By The PA. AFL-CIO

– Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder condemned the passage of paycheck deception legislation, Senate Bill 501, on Wednesday, October 14 by the Pennsylvania State Senate. The union-busting legislation is now in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Please contact your State Representative and urge him to oppose S.B. 501 and any other Right-to-Work for less measure.

President Bloomingdale stated, “This extreme legislation – S.B. 501 – silences the voices of working families and their ability to advocate for safe jobs, improvements in services, public safety and policies that expand our middle class. It prohibits school teachers, nurses and caregivers, and public safety workers from negotiating payroll deductions but allows corporations to continue using payroll deductions which are used to fund their political campaigns. Not only does it take away our rights to negotiate voluntary payroll deductions it also prohibits counties, municipalities, and school districts from having the right to negotiate with their employees without interference from the State. It reeks of discrimination against working families and their unions and interferes with the ability of local governments and school districts to negotiate agreements that lower costs and savings for taxpayers.”

Secretary-Treasurer Snyder stated, “S.B. 501 is an anti-working family bill that tilts the balance of power in favor of corporations and out of state billionaires who are trying to buy our State Government and pursue an anti-worker, anti-middle class agenda. This is nothing more than Right-to-Work for less, which weakens our rights, silences our voice, and lines the pockets of the rich and powerful. Instead of supporting good public policies that re-invest in our schools, good jobs, and strong communities, they choose to put us in a race to bottom toward lower wages, no benefits, and unsafe jobs. Instead of attacking workers, they should be supporting our public schools, rebuilding our infrastructure and creating good family sustaining jobs. Do the job you were sent to Harrisburg for!”

Source – http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=6487

– The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth and the oldest appellate court in the nation, predating the United States Supreme Court by 67 years. The court consists of seven justices, each elected to ten year terms. The justice with the longest continuous service on the court automatically becomes Chief Justice. Justices must step down from the Supreme Court when they reach the age of 70. There are currently three vacancies on the court which are up for election in 2015.

The Pa. Supreme Court justices have a very important effect on working families. On Election day November 3, 2015, make sure you get involved and become a part of the process and vote like your union livelihood depends on it because IT DOES!

About Kevin Dougherty

Family

Kevin spent most of his judicial career helping Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable children find loving homes. His reforms led to a massive decline in the number of children in foster care, a surge in the number of adoptions, and made Philadelphia a national leader in the collection of child support. His work also improved the way social services are targeted toward at-risk youth, helping them receive the education and behavioral health they need to become happy, healthy, and productive citizens.

Integrity

Throughout his career, Kevin has always conducted himself with the highest level of personal integrity. As an assistant DA, Kevin prosecuted some of the most serious criminal matters in Pennsylvania. As a judge, he worked tirelessly to ensure the judicial system was producing positive outcomes for children and families in the smartest, most cost effective way possible. On the Supreme Court, Judge Dougherty will bring his record of administrative reform and commitment to personal integrity to courts statewide.

Justice for All

Kevin believes the justice system must provide fair and equal access to everyone. When in private practice, he provided legal representation to many who could not afford it. As a Family Court judge, he always made sure every juvenile who came before his court had competent legal representation.

Source – http://www.doughertyforpa.com/

By Jared Shelly

– Striking workers from NBC10 have made a deal with the TV station. The cameramen, photographers and technicians from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 had been on strike since Sept, 24, two days before Pope Francis’ arrival in Philadelphia.

It’s a four-year contract that includes wage increases and a one-time ratification bonus, according to an NBC10 statement.

So ends a bitter three week strike. At one point union president Brian Burrows sent a letter to United States Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, alleging a “serious breach of security” caused by NBC10 sending replacement cameramen to cover the pope’s visit. After all, the replacements were hired one day before the event and the deadline for credentials had long since passed. (NBC10 denied the claim.)

The union even sent protestors to the Today Show in New York, where signs behind Al Roker and the gang read “Fair Contract for NBC 10” and “Nothing But Corporate Greed.” That was just days after the ratmobile showed up at the Comcast Center. But the kicker was when union head John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty said two picketers were struck by cars being driven by NBC10 employees at the picket line outside the studio on City Avenue in Bala Cynwyd.

A main sticking point in the negotiations was NBC10’s use of automated technology in the control room to do some jobs typically done by union members. The new deal provides “flexibility for Automated Production Control (APC) operators around cut-ins and breaking news,” an NBC10 statement said.

The union also wanted to make sure picketing members disrupting live TV shots were given amnesty, but the deal does not provide a blanket policy for amnesty.

There were approximately 50 employees affected by the strike.

Here’s a statement from Dougherty:

“IBEW Local 98 can now confirm the ratification of a new ‎four-year contract with NBC 10. The term sounds cliched, but this was truly a win-win for both parties. NBC 10 once again has its best trained and most skilled union photographers and technicians back in the fold and just in time for the all-important November sweeps ratings period. For our Local 98 members, they’re back doing what they love and know they have job security. Both we and NBC 10 acknowledge the uncertain future of television broadcasting, but we each understand the value of entering the future together, as partners. With streaming, multiple viewing platforms, 3-D technology and seemingly endless other technological developments changing the industry by the day, none of us knows what the future holds in store for the television industry and those who make it work. However, we are grateful to be continuing our relationship with NBC 10 and thank its management for working through this sometimes difficult process to reach an equitable new agreement. IBEW Local 98’s members look forward to returning to the station and the jobs they do so well.”

Here’s a statement from Ric Harris, President and General Manager, NBC10 and Telemundo62:

“We’re glad the strike is over and we’re all looking forward to working together as one team again. Under the terms of our new contract, which includes enhanced flexibility to operate in today’s fast-changing broadcast television environment, we look forward to continuing to deliver our viewers the very best local news, information and weather that keeps them in the know throughout the day.”

Source – http://www.phillymag.com/business/2015/10/16/nbc10-ibew-strike-ends/#XE5XqpEIJ2itMpIL.99

By Tom MacDonald

– Unionized cleaning workers in Philadelphia are celebrating a new four-year contract.

“This contract was very important to me because I am a diabetic, said Beverly Sims-Miller Friday.

Sims-Miller, who cleans at a Center City office building as a cleaner, was just one of the workers happy to retain health and pension benefits as part of the tentative agreement.

“We’re proud to have a strong contract,” she said. “We’re glad to be part of 32BJ [Service Employees International Union], we are the last of the blue-collar workers.”

The union represents about 2,800 janitors who clean offices in nearly 170 building throughout the city.

Janitor William Hall also said he is pleased with the deal.

“We got what we wanted,” he said. “It was a fight, but we got what we needed for ourselves and our families.”

Details of the contract were not made public, but sources said it keeps benefits and adds modest wage increases.

Source – http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/87295-deal-with-philly-building-owners-averts-janitors-strike

By Associated Press

– Legislation that would weaken the ability of public-sector labor unions to collect full dues and political action committee contributions from members’ paychecks is on the move in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

The GOP-controlled Senate approved the legislation Wednesday, 26-23, and sent it to the House of Representatives. All 19 Democrats and four southeastern Pennsylvania Republicans opposed it.

It’s opposed by Gov. Tom Wolf. Similar legislation failed last year in the Senate, 20-28. An amendment to exempt police and firefighters’ unions failed.

The bill would bar the state, school districts and local government employers from deducting any portion of union dues that underwrite political activity and union political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers.

Only deductions that pay for contract negotiation costs and other non-political activity would be allowed.

Source – http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/87214-pa-senate-oks-limits-on-union-dues-pac-collection?linktype=featured_articlepage