St. Lucie United Way tops 2003-04 goal
Sunday, April 4, 2004
With the help of thousands of residents and employees from 200 local businesses, industries and organizations, the United Way of St. Lucie County exceeded its 2003-04 campaign goal by more than $40,000, bringing in $1.65 million.
The announcement was made Wednesday before a group of 200 supporters at the United Way's annual meeting and victory celebration held this year at Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie.
"Even though economic conditions have been less than optimal for increases in charitable giving, we are constantly reminded of just how generous and committed this community is," said Karen Knapp, United Way president and CEO.
Since 1998, St. Lucie County school employees and students have donated $529,685 to United Way.
Top schools recognized this year for their generosity were Fairlawn, Village Green, Manatee and F.K. Sweet elementary schools; St. Lucie West, Northport Middle and Southport Middle schools; and Ft. Pierce Westwood, Fort Pierce Central high schools.
In business awards, Top Employee Campaign Award was given to Florida Power & Light and the IBEW Local 627, and Largest Corporate Gift to Publix Supermarket Charities.
Awards for creative antics for employee contributions went to Jane Rowley with CORE Communities for Scariest Fundraiser; Mike Brown Jr. of Harbor Federal got the Most Innovative & Humiliating Award.
The United Way of St. Lucie County, since 1963, has provided more than $18 million to the community's health and human-services organizations.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Retired Local 602 representative seeks Plainview City Council post
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11239782&BRD=517&PAG=461&dept_id=473182&rfi=6
Davis running for city council 04-04-2004
The Herald Staff , From The Plainview Daily Herald 04/04/2004
Jimmie Davis, retired from the utility industry, has announced his candidacy for Plainview City Council District 7 in the May 15 election.
Born in Bonham, he attended schools in Bonham and Quanah. He graduated from Kress High School in 1957 and moved to Plainview in 1959. He began working for Southwestern Public Service in 1960, retiring as foreman after 40 years of service.
After his retirement, he worked two years for the IBEW Local Union 602 as a utility representative.
Davis and his wife, Mary, have a daughter and son-in-law, Dianna and Tim Akers of Nashville, Tenn., and two grandchildren.
They are members of Trinity Fellowship Church. He is a pilot and enjoys restoring classic vehicles.
"A few years ago, several people approached me about becoming involved in local politics. At that time I could not devote the time that I think the position requires. Now that I have fully retired I have a lot of time for civic work," Davis said.
Posted to MyPlainview: APRIL 03, 2004 23:50 CST
Davis running for city council 04-04-2004
The Herald Staff , From The Plainview Daily Herald 04/04/2004
Jimmie Davis, retired from the utility industry, has announced his candidacy for Plainview City Council District 7 in the May 15 election.
Born in Bonham, he attended schools in Bonham and Quanah. He graduated from Kress High School in 1957 and moved to Plainview in 1959. He began working for Southwestern Public Service in 1960, retiring as foreman after 40 years of service.
After his retirement, he worked two years for the IBEW Local Union 602 as a utility representative.
Davis and his wife, Mary, have a daughter and son-in-law, Dianna and Tim Akers of Nashville, Tenn., and two grandchildren.
They are members of Trinity Fellowship Church. He is a pilot and enjoys restoring classic vehicles.
"A few years ago, several people approached me about becoming involved in local politics. At that time I could not devote the time that I think the position requires. Now that I have fully retired I have a lot of time for civic work," Davis said.
Posted to MyPlainview: APRIL 03, 2004 23:50 CST
IBEW President on Report of US-Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force
Statement of IBEW President Edwin D. Hill on Report of U.S.- Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force
4/5/2004 2:13:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Jim Spellane of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 202-728-6014
WASHINGTON, April 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) President Edwin D. Hill on the report of the U.S.-Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force:
"The IBEW has been warning for years that modern society would pay a high price for utility deregulation. On August 14, 2003, the bill came due.
"Fifty million people in the Northeast, Midwest and Canada were plunged into darkness in what some exports call the biggest engineering failure in United States history.
"The U.S.-Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force report intentionally does not include any reference to deregulation and for that reason it is seriously flawed. In a rush for profit, many utilities have abandoned their once-strong commitment to the reliable delivery of electricity. Maintaining a stable, dependable system has taken a back seat to open markets.
"Our electricity infrastructure is a patchwork of interconnected systems that can be devastatingly vulnerable to weakness. A failure in one section of the system can trip lines across huge portions of the country in seconds. Deregulation requires utilities to push power across lines in ways they were never engineered to be used.
"That day in August, a tortured grid bit back.
"Employment in the utility industry has fallen more than 21 percent since 1990. New construction has slowed, existing lines have become heavily loaded, and maintenance and infrastructure investment have declined precipitously. We are concerned that utility companies are not making the necessary investment in workforce training, let alone keeping up critical facilities.
"Deregulation's apologists will never be able to defy sound engineering principles with economic theories. Government officials and regulators must now recognize that politically driven policies cannot trump the laws of physics.
"We view this as an opportunity to institute a comprehensive, engineering-based study of the electric grid and assure adequate investment in critical electric supply facilities."
The IBEW represents 220,000 utility workers in the United States and Canada.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
4/5/2004 2:13:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Jim Spellane of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 202-728-6014
WASHINGTON, April 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) President Edwin D. Hill on the report of the U.S.-Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force:
"The IBEW has been warning for years that modern society would pay a high price for utility deregulation. On August 14, 2003, the bill came due.
"Fifty million people in the Northeast, Midwest and Canada were plunged into darkness in what some exports call the biggest engineering failure in United States history.
"The U.S.-Canadian Power Systems Outage Task Force report intentionally does not include any reference to deregulation and for that reason it is seriously flawed. In a rush for profit, many utilities have abandoned their once-strong commitment to the reliable delivery of electricity. Maintaining a stable, dependable system has taken a back seat to open markets.
"Our electricity infrastructure is a patchwork of interconnected systems that can be devastatingly vulnerable to weakness. A failure in one section of the system can trip lines across huge portions of the country in seconds. Deregulation requires utilities to push power across lines in ways they were never engineered to be used.
"That day in August, a tortured grid bit back.
"Employment in the utility industry has fallen more than 21 percent since 1990. New construction has slowed, existing lines have become heavily loaded, and maintenance and infrastructure investment have declined precipitously. We are concerned that utility companies are not making the necessary investment in workforce training, let alone keeping up critical facilities.
"Deregulation's apologists will never be able to defy sound engineering principles with economic theories. Government officials and regulators must now recognize that politically driven policies cannot trump the laws of physics.
"We view this as an opportunity to institute a comprehensive, engineering-based study of the electric grid and assure adequate investment in critical electric supply facilities."
The IBEW represents 220,000 utility workers in the United States and Canada.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
IBEW Local 19 Ratifies New Five Year Agreement with NICOR Gas
Press Release Source: Nicor Gas
IBEW Ratifies New Five-Year Agreement with Nicor Gas
Wednesday April 7, 6:04 pm ET
NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2004--Nicor Gas today announced that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 19 today ratified a new five-year agreement with the company. The contract covers the period from March 1, 2004 through February 28, 2009. IBEW Local 19 represents Nicor Gas physical and clerical bargaining units, which total about 1,600 employees.
Key components of the new agreement include wage increases of 3.5% in the first two years, and 3.25% in the following three years; increases in the pension plan and retirement growth account; changes in health care and life insurance benefits.
"IBEW has represented Nicor Gas bargaining employees throughout the company's 50- year history," said Jeff Kenyon, president of IBEW Local 19. "This contract provides not only wage and benefit increases, the five-year term - the longest we have ever had - offers an excellent level of stability for our workers."
"We're pleased with the results of the contract negotiations process and look forward to a continued positive working relationship with the leadership of Local 19," said Claudia Colalillo, senior vice president of human resources and customer care for Nicor Gas.
Nicor Gas is one the nation's largest gas distribution companies. Owned by Nicor Inc. (NYSE:GAS - News) a holding company, Nicor Gas has provided safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas services for 50 years. The Company serves two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit the Nicor Web site at www.nicorgas.com.
IBEW Ratifies New Five-Year Agreement with Nicor Gas
Wednesday April 7, 6:04 pm ET
NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2004--Nicor Gas today announced that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 19 today ratified a new five-year agreement with the company. The contract covers the period from March 1, 2004 through February 28, 2009. IBEW Local 19 represents Nicor Gas physical and clerical bargaining units, which total about 1,600 employees.
Key components of the new agreement include wage increases of 3.5% in the first two years, and 3.25% in the following three years; increases in the pension plan and retirement growth account; changes in health care and life insurance benefits.
"IBEW has represented Nicor Gas bargaining employees throughout the company's 50- year history," said Jeff Kenyon, president of IBEW Local 19. "This contract provides not only wage and benefit increases, the five-year term - the longest we have ever had - offers an excellent level of stability for our workers."
"We're pleased with the results of the contract negotiations process and look forward to a continued positive working relationship with the leadership of Local 19," said Claudia Colalillo, senior vice president of human resources and customer care for Nicor Gas.
Nicor Gas is one the nation's largest gas distribution companies. Owned by Nicor Inc. (NYSE:GAS - News) a holding company, Nicor Gas has provided safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas services for 50 years. The Company serves two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit the Nicor Web site at www.nicorgas.com.
local 50 Confronts Excessive Executive Pay
Shareholder Coalition Promotes Executive Pay Reform at Dominion Resources
Wednesday April 7, 2:47 pm ET
WASHINGTON, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A shareholder coalition including the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 50 announced today a campaign to promote an executive compensation reform proposal at the annual meeting of Dominion Resources, scheduled for April 23, 2004 in Cleveland. Details about the reform proposal are available at www.ReformDominionNow.org.
The proposal -- a bylaws amendment requiring shareholder approval before Dominion could pay executives more than the IRS deductibility limits -- comes on the heels of management's disclosure that it boosted top executives' pay dramatically in 2003 despite declining corporate performance. The total compensation package for Dominion CEO Thomas Capps, for example, jumped 160% to more than $7.2 million, even though the Company's net income fell by nearly 80% during the year.
"The outrageous compensation that Dominion has lavished on top executives destroys any notion that executive pay at this Company is linked to corporate performance," observed UWUA Vice President Jerry Waters. "This year Dominion shareholders have an opportunity to rein in runaway executive compensation by voting for our reform proposal."
The Internal Revenue Code generally permits companies to deduct no more than $1 million of an executive's annual compensation, not including "performance-based" pay such as incentive bonuses or stock options. The shareholder proposal, however, would also require Dominion to disclose the specific performance goals for such plans.
At Dominion, for example, management's proxy discloses only that 2003 annual incentive bonuses for top executives were based on broad criteria such as "operating earnings" or "operating and stewardship goals." The Company's directors approved a 100% payout of Capps' $1.4 million bonus for 2003, even though income before taxes declined by 24%, and net income fell even more sharply to $1.00 per share from $4.85 the previous year.
"Unless management is required to disclose the specific goals for these so-called 'performance' compensation schemes, it is impossible for shareholders to determine if these plans genuinely measure executive performance," stated Jack Wells, President of IBEW Local 50.
Dominion was required to submit the resolution to shareholders after the SEC Division of Corporation Finance rejected management's bid to omit it from the Company's proxy statement. Members of the Reform Dominion Now Coalition are urging shareholders to vote for the proposal on item 3 of management's proxy, and make no proxy solicitation of their own.
The Coalition includes the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents approximately 2,700 Dominion employees in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and IBEW Local 50, which represents 3,000 Dominion employees in Virginia. Many UWUA and IBEW Local 50 members at the Company are also Dominion shareholders.
---------------------------------------------------
Wednesday April 7, 2:47 pm ET
WASHINGTON, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A shareholder coalition including the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 50 announced today a campaign to promote an executive compensation reform proposal at the annual meeting of Dominion Resources, scheduled for April 23, 2004 in Cleveland. Details about the reform proposal are available at www.ReformDominionNow.org.
The proposal -- a bylaws amendment requiring shareholder approval before Dominion could pay executives more than the IRS deductibility limits -- comes on the heels of management's disclosure that it boosted top executives' pay dramatically in 2003 despite declining corporate performance. The total compensation package for Dominion CEO Thomas Capps, for example, jumped 160% to more than $7.2 million, even though the Company's net income fell by nearly 80% during the year.
"The outrageous compensation that Dominion has lavished on top executives destroys any notion that executive pay at this Company is linked to corporate performance," observed UWUA Vice President Jerry Waters. "This year Dominion shareholders have an opportunity to rein in runaway executive compensation by voting for our reform proposal."
The Internal Revenue Code generally permits companies to deduct no more than $1 million of an executive's annual compensation, not including "performance-based" pay such as incentive bonuses or stock options. The shareholder proposal, however, would also require Dominion to disclose the specific performance goals for such plans.
At Dominion, for example, management's proxy discloses only that 2003 annual incentive bonuses for top executives were based on broad criteria such as "operating earnings" or "operating and stewardship goals." The Company's directors approved a 100% payout of Capps' $1.4 million bonus for 2003, even though income before taxes declined by 24%, and net income fell even more sharply to $1.00 per share from $4.85 the previous year.
"Unless management is required to disclose the specific goals for these so-called 'performance' compensation schemes, it is impossible for shareholders to determine if these plans genuinely measure executive performance," stated Jack Wells, President of IBEW Local 50.
Dominion was required to submit the resolution to shareholders after the SEC Division of Corporation Finance rejected management's bid to omit it from the Company's proxy statement. Members of the Reform Dominion Now Coalition are urging shareholders to vote for the proposal on item 3 of management's proxy, and make no proxy solicitation of their own.
The Coalition includes the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents approximately 2,700 Dominion employees in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and IBEW Local 50, which represents 3,000 Dominion employees in Virginia. Many UWUA and IBEW Local 50 members at the Company are also Dominion shareholders.
---------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Thursday Night Jazz at the Black Workers Pub
Thursday Night Jazz at the Black Workers Pub
Presented by
The Black Telephone Workers for Justice
Now that we have come down from the performance by the Bradford Hayes Quartet at our last program, we continue the magic. We are absolutely ecstatic to be able to bring one of the world’s premier trombonists to the “Black Workers Pub.” On Thursday, April 8, 2004, get ready for an incredible performance by “Steve Turre” and his group.
Many of you may have seen Turre on “Saturday Night Live,” as he is the trombonist in the “SNL” band. But Turre is an accomplished musician, innovator, composer, arranger and band leader in his own right.
Turre was born to Mexican American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz. While attending Sacramento State University, he joined the “Escovedo Brothers Salsa Band,” which began his career in that musical idiom. His career really picked up when, in 1972, Ray Charles hired him to go on tour. A year later Turre’s mentor Woody Shaw brought him into Art Blakey’s “Jazz Messengers.” As many of you know, the “Jazz Messengers” was a “university of jazz” in which many young musicians learned the craft under the guidance of the great Art Blakey. The rest is history! Steve Turre played with Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Max Roach, Rahsann Roland Kirk and many others. It was Rahsann that introduced him to playing sea and conch shells. One foot in the past and one foot in the future, is how Turre’s musical style and approach can be described.
We say this about everyone that comes to play at the BWP, but we especially emphasize it for this next performance: DO NOT MISS THIS GIG! Steve is bringing the world renowned cellist, his wife, Akua Dixon with him. (Akua says that she has a special down home dirty blues that she is going to do for us!) On bass will be the great Kenny Davis. Both Akua and Kenny have played at the Pub before, and Kenny brings his own group to the Pub on May 13th. On percussion will be Abdou Mboup. On drums will be Dionne Parsons, and on keyboard, Xavier Davis. It’s going to be live!
The BWP is located at 883 Sanford Avenue, Irvington, NJ. There will be two sets: 8:30-9:30 and 10-11pm. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Drinks are available at the bar and Shawn will be selling his slammin’ dinners and desserts. For information and reservations, call 201 320 8689 or email blacktel4justice@aol.com. Please help get the word out about the best Thursday nights in NJ. Pass the flyer out on your job, school or neighborhood.
Fight Male Supremacy! Stop the Violence Against Women!
End the Illegal Occupation of Iraq! Arrest Bush for War Crimes!
Money for Reparations, Not for War!
Justice in Our Lifetime!
April 22………………………………….Lenny Roberts/ Freddie Hendrix
May 13…………………………………..Kenny Davis
May 27…………………………………..Salim Washington
“BRINGING THE MUSIC BACK HOME”
Presented by
The Black Telephone Workers for Justice
Now that we have come down from the performance by the Bradford Hayes Quartet at our last program, we continue the magic. We are absolutely ecstatic to be able to bring one of the world’s premier trombonists to the “Black Workers Pub.” On Thursday, April 8, 2004, get ready for an incredible performance by “Steve Turre” and his group.
Many of you may have seen Turre on “Saturday Night Live,” as he is the trombonist in the “SNL” band. But Turre is an accomplished musician, innovator, composer, arranger and band leader in his own right.
Turre was born to Mexican American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz. While attending Sacramento State University, he joined the “Escovedo Brothers Salsa Band,” which began his career in that musical idiom. His career really picked up when, in 1972, Ray Charles hired him to go on tour. A year later Turre’s mentor Woody Shaw brought him into Art Blakey’s “Jazz Messengers.” As many of you know, the “Jazz Messengers” was a “university of jazz” in which many young musicians learned the craft under the guidance of the great Art Blakey. The rest is history! Steve Turre played with Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Max Roach, Rahsann Roland Kirk and many others. It was Rahsann that introduced him to playing sea and conch shells. One foot in the past and one foot in the future, is how Turre’s musical style and approach can be described.
We say this about everyone that comes to play at the BWP, but we especially emphasize it for this next performance: DO NOT MISS THIS GIG! Steve is bringing the world renowned cellist, his wife, Akua Dixon with him. (Akua says that she has a special down home dirty blues that she is going to do for us!) On bass will be the great Kenny Davis. Both Akua and Kenny have played at the Pub before, and Kenny brings his own group to the Pub on May 13th. On percussion will be Abdou Mboup. On drums will be Dionne Parsons, and on keyboard, Xavier Davis. It’s going to be live!
The BWP is located at 883 Sanford Avenue, Irvington, NJ. There will be two sets: 8:30-9:30 and 10-11pm. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Drinks are available at the bar and Shawn will be selling his slammin’ dinners and desserts. For information and reservations, call 201 320 8689 or email blacktel4justice@aol.com. Please help get the word out about the best Thursday nights in NJ. Pass the flyer out on your job, school or neighborhood.
Fight Male Supremacy! Stop the Violence Against Women!
End the Illegal Occupation of Iraq! Arrest Bush for War Crimes!
Money for Reparations, Not for War!
Justice in Our Lifetime!
April 22………………………………….Lenny Roberts/ Freddie Hendrix
May 13…………………………………..Kenny Davis
May 27…………………………………..Salim Washington
“BRINGING THE MUSIC BACK HOME”
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Punkvoter.com Joins with Oregon Bus Project, Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network, Lane County Labor Council to Increase Youth Awareness, Activism
Punkvoter.com Joins with Oregon Bus Project, Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network, Lane County Labor Council to Increase Youth Awareness, Activism
Tue Mar 30, 1:33 PM ET
To: Metro and Assignment Desks
Contact: Jennifer Yocom of the Oregon Bus Project, 503-233-3018 or 610-764-8418, Dan Isaacson of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network, 541-870-2591, or Scott Goodstein of Punkvoter.com, 202-518-8332
WASHINGTON, March 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement released today by Punkvoter.com on youth awareness and activism:
With so few people participating in our government today it is very easy for a few punk kids to organize and make their voices heard! Oregon Bus project will be talking with kids, signing up volunteers, registering voters and talking with the press about how important it is to take action this year nationally and get involved locally as well. Musicians will be on hand to encourage their fans in this critical year to get involved.
Today, March 30:
-- 4 p.m. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Avenue, Portland
-- 8 p.m. Rock Against Bush Concert
Tomorrow, March 31:
-- 3 p.m. EMU Amphitheater, University of Oregon
-- 8 p.m. Rock Against Bush Concert, McDonald Theater
The Oregon jobless rate remains the second highest in the country. The unemployment rate for January increased to 7.7 percent and the number of mass layoffs has increased over last year. Oregon had seventy companies layoff 50 or more workers! While unemployment rates very from month to month, the youth unemployment rate has maintained an almost double rate of the national unemployment rate... And Does Dubya help this college town out?.... Nah, he slashes funding for Pell Grants to make it even more challenging!
"We are proud to be working with Punkvoter.com. They are one more example of folks that never wanted to be political lining up this year," Dan Isaacson of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network stated. He continued, "This is part of a growing movement of people standing up and joining forces because of how bad things have gotten for our working families! Together, we are letting this Administration know that something must be done to bring real jobs back to our country!"
"Young people are feeling it: tuition rates, college loans and now no jobs. We've got the energy to build a better society together and organizations like punkvoter.com are giving voice to a movement that will change this country - from local, to state, to national youth involvement -- the time is now," said Jennifer Yocom, director of the Oregon Bus Project.
About the Organizations:
Punkvoter.com is sponsoring bands to speak out and ignite youth participation and take direct action thought the United States. Bands on this first Rock Against Bush tour include NOFX, Alkaline Trio, Authority Zero, and Jello Biafra. The Oregon Bus Project is a volunteer driven, grassroots 501(c)(4) whose mission is to engage citizens in the political process, educate Oregonians about pressing legislative issues in Oregon and beyond, and elect progressive candidates to the Oregon legislature. The Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network is a coalition of progressive organizations and labor union activists in Lane County, Oregon.
These organizations will be handing out educational pamphlets and Robert Greenwald Production's movie Uncovered to those that sign up to volunteer.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
Tue Mar 30, 1:33 PM ET
To: Metro and Assignment Desks
Contact: Jennifer Yocom of the Oregon Bus Project, 503-233-3018 or 610-764-8418, Dan Isaacson of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network, 541-870-2591, or Scott Goodstein of Punkvoter.com, 202-518-8332
WASHINGTON, March 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement released today by Punkvoter.com on youth awareness and activism:
With so few people participating in our government today it is very easy for a few punk kids to organize and make their voices heard! Oregon Bus project will be talking with kids, signing up volunteers, registering voters and talking with the press about how important it is to take action this year nationally and get involved locally as well. Musicians will be on hand to encourage their fans in this critical year to get involved.
Today, March 30:
-- 4 p.m. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Avenue, Portland
-- 8 p.m. Rock Against Bush Concert
Tomorrow, March 31:
-- 3 p.m. EMU Amphitheater, University of Oregon
-- 8 p.m. Rock Against Bush Concert, McDonald Theater
The Oregon jobless rate remains the second highest in the country. The unemployment rate for January increased to 7.7 percent and the number of mass layoffs has increased over last year. Oregon had seventy companies layoff 50 or more workers! While unemployment rates very from month to month, the youth unemployment rate has maintained an almost double rate of the national unemployment rate... And Does Dubya help this college town out?.... Nah, he slashes funding for Pell Grants to make it even more challenging!
"We are proud to be working with Punkvoter.com. They are one more example of folks that never wanted to be political lining up this year," Dan Isaacson of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network stated. He continued, "This is part of a growing movement of people standing up and joining forces because of how bad things have gotten for our working families! Together, we are letting this Administration know that something must be done to bring real jobs back to our country!"
"Young people are feeling it: tuition rates, college loans and now no jobs. We've got the energy to build a better society together and organizations like punkvoter.com are giving voice to a movement that will change this country - from local, to state, to national youth involvement -- the time is now," said Jennifer Yocom, director of the Oregon Bus Project.
About the Organizations:
Punkvoter.com is sponsoring bands to speak out and ignite youth participation and take direct action thought the United States. Bands on this first Rock Against Bush tour include NOFX, Alkaline Trio, Authority Zero, and Jello Biafra. The Oregon Bus Project is a volunteer driven, grassroots 501(c)(4) whose mission is to engage citizens in the political process, educate Oregonians about pressing legislative issues in Oregon and beyond, and elect progressive candidates to the Oregon legislature. The Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network is a coalition of progressive organizations and labor union activists in Lane County, Oregon.
These organizations will be handing out educational pamphlets and Robert Greenwald Production's movie Uncovered to those that sign up to volunteer.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
APPRENTICESHIP INVESTIGATION OF ABC URGED
APPRENTICESHIP INVESTIGATION—An AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department study has prompted two U.S. senators to call for an investigation of apprenticeship programs run by the employers’ group Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) . The study uncovered failures in the standards and completion rates of the nonunion apprenticeship programs, with some recording four times as many cancellations or dropouts as graduations. Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) last week asked the federal General Accounting Office to investigate the ABC apprenticeship programs’ performance. The U.S. Labor Department registers and monitors the apprenticeship programs. For more information, visit www.bctd.org.
" We Survive Together or Not at All "
" We Survive Together or Not at All "
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