Participants in AFSCME’s 2009 Alternative Spring Break in Missouri.

Are you a college senior considering a career in social change and want to help make change happen in the world around you? Do you believe that a strong labor movement is vital to fighting back the attacks on working families, on health care, and the very fabric of what makes our communities vibrant? Then consider fighting for social and economic justice as a union organizer for one of the most progressive unions in today’s labor movement.

AFSCME’s Alternative Union Break has been critical to attracting undergraduate student activists to the labor movement since 2006. The 6-day training program can be best described as a crash course in labor organizing, where participants go through the rigorous pace of an actual organizing campaign while learning the basics of how to conduct a one-on-one conversation with a non-union worker.

The Alternative Break Program brings together talented activists who share a passion for social justice, but more importantly want to engage in work that speaks to bringing that idea to reality for public sector workers across the country.

“Like so many of my friends seeking to change the world right out of college, I spent sleepless nights perusing Idealist.org for that perfect opportunity to jump in and start a revolution. AFSCME’s Alternative Spring Break stood out because it offered me the opportunity to live and train like an organizer already part of the movement. I learned so much that week, mainly perspective!” said Denise Gilmore, University of Missouri ’09 and 2009 Alternative Spring Break participant.”

Denise is now a few months into her year-long Organizer-In-Training Program with AFSCME and reflects upon her experience:

“Whether it be through 1-on-1’s with workers or late night chats about revolution with my fellow participants, I knew walking out on the last day that real change could only happen through hard work, having a strategic plan, and acknowledging that the root of so many social justice issues lie in the ability for one person to provide for their family. I left ready to act, not just dream!”

Participants selected to the program will be provided with accommodations, travel during the week-long training, and a $150 stipend for food. Participants are responsible for their own travel to the training site.

Please visit www.unionbreak.org or contact Marlan Maralit at mmaralit@afscme.org for more information or to apply to the program. The deadline for applications is December 7, 2009.

New site from EPI makes it easier to track the state of the economy.

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has launched Economy Track (www.economytrack.org), a new one-stop website to help you make sense of all the twists and turns of the economy.

The site combines the latest economic data with historic, demographic and geographic information into an easy-to-use interface that lets visitors find just the information they are most interested in.

Economy Track was created to help people from all backgrounds understand what’s happening in the economy, nationally and at the state level. Key measures of economic health – including unemployment, job growth or losses, GDP growth and more – are updated whenever new government reports are released, so visitors will always see the latest available information.

The site is broken into three general categories of information: Jobs and Employment, Economic Activity, and States. From there, visitors can use the simple interactive interface to generate custom-made charts and graphics by selecting or deselecting different subcategories of data. It also includes links to more in-depth information and analysis.

For more, visit Economy Track at www.economytrack.org.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joined leaders from five major national non-profit groups at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, DC, Tuesday morning to announce a five-step robust plan to deal with the employment crisis.

In his remarks, Trumka highlighted the need for action to help state and local governments maintain vital public services and prevent layoffs of public employees:

“We have to boost aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services and prevent more layoffs. State and local governments and school districts are experiencing the worst fiscal crisis in decades – we have state budget shortfalls this year alone of $178 billion. Next year will be worse and the four-year estimate is nearly $600 billion. This is happening right as we need these vital services more than ever. Without additional funding, our public safety, our health needs and our children’s educations will suffer. The right thing and the smart thing is to take action to save services, save jobs and stop the hemorrhaging from choking off economic recovery.”

The leaders of EPI, Center for Community Change, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, NAACP, and National Council of La Raza issued a joint statement outlining what needs to be done to immediately address the need for job creation.

The jobs agenda being presented to Obama and Congress is based on five key points meant to give needed help to working families now while putting us in a better position for a long-term recovery:

1. Extend the lifeline for jobless workers.
2. Rebuild America’s schools, roads and energy systems.
3. Increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services.
4. Fund jobs in our communities.
5. Put TARP funds to work for Main Street.

Watch Pres. Trumka’s speech from the “Spotlight on the Jobs Crisis” event:

For more, read Trumka’s entry on the Huffington Post and visit the AFL-CIO website at http://www.aflcio.org/createjobs.

On Thursday, President Obama announced he will invite labor leaders, business executives, small business owners, economists and other financial experts to a special White House summit on jobs next month.

The summit announcement came as a new report showed there were 502,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits last week. Dire as that is, it’s lower than expected and is the smallest number of first-time claims since January.

And just this week, the AFL-CIO Executive Council met in Washington, D.C., to outline a national jobs creation strategy that AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will announce Tuesday at a special Economic Policy Institute (EPI) jobs and economy panel and seminar. (Plan now to view the live webcast from 9-11:30 a.m. (ET), Tuesday, Nov. 17, at www.aflcio.org/createjobs.)

Read more at the AFL-CIO Now Blog.

Every day, 16 workers go to work and don’t come home. They are killed on the job. But far too often, employers that have created or ignored dangerous workplace conditions are not held accountable. Civil penalties are weak and criminal prosecutions rare.

Now, “16 Deaths Per Day,” a new video from Brave New Films, shines a spotlight on the weak deterrence and penalties of the nation’s workplace safety laws.

In a post on Firedoglake, David Dayen of Brave New Films writes:

The video takes a look at the stories of several workers. Travis Koehler-Fergen, an employee at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, and Tina Hall, from Toyo Automotive Parts USA, both died at their workplaces in accidents. The Orleans was found by OSHA [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] to have broken the law, but was never referred for prosecution. Sixteen safety violations were found at the Toyo plant prior to the accident that killed Tina Hall, but the highest fine ever levied on the company was $7,000.

Read more at the AFL-CIO Now Blog.

Now that health care reform has passed in the House, it faces a tough challenge in the Senate as opponents of reform try anything to stop it, including scaring seniors with myths and misinformation.

AFSCME Retirees – the union’s organization of nearly a quarter million retired members – has been working hard to dispel these false claims about “death panels,” rationed care, and cuts in Medicare benefits.

The truth is there are no benefit cuts and no rationing of care in these bills, and there certainly are no “death panels” that would deny care to seniors. In fact, reform will strengthen Medicare’s solvency and add new benefits that seniors want and need. These include:

• phasing out Medicare’s big gap in drug coverage (the infamous “doughnut hole”)
• fixing the physician fee schedule, so doctors will always accept Medicare patients
• offering free Medicare preventive services – such as cancer screenings
• and providing more choices in long term care.

AFSCME is trying to promote this message to retiree members as well as to the parents and grandparents of AFSCME’s working members. The Retirees section of AFSCME.org includes health care fact sheets and a new video called “Phony Horror Stories about Health Care Reform.”

The video, which stars AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee and Barbara Easterling, Pres. of the Alliance for Retired Americans, separates fact from fiction for senior citizens. It also features video remarks from Lynda Johnson Robb, whose father – LBJ – established Medicare as the first step toward affordable health care coverage for all. Watch it here:

In addition, Seniors to Seniors, a coalition that includes AFSCME Retirees, AARP, the Alliance for Retired Americans, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, is fighting to dispel myths about reform. The coalition site at www.seniorstoseniors.org has informative videos that show fellow seniors telling their personal health care stories and a health care reform Q & A.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House of Representatives for passing the historic Affordable Health Care for America Act:

“Saturday’s vote is real progress in the fight for health care reform. The House acted to protect seniors overwhelmed by the cost of prescription drugs and millions of American families unable to afford basic care because of skyrocketing costs. The Senate must act swiftly to pass this bill before the end of the year.

“AFSCME will not forget the members of Congress who chose to side with the middle class instead of the powerful insurance industry lobby. In partnership with Health Care for America Now, AFSCME will thank members of Congress for their courageous vote by running television ads in 20 House districts beginning Tuesday and holding hundreds of grassroots events. We are also partnering with Americans United for Change on thank ads that will run in 10 districts. We intend to do everything we can to guarantee Senate passage of legislation as soon as possible. Quality, affordable health care for all is now within reach. AFSCME will fight to make it happen.”

The TV ads thanking the courageous allies of working families in the House are on the air now. “About More” is sponsored by HCAN and AFSCME — here’s the ad thanking Rep. Kilroy:

View all the “About More” ads on AFSCME.org.

Americans United and AFSCME are airing ads titled “It’s Time” — here’s the ad thanking Rep. Carney:

View all the “It’s Time” ads on AFSCME.org.

The online progressive hub Daily Kos has gone AFSCME green for health care.

If you’ve visited Daily Kos today, you probably noticed the familiar orange color has been updated with a healthy dose of AFSCME green. We’ve taken out a full-page “skin” ad to make sure people call Congress today in support of the health insurance reform bill.

We think the colors work well together, and so do the combined efforts of labor and the netroots community. With a vote on H.R. 3962 coming as soon as Saturday, it really is all hands on deck to make sure this crucial legislation is passed now.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act provides a strong public option, protects working Americans from a tax on their health benefits, and requires large employers to provide insurance for their employees. It deserves the support of every member of Congress — including yours.

So go ahead and check out the new look at Daily Kos, and then make sure you call and tell your Representative to vote YES on the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Let’s make it happen now!

This message comes from Chuck Loveless, AFSCME Director of Legislation.

It all comes down to this.

The House of Representatives finally will vote on health care reform legislation as soon as Saturday. This is a truly historic and defining moment for our nation. Will we meet one of the most important challenges of our generation? With your help — yes we will.

Tell your representative to vote YES for the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Click here now.

You can help us cross the finish line. This is the vote that can put an end to our broken health care system — one that currently allows insurance companies to deny care for pre-existing conditions, has our premiums going through the roof, leaves 47 million Americans uninsured and drags our entire economy down.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee recorded a special video message for our members whose actions have helped us come this far.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) represents the real reform that we’ve been fighting for:

• H.R. 3962 pays for reform the right way — by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share and not taxing our health benefits.
• The Affordable Health Care for America Act includes the choice of a public health insurance option, providing competition for private insurance companies to lower costs and improve quality.
• The bill also requires most employers to provide insurance coverage for their workers or pay a meaningful amount into a fund to help low- and moderate-income workers buy their own coverage through the exchange that will be established in every state.

You can bet that Congress is hearing from insurance company lobbyists — that’s why it’s so critical that they hear from you, too.

Your voice will serve as a stark reminder that there is overwhelming public support for real reform — but only if you make the call. So please, go to: www.afscme.org/call

And help us spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.

Yesterday we wrote about a critical vote in the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee which pitted regular people and our pensions against the Chamber of Commerce and The Business Roundtable. AFSCME has been playing a leadership role in that effort, and thanks to all our hard work we won the vote this morning 39-30.

This is a big step forward in ensuring accountability for corporate directors through creating real democratic elections. The next step in the process is to have proxy access included in the Senate Financial reform legislation.