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Archive for August, 2006
Katrina One Year Later: A Rapid Response from Unions
by James Parks, Aug 31, 2006
In the last in our series of profiles highlighting Hurricane Katrina survivors, we talk with oil worker David Canale, who shares how he and his fellow union members have gotten back on their feet through the generosity and assistance of their union family.
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Tags: Bush & Co. Channels: In the States
Bush Makes Backdoor Appointment to Wage and Hour Office
by Mike Hall, Aug 31, 2006
President Bush this afternoon made another backdoor appointment to his administration. He used a recess appointment to install a lawyer who represented Wal-Mart with a long record of urging restrictions to the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (FLSA’s) overtime pay and other provisions to head up the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
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Tags: Bush & Co. Channels: Legislation & Politics
Kentucky Air Traffic Controller: Too Much Work, Too Little Sleep
by Tula Connell, Aug 31, 2006
As we pointed out yesterday, the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) violated its own policies when it assigned only one air traffic controller to the Lexington control tower is one of the causes behind the fatal Comair crash in Kentucky this past weekend.
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Tags: Bush & Co. Channels: Uncategorized
Fed Head: Don’t Worry, Raising Minimum Wage Won’t Raise Inflation, Labor Costs
by Mike Hall, Aug 31, 2006
Another argument against raising the minimum wage was shot down yesterday. Who did the shooting? None other than Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, President Bush’s hand-picked choice to be the nation’s guru of all things economic.
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Tags: Bush & Co. Channels: Legislation & Politics
Labor Day—A Poor Cousin to May Day?
by Tula Connell, Aug 31, 2006
Today, we launch the first in a series of Labor Day posts highlighting some of the historical contributions of workers and their unions. The series will conclude with a look at the challenges America’s workers face today when seeking to form unions.
Labor Day is more than just a Monday holiday marking the end of summer.
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Channels: Legislation & Politics
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on AFGE’s ‘Inside Government’ Radio Program
by James Parks, Aug 31, 2006
With Labor Day just around the corner, tune in and hear AFL-CIO President John Sweeney discuss the issues facing today’s workers tomorrow, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m., on AFGE’s radio program “Inside Government.” You can catch the show on Federal News Radio or 1050 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.
If you miss the show, you’ll still have a chance to hear it. The programs are archived on the Federal News Radio website and can be heard on demand anytime after the broadcast.
“Inside Government” is dedicated to issues that impact federal and D.C. government employees. Since the show debuted June 30, guests have included AFGE President John Gage, White House correspondent Helen Thomas and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
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Channels: Legislation & Politics
Lots to Say
by Tula Connell, Aug 30, 2006
Your latest comments right here.
Got news? Send it to blognews@aflcio.org.
Last week, we took a quick survey on Bush’s Medicare Part D and your experiences with it personally or through someone you know. Based on your responses, Bush’s Medicare drug plan is an overwhelming failure, with 87.4 percent describing their experiences as “bad” and only 4.7 percent saying their experiences had been “good.” The remainder, 7.9 percent, selected “don’t know.
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Channels: Economy
Video Clips: AFL-CIO’s Labor Day Press Briefing
Check out excerpts from the AFL-CIO’s Labor Day press briefing Aug. 30 by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman and pollster Guy Molyneaux, from Peter Hart and Associates.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
“The president claims to have a faith-based approach to leadership. But that gives people of faith a bad name. His approach is fantasy-based, at best, and so it falls to us in this election season to wage a “reality-based campaign” that delivers the message: The country needs a change in leadership in order to get a much-needed change in direction.
Windows Media | Real Media
AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman
“In 2004, they said the Republicans stole a page from labor’s playbook. Well, this year we’re launching the labor playbook, version 2.0, and the union vote will be the difference in key races across the country.”