RedTrackWorker
16th July 2011, 19:19
Do people have more information on any of this? I'm not up on San Francisco labor issues to judge what exactly is going on.
SFLC Tops Attack Oil Extraction Tax To Fund Education, Support Concession Bargaining And Push Clampdown On Democratic Rights At Council
7/12/2011
by Steve Zeltzer [email protected]
San Francisco Executive Director Tim Paulson and SFLC Executive Board Member and Socialist Organizer Chair Alan Benjamin attacked the Oil Extraction Tax initiative at the SFLC Executive Board meeting and the San Francisco Labor Council July 11, 2011 meeting. The Labor Council which had previously unanimously endorsed the initiative has now come under pressure from the Democratic party and top state union officials not to support the initiative because according to them "labor needs to wait until November 2012."
In a letter to the SFLC Executive Board members Paulson attacked the initiative. He said it was a "hastily written proposition to tax oil for certain education earmarks that teachers' unions have told me is divisive and don't support." AFT 2121 which also represents teachers at San Francisco Community College and is on the council has also endorsed the initiative. Paulson also refused to allow the initiative author Peter Mathews from speaking at the previous meeting and taking questions about it from the delegates. The efforts to silence Mathews was a calculated move to prevent the delegates from getting a first hand report on the initiative since it is being opposed by the leadership of the State Democratic Party. Paulson is also the chair of the Labor Caucus of the Democratic Party and has sought to shield Democrats including former House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi from any criticism.
Oppose Initiative Because Of Set-Aside
This was followed up at the 7/11 SFLC meeting by Benjamin who argued that the initiative was wrong because it was a set-aside to education and that it would not get on the ballot anyway in November since there was not going to be an election in California. Benjamin also said that what was needed was to get all the unions together to fight for a progressive taxation initiative and this would mean that the labor movement would have to wait for the November 2012 election. This in fact was later challenged by Paulson who said the right wing would be getting another anti-labor initiative "son of Prop 226 regarding paycheck deception" on the November 2011 ballot and there would be an election in November which would again put labor on the defensive.
At a previous San Francisco Labor Council educational conference on "progressive taxation" guest speaker Lenny Goldberg had argued that Governor Jerry Brown did not want to attack big oil because they have a lot of money which they would throw against any revenue ballot initiatives and that was something some thing that they did not want to happen.
http://blip.tv/file/4646092
In fact, the regressive tax initiatives being pushed by Jerry Brown and the Democrats in the legislature could not even get on the ballot and the top unions in California have refused to support any tax initiative on big business and the oil companies to take to the people this November.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_1844741
Even Josh Pechthalt, the newly elected president of the California Federation of Teachers CFT and an open member of "Solidarity" has refused to back the oil depletion tax initiative despite the fact that 200,000 students from the Community Colleges will be unable to attend college due to massive fee increases.
The same union spent $750,000 to put a Democratic Party John Burton initiative on the ballot to allow a majority vote for a budget, but keeping the 2/3 requirement to raise taxes.
At the SF Labor Council meeting, this argument was also defended by Benjamin who said that the unions should not put initiatives on the ballot against the oil companies now because they would face a lot of opposition from the oil companies unless they were united.
Clamp Down On Dissent
This also takes place as the SFLC Executive Board is seeking to clamp down on any rank and file opposition to concession bargaining. Angry SF TWU 250 A Muni drivers and SF City painters have come to past meetings and protested the role of Tim Paulson and Bob Muscat, chair of the Public Employees Committee PEC in pushing concessions and attacking Muni drivers for opposing major concession. Muscat who is also the Executive Director of IFPTE Local 21 attacked the TWU 250 A membership for rejecting concession contracts pushed by former Mayor Gavin Newsom and his appointed replacement Mayor Ed Lee.
"Mayor Gavin Newsom and SFMTA chief Nathaniel Ford have called for the union to recast votes on the savings package. However, it seems that union members’ minds are made up, said Bob Muscat, chair of the Public Employee Committee, which was at the bargaining table.
"It’s hard to give up, but I think the time has come," he said. "Personally, I don’t have any energy left to try [to reach a deal] again."
It was the second time Newsom failed to push through a concessions deal that would save service. In February, the union’s rank-and-file rejected a $14 million package."
http://dev.www.sfexaminer.com/local/Muni-service-cuts-appear-to-be-staying-put-96354194.html
SFLC Executive Director Paulson has also pushed the TWU 250 A transit operators to make concessions acting as an agent for former Mayor Newsom.
"The outcome was closely watched by city officials and labor leaders inside and outside the transport union, the only public employees union in San Francisco that has spurned the city's requests for givebacks, wage freezes and other measures to help close gaping budget deficits.
"I am mightily proud of every union in San Francisco that has engaged in that effort," said Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council.
Paulson said he had hoped Local 250-A's rank and file would have supported its union leadership and approved the contract. Now, he said, the Labor Council will have to assess what happened, but it will stand with the operators through the arbitration process."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/09/MN921JRH2Q.DTL
Not one member of the SFLC Executive Committee questioned the concession bargaining agenda of PEC chair Muscat and defended the rank and file workers protesting the attacks on them for opposing concessions.
Public employee delegates are also angry about acceptance by Paulson, Muscat and the leadership of SEIU 1021 including VP Larry Bradshaw and newly elected SFLC Executive Board member and SEIU 1021 member Marie Guillen of a Sean Elsbernd written ballot initiative that will eliminate healthcare benefits for retirees by giving management more power and introduce major take-aways for new employees in their pensions and benefits. This also has been touted as a “consensus” ballot initiative to reform SF City workers pensions and healthcare benefits by the Paulson and Muscat. At the meeting on 7/11/2011 Muscat said that that SEIU 1021 Vice President Larry Bradshaw was also in agreement with this initiative but wanted to see some minor changes. All the city worker retiree groups are opposed to these concessions and as one said they have been "rolled under the bus" by the unions.
"We have been rolled under the Bus"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlzuba3rtYM
New Clamp Down Rules Pushed By SFLC Leadership
Angry about protests from rank and file unionists and delegates about concession bargaining and give backs on city pensions and healthcare benefits at the meetings, the SFLC leadership including President Mike Casey who is also president of Unite Here Local 2 have also pushed for new rules limiting the rights of guests and even delegates to debate and discuss issues facing the council.
They proposed new SF Labor Council gag "rules" which put major obstacles for rank and file delegates from speaking. It limits “good of the council” reports to 2 minutes and places a priority for resolutions with international resolutions in the number 2 priority. "The ordering of resolutions under new business as follows: 1) local and state resolutions; 2) national & international resolutions."
Additionally “International resolutions shall be submitted to the Executive Director by 5 PM the Wednesday before the delegates meeting.”
These rules were also supported and pushed by SFLC Executive Board member Alan Benjamin. Benjamin, a delegate appointed by SFLC Vice President Connie Ford of OPEIU 3 spoke in favor of the motion saying "he thinks it is a fair requirement and it is only to give people more information and time to understand the issues, which is a good thing" These same rules were used as well to prevent Mathews from speaking at the previous meeting and also at the July 11, 2011 meeting a resolution was stopped that called for action in support of the fired Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas workers who were fighting for support and against the privatization of the electrical system.
SFLC delegates are beginning to have serious questions not only on the newly imposed repressive rules but the political agenda of the SFLC leadership.
SFLC Tops Attack Oil Extraction Tax To Fund Education, Support Concession Bargaining And Push Clampdown On Democratic Rights At Council
7/12/2011
by Steve Zeltzer [email protected]
San Francisco Executive Director Tim Paulson and SFLC Executive Board Member and Socialist Organizer Chair Alan Benjamin attacked the Oil Extraction Tax initiative at the SFLC Executive Board meeting and the San Francisco Labor Council July 11, 2011 meeting. The Labor Council which had previously unanimously endorsed the initiative has now come under pressure from the Democratic party and top state union officials not to support the initiative because according to them "labor needs to wait until November 2012."
In a letter to the SFLC Executive Board members Paulson attacked the initiative. He said it was a "hastily written proposition to tax oil for certain education earmarks that teachers' unions have told me is divisive and don't support." AFT 2121 which also represents teachers at San Francisco Community College and is on the council has also endorsed the initiative. Paulson also refused to allow the initiative author Peter Mathews from speaking at the previous meeting and taking questions about it from the delegates. The efforts to silence Mathews was a calculated move to prevent the delegates from getting a first hand report on the initiative since it is being opposed by the leadership of the State Democratic Party. Paulson is also the chair of the Labor Caucus of the Democratic Party and has sought to shield Democrats including former House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi from any criticism.
Oppose Initiative Because Of Set-Aside
This was followed up at the 7/11 SFLC meeting by Benjamin who argued that the initiative was wrong because it was a set-aside to education and that it would not get on the ballot anyway in November since there was not going to be an election in California. Benjamin also said that what was needed was to get all the unions together to fight for a progressive taxation initiative and this would mean that the labor movement would have to wait for the November 2012 election. This in fact was later challenged by Paulson who said the right wing would be getting another anti-labor initiative "son of Prop 226 regarding paycheck deception" on the November 2011 ballot and there would be an election in November which would again put labor on the defensive.
At a previous San Francisco Labor Council educational conference on "progressive taxation" guest speaker Lenny Goldberg had argued that Governor Jerry Brown did not want to attack big oil because they have a lot of money which they would throw against any revenue ballot initiatives and that was something some thing that they did not want to happen.
http://blip.tv/file/4646092
In fact, the regressive tax initiatives being pushed by Jerry Brown and the Democrats in the legislature could not even get on the ballot and the top unions in California have refused to support any tax initiative on big business and the oil companies to take to the people this November.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_1844741
Even Josh Pechthalt, the newly elected president of the California Federation of Teachers CFT and an open member of "Solidarity" has refused to back the oil depletion tax initiative despite the fact that 200,000 students from the Community Colleges will be unable to attend college due to massive fee increases.
The same union spent $750,000 to put a Democratic Party John Burton initiative on the ballot to allow a majority vote for a budget, but keeping the 2/3 requirement to raise taxes.
At the SF Labor Council meeting, this argument was also defended by Benjamin who said that the unions should not put initiatives on the ballot against the oil companies now because they would face a lot of opposition from the oil companies unless they were united.
Clamp Down On Dissent
This also takes place as the SFLC Executive Board is seeking to clamp down on any rank and file opposition to concession bargaining. Angry SF TWU 250 A Muni drivers and SF City painters have come to past meetings and protested the role of Tim Paulson and Bob Muscat, chair of the Public Employees Committee PEC in pushing concessions and attacking Muni drivers for opposing major concession. Muscat who is also the Executive Director of IFPTE Local 21 attacked the TWU 250 A membership for rejecting concession contracts pushed by former Mayor Gavin Newsom and his appointed replacement Mayor Ed Lee.
"Mayor Gavin Newsom and SFMTA chief Nathaniel Ford have called for the union to recast votes on the savings package. However, it seems that union members’ minds are made up, said Bob Muscat, chair of the Public Employee Committee, which was at the bargaining table.
"It’s hard to give up, but I think the time has come," he said. "Personally, I don’t have any energy left to try [to reach a deal] again."
It was the second time Newsom failed to push through a concessions deal that would save service. In February, the union’s rank-and-file rejected a $14 million package."
http://dev.www.sfexaminer.com/local/Muni-service-cuts-appear-to-be-staying-put-96354194.html
SFLC Executive Director Paulson has also pushed the TWU 250 A transit operators to make concessions acting as an agent for former Mayor Newsom.
"The outcome was closely watched by city officials and labor leaders inside and outside the transport union, the only public employees union in San Francisco that has spurned the city's requests for givebacks, wage freezes and other measures to help close gaping budget deficits.
"I am mightily proud of every union in San Francisco that has engaged in that effort," said Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council.
Paulson said he had hoped Local 250-A's rank and file would have supported its union leadership and approved the contract. Now, he said, the Labor Council will have to assess what happened, but it will stand with the operators through the arbitration process."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/09/MN921JRH2Q.DTL
Not one member of the SFLC Executive Committee questioned the concession bargaining agenda of PEC chair Muscat and defended the rank and file workers protesting the attacks on them for opposing concessions.
Public employee delegates are also angry about acceptance by Paulson, Muscat and the leadership of SEIU 1021 including VP Larry Bradshaw and newly elected SFLC Executive Board member and SEIU 1021 member Marie Guillen of a Sean Elsbernd written ballot initiative that will eliminate healthcare benefits for retirees by giving management more power and introduce major take-aways for new employees in their pensions and benefits. This also has been touted as a “consensus” ballot initiative to reform SF City workers pensions and healthcare benefits by the Paulson and Muscat. At the meeting on 7/11/2011 Muscat said that that SEIU 1021 Vice President Larry Bradshaw was also in agreement with this initiative but wanted to see some minor changes. All the city worker retiree groups are opposed to these concessions and as one said they have been "rolled under the bus" by the unions.
"We have been rolled under the Bus"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlzuba3rtYM
New Clamp Down Rules Pushed By SFLC Leadership
Angry about protests from rank and file unionists and delegates about concession bargaining and give backs on city pensions and healthcare benefits at the meetings, the SFLC leadership including President Mike Casey who is also president of Unite Here Local 2 have also pushed for new rules limiting the rights of guests and even delegates to debate and discuss issues facing the council.
They proposed new SF Labor Council gag "rules" which put major obstacles for rank and file delegates from speaking. It limits “good of the council” reports to 2 minutes and places a priority for resolutions with international resolutions in the number 2 priority. "The ordering of resolutions under new business as follows: 1) local and state resolutions; 2) national & international resolutions."
Additionally “International resolutions shall be submitted to the Executive Director by 5 PM the Wednesday before the delegates meeting.”
These rules were also supported and pushed by SFLC Executive Board member Alan Benjamin. Benjamin, a delegate appointed by SFLC Vice President Connie Ford of OPEIU 3 spoke in favor of the motion saying "he thinks it is a fair requirement and it is only to give people more information and time to understand the issues, which is a good thing" These same rules were used as well to prevent Mathews from speaking at the previous meeting and also at the July 11, 2011 meeting a resolution was stopped that called for action in support of the fired Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas workers who were fighting for support and against the privatization of the electrical system.
SFLC delegates are beginning to have serious questions not only on the newly imposed repressive rules but the political agenda of the SFLC leadership.