Republicans Are Still Holding Sebelius' Confirmation Back

Isn't it about time to let the President have the staff he needs to get the job done that the American people elected him to do? In case you have one of these Republicans representing you in the Senate, tell them to stop blocking Kathleen Sebelius from being our next Health and Human Services Secretary.

Fair Share Tax Effort Needs Your Help Now!

The chances of the state budget having a fair share tax added to it just diminished last night when the Senate met last night. Malcolm Smith has apparently decided to go with more cuts and no tax increases for the wealthy despite a large contingent of Democrats supporting the Fair Share plan. Instead, it looks like the Majority Leader is more comfortable siding with a few in his caucus and the Republican side of the aisle instead of what the people voted for overwhelmingly in the November elections. With that, the unions and all those that support less cuts to the budget are reaching out to us so that the Senate is inundated with messages to support a tax increase on the wealthy as opposed to more burdens placed on the working class.

From The Times-Union:

Dear XXXXX,
We need your urgent help!
The New York State Senate is about to vote on a budget bill that would make devastating cuts to important services our state’s families and children rely on — services like education, health care, and community services.
There’s still time to keep these cuts from happening. But we’re down to the wire and need your help to tell Democratic state senators to speak out against these cuts. It will only hurt our communities during a time when New Yorkers need to rely on services more than ever.
Please take a moment to write your state senator and urge them to support a fair solution to the budget crisis — Fair Share Tax Reform:
http://www.fairsharereform.com/senatebill
This solution would ask our state’s wealthiest taxpayers to contribute their fair share to close the state’s budget gap — so that our state’s working families don’t have to bear the brunt of the burden.
We need additional revenue to help close the state’s $14 billion budget gap — not cuts that would hurt everyone.
Write your senator now:
http://www.fairsharereform.com/senatebill
Thank you so much for your urgent help.
In solidarity,
George Gresham
President, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

As the article by Irene Jay Liu prefacing the letter states, what the Senate decides on tomorrow isn't binding, but it does set the general direction of how they want the budget to look. The important thing to note here is that if both the Assembly and the Senate have some form of tax increase on the wealthy, the compromise will look a lot better than if one chamber has only cuts and the other has the increase. So get to the Fair Share website and then call and/or email your Senator so we get a budget that is fair to all New Yorkers.

SEIU Leaders Talk About Being A Part Of Obama's Health Care Strategy Group

Could you imagine George Bush ever inviting labor union leaders into the White House to talk about how to make health care more affordable? Yeah, me neither.

Corporate America Can't Scare Us From EFCA

The Employee Free Choice Act will be a serious boon to all working Americans, both in and out of unions. This scares the hell out of the top executives in this country that profit off keeping the working and middle class down. As the vote on EFCA draws near, don't buy their scare tactics and keep your eye on the ball.

Andy Stern Talks To Obama About Health Care

As Andy says, this isn't a Democratic or Republican problem, it's an American crisis and we must all work together to solve it.

Bank of America's Bad Business Habits

BoA wants billions more from the government, meaning us, the taxpayers. Well SEIU has a message to anyone that thinks that could be a good idea.

From The SEIU:

Taxpayers have given Bank of America $25 billion in bailout funds to help jumpstart our economy, but instead the bank has misspent on executive salaries and corporate jets. Then Bank of America took even more money from cash-strapped states by not paying for workers healthcare.

Its time for Bank of America to use its taxpayer-funded windfall to support a real economic recovery and provide health care for its 247,000 workers—or give the money back.

Unions Start To Make The Gang Of Three Pay A Price

When Diaz, Espada and Kruger bonded together to create havoc for Senate Democrats in order to further their own interests, the short term gains clouded their long term outlook. Scheming for a deal is something this politicians know very well, but threatening to caucus with Republicans when you come from a heavily Democratic district is a very dumb idea. Yet they went along with it, still haven't gained anything besides notoriety and now they are starting to pay a price.

From The Daily Politics:

This week, some 8,000 Bronx members of 32BJ will receive direct direct mail pieces targeting two of the so-called Gang of Three - Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. and Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. - in an effort to crank up pressure on the dissidents to come back to the Democratic fold and back Malcolm Smith for majority leader.

The mailers, which are in both English and Spanish, are part of a wider campaign by a number of labor interests that were instrumental in helping the Senate Democrats win a majority of seats this fall for the first time since 1965 and don't want to see the fruits of their labor scuttled by three renegades.

Other union members of this pro-Democrat alliance include: Unite-HERE/ New York Hotel Trades Council, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and the Communications Workers of America.

Seriously, what were these three thinking? That they would just get away with throwing our brand new majority away so that they can get some plum positions and the perks that come along with it? Meh. The Senate Dems in Albany may not be perfect, but with the help of unions like 32 BJ, we're slowly making them more responsive to the progressive and pro-working family agenda we desire.

SEIU Works To Organize At McDonalds

McDonalds in no way wants their employees to be aware that their CEO makes 770 times their average wage. Nor do they want the Employee Free Choice Act passed by Congress, giving workers a chance to organize like never before. So SEIU went to many of their franchises across the country to make change happen.

Fact Checking The Employee Free Choice Act

Corporations are fighting hard against the pro-union measure with deceptive ad, so how about we add a lil' truth to the mix:

SEIU Shows How "Yes We Can" Became "Yes We Did!"

Cheers to the SEIU and everyone that helped make Barack Obama's victory possible!

Paterson Takes On NY GOP, Unions Take On Paterson

Tomorrow is the day that the special session in Albany begins, but from the way things are going thus far, it may not be a pleasant place between opening and closing gavels. Governor Paterson is lashing out at the current GOP majority for dragging their feet on spending cuts (though the Assembly is doing just as much). Meanwhile the big unions are attacking the Governor for his proposed cuts where it hurts the most.

From The Daily Politics:

A source close to 1199 said officials of the health care workers union met Friday to discuss Paterson's cuts and reports there was "a great amount of displeasure about whether the governor has forgotten where he's come from so quickly and has lost his moral compass."

The union is particularly unhappy about what it see as Paterson's "constant willingness to victimize low-wage healthcare workers" while steadfastedly ruling out raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers - the one area where the governor finds himself in agreement with the Senate Republicans.

Might 1199 and the GNYHA, which have a history of running successful multimillion-dollar ad campaigns to block significant Medicaid cuts proposed by Paterson's predecessors, Republican Gov. George Pataki and Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer, be gearing up to do the same this time around?

I certainly hope they are. The Governor will be feeling considerable pressure from unions like 1199/SEIU and GYNHA as well as many others that believe health care for the disadvantaged should come before keeping the tax rate low for the wealthiest New Yorkers. Until he begins to change his position and look into tax increases for the few thousand that can afford it, he can kick and scream all he wants but there will have to be a compromise at the end of the day or nothing will be done this week in Albany.

David Paterson should be ashamed of himself for the way he is conducting himself with the budget. These are tough times I agree, but much tougher for the middle class and those that live in his former Senate district. It is sad to see he has forgotten the neighborhoods from where he was raised. The reformer New York used to know has wedded himself to the status quo, at least for the budget's sake.

Going After Henry Kravis

People like Henry Kravis is one wealthy bastard that would rather not be seen or heard. The decisions he makes helps to spread the gap between the rich and the poor. Personally he earns more money in an hour than most Americans make in an entire year. So that is why the SEIU got together this past Thursday to send him a letter and protest outside of his offices at KKR here in Manhattan:

Protest John McCain In NYC Tomorrow!

John McCain is coming to town tomorrow to do the only thing Republicans are good at here, raising money. While individuals can only give him $2,300 for the general election, those in attendance at the 21 Club are chocking up $28,500 for lunch with the Republican nominee. Now the first thing I have to ask is what kind of people are willing to give a failure like McCain all that money (not to him directly of course)? Well the host of the event is none other than Mr. Henry Kravis, one of the nation's most despicable buyout barons America has ever seen. Democratic groups in New York aren't taking this lying down and are protesting the event to show just how much we mean business.

From Yahoo News:

To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Evan Thies of Service Employees International Union, +1-917 715 9265

Controversial buyout baron Henry Kravis to host event

NEW YORK, June 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Advocates for a fairer, better economy, workers, and political improv troupe Billionaires for Bush will gather in front of the posh 21 Club in Manhattan on Tuesday to protest John McCains support for tax loopholes for some of the wealthiest buyout executives in the country. The $28,500 a ticket luncheon is being organized by some of the most controversial names in business, including buyout baron Henry Kravis.

John McCain has said he does not support closing tax loopholes for hedge fund managers and buyout industry executives such as Kravis, who have pocketed billions of dollars by paying a lesser percentage of their income to taxes than many regular working Americans. Besides helping to organize Tuesdays event, Kravis has been a major fund-raiser for John McCain throughout his campaign for president.

McCains tax plan also includes two huge tax cut giveaways for American corporationslowering rates from 35% to 25% and adding other new deductions. KKR companies stand to make millions of dollars off the new cuts. According to the Center for American Progress, The centerpiece of Sen. John McCains (R-AZ) tax plan is two huge tax cuts for American corporations, including utility and energy companies. A CAP analysis finds that McCains tax policywhich lowers corporate tax rates from 35 to 25 % and makes equipment and technology investments immediately deductiblewould give a single KKR portfolio company, Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU), a $49 million tax cut.

The countrys fastest-growing union - the Service Employees International Union - recently launched a multi-tier global campaign directed at world leaders and legislators, pressing for fairer taxation of the multi-trillion-dollar private equity industry, with an eye toward shaping the debate during the U.S. presidential race.

WHAT:

Dozens of protesters fighting for a fair economy; performances by the Billionaires for Bush.

WHEN/WHERE:

June 10 - 6:30 PM

The 21 Club -- 21 West 52nd St.

New York City, NY

SOURCE Service Employees International Union

If I didn't have a prior commitment tomorrow night, I'd be there, even if it is a 100 degrees outside. I hope plenty of people show up so that McCain can hear the citizens of New York protest him, his candidacy and Henry Kravis as well.