AFSCME State/Local Alaska Legislature taking a look at each dollar on the budget Matt Buxton ∙ newsminer ∙ January 21, 2015 11:55 pm — “It’s all on the table.” It’s just days into the first session of the 29th Alaska Legislature, and those words could be attributed to just about any lawmaker in the building when it comes to tackling the state’s anticipated $3.5 billion budget shortfall. ..... A Legislative Finance Division report on the governor’s in-progress budget made clear that cutting the way to a balanced budget is likely impossible. ....The report had been addressing the money the state is required to spend through contractual, statutory or other obligations. The “off limits” spending covers debt service, education, Medicaid, retirement assistance and oil and gas production tax credits and totals about $3.2 billion. Total state revenues for the fiscal year are projected to be $2.2 billion. Laying off every employee who’s paid for outside of that required funding — about 12,000 state employees — would save the state about $1.3 billion. AK: Walker offers hope but few details in first State of State speech Nathaniel Herz,Pat Forgey ∙ Dispatch News ∙ January 21, 2015 Gov. Bill Walker on Wednesday used his first State of the State address to put a positive, up-by-your-bootstraps spin on Alaska’s tough fiscal predicament, though he offered Alaskans few concrete details on the steps he’ll take to reach the goals outlined in his speech. AR: Five keys in the Arkansas private option debate David Ramsey ∙ Arkansas Times ∙ Jan 21, 2015 at 9:54 PM Well, here we go again. The legislature is once again ready to debate the private option – the state’s unique version of Medicaid expansion, which uses funds available via the Affordable Care Act to purchase private health insurance for low-income Arkansans. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will take a long-awaited position on the policy in a speech at UAMS tomorrow morning. Then it will be up to the legislature. Health insurance for more than 200,000 Arkansans is at stake. Here are some keys to remember as the debate unfolds tomorrow and in the coming weeks. CA: Home Care Overtime Decision Leaves $200 Million Question Mark in State Budget David Gorn ∙ California Healthline ∙ January 21, 2015 Last weeks decision by the state to drop a plan to pay home health workers overtime wages has left a gap in the governors budget proposal. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled on Wednesday last week that only Congress has the authority to award extra pay to home care workers. The following day, California officials announced they were dropping the states planned overtime rule. That means there now is an extra $200 million sitting in the governors proposed budget, a sum thats expected to grow to $300 million in next years 2016-17 budget plan. CT: Tenet ready to renegotiate hospitals deal with Malloy Waterbury Hospital deal part of discussions Republican American ∙ Jan 22, 2015 Tenet Healthcare Corp. is accepting Gov. Dannel P. Malloys offer to discuss the possibility of Tenet reviving its plans to acquire five Connecticut hospitals. A Malloy spokesman said Tenet Senior Vice President Trip Pilgrim and Mark Ojakian, the governors chief of staff, are now in direct communications. In a letter dated Monday, Tenet Healthcare CEO Trevor Fetter laid out a framework for productive negotiations upon which a mutually acceptable agreement could possibly be reached. Related Journal Inquirer: Editorial - ‘Termination fee’ could be a start in reducing ECHN deficit FL: Cities oppose pension bill Lloyd Dunkelberger ∙ Herald-Tribune ∙ January 21, 2015 Florida cities would be able to financially strengthen underfunded police and firefighter pension funds under a bill approved Wednesday by a Senate committee. But the change faces an unlikely challenge: The cities don’t want it. The Florida League of Cities, the lobbying group that represents the municipal governments, told the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee that state municipalities would oppose the bill (SB 172). IA: Budget options include cutting two sanitation workers Globe Gazette ∙ Jan 22, 2015 .... One of the options under consideration is the possible elimination of two positions in the Sanitation Department. .... The discussion concerning the Sanitation Department stems from a situation two years ago when the council was considering using managed competition — putting sanitation services out for bids. The Sanitation Department was one of the bidders..... The overall proposed budget shows a decrease in the tax levy of 33 cents per $1,000 valuation; use of reserves to assure no increase in property taxes; 2.5 percent increase for non-bargaining employees; 2.5 percent increase for AFSCME employees; 2.75 percent increase for firefighters (police contract not yet approved); and a 2 percent increase in health insurance costs. IL: Lawyers contesting Illinois pension law seek extension AP ∙ Jan. 21, 2015 3:46 p.m. Lawyers contesting the Illinois law that overhauls a state pension program that is $111 billion in debt are asking the state Supreme Court for an extra month to file arguments. Attorneys for state employees, retired teachers and others who contest the constitutionality of the law say they need until March 16, WUIS-FM radio in Springfield reported. IL: How To Sell Off a City Welcome to Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago, the privatized metropolis of the future. RICK PERLSTEIN ∙ In These Times ∙ JANUARY 21, 2015 In June of 2013, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a new appointment to the city’s seven-member school board to replace billionaire heiress Penny Pritzker, who’d decamped to run President Barack Obama’s Department of Commerce. The appointee, Deborah H. Quazzo, is a founder of an investment firm called GSV Advisors, a business whose goal—her cofounder has been paraphrased by Reuters as saying—is to drum up venture capital for “an education revolution in which public schools outsource to private vendors such critical tasks as teaching math, educating disabled students, even writing report cards.” IL: College’s Adjuncts Split From State Union in Dispute Over Course Assignments Peter Schmidt ∙ Chronicle of Higher Education ∙ January 22, 2015 The union representing Columbia College Chicago’s adjunct faculty members has voted to break off from the Illinois Education Association in response to the statewide association’s perceived failure to keep adjuncts’ classes from being poached by IEA-represented college staff members. Although competition over classroom assignments has been a frequent source of tension between part-time and full-time faculty members represented by unions, Columbia College Chicago is unusual in being the site of such a bitter dispute over work between its part-time faculty and staff. IN: Debate ahead over proposed state pension plan shift Troy Kehoe ∙ WISH ∙ January 21, 2015, 5:23 pm A proposal that would begin eliminating Indiana’s traditional public pension plan appears to be headed for a legislative compromise. Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) proposed phasing out the state’s current pension system, known as a defined benefit system, by requiring any new public employees, including teachers, to enroll in a “401k-style” plan instead. In that system, known as a defined contribution system, employees would contribute to their own retirement accounts, as most private sector employees now do. That plan would eventually phase out defined benefit “traditional” public pensions through attrition. ..... House Bill 1481 is set for debate on the House floor next week. KS: Editorial: KPERS cuts are costly Wichita Eagle ∙ 01/21/2015 6:07 PM The governor’s cuts to KPERS send the state on a costly detour. Story Comments Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to reduce payments to the state’s pension system undercuts the reforms he helped champion and would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Surely there is a better way to pay for his tax cuts. .... Kansas teachers and state employees feel betrayed by Brownback’s proposal. They supported the 2012 reform, which increased their employee contributions to KPERS, because they saw it as a shared sacrifice to shore up the pension system. But now the state is already trying to wiggle out of its funding commitment. Related Pensions & Investments: KPERS executive director: Governors proposal will increase pension contributions by $3.7 billion KY: Right-to-work laws getting attention RONNIE ELLIS ∙ CNHI News Service ∙ January 21, 2015 5:05 pm .... At least six counties have passed local ordinances, most encouraged by a Florida group calling itself Protect My Paycheck headed by Kentucky native and Florida labor lawyer Brent Yessen. The counties and Yessen contend a “home rule” law passed by the Kentucky legislature decades ago provides authority for the local ordinances. .... Kentucky AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan said he provided Barren Fiscal Court “a voluminous package” of information about right to work laws. He said Barren County isn’t likely the last county to resist enacting a local ordinance. KY: Unions challenge Hardin Co. right-to-work ordinance Lawrence Smith ∙ WDRB ∙ Jan 21, 2015 4:36 PM Its a legal battle that could affect thousands of workers across Kentucky and a new ordinance passed by Hardin County is at the center of the dispute. The Hardin Co. Fiscal Court passed a right-to-work ordinance last week by a vote of 8 to 1. It was then promptly hit with a lawsuit. The right-to-work ordinance essentially means private companies in Hardin County cannot require workers to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. “They have the right to work without having to join a union,” explained Brad Richardson, the CEO of the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce. Richardson says the ordinance will make it easier for Hardin County to compete for new business. MA: Boston defends Olympic gag order on city employees Richard Valdmanis ∙ Reuters ∙ Jan 22, 2015 Boston officials on Wednesday defended the citys decision to bar public employees from saying anything negative about the Olympics, a move they called routine for all candidates vying to host the event. The gag order came to light as boosters of Bostons bid to host the 2024 Summer Games revealed new details of their vision, and opponents concerned about the public cost worked to organize a referendum to block it. MD: Hogan pledges culture of tolerance and mutual respect in Annapolis Michael Dresser and Erin Cox ∙ Baltimore Sun ∙ Jan 21, 2015 Republican Larry Hogan pledged to foster a culture of tolerance and mutual respect in Annapolis as he took the oath of office Wednesday to become Marylands 62nd governor..... The incoming administrations pledge to judge ideas on their merit drew praise from the largest union of state workers, which strongly backed Democrat Anthony G. Brown in his race against Hogan. State and university employees take the governor at his word, said Jeff Pittman, spokesman for AFSCME Maryland. He said Hogan aides have met with the group, while Ehrlichs administration had refused. This is a positive development and the path forward to a positive relationship, Pittman said. Related WBAL: Larry Hogan Sworn In As Marylands 62nd Governor MI: Keeping tabs on state workers with GPS WKZO ∙ January 22, 2015 State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker has proposed legislation to install tracking devices in all state-owned and leased vehicles. The Lawton Republican was inspired by the allegations against a state employee, Werner Van Noll who spent many of his days golfing, instead of inspecting elevators, which is what he was supposed to be doing. MI: Jones Day: Detroit Bankruptcy Fee Dwarfed by Citys Savings CAITLIN DEVITT ∙ Bond Buyer ∙ JAN 21, 2015 2:47pm The firm that shuttled Detroit through the countrys largest municipal bankruptcy to date said it cut its legal fees by $18 million and defended the remaining $58 million tab as reasonable given the nature of the case. The citys Chapter 9 case indisputably has been the largest and most complex in history, said Jones Day in a court filing defending its fees. .... Jones Day was one in a series of law firms, advisors and consultants that represented the city, its retirees, and pension cuts that agreed to discounts during mediation. MI: Crowd outbursts cut Flint water meeting short Katrease Stafford ∙ Detroit Free Press ∙ 10:33 p.m. EST January 21, 2015 A forum to discuss growing health concerns being raised by Flint residents that their water is unsafe was cut short Wednesday night after audience members became unruly and interrupted the meeting. Flint Councilman Eric Mays said the forum was preceded by a protest in front of City Hall. The protesters want the city to consider The Detroit Water Departments offer to reconnect Flint to its system. MN: Cass board OKs two union contracts Monica Lundquist ∙ Brainerd Dispatch ∙ Jan 21, 2015 at 11:42 p.m. Cass County Board approved contracts with two union bargaining units Tuesday, granting 2.5 percent base raises Jan. 1, 2015, and again Jan. 1, 2016. .... The agreements approved Tuesday include those covering courthouse personnel who are members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, and highway department personnel who are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49. MN: Dayton establishes diversity council to hire and retain wider range of state employees MinnPost ∙ Jan 21, 2015 12:49 pm By executive order, Gov. Mark Dayton has established a new state Diversity and Inclusion Council. Its goal: to improve the recruiting and retention of state employees from diverse backgrounds, improve the contracting process for businesses owned by Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds, and promote civic engagement in the state. MO: Jay Nixon calls for building plan, municipal court reform, change in use-of-force law Virginia Young, Alex Stuckey ∙ Post-Dispatch ∙ Jan 22, 2015 Facing a Legislature firmly in Republican hands, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, used his seventh State of the State address Wednesday night to strike a conciliatory chord. He jokingly acknowledged that for the last .... Nixon’s budget would not give state employees a raise, but it would continue one he released on Christmas Eve — a 1 percent pay raise that cost $5.6 million in general revenue. It took effect Jan. 1. That drew criticism from organized labor. In a news release, Michelle Mason, an aide at Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in St. Louis County and member of AFSCME Council 72, said: “The budget proposed tonight by Gov. Jay Nixon promises to keep Missouri workers stuck at the bottom of the pile.” Related Kansas City Star: In State of the State speech, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pushes for Medicaid expansion KY3: Unions sound off on Governors State of the State ND: GOP lawmakers want more study on gender wage gap Mike Nowatzki ∙ Dickenson Press ∙ Jan 21, 2015 at 3:59 p.m. A female lawmaker stood before an all-male committee Wednesday and pushed for a bill aimed at closing the reported wage gap between genders, but Republican legislators said they want more proof that a problem exists before taking action. .... Representatives of the North Dakota Women’s Network, North Dakota AFL-CIO, AARP, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and North Dakota United testified in favor of the bill. NM: Right to work pro, con marshal forces Rosalie Rayburn ∙ Journal ∙ January 21, 2015 at 3:34 pm Forces on both sides of the right-to-work debate are girding for action at the Legislature, where bills seeking to make New Mexico the 25th state to pass the legislation have already been filed, but it’s not clear how much money might be brought into the debate. .... Union leaders Jon Hendry of the New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Carter Bundy of the AFSCME say passing right-to-work legislation would bring low-wage jobs. They say it’s a political argument and that supporters are trying to undermine the ability of unions to represent workers at all levels. NM: Economists wrestle over right-to-work Winthrop Quigley ∙ Journal ∙ January 22, 2015 It would be great if before the Legislature begins considering right-to-work bills some honest broker could demonstrate how New Mexico’s economy will fare if one passes. Not gonna happen. Economists have been trying for years to tease out the effect of right-to-work from the countless gears, cogs, levers and switches that make up a state’s economy. Their results are all over the place and depend mainly on the approach they take to research and the data they choose to use, according to the Congressional Research Service. NV: Study: Many public-sector retirees making more than they did on job SEAN WHALEY ∙ LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL ∙ January 22, 2015 Most people who make the decision to retire have to figure out how to live on fewer dollars, but that is not always the case with Nevada state and local government employees, a new analysis has found. The analysis by the conservative think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute, using newly available public data provided by the Public Employees Retirement System, shows that many public sector retirees actually receive a raise upon retirement. NV: EDITORIAL: Public shouldn’t foot bill for union activities LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL ∙ January 22, 2015 Public employee unions look out for their members’ financial interests, not those of the public. So why are taxpayers stuck paying the salaries of union leaders who are hostile to them? After all, unionized government workers pay dues to their unions. For some bargaining groups, those dues bring in millions of dollars per year. Unions have the resources to pay people who do work for the unions. But why would unions do that when they can make you foot the bill for union activities? NY: CSEA rejects fact-finding Daily Mail ∙ January 22, 2015 Signs reading “Your health care is not fair,” “United we stand” and “We’ll remember in November” were held by the membership of CSEA Local 820, Unit 7000 at the Catskill High School Auditorium. The Greene County Legislature held a public hearing on Wednesday in regards to a Fact-Finder Report that was released last month. .... CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Diane Selchick spoke first, representing all members in attendance, saying that CSEA does not consent to the County Legislature altering the terms of the expired contract. NY: New era of cooperation for Elmira, Chemung County Ray Finger ∙ stargazette ∙ January 21, 2015 With Wednesdays announcement of a new shared services initiative, a new era of cooperation has begun between the City of Elmira and Chemung County that will benefit taxpayers, officials said. ..... Under the agreement announced Wednesday, 20 city employees — 16 members of the Civil Service Employees Association and four non-union personnel — would be transferred into the countys Department of Public Works. NY: Cuomo takes aim at N.Y. teachers Joe Mahoney ∙ Daily Star ∙ Jan 22, 2015 Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Wednesday for more effective methods for evaluating the performance of public school teachers, arguing the current system amounts to “baloney” because many educators get high marks despite failing to get the job done in the classroom. The reform proposal, stitched into a combined State of the State speech and presentation of the governor’s executive budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1, was a centerpiece of Cuomo’s agenda for the 2015 legislative session. Ohio public employees among highest paid in U.S. Dayton Business Journal ∙ Jan 22, 2015, 5:52am The average public worker in the Buckeye State brings in 5,049 per month, or $60,588 annually, according to the Washington Post citing U.S. Census Bureau data. Staff Dayton Business Journal Public employees in Ohio collect sizable wages compared to their counterparts from many states. The average public worker in the Buckeye State brings in 5,049 per month, or $60,588 annually, according to the Washington Post citing U.S. Census Bureau data. Ohio gov backs Medicaid expansion, budget amendment John S. Adams ∙ Great Falls Tribune ∙ 3:41 p.m. MST January 21, 2015 Ohio Gov. John Kasich told a small group of Montana legislative Republicans they should not oppose expansion of Medicaid on the basis of strict ideology. I gotta tell you, OH: Vermilion school bus driver fired for falling asleep at the wheel Richard Payerchin ∙ The Morning Journal ∙ 01/21/15, 5:08 PM A Vermilion school bus driver who fell asleep at the wheel was fired from the job. .... Several district bus drivers also attended the meeting in support of Howell and a field representative of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local No. 332 asked the board to reconsider the recommendation to end her employment. Howell filed a grievance about the board action on Jan. 15, and the school administration denied it, Pempin said. She may pursue an appeal through arbitration, he said, but it was unclear if that would happen. PA: Rendell says Wolf has skills and leverage to succeed Ed Mahon ∙ ydr ∙ 01/21/2015 10:55:18 PM .... State Sen. Scott Wagner, R-Spring Garden Township, wants to ban taxpayer-funded payroll systems from collecting money that will be used for politics. Wagner and other supporters refer to these types of bans as paycheck protection. On Wednesday, Wagner sent out a co-sponsorship memo seeking support for two constitutional amendments: one to ban the practice for the state, and the other to ban it for local governments. PA: Fix pensions with buyback Thomas A. Firey, Cato Institute ∙ philly ∙ January 22, 2015 So now Pennsylvanias growing public employee pension problem is Gov. Wolfs to solve. Some estimate the gap could be as much as $65 billion in the next few years, with city governments facing a $7.7 billion gap of their own. .... Harrisburg should create a program that would allow individual state and local public employees to voluntarily sell back some of their pension benefits in exchange for cash. If engineered correctly (perhaps using an auction mechanism), the overall savings to taxpayers could be very large, even if the state has to borrow money for the payouts. Related Pennsylvania Daily: Kampf to reintroduce public-pension reform legislation Pennsylvania tax-exempt nonprofits bill opposed Kate Giammarise ∙ Post-Gazette ∙ January 22, 2015 A proposal to give the Legislature new authority in determining which charitable organizations deserve tax exemptions gives too much power to state lawmakers, according to a coalition of local government officials and organized labor. That coalition is opposing a bill that could lead to a statewide vote on the issue and, ultimately, a constitutional amendment. S.C. Gov. Haley lambastes unions, organizing efforts at Boeing in state address SEANNA ADCOX ∙ Associated Press ∙ Jan 21, 2015 Gov. Nikki Haley used part of her State of the State address Wednesday to promote South Carolina’s anti-union reputation and try to kill efforts to unionize Boeing’s North Charleston plant. TX: Lawmakers Want Answers About Deadly Prison Bus Crash KEYE ∙ Wednesday, January 21 2015, 06:32 PM Three Texas inmates injured in a deadly prison bus crash were released from a public hospital to prison medical facilities on Wednesday. Another inmate and a corrections officer remain hospitalized. Eight inmates and two corrections officers were killed last week when a prison bus headed from Abilene to El Paso skidded off an icy overpass, slid down an embankment and collided with a moving freight train. .... What we would like to see corrected is where the drivers and the individual officers have the ultimate say, said Lance Lowry, staff representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Not administrators above them that may be worried about budgeting costs. Related Big Country: Deadly Bus Crash: 4 Inmates Discharged, Baird Correctional Officer Improving TX: Moodys Warns of Texas Governments Pension Woes (copy of Moody’s report available upon request) RICHARD WILLIAMSON ∙ Bond Buyer ∙ JAN 21, 2015 3:56pm Texas governments face rising challenges from public pensions that have been underfunded for years, according to a report from Moodys Investors Service. The report, Cost Deferrals Drive Rising Pension Challenges for Texas and Some Locals, came amid lawsuits between local governments and pension funds and on the heels of state efforts to close the funding gap through delayed retirements and higher contribution rates. State law also controls some local pension plans, notably the Houston Firefighters pension plan. WA: State lawmakers could see 11 percent raises JORDAN SCHRADER ∙ News Tribune ∙ January 21, 2015 State lawmakers could get double-digit raises over the next two years, their first in seven years. ..... Gov. Jay Inslee has negotiated contracts with many state employees that call for raises of 3 percent this July and another 1.8 percent a year later. Lawmakers are considering whether to fund those contracts. A spokesman for the Washington Federation of State Employees said the union would make sure its members know about the proposed raises as they press lawmakers to approve their own. “Our members will view this as the Legislature being treated as an elite group, getting a higher pay raise than we had to scrape and claw for months to negotiate,” Tim Welch said. WA: Exclusive: Boeing unions seek conditions on $8.7 billion in tax credits ALWYN SCOTT ∙ Reuters ∙ Wed Jan 21, 2015 3:03pm Boeing Cos (BA.N) two largest labor unions said on Wednesday they are working on a pair of legislative bills that would put conditions on $8.7 billion in tax credits that Washington state gave to Boeing and the state aerospace industry in 2013. ..... One bill would specify the number of jobs Boeing must maintain in the state to receive the tax credits. A second bill would require companies that receive the credit to pay a living wage, Larry Brown, legislative director of the International Association of Machinists District 751, told Reuters. WI: Another political storm gathering over the Capitol: Right-To-Work debate could come soon MIKE LOWE ∙ Fox5 News ∙ 10:45 PM, JANUARY 21, 2015 Another showdown between Wisconsin unions and Republican lawmakers could be right around the corner. The epic 2011 “budget battle” cut collective bargaining for public workers, but the next fight could be about union employees in private companies. It’s the debate over so-called “Right-To-Work” legislation. WI: UW custodians to rally against alleged abuse KSENIYA SOVENKO ∙ International Examiner ∙ JANUARY 21, 2015 To whom it may concern: I write this letter as witness to how employees are mistreated in the work environment. So reads a message typed and dated by UW custodian Salvador Castillo, who has stored more than three boxes of records documenting what he believes to be the harassment of himself and his co-workers by department administrators in Custodial Services. The papers include petitions, news articles relating to custodian-university relations, and copies of records from grievance and investigatory meetings. The oldest date back to 1994. Castillo, like all UW custodians, is part of the Local 1488 WFSE chapter, the union that represents more than 3,000 employees of various professions at UW Seattle. .... According to Castillo, who has worked at the university since 1993, UW Custodial Services supervisors engage in excessive monitoring behaviors, verbal abuse, and embarrassment of employees in front of faculty and students.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:17:15 +0000
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