Librarian Refuses to Be Scott Walker’s Scapegoat

Librarians protest Wisconsin Republican attacks on workers.

by James Parks, Mar 12, 2011

Audrey Barbakoff, a librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library, is being anything but quiet. In a column in American Libraries Magazine, she says the vilification of public workers—teachers, fire fighters, police officers, nurses and, yes, even librarians—could cause immeasurable long-term damage beyond the loss of jobs and the middle-class lifestyle.

She says when Gov. Scott Walker and others plant the notion that public employees only work for the benefits, they ignore the real sacrifices they make and tremendous good they do every day. And public workers need to speak out loudly about their value to their communities:

I won’t apologize for making a living wage, for being able to visit a doctor when I need one, or for choosing a job that will help me build adequate retirement savings. I deserve and expect those things….But that isn’t why I became a librarian….I became one because I wanted to give.

We need to speak up about the value we bring to our communities. We need to have a presence at community meetings, in the newspapers and—should it come to that—at protests.

Bad budgets and bad legislation will hurt us for a time. Silent acquiescence to the idea we are valueless to our communities will hurt us forever.

PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama Shies Away from Protests

AP Photo/Morry Gash

Mar 12, 5:51 PM EST
By SAM HANANEL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Union leaders urged Vice President Joe Biden during a White House meeting last month to go to Wisconsin and rally the faithful in their fight against Gov. Scott Walker's move to curtail collective bargaining rights for most public employees.

Request rebuffed, they asked for Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

So far, however, the White House has stayed away from any trips to Madison, the state capital, or other states in the throes of union battles. The Obama administration is treading carefully on the contentious political issue that has led to a national debate over the power that public sector unions wield in negotiating wages and benefits.

A few labor leaders have complained openly that President Barack Obama is ignoring a campaign pledge he made to stand with unions; most others say his public comments have been powerful enough.

Wis. Labor Protesters Say Next Fight at the Polls

AP Photo/Morry Gash

Mar 13, 1:48 AM EST
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Clogging the Wisconsin Capitol grounds and screaming angry chants, tens of thousands of undaunted pro-labor protesters descended on Madison again Saturday and vowed to focus on future elections now that contentious cuts to public worker union rights have become law.

Protests have rocked the Capitol almost every day since Gov. Scott Walker proposed taking nearly all collective bargaining rights away from public workers, but the largest came a day after the governor signed the measure into law. Madison Police estimated the crowd at 85,000 to 100,000 people - along with 50 tractors and one donkey - by late afternoon. No one was arrested.

Speakers delivered angry diatribes while the crowd carried signs comparing Walker to dictators and yelled thunderous chants of "this is what democracy looks like."

Lockout, Court Cases Put Popular NFL on Hold

Mar 13, 6:19 AM EDT
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Pro Football Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Welcome to The NFL Lockout.

As far back as May 2008, it became a possibility.

As recently as a week ago - when owners and players agreed to extend the deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement - Commissioner Roger Goodell made it sound avoidable.

And yet here we are: The country's most popular sport - water-cooler fodder for six months of Mondays; generator of more than $9 billion in annual revenues; responsible for the two most-watched programs in U.S. TV history, the 2010 and 2011 Super Bowls - is stuck in a holding pattern, thanks to its first work stoppage in nearly a quarter of a century.

The owners imposed a lockout on the players Saturday, essentially shutting down operations. That came hours after talks broke off and the union dissolved itself, meaning players no longer are protected under labor law but instead are now allowed to take their chances in federal court under antitrust law. Nine NFL players, including superstar quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and one college player headed for the pros filed a class-action lawsuit in Minnesota and asked for a preliminary injunction to block a lockout, even before it went into effect.

Religious Groups Begin Nightly Vigils at Wis. Capitol

by James Parks, Mar 11, 2011

In a tremendous show of opposition against Gov. Scott Walker and the state Republicans’ recent actions to take away public workers’ right to collective bargaining and his proposed budget, Madison’s religious community is organizing ongoing nightly vigils sponsored by different faith communities at the State Capitol. Each night a different religious community will sponsor the vigil, drawing members from far and wide.

Rev. Jerry Folk, co-chair of Madison’s Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, says:

Many religious leaders in Wisconsin are disturbed by the governor’s proposed budget because it will widen the gap between the haves and have-nots of society by taking resources away from the middle class and the poor and giving them to the wealthiest among us.

German Workers Rally in Solidarity with Wisconsin Public Employees

Teresa Casertano in the AFL-CIO Organizing Department sends us this report.

As tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents rally and march across the state tomorrow for the fourth weekend in a row, they will receive support from union members in Berlin who are holding a solidarity rally. Members of the German telecommunications union, ver.di, will turn out to to support bargaining rights for workers in the United States. They know that collective bargaining is not possible unless workers are able to join unions and participate in their own organizations free from the fear of reprisals by their employers.

In a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is trying to take away the right of public employees to bargain for a good, middle-class life, Frank Bsirske, chairman of the United Services Union ver.di of Germany, said Walker’s “proposed unilateral action” is:

an attack on one of the fundamental pillars in a well-developed democracy, where social dialogue and collective bargaining through trade unions secure constructive relationships between employers and employees. This kind of relationship has proved its high value in many countries, both in times of economic growth and during crisis.

NFL Players Renounce Union Status To Block Lockout

by James Parks, Mar 11, 2011

After almost three weeks of negotiations with NFL team owners and the assistance of a federal mediator failed to result in a fair, new collective bargaining agreement, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) this afternoon renounced its status as a union in order to block a lockout by the owners. The NFL left the players no choice.

The players believe their best course of action now is to file individual antitrust suits against the owners if there is a lockout, which they could not have done unless they relinquished union representation in the contract talks.

You can show your support for the players, fans and stadium workers by signing a petition here.

If there were to be a lockout, it wouldn’t just impact football players and fans. Stadium employees would be jobless. Staff in sports bars, restaurants and hotels, police officers and others who work supporting the game also would be hurt. In fact, 150,000 workers would feel the impact, and $4.5 billion dollars in revenue would disappear from 32 cities around the nation.

In a statement, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said working people stand shoulder to shoulder with the NFL players:

Unfortunately, the NFL and its 32 team owners, who have enjoyed the fruits of a $9 billion industry in a devastating economy for working families, could not reach a fair deal with the men who risk their health and safety to play professional football.

In light of this unfortunate situation, the players have decided to renounce the NFLPA’s status as their exclusive bargaining unit. Working people stand shoulder to shoulder with the players and their right to protect themselves and their families through antitrust laws that prohibit illegal and greedy corporate behavior.

Quarterbacks Drew Brees, Payton Manning and Tom Brady have already agreed to be the lead plaintiffs in an antitrust case, although other players may join a suit. Federal antitrust laws prohibit illegal corporate behavior.

IAM Stands Ready to Help Earthquake Victims

Fri. March 11, 2011

The largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan, an 8.9 magnitude quake off the country’s east coast, has caused extensive damage in Japan and generated potentially damaging tsunamis across the Pacific and West Coasts of the United States and Canada.

“Our deep concern goes out to the people of Japan, especially those in the Japanese labor movement with whom we have a long history of friendship and cooperation,” said IAM International President R. Thomas Buffenbarger. “As potentially destructive tsunamis generated by the earthquake move across the Pacific, the IAM stands ready to help IAM members and communities that may be affected by this tragedy.”

The IAM represents Flight Attendants at Continental Micronesia in Guam, transportation and other industry workers in Hawaii and the West Coasts of the United States and Canada.

Mike Hogan's Votes Are Record of Contender's Priorities

Mike Hogan

He's been in the House and on the City Council, letting values lead his decisions.

Posted: March 11, 2011 - 12:00am
By Jim Schoettler

Jacksonville voters still trying to figure out mayoral frontrunner Mike Hogan could get to know him, for better or worse, by a hard look at his voting record.

Staunch social conservative. Public safety ally. Constituent advocate. Often an opponent to tax and fee increases - but not always.

Hogan was involved in crafting and/or voting on hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of legislation during his two terms on the City Council (1991-99) and three years in the Legislature (2001-03). As Duval County tax collector, he also was appointed to the powerful 2008 state Taxation and Budget Review Commission, which meets every 20 years to recommend improvements to the tax and budget system.

NFL, Players Face Expiration of Labor Contract

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Mar 11, 11:18 AM EST
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Pro Football Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With the NFL on the brink of its first work stoppage in nearly a quarter of a century, Commissioner Roger Goodell and union head DeMaurice Smith met at a federal mediator's office Friday, the day the league's twice-extended labor contract was set to expire.

Goodell was joined by nine of the 10 members of the owners' labor committee, along with various league executives and lawyers. Smith walked over from the NFL Players Association's nearby headquarters with about 20 people, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and several other current or former players.

Friday was the 16th day of negotiations since Feb. 18. The collective bargaining agreement originally was scheduled to run out last week; another extension was possible.

"We're going to head inside today, try to get some work done," Smith said.