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From the AFL-CIO Website regarding Election '08:
How the Power of People Delivered a Win for Working Families
Last week we celebrated what by any measure was the most aggressive pro-union election effort in any Oregon Primary Election!
In case you missed it...We set out to make working family champion Jeff Merkley the Democratic nominee to challenge U.S. Senator
Gordon Smith in November. Check.We set out to put pro-labor prosecutor John Kroger in the running for Attorney General. Done.
We set out ensure that Employee Free Choice Act Supporter Kurt Schrader would be nominated for Congressional District 5. We
did it. We set out to elect one of our own; 27-year-union-member Michael Dembrow to the Oregon State Legislature. He's in.
And, one hundred percent of our endorsed candidates celebrated victory.
But just as important as what was accomplished was HOW it was accomplished. Like never before, this election demonstrated
the power of working people coming together to create change. Consider this; through more than 50 local unions, more than
300 individual volunteers and the grassroots power of Working America we:
* Made more than 195,000 phone calls
* Distributed an average of 50,000 worksite fliers a week for 6 straight weeks
* Sent more than 20,000 local union letters about one or more endorsed candidates
* Knocked on more than 10,000 doors
* Mailed more than 71,000 pieces of voter education mail
* And turned out voters at a rate greater than 5% above the average voting population statewide.
These efforts didn't just shape the outcome of some of our races--they MADE the outcome. YOU made it happen.
So what's next? Look for a campaign kick-off tour in mid- to late summer. Plan to participate in nationwide neighborhood
walk events. Count on an even bigger, even better campaign driven by the power of people for working families! And count yourself
in on the action!
Good News About Being a Union Member and Part of the Reason I Stay at Kerr. This was in the "Latest from OCPP" and
I pasted it below:
Union Jobs in Oregon Enjoy a Pay Advantage
For Oregon workers at all rungs of the income ladder, especially those at the bottom, joining a union provides a leg up.
Unionization increases the pay of a typical low-wage worker in Oregon by about 21 percent, the equivalent of about $3,500
a year in additional income for a full-time worker.
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ITUC May Day Manifesto 2008
Brussels, 29 April 2008 (ITUC OnLine): On this day, the 1st of May, millions of working people across the world join together
to celebrate the achievements of more than a century of trade unionism.
The high principles of equality, justice, human dignity and peace which have found expression through the trade union
movement are just as relevant today as they were when working men and women first came together to fight for their rights
at work.
These principles gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ILO Convention 87 in 1948. But the fundamental
rights enshrined in these celebrated instruments are far from reality for much of humanity.
For most of the world's people, decent work is but a distant dream. Millions of children are at work instead of school,
workers are deprived of their fundamental rights and subject to exploitation by unscrupulous employers and repressive regimes,
and inequality is growing within and between countries as a small minority accumulates incalculable wealth at the expense
of others.
Not for many decades have the failings of global governance by "market solutions" been more apparent. Contagion
continues to spread through world financial markets, with working women and men bearing the brunt of the unwillingness of
governments to face up to the need for financial regulation.
100 million people more than last year do not have enough to eat as the global food crisis grows by day, threatening the
very fabric of societies and fueled by the legacy of decades of damaging policies at the world level.
Action on climate change, perhaps the greatest test of human history, is feeble compared to the magnitude of the challenge.
And the United Nations MDGs, goals which the global community set for itself, are far from being reached.
The means to deal with all these challenges exist, but the political will to resist the powerful interests that stand
in the way of progress is lacking.
Trade unions everywhere are confronting these interests, campaigning to put social concerns and sustainable development
at the center, rather than the margins, of policy.
We demand a fundamental change to global governance, putting decent work at the core of a new globalization and making
the global institutions respond to the real needs of people instead of following the erroneous policies of the past.
On October 7 2008, the World Day for Decent Work, trade unions across the world will join together to issue a global call
for rights at work.
We will bring to the fore the great traditions of solidarity which have been the mainstay of trade unionism since its
earliest days, and which are essential to solving the problems which confront the world today.
We will show how decent work is central to ending poverty and ensuring equality for all men and women, and demonstrate
our abiding commitment to solidarity with the marginalised and the dispossessed.
We remain steadfast in our quest for a better world and renew our commitment to bring this about through united action
of working people from every corner of the planet.
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. Website: http://www.ituc-csi.org
Bargaining Re-opener for 2008!!!
Again we will be bargaining, but this time we will be bargaining health care benefits ONLY. Last year Kerr was pushing
for employees to start down the road of paying on insurance premiums. The real issue was health insurance and that was where
I found the real eye opener.
WAGES
Regarding wages, they said management already spent the 2.1 percent increase they received retro to July of 'O7. For
what, I'm still not sure. They also mentioned that they had not received an increase from the State in 5 years and this year's
increase did not make up for that. Well, Kerr's employees can relate since we had not received an increase from Kerr during
that same time. It also seems the 2.1 percent was for wages and administrative cost (actually, I thought it was the COLA for
everything) of which they did not pay any of that increase from the State toward wages.
We received 11.5 percent on Feb. 08, (the state started paying Kerr Feb. 08 on all wages - 14 percent for residential
and 10 percent for employment and day programs.
For July '08, the state will pay Kerr 2.1 percent, employees will receive a 1 percent increase.
Yes, other companies kept more of the State increase, but we know Star of Hope passed the raise straight through to wages
and benefits because that is why (At least what they testified to the State) they needed it. The case was the crisis created
by low wages in our industry.
INSURANCE
They appear to be very determined that we start paying on the premiums for health insurance. Their proposal last proposal
was for us to pay $15.00 a month on our premiums for our current insurance. Since they seem to be taking a real hard line
on this, we will have to take a real long hard look at what we can live with since this will become a permanent feature of
our benefit package.
First they made the case that their cost for premiums had gone up 7.6 percent this year. We came back to the table and
showed them the following information regarding the increases in premiums Kerr was paying.
Insurance Year 2004-05
309.11
Insurance Year 2005-06
336.83
Insurance Year 2006-07
277.
Insurance Year 2007-08
298.20
Possibly Insurance Year 2008-09
319.0
As we were making the case on possible ways that management could cover the 15.00 monthly premium payments - how employees
are in pain with health issues that can't afford to have treated - now they would have to pay $15.00 a month for a plan they
can't afford to use. The management team finally stated that this is what some other companies are doing. They made it clear
that they plan to do the same.
We have seen this model followed by other companies and it is a great plan for companies wanting to get out of providing
health insurance benefits to their employees. The employee portion of the premiums continue to increase every time and we
have already experienced that shift to us in Kerr's move to higher deductibles and higher out-of-pockets for employees to
pay to keep their premium portion down.
How can we afford to start paying every month for a plan we already can't afford to use?
Overall, my feelings are that the difference in wages and the shift in health insurance has been a greater a burden on
workers than on the company. We can't have fund-raising events, like the one that raised over 320,000 dollars (that is only
one event of their events).
Like Kerr, the increase in funding in 2008 doesn't make up for the lack of increases we did not receive for 5-6 years.
Of course, we do not have the ability to have 320,000 dollar fund raisers to off-set our pain.
Another troubling fact is when you read up on bad health insurance plans, we have each aspect of the worse plans.
Yes, other companies are shifting more and more of the health insurance burden to employees, but have they seen the decrease
in premiums Kerr has experienced? The question is What Kind of Company Does Kerr Want To Become, one that respects their
employees and shares the burden or ones that shift the burden to their poverty wage employees?
Health care is on everyone's mind. Health insurance costs, quality of care, access in our communities - there are many concerns
which affect us all.
While the health care system is broken, there's currently a process in place to fix it.
Oregon leaders are developing a proposal for quality, affordable health care for Oregonians. But what does that mean for
you?
Join us at a community near you for an important discussion on health care in Oregon. These events are free and open to
the public.
Your participation in small and large group conversations will help shape the future of health care in our state. There's
no need for formal testimony - just show up!
Everyone's voice matters:
people with or without health care
-- employers
-- seniors
-- people with disabilities
You can also get involved in the conversation online at a new website on health reform in Oregon. Share your views at
www.talkhealthreform.org.
Brought to you on behalf of the Oregon Health Fund Board
Interpreters and child care are available upon request. Please contact Oregon Health Forum by email staff@healthforum.org
phone, 503-226-7870 or 800-501-4220, to arrange these services. Thank you!
Eugene
Wednesday, June 4
7 pm - 9 pm
Lane Community College Center for Meeting and Learning
4000 East 30th Avenue, Building 19
Eugene, OR 97405
More information, dates, locations found at:
http://www.healthforum.org/events/meetings.html
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