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

Your job matters. Whether it’s clearing the roads of snow and ice, providing health care services, ensuring public safety, or simply working hard for our communities, the vital services that AFSCME members like you provide make our country happen.

And right now, these services — and our jobs — are on the chopping block as state and local governments face massive budget shortfalls. Unless Congress invests in states and communities, more than three million jobs will be lost by 2012 — including hundreds of thousands of public service jobs.

That’s why I hope you’ll add your name to our new Jobs Now petition: we need to fight for our jobs and fix the economy.

Economists on the left and right agree that investing in our jobs — the vital public services that AFSCME members provide — is one of the best ways to save and create jobs. Plus, every dollar invested in public services grows the economy by $1.41 — and that helps put all Americans back to work.

Please join thousands of other AFSCME members and add your name to our petition today: Urge Congress to support and fight for aid to state and local governments to save and create jobs.

The last thing we need right now is more layoffs. Investing in state and local governments is one of the most sure-fire ways to help our economy — and our country — recover from the worst recession in generations. As Congress and the President make jobs their number one priority over the coming months, it’s vital that the working families and public service employees who are on the front lines of this crisis make our voices heard. Please join us.

Conservative columnist George F. Will never misses an opportunity to distort the facts in an effort to spread untruths about issues of importance to working Americans.

In a January 29, 2010 Washington Post column, Will takes President Obama to task for not mentioning the Employee Free Choice Act in his State of the Union Address. “Unmentioned was organized labor’s “card check” legislation to abolish workers’ rights to secret ballots in unionization elections,” Will wrote. This is a calculated effort to mislead readers about the legislation.

The Employee Free Choice act would not “abolish workers’ rights to secret ballots.” What it would do is eliminate the ability of employers – not employees – to demand a National Labor Relations Board election. Workers would have a choice of “majority sign-up” or an election.

On January 10, Will wrote another Washington Post column that was filled with distortions and misinformation. In that column, he argued that unnamed liberals and AFSCME members were somehow responsible for the budget crisis facing California, ignoring the fact that conservative policies had led the state to the brink of disaster. AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee wrote to the paper to set the record straight:

Dear Editor:

George W. Will must think that his readers have amnesia. How else to explain his muddled effort to blame liberals for California’s budget crisis (“Fiscal liberalism has tarnished California gold,” Sunday, January 10), while making no mention of Proposition 13 and its impact on the states’ fiscal fortunes? That measure, passed with the enthusiastic support of Mr. Will and his conservative allies, cut property taxes by 57 percent and forced the state to rely heavily on income taxes to fund vital public services. When combined with the California constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority vote in the state’s Legislature for all major tax and budget proposals, Prop 13 set the Golden State on the course toward disaster. How strange, too, that Mr. Will targets American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) workers at the University of California at Berkeley who participated in a September protest against budget cuts at the university. Our members who participated are janitors and service workers. Rather than blame these low-paid employees for California’s budget problems, Mr. Will should look in the mirror.

Sincerely,

Gerald W. McEntee

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee released the following statement regarding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, which is expected to focus on saving and creating jobs as our nation struggles to climb out of the economic crisis:

“President Obama addresses the nation tonight after pulling the American economy back from the brink of a second Depression. Unfortunately, we have learned in the past year that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was not big enough to stimulate a full-scale recovery. Unless we act now, more Americans –- including nearly a million public employees –- could lose their jobs as current federal investments run out and the vital services Americans need during tough times are cut to the bone. There simply won’t be an economic recovery if Washington turns its back on Main Street USA.

“Economists from all sides of the political spectrum agree that one of the best ways to save and create American jobs is through vigorous investments in public services. For example, respected economist Mark Zandi, a former advisor to Sen. John McCain, estimates that every dollar invested in public services yields $1.38 in economic growth.

“Investing in public sector jobs creates jobs in the private sector. Federal funding is needed to keep our streets safe, our children educated and our families in good health. As living, breathing engines of economic development, AFSCME members urge President Obama and members of Congress to focus like a laser beam on saving and creating American jobs by including robust investments in public services in any upcoming jobs legislation.”

On December 12, the international news magazine The Economist published a misinformed article calling public employees “coddled” and “spoiled rotten.” The article mistakenly blames hard working public employees for the challenges state and local governments face in the recession. President Gerald W. McEntee wrote a strong response, defending AFSCME members from misplaced attacks on their pay and benefits, and standing up for the rights of workers to bargain for better benefits and wages.

Valued workers

SIR – That you regard public-sector workers to be “coddled” and “spoiled rotten” because of their health-care benefits and pensions says more about you than the workers (“Welcome to the real world”, December 12th). You even distorted the evidence, claiming that public employees earn more than those in the private sector. As the Bureau of Labour Statistics makes clear, when comparing pay within occupations public employees do not receive more than their counterparts in the corporate world.

We believe that all American workers deserve decent health care and a secure retirement. The decline of unions in the private sector is one reason why those benefits are not shared by more families. Contrary to what you might think, it is not government employees who brought the American economy and state and local budgets to the brink of disaster. Rather than attack public employees for negotiating good contracts, we should expand the ability of all workers to bargain for better wages and benefits so that they and their families can share in the American Dream.

Gerald McEntee
President
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Washington, DC

Why is it that when some state legislators see a budget deficit, their first impulse is to cut public services and workers’ benefits?

Maybe they’re fooled by the myths. The ones that say there are too many state employees, they are grossly overpaid and they enjoy lavish perks and benefits.

Given these plentiful, yet patently false, notions, perhaps the knee-jerk reactions of misguided lawmakers aren’t surprising.

The fact is they know it isn’t true. Yet they persist.

Charles Ballard, a professor of economics at Michigan State University, wanted to get to the bottom of the idea of the “fat cat” state worker, so he conducted a study. Focused mainly on Michigan’s state employees, the findings speak volumes about public service workers in general and turn time-worn stereotypes on their heads.

Ballard’s study proved something AFSCME members have always known is true: When compared to workers of the same educational level, state workers earn less than their private sector counterparts. State workers pay higher-than-average costs for health care. They perform the critical public services that keep the nation moving forward. And when state budgets are tight, it’s the wallets of state workers that take a hit in the form of furloughs and pay cuts.

Before state legislators wield the budget-balancing ax, perhaps they should look at the facts, not the fables.

In memory of the nearly 3,000 people lost on September 11, 2001, including some 600 union members and nine of our AFSCME sisters and brothers: Yvette Anderson, Florence Cohen, Harry Goody, Marian Hrycak, Dorothy Temple, Chet Louie, Rev. Mychal Judge, Ricardo Quinn and Carlos Lillo.

We Were There.

We are the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, health care providers, social and emergency workers, 911 operators, highway crews and others who responded on September 11th.

We Will Always Be There.

Whether it’s making our communities safe or protecting our children, we are Americans dedicated to doing our jobs and keeping our country strong.

Now more than ever —

We Are In the Public Service.

We Are AFSCME.

From Calitics: Today we witness the damage that the line-item veto causes in the hands of a right-wing governor bent on using it to achieve his long-desired destruction of public services. Arnold’s vetoes include:

• An additional $6.2 million cut from state parks, which will likely cause as many as 50 more parks to be closed (potentially 1/3 of parks — 100 total — will now have to close)
• Elimination of state funding for community health clinic programs
• $80 million cut to child welfare services
• Total of about $400 million in health care cuts, including further Healthy Families cuts
• Elimination of funding for the Williamson Act programs to preserve farmland from development
• Deeper cuts to HIV/AIDS programs
• Cut 80% of funding for domestic violence shelters
• Elimination of funding for California Conservation Corps

Another sobering note comes from the United Ways of California: cuts to children’s health care will ensure the wider spread of H1N1 flu this fall. Children are one of the primary vectors of swine flu, and without access to health care we will see a more intense and more deadly flu epidemic when school starts this fall.

See the full list of cuts here.

This column by AFSCME President Gerald McEntee originally appeared in the USA Today opinion section.

Public pensions offer good value for taxpayers. In addition to providing modest but secure retirements for public employees — emergency responders, firefighters, health care workers, teachers, police officers and more — defined-benefit pension plans help provide vital public services and stimulate the economy.

The average annual benefit for a public worker, who has spent a career working for our communities at modest salary, is about $20,000. On average, taxpayers fund only 25% of the pension benefit; employee contributions and investments make up the rest.

While a handful of public pension plans are experiencing funding shortfalls, most are working well. Employers should be required to make regular contributions. That would solve the problem of shortfalls and protect a system that works for employers, employees and taxpayers.

Some proposals would only make matters worse. States that have experimented with private accounts, for example, saw lower investment returns — nearly a 50% reduction. Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota and West Virginia all tried private accounts. They left taxpayers footing the bill. When private retirement investment plans fail, they leave retirees more reliant on governmental financial assistance. That costs taxpayers more in the long run and hurts our communities.

Public pensions create almost $360 billion in economic activity and 2.5 million jobs. Shifting to a private system would have a dramatic and detrimental impact on local economies because businesses depend upon the stimulus of investment income from public pension systems. In California, switching to a system of private accounts could cost citizens $7.6 billion. Experimenting with a system of private accounts could put vital public services at risk and cost taxpayers significantly more for at least 10 to 15 years.

All Americans should have retirement benefits that they can count on, not the gamble of privatized 401(k)s run by the same Wall Street bankers who drove our economy into the ditch. Pensions are proven and critical tools to provide public services, stimulate the economy, secure retirement for public employees, and provide the best value for taxpayer dollars. Pensions work, so let’s preserve them and create retirement security for everyone who works hard for a living.

Gerald W. McEntee is president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Saul Schniderman, President of AFSCME Local 2910, speaks with Rep. Carolyn Maloney at a press conference in support of H.R. 626.

The House passed the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (H.R. 626) by a vote of 258 to 154 on June 4. Saul Schniderman, President of the Library of Congress Professional Guild, AFSCME Local 2910, joined the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), for a press conference and spoke in support of the bill.

A potentially harmful amendment submitted by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) was also defeated. The amendment would have required that parental leave be made available only to those who have exhausted their sick and vacation leave, and that the paid leave is treated as an advance on additional sick/vacation leave rather than additional days of paid leave. This would have eliminated the additional benefit of paid parental leave proposed by the bill.

The Senate version of the legislation, S.354, was reintroduced in the Senate on January 30 by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA).

All too often we hear about Americans being killed and injured at the workplace. Nearly 5,680 workers on average die on the job each year. In the last 30 years, 500 AFSCME members have been killed on the job.

Every worker who is killed or injured under these circumstances serves as a constant reminder of why the men and women of AFSCME continue to fight for increased security and the best workplace safety resources.

April 28, Workers Memorial Day, is set aside to pay tribute to the men and women who have been killed or injured at work. This is why today Labor Secretary Hilda Solis joined union leaders to break ground for a new national workers memorial at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md. The date coincides with the anniversary of the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency in charge of issuing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and health.

Since OSHA’s inception, in 1970, the number of workplace fatalities has fallen. But we have more work to do. Today, only 24 states along with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have federally approved OSHA laws covering public employees. That’s not enough. Every public employee across this nation deserves OSHA protections.

That’s why AFSCME is playing a leading role in the battle for the job safety rights that protect workers from asbestos, infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and other hazards. Regularly, we also conduct health and safety training so our members can identify and correct workplace hazards.

The fight for workers’ rights goes hand in hand with workplace security. After all, good jobs are also safe jobs.