Weekly Update: Turning the Tide
AFSCME, State Reach Agreement
AFSCME Council 75 and the State of Oregon reached a tentative agreement yesterday after a grueling round of negotiations. Both sides are feeling good about the agreement, according to an article by the Statesman Journal.
Sacrifices were made on both sides of the table, with AFSCME agreeing to contribute 5% toward health care premiums and taking 14 furlough days throughout the year. The state will help offset these sacrifices via cost of living raises and step-increases. The tentative agreement will now go to AFSCME’s membership for approval. This is the first settlement between Oregon and public employees’ unions for the next two-year budget period.
In Other News...
United Labor Rally in Bend
Stand together on August 3rd at noon at the Deschutes County Administration building (1300 NW Wall Street in Bend) and support working, middle class families!
Three unions are rallying together on August 3rd:
• Deschutes County Employees, AFSCME local 3997, are in negotiations for a new contract.
• SEIU local 49 represents 600 newly organized St. Charles Medical Center Workers who are fighting for their first contract.
• The Oregon Education Association will be rallying for teachers statewide and demanding a public education system that works for every child in Oregon.
We hope to see you in Bend to stand in solidarity with these unions and the hardworking men and women who are fighting to support their families.
A New Perspective on PERS
Despite repeatedly coming under attack, Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) benefits our statewide economy in a variety of ways. Through benefit payments, PERS is able to sustain 29,124 jobs and adds $881 million in wages to our economy.
Find out more about PERS’ benefits on Oregon Strong Voice: http://www.oregonstrongvoice.org and get involved in the discussion on the Oregon Strong Voice Facebook and Twitter pages.
Wisconsin and Beyond: Turning the Tide
Our nation’s union movement has been fighting back, and we’re happy to announce a few victories in the campaign to protect workers’ rights!
Wisconsin State Sen. Dave Hansen easily defeated his republican opponent in the state’s first recall election and all six Wisconsin AFL-CIO endorsed candidates won primary elections. Read more about Wisconsin’s victories here.
T-Mobile workers in Connecticut vote YES to join CWA, the first T-Mobile workers in the country to do so! Read more about T-Mobile here.
Do you support workers’ rights? Let us know why! Head to http://www.facebook.com/oregonaflcio and sound off.
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Playing Chicken with Our Economic Recovery
DECEMBER 20th, 2011 | Congress stands at the crossroads of yet another Federal shutdown, the third this year. If we were waiting for a clear indication that we need to more Representatives in Washington who will put working families and the middle class first, this is it. Partisan bickering keeps the real leaders on both sides of the aisle, who are ready to fight for the 99% of us who work for a living, doing their jobs.
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Breaking Down Wealth Inequality
NOVEMBER 30th, 2011 | Occupy Wall Street has rippled across the country leaving a wake of activism and protest in nearly every state and wide-scale demonstrations teeming in over 20 major North American cities. The message is clear: we are the 99%. We work the jobs, we pay the bills and we’re tired of the 1% keeping all of the profits.
