– HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT HOW TO PAY YOUR $12,000 HEALTH CARE BILL?

The Guild returned to mediation today with the hope that the company would arrive with the proposals requested by the Federal Mediator to finally – after 25+ sessions – move the process along.

Instead, company negotiators brought a new issue to the table – a desire to change and presumably cheapen your health care plan, which renews June 1. When pressed for details on their proposed changes, they had nothing but a desire to cancel next Wednesday’s mediation session and extend the present contract another 30 days.

In the very week that the company announced a board of directors, three years of positive cash flow and the launch of a new business section for what was described as a “reborn” Inquirer, the Guild hoped today’s session would carry the positive momentum forward. The company, however, only wanted to engage in more expensive time-wasting by offering not one single idea or proposal in three hours.

Why is it expensive?

As the company knows well because the new VP for Human Resources and a VP for Finance are trustees on our joint Health & Welfare Fund, the plan renews on June 1 with a 14 percent increase, leaving the Fund approximately $2.5 million short of its annual needs to pay for the benefit. The company has offered only $500,000 to fill that gap – a number it has not moved from since bargaining began – forcing the Fund to pick up the deficit as it has for the past two years. The Fund, however, will run out of money in less than a year, so if the company sticks with its $500,000 offer, Guild members will be forced to pick up the $2 million difference. This will be an unmanageable expense for most members (between $4,000 and $8,500 additional for the FIRST year, depending on coverage, with further increases likely every year thereafter) and also leave the company subject to Affordable Care Act penalties.

So what was their plan today with only two weeks until the new rates kick in? After company Health & Welfare trustees chose not to address this issue at the last Health & Welfare meeting and conference call, now they want to change the plan to make it more affordable FOR THEM, which can only mean worse coverage FOR YOU.

Only, they had no specifics, nothing to discuss – they remain habitually unprepared to accomplish ANYTHING ­– and, regardless, any plan changes would require the approval of the Health & Welfare trustees.

Our contract extension expires May 24. At this time the Guild bargaining committee has told the company we do not want another extension. We want to start bargaining.

Our final scheduled mediation session is Wednesday morning. If the company again refuses to come with anything concrete to discuss, our only alternatives will be the filing of an Unfair Labor Practice charge and a strike authorization vote.

In solidarity,

Howard Gensler
Bill Ross
Diane Mastrull
Cindy Burton
Melanie Burney
Regina Medina
Brian McCron

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– We told you on Friday about a last-minute bill that the Senate Republicans were trying to rush through the chamber, with no oversight, financial analysis, or hearings. During a whirlwind 3 days, the Senate managed to pass the bill out of the Finance committee and the Appropriations committee, in spite of there being no actuarial analysis of the bill, and the full Senate just passed the bill this afternoon by a final vote of 28 to 19.

(Go To: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/RC/Public/rc_view_action2.cfm?sess_yr=2015&sess_ind=0&rc_body=S&rc_nbr=84 to see how your Senator voted!)

In fact, the rush to pass this legislation was so reckless that the non-partisan State Commission charged with overseeing the pension system lashed out at the Senate for denying them time to properly inspect the legislation.

The Senate had already been called out for dropping a 410-page bill on the Friday afternoon before Mothers’ Day, and for glaring problems with the legislation, including the easing of regulations that would allow our pension funds to invest in companies that do business with state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran and Sudan. The legislation is also clearly unconstitutional, as it unilaterally changes the rules for current employees.

The Senate has already taken their stand, on a nearly party-line vote (Senator Greenleaf was the only Republican Senator to vote against this terrible bill). But we still have a chance to demand that the State House does the right thing.

To E-mail your State Representative NOW and Tell them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 1, Go To: http://act.aflcio.org/c/236/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=10280

Source – http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=5954

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder condemned the passage of Senate Bill 1, which attacks the pensions of hundreds of thousands of current and new employees of the Commonwealth and School Districts across Pennsylvania and does nothing to pay down the state’s pension debt.

“Our school teachers, nurses, caregivers, and public service workers who teach our children and take care of our parents should not be forced into paying for the mistakes of our Legislature – mistakes lawmakers made when they ran away from their responsibility to fund the state pension systems.
Instead of blaming workers our elected officials should pay back the debt owed for their failure to make the required employer contributions. Instead of trying to sidestep these mistakes, they should continue paying back the debt in a responsible and fair way and stop trying to attack decent pensions and the retirement security of workers as this bill does, ” Bloomingdale said.

“Senate Bill 1 punishes public service and school employees, who unlike our legislature, never missed a single payment to their pension plans and have already made sacrifices in the form of reduced benefits, additional service time, and higher contribution levels to preserve their decent pensions. This legislation is a mockery to the contributions and sacrifices that workers were willing to make to protect hard-earned pensions. It breaks the promises made to these workers and is an insult to fairness and government accountability, which was used by these same hypocritical leaders last week to pass legislation to undermine the collective bargaining process. State lawmakers should focus on doing things to help middle class Pennsylvanians – things like creating good jobs and fully funding our public schools instead of undermining good jobs and attacking decent pensions,” Secretary-Treasurer Snyder said.

Source – http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=5960

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– On behalf of all of the members of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, we extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by the devastating Amtrak Train crash in Philadelphia. We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic accident. Our sympathies and compassion go out to the family members of those who lost loved ones, and to the injured passengers and their families. We applaud all of the emergency responders – EMTs, firefighters, police officers, and all personnel who arrived on the scene, for their courage and devotion in their life-saving efforts. We also express our heartfelt thanks to the medical staff and caregivers of the Philadelphia hospitals, who are among the best in the nation. We are confident in their skill and dedication, and know that the injured will be in very good hands.

Source – http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=5951

By The American Postal Workers Union

– Thursday, May 14 – Attend an Event at a Post Office Near You – ‘I Stand With Postal Workers!’

– The contract between the American Postal Workers Union and the U.S. Postal Service expires on
May 20, and as the deadline approaches, postal workers have an important message:

The U.S. Postal Service is under attack. Our national treasure is in the grips of a manufactured
financial crisis that is being used to justify an all-out assault on postal workers, on service to the
American people, and on the Postal Service as a great public institution.

There are two competing visions for the future of the U.S. Postal Service:

Top-level postal bosses are using the ginned-up financial crisis to justify their vision: Cut
service, privatize operations, and convert living-wage, union jobs into low-wage, non-union
jobs. And many in Congress and on Wall Street are eager to dismantle the Postal Service so they
can turn over the profitable pieces to their cronies in private industry.

The members of the APWU envision a vibrant, public Postal Service that expands hours; offers
new services, such as postal banking, and gives quality service to people across the country – no
matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have.

Our vision is reflected in the demands we have brought to the bargaining table. In addition to
proposals that would protect good, stable jobs, postal workers are demanding extended hours at
post offices to shorten customers’ wait time in line, an end to the closure of mail sorting centers,
restoration of prompt mail delivery, and the addition of postal banking.

As negotiations draw to a close, postal workers need a strong demonstration of support.

• May 14 – Attend an event at a post office
near you. For locations and other info, visit
www.apwu.org/national-day-action-may-14.

• Sign a postcard to Postmaster General
Megan Brennan at www.apwu-pledge.org.

• Spread the word! For updated information about
postal workers’ fight, visit www.apwunccc.org.

Philadelphia Rally Locations:

Philadelphia
Location: Philly NDC
Address: 1900 Byberry Road (Corner of Byberry and Evans Truck Yard)
Time: 6:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Contacts: Vince Tarducci; phillybmc7048@aol.com; (267) 994-3235
Joe Quinlan; JTQ7048@hotmail.com; (484) 336-7570

Philadelphia
Location: Bustleton US Post Office
Address: 9925 Bustleton Avenue
Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Contacts: Vince Tarducci; phillybmc7048@aol.com; (267) 994-3235
Joe Quinlan; JTQ7048@hotmail.com; (484) 336-7570

Philadelphia
Location: USPS Main Office Delivery
Address: 3000 Chestnut Street
Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Contact: Nick Casselli at (610) 522-4520

St. Mary’s
Location: St. Mary’s Post Office
Address: 201 Chestnut Street
Time: all day
Contact: Ginny Wilson; (814) 834-3116; gwilson@yahoo.com

– See more at: http://www.apwu.org/national-day-action-may-14#PA