Brothers and Sisters,
Update on rally for tonight. Please do not bring whistles, horns, drums etc.. This is an indoor rally!!
I look forward to seeing all of you there tonight at 6 pm.
Fraternally
Keith Love
Business Agent
DCSMEC
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By KEVIN G. HALL
From state legislatures to Congress to tea party rallies, a vocal backlash is rising against what are perceived as too-generous retirement benefits for state and local government workers. However, that widespread perception doesn’t match reality.
A close look at state and local pension plans across the nation, and a comparison of them to those in the private sector, reveals a more complicated story. However, the short answer is that there’s simply no evidence that state pensions are the current burden to public finances that their critics claim.
Pension contributions from state and local employers aren’t blowing up budgets. They amount to just 2.9 percent of state spending, on average, according to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College puts the figure a bit higher at 3.8 percent.
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Brothers and Sisters
A rally will be taking place on Tuesday March 8th from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Mahi Temple located at 1480 NW North River Drive Miami Fl. This rally coincides with the many state wide rallies going on around the state in support of working families everywhere throughout the state.
Bring a sign, whistle, horn, drum or just yourself to show solidarity to all union working families throughout the state and our local area. In these difficult times we face if we do not show a united front then surly the powers running this state will only feed on our inability to unite.
I hope to see you all there on Tuesday!
In Solidarity,
Keith Love
Business Agent
DCSMEC
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Brothers and Sisters here are some of the bills going into the start of the legislative session. As you will see the scope of these bills is to take away the rights of working families, and to try to totally wipe out the unions ability to collectively bargain on your behalf. We will keep you up to date and informed as to the progress of these bills.
Interim Committee Edition
February 25, 2011
Beware! The 2011 Legislative Session begins Tuesday, March 8
It’s time to meet with your legislators! Senators and representatives will be back home next week (February 28 – March 7) so make appointments ASAP – you have a lot to talk to them about! Read on and start dialing those phones!
If you don’t know who your senator or representative is go to http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find Just fill in your address and city and VOILA! You will see the smiling face of your state senator. (Below his or her picture is a link that takes you to the House webpage listing all House members with a ‘Find Your Representative’ tab at the top)
Anti-due process bill heads to Senate floor
SB 736 —the so called teacher quality bill— has been heard by all Senate committees of reference and has been placed on the 2011 Senate Session calendar for Wednesday, March 9. Tell everyone you know to call or write their Senator and tell him/her that this bill is flawed and needs to be fixed and funded! SB 736 will:
· Dramatically increase FCAT type testing of students, costing hundreds of millions in tax-dollars, without a way to pay for them
· Link teacher evaluations and pay to student performance on FCAT and similar type tests
· Subjects ALL new teachers to be fired without ANY explanation or just cause
· Prohibits local school boards from even considering many advanced degrees and special training when determining a teacher’s level of pay.
The House version has a number now: HB 7019. At the time this report was written, the bill did not have any committee hearings scheduled… but it will.
More bad news – more anti-union bills filed
The House companion to Sen. John Thrasher’s SB 830 — the Union Gag Bill– has been filed. HB 1021 sponsored by Rep. Chris Dorworth (R-Heathrow) is identical to the senate version. As of yet, the bills have not been placed on committee agendas… stay tuned. As you may recall, these bills take away the right of members to have their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks by the school district.
More ugly anti-education union bills were filed today (Friday): HB 1023 by Rep. Scott Plakon (R- Longwood) and HB 1025 by Rep. Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford). Although we have not fully analyzed the bills, here’s what we see at first glance:
· HB 1023 will require recertification of a local union, as bargaining agent, that has a membership less than 50 percent of the potential bargaining unit membership by July 1, 2011, or the certification of the bargaining unit will be revoked. The bill does not apply to law enforcement officers or firefighters.
· HB 1025 will allow the members of a union to decertify the union as bargaining agent at any time. It requires union leaders to notify members of this right each year.
And some fairly good news – pension foes backing off…a little
Thursday, Senate Governmental and Accountability Committee chair, Sen. Jeremy Ring (D-Margate) held a workshop on SB 1130 – the FRS reform bill. The bill —as it is currently written —would require employees to contribute 2 percent of their salaries toward their pensions.
The committee took 2 hours of testimony and discussed proposed amendments which will be considered when the committee meets after the legislative session begins March 8.
Sen. Jack Latvala (R-St. Petersburg) has been working with FEA and Pinellas CTA along with other public employee unions to protect the FRS system. “I feel strongly that there are many people who work for government for the pension they are going to get,” Latvala said. “It’s important to keep that path open for them.”
Gov. Scott’s budget proposal had included a 5% employee contribution, along with a plan to end the defined benefit plan in which most public employees are currently enrolled – requiring all new employees to be placed in 401(k) plans.
Former FRS director Andrew McMullen cautioned the committee to not destroy a system that has become the envy of others. “You cannot improve on the system, but you can destroy the system,” McMullian said. “You are putting employees at risk with the ebb and flow of the stock market.”
Union representatives, teachers, firefighters, and university officials told committee members that public employees trade higher salaries in the private sector for the retirement benefits available from the state.
As you recall, Florida’s pension system has operated in a surplus for much of the past 15 years. But during the recent recession, like most investments, the fund took a hit. Now it is nearly at fully funded status.
LaFrances Flynn Trotter
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DCSMEC NOTICE
To All Members:
Please be aware that the regular scheduled March 2011 General Membership meeting has been cancelled due to a conflict with Spring Break.
If anything occurs creating a need for a meeting the President, Don Waugh will call a “Special Meeting”. You can also keep posted on current events and important information at www.dcsmec.org. If you need any further information contact your Steward, Yard Representative or the DCSMEC office (305) 477-6002.
Fraternally,
Keith Love
P.S. Who the hell put Spring Break in the middle of March?
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Please vote.
Wall Street Journal: Question of the Day Should state employees have collective-bargaining rights?
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I’m not sure having the AFL-CIO send this video out to our entire e-mail list is quite what Matthew had in mind—but our staff loved this video, and we think you will, too. Matthew’s video shows the unbelievable people-powered energy behind what’s happening in Wisconsin.
Watch the amazing video—it’s a few minutes, but worth every second.
Then, sign our statement of solidarity.
Crowds in Wisconsin have swelled to more than 70,000, with more expected today. What the protesters are doing in Wisconsin is working.
Workers who are under attack—and the communities that know and respect them—have created such a powerful show of solidarity that all 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin state Senate left the Senate chambers in protest, indefinitely delaying a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-worker bill. And Republicans are starting to waver.
This is the kind of strength it takes to win. We need to make our voices heard whenever and wherever attacks occur, in Wisconsin and in our own states.
Then, sign our statement of solidarity.
The electricity and energy and solidarity we’re seeing with Wisconsin workers is truly unprecedented. But it is only the beginning. Now, as one supporter said to us on Twitter, “We must keep the momentum going & growing. Now is the time & we cannot give in or up.” That’s true in Wisconsin, and it’s just as true in all our communities.
In Solidarity,
Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO
P.S. Here are more things you can do to show your support:
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Sen. John Thrasher, former state GOP chairman, looks like he has filed a bill (SB830) to starve unions like the Florida Education Association, SEIU, AFL-CIO, firefighters, police unions or AFSCME by banning the Democratic-leaning organizations from using salary deductions for political purposes. The legislation also says any “public employer may not deduct or collect” union dues, etc. Lastly, it says that any public employee who didn’t specifically authorize the use of his money could be entitled to a partial refund.
The bill doesn’t seem to go as far as Wisconsin’s by ending collective bargaining rights in Florida, though in a right-to-work state there’s only so much union bargaining that can take place. Still, the language about union dues sure looks like it’s right out of the playbook of the tea party and Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker (who incidentally is not a high-speed rail fan, either).
Here are some excerpts from Thrasher’s bill, SB 830, which doesn’t seem to have a house sponsor. Yet.
“Deductions may not be made for purposes of political activity, including contributions to a candidate, political party, political committee, committee of continuous existence, electioneering communications organization, or organization exempt from taxation under s. 501(c)(4) or s. 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.”
“A public employer may not deduct or collect the dues, uniform assessments, fines, penalties, or special assessments of an employee organization from the compensation of any person employed by the public employer…”
“Unless an employee has executed a written authorization, the employee is entitled to a pro rata refund of any dues, uniform assessments, fines, penalties, or special assessments paid by the employee and used by the labor organization of which the employee is a member to make contributions or expenditures, as defined in s. 106.011. The written authorization must be executed by the employee separately for each fiscal year of the labor organization and shall be accompanied with a detailed account, provided by the labor organization, of all contributions and expenditures made by the labor organization in the preceding 24 months.”
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Republicans who swept into power in state capitols this year with promises to cut spending and bolster the business climate now are beginning to usher in a new era of labor relations that could result in the largest reduction of power in decades for public employee unions.
But as massive public protests and legislative boycotts in Wisconsin this week have shown, the Republican charge can be fraught with risk and unpredictable turns as politicians try to transform campaign ideas into action.
The question GOP governors and lawmakers are now facing is exactly how far they can go without encountering a backlash. Do they merely extract more money from school teachers, prison guards and office workers to help ease their states’ budget problems? Or do they go at the very core of union power by abolishing the workers’ right to bargain collectively? Do they try to impose changes by steamrolling the opposition, or by coming to the bargaining table?
“The consequences will be rolling forth for many, many years,” said James Gregory, director of Center for Labor Studies at the University of Washington. “The battle lines have been drawn and will be replicated around the country. This is going to be very tough for unions and public sector employees.”
In Wisconsin, new Republican Gov. Scott Walker is going for it all — the elimination of collective bargaining rights for public employees plus sharp increases in their health care and pension payments. His plan advanced quickly to the Republican-led Senate, despite several days of protests that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to the Capitol. Then Senate Democrats suddenly fled the state Thursday, bringing the legislative process to a halt.
Wisconsin was the first battleground. But it is unlikely to be the last.
A similar proposal to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights drew throngs of protesters Thursday at the Ohio Capitol. Hundreds more have demonstrated in Tennessee and Indiana, where Republican-led committees have advanced bills to restrict bargaining rights for teachers’ unions. And governors from Nevada to Florida have been touting the need to weaken union powers and extract more money from government employees to help balance out-of-whack budgets.
The confrontation comes as organized labor is reeling from a steady loss of members in the private sector. The public sector, with about 7.6 million members, now account for the majority of workers on union rolls, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Among union leaders, a sense of crisis is growing. Labor is preparing to spend at least $30 million to fight anti-union legislation in dozens of states, according to internal budget numbers reviewed by The Associated Press. They’re lobbying local officials, organizing public rallies, working phone banks and buying television and newspaper ads in a desperate attempt to swing public opinion.
“Plans are being put into place to silence workers, lower their wages, cut their benefits and increase the likelihood that they will suffer injuries and fatalities at work,” said Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “It is happening at a breakneck pace and too little attention is being paid.”
Labor plans to spend large amounts of money on battles in Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Unions see their goal as not just playing defense — as opponents chip away at bargaining rights — but going on offense to try to educate the public about the role of unions.
But last fall’s midterm elections, which brought the defeat of many union-supported candidates and victories by pro-business Republican adversaries, show the difficulty the unions face in a climate shaped by the sour economy. In many states, Republican governors have blamed unions in part for the state budget crisis by negotiating flush benefit packages for public workers that have forced states to slash aid to schools, social services and important services.
Wisconsin’s legislation, for example, not only would eliminate collective bargaining rights but also force public workers to pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage — increases the governor calls “modest” compared with those in the private sector. It’s projected to save $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, citing an estimated $8 billion budget gap, wants to restrict union rights for state workers and in townships, cities, counties, school districts and publicly funded universities. The legislation would generally eliminate salary schedules.
Kasich drew support Thursday from local tea party leader Ted Lyons, an electronics executive from Troy, Ohio, who said the proposed union changes are long overdue. “The labor unions have become so powerful now on a worldwide basis,” Lyons said. “It’s beyond just the benefits of the membership, it’s about all the spending.”
Lyons’ voice was nearly drowned out by a crowd of protesters.
But some other Republicans are intentionally avoiding the sorts of confrontations that have sparked demonstrations.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, the former chief operating officer of computer manufacturer Gateway Inc., won election last November on a similar pro-business agenda and also wants savings from public employee costs. But he’s not seeking to abolish collective bargaining rights and has publicly denounced legislative efforts to strike at union membership and fees.
Snyder wants all government employees to pay 20 percent of their health care premiums. But he’s not ramming the change at unions, and went out of his way Thursday to highlight his desire to work with them.
“As a practical matter, we’re asking for $180 million in concessions, and we know we need to go bargain for that,” Snyder told reporters Thursday after delivering his 2011-12 budget proposal. “We want to do that thoughtfully in partnership with our employees. We’re not here to create threats.”
___
Associated Press writers Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, and Kathy Burks Hoffman in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report. Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Mo., and Hananel reported from Washington, D.C.
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135 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32301 · 850-224-6926 · FAX 850-224-2266 · www.flaflcio.org
THE FIRST SHOWDOWN OF 2011 IS HERE!
JOIN US IN TALLAHASSEE OR BY PHONE
Tell your legislators:
“DON’T BALANCE THE BUDGET ON THE BACKS OF
FLORIDA’S PUBLIC WORKERS”
The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee has been holding hearings over the past few weeks concerning radical changes to Florida’s public pension systems, both the FRS and local plans. In spite of the fact that all of the information indicates our pension systems are strong and contributing to our overall economy, some seem determined to continue a dangerous course. This Friday, February 18th at 8:00 AM they are holding a public hearing on pensions in Tallahassee. All workers and retirees are needed to contact your elected officials and tell them to leave our public sector pensions alone!
JOIN US IN TALLAHASSEE TO SPEAK OUT ON THIS FIRST ATTACK ON FLORIDA’S WORKERS!
If you can travel to Tallahassee, please contact Phyllis Garrett at pgarett@flaflcio.org
If not…
CALL YOUR LEGISALTORS ON THE COMMITTEE AND TELL THEM TO STOP ATTACKING OUR PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS AND THEIR RETIREMENT SECURITY. CLICK HERE FOR THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ CONTACT INFORMATION.
CALL DON’T EMAIL
We need all private sector workers to stand in solidarity with our public counterparts, this is just the first attack of many this session…when they come for you your public sector brothers and sisters will be there!
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