Showing posts with label Business Econ Unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Econ Unions. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Maryland Reporter: AFSCME members ask legislators to keep pensions and health benefits the same


January 13, 2011 By Megan Poinski


More than 100 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees came to Annapolis on Wednesday to lobby the 428th General Assembly for their No. 1 priority: preserving the health and pension benefits they have.

Before the session began at noon on Wednesday, union members from throughout the state filed into a public lounge in the House Office Building. AFSCME staff handed out green hats and scarves to the union members, as they signed onto a sheet with their names and legislative districts. Once they signed in, they sat at tables organized by district number and prepared to visit their newly elected representatives.

AFSCME is the largest union for state employees. Legislative director Sue Esty said that with several proposals circulating to make cuts in pension and health benefits – as well as recent furloughs, pay cuts and hiring freezes – the union members want to make sure they set the right tone for this General Assembly session.

[…]

Recent deliberations and recommendations from the Public Employees’ and Retirees’ Benefits Sustainability Commission galvanized the union members and spurred them into action. The eight-member commission created by legislation last year is recommending that the General Assembly cut state costs of health insurance 10% by hiking premiums and reducing coverage for state employees and retirees, and shift half the costs of teacher pensions to local school boards over the next three to five years.

[…]

At Wednesday’s rally, correctional officer Greg Currie, who works at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore, said he has attended pension commission meetings – even testifying about retirement benefits at a public hearing. Currie said that he just wants to see pensions and health care stay the same. He has written to his representatives in the General Assembly about the issue, and is hopeful that they will make a careful decision.

[…]


Related – also see:
January 12, 2011
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Today is the first day of the 428th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly and, as in past years, the main question on the minds of the leadership of this august body’s deliberations will be, “Welcome to Maryland, what’s in your wallet?”

January 5, 2011
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Now that the hangover from last November’s Maryland General Election is becoming a memory, and Marylanders have begun to put away the Christmas lights and joined a local gym to shed those holiday pounds, many are beginning to set their sights on January 12, the beginning of the 2011 session of the Maryland General Assembly.

*****
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Thursday, May 7, 2009

This week in The Tentacle


This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Planned obedience…or else
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As of last week it appears that a marriage between Chrysler and Fiat SpA may eventually happen; this in spite of the few reports that surfaced recently that the marriage was off once Fiat realized the extent that Chrysler’s labor contracts were, how shall we say politely, less than helpful. Gee…

Swine Flu – Protection and Precautions
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As of this writing there are over one thousand confirmed cases of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, commonly known as Swine Flu (more on this gentle misnomer later). The majority of the cases are in Mexico and the United States.

Alfred Wallace and Me – Part 1
Tom McLaughlin
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia – The monsoon season had settled in and my exploring the nearby rain forest had come to a halt. Blinding 24-four hour rains and muddy, slippery paths drove me indoors searching for activities. It was time to pursue my interest in Alfred Russell Wallace.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
My Kind of Chief
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Kim Dine was a stranger until ex-Mayor Jennifer Dougherty hired him to run the Frederick Police Department. We did not rush into each other's arms. I was a noted critic of his new boss. After experiencing predecessor "Ray" Raffensberger's need to manipulate, I took a wait and see stance.

'...and awaaaaaay we go!"
Farrell Keough
"I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf will. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you can get so sore at yourself that you forget to hate your enemies." - Will Rogers

Monday, May 4, 2009
Rebranding the Grand Old Party
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
Last week, Eric Cantor (R., VA) the Republican Whip in the U.S. House of Representative, spoke to the Republican faithful in Frederick. Congressman Cantor, arguably the fastest GOP rising star in the House, laid out a cogent argument for sticking to the core principles of the party and denying the clamor for fundamental, structural change.

If TheTentacle.com were Facebook
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Not being in the mood to write, blog post, or comment, I started to consider some plausible excuses for skipping my Monday Tentacle column for this week.

Friday, May 1, 2009
Sunrise Without Lennie?
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Former colleague Katherine Heerbrandt hit John "Lennie" Thompson a mighty whack in her Wednesday News-Post column. At the same moment she was feeding the county commissioner's constituency their favorite dish: Publicity.

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Thursday, April 30, 2009
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And to the victor…
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As a member of the Fredericktowne Rotary, I am proud of the work our international organization has done since its inception in 1905. Its mission is to provide service to others, to promote high ethical standards, and to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Mockingbird’s Song
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The reclusive and enigmatic childhood friend of Truman Capote, Harper Lee, celebrated a birthday yesterday. She was born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama.

Malaysian Wedding – Part 3
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Seremban, Malaysia – I returned to the groom’s home after a refreshing sleep. To my surprise, a ceremony was in progress. I thought I had it down about Malay weddings, but this part was not in my file.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Overwhelming Majority
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At the end of his first 100 days on the job, a significant poll indicates President Barack Obama receives approval from an overwhelming majority of his fellow Americans. Sixty-three percent voted in his favor, 36 percent did not, in a survey paid for by The Washington Post and ABC-TV.

Advice from The Voice of Experience – Part 3
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Alas, my third installment on buying a used motorcycle, one of my favorite activities. Buying a used motorcycle, as I’ve mentioned before, is much more fun than selling one.

Monday, April 27, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 12-Part 2
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
Last week, we started a review of the fallout from the just completed General Assembly session. Let's pick up where we left off.

While you were out…
Steven R. Berryman
If you blinked at the wrong moment over the last few weeks, and rely solely on one part of the media paradigm for your news, you may have missed any of these following items. Not necessarily because of media-bias, but simply because we only have so much time and tolerance for added information in our lives:


20090506 SDOSM This week in The Tentacle