E Messenger
The Electronic
Newsletter of the
New Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 610
Year to date:
87,731
WE NEED
YOUR LABOR DAY NEWS
Labor Day is OUR
holiday! The
Wears on
legislators? How about the rest of us!
Extra sessions wear on citizen
legislators
(
Cutting class not an option for
legislator- professor
(
Malpractice cap plan to face
split opinion
(
It appears as if
What Price Do You Put On a Life?
(
Another Special Session
(
It's a new month, so
that means it must be time for another special session of the Legislature,
right? Sure enough, one begins Wednesday and is scheduled to last eight days.
As with the last one, the subject is medical malpractice. The Legislature
didn't resolve the issue in the most recent special ...
Legislature will try again this
week on malpractice caps
(07/07/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
When Florida lawmakers
gather this week -- yet again -- for another round in the fierce debate about what
to do about doctors' fast-rising malpractice-insurance rates, they'll face the
same complex issues and conflicting data that befuddled them during last
month's special session and this spring's ...
Caps backer s insurer settles
malpractice claim
(
The insurer for a vocal
proponent of medical malpractice caps in
Legislators revisit insurance
issue
(07/08/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
When Florida legislators
gather Wednesday -- yet again -- for another round in the debate about what to
do about doctors' fast-rising malpractice-insurance rates, they will face the
same complex issues and conflicting data that befuddled them during last
month's special session and this spring's reg...
Senate looks to get at the “truth”
on medmal
Senators set to subpoena insurers
(07/08/2003 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE -- With Gov.
Jeb Bush launching another round of attacks on the Florida Senate in his effort
to win support for his plan to stop rising medical malpractice insurance rates,
the Senate leaders are striking back with a threat to put the powerful
insurance industry, and perhaps even the...
A humorous but fairly accurate look
at the “complex” med-mal issue – read this one!
Med-mal for dummies
(
As a public service
today, I shall explain the complexities of the medical-malpractice crises that
threatens to shake
Insurers
go national
The G.O.P. Still Pushes Forward on
Malpractice Cap Bill
Florida s Dirty Little Secret
(
Unable to produce a
budget in its allotted 60-day session, the Legislature was called back into
special session this summer by Gov. Jeb Bush. When the budget finally came
forth, Bush pronounced it a solid one: 'Thanks to dedicated leadership and
fiscal discipline from both houses,
Medicaid cuts end dream of
hearing
(
Angela Clark wants to
hear her children play. She wants to hear birds chirp, understand lyrics in a
song and listen for trouble in the next room. Just weeks away from surgery that
might restore her hearing, Medicaid changed the rules. Now the mother of four,
homeless after a devastating ...
Interesting
reform ideas
The Legislature needs a
constitutional makeover
(
If the 2003 Florida
Legislature ever leaves town for good this year, we should sit back and soberly
(I use that word in its best known connotation) assess what can be done to
preclude future wastes of time and money. Taxpayer, money, of course. Even
though these annual gatherings may be a boon to...
Winner-take-all
races make democracy the loser
(
Yes, I know
what Finley Peter Dunne said, and I'm not expecting politics to be played
according to the rules of beanbag. But it strikes me, as it strikes a lot of
voters, that American politics has become particularly ugly in recent years.
I've heard (and offered) plenty of explanations: the calc...
Redistricting, a Bipartisan Sport
Independent redistricting
commissions offer the best hope
for taking partisanship out
of the process of drawing up legislative districts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/opinion/08BLUM.html?th
The “H”
in Harris is for “hypocrisy”
Harris holds principles dear,
while political guide gets real
(
Now that summer's here,
it's time for a few selections from the Taking Names book club. Who has 'The
Answer'? A contemporary version of the Bible, called The Answer, is packed with
stories, insight and advice from
Most legal scholars
agree that Jeb’s push to privatize
Push to use private death-row
lawyers stirs debate
(07/08/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida
has had more inmates removed from death row than any other state, and some say
that's because the state lawyers who file appeals for condemned killers do a
good job. But the state closed one of its three death-row legal offices last
week. The other two could be in jeopardy....
State Tries to Privatize Death
Row Attorneys
(
Fourth of six parts
Florida death row defense agency
faces downsizing
(
Lack of
funding leads to shortcuts ---who pays in the end?
Short-cut grads
(07/08/2003 © Bradenton
Herald)
David Underhill,
principal at Bayshore High School, made a classic understatement the other day
in assessing the state's new high school graduation requirements: 'It seems
like our legislators didn't think through all of the consequences.' Indeed,
legislators and Gov. Jeb Bush were so intent o...
A Series on immigrant workers
HELP IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
(
Parents bring their
children to this country to give them new opportunities, new hope. But without
the passage of legislation languishing in
An undocumented worker toils unnoticed
Bad news for workers on July 4th
JOBLESS RATE AT NINE-YEAR
HIGH--The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 6.4 percent in June, the highest
level in more than nine years, according to the federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The 0.3 percentage point increase from May's 6.1 percent rate was
the largest month-to-month rise since the
Jobless Rate Hits 6.4%, Highest Level in 9 Years
The
Bush Faulted for Jobless Rate (washingtonpost.com)
The
The
But some good news for workers’
rights
WAL-MART INJUNCTION
LIFTED--The Arkansas Supreme Court on July 3 reversed the nationwide injunction
Wal-Mart obtained against the United Food and Commercial Workers in 2001.
"This is a victory for common sense and the rule of law," said UFCW
Executive Vice President Michael Leonard. The injunction, issued by a county
judge in
Wal-Mart's injunction against unions reversed
WKYC-TV NBC
3
Wal-Mart Ruling Overturned (washingtonpost.com)
Court Overturns Ban on Union Recruiting
The
Judge delays action to hear from Wal-Mart, union
More on the privatization of
Medicare
MEDICARE BILL IN
CONFERENCE--House and Senate negotiators
will begin to meld two
recently passed Medicare prescription drug bills into one package when Congress
returns to work this week. But both bills "represent an unmitigated
disaster for seniors," said AFL-CIO President Sweeney. The House bill aims
to privatize Medicare and both bills lack any method to control the soaring
cost of prescription drugs. More than 4 million workers could lose
employer-provided health benefits under the bills, according to the
Congressional Budget Office. The AFL-CIO, the
Drug bill a well-financed victory for industry Companies avert version feared most
Private Plans Again Seen as Aid to Medicare
The
Overtime attack continues…AFL-CIO
Fights back
STANDING UP FOR 40-HOUR
WEEK--Working families rallied at the U.S. Department of Labor June 30, the
last day of public comment on President George W. Bush's proposed changes to
the Fair Labor Standards Act that could cut overtime pay for 8 million workers.
The activists assembled on the sidewalk because the department revoked
permission for use of a previously reserved and paid-for auditorium to hold a
forum on the rule changes. The proposed changes could take effect as early as
this fall--but the department held no public hearings in advance of the June 30
comment deadline. "Just because it's the new century, just because we have
high-tech jobs, just because more people are working in an office doesn't mean
we should become a nation of workers who never see their families and spend 50
or 60 hours a week at the office," AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard
Trumka told the crowd. Under the proposed changes, many workers would face
unpredictable work schedules and reduced pay because of an increased demand for
extra hours for which employers would not have to compensate workers, according
to an Economic Policy Institute report released June 26. Anyone making more
than $22,100 a year could be denied overtime pay under the proposed changes if
they are classified as professional, administrative or executive employees
exempt from federal overtime rules. To send an e-mail to President Bush telling
him to stop attacking overtime pay, visit www.unionvoice.org/campaign/otpayj1
.. To spread the word on this campaign to friends, family members and co-workers,
visit www.unionvoice.org/campaign/otpayj1/forward
..
CNN
Pick workers' pockets and give 'em a spin
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Election 2004
Dems Try to Get Past Bush's Advantage (washingtonpost.com)
The
Kucinich visits dockworkers in another California campaign swing
The evolution of Richard Gephardt
Bush on pensions
White House Seeks Revised Pension Rules
The Bush administration is
preparing to introduce
long-awaited pension
legislation this week that could save companies billions of dollars over the
next two years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/business/08PENS.html?th
Unions balk at pension proposal
Bush Pension Plan Seen Offering Transition Period
Dow Jones Business News (via Yahoo)
Other labor news
Failed union merger is setback for a leader
Affirmative Action Opponents Preparing for a Ballot Battle (washingtonpost.com)
The
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Rich
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Communications
Director