Great new video from MoveOn.org
Showing posts with label Unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unions. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
GOP Lt. Gov. Candidate promises to weaken unions if elected
What are the stakes in this election? If Tom Corbett and Jim Cawley are elected, they will push for "Right to Work" legislation. "Right to Work" would be more accurately named "Right to Work Without Union Protection," because it weakens unions and worker rights.
Corbett/Cawley promise to weaken workers rights. Don't believe us? Here is Cawley promising to support "Right to Work Without Union Protection."
Corbett/Cawley promise to weaken workers rights. Don't believe us? Here is Cawley promising to support "Right to Work Without Union Protection."
Friday, July 23, 2010
Iraq's unions are once again under attack, with union offices across the country raided by police this week.
Those unions have asked all of us to take a moment to send off a quick message of protest to the Iraqi government - click here.
Please do so today -- and then share this message with your networks.
Meanwhile, it's been nearly two weeks since the LabourStart Global Solidarity Conference and we know that a lot of you who couldn't be there will be interested to read more about it, to see photos and videos and presentations. We're putting all of this material online usingUnionBook, the social networking site for trade unionists. To see it, you have to sign in to UnionBook if you're a member, or if not, set up an account there. Once you're logged in, go here.
Finally, my latest podcast on labour and technology is now online. This time it's about how unions can use globalization to our advantage when bargaining with employers. You can hear it by clicking on this link. You can also find it on iTunes where you can subscribe to all my podcasts. Just search for "Eric Lee's Labour and Technology" podcast.
Have a great weekend.
Eric Lee
Rick Smith Show hosts Harrisburg event on Saturday
Saturday on the Rick Smith Show Rick will be live from the Midtown Scholar Bookstore located at 1302 N. 3rd St. in Harrisburg, PA from noon-2pm to talk about the budget, jobs, and how the people of Pennsylvania must fight back the massive cuts and corporate giveaways. We ask everyone to come out and join us. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard to make a difference.
Sunday on the program Rick will be talking with the Head On Radio Network’s Bob Kincaid about Net Roots Nation and what the progressive/labor community needs to do to take back the message and move forward. Also on the program Truthout executive director Maya Schenwar will join Rick to discuss Buzz Flash and Truthout organizing their workforce and what that means for progressive bloggers, websites, and alternative media. Your Calls, 1-877-960-0960 and much more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Saturday August 7, 2010 7:30 pm at the Carlisle Theatre The Rick Smith Show is sponsoring the critically acclaimed film, Casino Jack and the United States of Money. Come out and join the Rick for a night of eye opening corruption an see the need for oversight and regulation. For a free pair of tickets come out to the Midtown Bookstore on Saturday July 24, 2020 or email [ Rick@thericksmithshow.com ]
Sunday on the program Rick will be talking with the Head On Radio Network’s Bob Kincaid about Net Roots Nation and what the progressive/labor community needs to do to take back the message and move forward. Also on the program Truthout executive director Maya Schenwar will join Rick to discuss Buzz Flash and Truthout organizing their workforce and what that means for progressive bloggers, websites, and alternative media. Your Calls, 1-877-960-0960 and much more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Saturday August 7, 2010 7:30 pm at the Carlisle Theatre The Rick Smith Show is sponsoring the critically acclaimed film, Casino Jack and the United States of Money. Come out and join the Rick for a night of eye opening corruption an see the need for oversight and regulation. For a free pair of tickets come out to the Midtown Bookstore on Saturday July 24, 2020 or email [ Rick@thericksmithshow.com ]
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Two More Trade Unionists Assassinated in Colombia
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
ITUC OnLine
July 6, 2010
Brussels
The trade union world is again in mourning after the
assassination of two more trade unionists in Colombia.
The ITUC, together with its Colombia affiliates the
CUT, the CGT and the CTC, has roundly condemned the
murders, expressing its deep shock at the news of the
killing of Nelson Camacho González, a member of the oil
industry's united workers' union USO (Unión Sindical
Obrera) and of Ibio Efrén Caicedo, an activist from the
Antioquia teachers' association ADIDA (Asociación de
Institutores de Antioquia).
Ibio Efrén Caicedo, who had a strong track record as a
trade union activist, was assassinated on the day
before the 20 June presidential elections. The murder
of Ibio Efrén brings to seven the number of unionised
teachers assassinated in Antioquia in 2010 so far.
Three days earlier, Nelson Camacho González died after
being shot at repeatedly at the bus stop on his way to
work. The murder of Nelson Camacho González is another
in a series of systematic attacks and threats against
members and leaders of the oil workers' union during
industrial disputes. The union has been in conflict
with the multinational British Petroleum in Casanare,
with Ecopetrol-UT on the Andean pipeline, with TGI on
the departments of Boyacá y Casanare, and with
Ecopetrol over various other labour disputes.
In two protest letters to the Colombia authorities, the
ITUC demands that President Uribe and his government
immediately initiate a full investigation to identify
and bring to justice those responsible for these two
murders that have further weakened the credibility of
Colombian democracy.
ITUC OnLine
July 6, 2010
Brussels
The trade union world is again in mourning after the
assassination of two more trade unionists in Colombia.
The ITUC, together with its Colombia affiliates the
CUT, the CGT and the CTC, has roundly condemned the
murders, expressing its deep shock at the news of the
killing of Nelson Camacho González, a member of the oil
industry's united workers' union USO (Unión Sindical
Obrera) and of Ibio Efrén Caicedo, an activist from the
Antioquia teachers' association ADIDA (Asociación de
Institutores de Antioquia).
Ibio Efrén Caicedo, who had a strong track record as a
trade union activist, was assassinated on the day
before the 20 June presidential elections. The murder
of Ibio Efrén brings to seven the number of unionised
teachers assassinated in Antioquia in 2010 so far.
Three days earlier, Nelson Camacho González died after
being shot at repeatedly at the bus stop on his way to
work. The murder of Nelson Camacho González is another
in a series of systematic attacks and threats against
members and leaders of the oil workers' union during
industrial disputes. The union has been in conflict
with the multinational British Petroleum in Casanare,
with Ecopetrol-UT on the Andean pipeline, with TGI on
the departments of Boyacá y Casanare, and with
Ecopetrol over various other labour disputes.
In two protest letters to the Colombia authorities, the
ITUC demands that President Uribe and his government
immediately initiate a full investigation to identify
and bring to justice those responsible for these two
murders that have further weakened the credibility of
Colombian democracy.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Specter took $235,350 from union busters in 2008
From Talking Union: http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/specter-took-250k-from-union-buster-in-2008-then-turned-back-on-workers
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has spent a career crafting an image of independence and integrity. On March 24 he sacrificed both when he turned his back on the working people in his state. Specter announced that he would not vote to allow the Employee Free Choice Act to receive an up or down vote on the Senate floor; a move that some consider fatal to the legislation. In a statement on the Senate floor he waxed eloquent about his belief that a difficult economic climate is no time for workers to receive a living wage.
Specter received $235,350 in 2008 from Blank Rome LLP a self described “union avoidance” law firm.
Read the whole article here: http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/specter-took-250k-from-union-buster-in-2008-then-turned-back-on-workers
Tip of the hat to Alan Hart from UE News for pointing us to this article.- MM
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Join us at RootsCamp in Pittsburgh on Saturday
rootscampPittsburgh
Join the Fun! Join us for RootsCamp Pittsburgh this Saturday, January 24!
RootsCamp is a unique self organizing conference with no preset schedule--the interests of the attendees drive the agenda. It's also a lot of fun, and it's a great way to meet other progressives from across Pennsylvania and beyond.
Think of it as a cross between an election debrief and grassroots organizing skills share. The progressive community — everyone from the "netroots" to precinct captains to field organizers to national message consultants — come together to share successes, failures, impart old wisdom and new discoveries.
RootsCamp is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants. There are NO SPECTATORS. This open format never fails to yield an astounding exchange of information, spin-off projects, and cross-pollination among unexpected partners.
For more info and to RSVP, click on the following link:
http://rootscamppittsburgh2009.pbwiki.com
RootsCamps in other cities have been a huge success, and we're excited to make this RootsCamp even better. You'll meet great people, get energized for 2009 and enjoy some fantastic food! Best of all it only costs $10, thanks to our wonderful sponsors (SEIU PA State Council and United Steelworkers).
To get a taste of what RootsCamp is like, check out the video clips from the last year’s Rocky Mountain RootsCamp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZaM3CjVzPs
Don’t miss out. Register soon. Space is limited.
We look forward to seeing you on January 24 in Pittsburgh!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Economic impact study demonstrates that a single-payer system would be a huge economic stimulus to the U.S. economy
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Establishing a national single-payer style healthcare reform system would provide a major stimulus for the U.S. economy by creating 2.6 million new jobs, and infusing $317 billion in new business and public revenues, with another $100 billion in wages into the U.S. economy, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study released today. It may be viewed at www.CalNurses.org.
The number of jobs created by a single-payer system, expanding and upgrading Medicare to cover everyone, parallels almost exactly the total job loss in 2008.
"These dramatic new findings document for the first time that a single-payer system could not only solve our healthcare crisis, but also substantially contribute to putting America back to work and assisting the economic recovery," said Geri Jenkins, RN, co-president of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association, which sponsored the study.
"Through direct and supplemental expenditures, healthcare is already a uniquely dominant force in the U.S. economy," said Don DeMoro, lead author of the study and director of the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, the NNOC/CNA research arm.
"However, so much more is possible. If we were to expand our present Medicare system to cover all Americans, the economic stimulus alone would create an immense engine that would help drive our national economy for decades to come," DeMoro said.
Expanding Medicare to include the uninsured, and these on Medicaid or employer-sponsored health plans, and expanding coverage for those with limited Medicare, would have the following immediate impacts:
Create 2,613,495 million new permanent good-paying jobs (slightly exceeding the number of jobs lost in 2008)
Boost the economy with $317 billion in increased business and public revenues
Add $100 billion in employee compensation
Infuse public budgets with $44 billion in new tax revenues
Further, moving to the new system comes with an unexpectedly low price tag, given the economic benefits and the far-reaching consequences of genuine healthcare reform, DeMoro noted.
Healthcare for all far less than the Wall Street bailouts
Adding all Americans to an expanded Medicare could be achieved for $63 billion beyond the current $2.1 trillion in direct healthcare spending. The $63 billion is six times less than the federal bailout for CitiGroup, and less than half the federal bailout for AIG. Solely expanding Medicare to cover the 47 million uninsured Americans (as of 2006 data on which the study is based) could be accomplished for $44 billion.
The IHSP projections build from an econometric model of the current face of healthcare - applying economic analysis to a wide array of publicly available data from Medicare, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and other sources.
It is the first known study to provide an econometric analysis of the economic benefits of healthcare to the overall economy, showing how changes in direct healthcare delivery affect all other significant sectors touched by healthcare, and how sweeping healthcare reform can help drive the nation's economic recovery.
Healthcare presently accounts for $2.105 trillion in direct expenditures. But healthcare spreads far beyond doctor's offices and hospitals. Adding in healthcare business purchases of services or supplies and spending by workers, the total impact of healthcare in the economy mushrooms to nearly $6 trillion.
Overall, every direct healthcare dollar creates nearly three additional dollars in the U.S. economy. Incurrent form, healthcare:
Generates 45 million jobs, directly and in other industries.
Accounts for 10.5 percent of all U.S. jobs and 12.1 percent of all U.S. wages.
Totals 9.2 percent of the nation's Gross National Product.
Contributes about 25 percent of all federal tax revenues. Federal, state, and local taxes from the healthcare sector in 2006 added up to $824 billion.
All those numbers would rise dramatically through comprehensive healthcare reform. But a single-payer system would produce the biggest increase in jobs and wages. The reason, DeMoro said, is that "the broadest economic benefits directly accrue from the actual delivery and provision of healthcare, not the purchase of insurance."
Medicare for all has numerous other benefits, of course, noted Jenkins, from a streamlined system with tens of billions less in private insurance administrative waste, guaranteed choice of physician and hospital, no loss of coverage when unemployed, and no one denied coverage due to age or health status.
"Only a single-payer, expanded Medicare-for-all approach ends the current disgraceful practice of insurance companies refusing to pay for medical treatment or engaging in rampant price gouging that discourages patients from going to the doctor, seeing specialists, or getting diagnostic procedures in a timely manner," said Jenkins.
The IHSP has conducted research for members of Congress and state legislatures as well as NNOC/CNA, and received international renown for research studies on cost and charges in the hospital industry, the pharmaceutical industry, hospital staffing, and other healthcare policy.
Robert Fountain, a frequent economics consultant for the California Public Employees Retirement System (Cal-PERS), served as a consultant on the study.
SOURCE National Nurses Organizing Committee
The number of jobs created by a single-payer system, expanding and upgrading Medicare to cover everyone, parallels almost exactly the total job loss in 2008.
"These dramatic new findings document for the first time that a single-payer system could not only solve our healthcare crisis, but also substantially contribute to putting America back to work and assisting the economic recovery," said Geri Jenkins, RN, co-president of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association, which sponsored the study.
"Through direct and supplemental expenditures, healthcare is already a uniquely dominant force in the U.S. economy," said Don DeMoro, lead author of the study and director of the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, the NNOC/CNA research arm.
"However, so much more is possible. If we were to expand our present Medicare system to cover all Americans, the economic stimulus alone would create an immense engine that would help drive our national economy for decades to come," DeMoro said.
Expanding Medicare to include the uninsured, and these on Medicaid or employer-sponsored health plans, and expanding coverage for those with limited Medicare, would have the following immediate impacts:
Create 2,613,495 million new permanent good-paying jobs (slightly exceeding the number of jobs lost in 2008)
Boost the economy with $317 billion in increased business and public revenues
Add $100 billion in employee compensation
Infuse public budgets with $44 billion in new tax revenues
Further, moving to the new system comes with an unexpectedly low price tag, given the economic benefits and the far-reaching consequences of genuine healthcare reform, DeMoro noted.
Healthcare for all far less than the Wall Street bailouts
Adding all Americans to an expanded Medicare could be achieved for $63 billion beyond the current $2.1 trillion in direct healthcare spending. The $63 billion is six times less than the federal bailout for CitiGroup, and less than half the federal bailout for AIG. Solely expanding Medicare to cover the 47 million uninsured Americans (as of 2006 data on which the study is based) could be accomplished for $44 billion.
The IHSP projections build from an econometric model of the current face of healthcare - applying economic analysis to a wide array of publicly available data from Medicare, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and other sources.
It is the first known study to provide an econometric analysis of the economic benefits of healthcare to the overall economy, showing how changes in direct healthcare delivery affect all other significant sectors touched by healthcare, and how sweeping healthcare reform can help drive the nation's economic recovery.
Healthcare presently accounts for $2.105 trillion in direct expenditures. But healthcare spreads far beyond doctor's offices and hospitals. Adding in healthcare business purchases of services or supplies and spending by workers, the total impact of healthcare in the economy mushrooms to nearly $6 trillion.
Overall, every direct healthcare dollar creates nearly three additional dollars in the U.S. economy. Incurrent form, healthcare:
Generates 45 million jobs, directly and in other industries.
Accounts for 10.5 percent of all U.S. jobs and 12.1 percent of all U.S. wages.
Totals 9.2 percent of the nation's Gross National Product.
Contributes about 25 percent of all federal tax revenues. Federal, state, and local taxes from the healthcare sector in 2006 added up to $824 billion.
All those numbers would rise dramatically through comprehensive healthcare reform. But a single-payer system would produce the biggest increase in jobs and wages. The reason, DeMoro said, is that "the broadest economic benefits directly accrue from the actual delivery and provision of healthcare, not the purchase of insurance."
Medicare for all has numerous other benefits, of course, noted Jenkins, from a streamlined system with tens of billions less in private insurance administrative waste, guaranteed choice of physician and hospital, no loss of coverage when unemployed, and no one denied coverage due to age or health status.
"Only a single-payer, expanded Medicare-for-all approach ends the current disgraceful practice of insurance companies refusing to pay for medical treatment or engaging in rampant price gouging that discourages patients from going to the doctor, seeing specialists, or getting diagnostic procedures in a timely manner," said Jenkins.
The IHSP has conducted research for members of Congress and state legislatures as well as NNOC/CNA, and received international renown for research studies on cost and charges in the hospital industry, the pharmaceutical industry, hospital staffing, and other healthcare policy.
Robert Fountain, a frequent economics consultant for the California Public Employees Retirement System (Cal-PERS), served as a consultant on the study.
SOURCE National Nurses Organizing Committee
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Mandatory Overtime Ban Passes House, governor Will sign
Nurses and other patient caregivers celebrate a victory, praise lawmakers, and look forward to safer work environment.
(HARRISBURG, PA) – It’s been seven years in the making, but on Wednesday, legislation against mandatory overtime for health caregivers passed its last hurdle on its way to the Governor’s desk.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a concurrence vote on House Bill 834, accepting amendments made in the Senate. Governor Rendell has pledged to sign the bill.
“This is one big positive step forward for patients and nurses across Pennsylvania,” said Kathy Magaro, RN, Coordinator of the SEIU Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania. “We had champions in both the House and the Senate, but the real heroes are the nurses and other direct patient caregivers who met with legislators again and again to tell them the reality of mandatory overtime and why this ban is so important to them and their patients.”
Twelve other states have also passed laws banning mandatory overtime, including neighboring New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.
Extensive research has demonstrated the link between overtime in health care and medical errors, including a 2004 study by University of Pennsylvania Researcher Ann Rogers finding that the risk of errors increased when nurses worked overtime or worked more than 40 hours per week. In fact, the risk of error was 3 times higher when a nurse worked 12.5 hour shift or longer.
A more recent study published in January of 2008 in the journal, Sleep, links long work hours to incidents of drowsy driving by nurses leaving their scheduled work shift. Two-thirds of nurses reported at least one episode of drowsy driving during the 4-week research study period.
“I’m so proud of the work our members did all across the state to support this bill. Many nurses in our union already have protection against mandatory overtime in their union contracts, but they reached out again and again to stand up for all patients and nurses who don’t have the benefits of a union,” said Neal Bisno, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. “Because of them, now all nurses and patients in Pennsylvania are protected.”
The passage of this bill will make it the first piece of legislation passed in years that protects nurses and patients and marks a huge step forward for nurses and their union.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and other health care workers, representing over 20,000 members in hospitals, nursing homes, home care, and state health facilities. For more information go to: www.seiuhealthcarepa.org.
The Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania is an affiliate of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, uniting over 10,000 nurses across Pennsylvania in our commitment to provide the safest and highest quality of care for our patients and the public we serve. For more information visit: www.NurseAlliancePA.org
(HARRISBURG, PA) – It’s been seven years in the making, but on Wednesday, legislation against mandatory overtime for health caregivers passed its last hurdle on its way to the Governor’s desk.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a concurrence vote on House Bill 834, accepting amendments made in the Senate. Governor Rendell has pledged to sign the bill.
“This is one big positive step forward for patients and nurses across Pennsylvania,” said Kathy Magaro, RN, Coordinator of the SEIU Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania. “We had champions in both the House and the Senate, but the real heroes are the nurses and other direct patient caregivers who met with legislators again and again to tell them the reality of mandatory overtime and why this ban is so important to them and their patients.”
Twelve other states have also passed laws banning mandatory overtime, including neighboring New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.
Extensive research has demonstrated the link between overtime in health care and medical errors, including a 2004 study by University of Pennsylvania Researcher Ann Rogers finding that the risk of errors increased when nurses worked overtime or worked more than 40 hours per week. In fact, the risk of error was 3 times higher when a nurse worked 12.5 hour shift or longer.
A more recent study published in January of 2008 in the journal, Sleep, links long work hours to incidents of drowsy driving by nurses leaving their scheduled work shift. Two-thirds of nurses reported at least one episode of drowsy driving during the 4-week research study period.
“I’m so proud of the work our members did all across the state to support this bill. Many nurses in our union already have protection against mandatory overtime in their union contracts, but they reached out again and again to stand up for all patients and nurses who don’t have the benefits of a union,” said Neal Bisno, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. “Because of them, now all nurses and patients in Pennsylvania are protected.”
The passage of this bill will make it the first piece of legislation passed in years that protects nurses and patients and marks a huge step forward for nurses and their union.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and other health care workers, representing over 20,000 members in hospitals, nursing homes, home care, and state health facilities. For more information go to: www.seiuhealthcarepa.org.
The Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania is an affiliate of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, uniting over 10,000 nurses across Pennsylvania in our commitment to provide the safest and highest quality of care for our patients and the public we serve. For more information visit: www.NurseAlliancePA.org
Sunday, August 31, 2008
How are progressive organizations responding to Palin? Change to Win
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following is a statement from Change to Win chair Anna Burger regarding presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s announcement today of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate for the 2008 election.
"Even though it is John McCain's 72nd birthday, it looks like Barack Obama and Joe Biden got the best gift with McCain's choice of Sarah Palin to be McCain's running mate. In an election McCain claims is about experience and security, he picks someone who barely has the equivalent of a learner's permit in elected office, let alone foreign affairs. She has served well under two years as governor, and her prior experience as a mayor of a town with 9,000 people does not qualify her to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
“America's working families want change. They want leaders with a proven record of standing up for better wages, health care for all, retirement security, fair trade deals that value jobs here at home, and for rebuilding our middle class through green jobs that pay a living wage. They want the chance to better themselves through union representation without facing illegal employer harassment.
“Governor Palin's lack of experience and thin record give us no choice but to return to the clear facts; that John McCain has a long and terrible record of failing America's workers. McCain's record is a train wreck for families who want a shot at the American Dream, and this choice, his first as a presidential candidate, shows a serious lack of judgment and understanding about what this election is about.
“That's why Change to Win members are so excited about the Obama-Biden ticket. We're in our sixth month of backing a candidate who has the vision and leadership to make real change for all of America's working families. Obama had the wisdom to pick a partner with over 30 years of experience in foreign affairs, and who has always stood on the side of workers in the fight for good jobs, retirement with dignity, and the opportunity to leave a better life for their children. That is why we are proud and excited to continue to knock on thousands of doors, visit thousands of worksites, and make millions of phone calls to educate our members and turn out an historic vote this November.”
** Note: Media representatives interested in scheduling an interview to discuss Change to Win’s political program should contact Noreen Nielsen at Noreen.nielsen@changetowin.org.**
# # #
About Change to WinChange to Win is a six million member partnership of seven unions founded in 2005 to represent workers in the industries and occupations of the 21st century economy. Change to Win committed to restoring the American Dream for a new generation of workers – wages that can support a family, affordable health care, a secure retirement, and the opportunity for the future. The seven affiliated unions are: Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of North America, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and United Farm Workers of America.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
NEA Video Contest: "Got Tuition?"
Contact: Jennifer Lucas Phone: 703-302-8387
Debt-ridden students, parents, recent grads get national platform on costly tuition
NEA, Huffington Post launch first-ever “Got Tuition?” video contest
Debt-ridden students, parents, recent grads get national platform on costly tuition
NEA, Huffington Post launch first-ever “Got Tuition?” video contest
WASHINGTON – Millions of students and families facing skyrocketing tuition costs in a sour economy will soon be able to tell policymakers how to fix the problem. The National Education Association (NEA) and top news blog The Huffington Post launched today a first-ever, “Got Tuition?” national video contest to provide a high-visibility platform to push for solutions to high tuition costs.
The producer of the winning two-minute video will get the opportunity to blog on the front page of Huffington Post about college affordability and $1,000 in prize money. Videos will be judged by a panel that will include Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and other Huffington Post contributors, who will select five finalists on which the public can vote.
“Every year NEA members see talented students whose potential is not realized because they can’t afford to go to college, and our elected officials are not recognizing just how serious an issue this is for families,” said Shilpa Reddy, a spokeswoman for the NEA. “With almost 200 small lenders suspending their student loan programs this year, this has become a serious national economic issue. We’re providing a platform to the people who are bearing the brunt of this problem.”
Recent polling shows that families are increasingly concerned with rising college tuition costs in difficult economic times. Over 75 percent of people say it is more difficult to pay for college now than it was 10 years ago, and over half of families with students in high school report cutting back on spending in order to afford college. The faltering economy is most frequently named as the reason people cannot keep up with tuition costs. To add insult to injury, credit agencies actually penalize families who shop around for the best rate on student loans by tarnishing their credit ratings.
The campaign will be promoted through innovative ads on the increasingly popular site, Facebook.com, in order to reach students, who are among those most affected by tuition costs.
Contestants should send their videos to gottuition08@gmail.com and must include their name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Videos must be no longer than two minutes and should tell the contestant’s story about tuition costs, resulting student debt and what policymakers should do to solve the problem. Judges will be looking for creativity, how well the message is conveyed and relevance to the theme of college affordability.
Videos that advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate for any federal, state, or local elected office are ineligible. For more information visit http://www.gottuition.org/.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
PA Nurses Pushing to Ban Forced Overtime
From SEIU Healthcare PA
Pennsylvania Nurses Push Lawmakers to Ban Forced Overtime
Last spring, urged on by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the state’s House of Representatives voted 166-31 to ban mandatory overtime for nurses. Now the nurses are aggressively lobbying the state Senate to move the bill out of committee. Members have been campaigning for the ban for the past six years, mobilizing for lobby days in Harrisburg and generating thousands of emails. A strong media campaign is supplementing the lobbying with radio ads, billboards, and excellent media coverage of events, including candidate forums.
"Every day, we are contacted by nurses who are concerned that they are unable to deliver the highest quality care that their patients deserve, because of the toll and stress placed on nurses by working endless hours. Our number one legislative priority is to insure that this outrageous practice be eliminated and banned forever." - Kati Sipp, Executive Vice President,SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.
Sipp says that one thing that distinguishes the Pennysylvania bill from similar laws in other states is that "it covers not only RNs but also LPNs and CNAs so our longterm care workers, not just acute care, are very involved."Now our members, who have already written or visited or called their Senators many times, are reaching out to non-union nurses to get them involved in the campaign. We have no doubt that we’ll eventually be successful."
Pennsylvania Nurses Push Lawmakers to Ban Forced Overtime
Last spring, urged on by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the state’s House of Representatives voted 166-31 to ban mandatory overtime for nurses. Now the nurses are aggressively lobbying the state Senate to move the bill out of committee. Members have been campaigning for the ban for the past six years, mobilizing for lobby days in Harrisburg and generating thousands of emails. A strong media campaign is supplementing the lobbying with radio ads, billboards, and excellent media coverage of events, including candidate forums.
"Every day, we are contacted by nurses who are concerned that they are unable to deliver the highest quality care that their patients deserve, because of the toll and stress placed on nurses by working endless hours. Our number one legislative priority is to insure that this outrageous practice be eliminated and banned forever." - Kati Sipp, Executive Vice President,SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.
Sipp says that one thing that distinguishes the Pennysylvania bill from similar laws in other states is that "it covers not only RNs but also LPNs and CNAs so our longterm care workers, not just acute care, are very involved."Now our members, who have already written or visited or called their Senators many times, are reaching out to non-union nurses to get them involved in the campaign. We have no doubt that we’ll eventually be successful."
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