May 22, 2007 A coalition of 40 unions representing Defense Department employees will ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review a decision by three of its judges upholding a 2004 law that permits the Pentagon to curtail collective bargaining rights, four union leaders announced yesterday. The labor leaders -- John Gage of the American Federation of Government Employees, Ron Ault of the...