First Wis. Recall Petition Will Be Filed Today
This is the first of 19 active recall efforts registered between Feb. 24 and March 2 against 16 senators. The filing comes just before the halfway point in the 60-day window the recall committee has to gather signatures in the district.
The state Democratic Party provided infrastructure support but "not a single paid canvasser was needed to trigger the recall versus Dan Kapanke," said party spokesman Graeme Zielinski, who credited volunteers for collecting more than 20,000 signatures in less than 30 days.
"It took on a life of its own," said Pat Scheller, who filed the original paperwork to launch the recall effort. Scheller is a banker and is not a member of any party.
The state Government Accountability Board could order an election on the sixth Tuesday after determining the petition is in order. If there is more than one challenger, that election would be a primary followed by a general election four weeks later.
Democrats need three additional senate seats to gain a majority. Kapanke is one of three targeted Republicans who won the last election with less than 52 percent of the votes.
AFL-CIO Now Blog, Fri Apr 1 2011
New Hampshire protests union-busting, punitive budget
Remember that New Hampshire is small-just 1.3 million people in 2009. A protest of 5,000 people is massive given the size of the state; in fact, the partisan Republican Union Leader said it was:
the largest at the State House in several decades, rivaling rallies against Seabrook and for former President Ronald Reagan -- included former lawmakers, clergy, law enforcement and emergency responders, social service providers and their clients, organized labor, arts organizations and artists, and activists from about 140 state organizations.
The bill has drawn opposition that's both deep and broad. A Concord Monitor editorial says:
Today, the New Hampshire House will vote on a budget so heartless in its approach to the poor, the disabled and the mentally ill as to be immoral. Should it become law, New Hampshire will be a different state, one that under the guise of "personal responsibility" replaces the social compact with the survival of the fittest.
The budget was crafted by the House Finance Committee, which took a hard-hearted budget submitted by Gov. John Lynch and, with a few notable exceptions, made it much worse. Both budgets are built on the premise that the state must live within its means. But both Lynch, a Democrat, and the House Republicans artificially cap those means to justify the abnegation of state responsibilities.
And the Nashua Telegraph:
We're not sure what we find more disturbing: That House Republican leaders want to take a jackhammer to the state's collective bargaining laws or that they chose to do so through a 70-word amendment in a 146-page budget trailer bill, rather than through separate legislation that would have been subject to its own public hearing and up-or-down vote.
At the rally, former Republican state representative Liz Hager spoke and:
drew a cheer when she said the state budget must protect vulnerable citizens and acknowledge basic roles of government.
"We are here to say the Senate must start over," Hager said
Fat chance of that, but New Hampshire has a chance to hold off the worst: Gov. John Lynch can veto, and a strong enough show of opposition (this should help) could stave off an override.
Daily KOS, Fri Apr 1 2011
Byline: Laura Clawson
Workers Occupy Legislature After Bill to Ban Replacement Workers Defeated
Queen's Park - Union members and their supporters are refusing to leave the legislature following the Ontario government's defeat of legislation to ban the use of replacement workers during strikes and lockouts.
The workers and their supporters say they won't leave until they can meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"Dalton McGuinty's failure to ensure second-reading passage of Bill 45 means lengthy labour disputes in this province are doomed to continue as companies refuse to negotiate and continue to operate by using contracted replacement workers," says United Steelworkers' Ontario Director Wayne Fraser, who is leading the sit-in at Queen's Park.
Bill 45, sponsored by MPP France Gélinas (NDP Nickel Belt), would ban the growing practice of hiring replacement workers to avoid collective bargaining.
"The very nature of labour relations is altered by this well-planned and financed practice, and workers and communities suffer as a result," said Fraser. He pointed to the year-long strike against Brazilian mining giant Vale and several multi-year disputes in Toronto, Nanticoke and Brantford, to name a few.
"McGuinty is saying to all of Ontario that workers' right to free and fair collective bargaining is no longer valid. He has set the stage for a Wisconsin-style attack against every unionized worker in Ontario. He needs to tell us why he has chosen insecurity over community-building, and therefore what is he prepared to do to solve these terrible and unnecessary strikes and lockouts.
Fraser said McGuinty is lying when he says his government has restored balance and fairness to Ontario labour relations.
"That is an absolute load of crap," said Fraser. "The truth is that current public policy does not protect citizens, and the state of labour relations in this province has instead forced people into bankruptcy, prompted family breakdown and worse.
"That is why we will not leave this place until there is an obvious and stated commitment to do the right thing."
- 30 -
Contacts:
Wayne Fraser, USW, 416-577-4045;
Pat Van Horne, USW, 613-859-1763.
usw.ca, Fri Mar 31 2011
Workers Occupy Legislature After Bill to Ban Replacement Workers Defeated
The workers and their supporters say they won't leave until they can meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"Dalton McGuinty's failure to ensure second-reading passage of Bill 45 means lengthy labour disputes in this province are doomed to continue as companies refuse to negotiate and continue to operate by using contracted replacement workers," says United Steelworkers' Ontario Director Wayne Fraser, who is leading the sit-in at Queen's Park.
Bill 45, sponsored by MPP France Gélinas (NDP Nickel Belt), would ban the growing practice of hiring replacement workers to avoid collective bargaining.
"The very nature of labour relations is altered by this well-planned and financed practice, and workers and communities suffer as a result," said Fraser. He pointed to the year-long strike against Brazilian mining giant Vale and several multi-year disputes in Toronto, Nanticoke and Brantford, to name a few.
"McGuinty is saying to all of Ontario that workers' right to free and fair collective bargaining is no longer valid. He has set the stage for a Wisconsin-style attack against every unionized worker in Ontario. He needs to tell us why he has chosen insecurity over community-building, and therefore what is he prepared to do to solve these terrible and unnecessary strikes and lockouts.
Fraser said McGuinty is lying when he says his government has restored balance and fairness to Ontario labour relations.
"That is an absolute load of crap," said Fraser. "The truth is that current public policy does not protect citizens, and the state of labour relations in this province has instead forced people into bankruptcy, prompted family breakdown and worse.
"That is why we will not leave this place until there is an obvious and stated commitment to do the right thing."
- 30 -
Contacts:
Wayne Fraser, USW, 416-577-4045;
Pat Van Horne, USW, 613-859-1763.
USW.ca, Thurs Mar 31 2011
Walker Administration Suspends Implementation Of Anti-Union Law, After Judge's Third Order Against It
WisPolitics reports:
Huebsch again said he believes the act was legally published and is law, but is pulling back given Judge Sumi's order this morning.
"DOA will continue to abide by the court orders, like the department has done all throughout this process," he said.
After Sumi's previous restraining orders against the Secretary of State's office publishing the law -- or the state otherwise implementing it -- state Republican leaders published it in a different state agency, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and claimed that it had now taken effect -- though the LRB itself said the law had not taken effect. Sumi released her amended temporary restraining order Thursday morning, following Huebsch's public statements that Sumi's prior two orders against publication did not apply to his department.
Late Update: The state Democratic Party has released this statement from chairman Mike Tate:
"Perhaps Judge Sumi's third court order was the charm for Scott Walker. We are pleased that Scott Walker has finally recognized that he is not above the rule of law."
talkingpointsmemo.com, Thurs Mar 31 2011
Byline: Eric Kleefeld
Gov. Walker will bow to court order, halt implementation of anti-union bill
Last week, the Walker administration stunned the nation by declaring the bill to have the force of law and announcing plans to collect additional pension contributions from state employees-despite a temporary restraining order blocking enactment of the bill. Contrary to popular belief, a bill does not become law in Wisconsin the moment the governor signs it. The legislation is only embued with the force law after it is published through the correct procedural channels.
According to the head of Wisconsin's legislative reference bureau (LRB), a bill becomes law when it is published in the state's official newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, by order of the Secretary of State. This has not yet happened. The bill was published on the LRB website, but according to the LRB, that doesn't count.
In These Times, Thurs Mar 31 2011
Byline: Lindsay Beyerstein
New Hampshire workers to rally against collective bargaining limits
"Rally for New Hampshire" is scheduled for noon at the State House Plaza.
Wednesday's vote on House Bill 2 came a day earlier than expected, catching state workers and other advocacy groups off guard.
"Speaker (William) O'Brien purposely moved up votes on the budget, and the union-busting amendment in particular, because he was afraid to face the wrath of thousands of New Hampshire voters who will be on the State House steps ... in vast disapproval of the extreme agenda of the House leadership," said Diana Lacey, president of the State Employees Association.
NH Cares, a statewide network of health and human service providers, trumpeted the rally on its website: "Let's make our voices heard. We care! We count! We matter!"
Anticipating a large crowd, the group provided advice on parking, planning and themes for protesters to stick to if they wanted to make signs or posters.
"People above Politics," "NH Can Do Better," and "Lean, Not Mean" are offered as themes for the rally.
Some organizers say they expect up to 5,000 people to attend.
"Anytime people's human rights are being taken away, people tend to stand up and say no," Bill McQuillen, Portsmouth firefighter, told CNN affiliate WMUR.
Passage of the bill would limit the ability of labor unions representing state workers to collectively bargain on issues like wages, hours, working conditions and benefits.
While the vote has roiled state workers from teachers to firefighters, House Republicans who back the bill say they have their supporters too.
"If you look at my emails, I've got 8-to-1 ... in support of what we're doing here to protect the taxpayers," said Rep. Al Baldasaro from Londonderry, according to WMUR.
Similar efforts by legislatures to change collective bargaining laws in Wisconsin and Ohio have ignited passionate responses. The states' governor and Republican lawmakers have said the changes were needed as they grapple to limit spending.
Demonstrators occupied the Wisconsin capitol building for weeks before the legislature passed a law that curbs the collective bargaining rights of most state employees. A Wisconsin judge has put the law on hold.
On Wednesday, the Ohio state legislature passed its own legislation that would limit collective bargaining rights by barring Ohio's public employees from striking. The bill is now bound for Ohio Gov. John Kasich's desk to be signed into law, possibly this week.
Kasich has argued that Ohio Senate Bill 5 is crucial to closing an $8 billion budget shortfall and bringing public-sector benefits in line with those in the private sector.
CNN U.S., Thurs Mar 31 2011
Byline: Ed Payne
Conservatives accused of hypocrisy in dealing with immigrants: Policies prove they are no friends to new Canadians or foreign workers
"Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has made a very public attempt to court immigrant votes in the coming federal election," says Duncan, the NDP's candidate for Edmonton-Strathcona. "However, his actions speak louder than words. The truth is that Conservatives want to cut real immigration to Canada, while relying more on migrant labour to meet Canada's needs for workers."
Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said a new rule in the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program that comes into effect April 1 is proof that the Conservatives want to prevent workers from settling in Canada.
"The ‘four-years-and-you're-out' rule will make it almost impossible for low-skilled temporary workers to even consider becoming citizens," says McGowan. The new regulation imposes a four-year cumulative limit on temporary foreign workers. This means that after they work a four-year term, they will be expelled from Canada and will have to wait four years before becoming eligible to again work here temporarily.
"The Conservatives say they are the party for immigrants, but reports last month showed the government was considering a 20-per-cent cut to immigration targets for skilled-worker category and a 25-per-cent cut to the family reunification category. In January, the government cut $53 million in funding for immigrant-settlement agencies. It's pure hypocrisy," says McGowan.
"Rather than welcome immigrants to Canada as permanent and contributing members to our communities, the government wants to rely on temporary migrant workers from overseas. These people work here, pay taxes here and contribute to our communities, but they have no hope of putting down roots and no hope of becoming citizens. We need to be clear on this - temporary foreign workers are not immigrants, they do not get to stay, they do not get to be with their families, they are condemned to second-class lives in the countries where they work," says Duncan.
The TFW program is rife with abuse, according to McGowan. Workers are charged thousands of dollars in illegal fees, often live in homes owned by employers or agencies who charge outrageous rents, are told to work long hours while being denied fair rates of pay - but are afraid to complain because their employer can lay them off and have them deported.
"The Tories would rather have temporary workers solve the nation's labour problems, even though it will undoubtedly mean more workers being abused and will push wages down for all Canadian workers," says McGowan.
-30-
Contact: Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)
Wis. Judge Says Anti-Worker Law Still Blocked
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi said the actions of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his cronies put them "in peril of sanctions" and served to "jeopardize stability of [the] state." Sumi ruled that the temporary restraining order is still in effect and barred any and all implementation of the bill harming Wisconsin families.
The court room was full of twist and turns as Secretary of State Doug La Follette was given the right to independent counsel and it was revealed that the Legislative Reference Bureau was pressured into publishing the law by Sen. Fitzgerald. Testimony will resume Friday when the hearing is scheduled to conclude.
"Gov. Walker seems to think he's a dictator who can ignore the laws of Wisconsin or trample of the rights of our workers in pursuit of his extreme overreach for absolute power," said Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. "By attempting to unilaterally publish a bill and implement it as law in the face of a court order to the contrary shows Walker and his cronies completely unfit to govern the state of Wisconsin."
La Follette explained the situation in detail last night on "The Rachel Maddow Show." Watch it.
AFL-CIO Now Blog, Wed Mar 30 2011
Byline: Tula Connell
Wisconsin Judge Halts Further Implementation Of Union Law
Republican lawmakers pushed through passage of the law earlier this month despite massive protests that drew up to 85,000 people to the state Capitol and a boycott by Democratic state senators. Opponents immediately filed a series of lawsuits that resulted in further chaos that might not end until the state Supreme Court weighs in.
That appeared even more likely after a hearing on Tuesday, when a Dane County judge again ordered the state to put the law on hold while she considers a broader challenge to its legality. She chastised state officials for ignoring her earlier order to halt the law's publication.
"Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was the further implementation of (the law) was enjoined," Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said during a hearing. "That is what I now want to make crystal clear."
Sumi is set to hear additional arguments Friday on the larger question of whether GOP legislative leaders violated the state's open meetings law during debate on the measure. She also is considering Republican claims that the law technically took effect last weekend after a state agency unexpectedly published it online.
Whether she decides it did or didn't become law on Saturday, the measure's legitimacy will likely be decided by the state Supreme Court, which is already considering whether to take up an appeals court's request to hear the case.
The back and forth amplified the often angry debate between new Gov. Scott Walker, his Republican allies in the Legislature and the state's public sector unions.
Walker and the GOP have aggressively pushed forward their effort to remove the bargaining rights of state workers, using a surprise parliamentary maneuver to break a weeks-long stalemate to get it passed and then finding another route to publish the law after Sumi's order blocked the secretary of state from doing so.
State Department of Justice spokesman Steve Means said the agency continues to believe the law was properly published and is in effect.
Huffington Post, Tues Mar 29 2011
Byline: Todd Richmond