The Moose is Loose
Earlier this year, Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals and Big
Pharma were reminded that
there is a human (and moose)
face to the health care
crisis when Working America
protesters,
including a costume moose
representing affordable
Canadian prescriptions,
demonstrated outside Wyeth’s
annual shareholders meeting
in New Jersey. The moose
pointed the way to Canada
where many Americans are
forced to go for affordable
prescriptions due to the
greed of Big Pharma.
Coffee, Cake, and Democracy
This past October, Working
America’s Kentucky Women’s
Coffee Hour gathered dozens
of women together over
coffee and dessert to fill
out postcards to women in
their own community and
encourage them to vote in
the upcoming Kentucky
elections. Between these
coffees and other efforts,
more than 5,000 postcards
were sent.
Who Can It Be Knockin’ at My
Door?
 Every
day, Working America’s
friendly, knowledgeable team
is out knocking on doors
across the country. We’re
talking to people about what
really matters to them, and
what’s going on in their
communities. Join in the
conversation with our new
“Word on the Street” blog at
www.workingamerica.org/blog.
Find out what people are
saying about issues that are
important to you—like good
jobs, affordable health care
and retirement security—and
post your own comments.
Kids Want the Darndest
Things:
Like Health Care
 It
is all too easy for
hard-working people and
their children to slip
through the cracks of our
broken health care system.
Working America has been
working hard for children’s
health by encouraging
members to urge their
members of Congress to renew
SCHIP, the State Children’s
Health Insurance Program.
Working America members have
generated 10,300 handwritten
letters to their
representatives in favor of
SCHIP. The future funding
and renewal of the program
was still pending at the
time of this printing. For
more information about SCHIP
and Working America’s
efforts to win renewal of
this important program,
visit
www.unionvoice.org/campaign/saveschip.
While SCHIP’s future is
being decided in Congress,
the AFL-CIO has launched its
new health care campaign.
Check out this website for
more information and ways to
take action:
www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare.
Working America: Helping to
Fend off Cutbacks in Family
and Medical Leave Act
For years, the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce and other
business groups have urged
the Department of Labor to
weaken the rules that allow
workers to take unpaid leave
for
 serious
medical illnesses or for the
birth or adoption of new
children. So when the
department asked the public
for comments on the Family
and Medical Leave Act,
Working America sprang into
action to make sure the law
was not weakened. More than
1,600 Working America
members participated in an
online survey about their
experiences under the Family
and Medical Leave Act, and
the results were included in
comments submitted to the
Department of Labor by the
AFL-CIO. And you made a
difference: In June, the
department issued a report
acknowledging the importance
of the law to working
families—and it did not
propose any changes to its
rules.
What is Working America?
Working America is a
community-based organization
for working people that
fights for good jobs and a
just economy. With 2 million
members, we hold elected
leaders accountable on
issues that matter most to
working people. As the
community affiliate of the
AFL-CIO, which represents 10
million working men and
women, Working America is
dedicated to making a
difference for working
families across the country
and in your community. For
more information, visit
www.workingamerica.org.
Check Out These Benefits
Membership in Working
America brings access to
valuable benefits. Through
our partnership with the
AFL-CIO Union Plus program,
you’re eligible for:
Legal Services—Free
consultations of up to 30
minutes with a lawyer, free
simple document review and a
30 percent discount on other
legal services through more
than 2,000 law offices
nationwide.
Discounted Pharmacy—Discounts
on prescriptions, as well as
discounts on vision care,
hearing care and diabetic
supplies for only $14.95 per
year.
Credit Card—Opportunity
to apply for a Working
America MasterCard® with
competitive rates, no annual
fee and skip-payment
privileges. Find out more at
www.workingamerica.org
or by calling
1-866-874-6760.
Know Your Rights
WORKING AMERICA
 wants
you to understand your
workplace rights. The “Ask a
Lawyer” section of our
website gives you 24/7
access to reliable
information from real
experts. You’ll find answers
to questions on topics like
overtime, sick leave,
discrimination, workers’
comp, privacy, harassment,
health and safety,
termination and
whistle-blowing. See all the
questions, or even submit
your own, at
www.workingamerica.org/askalawyer.
This newsletter is supported
by the Working America
Education Fund—a 501(c)(3)
organization to educate the
public about issues of
importance to working
families, including good
jobs, health care,
retirement security,
education and the impact of
the global economy.
To millions of
Americans, debt may be
the most offensive four
letter word. Whether it
is credit card charges,
student loans or the
housing bubble bursting,
everyone is feeling the
squeeze! Never before in
U.S. history has the
level of personal debt
been higher. As personal
debt mounts, many
Americans are struggling
to find a way out. Visit
www.workingamerica.org
to take actions to help
stop the debt crisis
today.
Help Us Put First
Things First to
Build a Better
Future
Every six
months,Working
America members
choose the
priorities to guide
our work.
Vote now to
select our issues
for the first half
of 2008. The list of
needed improvements
is long: health
care, good jobs,
retirement security
and education affect
us all. Let us know
what tops your list
of concerns and
where we should
focus our efforts.
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Contributions
urgently needed
for many AFT
members across
Southern
California.
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AFT
Oregon Recent News: |
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In a victory for
America's children, the U.S. Senate
resoundingly joined the House on
Aug. 2 in voting to expand the State
Children's Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP).
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A National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) decision Oct.
3 stretches the definition of
"supervisor," opening the door for
employers to strip nurses and other
workers of their right to union
protections.
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There are powerful
interests at work in America today
that aim to destroy every shred of
economic, political and social
decency won by working Americans
over many decades, AFT president
Edward J. McElroy warned in his
keynote address to convention
delegates on July 20. These attacks
can only be stopped, he said, if
each and every union member is
willing to stand up and be counted.
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Policymakers should
take care that testing and
standards-based reform don't turn
into a "Johnny-One-Note" approach to
school improvement, a New York-based
polling group Public Agenda reported
in the latest installment of its
"Reality Check" series, a regular
survey on public attitudes toward
education.
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Intense pressure from
members of Congress—aided by
behind-the-scenes work of the
AFT—has prompted the Bush
administration to back off a new
policy that would penalize
contractors who offer traditional
defined-benefit pensions and
healthcare plans.
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The claim that a
union contract and seniority rights
prevent high-poverty schools from
getting and keeping qualified
teachers "is, literally, an urban
legend," says AFT researcher Howard
Nelson
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News
AFL-CIO rates Oregon lawmakers on 2007
session
The Oregon AFL-CIO has completed its of
state lawmakers for their 2007 session of
the Oregon Legislature. This year, the
Oregon AFL-CIO used a new and more
complicated methodology to rate legislators,
in order to better describe the full picture
of support or opposition to Oregon’s labor
movement priorities.
Powell’s Books workers get closer to living
wage
For their third set of contract negotiations
since unionizing in 1999, Powell's Books
workers, in three months of bargaining, made
noticeable progress toward their original
goal in unionizing — to secure a living wage
in an industry that serves up plenty of jobs
but few careers.
ConMetco’s Rivergate plant closes; once
employed 400
Machinists Union members clocked out for the
last time Oct. 9 at Consolidated Metco in
Portland's Rivergate Industrial District. At
the end, only 26 union members remained,
down from about 150 two years ago, and 400
union employees 10 years ago.
Schneider to run for Gresham Council
Dick Schneider, a retired senior aerospace coordinator for
the International Assocation of Machinists,
announced that he will be a candidate for a
seat on Gresham’s City Council. Schneider,
62, retired in April after nearly 40 years
with IAM Lodge 63, which represents workers
at Boeing.
Washington
AFL-CIO urges ‘No’ vote on I-960; ‘Yes’ on
Ref. 67, EHJR 4204
Washington voters have five ballot measures
to vote on in this year’s off-year election,
and the Washington State Labor Council,
AFL-CIO, is weighing in on three of them.
Madelyn Elder named to CWA Executive Board
Madelyn Elder has been named to the Executive Board of the
Communications Workers of America. Elder is
president of Portland Local 7901, a post she
has held since 2000.
SEIU’s Dale
won’t run for AG post
Service Employees Local 49 President Alice
Dale decided not to enter the race for
Oregon attorney general, announcing her
decision in an Oct. 16 statement.
SEIU locals endorse John Edwards
Service Employees International Union Locals
503 and Local 49 have endorsed presidential
candidate John Edwards, citing his strong
health care plan and support for workers’
rights.
and This Week from BlueOregon:
The
document-depository program at
the Oregon State Library
observes its 100th anniversary
this year -- but its newest
acquisitions can be seen through
a few clicks of a computer
mouse....
statesmanjournal.com - Sat 3:17
a.m.
A Georgia
Supreme Court ruling has
refueled the debate on whether
states should restrict where sex
offenders live....
kansascity.com -
Fri 8:57 a.m.
Is a sales tax
in Oregon's future? A task force
created by the legislature says
all tax options are on the table
in order to create a more stable
way of funding government....
nwpr.org - Fri
8:17 a.m.
Oregon
Republicans lost their
best-known potential candidate
for secretary of state when
state Sen. Bruce Starr announced
Wednesday that he would not seek
the office....
registerguard.com
- Fri 7:47 a.m.
PORTLAND, Ore.
-- Oregon public health
officials are renewing their
push to get both adults and
children vaccinated against
influenza....
hosted.ap.org -
Fri 7:37 a.m.
A Salem man
will spend the rest of his life
in jail for convictions of eight
counts of sexual abuse, partly
as the result of a relatively
new law enacted in Oregon....
statesmanjournal.com - Fri 7:37
a.m.
The 26th
annual Holidays at the Capitol,
which began Thursday night with
the lighting of a noble fir in
the rotunda, was a first for
Susan Molinari of Salem and her
4-year-old son, Teddy....
statesmanjournal.com - Fri 7:37
a.m.
ASTORIA, Ore.
-- Gov. Ted Kulongoski is open
to the idea of liquefied natural
gas terminals, but he has told
state agencies to "fully assert
Oregon's concerns and interests"
as they are considered,
according to a memo to state
agency directors....
hosted.ap.org -
Fri 7:37 a.m.
Gov. Ted
Kulongoski has put state
agencies on notice that he is
open to proposals to build
liquefied natural gas terminals
in Oregon to diversify and shore
up state energy supplies....
oregonlive.com -
Fri 7:37 a.m.
PORTLAND, Ore.
-- Two teacher unions have filed
another lawsuit in their long
battle with political activist
Bill Sizemore....
statesmanjournal.com - Fri 7:37
a.m.
Marisol
Jimenez, 42, was born in the
United States to a Costa Rican
mother and an American father.
Her first language was Spanish
until she went to school and
began speaking mainly
English....
timesfreepress.com - Fri 7:17
a.m.
Two Oregon
teachers unions have upped the
ante in their longstanding legal
battle with Bill Sizemore, the
prolific initiative circulator
whose business lost a $2.5
million court judgment for
filing false campaign finance
reports and forging
signatures....
oregonlive.com -
Fri 7:17 a.m.
More than 50
bird species that spend at least
part of their lives in Oregon,
including a few seen in Portland
backyards, are nearing the brink
of extinction, according to a
new assessment that's one of the
most comprehensive ever
attempted....
oregonlive.com -
Fri 7:17 a.m.
For five
decades, the unlined Lakeside
Reclamation Landfill -- neighbor
to the Tualatin River, a
wildlife refuge and a winery --
has accepted thousands of tons
of construction debris and other
trash generated by Washington
County's building boom....
oregonlive.com -
Fri 7:17 a.m.
PARK CITY,
Utah -- He did not talk about "waterboarding"
or wiretapping. Instead, Michael
Mukasey focused on cooperation
between state and federal
prosecutors during his first
public remarks since becoming
U.S. attorney general....
deseretnews.com -
Fri 7:07 a.m.
Republican
presidential candidates are
trailing badly in the campaign
fundraising race to win the
White House. But so far this
year, and going largely
unnoticed, is the fact that
Republican governors are far
out-raising their Democratic
counterparts in the money race
to control the state houses....
swamppolitics.com
- Fri 6:47 a.m.
If you're a
state lawmaker and you're
thinking of proposing laws to
deal with illegal immigration,
look before you leap. That was
the message from a panel of
attorneys and an Arizona
lawmaker speaking Thursday at
the fall meeting of the National
Conference of State
Legislatures. ...
azcentral.com -
Fri 6:37 a.m.
DANA POINT,
Calif. - Texas Gov. Rick Perry,
who officially becomes chairman
of the Republican Governor's
Association today, said Thursday
that GOP governors running for
re-election next year will be on
the defense because of partisan
bickering in Washington....
chron.com - Fri
6:17 a.m.
statesmanjournal.com - Fri 3:17
a.m.
Wanna Get Heard?
We're always looking
for guest columns for BlueOregon.
Submit your guest column here.
Headlines from
www.TheWordsmithCollection.org
Friends
and Colleagues:
The Peace
and Justice Studies Association and
the Peace
and Conflict Studies
Consortium will
be holding a peace conference. The
next organizing meeting is in Early December,
2007atWhitefeather
Peace Community,
3315 N Russet, in Portland.
We begin with a 6 p.m. vegetarian
potluck. Please join us
Here is more information
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Health Care
Update!
02/24/2010 05:11:15 PM -0800
Universal health care gains traction
HealthCare in America: The Crux of the Issue
Children Receive Inadequate Healthcare
health08.org
 
Information about health care issues addressed by the presidential
candidates in the 2008 presidential election. Features news, video clips,
analysis, poll results, and side-by-side comparisons of the candidates'
positions on health care issues (such as expansion of public programs,
insurance premium subsidies, cost containment, and financing). Also includes
links to campaign resources for each candidate. From the Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation.
URL:
http://www.health08.org/
LII Item:
http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24936
Health care issues front and center again in Ore. Legislature
kgw.com
(subscription) - Portland,OR,USA
By BRAD CAIN / AP When the Oregon Legislature adjourned two years
ago, health care advocates could only stand back and count their losses.
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