The 48-day “March for California’s Future” begins today. Learn more at http://www.fight4cafuture.com/.

A diverse group of Californians, including a San Diego community college professor, two Los Angeles probation officers, a Watsonville teacher, a retired Berkeley adult educator, and a retired L.A. teacher begin a 48-day “March for California’s Future” today.

The march, sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and a coalition of labor, education, and civil society groups including the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), will begin with a rally at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in L.A., after which marchers will travel to Bakersfield to begin their walk.

Following in Cesar Chavez’s footsteps, hundreds of firefighters, nurses, in-home care workers, students, and police officers will join the marchers for parts of their 260-mile trek from Bakersfield to Sacramento.

“We want to restore quality public education and public services, rebuild a government that serves all Californians, and create a fair tax system to fund our state’s future,” said Irene Gonzalez, a Los Angeles County probation officer and executive board member of AFSCME Local 685.

Hear more from Irene in this story from Workers Independent News (1 min. 28 sec. audio file):

More coverage here:
New America Media
KION-TV 46
The Bakersfield Californian
Talon Marks (Cerritos College)
The Guardsman (San Francisco City College)

Participants in AFSCME’s 2009 Alternative Spring Break in Missouri. Learn more and apply at www.unionbreak.org.

This spring, student activists are organizing conferences on college campuses throughout the country, taking on some of the most critical issues of our time. Students in Knoxville, TN, are focused on the issue of solidarity with campus workers and raising consciousness about the transition from student to young workers in the labor force. At the beginning of March, students will be converging in Washington, DC, to urge our nation’s elected leaders to support sound education policy.

Even in this tough political and economic climate, student activists continue to make a stand and fight for issues that are critical to their experience.

At AFSCME, we are committed to providing a space for these activists to continue their work long after they have left campus. Many of our programs are geared towards college seniors who are passionate about grassroots organizing and progressive social change — student activists who are anxious to continue the fight for social justice and workers’ rights once they’ve graduated.

More importantly, we are looking for students who believe that a strong labor movement is vital to fighting back against the attacks on working families, on health care, and the very fabric of what makes our communities vibrant.

If you are ready to take on these challenges, then consider fighting for social and economic justice as a union organizer for one of the most progressive unions in today labor movement. Go to www.unionbreak.org to apply for AFSCME’s Alternative Union Break, a program for college seniors interested in making a difference and pursuing a career in union organizing.

The deadline for applications is March 1, 2010.

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

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.

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.

AFSCME Local 3299, which represents 20,000 workers at the ten campuses and five medical centers in the University of California system, is fighting to prevent budget cuts, fee hikes, layoffs and furloughs during this economic crisis.

Unfortunately, the union is also trying to set the record straight concerning some misleading and outright incorrect statements made in September by UC Pres. Mark Yudof during his budget outlook address to the Board of Regents. Among his outrageous assertions was this remark:

“We asked to engage with the unions and they would not even meet with us. Particularly Lakesha Harrison at the AFSCME union. They wouldn’t give us the time of day.”

Not true, says Harrison, who is president of Local 3299 and also an AFSCME International vice president. In a video rebuttal, Harrison says:

“The truth is I have requested meetings with President Yudof and he has refused. I met multiple times with other UC officials who requested, received and now refuse to engage in a set of sensible budget solutions for UC. Our union presented these budget solutions over a month ago, which would have saved UC campuses from devastating reductions to essential services.”

Harrison adds that AFSCME is “ready, willing and able” to work with UC to find reasonable alternatives to furloughs and layoffs, and to prevent devastating reductions to essential services. Also, she says her request to meet with Yudof “remains open.”

Watch Harrison’s video statement to learn what else Yudof got wrong.

Also, check out these stories in the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Los Angeles Times about thousands of UC faculty, staff, workers and students who protested in September about budget cuts, increased fees, layoffs and poor management.

President Obama just ended his speech to the delegates at the AFL-CIO 2009 Convention in Pittsburgh, where he pledged to grow the middle class and strengthen the labor movement:

“When organized labor succeeds, that’s when our middle class succeeds. And when our middle class succeeds, that’s when the United States of America succeeds. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

Obama also reiterated his call for action on health insurance reform now — including a public option — “Because in the United States of America, nobody should go broke just because they got sick.”

Watch the full speech here:

For more coverage from the AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh, visit the official convention site.

Today young workers are less likely to have health care or economic security than they were 10 years ago, and one-third live in their parents’ home, according to a new national survey released by the AFL-CIO.

• 31 percent of young workers report being uninsured, up from 24 percent 10 years ago, and 79 percent of those without health care coverage say it’s because they can’t afford it or their employer does not offer it.
• One in three young workers live at home with their parents.
• Only 31 percent say they make enough money to cover their bills and put some money aside — 22 percentage points fewer than in 1999.

Young workers are facing many new challenges on the job, especially during this recession. AFSCME joins the AFL-CIO in working with young union members to build the labor movement, revitalize the economy, and to pass health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act.

That’s why AFSCME started a special program, the Next Wave, designed to reach out to young union members and to provide them with the tools and connections to get them ready for future union leadership. The Next Wave is bringing new ideas and energy in into AFSCME and advancing the labor movement.

More than 600 young labor activists came together in Chicago this summer for the inaugural Next Wave conference. “Next Wave is dedicated to showing members 35 and younger how critical the union is and how it is relevant to them today,” said Natasha Pranger, a Next Wave activist from Washington Council 28, Local 304. “We are AFSCME and we are much stronger working together than alone.”

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued a statement today calling Senator Ted Kennedy “Our closest ally and most steadfast friend in the U.S. Senate.”

Senator Kennedy called health care reform the cause of his life, first advocating for national health care in 1966. He made a surprise return to the Senate last summer to cast the decisive vote for the Democrats on a Medicare bill. In his memory, we must continue to do all we can to realize his goal of health care reform.

Read the full statement.

Earlier today on The Ed Schultz Show, President McEntee reflected on the legacy of Sen. Kennedy. Visit our tribute page to listen to the full segment.

This video, from the 2008 DNC Convention, celebrates the life and accomplishments of the Lion of the Senate:

Find more on AFSCME.org.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was reintroduced yesterday in the U.S. Senate.  Two Democrats – Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) – along with two Republicans – Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) – are named as the lead cosponsors, the first time the bill has had bipartisan lead sponsors in the Senate.

This bill, which would extend existing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination to protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, is much needed and long overdue.  AFSCME is a longtime supporter of the bill.

“Throughout our long history, Americans have fought to break down the barriers that deny opportunity and equality to our fellow citizens. Through civil rights legislation and constitutional amendments, we have worked to ensure that equal justice under law would be a standard for all who work and live in the United States. The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will write a new and important chapter in this proud story.” – AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee

Sen. Kennedy issued a statement saying:“The promise of America will never be fulfilled as long as justice is denied to even one among us. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act brings us closer to fulfilling that promise for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens.”

Senator Collins commented: “Similar to the current law in several states, including Maine, and the policies of many Fortune 500 companies, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would close an important gap in federal civil rights laws by making it illegal to discriminate in employment. I am pleased to join Senators Merkley, Kennedy and Snowe in introducing this important legislation which affirms the principle that individuals should be judged on their skills and abilities, and not by who they are.”

Pride at Work, the voice of the LGBT community in the labor movement, is encouraging union members to contact your senators to urge them to cosponsor this important legislation. You can send an email to your senators by clicking on this link: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/ENDA09_Senate