|
| Quick
Links |
|
|
| Join
Our List |
 |
| Health
Care Justice Campaign |
 |
Offering health care
coverage to 10 million children?
"Excessive."
Spending $200 billion more
in Iraq? Necessary.
Tell President Bush to get
his priorities straight and cover 10 million
children with one stroke of his pen:
|
| Jobs
with Justice |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member Newsletter
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.
|
Contributions
urgently needed
for many AFT
members across
Southern
California.
|
|
|
|
AFT
Oregon Recent News: |
|
|
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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
|
|
  Experienced
mixer adds ‘salt’ to nonunion bakery
How a union organizer got a job at a nonunion bakery, was
discovered, fired, and reinstated in an
out-of-court settlement.
[Left, Bakers union organizer Georgene
Barragan holds a copy of a legal settlement
that wins her the right to return to
Breadsong Bakery in Lake Oswego.]
Film crew documents postal security breaches
by Beaverton contract carrier
Union leaders warned management this
would happen. If the U.S. Postal Service
contracted out mail delivery in places like
Beaverton, Oregon, there would be
accountability problems and breaches of mail
security, said the National Association of
Letter Carriers. And that’s a hidden camera
crew found in June when they followed a
Beaverton postal service contractor for
several days.
Big choices ahead devising health care plan
to cover all Oregonians
A complicated proposal to require health insurance for all
Oregonians is nearing the next phase. Six
citizen committees that have worked on
different parts of the plan since last
winter are finalizing their recommendations
to the governor-appointed Oregon Health Fund
Board.
Bargaining
continues for first contract at Vancouver
Hilton
Portland-based UNITE HERE Local 9 may be
near to obtaining a first union contract for
about 150 workers at the Hilton Vancouver
Washington hotel.
Carpenters strike Robinson Construction
The Carpenters Union launched an unfair labor practice strike
in Oregon June 2 against general contractor
Robinson Construction. The contractor sent
letters to its unionized workforce saying
they had until May 23 to resign from the
union.
Oregon Newsfeed
Below, you'll
find a combined
newsfeed from dozens
of Oregon news
sources. Enjoy!
Sens. Chris Dodd
, D-Conn., and Kent
Conrad , D-N.D.,
have been taking
heat for getting
special mortgage
deals from
Countrywide
Financial, and
Politico decided to
ask every senator,
who's your mortgage
lender and did you
get any special
deals? It's hard to
imagine any senator
saying, "Well, yes,
I did get special
terms after whipping
out my Senate ID."
At any rate, no
response yet from
...
blog.oregonlive.com
- 8:57 a.m.
statesmanjournal.com
- 3:17 a.m.
Feel free to take
a deep breath, all
of you asthmatics,
small children,
joggers, fast
walkers, and, well,
anyone else who
enjoys clean air.
For now, at least.
You also might want
to thank the Olympic
hopefuls who will be
competing in the
Olympic Trials from
June 27 to July 6 at
University of
Oregon, [...]...
wweek.com - Fri 4:57
p.m.
Ryan Deckert, the
former legislator
who now heads the
Oregon Business
Association, talks
in his group's
latest newsletter
about the Oregon
Legislature's new
youth movement.
There will likely be
at least 10 members
under 40 next
session, and as many
as six more,
depending on how the
elections go. "The
next legislature
will undoubtedly be
the youngest
assembly in Oregon
history," writes
Decker...
blog.oregonlive.com
- Fri 3:47 p.m.
So there’s a
mini-tempest over
what Lars Larson
said in this video
during a blah-blah
last night over
Michelle Obama on
MSNBC: Sounds to me
like “Baloney” not
“Blow Me.” And for
the record, Larson
said he said
“Baloney.” ...
wweek.com - Fri 3:27
p.m.
So far, much of
the criticism of the
proposed $4.2
billion Columbia
River Crossing
Project has come
from the Oregon side
of the river: some
dissident Metro
councillors and a
coalition of enviros
called
SmarterBridge. But
as CRC sponsors
collect public
comment in response
to an Environmental
Impact Statement
published May 2, one
of the [...]...
wweek.com - Fri 1:37
p.m.
FLORENCE, Ore. --
Fireworks sales
begin Monday in
Oregon at stands in
parking lots and
along roads....
hosted.ap.org - Fri
1:27 p.m.
Measure 49's
clamp upon rural
development in
Oregon is becoming
hard and clear.
Instead of having
potentially more
than 100,000 new
houses built in the
countryside,
Oregonians will see
13,000, according to
state projections.
...
oregonlive.com - Fri
1:27 p.m.
Starting with the
class of 2012, high
school graduates in
Oregon will have to
either pass a
national test, state
subject exams or
complete a local
alternative in order
to get their
diploma....
hosted.ap.org - Fri
1:27 p.m.
Once again, the
Democrats are
accusing Sen. Gordon
Smith, R-Ore., of
being wealthy. The
Democratic
Senatorial Campaign
Committee has put
out a new web video
making fun of
Smith's oft-reported
purchase of four
rare golf clubs in
1994 that set him
back $1.25 million.
This kind of stuff
has been flung at
Smith, who owns a
frozen-food
business, before.
When he first ran
for the state Senate
...
blog.oregonlive.com
- Fri 9:57 a.m.
Maybe it's
gasoline above $4 a
gallon or
considerations about
the environment.
Maybe it's concerns
about personal
health and a desire
for exercise.
Whatever the reason,
a bike-commuting
boom is being felt
across the Portland
area: bike sales are
up, lines at the
office shower are
longer....
oregonlive.com - Fri
8:47 a.m.
Hikes in gasoline
prices are hitting
everybody,
everywhere, in the
pocketbook, forcing
people – especially
those on fixed
incomes – into
decisions they would
rather not make. As
businesses and
households struggle
to make ends meet
amid climbing fuel
and product costs,
few are feeling the
drain so much as the
Oregon Food Bank....
portlandtribune.com
- Fri 8:47 a.m.
The Columbian has
consistently
supported the
extension of
Portland’s MAX
light-rail system
into Clark County,
and it was
encouraging to see
that 62 percent of
Clark County
residents recently
polled feel the same
way. But again, not
surprising. There's
enough evidence for
residents on both
sides of the river
to start focusing on
solutions....
columbian.com - Fri
8:47 a.m.
Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Ore., Thursday
advanced an outline
of legislation aimed
at permanently
protecting
old-growth trees
while also promoting
sustainable logging.
That combination has
long been an elusive
Holy Grail of
public-land forestry
in the Northwest....
oregonlive.com - Fri
8:47 a.m.
Instead of seeing
more than 100,000
new houses built in
the countryside,
Oregonians will see
about 13,000,
according to state
projections. Most
landowners are
pursuing modest
developments of one
to three homes under
Measure 49 instead
of subdivisions
allowed under the
law it replaced,
Measure 37....
blog.oregonlive.com
- Fri 8:47 a.m.
Members of
Oregon’s
congressional
delegation
introduced
legislation
Wednesday to expand
wilderness around
Mount Hood, protect
tributaries of the
Rogue River and
enlarge the
boundaries of the
Oregon Caves
National
Monument....
registerguard.com -
Fri 8:47 a.m.
Sen. Ron Wyden is
calling for an end
to old-growth
logging on federal
forests in Oregon
while increasing
thinning of younger
forests. The
Democratic senator's
proposal also
includes a
requirement that the
Forest Service and
BLM develop at least
one large-scale
forest restoration
project in each of
Oregon’s federal
forests and BLM
districts....
news.opb.org - Fri
8:47 a.m.
The shortage of
money plaguing local
efforts to finance
the Democratic
National Convention
played a role in the
resignation of the
top official in
charge of volunteers
? and concerns are
growing that Barack
Obama won't be able
to help....
denverpost.com - Fri
8:37 a.m.
"We have the most
entrenched and
polarized
environmental and
industry groups in
Oregon. I'm happy to
have Ron join me in
the arena here. I
get tired of ducking
all the bricks, and
now half of them
will be aimed at
him." -Rep. Peter
DeFazio ,D-Ore.,
expressing relief
that Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Ore., has
introduced
legislation aimed at
developing a
sustainable logg...
blog.oregonlive.com
- Fri 8:17 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
|
Health Care
Update!
05/13/2010 04:52:19 PM -0700
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.
... |
|
Together, We Make a Difference!
|
|
|
|
|
