By Kevin McCorry

– In response to having its contract unilaterally terminated, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers filed several legal actions Friday.

The union has petitioned the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to prevent the district from implementing health care concessions until a legal ruling is made.

PFT president Jerry Jordan said the law is on the union’s side.

“We believe they don’t have the right to do that,” he said in a telephone interview. “Health care benefits are a subject of mandatory bargaining.”

The union filings come in response to the SRC asking the state Commonwealth Court to make a judgment on whether terminating the contract was legal. The district jointly filed the motion with state Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq.

The union believes the education secretary isn’t a party to the matter and, therefore, the case belongs in the city Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations board or another labor arbitrator.

“The Pa. Department of Education should not be a part of this dispute,” said Jordan in the PFT’s official release. “Our position is that they were added as a plaintiff simply so the SRC could plead their case before the Commonwealth Court.”

The district intends to proceed as planned. Teachers are set to begin seeing reductions in take-home pay in December, but the district is using cash flow to pump $15 million into schools immediately. Another $30 million is planned for disbursement throughout the year.

SRC Chairman Bill Green defended the district’s decision to start spending the money before a ruling is made.

“We believe our position will be upheld, and we’re taking the risk that it will be upheld, because we need to get resources into schools to support the teachers in their classrooms,” Green told reporters after Thursday’s SRC meeting.

The union also filed several complaints with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.

“The PFT never wants to settle a contract this way, but the SRC is giving us no choice,” Jordan said in the release. “They abandoned negotiation in favor of litigation; we are responding forcefully that the courts are no place for this dispute. We’re hoping for a quick resolution that brings this matter where it belongs — back to the bargaining table.”

Source: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/74079-court-battle-brewing-between-philly-schools-teachers-union?linktype=hp_impact

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– The RV was on the road before the sunshine today with a stop at Northampton Gracedale Nursing Home at 6 a.m. to distribute election material to educate the union members that work there on the issues we all face in this election.

Northeast ALF Director Dave Carey was there along with Ellen and John Weiss, Jim Irwin and Jim Schlener of AFSCME to pass out flyers. Thank you to everyone who helped and thank you to the workers at Northampton Gracedale for being so receptive to our efforts.

Fast forward to 6 p.m. when the RV was at University of Pittsburgh Johnstown for a rally before the debate between PA AFL-CIO endorsed candidate for Congressional District 12 Erin McClelland and anti-worker Keith Rothfus.

McClelland, her team (#TeamErin), her family (including her father who is a 39-year member of IBEW Local 29), union members, veterans and taxpaying voters gathered around the RV and Rosie The Riveter to get pumped up for the upcoming debate.

During the debate, the two candidates took questions from the audience about topics including healthcare, education, medical marijuana, Ebola, veteran care, news consumption, minimum wage and more.

Ultimately, McClelland came off as a regular working Pennsylvanian speaking from her heart while Rothfus seemed like just another politician reading scripted talking points to try and say what he thinks people want to hear.

McClelland is truly a pro-labor candidate who will fight for working Pennsylvanians. Rothfus’ voting record speaks for itself as he has voted against providing aid to the people of the East Coast of the U.S. following Super Storm Sandy (one has to wonder if he would have voted against aid for the people of Johnstown after the flood of 1889), voted for the 2014 Paul Ryan budget that stomped on the middle class while providing tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, and voted multiple times against the Affordable Care Act along with a litany of other votes against the interests of children, veterans, retirees and middle class taxpayers.

We need more people like Erin McClelland in Washington D.C., and less like Keith Rothfus. We look forward to seeing her succeed, but that can only happen if we get out the vote on November 4.

We are done with Burgers And Ballots for the week, but will get the grill (and voters) fired back up next week.

Burgers And Ballots comes to Clarion University on Monday, October 20 at 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. between Gimmel Student Center and Tippin Gymnasium. We will be at Slippery Rock University on Tuesday, October 21 at 12:30 until 1:30 p.m. in The Quad’s SGA Pavilion. We will be at Edinboro University on Wednesday, October 22 at 12 until 2 p.m. in front of the Pogue Student Center. We will be at California University on Thursday, October 23 at 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. outside of the Student Union Buiding.

Make sure to ‘Like’ us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PAAFLCIO) and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter @PaAFL_CIO (www.twitter.com/PAAFL_CIO) to keep up with all the GOTV events. Also, follow us on Instagram @PaAFL_CIO.

And don’t forget to vote on November 4!

Source: http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=5347

By The PA. AFL-CIO

– Last week, Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission (SRC) abruptly canceled the American Federation of Teachers/Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ (AFT/PFT) contract.

On Thursday, well over 1,000 protesters consisting of Philadelphia students and teachers, labor, faith-based organizations and various community groups gathered in front of the Philadelphia School District building to make their voices heard – and that it was as many speakers rallied an intense crowd from the stage of PA AFL-CIO’s RV stage.

The rally included a long list of speakers including AFT President Randi Weingarten, PA AFT President Ted Kirsch, PFT President Jerry Jordan and PA AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale.

“People ask me, ‘Why are you in Philly so much?’ Philly is ground zero for injustice!” AFT President Randi Weingarten exclaimed.

If the action by the SRC holds up in court, 15,000 teachers and other union members will be forced to contribute to health benefits up to 13 percent of their medical premiums starting on December 15.

This would put an undue burden on these hard working educators who are already forced to spend their own money on school supplies in a fiscally strained school district.

Following the protest, SRC held a meeting where many labor, faith and community leaders met face-to-face with those making these kinds of disastrous decisions.

As we approach the November 4 election, let us remember the struggle in Philadelphia’s school district, and how important it is we elect officials who will defend educators and students.

Source: http://www.paaflcio.org/?p=5327

– Attention all members of the Philadelphia area labor community and members of the general public, you are cordially invited and encouraged to attend a rally to protest the cowardly actions of the school reform commission (SRC) who canceled the contracts of PFT members in a little publicized meeting thus destroying the collective bargaining process while at the same time cutting the healthcare for thousands of Philadelphia teachers and PFT retirees.

The Details:

What – Turn Up For Truth Rally

Who – The PFT, Labor Community, students, faith and Community Groups

When – Thursday 10/16 – Gather at 4pm, Rally at 4:30pm

Where – 440 N. Broad Street

Please attend and send a message of SOLIDARITY to our teachers that we will not stand for the way they have been treated!

We Look forward to seeing you there!

PhillyLabor.com

By Tom MacDonald

– After five years of talks, the engineers who operate SEPTA’s regional rail trains have a tentative deal with the transit agency. Meanwhile, further talks are scheduled with 5,000 other workers who drive SEPTA buses, trolleys and subways.

Representing 200 members, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said Monday that SEPTA has agreed to recommendations made by an emergency board appointed by President Barack Obama.

“There was a recommendation for an additional payment to the locomotive engineers to maintain the historical wage relationship that the locomotive engineers have with the conductors,” said union vice president Steven Bruno.

In a statement late Monday, SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said the proposed five-year agreement covers July 15, 2010, to July 14, 2015.

The BLET members will receive a $1,250 lump sum signing bonus and compensation that includes an 11.5 percent wage increase — 8.5 percent immediately upon contract ratification and an additional 3 percent in April 2015.

According to the union, all raises in the five-year contract add up to 13.3 percent.

As it’s reached a tentative agreement with the engineers, SEPTA has set more talks this week in hopes of averting a walkout by members of the Transport Workers Union.

Union officials say the key sticking points are pensions, health care concessions and the handling of grievances.

The union, which represents about 5,000 SEPTA employees, has been without a contract since March.

A strike is possible unless SEPTA agrees to a short-term contract, said union president Willie Brown. He said his side is doing its best to prevent a walkout.

“It is very possible,” Brown said. “The ironic thing is … I think it’s more about egos than economics and that’s never good for negotiations.”

SEPTA is hoping for the best from this week’s negotiating sessions, Williams said.

“Face-to-face negotiations are the best way to talk about the issues and see where each side stands,” she said.

Despite their tentative deal, the engineers union still has some issues with SEPTA, but Bruno said those can be addressed outside contract negotiations.

“There are excessively long days at work; there’s interrupted work schedules. SEPTA has not been able to maintain adequate staffing to address these concerns,” he said. “They have been unable to address these matters in a substantive way … it has plagued them for years.”

The engineers went on a one-day strike this summer.

Source – http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/73889-septa-commuter-train-engineers-strike-deal-?linktype=hp_impact