AFSCME State/Local AK: Amid budget gloom, good news on Alaska health care costs Pat Forgey ∙ Dispatch News ∙ December 21, 2014 In a rare bit of good financial news for Gov. Bill Walker and state budget writers, the soaring health care costs of years past appear to have leveled off. Next year, theyre even projected to go down. ....... In addition to the health care costs the state pays, it also negotiates payments for union employees who get their care through union health care trusts. The Alaska State Employees Association, which covers employees in the states General Government Unit, gets funding linked to what the state pays for the employees it covers, said Jim Duncan, the unions executive director. CT: Inexperienced, in charge / Lawyer who set rules for Tenet seems to lack background MICHAEL C. JULIANO ∙ REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN ∙ Dec 20, 2014 The state hearing officer who wrote the majority of the conditions placed on for-profit Tenet Healthcare Corp. in its proposed acquisition of Waterbury Hospital appears to have had no health care industry experience before he started his job at the Office of Health Care Access in 2012, according to a review of information available about his background. CT: Edith Prague Battles Over Pension Christopher Keating ∙ Courant ∙ Dec 22, 2014 An 89-year-old retired state employee has been fighting the state bureaucracy for more than six months in a pitched battle over her pension benefits. The womans daughter says it took 21 telephone calls on a single day to get answers about the retirement forms in a process that she describes as frustrating and unfair. She says her mother should be receiving nearly double the amount of pension payments than she has been receiving. .... Lembo said he is prevented by law from intervening at this point, noting that Pragues case has been referred on appeal to a four-member subcommittee of the State Employees Retirement Commission, an independent group that includes attorneys, union leaders, and state officials. FL: Medicaid privatization may pose risk to those with complicated health needs NICHOLAS NEHAMASN ∙ MIAMIHERALD.COM ∙ 12/21/2014 Florida’s decision to privatize government-subsidized healthcare for more than 3 million Medicaid recipients will lower costs and improve care, state leaders say. But the new managed care system is also exposing some Floridians in Medicaid, the state/federal insurance program for children, the poor and disabled, to the uncertainties of the private market for the first time. FL: Conservatives force-feeding their version of truth Rhonda Swan ∙ SUN-SENTINEL ∙ Dec 19, 2014 Bills filed by two Florida lawmakers that would mandate students watch a political documentary is the latest in a series of efforts by conservatives to indoctrinate students into the concept that America is exceptional. .... Thatd be easier to swallow if it werent for his affiliation with the American Legislative Exchange Council and his sponsorship of legislation backed by ALEC. The organization is composed of hundreds of state lawmakers and representatives of big corporations, like ExxonMobile and Koch Industries. ALEC writes model bills that its legislative members bring back to their statehouses. IA: Supporters wonder about Iowa Juvenile Homes future Associated Press ∙ December 21, 2014 The future of the former Iowa Juvenile Home facility in Toledo remains murky, and questions about how the state will care for delinquent girls linger. .... The states public employees union and four lawmakers sued over Republican Gov. Terry Branstads decision to close the facility. The case is now waiting to be argued before the Iowa Supreme Court. IL: State treasurer employees get raises, stipends as Rutherford’s term comes to end Bernard Schoenburg ∙ SJR ∙ Dec. 20, 2014 @ 10:00 pm More than 25 nonunion employees in state Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office got pay increases ranging from 8 percent to 36 percent over the past year. .... But Frank Prochaska, staff representative for Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents some treasurer’s office employees, called the raises and one-time payments “profiteering.” He noted that unionized employees had received smaller raises in recent negotiations. Related AP: Report: Illinois treasurer OKd raises for dozens KS: Study of privatizing Kansas public pensions sought John Hanna ∙ AP ∙ December 19, 2014 Two top aides to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback proposed Friday that Kansas study privatizing the pension system for teachers and government workers. Budget Director Shawn Sullivan and Secretary of Administration Jim Clark told a joint legislative committee on pensions that reform options for bolstering the public pension systems long-term health should be examined. Their list included converting pension benefits into annuities managed by a private insurer. Kansas Pension-Bond Plan Revived Amid Budget Strain: Muni Credit Darrell Preston ∙ Bloomberg ∙ Dec 18, 2014 8:00 PM Governor Sam Brownback’s plan to divert pension cash to plug a budget deficit has Kansas Treasurer Ron Estes recommending a fiscal tool the state hasn’t used in a decade -- selling bonds to fund its retirement plan. KS: Dec. 2 test confirms Docking had bedbug, emails show Insects on at least 3 floors, Department of Administration spokesman says CAPITAL-JOURNAL ∙ December 19, 2014 - 12:30pm The Kansas Department of Revenue received notification at the beginning of the month a bedbug had been found in the Docking State Office Building, records show, as the state confirmed Friday bedbugs have now been found on at least three floors. ..... Rebecca Proctor, director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees, said her organization has been receiving multiple calls per day on the issue. “For our organization, obviously the concern is that employees are not being given enough information and enough tools that they’re not taking the bugs home,” Proctor said. Kentucky county passes ordinance that hits at power of unions Steve Bittenbender ∙ Reuters ∙ December 19, 2014 6:28 PM Warren County, Kentucky passed a right-to-work ordinance on Friday, making the fifth most-populous county the first in the state to pass legislation prohibiting unions from requiring members to pay dues in exchange for representation. The ordinance, which lawmakers passed by a 6-1 vote, will face a legal challenge by unions, whose leaders said the law is designed to undercut their ability to bargain effectively for workers. Related Courier Journal: Wrong on right to work WKMS: Warren County Government Approves History-Making Right-to-Work Law AP: Warren County Passes Local Right-to-Work Law KY: Editorial - Dont punish libraries for adding value Herald-Leader ∙ December 21, 2014 For more than 30 years, library districts across Kentucky operated on the assumption that provisions of House Bill 44, enacted in a 1979 special legislative session, allowed them to increase their revenue by up to 4 percent a year without voter approval. .... But the legal issue aside, one thing about this case is very clear: During the 30-plus years when no one raised an objection, officials in library districts created by petition operated in good faith according to the guidance of state revenue officials who told them they were covered by HB 44. .... Libraries are not luxuries, as plaintiffs in this case argue. They provide a very necessary service to a civilized society. MO: Editorial: Gov. Jay Nixon must quickly increase pay for home health workers in Missouri Kansas City Star ∙ 12/19/2014 7:00 PM Home health attendants work long hours with heavy lifting and save the public a great deal of money by enabling elderly and disabled people to remain at home instead of moving to institutional settings. In Missouri, aides who are paid with state Medicaid dollars have been doing this work for an average of $8.60 an hour. That’s a pathetic wage. .... Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration disagrees with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 72, which represents the workers, on the process for implementing the raises. ... This may have to be a matter for a court to sort out. But whatever happens, it needs to take place on a glide path. .... It’s past time for home health aides to receive their raise, modest as it is. Related AP: Missouri home care workers ask for higher pay MS: State awards billions in no-bid contracts Geoff Pender and Emily Le Coz ∙ The Clarion-Ledger ∙ 10:50 p.m. CST December 21, 2014 State government spends billions of taxpayers dollars — nearly $6.5 billion in the last four years — through no-bid contracts, with little oversight or transparency. Its a system ripe for overspending, malfeasance and cronyism. And its one that apparently allowed corruption to fester for years, with the head of the state prisons system allegedly taking $2 million in bribes to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts. A Clarion-Ledger analysis of state records in the wake of that scandal discovered not only a lack of accurate data on no-bid agreements but numerous contracts with little or no explanation. NJ: Editorial: NJ pensions are stingy, not generous Star-Ledger ∙ December 21, 2014 New Jersey taxpayers are understandably frustrated when they see cops retiring with $200,000 in unused sick pay, or politicians taking three government jobs. Given the state’s crushing tax burden, it is enough to drive a person mad. But be careful. Because when it comes to pensions for public workers, a much larger expense for taxpayers, New Jersey is among the stingiest states in the nation. .... The study found that the average pension benefit for public workers is $26,000. The formula used to calculate those benefits is among the stingiest in the nation. NM: Albuquerque police union challenges reform deal with feds The Associated Press ∙ 12/20/2014 12:52:16 PM The union representing Albuquerque police officers is challenging a settlement between the city and the U.S. Justice Department to overhaul police procedures, saying the deal undermines its own agreement. The Albuquerque Police Officers Association argued a brief filed in federal court Thursday for involvement in the settlement terms. Union attorney Frederick Mowrer said in court documents that issues such as how officers will be disciplined for misconduct are in conflict with a collective bargaining agreement, the Albuquerque Journal reported Saturday. NY: Mold Concerns Shut Down White Plains Building Javier Simon ∙ Daily Voice ∙ 12/21/14 – City employees worked out of their trucks on Friday after the presence of mold shut down the lower portion of 20 Ferris Ave., which houses the citys street light division and the White Plains Fire Department, News 12 Westchester reports. CSEA Union officials cited by News 12 said employees will continue working out of their trucks and no one will be allowed back in the building without protective gear until the mold issue is resolved. PA: Northampton County workers rally against John Brown; gift him lump of coal Matt Assad ∙ Morning Call ∙ Dec 22, 2014 In the spirit of the Christmas season, Northampton County workers scheduled a surprise rally to protest County executive John Brown, outside the government center this morning. And they arrived bearing gifts for a man they say has given them nothing. For John Brown, we have a nice bag of coal, said Justus James. President of the AFSCME union that represents 1,200 county workers. PA: Republican legislator estimates selling state liquor system could net $1B Melissa Daniels ∙ Tribune ∙ Dec. 21, 2014, 11:06 p.m. Pennsylvanias Speaker of the House-designee Mike Turzai wont abandon his quest to get the state out of the liquor business. ... Privatization, he said, could provide help in closing the states projected structural deficit of about $2 billion next fiscal year. OH: Lawrence County budget approved without debate DAVID E. MALLOY ∙ Herald Dispatch ∙ Dec. 19, 2014 ... In other action, the commissioners approved a three-year contract with 10 employees in the child support agency. The contract approved pay raises for members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 890. RI: Governor Chafee: The exit interview Providence Journal ∙ December 20, 2014 11:15 PM ..... “I’ve always enjoyed working with unions. I am a good, fair negotiator on behalf of the taxpayers. Always have been. And to have an elected leader representing the people sometimes makes it easier…. You can go to the president, resolve issues.” He cites as an example his personal role in getting Council 94 leaders to accept the hiring of part-timers at the DMV, to help staff the counters at peak times. One of the tradeoffs: increases of up to 12.5 percent in pay rates for DMV staffers. UT: Tea partier braces for primary challenge from the establishment NERI ZILBER ∙ POLITICO ∙ Dec 22, 2014 Tea party favorite Mike Lee roiled the GOP establishment four years ago when he knocked off a sitting senator on his way to the Republican Senate nomination in Utah. Now, the establishment might strike back. ... Some powerful establishment Republicans in Utah are tired of Lee’s hard-line positions. He stood with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas last year when the federal government closed and again this month when they tried to take on President Barack Obama on immigration but ended up giving Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada leverage to confirm controversial nominations. WI: Outgoing Republican state Sen. Dale Schultz vents his spleen at the GOP By Steven Elbow ∙ The Capital Times ∙ December 19, 2014 The man some consider the last remaining moderate Republican in the state Legislature has a few choice words for his fellow party members. Appearing on the Devil’s Advocate radio show on The Mic/92.1 FM on Tuesday, Sen. Dale Schultz, who’s nearing the last day of his 31-year legislative career, delivered a comprehensive critique of the Republican agenda. “We are now literally dismantling the state government, and people need to think long and hard about what they want for a future in our state,” he said. .... “How much pain do we have to dish out in this state to one another before we finally realize that we have to get along and we have to compromise with one another?” he said. WI: In Oshkosh, finding ways to cut personnel costs proves tough Jeff Bollier ∙ Northwestern Media ∙ 2:02 p.m. CST December 20, 2014 Nearly three out of every four dollars the city of Oshkosh spends each year pays for employee salaries and benefits in spite of state and local efforts to rein in personnel costs. Wisconsin Act 10 aimed to help municipalities get a grip on increasing salary and benefit costs that consume a majority of municipal budgets through a requirement that employees pay larger share of the cost of their health and retirement benefits. WI: Republicans fighting to hang onto Senate _ in 2016 ERICA WERNER ∙ AP ∙ December 21, 2014 Senate majority in hand, ascendant Republicans are set to challenge President Barack Obama and the Democrats on Capitol Hill come January. But a much tougher election map two years from now could force the GOP right back into the minority. In November 2016, Republicans will defend 24 seats, Democrats 10. Seven of the GOP seats are in states that President Barack Obama won with 50 percent or more of the vote in 2012.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 21:55:13 +0000
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