Author Archives: Joe Doc

Christie misses state trooper’s funeral to ‘interview’ Trump; Police union head says Christie’s “decision making is predicated on selfish political opportunism.”

By Maddie Hanna

Gov. Christie took on a new role while campaigning Monday with Donald Trump: interviewing his former GOP rival at an event in North Carolina.

He didn’t throw any curveballs, however.

“What you’ve done all around the world, in terms of building great businesses, I think folks are confident that if you become president, you’ll be able to do that same thing for our country,” Christie said, posing his first question to Trump during the event, streamed online from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory. “Tell them how you’re going to do it.”

“We built an amazing company, very little debt, tremendous cash flow,” Trump said, calling the nation’s infrastructure “a disaster. We have to build it on time, on budget.”

Another question from Christie: “How would you bring the same kind of principles you’ve brought to building great properties, managing a great company, to our relationships with trade around the world?” (Trump: “We’re bad traders. We have the worst people representing us.”)

Christie returned to a more traditional role – warm-up act – at a second Trump event Monday in Tampa, Fla., where he described his background as U.S. attorney, putting “all kinds of bad guys in jail. We put terrorists in jail, we put corrupt politicians in jail. . . . We did what needed to be done.”

“I’m convinced that’s exactly the kind of attorney general Donald Trump is going to appoint when he’s president of the United States,” said Christie, who was introduced at the Tampa event by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. (“He and I are together on a stage,” Palin said of Christie, remarking on Trump’s “ability to unify.”)

Later in the event, Trump said, “Chris Christie, what a great friend.”

Christie, who endorsed Trump after dropping out of the presidential race last month, has said that he did not “bargain” with the billionaire businessman for a position in his administration.

The governor interviewed Trump in North Carolina while a funeral was being held Monday in Burlington County for Sean Cullen, a state trooper who died last week after he was struck by a car while responding to an accident. The governor’s office said Sunday that Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno would attend.

“We did not expect someone who has consistently shown disdain for law enforcement to pay his respects to the Cullen and State Police family,” said Chris Burgos, the president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, which has fought the Christie administration in court over state pension funding.

Christie’s “decision-making is predicated on selfish political opportunism,” Burgos said.

Christie had emphasized his support for law enforcement during his presidential campaign. His office did not respond to a request for comment Monday on the governor’s decision to campaign with Trump instead of attending the funeral.

As Trump spoke in North Carolina, Christie periodically nodded and chimed in with “yeps.”

At one point, he addressed Trump: “You’re seen as one of the greatest capitalists in American history.”

Trump, meanwhile, offered a reminder of Christie’s fate in the presidential race. “They say I’ve won every debate,” Trump said. “I think if I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here today. I would have been like the other people: out.”

The two men, seated in armchairs on stage, paused several times as protesters interrupted.

“All right,” Christie said after the first such interruption, which was followed by chants from the crowd of “Build that wall!” and “USA!”

Trump, who canceled an event Friday night in Chicago because of security concerns, said: “You know how many people have been hurt at our rallies? I think like, basically, none. Other than, I guess, maybe somebody got hit once.”

“The people who are supporters of Donald Trump want to see America be great again. That’s what it is,” said Trump, who last month said he’d “like to punch” a protester at a Las Vegas event.

On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Trump said he had “instructed my people” to look into paying legal fees for a man who punched a protester at a campaign rally last week in Fayetteville, N.C.

In Hickory on Monday, Trump said: “There is no violence; these are lovefests.”

At the start of the event, Christie told the crowd that “we’re looking forward to being all over the country today.”

Source – http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160315_Christie_chats_up_Trump_in_N_C_.html

Over 100 Million Americans are Waiting for a Full Supreme Court Bench

By Michele L. Jawando and Billy Corriher

Within an hour of the news of Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing on February 13, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the Senate should not consider any U.S. Supreme Court nominee until the next president is inaugurated in 2017. If Senate Republicans follow through with their threats of obstruction, it would damage the Court and its ability to answers the country’s most pressing constitutional questions. But it would be even more damaging for the millions of Americans whose lives and livelihoods sit in legal limbo, dependent on an eight-member Supreme Court that may be deadlocked and unable to set precedent.

More than 100 million Americans are waiting for the Supreme Court to decide critical issues that affect their lives. Around 18 million women live in states that are shutting down abortion clinics. More than 6 million Americans have loved ones who are unauthorized immigrants fearing deportation. Around 1.5 million students of color are graduating high school unsure if colleges will be allowed to diversify through affirmative action. More than 7 million public employees who rely on strong unions could have their economic security threatened. Thousands of Americans work for religious employers that are arguing that their right to religious freedom outweighs their employees’ right to access health care. The Court’s redistricting cases could affect the entire country.

Source – http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/es.aspx?s=785&e=954150&elqTrackId=29938bde7ef4498484f92f21a4f69a2b&elq=e058086063a247368f8e46bd2cfa059d&elqaid=29450&elqat=1

Hite pledges nurse, counselor for every school

By Martha Woodall, Susan Snyder and Tricia L. Nadolny

– Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. pledged Thursday to have a full-time nurse and counselor in every Philadelphia district school next fall.

But the plan, presented at a principals’ meeting at Martin Luther King High School, is contingent on approval of Gov. Wolf’s proposed 2016-17 budget.

Wolf’s $33.3 billion spending plan calls for a substantial increase in funding for schools, said Fernando Gallard, district spokesman. Republican leaders have said the budget has “no chance” of passing.

Although Hite has often said he wanted to restore counselors and nurses at the 218 district schools, he acted to include those posts in individual school budgets for 2016-17. The budgets were released Thursday.

The surprise announcement heartened principals, many of whom have been trying to run schools with nurses and counselors present only a few days a week because of the district’s finances.
“Wonderful news! @SDPHite just announced that every school will have a full-time counselor and a full-time nurse budgeted next year!” tweeted Chris Lehmann, principal of Science Leadership Academy.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said 49 schools lack a full-time counselor, and 123 have no full-time nurse. He said 17 schools have a nurse one day a week or less.

Hite said the plan would cost $13 million and require hiring about 61 nurses and 42 counselors. In a few cases where two schools share a building, there would be one nurse.

“We’ve always been trying to get to this point,” he said. “We wanted to be in a place where if we felt like the potential revenue was robust enough, we could do these things.”

But he said it all hinges on more state money.

The district, he added, which has received a partial state payment of $770 million, is still waiting for the rest of this year’s money. Without it, schools cannot make it through June.

Many welcomed the news.

“I think it’s very encouraging,” Mayor Kenney said. “Obviously, I think Dr. Hite clearly knows that nurses and counselors are a requirement for a productive school environment.”

Jordan said the union had been fighting to get full-time nurses and counselors into schools for years.

“We have some of the neediest children,” he said. “The school nurse becomes the main medical provider for many of our kids.”

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who chairs Council’s education committee, called it a tragedy that students had died after suffering medical emergencies while nurses weren’t present.

Melissa Wilde has two children at Jackson School in South Philadelphia, which has a part-time nurse. She called the news “fantastic.”

“We are really glad that Superintendent Hite is prioritizing these crucial personnel,” she said. “He knows that at a school like Jackson, nurses and counselors are not optional, they are essential for all kids to learn.”

But Council President Darrell L. Clarke took a more cautious view.

Though Council members have long pressed the district to restore nurses and counselors, Clarke said it was difficult to get excited about the move, considering long-standing frustrations with the district’s finances.

Clarke said he was concerned that if the money from Harrisburg does not materialize, the district will turn to Council for it.

“It’s hard to be excited about anything that comes out of that building, because more often than not it’s just not real,” he said.

Citing financial woes, the district laid off all 283 counselors in June 2013. It brought back 126 that fall without regard to seniority, and required many of them to serve students at more than one school.

Principals chose the counselors who were recalled, and the PFT filed a grievance about the disregarding of seniority. The union also argued its contract required every school to have a counselor.

An arbitrator sided with the PFT. Common Pleas Court upheld the decision. The district has appealed.

Also on Thursday, Hite unveiled the district’s latest strategy for overhauling its lowest performing schools. He said academic turnarounds would begin at four more elementary schools in the fall.

The $23.7 million plan would enable the schools to reduce class size from 30 to 20 students in kindergarten through second grade; ensure each school has an assistant principal to help with school climate; and provide each school with math and learning coaches to work with teachers to improve instruction.

The project will encompass the four new schools, as well as King and 10 others already in the district’s turnaround network.

Hite said the project would be funded by $16.5 million in current and redirected spending and $7.2 million in new money for turnarounds included in the district’s five-year spending plan.

The new schools targeted for district-run makeovers are Roosevelt Elementary, East Germantown; Munoz-Marin, North Philadelphia; Rhodes, North Philadelphia; and Mitchell, Kingsessing.

Hite said the new strategy was aimed at boosting academic performance at schools that have been among the lowest performers for years. The goal, he said, was helping schools improve so they would no longer need intervention.

He said Cayuga Elementary in Feltonville had done so well for the last two years that it would leave the turnaround network at the end of June.
Turnarounds will focus on supporting effective leaders, improving teaching, using data to spot students who need help, engaging with the community, and creating a safe learning environment.

Source – http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20160311_Hite_pledges_a_nurse__counselor_for_everyschool.html

PENNSYLVANIA AFL-CIO CONVENTION: April 5th through April 7th in Philadelphia

By The PA. AFL-CIO

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO 42nd Constitutional Convention will be held in Philadelphia beginning Tuesday, April 5th through Thursday, April 7th,  2016 at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel at 17th  and Race Streets.

National, state, and local union officials, elected officials, and political candidates will be speaking during the Convention General Sessions which will be held in the Liberty Ballrooms of the Hotel. The list of speakers will be forwarded as they become finalized.

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Richard Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder will lead the proceedings and activities. The theme of the Convention is: “Solidarity Is Power” underscoring the importance of unity among all unions and all workers in protecting the progress already achieved and in expanding the middle class for today and tomorrow’s working families.

Delegates representing local unions and other labor organizations affiliated with the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO will be attending this Convention which represents over 800,000 union workers and families in Pennsylvania, making it the largest labor organization in the State. Delegates will set the plans for electing pro-worker candidates in the 2016 elections, as well as setting policies to protect and create good jobs, raise wages, decent pensions and health care, fair trade policies and expanding opportunities for all workers to form unions for a better life.

Convention General Session Schedule, (subject to change):

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 – (9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon)

Wednesday, April 6, 2016 – (9:00 AM to 1:30 PM)

Thursday, April 7, 2016 – (9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon)

 Other Pennsylvania AFL-CIO events to be held in conjunction with the Convention:

Wednesday evening, April 6, 2016 – Pennsylvania AFL-CIO/COPE Honorees Dinner.

Honorees:

Harry Lombardo, President, Transport Workers Union of America

Michael Barnes, President, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 8

Patrick Eiding, President, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO

Ryan Boyer, Business Manager, Labors’ DC of the Metro Area of Philadelphia and

Vicinity