This is from Politico:
Most national unions haven’t picked a favorite yet in the Democratic presidential primary.
It’s been a boon for Bernie Sanders.
Rather than harming Sanders, a longtime labor ally who has promised to work to double union membership as president, the reluctance to offer endorsements at the national level has enabled more progressive-minded local unions and labor groups to come out in force for the Vermont senator.
Sanders has already racked up 11 labor endorsements, more than any of his Democratic rivals, most of which are from local, regional and statewide unions. And some are among the most powerful labor organizations in early-voting and Super Tuesday states.
"He’s picking up more labor endorsements because the national unions, almost without exception, have not made endorsements, which implicitly or explicitly sets the local and regional unions free,” said David Kusnet, a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton who co-authored a book with an ex-AFL-CIO president. “He has a lot of friends and fans and supporters in the union movement, and some of them are succeeding in pushing their local labor unions to endorse him.”
This includes large teachers unions including the second largest local in the country: the United Teachers of Los Angeles and the biggest independent teacher union in the country: the Clark County Education Association.
Of course, the UFT, NYSUT and the AFT are not among the unions supporting Bernie. After the UTLA Sanders' endorsement, I put the odds at about 10 billion to 1 on the UFT backing Bernie in the primaries. Those odds have come down a bit as Bernie is now surging in the polls but I still see the UFT as one of the unions that may try to block Bernie. He wants workers empowered; the UFT leadership I don't believe strongly stands for this position. It's time for Bernie supporters to stop dithering and waiting and call for the UFT Delegates to take an up or down vote on a Sanders endorsement in the primary while it still means something.
Is there a UFT Delegate who supports Bernie who would raise a resolution for the UFT to endorse Bernie? His labor friendly Workplace Democracy plan is the most pro-worker proposal I have ever seen from a major party candidate for the White House. His Thurgood Marshall Education Plan is the best education program that any Democratic candidate has ever put forward. My favorite part of each:
- Establish federal protections against the firing of workers for any reason other than “just cause.” When Bernie is president he will fight to make sure workers cannot be fired “at will” and will sign a “just cause” law to protect workers and their constitutional right to speak out and organize in their workplaces.
- Protect and expand collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure.
Here is what Bill Clinton's Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said of Sanders' labor backing in the Politico piece.
Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary under the Clinton administration, suggested that Sanders’ success stems from his work courting unions and their members, including by proposing to offer them advantages if Medicare for All passed. Under his plan, businesses whose workers have union-negotiated health care coverage would have to renegotiate their contracts if single-payer became the law of the land — and direct any windfall to the employees.
Our health plans which cost the city around $20,000 apiece annually would be replaced by Medicare for All. According to Sanders, our cost as middle class people would be a 4% tax so for someone making $100,000 after deductions, that's $4,000. Even if we double that figure to account for the city paying into the new system, we are talking $8,000. Add in the savings if a huge part of the Welfare Fund is replaced and we would be in good shape to get some real money back in our pay. Do you really care if your insurer is GHI or HIP or the federal government?
Here is how Bernie's Workplace Democracy Plan explains our refund:
A fair transition to Medicare for All:
Bernie will require that resulting healthcare savings from union-negotiated plans result in wage increases and additional benefits for workers during the transition to Medicare for All. When Medicare for All is signed into law, companies with union negotiated health care plans would be required to enter into new contract negotiations overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. Under this plan, all company savings that result from reduced health care contributions from Medicare for All will accrue equitably to workers in the form of increased wages or other benefits. Furthermore, the plan will ensure that union-sponsored clinics and other providers are integrated within the Medicare for All system, and kept available for members. Unions will still be able to negotiate for and provide wrap-around services and other coverage not duplicative of the benefits established under Medicare for All.
If a UFT Delegate wants to collaborate in writing a proper Bernie endorsement resolution, I would be glad to assist.
·
***Endorsement of Senator Sanders for President***
The union emphasized Sen. Sanders's longtime and consistent support for working people and organized labor, which he has demonstrated by walking picket lines, supporting organizing drives and contract fights, and championing legislation to strengthen unions in the face of attacks on organized labor. The union also expressed deep support for the Senator’s broader policy agenda and track record, with a focus on legislation that lifts up the working class such as universal healthcare, making card check the law of the land, and tuition-free public colleges and universities.
"There are very few other elected officials who have done all that Bernie has done for AFT Vermont and the labor movement,” said Deb Snell, President of AFT Vermont. “Senator Sanders has always been a strong supporter of the goals of our union, including free college tuition, ending the nursing shortage, and raising the standard of living for all Vermonters. For this reason and many others, our union members voted decisively to endorse Senator Sanders as the next President of the United States."
“I’m honored to have the support of AFT Vermont,” said Sen. Sanders. “These educators and nurses are putting in the work every day to support Vermonters, and they deserve our support in return. We have the labor movement to thank for building this country’s middle class, and we must strengthen the middle class today by fortifying the power of organized labor in Vermont and across the country.”
In 2018, Sen. Sanders backed the UVMMC nurses in their strike, hosting a press conference with the union as well as calling into a rally to deliver words of encouragement and support to the nurses on strike. A strong, unwavering advocate for unions across all sectors, Sen. Sanders has the most thorough and extensive plan of any presidential hopeful to strengthen the rights of American workers and the labor movement, outlined in his Workplace Democracy Plan.
14 comments:
FBI now investigating grade fraud. I'm sure sanders would help that...
FBI probes allegations of ‘deep-rooted’ academic fraud in NYC schools
The feds have started looking into allegations of widespread academic fraud in New York City schools, a Queens lawmaker says.
City Councilman Robert Holden met this month with officials in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York after his call for a federal probe of “deep-rooted fraud” in the city Department of Education.
“I’m encouraged by my meeting with the US Attorney. His team is taking this seriously,” Holden told The Post.
FBI agents have already contacted several whistle-blowing teachers whose names he provided, Holden added.
A spokesman for US Attorney Richard Donoghue declined comment.
Holden sent a letter in November to Donoghue in Brooklyn and US Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan, saying “an apparent pattern of conspiracy to cover up” grade-fixing, cheating and other wrongdoing might warrant an investigation under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which covers criminal enterprises.
In Atlanta, eight educators were convicted under a RICO statute of manipulating student test scores and sentenced to prison in 2015.
Holden turned over records compiled by former and current faculty members at Maspeth High School in Queens, where teachers say administrators encouraged cheating on exams, enforced a “no-fail policy,” and retaliated against staffers who didn’t play ball.
Enlarge ImageSpecial Commissioner of Investigation Anastasia Coleman
Special Commissioner of Investigation Anastasia Coleman
Meanwhile, Holden and The Post received additional whistle blower-letters from anonymous “investigative staff” with the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools.
A similar letter sent last summer said SCI was sitting on cases alleging waste or misconduct by Mayor de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray, Chancellor Richard Carranza and other “high-level executives,” to protect them. Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman denied the accusation.
The new letter blasts Coleman for a “numbers game” — boosting stats with minor cases rather than focusing on more serious misconduct and systemic corruption, in an effort to make herself look good.
For instance, the letter says, SCI in 2019 launched a probe of a DOE employee “seen urinating in public a few blocks from a school.”
The case was assigned to “Team 1,” an elite unit that is supposed to probe sexual contact between staff and students.
The team was also burdened with cases in which administrators “merely forgot to check a box” in submitting a complaint.
“While SCI is doing more work, the quality of the cases being pursued is zero-to-none, and cases that are systematic in nature or that do show major fraud can’t be worked on because of a lack of resources or time,” the letter says.
It also complains that SCI lawyers “have taken up to 300 days or more” to review and close cases — leaving DOE employees in limbo even if accusations are unsubstantiated.
What’s more, SCI has started closing cases “in-house” rather than sending reports to the DOE, the Conflicts of Interest Board or other agencies, to cover up the delays — and avoid making them subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law.
Councilmen Mark Treyger, education committee chairman, and Ritchie Torres, investigations and oversight chairman, have said they plan to hold a hearing on SCI’s performance and effectiveness next month.
“It’s increasingly apparent that we need an investigation to investigate the investigators,” Holden said.
Coleman did not respond to the allegations. “SCI will not comment on pending matters or internal deliberations and office management,” the agency said in a statement.
How many of you are concerned about this virus? I work in Flushing and my husband is demanding I start wearing a mask as precaution. Most of my students have started wearing them...
I was just told I’m going to start teaching a creative writing elective class for high school... does anybody have any curriculum or resources they’d be willing to share as I have never taught creative writing before. Typical DOE.
During an observation, do your observers ask the students to rate the “rigor” of your lesson? Ours DO, and the kids always say the lesson is “easy,” even if the have wrong answers! The students’ opinions are taken into account, which impacts our observation scores.....once the kids say the lesson is easy, they are then asked, “How could your teacher have made this more rigorous?”....to which the kids give some answer that’s taken seriously in a post-observation. Anyone else dealing with this?
Yeah, Im sure sanders will empower us and all of this will change. No chance.
Imagine the roaring, celebrating crowds when Sanders is nominated.
Now imagine the riots if he's cheated again, guaranteeing Trump's 2nd term.
Make no mistake. Biden, Warren, Buttigieg, Clinton and Obama are all quite prepared to bring the latter defending against the former.
Killer Mike:
Sanders is creeping on a come up. I see a lotta �� coming outta the grass. Bravo “OG” u gone win this thing!
Biden doing well in Washington Post poll. Leads Bernie 32 to 23. Much more likely AFT will back safe Joe Biden.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign won the endorsement of a key California union Tuesday as it works to gin up support in the crucial Super Tuesday state.
Sanders earned the support of the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union, the nation’s largest Communications Workers of America (CWA) chapter. The group, which represents nearly 17,000 employees across the University of California system, announced its endorsement after 66 percent of its members decided to back Sanders in an internal vote.
“Senator Sanders has fought for labor for decades and empowers workers to fight for what is just and deserved,” said UPTE-CWA 9119 President Jamie McDole. “He stands against privatization of education, and as a union that represents nearly 17,000 higher education employees and educators on 13 public university and community college campuses, the fight is a reality for us. It’s time for a candidate who puts people first.”
Trump and Biden both have the same plans. They want to cut Social Security and Medicare. Trump already put that in his 2020 budget to cut Social Security and Medicare. I am supporting Bernie because I do not want to lose my Social Security nor my medicare.
Exactly what is said here was said in the Guardian by two economists concerning the refund from Medicare for All:
Take again the case of a secretary earning $50,000 in wage and currently contributing $15,000 through her employer to an insurance company. With universal health insurance, her wage would rise to $65,000—her full labor compensation. With an income tax of 6%—which, if applied to a base large enough, would be enough to fund universal health insurance—she would have to pay about $4,000 more in tax. But the net gain would be enormous: $11,000. Instead of taking home $50,000, the secretary would take home $61,000.
Nice to see economists use the same reasoning as this blog.
GREAT NEWS!!!! ��✊
"The fight for Medicare for All received a two-handed boost from tens of thousands of doctors on Monday when the American College of Physicians—in a move described as a "seachange for the medical professions"—officially endorsed a single-payer system as among only one of two possible ways to improve the nation's healthcare woes.
Representing 159,000 doctors of internal medicine nationwide, the ACP is the largest medical specialty society and second-largest physician group in the country overall after the American Medical Association (AMA)."
"All over this country, a growing number of doctors are sick and tired of the enormous waste and bureaucracy that exists in our cruel and dysfunctional healthcare system."
—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Bernie doing pretty well on environment too.
Senator Bernie Sanders
Overall Grade = A
Wildlife = B+
Public Lands = A-
Environmental Justice = A
Climate = A+
Senator Sanders has demonstrated a strong environmental record throughout his career, including having proposed the strongest plan to address climate change and being the original sponsor of the Green New Deal. He has also voted in Congress, over the years, to protect wildlife and public lands, and has consistently opposed legislation that exempted the border wall from complying with U.S. environmental laws.
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