Local 34 Banner
http://www.afscmelocal34.org/
It’s Convention Time!
August 2006
AFSCME Council 5, Local 34, Hennepin County Social Services and Related Employees
Big news! 1400 licensed child care providers in Hennepin County are now
eligible to join AFSCME. We completed card check in March and have spent the
past eight months developing a plan for policy direction and joint action with the
county. In December, AFSCME formed a similar partnership with St. Louis
County and its 420 licensed providers. Here’s Council 5’s press release:
COUNTY AND UNION PARTNER TO
IMPROVE CHILD CARE
August 2006 General
Assembly
Wednesday,
August 2, 2006
5:15 pm
Health Services Bldg,
Room 112
Special accommodations will be
made for our physically-challenged
members. Please call 596-7455 or
348-0266 if arrangements need to be
made.
AFSCME Convention, August 7 - 11
State AFL-CIO Convention,
August 7 – 9 (see Page 7)
September 2006
General Assembly
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
(HSB 112)
Significant improvements are on the way for home-based child care as part of a
trailblazing partnership between county government and a union. Hennepin
County took a bold step to improve child care when commissioners voted 6-0
on July 11 to partner with a union of providers. It’s a powerful partnership
with 1,400 licensed providers in Hennepin County who are now eligible to join
Council 5 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees. “Our county regulates child care,” said Commissioner Mark
Stenglein. “It makes sense for us to work with providers through their union.
Together we will ensure that our license is a sign of quality.” “For decades our
union has teamed up with county governments to improve service delivery,” said
Eliot Seide, executive director of AFSCME Council 5. “This new partnership will
lead the way to improved child care. I applaud Hennepin County for its leadership
and commitment to kids.”
Inside Highlights:
Pg 2 – Officer/ Steward
List – Please Note the
Changes… and a
Supreme Court Ruling
Protects You from
Discrimination &
Retaliation on the Job
Pg 3 – July GA
Meeting Notes and
Local 34’s Political
Initiatives
Pg 5 – Meeting
Schedule, VP
Volkenant’s Column
and Minnesota Stand
Down 2006
Pg 6 – Good & Welfare
- Thank You Notes
The county and union will focus on three areas of joint action:
1) Advocacy at the state and federal levels for proper funding of quality
child care.
2) Training to help providers deliver quality child care.
3) Support for early care and education to prepare kids for kindergarten.
Pg 7 – Convention
Previews: Minnesota
AFL-CIO, 8/7-9/06 &
AFSCME
International, 8/7-11/06
“This is a first – child care providers in our state haven’t had union representation
until now,” said Cathy Hietala, president of Hennepin County Child Care Providers
Together. “We’re isolated, we work long hours for low pay, and we don’t have
time to lobby lawmakers on issues that affect us. Our new union will give us a
unified voice and clout at the capitol.”
“It’s smart to invest in kids,” said
Commissioner Stenglein. “Give children a strong beginning and they will be on
track for success. Half of Minnesota kids are not ready for kindergarten. We can
do better in Hennepin County.”
Pg 8 – News that
Affects You – Bush
Failings, Minimum
Wage Hike Fails, the
Poor Get Poorer
Both parents and providers share concerns about deep funding cuts and low
salaries. In Minnesota, $140 million in childcare cuts has hurt prospects for higher
pay and quality care. Nearly 10,000 families have lost child care assistance in the
past three years due cuts in subsidies established by the state. This has forced
many parents to quit their jobs to take care of their children at home. Together the
union and county will try to reverse this trend by raising awareness about the value
of child care as a proven, cost-effective investment. There is a direct link between
quality child care and success in school and later in life. In fact, every dollar spent
on early childhood education yields $13 in public benefits, according to a study by
the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
St. Louis County has also partnered with AFSCME to improve child care by
working with 420 licensed providers in the Duluth and Iron Range areas.
AFSCME is the only union with a division founded by and for family child care
providers. Today, Child Care Providers Together/AFSCME works with 150,000
family child care providers nationwide to deliver training opportunities, higher
pay and better benefits. AFSCME Council 5 provides one strong united voice for
43,000 public and non-profit employees in Minnesota, including child care
providers and the majority of Hennepin County’s workforce.
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Pg 9 – Labor Web Logs
(Blogs) – A Sampling
from Daily Kos and
firedoglake (You Can’t
Make up These Names)
– Labor 101, Focus on
State Politics, and
“Making us All
Supervisors?”
Pgs 10-11 – Summer
Reads from Sirota,
Suskind, Armstrong,
Zuniga, Boehlert,
Seder, Sherrill, and
Greenwald…
Pg 12 – President
Diederich’s Column for
August on Camping,
Politics and Yet
Another Convention in
October
Local 34 Banner
Local 34 Officers & Stewards
8/1/06
President:
Jean Diederich
348-0266 – 880
Vice Presidents:
Mary Kay Popko
348-7546 – 961
Wesley Volkenant
348-9592 – 630
Chief Stewards:
Cliff Robinson
348-7542 – 961
Shannon Wesley
348-9558 – 630
Secretary:
Anita Selin
596-7455 – 635
Treasurer:
Patrick Regan
348-8760 – L890
Membership Secretary:
Sylvia Gutierrez NEW- 348-9662 – 961
Sergeant-At-Arms:
DeAnna DeLoach
348-2194 – 630
Members-At-Large:
Andrea Lazo-Rice
348-3188 – 961
Ibrahim Adam
348-2313 – 961
Chalmers Davis
348-2449 – 965
Lindsay Schwab
596-7170 – L890
Christine Brown
348-6703 – L890
Diane Bourgeois
348-7067 – L890
Stewards:
Miguel Salazar
596-8590, Century Plaza 2
Kela Williams
596-8895, Century Plaza 2
Jeanne Bentgarmicha 348-0284, Century Plaza 3
Christopher Hawes 596-9066, Century Plaza 3
Souyma Sanyal
596-8671, Century Plaza 4
Zachary Rice
348-2274, Century Plaza
Diane Fossen
302-4704, NorthPoint
Shawnice Watson 302-4644, NorthPoint
Edgar Kusleika
348-3633- Msgs, Home Mntring
James Stevenson 596-9220, STS
Phillip Gray
(596-9220, STS)
NEW - Phillip is going to be moving to Juvenile Probation
Terry Grace
348-7308, Juvenile Justice Ctr
Rita Salone
596-1003, Family Justice Ctr
Aboubker Ouassaddine 596-6531, Fam Justice Ctr
Jeff Meyer
348-5880, Govt Center A14
Carolyn Johnson 596-7080, Govt Center A14
Brian Arneson
348-3953, Govt Center A14
Maureen Glover 348-4492, Govt Center A16
Monica Jochmans 348-4192, HSB 5
Brian Backberg
348-3096, HSB 10
Kelly Sarenpa
348-8060, HSB 10
Linda Etim
348-7371, HSB 10
Patricia Shepard 348-6927, HSB 11
Elena Izaksonas
821-4539, 4th Precinct Station
Dennis Moore
879-3560, 1800 Chicago
Daniel Lehnherr 952-949-4641, Cty Hom School
Trustees
Jim Evans, John Korman, Sara Pearson
August 2006
The Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Broader Protection for Employees
Who Suffer Retaliation When They Complain About Discrimination
by Joanna Grossman and Deborah Brake
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20060707_brake.html
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20060711_brake.html
On June 22, the Supreme Court issued an important decision interpreting Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, a key federal antidiscrimination statute. Title VII bans not only discrimination on the
basis of protected characteristics like race and sex, but also retaliation against those who assert
their rights against discrimination. The two main questions for the Court in Burlington Northern &
Santa Fe Railway Company were: Must a retaliatory act be work-related in order to violate Title VII?
And, when is retaliation serious enough to be actionable? The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion
authored by Justice Breyer and joined by all but one justice, answered these questions with a new
test that has the potential to provide employees with robust protection against retaliation. (Justice
Alito concurred in the judgment, but refused to join the opinion because he felt the newly adopted test
was too broad.) Whether the test's potential is realized, however, will depend on whether lower courts,
in applying it, take into account the ways in which employees experience retaliation at work, and the
lengths to which employees will go to avoid such consequences.
Here are the facts of the case that came before the Court: Sheila White, a woman with experience
operating forklifts, applied for a job in the "Maintenance of Way" department of Burlington Northern &
Santa Fe Railway Company. The roadmaster, Marvin Brown, hired White as a "track laborer," a job
that included everything from removing litter to replacing track components. Soon after White was
hired, a more skilled, more desirable position -- operating the forklift -- became available. Brown
immediately assigned her to it. White's immediate supervisor, Bill Joiner, however, told her that
women should not be working in the Maintenance of Way department. She complained, and he was
suspended -- for that, and for other insults and inappropriate remarks directed at White. The
suspension made sense, for his hostile behavior was of the type that can contribute to an unlawful,
sex-based hostile environment, which violates Title VII. According to the jury's findings, White
suffered retaliation for complaining about Joiner's behavior: She was removed from forklift duty and
restricted to track laborer tasks. When informing her of the reassignment, Brown told her that a "more
senior man" should have the "less arduous and cleaner job" of forklift operator. Faced with more
evidence of sex discrimination, White complained again -- this time to the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - alleging that her reassignment was retaliation for her earlier
complaint. Shortly after White filed this second complaint, another supervisor reported that White had
been insubordinate during a dispute about the proper location of a truck. White was suspended
without pay for 37 days, supposedly because of the insubordination, though she was ultimately
reinstated when the company concluded during an internal grievance procedure that she had not, in
fact, been insubordinate. The jury found that White had once again suffered retaliation for
complaining about discrimination - hidden by the flimsy pretext of her supposed insubordination.
What Constitutes Unlawful Retaliation? Two Key Questions - The question is whether the
retaliation White suffered was sufficient to constitute a violation of Title VII. The statute's antiretaliation provision prohibits employers from taking actions that "discriminate against" an employee
or applicant because she has "opposed" a practice made unlawful by Title VII's anti-discrimination
provisions. When does retaliation "discriminate against" an employee? Again, that depends on how one
interprets Title VII's anti-retaliation provision with respect to those two crucial issues: (1) whether the
retaliatory action has to be workplace-related and (2) how serious the retaliatory action must be in
order to be actionable.
The Supreme Court in Burlington Northern took a broad view of workplace-related retaliation,
holding that the "scope of the anti-retaliation provision extends beyond workplace-related or
employment-related retaliatory acts and harm." This broad protection, the Court explained, would
help "assure the cooperation upon which accomplishment of the Act's primary objective [to prevent
employment discrimination] depends." On the question of seriousness, the Supreme Court in
Burlington Northern adopted the formulation set forth by the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh
and D.C. Circuits: "[A] plaintiff must show that a reasonable employee would have found the
challenged action materially adverse, which in this context means it might well have dissuaded a
reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination." According to the
Supreme Court, this standard, by requiring that the retaliatory act be "materially adverse," will
"separate significant from trivial harms." Also, by using a "reasonable employee" as the reference
point, it will avoid "the uncertainties and unfair discrepancies that can plague a judicial effort to
determine a plaintiff's unusual subjective feelings."
Council 5 Business Representative:
Matt Nelson
651-287-0578
e-mail Matt at: matt.nelson@afscmemn.org
Council 5 Contact Information:
300 Hardman Avenue South,
South Saint Paul, Minnesota 55075-2469
(651) 450-4990 (651) 455-0773 - Fax: (651) 450-1908 (651) 455-1311
To Contact the Newsletter Editor: Call or e-mail—
Wesley Volkenant - 612-348-9592
For Distribution concerns, contact Local 34’s President, Jean Diederich at 348-0266
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Local 34 Banner
August 2006
News from the July General Assembly—July 5, 2006
Officers attending were: Jean Diederich,, Chalmers Davis, Cliff Robinson, Patrick Regan, Ibrahim Adam, Anita Selin, Wes Volkenant, Lindsay Schwab, Diane
Bourgeois, DeAnna DeLoach, Shannon Wesley, and Sylvia Gutierrez. Excused Absences: Mary Kay Popko and Andrea Lazo-Rice. Absent: Christine Brown.

Delegates to the Minnesota AFL-CIO Convention, August 79, were elected. Since President Diederich will be in Chicago
for the AFSCME Convention, this year’s 1st Vice President,
Wes Volkenant, will be an automatic delegate and delegation
chair. Elected by unanimous ballot were: Cliff Robinson,
John Herzog, Patrick Regan, Lindsay Schwab, Diane
Bourgeois, and DeAnna DeLoach.
 Lindsay Schwab reported on the July 23 AFSCME picnic in
North Minneapolis. Flyers are being distributed with the July
newsletters. The picnic was to run from 2-5pm, with door prizes
from the Locals, and beer and food provided by AFSCME.
 Diane Bourgeois is going to do a series of PEOPLE
presentations for Local 34 staff. The Local approved
reimbursement of up to $40 per session for the first 10
sessions scheduled, to be paid for by PEOPLE Committee
funds. VP Volkenant will assist scheduling 3 sessions at
Century Plaza (July 25, August 3, August 11). These will be
intended as short, 15-30 minute listening sessions
encouraging active listening, legislative action, PEOPLE
contributions, and identifying issues of concern to members.
 Cliff Robinson distributed copies of Council 5’s Arbitration
policy, as adopted in 2005. The Local approved a motion to
change the process time frame to better fit our GA/E-Board
monthly schedule.
 Matt Nelson reported on an Arbitration re: a 10-day
suspension that was settled in favor of the arguments
presented by AFSCME on the member’s behalf. However,
after she served her suspension, the Employer moved our
member to a new assignment that was physically unsuitable
for her. When she identified her concerns, her hours were
reduced in half, against her wishes. So we have more work
to do on her behalf. Matt also reported that an Arbitration
hearing was held in the case of a member fired for having an
affair with a person from an outside agency who worked
with the member, with the Employer now adding charges of
sexual harassment.
Chief Stewards Robinson and Wesley circulated an updated
Officer/Steward list – which will be further updated, then issued.
 President Diederich reported on a “County” vacancy on the Council
5 E-Board, which was to be filled in July. She discussed questions
raised about the EAUS Promotional List procedures, and has started
discussion about it with Bob Smutka in Human Resources. At 1801
Nicollet, site of the new Mental Health Clinic, problems have
already arisen for our members from the new Support Staff
Supervisor. We will be meeting with 2822 to help us find a way to
reduce the discord in that office. President Diederich asked
Chalmers Davis to attend, with regard to Dignity & Respect issues.
We had heated discussion when President Diederich presented a
report on the Post-Employment Health Savings Account plan
introduced in the June Labor-Management Health Care Committee
meeting. The AFSCME Locals plan to go ahead with informational
sessions for educating Hennepin County AFSCME members on the
concept and MSRS plan (www.msrs.state.mn.us/hcsp/info.htmls).
Several members expressed their concern, from opposition to one
plan for all, opposition to no opt outs, and opposition to Health
Savings Accounts, in general. The Local agreed that an effort will
be made to identify and secure an opposition viewpoint to the
MSRS program.
 Minnesota AFL-CIO United Way/Labor Community Services
guru Mary Ystesund is retiring. The Local presented her with a
card, a Local 34 T-shirt and a Local 34 clock. She was thrilled!
At the July 19 Meet & Confer session, Vice President Popko gave HSPHD
Management an impassioned plea to stop plans for relocating the Long
Term Foster Care program from Ridgedale to 1007 West Broadway. Rex
Holzemer noted the Department’s commitment to the North (and other)
community, and their plans to remain at that location. However, he agreed
that plans for that unit would be further reviewed, and suggested that the
Department might look harder at its strategic placement of staff in the
community.
Budget Director Curt Haats updated the Locals on the 2007 HSPHD
Budget proposal that will be impacted by the Board’s Levy decision later
this month. Alex Bartolic introduced an RFP for Evaluation of Service
Delivery Network and Services Provided Individuals with Developmental
Disabilities. And, in September, HSPHD will be talking with staff about a
new competency-based performance review process to take effect in 2007.
Political Initiatives for Local 34 this Year:

As of 6/12/06, Local 34 has 140 PEOPLE contributors (7.26% of membership), giving nearly $525 per payroll period, or an average of $3.74
per contributor. Our goal is to increase the number of you giving a dollar, $2, $4 per pay period to a minimum of 10% - or 193 – members of
the Local. We need you to join us in this fight to remove the Republican imprint of Pawlenty, Molnau, Awada Anderson, Kiffmeyer, and
Sviggum off the business of the State, and help us bring forth the AFSCME-endorsed leadership of Hatch, Dutcher, Otto, Ritchie, and Anderson
Kelliher.
 We need you to Register to Vote – and get out and vote in November! We realize that many of our members are not American citizens and are
unable to vote in US elections. But at last count, over 300 of our members are not registered to vote. Certainly half of that number can
register – and should register. We think the DFL candidates listed above will be a vast improvement over the wrong-headedness of the current
Republican Administration. But please register and vote – whether that vote is for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Greens,
or some other slate of candidates. Please get registered to vote. Important primary elections take place across the Metro and on the state ballots
on Tuesday, September 12. The general election is on November 7 this year. Please participate in this process!
The Local extends sympathies to member Trenita Heard on the shooting death of her stepson, Marcus White, July 13 th at Broadway & Dupont, by the 1007 office.
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Local 34 Banner
August 2006
New to the County?
Good and Welfare
Just transferred into Local 34?
The Good and Welfare Committee was established to send remembrances
to dues paying members at times of happiness or sorrow. This
includes marriages, the birth or adoption of a child, prolonged illness or
hospitalization, or the death of a member, immediate family member or
significant other.
To sign up as a full union member or for Delta Dental
Insurance, or to get answers to your questions about
AFSCME and membership benefits, please complete
this form and send it to:
Sylvia Gutierrez, Membership Secretary
525 Portland, 612-348-9662
Name _____________________________________
Job Title __________________________________
Work Location _____________________________
Mail Code _________ Phone _________________
I’m especially interested in:


I want to sign up as a full member
I want to sign up for Delta Dental
In the case of surgery or prolonged illness, or for the birth or
adoption of a child, balloon bouquets, flowers or plants can be sent to
a member.
In situations involving the death of a member or a death in the
family of a member, memorials can be sent. (“Family” is defined the
same as in Article 16 – Funeral Leave – in our contract; it includes:
spouse, child, significant other, father/mother, sister/brother,
grandparent/grandparent-in-law,
grandchildren,
aunt/uncle,
niece/nephew, or person regarded as a member of the member’s
immediate family).
In the event of members getting married, retiring, gaining U.S.
citizenship, or for a death in the family of a member or in the
case of the death of a member, a card can be sent to the family.
Please send all requests for remembrances to one of the Co-Chairs for the
Good and Welfare Committee. The Co-Chairs are Lisa Durkot and Barb
Gassler. The referrals must include the name of the member and the
reason for your request. If the request is for a plant, flowers, or a
balloon bouquet, you will also need to include the person’s home phone
number for delivery purposes.
Sign Up for the PEOPLE Fund
The AFSCME People Fund is AFSCME’s political action fund, and is used to support our endorsed candidates. If many members pledge
as little as $2.00 a payroll period, our ability to get our endorsed candidates elected will be greatly enhanced.
At $4.00 per pay period, a contributor receives an AFSCME green jacket.
Please contact Diane Bourgeois at 348-7067 to sign up now!
Are you interested in setting the Local 34 website as your Microsoft Explorer home page? If so, go to the website address listed above. Click on “Tools” in
the menu bar at the top of your page. Select “Internet Options.” Under the “General” tab, find the option for Home Page, and copy the Local 34 address
there. The next time you bring up your Internet connection, the website will be your new Home Page.
Do You Have Friends Who Would Like to Receive Our Newsletter?
GET UPDATES!
There is now a quick and simple way for you to become informed on a wide variety of issues concerning AFSCME Local 34. Just sign yourself
up for our free on-line newsletter! Please follow the directions below…

Send an e-mail to the following address: cwvolkenant@msn.com

In the Subject Line or Text, state “Subscribe to 34 Newsletter”, identify who you are, and send it off

You will receive a confirmation e-mail within a week; you should have the latest issue attached, so you can
determine if you will be able to receive – and read – the e-mail newsletter attachments
Note: if at any time you want to stop receiving these updates, all you have to do is send an e-mail to the address listed above, state “Unsubscribe”
in the Subject Line or Text, and your name will be removed from our list. ** You can also access us from our Local 34 Website at:
http://www.afscmelocal34.org ** For Netscape users, you may need to press “Reload” to get the most current version.
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Local 34 Banner
August
2nd
GA- HSB 112
16th
E-Board- HSB 110
August 2006
September
6th
GA- HSB 112
20th
E-Board- HSB 110
Quotations from Great Labor Quotations: Sourcebook and Reader by Peter Bollen
“Like other minority groups, government workers realize nothing will be conceded until it is demanded – and won, with the historic methods used
by other trade unions…. Michael Grace – Communication Workers of America
- Wes Volkenant
This month’s column is a little shorter by necessity. I hope that many of you were able to join your union brothers and sisters at the July 23rd
picnic in North Minneapolis. It’s good to keep this tradition alive. In the spirit of keeping traditions alive, I will be leading our Local delegation
to the Minnesota AFL-CIO Convention in St. Paul, August 7-9, while President Diederich leads a separate delegation to the AFSCME
Convention in Chicago the same week. We’ll do our best to represent issues of importance to our Local, and to the work you carry on.
We continue to work on behalf of members who face accusation and discipline from management, sometimes successfully challenging lies and
misrepresentations, but too often battling against a lack of common decency, dignity and respect in the workplace. It’s frustrating to have
one Department regularly target our activist members, and another accuse one of our officers of inappropriate behavior based on hearsay
from a less-than-reliable source. A lot more could be accomplished with a spirit of cooperation than that of intimidation and strife.
In July, officers in Locals 2822 and 34 began working on issues arising at the new 1801 Nicollet Mental Health Center. At Meet & Confer, we
had significant discussion about the safety of staff placed at the West Broadway locations in North Minneapolis (in light of another murder
there in mid-July), and followed up on discussions about the 2007 HSPHD budget and the new HSPHD performance review procedures. I will
note that to date, no Meet & Confer has taken place with STS Management yet. Finally, in August, the Labor/Mgmt Health Care Committee
begins looking at 2007 premiums and plan design from HealthPartners.
Next month, I’ll report back from the convention in St. Paul. For all who vacation in the weeks ahead, have a good – and safe – time!
MINNESOTA STANDDOWN 2006
Begins @ 7:30 am Thursday, August 3th and ends @ 4:30pm on Friday, August 4th.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – WEST BANK - 133 19TH AVE S, MINNEAPOLIS
The MINNESOTA STANDDOWN is for all US Military Veterans. It is the largest gathering of County, State, Federal Veteran
services and community agencies. The assistance available to Veterans includes:






Shelter
Employment Assistance
Clothing
VA Benefits
Picture ID
Federal and State Tax Assistance





Food
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information
Voice mail service
Housing Referral Placement
Assistance with Medical Assistance, Food
Support and Cash Assistance Applications
Hennepin County Human Services has provided two staff to assist Veterans with applications for assistance programs,
information for housing, and community resources, for the last 11 years.
If you are a US Military Veteran, an HSR 1, 2 or 3, and can spend at least half a day at the STANDDOWN – we
need you! This is not overtime. All time at the STANDDOWN is compensated by HSPHD at your regular pay.
Please call Richard Lloyd @ 612-596-8654 to arrange your schedule.
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Local 34 Banner
August 2006
GOOD & WELFARE – THANK YOU NOTES
Dear Friends,
All of us at the Vascular Disease Foundation wish to express our
tremendous gratitude for your generous donation of $50.00 on June 6,
2006. With gifts such as yours we can continue our efforts to raise
awareness about the seriousness, prevention, and treatment of vascular
disease. This contribution will be acknowledged in the fall issue of our
quarterly newsletter, Keeping in Circulation. We will be sure to mail you
a copy of that issue.
We will inform Dorothy & Christine Brown of your kind donation in
memory of Marjorie. Thank you again for supporting the Vascular
Disease Foundation and our mission to reduce death and disability from
vascular diseases and improve vascular health for all Americans.
Sincerely,
Dear Local 34:
Thanks so much for the beautiful, fresh flowers I received while on my
maternity leave! They brightened up my day as well as my living room!
Thanks again!
Sandra Slowiak
Child Protection Investigator
Thank You
Thank you for your gift in the amount of $50.00, given as a Memorial
for David J. Monitor, by Local 34.
American Lung Association of Minnesota
Dear Local 34,
Sheryl Benjamin
Executive Director, Vascular Disease Foundation
How thoughtful of you to remember John Kinzer with a gift that will help
children. We are honored that you have directed your memorial gift in
support of our services for children and families.
Dear Local 34:
By providing your contribution of $50.00, received on June 16, 2006, you
are an important link in fulfilling our mission: to help children thrive and
strengthen, build and sustain individual, family and community life.
Through your gifts, you have extended a helping hand to a family in a time
of crisis. You have made a difference in a child's life by providing quality,
affordable early learning opportunities. Your commitment has brought joy
to a child who has found the loving arms of a new family.
Thank you for your support of the Bill Peterson 6th Annual Golf
Tournament, which took place on Monday, June 26th, 2006 at Oak Glen
Golf Course. Your contribution of $250.00 for two golfers is greatly
appreciated.
This gift will benefit the Bill Peterson Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Bill
Peterson Regions Hospital Scholarship Fund and the AFL-CIO Scholarship
Program. The remaining portion was used to cover lunch, dinner, and all
golf fees at Oak Glen Golf Course.
Jennifer McGee
Staff Advisor, Bill Peterson Golf Tournament
Regions Hospital Foundation
Local 34 –
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend the Bill Peterson
Scholarship Golf Tournament this year. It was a beautiful day!
Everyone had fun and got some good golf in. The money raised through
donations such as from our union help benefit young people working
towards their future.
At the awards dinner, the speeches of the two Bill Peterson Scholarship
recipients were inspiring to the attendees. They were so appreciative of
the financial help they are receiving. One of the recipients' speeches was
especially moving. She is a single mother of one, working towards her
nursing degree. She has a 4.0 grade point average. Her speech was
heartfelt, and brought many in the room to tears as she described how
much this scholarship enabled her to concentrate on her studies and
accomplish her goals while still leaving her time to spend with her child.
Thanks again for giving me a wonderful day!!
Cindi Nelson
Dear Local 34,
On behalf of the Board of Education and myself, I would like to express our
appreciation for the donation of $50.00 in memory of Edward H. Fier
to the New Ulm Public Schools/ISD #88 Foundation. Your generosity and
support is gratifying.
Sincerely,
On behalf of those who will benefit from this gift, please accept my
personal thanks and condolences.
Sincerely,
Madonna King
President and CEO,
Children's Home Society & Family Services
Dear Local 34,
We want to express our deepest thanks for your support of Habitat for
Humanity of Minnesota and your contribution of $50.00 as a memorial for
Margaret Kurak. Your generous donation will be leveraged many times
over to help our 35 Minnesota Habitat for Humanity affiliates build homes.
During calendar year 2006 we plan to construct 140 homes in communities
across the state -- on top of the 122 homes we completed in 2005. In
partnership with people like you we really are making a difference in the
lives of a lot of families! This year we will celebrate the construction of the
1400th Habitat home in the state -- marking a new level of achievement in
our efforts to eliminate poverty housing.
We pair our achievements with the collective achievements of Habitat for
Humanity around the world -- with over 200, 000 homes built worldwide!
Our goal is made all the more challenging as we all seek to help those
around the world who have lost their homes due to natural disasters. We
feel blessed to be a part of an organization that is accomplishing great
things.
Thank you again for your support.
Very best regards,
Jan Plimpton, Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota
Harold Remme, Superintendent, ISD # 88
From Great Labor Quotations: “You don’t solve a problem by passing a law that says it’s illegal.”
-- former AFL-CIO head, Lane Kirkland, on laws making strikes by public employees illegal
http://www.slate.com/id/2132828/ http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/labor/bigpicture/
When Did Strikes Become Illegal? Just over a third of the approximately 20 million federal, state and local workers in the United States do not have the right
to belong to a union. Public employees in 15 states have no collective-bargaining rights while another 12 states allow only specific groups of workers to join
unions. The right to strike is even more limited. State and local employees in only nine states have that right. All federal employees are barred from striking.
-6-
Local 34 Banner
Event:
Minnesota
AFL-CIO
Convention
August 2006
A delegation from Local 34 will be attending the AFL-CIO Convention. Representing the
Local are: Wes Volkenant, Cliff Robinson, John Herzog, Lindsay Schwab, Diane
Bourgeois, Patrick Regan, and DeAnna DeLoach. Here is a Convention preview:
Minnesota AFL-CIO Convention
August 7th, 2006 8:00 AM
The statewide convention of the Minnesota AFL-CIO will run Aug. 7-9 in St. Paul.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO's 48th Constitutional Convention will consider resolutions, elect executive board and
general board members, and also may endorse candidates for statewide office.
Along with the convention, other scheduled events include training sessions for delegates and other union
members, a convention for the Minnesota State Retirees Council, a luncheon for the Coalition of Union Women,
and a fundraiser for political activities.
The convention will take place at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel in downtown St. Paul (formerly the
Radisson). For more information about the convention, contact the Minnesota AFL-CIO at 651-227-7647.
A separate delegation from Local 34 will be attending the AFSCME
International Convention, in Chicago, August 7-11. Representing the
Local are: Jean Diederich, Chalmers Davis, Anita Selin, Shannon
Wesley, Bob Velez, and Rita Salone. Here is a Convention preview:
Chicago '06: AFSCME Speaks Out
Our members are suffering under the anti-worker, anti-union regime of George W. Bush. Just ask María Guadalupe Alvarado, an
Oregon child care provider and member. Alvarado, her husband and two kids have no health insurance. During the past four years,
they have gone without "extras" — or even many necessities. Forget annual checkups or flu shots. And when her husband needed
an emergency appendectomy, "he was kept waiting on the [operating] table while the hospital kept asking me, 'How are you going to
pay for this?' It cost us $10,000, and we agreed to pay it off at $200 a month." No wonder Alvarado says that "It's a terrible pain in
my soul to be without health insurance."
That's why, with AFSCME's 37th International Convention just around the corner, we're looking not only at the big picture in terms of
rebuilding our union but also at the day-to-day lives of our members. When we get to Chicago in August, we will focus on making
changes and making history, from building respect for public employees to hammering out an inspiring plan to improve the lives of all
our members. So no matter what the temperature says in Chicago, AFSCME is going to be hot!
PUBLIC AWARENESS. The American people have a short memory when it comes to the role public service workers play in their
lives. Whether it's the terrorist attacks on 9/11, nature's attack on New Orleans or preparing for the possible attack of bird flu, our
members are on the scene, able and willing to help. We need new and better ways to awaken the public to how we make sure our
water is safe, our children and seniors are cared for, our roads are in good shape, and more. At the Convention, we want to engage
each and every delegate on the issues most important to AFSCME's survival and growth. Then, when our delegates leave the Windy
City, they'll be headed on the path that leads to more power and dignity for public employees in every state, city, town and county in
this country.
BIGGER, BOLDER, BETTER. Exciting events at this year's Convention include: innovative plans for online activism; powerful and
visionary labor, celebrity and political speakers such as U.S. senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. Plus there will be new — and
surprising — ways to engage delegates in considering the future. And don't forget to sign up for a labor history tour of the city and the
biennial PEOPLE Fun Run.
As you can see, we are pulling out all the stops so that AFSCME's 37th International Convention becomes truly unique and inspiring.
With full participation, we can achieve our goals of increased appreciation for public services and the hard-working, dedicated people
who provide them. We're also going to find more effective tools to beat back the attacks on bargaining rights, health care and
pensions. In this way, we will grow the power and effectiveness of our union. We will prevail and prosper in the 21st Century . . . and
beyond! We will win the respect we need to do our jobs.
Remember, we are AFSCME, the Green Machine, and when we fight, we win!
-7-
Local 34 Banner
August 2006
Issues that Affect Members of AFSCME Local 34
7 Things
That are Worse because of
George W. Bush’s Failed
Leadership (ala Rove):
1. The Federal Deficit – from a $236 billion surplus to a
record $423 billion deficit!
2. The Gap Between Rich and Poor – Republican policies
have concentrated wealth with the richest 1% of
Americans, and the gap is still growing!
3. The Cost of Energy – up 67% since 2000 because of
George W. Bush’s devotion to Big Oil and reliance on
fossil fuels.
4. The Environment – relaxed industrial regulations have
degraded the quality of our air and water, and put our
health at risk.
5. Health Coverage – more than 6 million Americans have
lost their health coverage since 2000.
6. Poverty – in 2004, 1.1 million more Americans slipped
into poverty – now more than 37 million!
7. Integrity in Government – a host of Republicans in
Congress, the White House, and lobbyists are under
indictment or investigation.
Produced by the DSCC at www.dscc.org/courage
From a June 21 “diary entry” at the Daily Kos weblog, in a discussion of
“GOP Senate Blocks Up or Down Vote on Minimum Wage Hike”
What Do You Want America?
A Raise…
or Ending the Paris Hilton Inheritance Contribution?
Privatized Social Security…
or Defending the Best Program We Have to Keep the
Elderly Out of Poverty?
The Medicare, Part D Sop to the Campaign-Contributing
Big Pharma…
or a Real Prescription Drug Benefit that Works for
All Americans?
Fairness for Working Families…
or a Playground for the Uber-Rich and Heartless
Elites?
Let’s Get Out and Win the Senate and House,
and the Presidency in 2008!
Democrats are the party of those who are working, those who have finished
working, and those who want to work.
- Elizabeth Edwards
The Poor Get Poorer
No Change in Minimum Wage
A couple of recently released studies underline just how grim times are
for folks on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. The federal
minimum wage has reached a 51-year-low in terms of purchasing
power, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute and the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Since 1997 the minimum wage
has remained at $5.15 an hour. Last month Senate Republicans rebuffed
efforts to increase the hourly wage to $7.25 over the next three years,
voting the proposal down by a 52-46 margin.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - Posted by Jim Hightower
America's working poor recently suffered another body blow in the
Congress – but you probably missed the news, since it barely made a blip
on the media establishment's radar. The blow came in the Senate, which
voted down a modest increase in our nation's minimum wage. This is
front page news to millions of families that are trying to survive on jobs that
pay at or near a minimum wage that's been stuck at $5.15 an hour for
nearly a decade. But the media barons, who devote lavish coverage to the
prosperity being enjoyed by the economic elites, didn't see this as a story.
The New York Times, for example, relegated it to a single paragraph on
page 22 at the tail end of a column covering eight other topics.
Over the last decade the buying power of minimum-wage earners has
decreased by 20 percent. "The decline in the value of the minimum
wage is part and parcel of a disturbing feature of the recovery from the
2001 recession: its failure to significantly improve the well-being of most
workers," the report, authored by Jared Bernstein and Isaac Shapiro,
notes. "Instead, the benefits of our impressive productivity growth rates
have largely flowed to those at the top of the income and wealth scale."
The Economic Policy Institute also released a study showing that in 2005
the average CEO earned 262 times the pay of the average worker. The
average business executive made $10,982,000, according to the study,
while the average worker earned $41,861. This is the second highest ratio
recorded in the 40 years for which such data is available. (The largest gap
was recorded in 2000, when CEO's earned 300 times as much as the
average worker.) The discrepancy between executive salaries and the
people they employ has gone up dramatically over the decades. In 1965,
the average CEO made just 24 times that of the average working stiff,
while by 1989 the ratio had crept up to 71.
by Paul Demko, June 30, 2006
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2006/06/a_couple_of_rec.asp#more
Had they deigned to look into the story, here are a few important facts they
would have found:
 There are 7.3 million Americans presently working for minimum wage.
Another 8.2 million of us are paid only a dollar or less above the
minimum.
 Seventy-two percent of minimum wage workers are adults. The
average worker brings home more than half of the family's weekly
income; a third bring home 100 percent of their families' earnings. Sixty
percent of these workers are women; 760,000 are single moms.
 $5.15 an hour is a gross pay of $10,500 a year for full-time work –
poverty pay.
 The last increase in the minimum wage has been entirely eroded by
inflation – the purchasing power of $5.15 today is the equivalent of
$4.23 in 1997, the year the wage was raised from $4.25 an hour.
This is not merely an economic story, but a deeply moral issue – especially
at a time when workers have greatly increased productivity and helped
generate historic levels of growth and profits. If the media chieftains wonder
why they're losing readers and viewers, they might note that they callously
ignore news of real importance to ordinary folks.
Sources: "Increase to minimum wage fails in Senate," USA Today, June 22, 2006.
"Senate Rejects Minimum Wage Increase," The New York Times, June 22, 2006.
http://www.jimhightower.com/node/5856
-8-
Local 34 Banner
August 2006
What a Great Time to Sample Labor/Union News & Views on the Web Logs (Blogs)…
Here’s a taste of what you might be missing…
Jordan Barab posts at DailyKos, Confined Space (http://spewingforth.blogspot.com/ ) and Firedoglake. Here’s a group of recent titles he’s
posted at Firedoglake (with a sampling of their photo art)… http://www.firedoglake.com/index.php?s=jordan+barab

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

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Bushworld: Labor Board Threatens Rights Of Millions Of Workers (7/11/06)
The American Workplace: Leave Your Rights At The Door (7/4/06)
America’s Public Employees: Live Like Slaves, Die Like Dogs (6/27/06)
Unions: Service Sector Workers’ Path To The Middle Class (6/20/06)
Union Organizing In the 21st Century: Card Check and Roach Motels (5/30/06)
WHY UNIONS? LABOR 101
LABOR & UNIONS: THE FOX ATE THE HENS
REVIVING LABOR- LOOK TO STATE POLITICS
by NathanNewman
Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 07:35:16 AM PDT
by OrangeClouds115
Tue Jul 11, 2006 at 04:14:29 AM PDT
by NathanNewman
Fri Jun 16, 2006 at 06:50:09 AM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/13/103516/674
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/11/71429/8023
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/16/9509/35402
My first job out of college in the late 80s was as a
union organizer in the casinos of Las Vegas. I found
that some of the most militant unionists were the
cocktail waitresses who served drinks to the highrolling gamblers at the gaming tables. They first had
to kick the butts of their own then-male labor leaders
back in the early 1970s, but the union took up the
cause and forced changes into the union contract.
From that day forward, the best spots would go to the
waitresses with the longest tenure, no favoritism or
age discrimination allowed. That is what unions get
you-- the right not to be told you are too old to be
presentable in public. The right not to have
supervisor play favoritism and demand you
degrade yourself in order to feed your family. In
unionized casinos, a rich high-roller can buy almost
anything. But when he sits at the craps table, the one
thing he can't buy is that the woman serving his
drinks be replaced by the youngest girl in the house.
'Cause in a union shop, human dignity is not for
sale.
Before you read any further, I recommend having a
look at the diary American Workers' Freedom to
Form Unions Threatened Under Bush NLRB. Tula
Connell provides an excellent analysis of everything
that is going on - and gives us a history lesson.
The revival of the labor movement is going to mainly
happen in workplaces across the country like the
successful vote for a union for University of Miami
janitors. But it will remain hard, given a federal
labor law that allows employers to illegally fire or
discipline 20,000 workers each year for asserting
their rights -- and legally allows employers to engage
in a range of activities that are considered human
rights violations under international law.
How Unions Increase Pay
The fact that unions increase wages is the most basic
fact that most people understand about unions, but
it's still worth understanding the details. Union
workers earn 29 percent more than nonunion
workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their median weekly
earnings for full-time wage and salary work were
$801 in 2005, compared with $622 for their nonunion
counterparts. The union wage benefit is even greater
for minorities and women. Union women earn 31
percent more than nonunion women, African
American union members earn 31 percent more than
their nonunion counterparts, for Latino workers, the
union advantage totals 50 percent, and for Asian
workers, and the union advantage is 9 percent.
Unions increase wages for non-union workers
In industries where unions push up wages, the nonunion companies often have to raise wages to
compete for the best workers. Even where an
employer could run a company on low wages, high
union density means that a union organizer can show
up, flash the higher wages in the contract and
threaten to unionize the firm. To stave off that threat,
those employers will raise salaries toward the union
wage level. The higher the percentage of
unionization -- often called union density -- in an
industry or a region, the higher the wages for both
union AND non-union workers.
By 1947, corporate-backed Republicans in the House
and Senate, who had spent years trying to
legislatively hamstring the NLRA, succeeded in
passing the Taft-Hartley Act. With its passage, TaftHartley basically destroyed the main goal of the
NLRA: to give workers a fair chance to decide
whether to form unions. Taft-Hartley includes a dirty
laundry list of rules, but among the most significant-although the least noted at the time of the law's
passage--is its ban on supervisors forming unions. As
a result, for example, Ford’s foremen's union was
abolished. And the growing number of white-collar,
"middle management" professionals who proliferated
throughout the 1960s - 1980s were powerless to join
together and bargain collectively with their bosses.
Here's what I've gathered:
1. If you are a supervisor, you can't be in a union.
2. A really clever way of keeping people from
forming unions is by calling them "supervisors."
3. If we could call everybody a supervisor, then
we'd have no more unions.
4. Bush's buddies want to do that.
Kentucky River Community Care Inc. operated the
Caney Creek Development Complex in Kentucky, a
nonprofit mental health facility. The complex wanted
to categorize six nurses as supervisors, making them
ineligible to join a union.
The NLRB found that the six nurses were not
supervisors. The decision went to a federal
appeals court (which overruled the NLRB) and
then the US Supreme Court (which upheld the
appeals court, led, of course, by Scalia).
In light of that decision, the NLRB invited interested
parties to file amicus briefs in three additional labor
cases that, while separate from the Kentucky River
case, involve some of the same labor issues. The
board asked parties to argue the meaning of
"independent judgment."
Now return to the original idea that Bush's buddies
(i.e. the NLRB) wants to designate as many workers
as possible "supervisors" so they can't form unions.
And what we have is an "independent" board
consisting of 4 Republicans (appointed by Bush) and
2 Democrats (appointed by Clinton).
-9-
But here's the hard reality. Federal labor law isn't
going to be changed anytime soon. Three times in the
last forty-five years, there have been majorities in
each house of Congress and a President willing to
sign significant labor law reform, and each time
conservative Senators filibustered any labor law
change, since they knew that any revival of labor
would fundamentally challenge their basis for power.
And nothing has changed in that calculation, so until
progressives have a solid sixty Senators, there will be
no federal labor law reform. Period.
More notably the list of laws below highlight
progressive successes in the states, which we should
celebrate far more often:
 Strengthening Worker Union and Free Speech
Rights
 Protecting Worker Free Speech
 Increasing Union Access to Employer Property
 Raising Wage Rates to Reinforce Union Sector
 Prevailing Wage for Public Works and Other
Government Contracts
 Living Wage Laws
 Wage Requirements on Government Leases
 Leveraging Economic Development Funds
 Regulating Wages in Selected Industries
 Making Businesses Liable for Wage Violations
by Subcontractors
 Holding Main Shareholders of Private
Companies Liable
 Tightening
Definitions
of
"Independent
Contractors
States control a range of policies involving
employment, so they can play a critical role in
reviving worker rights and thereby strengthening the
freedom of those workers to form unions. Any policy
change that lessens the fear of union workers that
they will be undercut by sweatshop competitor or any
workers will be fired for exercising free speech at
work strengthens the collective ability of employees
to organize and negotiate a higher wage through
stronger unions.
Local 34 Banner
August 2006
For Your Summer Reading Pleasure
What do you like to read? This month, we’re giving you some summer book ideas, but not necessarily the type you pick up in the
airport, or take to the beach. These books are hitting the best-seller lists by bringing progressive, liberal messages to the public.
Here are some recommendations – maybe it’s already time for those Christmas shopping lists…
Hostile Takeover : How Big Money and
Corruption Conquered Our Government -and How We Take It Back
by David Sirota
List Price: $24.00
Amazon.com Price: $15.60
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307237346/qid=1151900882/sr=21/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2622260-1720167?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
About the Author
David Sirota is a campaign strategist, political
operative, and writer. Sirota has served as the press
secretary for Independent Rep. Bernie Sanders of
Vermont and was recently a senior strategist for
Brian Schweitzer, Montana’s first Democratic
governor in sixteen years. He is a senior editor at
In These Times, a regular contributor to The
Nation, the blogger for Working Assets, and a
twice-weekly guest on the Al Franken Show. Sirota
is also the co-chairperson of the Progressive
Legislative Action Network. He lives in Helena,
Montana, with his wife.
The One Percent Doctrine
by Ron Suskind
List Price: $27.00
Amazon.com Price: $16.20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743271092/ref=amb_center4_193159701_2/102-2622260-1720167?n=283155
Ron Suskind is an author and journalist based in Washington,
D.C. His latest book, "The One Percent Doctrine," is a
revealing journey deep inside America's battles with violent,
unrelenting terrorists. His 2004 book, "The Price of Loyalty,"
is a sweeping tour of the inner working of the Bush
Presidency, among the most secretive administrations in
modern times. The book follows the two-year arc of Paul
O'Neill, Bush's Treasury Secretary as he and other senior
officials assess the conduct and character of this Presidency.
Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots,
and the Rise of People-Powered Politics
by Jerome Armstrong,
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga
List Price: $25.00
Amazon.comPrice: $16.50
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931498997/ref=pd_sim_b_4/1022622260-1720167?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
Book Jacket Review:
"Two of the hottest Democratic bloggers—DailyKos’
Markos Moulitsas and MyDD’s Jerome Armstrong—
prove with this book that they are also two of the sharpest
and most insightful voices in the progressive movement.
Crashing the Gate is an urgent and powerfully written
look both at what ails our democracy and what can heal it.
Ultimately, they show that the fuel to reform our politics
will not come from party insiders but from "the netroots,
grassroots, and the rise of people-powered politics."
—Arianna Huffington, Editor of The Huffington Post
Book Description
Do you ever wonder if there’s a connection between the corruption scandals in the news and the steady
decline in the quality of life for millions of Americans? Do you ever wonder what corporations get for
the millions of dollars they pour into the American political system? Do you ever think the government
has been hijacked by forces hostile to average Americans? Do you ever want to fight back? Millions of
Americans lack health care and millions more struggle to afford it. Politicians claim they care, then pass
legislation that just sends more cash to the HMOs. Wages have been stagnant for thirty years, even as
corporate profits skyrocket. Politicians say they want to fix the problem and then pass bills written by
lobbyists that drive wages even lower and punish those crushed by debt. Jobs are being shipped overseas,
pensions are being cut, and energy is becoming unaffordable. And our government, more concerned about
maintaining its corporate sponsorship than protecting its citizens, does nothing about it.
In Hostile Takeover, David Sirota, a major new voice in American politics, seeks to open the eyes of
ordinary Americans to the fact that corporate interests have undermined democracy, aided and
abetted by their lackeys in our allegedly representative government. At a time when more and more
of America’s major political leaders are being indicted or investigated for corruption, Sirota takes readers
on a journey that shows how all of this nefarious behavior happened right under our noses—and how the
high-profile scandals are merely one product of a political system and debate wholly owned by Big
Money interests. Sirota considers major public issues that feel intractable—like spiraling health care
costs, the outsourcing of jobs, the inequities of the tax code, and out-of-control energy prices—and shows
how in each case workable solutions are buried under the lies of lobbyists, the influence of campaign
cash, and the ubiquitous spin machine financed by Big Business. With fiery passion, pinpoint wit, and
lucid analysis, Hostile Takeover reveals the true enemies of reform and their increasingly
sophisticated—and hostile—tactics. It’s an essential guidebook for those of us tired of the government
selling us out—and determined to take our country back.
From Publishers Weekly
In this troubling portrait of the war on terror, America's intelligence agencies confront not just al-Qaeda
but the Bush administration's politicized incompetence. Journalist Suskind (The Price of Loyalty) follows
the triumphs and failures of the "invisibles"—the counterterrorism experts at the NSA, the FBI and
especially the CIA—as they painstakingly track terrorists' communications and financial transactions,
interrogate prisoners and cultivate elusive al-Qaeda informants. Unfortunately, he contends, their
meticulous intelligence-sifting went unappreciated by administration policymakers, especially Dick
Cheney, who formulated an overriding "one percent" doctrine: threats with even 1% likelihood must
be treated as certainties. The result was "the severing of fact-based analysis from forceful response,"
most glaringly in the trumped-up alarm over Iraqi WMDs. In dramatizing the tensions between CIA
professionals and White House ideologues, Suskind makes his sympathies clear: CIA chief George Tenet,
pressured to align intelligence with administration policy, emerges as a tragic fall guy, while President
Bush comes off as a dunce and a bully, likened by some observers to a ventriloquist's dummy on
Cheney's knee. Suskind's novelistic scene-setting—"Condi looked up, impatiently"—sometimes
meanders. But he assembles perhaps the most detailed, revealing account yet of American
counterterrorism efforts and a hard-hitting critique of their direction.
Book Description
Crashing the Gate lays bare, with passion and precision, how ineffective, incompetent, and antiquated
the Democratic Party establishment has become, and how it has failed to adapt and respond to new
realities and challenges seized on by the Republican ideologues who are now running—and ruining—
our country. Written by two of the most popular political bloggers in America, the book hails the new
movement—of the netroots, the grassroots, the unorthodox labor unions, the maverick big donors—that is
the antidote to old-school politics. Fueled by advances in technology and a hunger for a more authentic
and populist democracy, this broad-based movement is changing the way political campaigns are waged.
Crashing the Gate is an incisive and provocative book from two activists on the front lines, engaged in
the battle to take back politics from entitled, entrenched interests.
About the Authors
Jerome Armstrong, a pioneer of the political blogosphere, founded one of the first political blogs,
MyDD.com , in 2001. The person behind the netroots strategy that used blogs and meetups for Howard
Dean's campaign, Jerome works as an internet strategist for advocacy organizations and political
campaigns. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga served in the U.S. Army for three years and later earned two bachelors degrees
from Northern Illinois University and a law degree from Boston University. After moving to California to
work in the tech industry, Markos started DailyKos.com in May 2002. His blog has had a meteoric rise
and now gets more than a million unique visitors each day, making it one of the most popular blogs in the
nation. Markos lives in Berkeley, California.
Need a Conservative Fix Instead? No, not Ann Coulter’s “Godless” or ABC’s John Stossel’s “Lies”... Try Talking Right by Geoffrey Nunberg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586483862/ref=pd_ts_b_12/102-2622260-1720167?n=11079&s=books&v=glance
- 10 -
Local 34 Banner
Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for
Bush
by Eric Boehlert
(Free Press, 352 pages)
List Price: $25.00
Amazon.com Price: $16.50
From a Review in American Prospect:
It will come as no surprise to readers of these pages that
the galloping pack of Washington journalists has spent
much of the last five and a half years rolling over for an
alternately (and sometimes simultaneously) fanatical,
inept, mendacious, and clueless George W. Bush. In the
run-up to war, they gave him the benefit of many
undeserved doubts. When he claimed to accomplish his
mission, they saluted. They buried their doubts and when
the time came for apologies displayed remarkably little
curiosity as to how they had acquired so many sins to
apologize for. Even today, with Bush’s approval ratings
on the shadowy side of one-third and his coalition
unraveling, they leave much of his malfeasance and that
of his entourage barely noticed. When they do unearth
telling dots, they soon re-inter them unconnected. If you
have any doubt, read Eric Boehlert’s devastating book.
Read it and weep, tear your hair, rend your garments,
gnash your teeth. If you still doubt, you must in all
honesty ask yourself what evidence it would take to
convince you that the game is rigged.
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&arti
cleId=11658
F.U.B.A.R. : America's Right-Wing
Nightmare
by Sam Seder, Stephen Sherrill
List Price: $23.95
Amazon.com Price: $15.57
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060846712/qid=1151900461/sr=22/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-2622260-1720167?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
How Would a Patriot Act? Defending
American Values from a President Run
Amok (Paperback)
by Glenn Greenwald
List Price: $12.00
Price: $9.24
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097794400X/ref=pd_sim_b_3/1022622260-1720167?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
About the Author
Glenn Greenwald is a Constitutional law attorney, and
author of the political blog, "Unclaimed Territory."
Greenwald has written for American Conservative
magazine and appeared on a variety of television and
radio programs, including C-Span's "Washington
Journal," Air America's "Majority Report" and Public
Radio International's "To the Point." His reporting and
analysis have been credited in The Los Angeles
Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Slate and a
variety of other print and online publications.
August 2006
Book Description
Lapdogs is the first book to demonstrate that, for the entire George W. Bush presidency, the news media
have utterly failed in their duty as watchdog for the public. In blistering prose, Eric Boehlert reveals
how, time after time, the press chose a soft approach to covering the government, and as a result reported
and analyzed crucial events incompletely and even inaccurately. From WMDs to Valerie Plame to the
NSA's domestic spying, mainstream fixtures such as The New York Times, CBS, CNN, and Time
magazine too often ignored the administration's missteps and misleading words, and did not call out the
public officials who betrayed the country's trust. Throughout both presidential campaigns and the entire
Iraq war to date, the media acted as a virtual mouthpiece for the White House, giving watered-down
coverage of major policy decisions, wartime abuses of power, and egregious mistakes -- and sometimes
these events never made it into the news at all. Finally, in Lapdogs, the press is being held accountable
by one of its own.
Boehlert homes in on the reasons the press did not do its job: a personal affinity for Bush that journalists
rarely displayed toward his predecessor, Bill Clinton; a Republican White House that threatened to deny
access to members of the media who asked challenging questions or voiced criticism; and a press that
feared being tainted by accusations of liberal bias. Moreover, journalists -- who may have wanted to
report accurately on the important stories -- often found themselves at cross-purposes with media
executives, many of whom were increasingly driven by economic concerns. Cowed by all of these
factors, the media abandoned their traditional role of stirring up meaningful public debate.
Boehlert asserts that the Bush White House never subscribed to the view -- commonly held by previous
administrations -- that a relationship with the press is an important part of the democratic process. Instead,
it saw the press as just another special interest group that needed to be either appeased or held at bay -- or,
in some cases, squashed. The administration actively undermined the basic tenets of accurate and fair
journalism, and reporters and editors accepted their reduced roles without a whimper. To an
unprecedented degree, journalists too often stopped asking uncomfortable questions of people in power.
In essence, the entire purpose and pursuit of journalism was sacrificed. Riveting in its sharp
denouncement, supported by dozens of glaring and troubling examples of journalistic malpractice,
Lapdogs thoroughly dissects the press's misconduct during Bush's presidency and gives voice to the
growing public dismay with the mainstream media.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743289315/qid=1151900461/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-26222601720167?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
From Publishers Weekly
In this manifesto, which is occasionally hilarious but more often stale diatribe, Air America Radio's
Seder and Sherrill have increased the scope of liberal rage to not only our elected leadership, but all
those who elected him—the "Rapture Right" as the authors dub them. To read this volume, which uses
sarcasm as its main analytical tool, one would think the American right was composed solely of bornagain Christians. And that take would indeed justify the title of the book, which is a military acronym
meaning "F…ed Up Beyond All Recognition." But devoting more than 40 pages (albeit funny ones) to
problems plaguing gay Republicans, for example, seems excessive. Where the authors' blistering irony
works best, paradoxically, is in the chapter "The Media Is Not Your Friend": the authors discuss in
particular the New York Times's Adam Nagourney ("If you want to see why the liberal media is... not
liberal") and columnist Thomas Friedman ("what he's really writing about is Tom Friedman"). And here
the authors hammer home their best point: the need for so-called "objectivity," which translates as the
need to present both sides of an argument, no matter how patently inane.
Book Description
Glenn Greenwald was not a political man. Not liberal, not conservative. Politicians were all the same and
it didn’t matter which party was in power. Extremists on both ends canceled each other out, and the
United States would essentially remain forever centrist. Or so he thought. Then came September 11,
2001. Greenwald’s disinterest in politics was replaced by patriotism, and he supported the war in
Afghanistan. He also gave President Bush the benefit of the doubt over his decision to invade Iraq. But, as
he saw Americans and others being disappeared, jailed and tortured, without charges or legal
representation, he began to worry. And when he learned his president had seized the power to spy on
American citizens on American soil, without the oversight required by law, he could stand no more. At
the heart of these actions, Greenwald saw unprecedented and extremist theories of presidential power,
theories that flout the Constitution and make President Bush accountable to no one, and no law.
How Would a Patriot Act? is one man’s story of being galvanized into action to defend America’s
founding principles, and a reasoned argument for what must be done. Greenwald’s penetrating
words should inspire a nation to defend the Constitution from a president who secretly bestowed upon
himself the powers of a monarch. If we are to remain a constitutional republic, Greenwald writes, we
cannot abide radical theories of executive power, which are transforming the very core of our national
character, and moving us from democracy toward despotism. This is not hyperbole. This is the crisis all
Americans—liberals and conservatives--now face.
In the spirit of the colonists who once mustered the strength to denounce a king, Greenwald invites us to
consider: How would a patriot act today?
Also Recommended: Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression - by Spencer Overton
Price: $16.47
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393061590/qid=1152484655/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2622260-1720167?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
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Local 34 Banner
August 2006
President’s Column - Jean Diederich
August is here already and summer, sad but true, is almost over. I hope that everyone is taking advantage of the many beautiful gifts of
nature - lakes; rivers; city, county and state parks; miles and miles of bike paths - many maintained by fellow public employees - which
are open to all of us. I have many happy memories of going to Girl Scout camps each summer, with August being the month for day
camp. It was a week of daily adventures away from my brothers (loved them dearly, but they were typical brothers). I did have to
endure the ride to and from day camp with my three sisters but, since we were all involved in the scouting program, we had lots of
common ideas and plans to discuss. As I grew older, I switched from being an enthusiastic camper learning about nature and all the
fun to be had out-of-doors, to being a counselor and sharing that knowledge and love of adventure with the younger girls. The icing on
the cake was Girl Scout camp during my college-year summers. What a treat is was to be away from the books and pressures of
learning and being with more young and energetic girls who couldn't wait to enjoy the camping experience. Even now, I measure
summer by the weekly routines of camp - the first week of August would be spent greeting a new busload of campers and settling into
tents, judging swimming abilities, having a huge welcome campfire, planning cook-outs. As you can tell, my heart is still with camping!
Politics
Yep, this is a topic that should be at the forefront of all our minds. The majority of Local 34 members work for the Human Services
and Public Health Department. The Department is facing cuts in the budget based on the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act. Right
now, with those cuts in place, the Department is tentatively looking at cuts of up to $22.1 million. The State Legislature had an
opportunity to put money into the state budget, which would have offset some of the federal cuts. They blew it!
So, what does this mean for you? Well, quite simply, you have the ability to decide who is elected to represent us for the next two
years and to work on fixing this problem. No matter where you live, you will have the opportunity to express your satisfaction or
dissatisfaction at the polling place in September primaries and the November general elections. All of the Federal Congress seats are
up for election/re-election as well as one Senate seat. At the State level, all Senate and House seats are up for election/re-election.
What can you do? Find a politician who you feel strongly represents your causes and work on her/his campaign. When s/he is
elected, you are going to be remembered as someone who gave 150% to reach that goal and you will be listened to when you call
about our needs. There are many candidates who have been endorsed by AFSCME Council 5 with more being screened weekly and
added to the list. They need you to help them doing literature drops, door knocks, phone banks, get-out-the-vote actions. They need
you to talk to your friends and neighbors about their goals and what they can do for all of us as residents of Minnesota, as well as our
respective Senate and House districts. For those of us who grew up in greater Minnesota, we can talk to our families and friends about
candidates running in our hometown districts that we feel will be good for us.
Let's face it; if we do nothing, then we end up with nothing. One phone bank, one door knock, one morning/afternoon out of your
busy lives can mean all the difference in the election for our endorsed candidates and even more of a difference in our work
lives. Some of our members will be spending the next four months working full-time for the Council on our efforts to get labor friendly
people elected. Some of us will spend one evening a week going to the Council office to do phone banking. Some of us will work
directly on candidates’ campaigns. Whatever your comfort level, please get involved. Sometimes it is as simple as helping to provide
a pan of brownies or a 12-pack of beverages for the door knock. Every little bit helps! Write a letter to the Editor of your local
newspaper/neighborhood newsletter telling why you support a particular candidate. Please think about it, find something that you can
do and, in the words of Nike "just do it". It all adds up to help us come out as winners when the folks we help elect then debate bills
affecting funding sources for our programs.
So, if you can assist, contact the Council 5 office at 651-455-0773 and ask to speak to someone about opportunities to work on
our endorsed candidates and our efforts to make our work lives better. You will be hooked up with an opportunity of a lifetime!
October - AFSCME Council 5 Convention
We have received the call to this convention, which will be held at the Sheraton-Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota,
October 5 - 7, 2006. Important business of the convention will be the election of the four chair officers and the 40 Executive Board
members for the coming two years, as well as voting on any resolutions brought before the body. Workshops and action events are
planned for the convention. Look for more information about this in the next newsletter, including when the delegates will be elected.
Have a safe and enjoyable August!
Jean
- 12 -