New Hampshire Labor News

Special Edition: CACR 12 on education funding must be defeated.

2012-02-24T11:27:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you all a very special and well run website called Defending New Hampshire Public Education. It is dedicated to perserving our public schools. Even though this blog is devoted to Labor and Unions, we share a lot of information about legislation. Many of the followers of this blog are teachers (thanks AFT-NH and NEA-NH for all you do) I thought I would share this with all of you as well.

Below is the first of hopefully many posts from our friend Bill Duncan. Even if you do not live in New Hampshire the DNHPE website has great links to other similar sites for your state. Be sure to check them out as well.

Special Edition: CACR 12 on education funding must be defeated.
by William Duncan

Everyone is tired of the education funding battle. That must be why the Governor has capitulated on CACR 12, an amendment that would take the courts out of education funding and essentially end state assistance to New Hampshire public schools.

We face critical questions at this juncture: Do we have common interests and priorities as a state? Is the the success of our children and future generations a critical priority that serves our common interests? Can our children succeed without a vibrant, reliably funded system of public education? How does a constitutional amendment affect our efforts to provide for the success of future generations?

Here's what the amendment passed by the Senate says:

In fulfillment of the provisions with respect to education set forth in Part II, Article 83, the legislature shall have full power and authority and theresponsibility to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education, to establish reasonable standards of accountability, and to mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity. Further, the legislature shall have full power and authority to determine the amount of, and the method of raising and distributing, state funding for public education.

Yes, the word "responsible" is in the amendment, but so are the words "the legislature shall have full power and authority" (twice) and "reasonable standards" (twice). As a result, the amendment would leave the courts with no meaningful leverage over education funding in New Hampshire.

Senator D'Allessandro says, no, the court would not be taken out of it. The Senator Bradley almost comes clean. He says, "It does somewhat curtail the role of the courts.... If you use the word 'reasonable,' which we do in this amendment, that switches the burden of proof onto a plaintiff to prove the Legislature's unreasonable."

But here is the assessment of Andru Volinsky, who litigated the Claremont case:

CACR 12 is designed to remove the New Hampshire Supreme Court from playing any role in protecting the rights of children to an education that prepares them to effectively compete in the marketplace. The proposed Amendment accomplishes this by making clear that the Legislature has complete and unchecked power to define the standards for eduction and to determine how education will be funded. Although it assigns responsibility to the legislature for education, the unlimited discretion that is embodied in this Amendment is unlike any other constitutional responsibility in that the legislature's conduct will be completely insulated from any form of accountability.

There is no area of state law from which we would want to exclude the courts, but certainly not education funding.

This amendment would leave decisions about what must be taught and whether and how much to fund public education in New Hampshire entirely to the whim of elected officials and the vagaries of election cycles. . K-12 public education must carefully and systematically prepare our children for life after high school. With no rule to guide funding levels or targeting and without oversight as to basic content, there would be no regularity to our system of public education. Families, employers and children will not be able to count on receiving strong instruction from year to year in core disciplines and school districts will not be able to rely on consistent funding from election to election. Each Legislature will express it's attitude toward public education and appropriate according to ideology. The result will be seesaw state funding and, therefore, dramatic drops and rises in local property bills. Education funding will forever be a matter of divisive local and state-wide debate in New Hampshire. Rather than ending the "education debate," CACR 12 will exacerbate it.

CACR 12 can be seen in the context of the rest of the anti-public education legislation in this Legislature. It's been a full out assault. Until CACR 12 passed the Senate, the voucher proposal has been the center piece, . The sponsors are willing to make any compromise and start as small as necessary to get it passed. But once in place, it will grow relentlessly, sucking funding and able students out of our public schools. This current Legislature has reduced education funding in other ways as well. In a clear indication of what would happen if CACR 12 were to be adopted, the Legislature has already reduced adequacy by $200 million and the House would have done it again if they could. The push to opt out of No Child Left Behind isn't over. That would cost $61 million. If HB 219 or one of the other bill that eviscerates DOE passed, that would be the next piece of the puzzle.

The debate will continue in the coming weeks, but the outlines were well laid out on Laura Knoy's program, The Exchange, on NHPR last Friday. She hosted a discussion with Senator Kelly, Senator Bradley, Kevin Landrigan, Rep. Bettencourt and Rep. Hamm. Here is that broadcast and selected quotes.

NH Labor News 2/24: Talks of LGC, Economy Improving, USPS Closes Facilities Across US, and more....

2012-02-24T09:08:00.001-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips for 2/24/12

Attorney: LGC surplus 'like an offshore account' | SeacoastOnline.com: "CONCORD — Money the Local Government Center owes Portsmouth and other member municipalities should be recorded in municipal books, according to state officials.
The state Bureau of Securities Regulation alleges cities and towns that are LGC members are owed more than $100 million in refunds for money skimmed from insurance pools for a workers' compensation program and surpluses illegally held by the LGC."

Hassan Takes Jabs at Speaker O'Brien:
Gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan went hard after N.H. House Speaker Bill O'Brien and the current Legislature during the opening of her hometown campaign office Wednesday night.

More than 60 people filled the campaign office at 92 Portsmouth Ave. and were fired up by Hassan's jabs at the "Bill O'Brien Legislature."

Hassan, the former Democratic N.H. Senate majority leader, criticized the current Legislature's treatment of public sector employees and its steep budget cuts to education and other social services.

Economy improving under this president - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Three years ago this week, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help our economy get out of the recession he inherited.
Slowly but steadily, things have been getting better. For 23 consecutive months, American companies have added more 3.7 million jobs. More than 35,600 jobs have been created in New Hampshire.
Last week, the president visited Seattle to celebrate the new 787 Boeing Dreamliner, made here in America. The Dreamliner is good for New Hampshire. Boeing has 121 suppliers and vendors in New Hampshire and purchases $57 million worth of materials here."

USNH Opposes Restructuring Intents of House Bill 1692 - News - The Clock - Plymouth State University: "House Bill 1692 looks to reduce the size of the system office by about 60 people, under the assumption that doing so would save several million dollars and return money to the campuses, without the state actually having to provide funds.

NH House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt co-sponsored the bill, and believes that "this legislation maps out a plan for other existing parts of the University system to absorb the chancellor's functions … This bill would save the university system millions of dollars."

"I believe that the original intent [of the bill's sponsors] was good," said President Steen, "but they didn't actually understand the fiscal implications.""

CACR 12 violates separation of powers:
(Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution) 12 shields legislative decisions concerning New Hampshire's education system from court review. The courts have consistently taken the position that the state of New Hampshire is responsible for providing all its children with an equitable and adequate education and that the Legislature should live up to this responsibility. But providing all N.H. children with such an education almost certainly entails raising more tax revenue and probably changing the tax structure of the state. The politicians think this is politically unpopular, and, unwilling to risk their political careers in order to do what's right, seek instead to shield themselves from the harpies in the courts.

Charlie Smith (2-23) | Laconia Daily Sun: "When you first hear the term “right-to-work” you might think: sure everyone deserves the right to work! But this term cannot be more misleading. These bills are not designed to give people the right to work, they are an attempt to eliminate unions and let our Legislature cut the benefits and rights that unions have made possible, not just for their members, but for everyone who has a job. These bills try to mislead those who are not in a union to think “What do I care? I’m not a part of a union, these laws won’t affect me.” Actually they do and they will. If these right-to-work laws pass they will take away negotiating rights. This will ultimately weaken employee wages and benefits. In order to keep up with those competitive wages, “nonunion employers” will cut their employee wages and benefits too. The result is a “race to the bottom” that results in lower wages for everyone and a weaker overall economy. Is this what we want for New Hampshire and for our families? I think not."

USPS Facilities In Manchester And Nashua Spared Consolidation, Job Cuts | StateImpact New Hampshire: "After months of speculation surrounding a large-scale consolidation study, the US Postal Service announced today it will accept the bulk of its recommendations. The result: Up to 35,000 jobs lost if USPS goes through with downsizing.

The study considered the possibility of consolidating 264 of the Postal Service’s 461 processing centers. Today, Emily Stephenson at Reuters reports, the USPS confirmed it will “close or consolidate 223 mail processing centers:”"

More on USPS Centers closing in VT
Postal Service moves forward with closings - Boston.com: "The troubled U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with plans to close the largest postal sorting center in Vermont as part of plans to make cuts to more than 260 mail processing centers around the country.

The 245 workers at the White River Junction plant got the news Wednesday.

“People are extremely upset. You know, people are just shaken,’’ said William Creamer Jr., president of Local 301 of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union.

Mail processing would move to centers in Essex Junction and in Manchester, N.H., but no date for the move has been announced. The closings, which would start in mid-May, are expected to save billions of dollars but also to slow delivery of first-class mail."

Mayor: City to hire nine firefighters | New Hampshire NEWS06: "MANCHESTER - Mayor Ted Gatsas has announced the city will be bringing back nine firefighters in March - five more than the Board of Aldermen approved on Tuesday.

The decision was made by Gatsas and Fire Chief James Burkush, who said his department's expected a surplus this fiscal year. By reducing overtime by hiring additional staff, that savings will be enough to cover the salaries, Burkush said."

A great video from the Communication Workers of America (CWA) on how Verizon is Union Busting in their facilities.

NH Labor News 2/23: Cilley Talks With Concord Dems, Sen Shaheen Takes On New Role, Jobs Fair in Portsmouth, and more ...

2012-02-23T10:05:00.001-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips 2/23/12

Cilley Talks With Concord Democrats [VIDEO] - Concord, NH Patch: "Cilley said the Republicans were waging a two-pronged attack against society, first, against public servants, and second, against public education.

All through her life, whether it was first responders in an emergency, the local sheriff in Berlin where she grew up, or public school teachers, a government employee had helped Cilley or family members, as they have helped others."

New Hampshire Labor Committee Passes Slew of Union-Busting Bills: "At a time when the tea party-driven Republican agenda in New Hampshire’s state capitol is more unpopular than ever with voters on both sides of the aisle, Republican House Labor Committee Chairman Gary Daniels and his allies have ramped up their attacks on working people. In a work session yesterday, the House Labor Committee took another step towards dismantling New Hampshire’s collective bargaining rights law by voting no fewer than five anti-worker bills ‘ought to pass.’"

John DiStaso's Granite Status: Ayotte to be honored, Shaheen gets key Obama role | New Hampshire NEWS0602: "SHAHEEN'S LEADERSHIP ROLE. Four years ago, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was focusing on her own election during the general election campaign. In this election, she will have a leadership role in President Barack Obama's reelection campaign.

Obama for America says Shaheen has been named one of 35 national campaign co-chairs. She is among only three sitting U.S. senators in the group, along with Michael Bennet of Colorado and Dick Durbin of Illinois."

Hundreds of Job Seekers Flock to Portsmouth - Portsmouth, NH Patch: "Day was one of hundreds of job seekers who converged on the community college job fair that featured 41 Seacoast area businesses who had some available positions. The event was scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and both rooms where it was held were filled to capacity."

Prison privatization plan has opponents | New Hampshire NEWS06: "CONCORD —Opponents of privatizing the state's prisons slammed the idea at a legislative hearing, even as contractors put the finishing touches on their bids.

The bill before the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, SB 376, is narrow in scope. It would extend the work of a legislative committee reviewing the bidding process from December 2011 until May 2012.

Although the committee had been tasked with providing input on a Request for Proposals for privatizing a portion or all the state's corrections services, the state put out RFPs in November, just as the committee was completing an interim report on the process."

Union suing to block Indiana right-to-work law | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com: "Union members are asking a federal judge to block Indiana's new right-to-work law.

International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 says a suit being filed Wednesday claims the right-to-work law violates the federal and state constitutions. The suit names Gov. Mitch Daniels, Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Labor Commissioner Lori Torres.

Daniels signed the right-to-work legislation into law last month over the objections of Democrats and union members"

Mitt Romney Touts Right-to-Work, Faults Unions in Michigan - Yahoo! News: "Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigned in southeast Michigan on Tuesday. According to the Macomb Daily, the former governor of Massachusetts held an invitation-only town hall meeting at factory in Shelby Township, about 10 miles from Romney's hometown in Bloomfield. Romney spoke in favor of some pending, hotly contested right-to-work legislation in Michigan, says Michigan Radio.
Here are details about how the Republican campaign is progressing in Michigan."

Also check out some of the NH Labor News latest posts.

Anger Blogger Ahead! Labor Committee Moves More Anti-Worker Legislation to the House
AFT-NH--BREAKING NEWS--February 21ST, 2012--Outrageous!
More on the Attacks on Public Education! HB 1607 and SB 372

Anger Blogger Ahead! Labor Committee Moves More Anti-Worker Legislation to the House

2012-02-22T14:17:00.000-05:00

Warning Angry Blogger Ahead!!!

I can barely put into words my disgust for the NH Labor Committee today. Yesterday the NH House Labor Committee voted 12-5, "ought to pass" on a slew of obviously anti-union legislation. With the exception of Herbert Richardson (R- Lancaster) the committee voted right down party lines. I have talked about most of these bills in great detail since they were introduced.

These were the bills voted out of committee included (from NH AFL-CIO PR):

HB 1677: a new right-to-work for less bill similar to last year’s bill (Vote 11-6, 4 Dems, Rep. Richardson and Rep. Sullivan R-Hampton)
HB 1685: a second right-to-work bill that is a backup in case HB 1677 fails
HB 1645: a bill that once repealed collective bargaining rights for teachers, firefighters and other public workers; was stripped and amended in committee to allow employers to lead decertifications of public unions
HB 1663: a bill that strips the requirement for a union to be the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit out of the collective bargaining law
HB 1237: a bill that gives the Legislature veto power over state and municipal employee contracts
HB 1206: a bill that prohibits automatic payroll deduction of union dues, but was stripped and amended to split increases in health insurance 50-50 between employers and employees if a contract expires

I even spoke to some of the people on the Labor Committee the other night at a town meeting. One of them told me that the Committee was doing what WE (unions) wanted. WHAT? Are you kidding me? He explained to me that last year they tried to pass Right To Work and the unions said it was "unfair to have freeloaders". He continued to tell me that "now we are going make it so you do not have to cover them, and the unions complained about that". He honestly believed that bills like Right To Work and Exclusive Bargaining are going to INCREASE union membership. He told me that he is trying to help the unions. I wanted to scream (Expletives Deleted)!!!

What is the purpose of these bills? After 30+ years does the Labor Committee want to dismantle labor in NH? Has something changed in the collective bargaining process that would warrant these actions? YES, and it is not from NH. PAC's like Americans for Prosperity (Koch brothers) and other TEA Party organizations are pushing to get all of these bills through. They use other organizations like ALEC to write the bills (example). It is just another example of these Anti-Union, Anti-Worker, and Anti-Middle Class republicans pushing their Anti-Union ideologies on the rest of us in NH.

Tell them how you feel about their decision to move forward with these bills. Email them at NH Labor Committee. Tell them how disgusted you are that they would do this. While you are there be sure to thank the five people who voted to kill these bills: Jeffrey Goley (d) Charles Weed (d) Chip Rice (d) Andrew White (d) and Herbert Richardson (r)! Thank them for standing up to the TEA Party leaders in the house and working to protected the rights of the working class from the extreme "Right".

Statement from the NH AFL-CIO: NH HOUSE LABOR COMMITTEE PASSES WAVE OF UNION-BUSTING BILLS

2012-02-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

For immediate release

Contact: Nora Frederickson, New Hampshire AFL-CIO, 603-785-4211

NH House Labor Committee passes wave of union-busting bills

As even Republican and independent voters turn away from Republican agenda, House leadership advances pledge to dismantle NH’s collective bargaining rights law

At a time when the Tea Party-driven Republican agenda in Concord is more unpopular than ever with voters on both sides of the aisle, Chairman Gary Daniels and his allies on the House Labor Committee have ramped up their attacks on working people. In a work session yesterday, the House Labor Committee took another step towards dismantling New Hampshire’s collective bargaining rights law by voting no fewer than five anti-worker bills ‘ought to pass’.

The work session was complicated by the fact that amendments totally altering the nature of two of the bills were added just prior to the session, forcing legislators to assess them in committee.

The bills voted out of committee included:

HB 1677: a new right-to-work for less bill similar to last year’s bill
HB 1685: a second right-to-work bill that is a backup in case HB 1677 fails
HB 1645: a bill that once repealed collective bargaining rights for teachers, firefighters and other public workers; was stripped and amended in committee to allow employers to lead decertifications of public unions
HB 1663: a bill that strips the requirement for a union to be the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit out of the collective bargaining law
HB 1237: a bill that gives the Legislature veto power over state and municipal employee contracts
HB 1206: a bill that prohibits automatic payroll deduction of union dues, but was stripped and amended to split increases in health insurance 50-50 between employers and employees if a contract expires

“Instead of moving on after last year’s divisive fight over right-to-work for less, the House leadership and members of this committee voted yesterday to neuter New Hampshire’s collective bargaining rights law,” said Mark MacKenzie, president of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO. “Chairman Daniels has admitted that his plan is to throw this handful of bills to the wall and see what sticks. Clearly, they have not listened to the thousands of working men and women in New Hampshire who have pleaded with them to stop attacking workers and move on to fixing the economy and creating jobs.”

The House Committee’s vote comes at a time when the Tea Party-driven Republican agenda in Concord is increasingly unpopular with voters on both sides of the aisle. Over half of New Hampshire voters oppose bills to eliminate or alter the collective bargaining rights law. According to a poll from the Beneson Strategy Group. Since November, Democrats or pro-labor Republicans have won five of five special House elections, indicating that voters will take their frustrations with the Tea Party-driven Republican leadership with them to the polls in November.

###

NH Labor News 2/22: Firefighters Sue Over Wages, Dem's Win Another Special Election, Senate Pushes New Voter ID bill, and more...

2012-02-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips for 2/22/12

Firefighters' union sues Northampton over raises | GazetteNET: "The union representing Northampton firefighters and captains is suing the city over nonpayment of raises they claim are owed to 33 of its newest members.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Hampshire Superior Court by Northampton Firefighters Local 108, contends the city is shirking its legal obligations to pay the raises, known as step increases, to firefighters as they gain seniority and experience."

State House memo: GOP job talk is just talk | Concord Monitor: "When Republican-backed legislation influenced the job market, it had a detrimental effect. The state budget passed last June was the single biggest job-killer, as nearly 2,000 jobs were lost due to new taxes on hospitals and unprecedented cuts to higher education. New Hampshire's unemployment rate spiked after the Republican budget became law and it remains higher today than when the budget first took effect"

Democrat Sullivan wins House seat in special election | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Former Alderman and Democratic state Rep. Peter Sullivan is the newest member of the state Legislature, defeating Republican Muni Savyon, 122-27, in the Hillsborough District 10 House seat special election on Tuesday.

The seat is one of three House seats that represent Ward 3 in Manchester.

Sullivan served three terms in the N.H. House, where he sponsored legislation to protect victims of domestic violence and reduce mercury levels in the air and water. Sullivan has pledged to focus on education and has won the support of NEA-NH, which represents Manchester teachers. He has also received the support of the Granite State Teamsters. "

Senate panel backs bill to require photo ID at polls | New Hampshire NEWS06: "The Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted 4-1 to back Senate Bill 289, which requires a registered voter to present valid photo identification at the polls.

Supporters of the measures said a recent incident during the presidential primary using the names of dead people to obtain ballots shows there are flaws in the current system. They said the process is too lenient, allowing out-of-state students and other short-time residents to vote.

Opponents argue the bill targets the elderly, the disabled, low-income individuals and students and say the restrictions, no matter how narrow, would prevent some from voting and discourage many more from going to the polls."

Public, politicians, union members rally in Bangor for U.S. Postal Service — Bangor — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine: "BANGOR, Maine — Exactly 219 years ago, President George Washington signed a bill into law creating the United States Postal Service.

A crowd of about 70 people, including U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and other politicians, noted that anniversary Monday morning at a rally on behalf of the postal service and the area’s mail processing center.

The Presidents’ Day rally to save the U.S. Postal Service, held near the Bangor post office on Hammond Street, was organized by retired Ellsworth letter carrier John Curtis to urge passage of legislation pending in Congress to help ease financial restrictions on the USPS and avert the downsizing of the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility in Hampden and further cuts in service to trim $20 billion in operating costs by 2015."

Obama to offer corporate tax reform plan | Home - Home: "The President's tax plan is intended to "enhance American competitiveness by simplifying the tax code and eliminating dozens of tax loopholes and subsidies, incentivizing job creation and investment here at home and lowering the business rate while broadening the tax base," the official said."

Romney Pushes Right To Work legislation.

Romney visits southeast Michigan, praises right-to-work | Michigan Radio: "Romney also weighed in on Michigan’s ongoing debate over compulsory union membership.

“My view is, every person in America ought to have the right to choose whether to join the union or not, so I’m in favor of Right-to-Work legislation,” Romney said.

Governor Rick Snyder – who endorsed Romney – says he thinks the right-to-work debate is divisive and he has no interest in pushing right-to-work legislation in the near future."

AFT-NH--BREAKING NEWS--February 21ST, 2012--Outrageous!

2012-02-21T20:53:00.001-05:00

AFT-NH
BREAKING NEWS
February 21ST, 2012
Outrageous!

Dear AFT-NH Member,

The House Labor Committee just concluded their work for the day and they have taken the next big step towards dismantling unions in NH.

It was clear by the Committee's action that out of state interests such as the National Right to Work Committee and ALEC (Koch brothers sponsored group) are replacing the voice of the NH voters. The attack on the middle class continues. The Committee is AGAIN recommending passage of Right to Work "for less" and also gutting public sector bargaining.

The theme of the day was last minute amendments not available to those in attendance, no public hearing on some of these amendments and a complete lack of regard for the hundreds of people who have appeared in opposition to these bills since the beginning of this session! They do not care what NH voters think!

In a nutshell, the Labor Committee has recommended Ought to Pass on the following bills:

•    HB 1206, new title: relative to continuing obligations under expired public employee labor agreements. The Daniels amendment would require public employees to pay 50% of any increase in health and other insurance costs if the union contract expires. However, there was an amendment which may require the employee to pay more than this. The amendment was not made available and we will provide details as soon as we get the amendment. Vote 12-5 (4 Dems and Rep. Richardson voting no)

•    HB 1685-FN-L, relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes. No one has been able to see the Rep. Shawn Jasper amendment but Sections 1 and 2 would only take effect if HB 1677 does not become law. This appears to create different classes of agency fee employees and also exclude positions from the bargaining unit if no one in that classification is a member. More to come as we see the amendment. Vote 12-5 (4 Dems and Rep. Richardson voting no)

•    HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining. Amendment voted upon. Not a full repeal but must see details of bill. Based on the discussion it appears that if membership in a local falls below 50% the employer can ask for an election to decertify the union. The amendment has not been made available so more to come as we see the amendment and other details. Vote 12-5 (4 Dems and Rep. Richardson)

•    HB 1663, (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation): relative to payment of union fees by non-members. Interim Study 12-5 (4 Dems and Rep. Richardson)

•    HB 1677 (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation): relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization. This would divide the local and employees could negotiate individually. Non-members not entitled to any union rights. Promotes nepotism, favoritism and chaos in the workplace. Vote 11-6 (4 Dems, Rep. Richardson and Rep. Sullivan)

Committee will be Voting on 2/22/12 around noon

•    HB 1163, (amendment) new title: relative to disclosure of collective bargaining agency fees.

•    HB 1163, (original bill) relative to the withholding union dues from wages, this bill would make it illegal for the employer to withhold voluntary union dues.

These bills are recommended Inexpedient to Legislate (defeat):

•    HB 1427, relative to declaring that private contracting of governmental operations shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice,

•    HB 1570, relative to the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization. [Note-Covered by other bills above.]

I will send out a complete update and recommended actions once we see the actual amendments.

But make no mistake about it, the Committee's actions today indicate they have no respect for your collective bargaining rights. This is outrageous.

These bills will move to the full house and we will send you updated messaging to send to your reps but that may not be enough. We will need members to CALL their state representatives and tell them enough! We can win this fight if we stick together.

For breaking news and updates, please visit AFT-NH on FACEBOOK and click LIKE US!* Spread the word to all of your Facebook friends. This allows us to provide our members with real time updates and spread the word to community members.*Type in AFT New Hampshire to find us! You can also sign up for "GET-ACTIVE" updates by visiting www.aft-nh.org and click on the link on the left –"AFT-NH GET ACTIVE--sign up".

In Solidarity,

Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

"Fighting For Our Future"
www.aft-nh.org

Have you visited the AFT-NH Facebook page and clicked "Like Us"? Please do so today!

Late breaking news appears on Facebook!

Payroll tax extension heads to president’s desk | NALC Activist Alert

2012-02-21T20:48:00.002-05:00

More bad news for Federal Employees and members of the FERs Retirement system.

Payroll tax extension heads to president’s deskBy, NALC Activist Alert

Legislation to renew a payroll tax holiday and extension of unemployment benefits passed both the Senate and House on Friday, and is now on its way to President Obama’s desk, where he’s expected to sign it. While the NALC strongly supported the extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance benefits, the union did not support the overall package because of a provision that singles out future federal and postal employees.

Despite the NALC’s best efforts, the overall deal includes a provision to “pay for” the unemployment insurance extension with an increase in pension contributions by federal and postal employees hired after 2012. NALC President Fredric V. Rolando weighed in with Congress that this will cost the average new postal employee nearly $1,000 per year and is simply “a tax hike or a pay cut by another name.”

The AFL-CIO issued a statement of “no support,” and while a few members of Congress noted that federal workers cannot continue to be singled out and treated unfairly by Congress, in the end it was not enough and the deal passed through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.

While Congress needed to take action to strengthen the economy and give millions of jobless Americans much needed benefits, it should have been done through shared sacrifice, not on the backs of future generations of postal and federal workers. This is only the beginning of what is expected to be a series of hits to current and future postal and federal employees to offset the cost of unrelated legislation. NALC needs to be diligent in standing up to Congress, opposing any such provisions moving forward.

Payroll tax extension heads to president’s desk | NALC Activist Alert:

Why is Romney Union-Bashing in Michigan?

2012-02-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Cross Posting some great information from IUOE Local 49 from Minnesota. Thanks for the great work! Original Post

Why is Romney union-bashing in Michigan?

The former Governor of Massachusetts is trying to stir up resentment in Michigan – he says it was “crony capitalism” that caused Obama to give the auto companies to the UAW. That’s right, it’s not that the government bought shares in companies that used that influx of capital to save jobs and turn record profits in 2011, Romney’s saying it was some kind of back room deal to thank campaign donors that made the President somehow bamboozle the Congress into saving those jobs.

Romney was fine when Congress bailed out Wall Street bankers with no strings attached, but says GM & Chrysler should have collapsed? Seriously, Governor? That’s your idea of economic policy as we struggled with the after effects of the mortgage-crisis caused by Wall Street that dragged us into recession?

I wonder what brand of car he drives.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

That’s right, it’s not just weekends, maternity leave, and paid overtime & holiday for their members that unions bring to the middle-class. When there are unions in the mix, every worker benefits, even non-members working in places that have no unions whatsoever. We all do better when we all do better.

If you want to see a slightly extended clip from Melissa Harris-Perry’s show at MSNBC, including Romney’s curious “crony capitalism” union-bashing tactic in the state that thrives when the UAW and the auto-industry thrive, it’s right here.

NH Labor News 2/21: LGC Updates, Labor America's Last Hope, Romney and the Auto Bailout, and more...

2012-02-21T06:16:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips for 2/21/12

America’s last hope: A strong labor movement - Salon.com: "The fate of the labor movement is the fate of American democracy. Without a strong countervailing force like organized labor, corporations and wealthy elites advancing their own interests are able to exert undue influence over the political system, as we’ve seen in every major policy debate of recent years.

Yet the American labor movement is in crisis and is the weakest it’s been in 100 years. That truism has been a progressive mantra since the Clinton administration. However, union density has continued to decline from roughly 16 percent in 1995 to 11.8 percent of all workers and just 6.9 percent of workers in the private sector. Unionized workers in the public sector now make up the majority of the labor movement for the first time in history, which is precisely why — a la Wisconsin and 14 other states — they have been targeted by the right for all out destruction."

LGC, BSR beef up their ranks: "Both sides in the dispute over the finances at the Local Government Center have bulked up their ranks in recent weeks.

The Bureau of Securities Regulation has turned to a familiar, very well-regarded litigator to assist them.

He's Andru Volinsky who is perhaps best known as one of the leading lawyers who successfully sued the state over education finance.

Volinsky showed at the end of last week he's more than capable in supplying good legal advice to a state employer with his amended petition against the LGC.

In it, Volinsky found something the state security lawyers did not find in this case, a state law that should have required the LGC to inform cities and towns each year about how much surplus they had been generating."

State Broadens Case against LGC | New Hampshire Public Radio: "DAN GORENSTEIN: State regulators charge the Local Government Center for failing to return tens of millions of dollars in surplus to New Hampshire cities and towns.

That charge is part of a new and expanded set of allegations against LGC.

Last summer, state regulators charged LGC with violating multiple state laws, and argued the group owes municipalities upwards of $100 million dollars."

FACT CHECK: Artful swerves on the auto bailout - Boston.com: "Obama, in taking credit, and Republicans, in assigning blame, have ignored one driving force behind the love-it-or-hate-it bailout: George W. Bush in the waning days of his presidency. Moreover, GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum would have people believe the United Auto Workers union runs General Motors and the government "gave" it away, neither true.

The issue is a particularly nettlesome one for Romney, Detroit-born son of a Michigan governor and auto company chief executive. His provocatively headlined 2008 article, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," has made for tortured explanations in the campaign for the Feb. 28 primary -- though the prescription he preached back then is not wholly at odds with what the government finally did."

Letter: Constitutional fabric of state at risk | Concord Monitor: "CACR 12 may calm the worries of those who fear taxes above all else, but any true patriot will understand that it threatens the constitutional fabric of our state. Judicial review provides for the presence of conscience in a constitutional system, a quality politicians are not known for."

Opinions split on preschool as part of education - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Opinions were split online Monday on whether preschool should be a required part of a public education.
The discussion was spurred by a proposal by the Nashua School District to spend nearly $100,000 next year to create two more sessions of preschool, adding to the district’s current program.
When asked whether preschool should be made available to all students as part of a mandatory public education, several commenters on The Telegraph’s Facebook page chimed in with an emphatic “yes” in support of the idea."

More Washington Style Tactics Used to Push Legislation Through the NH House

2012-02-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest problems in our overall political system is "Earmarks". Now I know that I am not using this term quite as its defined. I think of "earmarks" as legislation added to a bill that will eventually get passed in order to get something that could not survive the legislative process on its own. On the Federal level this is usually done with funding to specific people or projects. In the NH House we have seen this with Speaker Bill O'Brien pushing his ten cent tobacco tax cut into the budget. Many of the people disagreed with this cut but felt there was nothing they could do because they had to pass the budget. These are sneaky back alley politics that we do not usually see on the local level. That does not mean that it does not happen.

There is a more recent example of this in the NH House Labor Committee. On Feb 15, Rep Daniels (also chair of labor committee) introduced an amendment to HB1206. Before I get into the amendment let me explain what HB 1206 is. It is a Dues Reduction bill. It is "AN ACT prohibiting the state from withholding union dues from the wages of state employees." This is only one of the many anti-union legislations being tossed around the labor committee this session. In an effort to "sweeten" the legislation, Daniels added this: "AN ACT relative to continuing obligations under expired public employee labor agreements". Wait what does continuing obligations have to do with voluntary dues reductions? Absolutely nothing. So what does this amendment mean?

"Continuing Obligations. When no successor agreement has been accepted by the legislative body of the pubic employer at the time of the expiration of the prior contract, any cost increase necessary to fulfill continuing obligations for employee insurance benefits under such contract shall be shared equally by the public employer and the employee."

While it obvious that health benefit changes have nothing to do with dues reductions, this amendment if passed would have huge impact on public employees and their negotiations. For example, your union is negotiating with the public employer and your contract expires in one week. The negotiations are stalling because the union will not accept a 10% increase on their health benefits. Well if your contract expires you will now be forced to pay 50% of the increase. If you are NH public employee you would have to check your contract to see exactly how this would effect you. My guess is that it would be at least a 10%-20% increase.

Now Rep Kurk has added another attack against the middle class workers in the State Employees Association.

From the NH GENERAL COURT:
"AN ACT relative to legislative approval of collective bargaining agreements entered into by the state".
Amend the bill by replacing all after the enacting clause with the following:
1 New Section; Legislative Approval Required. Amend RSA 273-A by inserting after section 3 the following new section:
273-A:3-a Legislative Approval Required. Every collective bargaining agreement entered into by the state shall be approved by the legislature before it can take effect.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage."

This new language makes negotiations even more difficult because now both the Senate and the House must approve of the collective bargaining agreement prior to taking effect. What do you think the odds of getting anything through this NH House would be if they had this power.

So as you can see these amendments change the bill and changes like this should have a full public hearing right? Well the Speaker thinks your wrong!

"House Speaker William O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, ruled House procedures were properly followed in amending the bill and in not requiring another public hearing. (1)"
Thats right, amend the bill on the floor of the house and pass it without any public hearing. This is not how our government should be working!

NH Labor News 2/20: Lobby Day For The Middle Class, Nashua Looks to Add Preschool, and more...

2012-02-20T09:39:00.002-05:00

The NH Labor News Daily Clips for 2/20/12

Do not forget there is another lobby day in Concord on Tuesday. The labor committee will be talking about anti-union legislation and cuts to our public education.
Citizen Lobby Day to Defend Middle Class Jobs: "The NH House Labor Committee this week amended two anti-worker, bad-for-New Hampshire bills to make them even more harmful to Granite State working families by imposing unnecessary and redundant regulations on worker organizations and potentially increasing out-of-pocket health care costs for public sector employees. Public hearings on the amended legislation are scheduled for Tuesday, February 21 starting at 10:00 a.m.

You must be asking yourself: What will those reckless politicians in Concord think up next? There's just no telling! That's why we're encouraging Protect NH Families supporters to join us at the State House on Tuesday morning for our next Citizen Lobby Day. Sign in and grab coffee starting at 9:00 a.m. at the America Votes office - we'll provide fact sheets and other materials to help you have a successful Lobby Day. We hope to see you there!"

Nashua School District looks to add preschool classes - NashuaTelegraph.com: "The Play Pals program, however, serves only 72 students, and the district enrollment for all preschool programs is just over 300.
The School District wants to bolster its effort toward early childhood education and is proposing to add another two sessions of preschool in next year’s budget at a cost of $94,425.
The two classes would be intended for a group of at-risk students, especially those who would be entering kindergarten or first grade without a full grasp of English or without any previous experience in a classroom."

My Turn: Blame voters for rude legislators | Concord Monitor: "Recently there were several letters to the editor commenting on the intelligence of the New Hampshire Legislature or the lack of it. One writer noted that New Hampshire ranks 50th in legislators with higher education."

GOP legislator introduces 2 bills proposing to tighten reins on the state’s welfare program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families - NashuaTelegraph.com: "The first proposal, HB 263, proposes to reduce the individuals’ lifetime eligibility for the program from 60 to 36 months. And the second, HB 1658, would eliminate additional benefits provided to mothers who give birth while enrolled in the program.
The bill would not apply to children born within 10 months of when the mother first applies to the state.
“If someone is getting help, he or she has a responsibility not to exacerbate his or her needs. That seems very unfair,” Kurk said, referring to the current program, which pays new mothers an average of $72.50 a month for an additional child."

National News

David Koch on Wisconsin: I'm helping Scott Walker - JSOnline: "In the story, David Koch admits that his group is "hard at work," especially in Wisconsin.

"We're helping him, as we should," Koch says of Walker. "We've gotten pretty good at this over the years. "We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more."

The story suggests the group has spent $700,000 in Wisconsin."

Pain Without Gain - NYTimes.com: "Specifically, in early 2010 austerity economics — the insistence that governments should slash spending even in the face of high unemployment — became all the rage in European capitals. The doctrine asserted that the direct negative effects of spending cuts on employment would be offset by changes in “confidence,” that savage spending cuts would lead to a surge in consumer and business spending, while nations failing to make such cuts would see capital flight and soaring interest rates. If this sounds to you like something Herbert Hoover might have said, you’re right: It does and he did."

More on the Attacks on Public Education! HB 1607 and SB 372

2012-02-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

The legislature is considering two voucher bills, HB 1607 and SB 372. These bills are parallel attempts to funnel public tax dollars to private schools, religious schools, and even parents of home schooled children.

A few points:

• These bills would increase local property taxes by decreasing state aid.

• There is no requirement of academic accountability from the private schools who receive these funds (DNHPE link)

• These vouchers would make public tax dollars available to students who would be attending private schools anyway.

• The public overwhelmingly does not support using tax dollars to support private or religious schools (UNH link)

• The NH Constitution specifically forbids use of public funds to support religious schools. (Part I, Article 6 and Part II, Article 83). These bills make an end-run around the Constitution by creating a tax credit shell game that allows businesses to divert funds that would normally be paid in taxes directly to private, religious, or even home schools.

• These bills are being advanced by those who wish to dismantle public education (DNHPE link). One of the advisers brought in to help draft this legislation makes the following case against public education (link).

Government schooling stands in direct opposition to the liberty this country was founded on.
It fosters unquestioning obedience, acceptance of authority, herd mentality, and dependency.
It manufactures "equality" by lowering standards.
It discourages individuality, innovation, curiosity, creativity and overall excellence.
It undermines families and other relationships.
It undermines religious beliefs, values and morality.
It fosters social, psychological, emotional and intellectual dysfunction and promotes immaturity and perpetual adolescence.
It makes children the victims of political change, special interests, researchers, unions and social reformers.
It undermines the ability of parents to provide their children with the quality and type of education they desire for them.

Does this really sound like anything that actually happens in your classroom? These are the arguments being made against public education and against what you do every day!

If you have not visited the excellent Defending New Hampshire Public Education website (www.dnhpe.org) run by Bill Duncan, we strongly suggest taking a few moments to bring yourself up to speed on this issue.

Support the Pro Labor Alliance, and the Massachusetts Solidarity Plate

2012-02-19T20:45:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share this with all the people that follow this blog. I know it says Massachusetts and this is the NH Labor Blog. The Pro Labor Alliance (PLA clever) is a group of union members working to get this license plate on as many cars as they can. If you live in MA and would like to get one of these plates for you car or truck go to www.prolaboralliance.org to download an application.

I also wanted to mention them because they have a great facebook page as well. The Pro Labor Alliance work to promote solidarity in labor. I would encourage everyone to Like their page. Just remember that you may see some things I really like twice, but that means its really good.

The Pro Labor Alliance Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProLaborAlliance
You can also follow them on Twitter at : https://twitter.com/#!/P_LaborAlliance

We will soon be seeing these bumper stickers as well. They are pushing them in MA first, but if you live in MA or work in MA all the time, email me at NHLabor@gmail.com and tell me how many you need. I will work on getting them for you!

NH Labor News 2/19: Sunday Political Roundup on Right To Work, RGGI, Education Reform, and Tax Laws.

2012-02-19T10:53:00.002-05:00

Capital Corner: Insight into 'The Devil's Bill'
"As originally proposed, the bill sought to limit the state's contribution to benefits for its employees to a percentage of their salaries. A public hearing on the legislation in that form took place before the House Finance Committee on Jan. 25.

To read an extended version of Capital Corner including Senate action, see this story at Seacoastonline.com
At a subsequent work session, the committee found problems with that approach and an amendment was proposed and approved. However, that action insinuated the Legislature into contract negotiations with state employees by requiring legislative approval of those contracts and substantively changes the intent of the bill, opponents claimed."

Political deja vu? | Concord Monitor: "Close observers of State House happenings may have come down with a case of deja vu these past couple weeks. Passing right-to-work? Repealing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative? Haven't we been here before?

"The part I don't understand . . . if it's the same bill, how can (House Speaker Bill O'Brien) bring it up again? It's been heard and responded to," Democratic congressional candidate Annie Kuster said in an interview last month after a labor rally on the State House steps.

Proponents of right-to-work and repealing RGGI would argue the new bills are slightly - if ever so - different than those introduced last year. But even if they were word-for-word reproductions, they could be introduced again in this second year of the 2011-12 session, said Assistant House Clerk Paul Smith."

Proposed education amendment now has to win over House of Representatives - NashuaTelegraph.com: "A poll paid for by labor showed that passing a right-to-work law isn’t a priority for most New Hampshire voters.
The state chapter of the AFL-CIO commissioned the poll earlier this month by the Benenson Strategy Group.
Among all surveyed, only 3 percent said the top priority this year should be to pass a law that prevents unions from requiring membership or that all employees should make a “fair share’’ payment to cover the cost of bargaining."

Danger in a school voucher program in New Hampshire, by Bill Duncan - SentinelSource.com: Guest: "We hear school vouchers sold as school choice for poor kids, but the goal of the national movement that has landed in New Hampshire is to dismantle American public education.
The quote from the movement’s godfather — Milton Friedman in “Public Schools: Make Them Private” — says it best: “Vouchers are not an end in themselves; they are a means to make a transition from a government to a free-market system.”
This is essentially the mission statement of the Cato Institute education folks who have been helping our legislators write and lobby for a school voucher program in New Hampshire."

NH lawmakers should back off tax, spending caps bills - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Inflexible tax and spending limits of this kind reduce the options available to elected officials for responding to immediate crises, changing economic circumstances or shifting public preferences. Moreover, they would prevent the state from making the sorts of investments needed to get people back to work and to promote sustained and shared prosperity over the long run.
New Hampshire’s stalled efforts to expand Interstate 93 illustrate well the shortcomings of tax and spending caps. In the absence of federal funds, New Hampshire will have to come up with millions of dollars to complete the expansion, an outcome that is critical to residents and businesses alike in the southern part of the state."

Right path for NH House: Pass the funding amendment | New Hampshire OPINION01: "Now is the time and this is the amendment approach that has, finally, a chance to get before the people and resolve the education funding issue that threatens the New Hampshire Advantage like no other single problem.

CACR 12 states:

“In fulfillment of the provisions with respect to education set forth in Part II, Article 83, the legislature shall have full power and authority and the responsibility to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education, to establish reasonable standards of accountability, and to mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity."

Garry Rayno's State House Dome: Manchester reps fight redistricting plan | New Hampshire NEWS0604: "SPECIAL ELECTION: Manchester has a special election Tuesday to fill the seat of Michael Brunelle, who represented Ward 3.

Former state Rep. and Alderman Peter Sullivan won a special Democratic primary election in January, defeating community activist Mary Georges, 44-39.

Sullivan will face Republican Muni Savyon for the seat vacated when Brunelle moved out of state."

Occupy movement meets in Nashua to map out future - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Now that the occupying is over, the Occupy protest movement wants to harness that energy and find new outlets to raise awareness about economic and societal inequalities.
On Saturday, several dozen members of Occupy New Hampshire attempted to move down that new path, discussing ways they can spread their message and grow membership."

A Letter to NH Labor News Editor on ALEC and NH House

2012-02-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

This is a letter to the editor of the NH Labor News.

To The Editor:

Anyone who wants to know what happens to a state when they enact this right wing nonsense needs to look to Mississippi, which has most of this ALEC junk, along with tort reform and crummy workers compensation laws. We KNOW how to cater to corporations and insurance companies (curiously, none of them seem to want to locate here). And, yes, we're still last in everything you want to be first in, and first in everything you want to be last in. Our legislature is looking to gut our state Department of Health, but never the Department of Corrections. I suspect ALEC has some private prison groups on the board as well.

If we're going to outsource the writing of bad laws to a corporate-financed groups, maybe we ought to just do away with the state legislators and simply let those corporate groups vote on the laws they wrote.
In fact, after Citizens United, maybe we already have.

Stan D Strong
Manchester NH

AFT-NH --72 hours to go--Act Now--Good Faith?

2012-02-18T12:05:00.001-05:00

AFT-NH
72 hours to go
Act Now
Good Faith?

RED ACTION ALERT
February 18, 2012

Dear AFT-NH Member,

Good faith? Is it good faith for the House Labor Committee in these last days before they take action on bills to consider an amendment that would dishonor your union contracts when they expire and go straight after your negotiated insurance benefits.

Definitely not good faith!

The Chairman of the Labor Committee, Rep. Gary Daniels has submitted an amendment that would automatically disregard the provisions of your contracts and require that the employee must pay half of the entire increase in insurance benefits. So, if you are already paying 10%, 15%, 17% , 20% or 30% of your insurance premium---that is not enough for him. Instead of you paying your percentage share of the premium, you would have to pay half of the total increase. What more do they want?

I NEED you to have my back when I testify yet again before this Committee on Tuesday morning. They must know that you are watching and that you care. They must understand that they are driving employees out of the professions they love.

If they have heard from hundreds of you before Tuesday morning, they will know this is outrageous and it has the same effect of breaking promises made through negotiations.

TAKE ACTION THIS WEEKEND!
IF THE AMENDMENT TO HB 1206 IS NOT DEFEATED, THE COST FOR YOUR INSURANCE BENEFITS WILL SKYROCKET!

Recap of what's happening

The House Labor, Industrial And Rehabilitative Services Committee is holding a hearing on HB 1206 amendment 2012-0823h on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11 am in Representatives Hall (State House). This Daniel's amendment will drastically increase employee (your) health insurance costs. When your contract expires and no new contract is in place, the employee and employer would split the cost of the increase.

The above amendment is just another attack that Speaker O'Brien and his tea party extremists are pushing. They are slowing chopping away at your rights and we cannot let this happen! You must take action by calling or emailing the committee members and ask that they make the recommendation to defeat all the bills and amendments that take away your voice in the workplace and erode your rights under your contract.

The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee Members will be making recommendations on all these bills / amendments on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. It is very important that you contact the committee members.

Feel free to use the below script when you email the House Labor, Industrial And Rehabilitative Services Committee. [It is one click for all of their addresses in the upper right hand corner.]

There are more details on each bill or amendment in the script below. If calling it is important not to engage in a debate with the committee members. Stick to the points below and do not go off script. Please email me at lhainey@aft-nh.org with responses from the committee members so we can keep track of where they are on these attacks.

SAMPLE EMAIL TO LABOR COMMITTEE OR WRITE A BRIEF NOTE TO SAY NO TO ALL OF THESE BILLS! [Feel free to cut and paste.]

Dear House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee Member,

When did teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees become the enemy? We know this does not reflect the view of NH citizens. Polling shows us that more than 60% of NH residents support collective bargaining for public employees. It is time to stop this governmental interference and political gridlock. Let's get back to the real issue of improving our economy and creating jobs.

I fully support the current collective bargaining laws in the state of NH and I am asking that you DEFEAT any legislation that either erodes or repeals collective bargaining laws for public employees and private sector employees.

Please vote NO on the following bills to preserve our NH advantage and stop these attacks on working families in NH!

•   HB 1163, new title: relative to disclosure of collective bargaining agency fees.
•   HB 1206, new title: relative to continuing obligations under expired public employee labor agreements.
•   HB 1163, relative to the withholding union dues from wages,
•   HB 1587, relative to employer safety programs,
•   HB 1427, relative to declaring that private contracting of governmental operations shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice,
•   HB 1206, prohibiting the state from withholding union dues from the wages of state employees,
•   HB 1570, relative to the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization.
•   HB 1685-FN-L, relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes.
•   HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining.
•   HB 1663, (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation): relative to payment of union fees by non-members.
•   HB 1677 (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation): relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization.

I ask that you defeat these bills and amendments.

Thank you for your support.

[Your Name and Address]

PUBLIC HEARINGS

There will be public hearings on the amendments to both HB 1163 and HB 1206 on Tuesday , 2/21 starting at 9am. If you are able to attend to show a sign of solidarity, please let me know by email at lhainey@aft-nh.org.

ACTION REQUESTED If you are not able to attend please, send an email (see above) to the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee.

10:00 a.m. Public hearing on proposed amendment to HB 1163, new title: relative to disclosure of collective bargaining agency fees.

This amendment applies to state employee unions. They would have to disclose the cost breakdown of each component that comprises such fees, including a certified statement by the negotiator for the bargaining unit showing the cost, per employee, of such negotiation.

11:00 a.m. Public hearing on proposed amendment to HB 1206, new title: relative to continuing obligations under expired public employee labor agreements.

Rep. Daniels has put in an amendment which will drastically increase employee health insurance costs without bargaining benefits this Amendment to HB 1206 would do the following:

When your contract expires and no new contract is in place, the employee and employer would equally split the cost of the increase.

Instead of paying the $250 increase, you would split the total increase of $2,500 for the plan and your increase would now be $1,250.You would now be paying the $1250 on top of the $2500 which equals $3,750.

Keep in mind the above is just an example. We know most of you pay far more than 10% for health insurance. The way this amendment is worded "employee insurance benefits" is not just health insurance but all insurances!

BILLS OR AMENDMENTS DETAILS. It would also be great if you could attend the work session on the bills listed below.

Room 307, LOB
1:00 p.m. Continued Full committee work sessions on

HB 1587, relative to employer safety programs,

This bill increases the number of employees to 15 that are needed to form a safety committee.

HB 1427, relative to declaring that private contracting of governmental operations shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice,

Prime Sponsor: Rep. Neal Kurk, Hills. 7 (R-Weare) Another famous Kurk amendment! He submitted an amendment to this bill that would allow the public employer to break a contract and outsource during the term of a contract!

HB 1206, new title: relative to continuing obligations under expired public employee labor agreements.

See above

HB 1570, relative to the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization.

Sound good? Not at all. This means non-members would negotiate individually with the employer. We know what that means-unfairness, nepotism and chaos in the workplace. This will also lead to unnecessary litigation for cities, towns and school districts.

HB 1685-FN-L relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes.

This bill changes definition of supervisors and excludes certain supervisors from being represented by a union -excludes firefighters and nurses) This bill would not allow supervisors from being represented by a union—this is a total repeal of collective bargaining for supervisors. There is a current process in place before the PELRB to determine whether or not supervisors should be included in a bargaining unit.

To read AFT-NH testimony click here.

HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining.

This bill has been amended by Rep Lambert stating this is an "improved bill". AFT-NH oppose this amendment and do not believe it is an approved bill. To read AFT-NH testimony click here.

Below are some of the points to this amendment.

1.Every time a local union ratified a new contract that there would need to be an election whether or not to decertify the union;
2.Any time there is mediation or fact-finding on negotiations, it would need to be open to the public;
3.If a negotiating team rejects a fact-finder's report, there would be a public hearing before the union membership votes on the fact-finding report.

HB 1663 (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation)

This is not only RTW again but adds the provisions of HB 1570 that would deny non-members the benefits of the contract and would be costly, chaotic and confusing to public employers.

HB 1677 (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation)

This bill is similar to HB 1663

Lastly, it will be very important to be well informed, so please visit AFT-NH on FACEBOOK and click LIKE US!* Spread the word to all of your Facebook friends. This allows us to provide our members with real time updates and spread the word to community members.*Type in AFT New Hampshire to find us! You can also sign up for "GET-ACTIVE" updates by visiting www.aft-nh.org and click on the link on the left –"AFT-NH GET ACTIVE--sign up".

In Solidarity,
Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

"Fighting For Our Future"
www.aft-nh.org

Have you visited the AFT-NH Facebook page and clicked "Like Us"? Please do so today!

Late breaking news appears on Facebook!

Doubling Down: NH’s Rep. Notter Now Claims Abortion Causes Breast Cancer (In Addition to Birth Control Causing Prostate Cancer)

2012-02-18T09:09:00.003-05:00

Many times before we have posted Granite State Progress' Press Releases because we overlap on so many issues. GSP is working very hard against many of the bills that are attacking the middle class, like Right to Work and Repeal of Collective Bargaining. This is not really a labor issue but I wanted to share with you for two reasons.

First, the Health Care and the American Care Act (also referred to as Obamacare) is receiving a lot of push back in the NH House. Many of the TEA Party reps are fighting against it. Many have have been using their crazy ideologies to push their agenda. For example the Repeal of Lunch Breaks, forcing teacher to creationism in schools, and now telling married people what they can or cannot do in their own bedrooms.

The second reason I wanted to share this is because this is one of the many Reps who are pushing the Anti-Union bills. Rep Notter, has been pushing RTW since the day it was introduced. When I called her as my Rep, she pretty much deregarded me after I said I was a union member.

So enjoy a little bit of the Crazy brought to you from GSP!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, February 17, 2012

Media contact:

Zandra Rice Hawkins, (603) 892-2150

Doubling Down: NH's Rep. Notter Now Claims Abortion Causes Breast Cancer (In Addition to Birth Control Causing Prostate Cancer)

Merrimack Republican digs in deep on her "Notter Notions"

CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire's Representative Jeanine Notter (R-Merrimack) has doubled down on her statement yesterday that birth control causes prostate cancer, now also telling a local news outlet that abortions cause breast cancer. The theory is apparently one she attempted to include in a bill being sponsored at the New Hampshire State House until a fellow representative objected.

According to the Merrimack Patch:

"Notter said she has avoided the pill because of something she'd read years ago linking it to breast cancer. She said it's her understanding that the chemicals in the pill interrupt the body's processes and creates spaces in breast tissue that can harbor cancer cells. Abortion during a pregnancy can act the same way, Notter said … Notter is a sponsor of HB 1659 regarding a woman's right to know about the risks associated with abortion. Notter said the bill includes text about the alleged increased risk of breast cancer with abortion, but she said Rep. Joseph Hagan recommended that text be pulled since that isn't a proven fact. Notter said an amendment is being worked on."

That elusive "fact" may be hard to find: the National Cancer Institute conducted an exhaustive review and concluded that "having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer."
________________________________________________

In case you missed it previously:

Yesterday Rep. Notter said health plans shouldn't cover birth control because it causes prostate cancer. The comments were made during a public hearing on late-entry House Resolution 29, urging the United States Department of Health and Human Services to rescind its rule requiring health plans to cover preventative services for women such as contraceptives.

Granite State Progress circulated a video of the comments, which are making their way around the internet and have garnered more than 4,000 views on YouTube in the first 12 hours. GSP Video: NH's Rep. Notter Claims Birth Control Causes Prostate Cancer: http://youtu.be/9MQ75c9muDA

"We refer to these as 'Notter's Notions' and there are an unfortunate amount of them to be found," said Zandra Rice Hawkins, Director of Granite State Progress. "We're counting on New Hampshire's tradition of bi-partisan support for women's issues to override this ridiculousness."

The full press release can be found at http://www.granitestateprogress.org/news/nhs-rep-notter-claims-birth-control-causes-prostate-cancer.html. Rep. Notter can be reached at (603) 423-0408 or by email, jeanine.notter@leg.state.nh.us.

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems.

NH Labor News 2/18: Not What We Wanted in 2010, LGC News Update, Right To Work News

2012-02-18T07:31:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News
Daily Clips 2/18/12

Did N.H. get what it asked for from Republicans?
When we voted in 2010 for members of the N.H. House of Representatives, did we intend to gut our children's education? Whatever happened to the "laser-like focus on jobs and the economy" that those who ran then as Republicans promised?

In this legislative session, the Republican majority in our House exhibited their deep concern for jobs in New Hampshire by cutting state funding of our university system by $50 million. They have attempted to eliminate any compulsory education (Children should be able to quit school at any age!); to teach the Bible in our public schools; to teach that evolution is "only a theory;" and to eliminate any standards for home-schooled children. If they are successful in eliminating the state's responsibility to provide education for our children, that cost will not disappear. Rather, it will join all the other costs that have been foisted onto N.H. communities — to be paid through our real estate taxes. State expenditures decrease. Your property tax goes up — again.

News in the ongoing LGC case.
Amended complaint filed by state says LGC engaged in ‘civil conspiracy’ - NashuaTelegraph.com: "CONCORD – The Local Government Center willfully broke state laws by not revealing how much surplus it had been holding instead of returning the money to its member communities, alleges a complaint filed Friday by the state Bureau of Securities Regulation.
The amended 35-page, six-count petition says the LGC knowingly withheld money from communities that had contracted with the organization to supply health, liability or on-the-job injury insurance.
“The LGC, by not returning surpluses and instead carrying surpluses from year to year, assists its members in violating New Hampshire’s municipal budget laws because voters at town meeting, or at other budget approval proceedings, are not told of the amounts held by LGC as surplus for each municipality,” the petition states."

Right To Work News

New Hampshire Labor News: 3 Reason The Proponents of Right To Work in NH Are Wrong.: "On Feb 16, New Hampshire Public Radio's "The Exchange" hosted a debate on Right To Work. The program, which lasted about an hour was "all over the map" when it came to issues surrounding Right To Work. The Exchange interviewed, labor economist Dr. Gordon Lafer, Mark Guarino Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor, and the newsletter Editor for the National Right to Work Committee Stan Greer.

While it was obvious that everyone on the program was pushing an agenda it was also obvious that everything we have been hearing from proponents here in NH on RTW is wrong. I will give three reasons why."

Indiana's new right-to-work law could prompt copycats - Nation - Wire - BradentonHerald.com: "WASHINGTON — When Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed legislation this month making Indiana the nation's first new right-to-work state in more than a decade, it turned up the heat on a long-simmering debate about the true intent and impact of the controversial anti-union laws.
By making it illegal to force employees to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment, state right-to-work laws are touted as a prime enticement for businesses looking to relocate and keep their labor costs down."

Romney pushes for right-to-work | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com: "As he campaigns in Michigan, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is making a push for right-to-work legislation at almost every stop.

"We're going to have right-to-work where union members decide whether they will belong to the union," Romney said Thursday morning during a campaign stop at a non-union steel processor in Monroe County.

Romney's efforts to pound on union leaders and closed shops — where union membership is a condition of employment — may create an issue between him and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who leads Romney in recent polls, but may not resonate with a Republican electorate that appears to be focused on other issues.

Among likely voters in Michigan's Feb. 28 GOP presidential primary, 64 percent support right-to-work legislation, a Detroit News/WDIV-Local 4 poll shows. But in the region where support for right-to-work rules is strongest — west Michigan — Santorum has his biggest lead on Romney."

Three Reason The Proponents of Right To Work in NH Are Wrong.

2012-02-17T20:55:00.002-05:00

Dr Gordon Lafer
talks to local NH workers
on RTW. (credit Matt Murray)

By Matt Murray

On Feb 16, New Hampshire Public Radio's "The Exchange" hosted a debate on Right To Work. The program, which lasted about an hour was "all over the map" when it came to issues surrounding Right To Work. The Exchange interviewed, labor economist Dr. Gordon Lafer, Mark Guarino Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor, and the newsletter Editor for the National Right to Work Committee Stan Greer.

While it was obvious that everyone on the program was pushing an agenda it was also obvious that everything we have been hearing from proponents here in NH on RTW is wrong. I will give three reasons why.

1) Right To Work creates jobs! This is simply not true. Gordon Lafer said over an over that there is no evidence that RTW alone creates jobs. Dr Lafer cited his recently published work (Right To Work: A Failed Policy) that showed among many other things that in "Oklahoma manufacturing jobs went down by nearly a third". Dr Lafer said this decine was more attributed to NAFTA and the global economy. In a surprising statement from Stan Greer, he said "RTW is about liberty, it is not primarily a job attraction tool". Greer even admitted that in "Oklahoma manufacturing went down since RTW", just not as much as Dr Lafer stated. The reason this was surprising was that Mark Guarino talked extensively on how the RTW push in Indiana was the claim it would boost jobs.

2) Businesses are not moving to NH because they do not have a RTW law. Another lie from the National RTW Committee. Since 2001 when Oklahoma was pushing RTW, proponents have been saying that if you pass a RTW businesses will move in to Oklahoma. Here in NH we have been hearing the same thing. Dr Lafer disproved this with articles from the both the Area Development Magazin and the 2010 State New Economy Index. Both poll businesses about the reasons they move into a new location. According to Lafer, "the State Economy Index publishes the top 26 reason for a company to choose a location, and RTW did not even make the top 26".

3) Right to Work will strengthen New Hampshires economy. Again there is no proof of this. The National RTW committee talks about Oklahoma and the jobs they created yet, they have a higher unemployment rate than NH. Actually Dr Lafer pointed out that "NH's economy was not just better than the average of the RTW States, NH is actually better that almost all of the RTW states". What RTW does do is lower wages. This is actually why RTW proponents say it will create a more "business friendly environment". So while Dr Lafer and Mr Guarino both agreed that RTW has been pushed as a "Job Creator" in Indiana and NH, Mr Greer insisted that it was about "Liberty".

So if you think that lower wages, higher poverty, and no new jobs, then pass Right To Work. If you think that New Hampshire is doing better than almost every other state in the country then you should Oppose Right To Work in NH.

There was much more in this hour long interview and you can listen to it completely on the NHPR website.

No need to rehash right-to-work bill.

2012-02-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

This is a Letter from AFT-NH, President of the Nashua Public Library Local 4831

No need to rehash right-to-work bill - NashuaTelegraph.com:

Like many of my neighbors, I’m tired of the right-to-work fight.

Despite opposition by Republican and Democratic legislators, right-to-work paralyzed our Legislature for months last year.

But at the end of the day, the only people rooting for right-to-work were right-wing groups like Americans for Prosperity and the National Right to Work Committee, which flooded our airwaves and our Statehouse with the lie that Granite Staters want their rights taken away.

I don’t want my community, my Legislature or my state to go through that again. But right-to-work is back this year.

This isn’t about economics anymore – it’s about power, pure and simple.

House Speaker William O’Brien doesn’t care that right-to-work is wrong for New Hampshire. He doesn’t care that 41 Republicans in his own caucus repeatedly have told him that they don’t support it. He doesn’t care that his own constituents are tired of this bill.

I do care. Passing right-to-work will hurt workers, local businesses and communities. It will hurt my family. HB 1677 is the same old, tired legislation that we saw last year.

If this is the best that the Republican leadership has, then it needs some new ideas.

Mark King

President

Nashua Public Library Local 4831

Nashua

Assault on federal and postal workers planned using the payroll tax cut extension legislation | NALC Activist Alert

2012-02-17T11:36:00.001-05:00

This is a re-post of the National Association of Letter Carriers blog which talks about the attacks on the Federal Employees retirement systems. It is very good information and something to watch. The Post Office is the largest public employer in the US.

Assault on federal and postal workers planned using the payroll tax cut extension legislation | NALC Activist Alert:

Yesterday, the House leadership scheduled a vote to extend the payroll tax cut and has decided to hold off on taking up H.R. 3813 until after the Presidents’ Day recess. H.R. 3813, which is a devastating bill for federal and postal workers, calls for massive cuts to CSRS and FERS retirement benefits.

There is an unemployment insurance extension provision in the payroll tax deal that is slated to be paid for through an increase in retirement contributions from future federal and postal employees. This would raise contributions to 3.1 percent for new or rehired employees starting in 2013—an increase of 2.3 percent, up from the 0.8 percent current FERS employees contribute.

“While the NALC supports unemployment insurance for the nation’s workforce, we believe in shared sacrifice, not in targeting the next generation of federal and postal workers to pay for such a safety net on their own,” said President Rolando. Just as federal and postal employees should not be singled out and required to pay down the national debt, or to fund the highway bill, through an increase in their retirement contributions, he said, future employees should not be penalized either.

Federal and postal employees continue to have allies in Congress. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D, MD-8th), the House Minority Whip, expressed his disdain with the House leadership’s position. “The ongoing efforts to target federal workers will substantially undermine our ability to recruit and retain the quality of people we need to carry out duties to keep our country safe, efficient, and equipped to compete in our increasingly competitive world.” Click here to read Rep. Hoyer’s full statement.

A vote is expected this morning.

Two Editorials on the NH House, from the Concord Monitor.

2012-02-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

Two Editorials on the problems we have in the NH House.

A House that sees itself as supreme | Concord Monitor:

The New Hampshire House under Speaker Bill O'Brien wants to be all branches of government - local, state and federal. Its members are sponsoring, and quite often passing, bills that would make the Legislature, rather than the judicial branch, the authority on the constitutionality of legislation.

This week, the House Constitutional Review and Statutory Reconsideration Committee voted to require that all students stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. The committee's majority was apparently unaware of, or unbothered by, U.S. Supreme Court decisions that said schools or legislatures could do no such thing.

Letter: Problem No. 2 | Concord Monitor: "The numbers are in: Jobs and the economy are the most important issue for New Hampshire residents. But interestingly enough, voters think that the Republican leadership in the Legislature is our second biggest problem.

Our state has been polarized by this Legislature - and it's no surprise. From pushing a right-to-work law two years in a row, to advocating repealing the minimum wage and lunch hours for state workers, Republican leaders in Concord have shown that they'll stop at nothing to push their hard-right agenda."

NH Labor News 2/17: News on Education Bills, Labor Committee, House Wants More Control In You Contract.

2012-02-17T08:39:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News

Legislators angle for control over NH contracts - CBS News: "The House passed a bill 232-119 on Wednesday requiring legislative approval for all collective bargaining contracts entered into by the state. The governor's bargaining team currently negotiates the eight different state employee contracts on behalf of the state before the governor signs off.

The measure now goes to the Senate.

The Legislature already has some say over employee salaries through the budget, but supporters say the bill provides more control over aspects of contracts that don't require the spending of state money."

NH business groups tout Senate education plan | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Business groups supporting the constitutional amendment on education that passed the Senate Thursday said maintaining the state's responsibility for public education is important.

At a press conference Thursday kicking off the effort to convince House members and the public to support the amendment, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley said the proposal would “bring rationality back to the process.”"

N.H. school officials react to school aid plan » New Hampshire » EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA: "Local school superintendents are afraid of changes to school funding if a proposed state constitutional amendment passes the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, on 1 17-7 vote, the Senate approved amendment CACR 12, which would give the Legislature power to distribute aid to schools, with more money going to poorer communities.

But some local school administrators say the amendment would complicate the funding process."

Education aid plan is endorsed - NashuaTelegraph.com [Video]: "CONCORD – A broad cross-section of business leaders endorsed an education aid amendment to the state Constitution that the state Senate adopted this week. Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce President Chris Williams urged legislative leaders not to allow “petty infighting” to prevent a lasting compromise on this issue.
Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, remains optimistic that the proposal can get the necessary three-fifths majority needed before the House of Representatives."

Safety plan law survives, but awaits amendment in House<br/>: "It looks as if the New Hampshire Legislature won't repeal the law requiring that businesses file safety plans, although they might loosen the measure up a bit.

The House Labor Committee recommended killing a repeal bill (House Bill 1661), but committee chair Rep. Gary Daniels, R-Milford, said he plans to amend another bill (HB 1587) to increase the employee threshold to 15 before a business has to meet requirements of the law. The threshold currently is five workers for some requirements of the law and 10 workers for others.

On Tuesday, the committee was still grappling over whether that threshold should be five full-time equivalents, or if it should include part-time workers.

Daniels said he also wants to exempt businesses from having to file a summary of the plan every two years if they don't have accidents or violations, though the committee still has to specify whether minor injuries or violations count -- as well as what constitutes "minor.""

New Poll Show Good News For Labor and Obama

2012-02-16T11:10:00.000-05:00

It was announced today on Politico.com that according to a new poll President Obama beats Mitt Romney if the election were held today. While this is good news for Democrats the poll also highlighted some keep points that we as NH Labor would like to highlight. One of the biggest points is that people still believe in collective bargaining.

"57 percent of respondents said they would oppose a bill ending collective bargaining for public employees"

More than half of the people agree that the NH House should not be trying to repeal the rights of the workers in NH. This was not the only good news to come from this poll.

"Sixty-four percent of voters said a right to work bill should not be a high priority and 51 percent of voters agreed with the statement: “Unions are good. They make sure employers provide good wages, benefits and a safe work environment."

If these numbers are true why is Speaker O'Brien pushing his anti-worker agenda if NH Residents really do not want it. I cannot answer that question. What did come up is that his push against workers has resulted in reduction in the favorability of the TEA party and and Bill O'Brien.

"Half of voters say they have an unfavorable view of the tea party, while 29 percent say they have a favorable view of the conservative activist movement. And tea party-aligned State House Speaker Bill O’Brien has gone from a 6 percent favorable, 16 percent unfavorable rating, to 15 percent favorable, 29 percent unfavorable."

While I am hopeful that these new poll numbers would help these legislators understand that what they are doing to the middle class workers in NH, is not what the people want. The realist in me knows that no matter what anyone says, Bill O'Brien will not stop is attack on workers and unions.

NH Labor News 2/16; Right To Work LTE's, RTW Debate on NHPR, Lynch Sees a Bright Future For NH,

2012-02-16T08:07:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips 2/16/12

An LTE from the Concord Monitor:
Last year they repealed the minimum wage. This year they're trying to get rid of your lunch hour and keep bus drivers from collecting unemployment checks. And Speaker Bill O'Brien is trying to push his pet project - a right-to-work law - through the Legislature for the second year in a row.

Are Republican leaders in Concord really more committed than ever to a "laser-like focus on jobs"? Or are they just paying lip service to New Hampshire residents and then doing whatever they feel like?

The latest poll numbers show that jobs and the economy are still the No. 1 issue for Granite Staters. Our lawmakers say they understand that. But it's hard to believe them when their idea of "creating jobs" is making Granite Staters work longer hours for less pay - with no lunch break.

Let's be honest. These laws aren't about creating jobs. They aren't about solving America's obesity crisis. They're about pursuing a bizarre partisan agenda at the expense of New Hampshire families.

Is “Right to Work" Right for New Hampshire? | New Hampshire Public Radio: "he state legislature is once again looking at whether the Granite State should join twenty-three others in adopting so-called “right to work legislation” which governs unionization. But this effort narrowly failed last year, and this year, opposition remains strong. We’ll talk with two national experts about the economics and politics of “right to work”."

Just what we need: Another RTW bill - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Just two months after our state representatives voted to kill last year’s right-to-work bill, House Speaker William O’Brien is at it again with yet another right-to-work bill.
I’ve got to hand it to him – this guy doesn’t quit.
Never mind that thousands of Granite Staters – small-business owners, faith leaders and union and non-union workers alike – have repeatedly petitioned him to drop the bill and focus on real problems.

Gatsas, Lynch see bright future for NH | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Accentuating the importance of cooperation, Gatsas lamented that the city laid off 12 firefighters, but said negotiations have helped in preventing from it happening again."

N.H. Senate approves school-aid plan | SeacoastOnline.com: "CONCORD — New Hampshire would have more power over school funding, but would be required to provide at least some aid to communities under a constitutional amendment the Senate approved Wednesday and passed to the House for its consideration.

The Senate voted 17-7 to replace a House proposal with one of its own."

NH residents split on performance of legislature: "New Hampshire residents are divided about the performance of the current state Legislature, according to the UNH Survey Center’s latest Granite State Poll. But they have strong opinions about certain controversial issues.
The poll, conducted by phone among 527 randomly selected adults between Jan. 25 and Feb. 2, found that 42 percent of residents approve of the job the Legislature is doing, while 38 percent disapprove and 20 percent are neutral."

Dem poll: Obama beats Mitt in N.H., voters turn on state GOP - POLITICO.com: "The Democratic poll – commissioned by New Hampshire labor groups – found that the president’s favorability rating is above water: 47 percent of likely New Hampshire voters have a favorable view of him, while 45 percent have an unfavorable view. That’s not a commanding position, but it’s a big improvement over the fall, when multiple polls showed the president losing the state."

RTW NEWS from Michigan
Commentary: Right-to-work campaign must not be allowed to succeed here | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com: "By now we've all seen Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad that aired for the first time during the Super Bowl. It is nothing short of inspiring: a stark reminder of the will of Michigan's workers to roll up their sleeves, gather collective strength, and push through some of the hardest times our state and our nation have ever seen.

We're making a comeback because we understand the power of cooperation and collaboration. As Clint Eastwood pointed out, "But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because that's what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can't find a way, then we'll make one.""

AFT-NH RED ALERT LEGISLATION -- New Amendment Targeting Your Health Care Benefits

2012-02-15T22:39:00.002-05:00

AFT-NH

February 16^th , 2012

BREAKING NEWS -----RED ALERT

New Amendment Introduced at the State House

Targeting Your Health Care Benefits

Please contact House Labor Committee ASAP!

TheChairman of the House Labor Committee, Rep. Daniels has submitted an amendment toHB 1206 (which by the way had nothing to do with health insurance) whichwould drastically increase your cost of health insurance if your contractexpires and there is no new contract in place.

Here’san example of what would happen

underthe current law and the proposed amendment:

Current law under your contract:

Assume youpay 10% of a family plan which costs $25,000 per year.

Your shareis $2,500 per year.

If yourcontract expires on June 30^th and you do not have a contract inplace you continue to pay 10% of the total premium.

The healthinsurance rates increase on July 1^st by 10%. Family plan now costs$27,500.

Your premiumcontribution would increase by $250 to $2,750 per year since you still pay 10%of the total premium.

Daniels Amendment to HB 1206 would do thefollowing:

When yourcontract expires and no new contract is in place, the employee and employerwould equally split the cost of the increase.

Instead ofpaying the $250 increase, youwould split the total increase of $2,500 for the plan and your increasewould now be $1,250.

Are You Ready to Take Some Action Now?

A public hearing is being held on this billon Tuesday, February 21^st at11:00am but the Committee is also meeting tomorrow to discuss all of theother damaging bills. They must hear from you and know that you are watchingand that you have an opinion!

ACTION REQUESTED We need you to emailthe committee members and ask that they ITL (Inexpedient toLegislate-defeat) the Daniels amendment to House Bill 1206 and all of thedevastating bills which strip away collective bargaining rights. Pleasesee sample letter below or use your own!

We need to defeat all of these bills aimed at repealing or eroding ourcollective bargaining rights.

Suggested Email to Committee members

or use your own script-

either way, please let them know you are opposed to all of thesebills:

Dear HouseLabor, Industrial And Rehabilitative Services Committee,

I justlearned that Rep. Daniels has put in an amendment which will drasticallyincrease employee health insurance costs without bargaining my benefits. Thisis an attack on collective bargaining. Please defeat the Daniels amendment toHB 1206 on health insurance. I hope the labor committee also votes NO on all ofthe bills tearing apart collective bargaining. It works.

Please vote NO on the following bills—thesechanges are not necessary and interfere with local control:

HB 1163 (Union Dues) Makes it illegal for an employerto withhold voluntary union dues from wages.

HB 1427 (Outsourcing) Allows a public employer to contractout union work and it would not be considered an unfair labor practice. Prime Sponsor: Rep. Neal Kurk, Hills. 7(R-Weare) UPDATE: Another famous Kurk amendment! He submittedan amendment to this bill that would allow the public employer to break acontract and outsource during the term of a contract!

HB 1570 (Exclusive Representation) Thisbill states a union does not have to represent non-members. Sound good? Not atall. This means non-members would negotiate individually with the employer. Weknow what that means-unfairness, nepotism and chaos in the workplace. This willalso lead to unnecessary litigation for cities, towns and school districts.

HB 1645(Repeals collective bargaining for public employees) The Study Committee oncollective bargaining issued a report in December, 2011 that said “collectivebargaining has worked fairly well for 35 years….” 35 years of good publicpolicy should not be repealed. Pleasedefeat the Lambert amendment as well.

HB 1663 (Right to Work “for less” forPublic Employees and Exclusive Representation) This is not only RTW again butadds the provisions of HB 1570 that would deny non-members the benefits of thecontract and would be costly, chaotic and confusing to public employers.

HB 1677 (Right to Work “for less” for PublicEmployees and Exclusive Representation) Similar to HB 1663

HB 1685 (Changes definition ofsupervisors and excludes certain supervisors from being represented by a union-excludes firefighters and nurses) This bill would not allow supervisors frombeing represented by a union—this is a total repeal of collective bargaining forsupervisors. There is a current process in place before the PELRB to determinewhether or not supervisors should be included in a bargaining unit.

I ask thatyou defeat these bills andamendments.

Thank youfor your support.

[Your Nameand Address]

Please also note another “Kurk” amendment on HB 1427which allowspublic employers to break a contract and contract out your work anytime!

Please take action now!

Thank you!

In Solidarity,

Laura Hainey

lhainey@aft-nh.org

603-661-7293

“Fighting For Our Future”

www.aft-nh.org

Have you visited the AFT-NH Facebook page andclicked “Like Us”? Please do so today!

Late breaking news appears on Facebook!

Right To Work to Be Debated on NHPR Tomorrow.

2012-02-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning at 9am New Hampshire Public Radio will be hosting a live debate / discussion on Right To Work. This issue has been much talked about and is again being pushed by the Tea Party led Speaker of the NH House Bill O'Brien.

Is “Right to Work" Right for New Hampshire?:
"The state legislature is once again looking at whether the Granite State should join twenty-three others in adopting so-called “right to work legislation” which governs unionization. But this effort narrowly failed last year, and this year, opposition remains strong. We’ll talk with two national experts about the economics and politics of “right to work”.

Guests
Gordon Lafer - Associate Professor at the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon.
Stan Greeris - An Editor at the National Right to Work Committee and also Director of the Institute for National Labor Relations Research."

So start preparing your questions, and then tune in and call in to NHPR to be a part of the discussion. You can listen live through your computer at http://www.nhpr.org/. You can call in and ask your questions, at 1800-892-6477. If you cannot call, you can email your questions to exchange@NHPR.org.
I wonder if we will get answers to questions like: How does NH stand economically versus RTW states? Or How has this law helped Oklahoma since they passed it in 2000, I heard they lost a lot of jobs to china?

From NHPR Website

Tune in and be a part of the discussion. @9am Thursday 2/16/12 On NHPR.

Here is a list of NHPR Stations
107.1 FM Berlin/North Conway WEVC
90.3 FM Colebrook WEVF
105.9 FM Colebrook W290BK
89.1 FM Concord/Manchester WEVO
104.3 FM Dover W282AB
91.3 FM Hanover/Upper Valley/Littleton WEVH, W217BH
99.5 FM Jackson/Mt. Washington Valley WEVJ
90.7 FM Keene/Southwest NH WEVN
91.9 FM Littleton WEVQ
88.3 FM Nashua WEVS
97.3 FM Plymouth W247AO
103.9 FM Portsmouth W280DG

HB 1427 : Outsourcing and Privitization UPDATE

2012-02-15T09:21:00.001-05:00

As if it was not bad enough that Rep Kurk is trying to pass a law allowing HB 1427 (Contracting out would Not Be an Unfair Labor Practice). This bill is simply a way for the anti-union legislators to work around the collective bargaining agreements for public employees in NH. Now Rep Kurk has offered a new amendment. The original bill said: "

III. The exercise of the public employer’s lawful authority to contract out, subcontract, transfer, or lease operations or provisions of services to a private entity shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice prohibited by this section.
Now it says:

The exercise of the public employer's lawful authority as a management right to contract out, subcontract, transfer, or lease operations or provisions of services to a private entity during the term of a collective bargaining agreement or at any time thereafter shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice.

At first glance this may look like the same thing but it is very different. By making the bill say it is a Management Right, it is something that cannot be effected by collective bargaining agreements. For example, it is Managements Right to assign work. So the union has no recourse when Management decides to take your job and sell it off to the lowest bidder. With this bill there would be no obligation on the part of the employer to negotiate the impact of outsourcing jobs. The current law requires that there must be good faith bargaining over the impact of such a move.

So like I said before this is all part of a plan to contract out State Prisons and other state jobs. It is also just another attempt by Rep Kurk to steal the rights of New Hampshire workers.

NH Labor News 2/15: Invest in Education, Pushing Taxes Down on Towns, Bullying is Part of Being a Legislator

2012-02-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News 2/15

LETTER: Invest in Education - Salem, NH Patch: "There are many things that affect the quality of education in a community. Good teachers, good support staff and good facilities are some key elements that make a school system good.

We are fortunate to have plenty of good teachers and support staff and a plan to make our facilities worthy of the students and staff working in them. Many of our facilities may not be what we need, or in the condition we’d like because we, the voters and governing bodies, didn’t invest in them and maintain them wisely."

Burden growing on local taxpayers - NashuaTelegraph.com: "As reported in our Tuesday front-page story ("Property taxes found to cover greater share"), some Greater Nashua communities have been forced to cut spending in order to cope with the loss of state aid.Litchfield and Merrimack are prime examples. Each community found it necessary to eliminate more than 20 school positions last year in a bid to keep taxes stable. Merrimack also axed two firefighter positions."It's affected the schools, the Fire Department, the Police Department - everywhere," said Merrimack Finance Director Paul Micali. "It's been really hard." "

Bullying now part of legislative culture - NashuaTelegraph.com: "It was disappointing to read the state Legislative Ethics Committee has issued a ruling that it’s “powerless to take any action against any legislator charged with bullying another” because no law exists to give it that directive (Feb. 12: Kevin Landrigan political column)."

State: Transportation funds inadequate for current need | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Department of Transportation officials said Tuesday that in order to keep up with the needs, the state needs to reinstate the $30 registration surcharge that was repealed last year, and increase both tolls and the gas tax.The officials met with the House Public Works Committee to review House Bill 1716, the state's 10-Year Transportation Plan."

At hearing, opponents blast emissions cap, trade repeal attempt | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Repealing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would hurt the state's economy, its environment and residents' health, opponents of the repeal said Tuesday.Unlike a year ago, when repealing the emissions cap and trade program drew several hundred people, only about 50 attended the public hearing on House Bill 1490 Tuesday, almost all opposed to the repeal."

John Russo: Right-to-Work Laws and Working-Class Voters: Another Teachable Moment: "RTW legislation differs from past Republican attacks on unions. As labor historian Joseph McCartin has recently chronicled, while courting union endorsements and union voters, Republicans have pursued strategies that, over the last 30 years, have quietly undermined administrative agencies and government policies that facilitated the formation of unions. The result has been the erosion and marginalization of organized labor and its ability to raise wages, improve workplace safety and health, and advance representative democracy not only in the workplace but in the body politic.

The current RTW legislation is a direct attack on organized labor and its ability to represent the economic and political interests of both the rank and file and those non-union workers whose wages and benefits are enhanced by employers to avoid unionization. No doubt, the role of unions in building and rebuilding economic security and the middle class, advancing workplace rights, and promoting political democracy will be a central part of the curriculum for this teachable moment."

FAA Reauthorization Is It Good or Bad For Labor???

2012-02-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

Last week many labor unions like the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) celebrated the passage of the FAA Reauthorization bill. While unions in the aviation industry we celebrating, other labor organizations were pushing to stop the bill. They tried to stop the bill due to a very controversial piece of the legislation that effects how airline and aviation workers organize.

"Among the controversial provisions were changes to labor law for rail and airline workers -- backed by the airline industry -- that would count anyone who did not vote in an election for a union as voting against it, making it much more difficult to certify attempts to organize new unions." (Huffington Post)

I wanted to take a minute and talk about this bill and why it must pass. This bill was originally title the FAA Reauthorization of 2006. Thats right Congress has been working on this bill for nearly six years. This also means that the FAA has not had an official operation budget for all those years. As the years went on the budget stayed the same while cost continued to rise, making funding a major problem for the FAA. The FAA has also been moving forward with "NextGen" projects. NextGen is the FAA plan to modernize the FAA and the National Airspace System.

“This measure will allow them to do their jobs better; it will create jobs, promote global competitiveness, allow for important safety improvements and accelerate technological advances like the NextGen air traffic management system. (NATCA Release)

The big controversy over this bill is that included in the bill is a line that mandates when voting for representation, non-votes count as a "no" in the election process. The effect of this legislation is not fully known yet. The feeling from some unions is that it will make it more difficult to elect representation. The big thing that seems to be overlooked is that, while some unions are against it, aviation labor unions like Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the Allied Pilots Association (APA), and Professional Airway System Specialist (PASS) all came out in support of it. These are unions that would be directly effected by this legislation and still supported it.

While I think it would have been great if the bill would have been passed without this legislation included that fact that the bill passed is most important thing. After 23 extensions funding the busiest, most complex, and safest airspace system in the world is what it truly important. This controversial legislation is one of the reasons this bill has been held up for so long. Republicans wanted it, and Democrats wanted it removed. This caused delays, and extensions, and the partial shutdown of the FAA last year. Without the passage of this bill FAA employees could have been forced into another furlough.

There is one more thing that has been missed by many of the many major media outlets about FAA Reauthorization. Included in this bill is a small piece of language that closes a whole in Title 49. Title 49 is what allowed the FAA to force their Work Rules on NATCA members. When an agreement could not be reached, Title 49 allowed the FAA to present their "Last Best Offer". If this offer was not accepted then it would go to Congress. This is exactly what happened in 2006. Congress did not take action within the 60 days, and the last best offer became the new contract. NATCA never accepted this contract and for three years worked under these "Imposed Work Rules". Now with the passage of FAA Reauthorization, impasse will be solved through binding arbitration. Making it impossible to have Imposed Work Rules again.

When Will The Attacks On Middle Class Workers End!!!

2012-02-14T16:34:00.000-05:00

Last week the House Labor Committee met to have the public hearing on HB1677, Right To Work and exclusive representation. Well it seems that this week is shaping for more theatrics! On Thursday Feb. 16th at 1pm the Labor Committee will once again be holding a public hearing on HB1645. If you remember from the first time the Labor Committee held their public hearing, the sponsor Rep Lambert (R-Litchfield) started off he support for the bill by saying that he was sorry and that this bill was not written they way he wanted or intended it to be. He made a "freshman" mistake and let "legislative services" write the bill for him. In Jan. he said that he would be offering an amendment to this bill, that would clarify what he was intending. Click here the full amendment for HB 1645.

I have read this are re-read it over and over and it still makes absolutely no sense. This is obviously an attempt to subtly take away the entire collective bargaining process without saying "no more bargaining". This would be a slower process, trying to destroy the union from within. It creates three main problems for public unions.

Every time a local union ratified a new contract that there would need to be an election whether or not to decertify the union;
Any time there is mediation or fact-finding on negotiations, it would need to be open to the public;
If a negotiating team rejects a fact-finder’s report, there would be a public hearing before the union membership votes on the fact-finding report.

This amendment is terrible. There is no way that an amendment like this should pass. Just because some of the legislature does not like unions does not mean that we should destroy them.

NH Labor News 2/14: State Does Not Seek Waiver from NCLB, Beware Budget Gimmick, PFF President Emails Ruled Off Limits.

2012-02-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

The NH Labor New 2/14 Daily News Clips

Fair draws 547 job seekers | SeacoastOnline.com: "A job fair was held last Thursday at Exeter Town Hall and spearheaded by District 23 state Sen. Russell Prescott, R-Kingston. The event 547 job seekers pass through the doors throughout the day.The job fair was co-sponsored by New Hampshire Employment Security, the Exeter Chamber of Commerce, and the Exeter Rotary Club.There were 45 employers present with more than 400 job openings. Job openings ranged from high-tech engineering to retail to service jobs. Marshalls, which is building a new store in Epping at the end of March, was offering 60 openings."

State decides not to seek waivers from No Child | Concord Monitor: "New Hampshire will not join the 10 other states that have already sought and received waivers from federal education requirements under the No Child Left Behind law, state officials announced yesterday.The U.S. Department of Education announced that it would grant waivers to qualified states last year. At the time, New Hampshire's education officials joined 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in submitting a nonbinding letter of intent to apply for a waiver."

Fire official's e-mails are ruled off-limits | SeacoastOnline.com: "In the midst of an ongoing investigation of the LGC, an insurance pool funded by public employees and taxpayers, it filed a subpoena for all e-mails to and from David Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, that pertained to the LGC. Lang's union triggered the investigation of the LGC through a series of Right-to-Know requests, two of which the union won at the Supreme Court. A third Supreme Court case, in which Lang's union seeks more unredacted LGC minutes, remains pending."

Be very wary of budget policy gimmicks - SentinelSource.com: Guest: "Though recent news has been positive, New Hampshire continues to face serious economic challenges two and a half years into its recovery. Employment has been rising over the past few months, but New Hampshire still needs to add more than 28,000 jobs to replace those lost during the recession and to keep pace with the growth of the labor force."

New Hampshire gambling bill hearing draws advocates - BostonHerald.com: "CONCORD, N.H. -- Lawmakers on Monday considered amendments to an expanded gambling bill at a State House hearing, after a floor vote on the bill was postponed last week.In a hearing room packed with lobbyists and advocates on both sides of the issue, the House Ways and Means Committee discussed an amendment that would expand the number of casino licenses from two, as proposed in House Bill 593, to four.The amendment would allow for one large casino with up to 150 table games and 5,000 slot machines, while the others could have up to 60 table games and 2,000 slots."

Mayor praises Nashua Board of Education for smart spending in proposed budget - NashuaTelegraph.com: " Mayor Donnalee Lozeau addressed the Board of Education on Monday night not to ask for a lower School District budget, but instead to commend the district for its smart spending.Superintendent Mark Conrad proposed a budget earlier this month of $95,571,612, which is an increase of about $1 million, or 1.15 percent, compared to last year’s base budget of $94.5 million. Before the budget process began, Lozeau asked the district to shoot for a maximum of a 1 percent increase, but Conrad’s proposed budget came in slightly higher. Still, Lozeau said she was “pleased” with Conrad’s efforts."

Hampton Letter Carrier and NALC Member Passes Away on His Route Leaving 3 Children.

2012-02-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

Brothers and Sisters,

A Union Family needs our help. National Association of Letter Carriers member Paul Carney, died on Jan 26th while delivering the mail in Hampton, New Hampshire, leaving behind a wife and three children. (obit)

He was a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers for the last four years and was well liked by all. As you can read from the shop steward, Greg LaCourse (below), that Paul was a Transitional Employee Letter Carrier, which means he does not qualify for the same death benefits as other letter carriers. Paul joined the NALC as soon as he got the job as a letter carrier. He was hoping that they would hire him as a permanent employee with the agreement of their next contract.

I know that time are hard on many of us right now, but as we are Bothers and Sisters, we need to help the Carney Family. Below is the information on how you can help. Any donation you can make will greatly help the Carney Family.

Please help the Carney Family by donating, and sharing this message with all of your friends and family as well.

Checks can be Mailed to:
The P Michael Carney Family Memorial Fund
Provident Bank
321 Lafayette Road
Hampton, NH 03842

A message from the NALC Steward Greg LaCourse:

I am writing to you about the sudden death of a 48 Year old Hampton TE Letter Carrier Paul Carney who had a massive heart attack while delivering mail. He leaves behind a wife, and three children. He was a Union Member for about 4 years.

Being a TE Letter Carrier he receives no Death benefits from the Post Office or the NALC, even though he was delivering mail when this happened.

Paul and his Family have been living Paycheck to Paycheck. At this time, they are not even sure how they are going to pay for his Funeral.

So this is what I have done after talking to a couple of my fellow Hampton carriers. We started a collection for the Family in the Hampton Post Office. I am sure that the Hampton Carriers, Clerks, and Management will be donating to this worthwhile cause. We have raised from the initial three Letter Carriers $150.00 and I know that there will be a lot more coming from Hampton!!

Since I know all of the Stewards in this Branch, and know that we come together and Take Care of our Own. I am asking my fellow stewards to take up a Collection in their office’s to try and help out this family in need. I plan on seeing Kim, and her family in a couple of weeks to give them what we collect, and know they will appreciate whatever we can do to help them in their time of need.

Sincerely,

Greg LaCourse

AFT-NH February 13, 2012 RED ALERT LEGISLATION

2012-02-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

AFT-NH
February 13, 2012
RED ALERT

House Labor Committee Considering
Collective Bargaining and RTW Bills this Week
Please contact House Labor Committee ASAP!

It is again a full agenda before the House Labor Committee this week. We need for you to contact the House Labor Committee with a quick message that they need to defeat all of these anti-worker bills!

Let's get something straight. Each one of these representatives knew what they wanted to do and submitted each of the bills that are not the New Hampshire way. Who is asking for this legislation? They put in the bills and we cannot let them off the hook. They need to take responsibility that comes with proposing legislation that is not needed, asked for or wanted. Who are they representing?

This week the Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee held a hearing on HB 1677: AN ACT relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization. This is RTW plus eliminating the union's ability to negotiate for all positions covered by the contract. Rep. Will Smith, the prime sponsor began the hearing by stating this bill will make union bosses accountable."

The sponsors of this bill are influenced by out of state interests such as the National Right to Work Committee from Virginia that say "right to work—for less" is what New Hampshire needs. They state that companies will come to New Hampshire when we pass this law but when asked they cannot give us one company's name. We know that in states that have passed a "right to work—for less" have:

Lower wages which means consumers with less money to spend and a hit on the economy.
In production workers in NH average $22.65/hr. In RTW states, they average $20.01/hr.
Full-time women workers in NH average $17.44/hr. In RTW states, they average $15.40/hr.
In NH, the poverty rate is 7.8%. In RTW states, it is 14.5%.

The snapshot of the action this week is as follows:

Tuesday, 2/14/12: The Committee will be having work sessions on all of the destructive collective bargaining bills heard to date. All of these work sessions indicate that they could take final action any of these days.

The AFT-NH red alert bills marked up for the work session on Tuesday are:

HB 1513-FN, changing the membership of the public employee labor relations board, to read AFT-NH testimony click here.
HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining, to read AFT-NH testimony click here.
HB 1163, relative to the withholding union dues from wages, to read AFT-NH testimony click here.
HB 1427, relative to declaring that private contracting of governmental operations shall not be deemed an unfair labor practice, to read AFT-NH testimony click here.
HB 1570, relative to the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization. Sound good? Not at all. This means non-members would negotiate individually with the employer. We know what that means-unfairness, nepotism and chaos in the workplace.

Thursday, 2/16/12

The committee will be holding hearings on:

9:00 a.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1685-FN-L, relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes. Repeal of collective bargaining for supervisors.

Immediately following the public hearing, the full committee will hold a work session on:

HB 1677-FN, relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization, click here to read Terri Donovan's testimony, to read Laura Hainey's testimony click here .
HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining,
HB 1574, relative to an employee's lunch or eating period,
HB 1663-FN-L, relative to payment of union fees by non-members,
HB 1685-FN-L, relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes.

1:00 p.m. Public hearing on proposed amendment to HB 1645-FN, prohibiting all public employees from participating in collective bargaining.

He's back with his so-called "improved" bill.

Rep. Lambert has put in an amendment. The amendment is damaging. The highlights of the negative aspects amendment are:

1.Every time a local union ratified a new contract that there would need to be an election whether or not to decertify the union;

2.Any time there is mediation or fact-finding on negotiations, it would need to be open to the public;

3. If a negotiating team rejects a fact-finder's report, there would be a public hearing before the union membership votes on the fact-finding report.

On either day, the Committee may take final action. We need you now!

ACTION REQUESTED We need you to email the committee members and ask that they ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate-defeat) these bills. Please see sample letter below or use your own!

When did teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees become the enemy? We know this does not reflect the view of NH citizens. Polling shows us that more than 60% of NH residents support collective bargaining for public employees. We need to let members of the NH House understand the vital role that collective bargaining plays in NH.

This is an extreme agenda aimed at public employees and middle class families. The threat is real. We must stop it.

Please take the action in this email to contact your state representatives and let them know that enough is enough!

We need to defeat all of these bills aimed at repealing or eroding our collective bargaining rights.

Suggested Email to Committee members
or use your own script-
either way, please let them know you are opposed to all of these bills:

Dear House Labor, Industrial And Rehabilitative Services Committee,

Please remember that the HB 580 Study Committee on Collective Bargaining, comprised of both House and Senate members, issued a report just this past December and the report concluded that, "though the system has worked fairly well for the past over 35 years, testimony did reveal deficiencies in the current process and yielded recommendations on how the process could be improved." None of the bills below addresses the committee recommendations. None of the bills below were included as part of the Committee recommendations.

Please vote NO on the following bills:

HB 1163   (Union Dues)   Makes it illegal for an employer to withhold voluntary union dues from wages.

HB 1570   (Exclusive Representation) This bill states a union does not have to represent non-members. Sound good? Not at all. This means non-members would negotiate individually with the employer. We know what that means-unfairness, nepotism and chaos in the workplace. This will also lead to unnecessary litigation for cities, towns and school districts.

HB 1645 (Repeals collective bargaining for public employees) The Study Committee on collective bargaining issued a report in December, 2011 that said "collective bargaining has worked fairly well for 35 years…." 35 years of good public policy should not be repealed. Please defeat the Lambert amendment as well.

HB 1663   (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation) This is not only RTW again but adds the provisions of HB 1570 that would deny non-members the benefits of the contract and would be costly, chaotic and confusing to public employers.

HB 1677 (Right to Work "for less" for Public Employees and Exclusive Representation)   Similar to HB 1663

HB 1685   (Changes definition of supervisors and excludes certain supervisors from being represented by a union -excludes firefighters and nurses) This bill would not allow supervisors from being represented by a union—this is a total repeal of collective bargaining for supervisors. There is a current process in place before the PELRB to determine whether or not supervisors should be included in a bargaining unit.

I ask that you ITL these bills

Thank you for your support.

[Your Name and Address]

We know last year when you contacted the committees directly, you made an impact! Please take action now!
Thank you!

In Solidarity,
Laura Hainey
lhainey@aft-nh.org
603-661-7293

"Fighting For Our Future"
www.aft-nh.org

Have you visited the AFT-NH Facebook page and clicked "Like Us"? Please do so today!

Late breaking news appears on Facebook!

NH Labor News 2/13: NH Politics Weekly Round Up, Unemployment Insurance, People Still Looking For Jobs As Unemployment Goes Down...

2012-02-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News Daily Clips for 2/13/12

NH House Legislative reminder: HB1645 Amendment will have a public hearing on Thursday at 1pm in LOB 301.

Cilley focuses on state’s financial picture - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Cilley also chose to go after the leading Republican candidate for governor, Ovide Lamontagne, after advocating for a Right to Work law in New Hampshire.Cilley noted Lamontagne, a prominent lawyer, is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, which is mandatory for any practicing attorney.“Is he going to lobby to dissolve the mandatory membership of the bar? Because that’s what he’s talking about trying to do to unions,’’ Cilley said."

'Job Team' Members Still Looking For Work - News Archive Story - WMUR New Hampshire: "Jackie Simmonds, of Amherst, has been out of work now for two and half years."January has been quiet, which is a little nerve-racking, you know. I haven't had calls or anything like that," she said.Jackie worked for years in marketing and product management, and she is seeing more jobs posted now compared to a year ago.She has sent out 41 resumes since the beginning of the year, and she's worrying that long-term unemployment is hurting her chances."

An interesting blog post about workers and unemployment insurance.
Unemployed, But Working Hard - Nashua, NH Patch: "Of course most people on unemployment don’t want to stay there any longer than they absolutely have to. The 4:1 ratio between unemployed workers and job openings makes it pretty obvious that there’s no way for everyone to find work. And many of the unemployed people I’ve talked to are desperate to get a job, applying at every big-box store and fast-food place they pass by.Tim, for instance, has been working in the construction industry since he was 14. Work is an absolutely essential part of his identity as a husband and father, and he would take any job.“Any income’s better than no income,” he said. “I’m not the type to sit around.”But when I talked to him he had only gotten called back for one of the low-wage jobs he’d applied for."

Garry Rayno's State House Dome: Education funding debate rolls on | New Hampshire NEWS0604: "UNDER THE RADAR: For the last decade, lawmakers have spent more time on one issue, education funding, than on any other except the biennial state budget. This year has been no different, although there was little interest in making wholesale changes to the formula passed last year, which was a combination of what the House and Senate developed but won't go into effect until later.Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, who has long been in the middle of the education debate, proposed several changes this year in HB 1473. The biggest change would reduce the base per-pupil adequacy grant from $3,450 to $2,914 — a result of lower projected teacher costs — which would free about $100 million to $105 million to distribute to the neediest school districts."

Stop Sending American Jobs Overseas!!

2012-02-12T23:19:00.001-05:00

Just a few days ago I posted a call to action from the Communication Workers of America. CWA as well as many other organizations are working to hold corporations accountable for taking American taxpayer money, then shipping jobs overseas. The United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act HR 3596 is a bill that is trying to stop American jobs being sent overseas, while also providing transparency on those companies that do. This bill has some real advantages to all Americans.

It will stop giving taxpayer money to companies who take call center jobs overseas.

It will create a list of those companies who have taken this taxpayer money who have the majority of their call centers overseas.

It will require call centers to state their real names and locations

It will also give you the customer the right to be transferred to an American Call Center.

This is all good but there are also unwritten benefits to moving these Call Centers back to the United States. It will bring jobs back to America. It will provide work for construction workers, electrical workers, and customer service agents. Another benefit is that your personal information will be better protected. "A Price Waterhouse Coopers surveyfound that 83 percent of Indianoutsourcing companies surveyed had information security breaches during theprevious year". That means only 15% of these companies keep your personal information safe. Considering that just to get a cell phone these days you need to give them everything from your SSN number to your first born child, that breach in security could be significate.

Protect your tax dollars and protect these middle class workers. Support CWA by taking action to Bring
American Jobs Back! IF you have any questions about HR3596 feel free to contact slarson@cwa-union.org.

NH Labor News 2/12: LTE from Ed Barnes, and Independent Contractors Destroy Job Sites,

2012-02-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

A great Letter To Editor from Labor Advocate and Union Member Ed Barnes!

Why not just leave NH labor law alone? - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Have some members of the House of Representatives gone off the deep end?They’ve filed a slew of bills that would substantially alter a huge portion of New Hampshire’s labor law – and it isn’t even clear that they know what they’re doing.When the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee took testimony on HB 1570 and HB 1645 on Jan. 19, the sponsors of those bills couldn’t answer basic questions about how these bills would be cost-efficient or how they could even be properly implemented.Rep. George Lambert, R-Litchfield, one of the sponsors of HB 1645, was so confused during his testimony that he said he would propose amended language to fix the “unintended consequences” of the bill – and even asked those present at the hearing how to do that."

A great Letter to the editor talking about Non-Union "independent contractors" in MA.
Defending the indefensible - Lowell Sun Online: "Non-union carpenters in Dorchester, Brookline, Newton, Worcester, and elsewhere had to go strike just to get paid. And the "independent contractor" scam has decimated the legal basis of conventional employment relations. Unable to collect compensation when injured or unemployment insurance when laid off, these invisible workers have given new meaning to the phrase "off the books." Several years ago, an Ecuadoran carpenter fell to his death on a multimillion dollar project in Woburn. OSHA could not establish any employment relationship since his employer claimed no employees, just hundreds of "independent contractors."In the face of these constant downward pressures on standards in the construction industry, it is critical that accurate and verifiable information be available to the public. We would encourage Mr. Cogliano to spend less time defending his members' indefensible practices and more time engaged in the hard work of cleaning up the abuses of one of our region's most crucial industries."

A great article from Steve Cooper, Labor Advocate and founder / editor of We Party Patriots.
Unions in a "death spiral"? Not on my job site - The Labor Movement - Salon.com: "With his assertions in Salon that “unions are in a death spiral” and “private sector unionism has all but vanished,” Arun Gupta advances a shortsighted and incomplete narrative promoted too often by the mainstream media. His blanket assertion that organized labor has no response to today’s challenges, other than to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at the Democratic Party, demonstrates an unfamiliarity with the nuances of today’s union movement. As a close observer of the labor movement, I am confident in stating that, at least in the construction sector, Gupta’s portrait bears little resemblance to what is actually occurring."

Quick response by Hudson firefighters saves woman - NashuaTelegraph.com: "“The resident was awakened by her smoke detector,” Fire Chief Shawn Murray said. “That definitely contributed to her surviving the fire.”The other thing that saved her was the quick work of firefighters, Murray and Morin said.“The work these guys did this morning was outstanding,” Morin said of the crew. “Their response and their training made all the difference."

N.H. tax credit scholarship bill benefits the few | SeacoastOnline.com: "House Bill 1607 gives a tax credit of $2,500 to parents of non-public school children, reducing support for our public schools that serve nearly 90 percent of New Hampshire families. This bill is bad social policy and here's why.Supporters of HB 1607 falsely claim New Hampshire public schools are failing and want public monies redirected to private schools (religious and secular) and parents of home-schoolers. While we'd be the last to argue that public education is ideal (especially policies related to No Child Left Behind), our public schools are excellent compared to the nation."

Union contracts among 12 warrant articles discussed at Hudson deliberative session - NashuaTelegraph.com: "During the session, which lasted four and half hours, voters discussed 12 warrant articles that will be decided at this year’s Town Meeting on March 13.Among them are two union contracts – for Hudson’s police, fire, and town supervisors association, and another with the Hudson support staff union – the town’s proposed 2012 operating budget of $28.4 million and the town clerk/tax collector’s proposed 3 percent wage increase, the position’s first since 2007."

More Testimony From AFT-NH on HB 1677

2012-02-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

Once again I would like to thank AFT-NH for providing us with their excellent testimony against Right To Work in New Hampshire and specifically HB1677.

Below is highlight from AFT-NH Director of Collective Bargaining and Field Services, Terri Donovan. She a dedicated member of the AFT-NH team even though she is not actually and an AFT member. She has the added experience of being a former school committee chair and if I am not mistaken a former State Legislator.

While her experience may be different her words are the same as any other member of AFT or any union. HB1677 is an attack on collective bargaining. As the person who negotiated a lot of local contracts for AFT-NH, I think she would know something about this. She explains very well what bills like HB1677 would do to our current school system.

She also talks about Agency Fees. The people who are sponsoring Right To Work bills are saying that people should not be forced to pay agency fees. According to Ms. Donovan's testimony less than Half of the school districts she represents have an agency fee. Also she makes it quite clear that agency fees cannot be included into a contract unless the Employer agrees to it as well. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they do not.

Highlights from Terri Donovan AFT-NH
to the Labor Committee 2/9/12

My name is Terri Donovan. I am attorney and Director of Collective Bargaining and Field Services at AFT- NH.I am privileged to represent teachers, police officers, paraprofessionals, school custodians, cafeteria employees and municipal employees. We also represent the faculty at Franklin Pierce University which is in the private sector.My work for AFT-NH is primarily to negotiate contracts and administer these contracts by representing our locals and the employees covered under these contracts.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this past year for our members is what appeared to be a fundamental misunderstanding of what happens day to day in the negotiation of contracts.

Let’s try to build some common understanding for both public employer and union representatives negotiating contracts. It is abundantly clear listening to some of the sponsors of these collective bargaining bills they just do not understand the current process or they don’t care to learn.

We oppose the RTW aspect for both public and private sector employees. Just one more time-there is no agency fee in either a private sector or public sector contract UNLESS the employer has agreed to it. With this bill, this legislature is trying to put themselves at the bargaining table in every city, town, school district and private business.

I have negotiated agency fee provisions in collective bargaining agreements. I have also unsuccessfully proposed agency fee. The decision to negotiate an agency fee rests with the local unions. The employer says yes or no. Less than half of our locals have agency fee provisions.

You will hear others testify regarding the proposal to eliminate exclusive representation. Let’s call it is what it is. It guts collective bargaining. You cannot package this any other way.

I have been involved working with public employees most of my life wearing a couple of different hats. I served on the Dover School Committee for 8 years and served as its chairperson. I saw up close and personal from the management side how public employees can be treated. I saw specifically how some teachers and administrators were treated. I saw the raw politics. I saw people lose their jobs because someone with a grudge was elected to the School Committee and tried to exert improper influence over administrators and staff. This bill will not bring out the better angels in folks—it will be destructive.

Human resource personnel will be overwhelmed with either large numbers of individual contracts or multiple bargaining units.

I work every day for our members who do not ask for much. They ask for respect. And yes-they have earned it. They ask for fair not special treatment. Every worker deserves that.The collective voice of workers should be welcomed. It makes a difference in the quality of the work done and the public services provided. These bills are a cynical attempt to silence that voice.

So, I stand here proudly with teachers, firefighters, police officers, paraprofessionals, school custodians, librarians, town employees and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are pipefitters, bricklayers, painters, carpenters, power line crews, electricians and countless others. In other words, these are the people that are the heart and soul of the State of New Hampshire and our country. They serve, they educate, they protect, they build our infrastructure, they heal and nurture........and now you ask them to grovel?

You can read her entire testimony here

AFT-NH President Laura Hainey Testifies Against Right To Work Bill HB1677

2012-02-11T15:26:00.000-05:00

Every now and then your read a post and say they get it. Or you hear someone on the radio and you say thats what I'm talking about. This is one of those examples. The first time I read this, I was a little speechless. I knew I had to share it with everyone. It is easy to say that the President of AFT-NH gets it, of course she does, she lives it every day. It is how she explains it that is perfect.

While this testimony was for the Labor Committee on HB 1677, this almost be used for any anti-worker legislation in Concord this year. Before I spoil it, read it for yourself.

Once again I would like to thank Laura Hainey of AFT-NH for providing us with their excellent testimony against Right To Work in New Hampshire and specifically HB1677.

Re: AFT-NH Opposition to HB 1677
Dear Honorable Members of the Committee,

Thank you for taking the time to hear my testimony. My name is Laura Hainey and I am the proud president of AFT-NH.

AFT-NH is the State Affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. The AFT has over one million members with over 4,000 members here in New Hampshire. These members are teachers, school support staff, police, higher education faculty and town employees. AFT-NH is a member of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, which represents over 44,000 working men and women. We stand here together in solidarity fighting for all NH working families not just our own members.

Our members wish they could be here today. You will never understand what you are doing to my members and all working families in NH. You will drive our young people away from this state. You will leave our economy in shambles. You will not be proud.

As I stand here today, there is a teacher in a classroom somewhere in NH trying to teach a child who is facing huge challenges. This teacher lets this child know he is valued, that he has her full attention and he is an important member of his school community. This teacher’s interaction with this one child could change the world. This child could be just the one who finds the cure for cancer, wins the Nobel Peace Prize or like most of us, will be part of the great engine we call the middle class. Is it so hard for this legislature to respect working men and women and must you really try to silence their voice?

So, here we are again. We are back here today to express our strong opposition to these attacks on middle class families in our state. You have seen the statistics and you have to know that the passage of any Right to Work legislation will hurt NH’s economy and our way of life. With this bill , the sponsor has gone one step further that is to gut collective bargaining with this slick gimmick to eliminate exclusive representation.Collective bargaining for public employees in NH has been the law of the land for more than 35 years. You already know that. Your study committee even said it has worked fairly well. Your committee didn’t recommend these changes. Please step back from the politics and do what is right. Do what Democrat and Republican legislatures have done for years defeat Right to Work and uphold collective bargaining rights.

Our locals have spent decades working to establish good relationships with their employers and have collaborated on issues beyond wages and benefits. We have developed strong teacher and support staff evaluation programs and provided training for these programs. We have advocated for healthy and safe schools not only for our members but mainly for the children we serve.

Our locals know the great responsibility they undertake as the exclusive representative for a group ofemployees. We accept that responsibility. We believe we professionally carry out those responsibilities.AFT has local control embedded in our constitution because we believe the best work done by our members will be done on the local level and in their communities. Isn’t this the New Hampshire way as well?We ask you in the strongest of terms to end this spectacle. Please do the right thing and defeat HB 1677 and all of this extreme legislation.

Thank you,

Laura HaineyPresident AFT-NH

Testimony From The House Labor Committee Hearing on HB 1677...

2012-02-11T13:23:00.000-05:00

After the House Labor Committee held its public hearing on Collective Bargaining in January, we posted some of the testimony against HB1645 from Laura Hainey (President of AFT-NH). It was so well received that AFT-NH has provided us with more testimonies. The first comes from a Lawyer and former teacher, Manny Krasner. He talks about being a teacher in NH before we had a collective bargaining law and how if HB 1677 is pass it will be again. I have taken highlights from his testimony however if you wish to read the entire testimony (highly recommend) you can view it here.

Highlighted Testimony from Manny Krasner
to the Labor Committee 2/9/12
First, this bill is an assault on the collective bargaining process and on unions. Second, it will have bad consequences for the people who work and who would otherwise be protected by collective bargaining agreements. It will be bad for the cities and towns who have to deal with public employees and it will be bad for members of the public who will see public services deteriorate.

If there is no union, then if I’m one employee in a group of ten, fifty or one hundred employees, I do not have significant bargaining power with the employer. The proponents of this bill who seek to protect my freedom will say that I am free to negotiate my own deal with the employer and not be bound by the union’s contract. But, in reality, I have no bargaining power. The employer can say what he wants and tell me to take it or leave it. He has no reason to consider my terms.

So, while the sponsors of this bill say “ we’re getting rid of free riders, and and at the same time allowing everybody to choose”, what they are really doing is breaking up collective bargaining, and leaving a sham. We have to face the fact, this is an anti-collective bargaining, anti-union bill.

First, the level of public services will suffer. People who work in a system where they are absolutely powerless and at the mercy of their boss are effectively wage slaves or serfs. They don’t work well. They don’t feel that they have a stake in the process.

You might say that the way in which a workplace is governed is of no concern to others, and that people should be free to participate or not, as they wish. However, in the public sector the quality of services are critically important to all of us. Do you want your children taught by teachers whose longevity and promotion are governed by how well they kiss up to school administrators? If your house catches fire, do you want the firemen on the truck to be people who are skilled firemen who go through as much training as they can and are reimbursed for it under the union contract, do you want them to be properly equipped, or do you want them to be people who are riding that truck, because they get along well with the fire lieutenant and maybe take him out for a beer after work? If you are on the pavement after a motor vehicle collision, do you want the EMT or the first responder from the fire department ambulance to be someone who has his job, because he is the nephew of the fire chief, or one of the selectmen, or do you want him to be somebody who is on the truck, because of his training and skill?

This bill is also not a good thing from the management perspective. You are going to get either one of two scenarios. Either the one I have just described where if the supervisor is playing favorites and retaining those people who they get along with and who make their lives easier, and then the boss playing one person off against the other for the advantage of management, or you’ll get a scenario where the management acts honorably and attempts to negotiate with multiple individuals and reach fair contracts, and winds up consuming all of their time in these negotiations and not being able to do anything else. Neither of those situations are good from the perspective of the municipality.
You can see that the HB 1667 system will not work from our history. The current collective bargaining law was put into effect at the end of 1975. I don’t know how many of you can remember what it was like before the law, but I assure you the Governor Meldrim Thompson and Legislature of that day did not suddenly decide to institute collective bargaining in order to be kind to workers or unions. There were serious problems with the lack of collective bargaining. I remember the first Manchester, New Hampshire Teacher’s strike I was in third or fourth grade in the 1950's. After that, there were a number of bitter and divisive labor struggles in the public sector. During the second Manchester strike, Mayor John C. Mongon had Frances Abbott, who was later a member of this body, thrown in jail. There was a bitter strike in Nashua and, I believe one in Concord, and then, of course, there was the Timberlane strike, which went on and caused terrible bitterness and disruption in their community. The preamble to RSA 273A says it is designed to foster harmonious and cooperative labor relations and to avoid disruption and interruption of public services. Governor Thompson did not make up that need.

Here in New Hampshire there can be an agency fee if, and only if, the local school district, or local town, or local city, agrees to it, and they don’t have to agree to it. So, it leaves the decision about whether or not there may be agency fee in the hands of the local governing body, which is where it belongs.

Bring American jobs back home: Support the US Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act

2012-02-11T08:39:00.003-05:00

We at the NH Labor News are always pushing true grassroots efforts by organizations. All of the bloggers on NH Labor News are union members. We are all dedicated to protecting American jobs. One of the biggest problems in America right now is that our jobs are going overseas. One of the fasting growing areas of oversea jobs is the call center. We have all had a issue that we called customer service and were connected to "Bob" from India. Now the Communication Workers of America and others have come together to fight companies who are receiving Government Subsidies and sending jobs overseas. So far HR 3596 has 51 Co-Sponsors and more are signing on every day.

Take a moment and read the action request below and click HERE to send a message to your reps in Congress.

From CWA Action Network
Bring American jobs back home: Support the US Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act

Tell Congress to support The United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Bill

With American families struggling, it's time for companies to bring good jobs home. Foreign call centers not only ship jobs abroad, but they endanger our confidential personal information because they operate without US data regulation.

You can tell lawmakers to support the US Call Center Bill. The Bill would build jobs in America by:

Creating a customers' right to know - Ending the secrecy about call center locations, so outsourcers and offshorers can't hide anymore.

Forcing companies that outsource abroad to return federal funding - Because our hard earned tax-dollars shouldn't go to support corporations that ship American jobs to foreign countries.

Giving you the right to be transferred to a US-based operator.

But we need your support. Members of Congress will only sign on if they hear our voices loud and clear. Use our simple tool to send a message to your US Representative.

Looking Back Over the Last Year, What A Ride!

2012-02-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

Where were you a year ago? What were you doing? I do not remember the specifics however I remember watching the news and following on twitter for any news on the growing crowds in the Wisconsin State House. It was a year ago when Governor Scott Walker took his extreme tea party agenda out on the working people of Wisconsin by repealing their rights to collective bargain.

Since then a like a cancer these anti-worker legislations have grown all across the United States. After Wisconsin, Ohio attempted to repeal worker rights. The workers in Ohio stood together and delivered over one million petitions leading to the successful overturn of the newly passed collective bargaining laws. Not to be out done other tea party legislators took aim at unions. In Maine, Governor LePage removed the Department of Labor's lobby mural.

- James Imbrogno photo

Now New Hampshire is following right down the same path. The New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O'Brien is pushing dozens of anti-worker bills. These bills range from the repeal of collective bargaining to "Right To Work" to restrictions on bargaining articles. Every single one of these bills is an attempt for the legislators to restrict the where and what unions can negotiate. Just yesterday members of local unions gathered at the NH House to speak against one of the many Right To Work bills being revisited in this years session. This after we spent all of last year fighting against Right To Work. Thankfully we have a Governor who stands up for the middle class and for workers rights. Without Gov. Lynch, Granite Staters would all be in the same situation as Wisconsin and Ohio right now.

After Gov. Walker repealed collective bargaining in Wisconsin, labor around the country suddenly took notice. By the end 30,000 people were occupying the State House Rotunda. Maybe this was the punch in the face that labor needed to awake the sleeping giant that is labor unions. While labor has always been there, now labor has risen again. People are slowly seeing the value of collectively standing together. This has worked for over 100 years for unions and now is beginning to take shape in the Occupy Movement that is sweeping the country. The New Hampshire AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie has a signature at the end of all of his emails that sums it up perfectly: "Bargain Together or Beg Alone".

Below is a video highlighting the events from Feb 2011 and the events surrounding the Wisconsin State House.

Occupy NH General Assembly in Nashua!!!

2012-02-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2012

State Wide Occupy NH General Assembly

Date: February 18, 2012 12:00-3:00 pm

Location: Unitarian Universalist Church 58 Lowell St. Nashua, NH 03064

Members of Occupy Nashua will host a state wide GeneralAssembly on Sunday, February 18^th in Nashua. The General Assemblywill include members from other Occupy movements and individuals from acrossthe state. Updates on community actions and information on future actions andevents will be made available. Following the General Assembly, teach-insessions are scheduled. Topics of the teach-in sessions include information onNDAA (National Defense Authorization Act). Other topics may include informationon Occupy Foreclosures. This event is open to the public. Food will be providedand all are welcome to attend. For more information go to: www.occupyNH.org

NH Labor News 2/10: Right To Work Follow Up Articles, 20yr Old Rep Wants To Take Away Your Lunch Break...

2012-02-10T07:37:00.002-05:00

The New Hampshire Labor News

20-Year-Old State Rep Fighting to Revoke Lunch Breaks from New Hampshire Workers: "After a series of failed arguments by co-sponsor JR Hoell (R), veteran lawmakers began to grill his inexperienced sidekick Kyle Jones. The 20-year-old Tea Party darling ran for State Rep. in 2010 as part of an unorthodox team. See, Kyle’s mom, Laura, ran as well.

MacKenzie, along with Democratic Rep. Herbert Richardson of Lancaster, harshly criticized the younger Jones who suggested a lunch break law is unnecessary"

Q&A with N.H. AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie: "The agenda of the leadership of the New Hampshire Legislature has been called pro-business. But critics, such as New Hampshire AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie, view much of that agenda as anti-worker.

MacKenzie recently discussed his concerns and his own organization's agenda with NHBR."

Education tax credit won't serve the majority of us | Concord Monitor: "The New Hampshire House Ways and Means Committee recently heard testimony on House Bill 1607, an education tax credit proposal that will benefit parents of non-public school children. Regardless of the potential merits of increasing school choice, HB 1607 is bad social policy because it does not serve the majority of New Hampshire students, parents and citizens. Here are a few reasons why:"

New Hampshire's Right-To-Work Bill Is Not A Job Creator, Critics Say: "The nationwide anti-union push is moving to New Hampshire, where the state legislature is considering right-to-work legislation once again.

The proposed legislation would significantly curtail unions' power in the Live Free or Die state. And proponents of the measure in New Hampshire, like their counterparts in Indiana and elsewhere, tout the bill as a way to promote economic growth and deal with the state's jobs problem. Yet, many experts, business owners and promoters of economic development say that the proposed legislation would be unlikely to create jobs or persuade new businesses to open in New Hampshire. In fact, some say, it could hurt the state. Hampshire is tied for having the the nation's fourth lowest unemployment rate, at 5.1 percent."

Right to work legislation debated - NashuaTelegraph.com: "Then there were the more than 300 public union employees declaring this campaign to be nothing more than a national tea party narrative to strip the working class of basic labor rights."

Rep. Will Smith, who is a sponsor of HB 1677-FN,

cited as Employee Freedom of Choice Act,

listens to questions, during a Right to Work

public hearing before the House Labor, Industrial

and Rehabilitation Services Committee,

at the state house in Concord on Thursday.

(Thomas Roy/Union Leader)

Hundreds gather to fight right-to-work bill | New Hampshire NEWS06: "CONCORD — About 300 people turned out Thursday to oppose a bill that would make New Hampshire the only right-to-work state in the Northeast.

Despite the opposition, House Bill 1677 does have the support of the two announced Republican gubernatorial candidates, Ovide Lamontagne and Kevin Smith, along with the backing of House Speaker William O'Brien, R-Mont Vermon."

Gubernatorial hopefuls back right-to-work | Concord Monitor: ""Why do we have to do this? We spent all of last year on this bill and it was shot down," said Ed Foley, the business representative for New Hampshire's sheet metal union who presented letters from five contractors opposing the bill. "(House Bill) 1677 is the same as (House Bill) 474. If it quacks like a duck, it walks like a duck and it stinks like a duck, it's a duck.""

New Hampshire bill to curtail union returns - Boston.com: "Rep. Will Smith, R-New Castle and the bill's sponsor, said the revised legislation was "clearer" and would be more acceptable to the legislature. He denied accusations that he was pushing a "union-busting bill."

"This is not an anti-union bill. It's a pro union-member bill," Smith said as the largely union audience laughed."

RTW Poll:
POLL: Should Right-to-Work be Debated Again? - Concord, NH Patch: "What do you think? Should right-to-work continue to be debated or is it time to move on? Vote in our online poll and leave a note in the comment section."

http://salem-nh.patch.com/articles/right-to-work-bill-ignites-emotions

Right To Work Redux: The Circus Continues

2012-02-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

BY Nora Fredrickson

Full of Tea Party zeal after voting to repeal lunch hours for all employees, the House Labor Committee took up a new right-to-work bill over the loud objections of the nearly 400 workers and community members who filled Reps Hall for today's hearing.
As Speaker O'Brien did last fall, Labor Committee chairman Gary Daniels invited political candidates to stump on the floor of the House in return for their endorsement of right-to-work. Gubernatorial candidates Ovid Lamontagne and Kevin Smith did the honors.

Never mind that both business owners and labor leaders think it's time to move on from the contentious battle over right-to-work that shook the Legislature last year.

As Mark MacKenzie, president of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO testified:

"We have lower poverty levels, higher graduation rates, and higher wages than any right-to-work state. We have negotiated thousands of successful collective bargaining agreements. This law is not broken. There is no need for right-to-work."

Peter Church, owner of a small union printing shop in Manchester, agreed. From the Huffington Post:

"This is not something that New Hampshire needs. It's certainly not something that anyone operating a business in New Hampshire wants."

And we can't forget about Robert Lynch, staunch Libertarian and celebrated author, who used his fifteen minutes at the microphone to promote both right-to-work and his new book, "Guardrails, God and Santa Claus", on the importance of freedom.

The overarching arguments haven't changed much from last year. Opponents say that right-to-work will take away workers' rights and lower their wages. (A new report from EPI economist Gordon Lafer bears out those conclusions.)

Proponents, on the other hand, will try to sell you something: either a book, or a candidate, or a complete fallacy about what our economy needs and how it works.

Concord Tweet Fest of RTW Hearing laid out for you....

2012-02-09T20:32:00.001-05:00

In the State House today were many members and local leader opposing Right To Work. One of the ways people keep up to date on what is going on is through Twitter. I have created a story of the Tweets about todays hearing in Concord. If you are on Twitter, you should follow these people if you do not already.

Right To Work (HB1677) Public Hearing from Earlier Today.

2012-02-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

Well today was the big Right to Work hearing. This is what I found out about todays events. The Professional Firefighters of NH once again showed up with a number of members, along with American Federation of Teachers, State Employees (SEA/SEIU). There was also a big showing from the private industry unions in NH like Communication Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and United Steel Workers.

As we have said on numerous occasions Right To Work is a union busting bill. It is ment to divide the workforce and put members and non-mombers against each other. Since everyone by now knows the basics of the bill HB1677 since all the RTW Laws are pretty much the same. The difference in this one is that if you are not a member of the union, the union does not represent you either. This is essentially two bills combined into one, a RTW bill (HB383) and an Exclusive Representation bill (HB1570).

As the Sponsor of the Bill Rep Smith was one of the first to speak on the bill. He started right off by saying that this bill will hold the "Union Bosses Accountable". He then goes on to say that "HB1677 is a Pro-Union Bill", immense laughter erupted from the mostly union audience.

As in previous hearings and votes on Right To Work, the major republican party members got up to speak for the bill. In previous sessions, GOP Candidates were allowed to speak to the NH House all who opposed RTW. Today candidates for NH Governor, Ovide Lamontagne spoke for Right To Work. However Mr Lamontagne did not know if Right To Work would bring more jobs to New Hampshire. This has been one of the key "talking points" for the GOP Leadership in previous sessions. It was also asked if as "if as a lawyer, Lamontagne was a member of the NH Bar Association (also a union)? Also candidate for Governor Kevin Smith also spoke essentially the same points as others. He stated that is about "freedom of choice".

Then began the parade of union members, leaders, Democrat legislators, and faith organizations, who spoke against the bill. PFF-NH President Dave Lang got right up and said boldly "I am a union boss, and a taxpayer." He went on to say that bringing this bill up again is not the NH way. Rep Marjorie Porter tell the committee "this is just a union busting bill" and an "unnecessary intrusion in our tradition of local control". Rev. Gail Kinney spoke next and gave her testimony in "prayer" form. She reminded the committee that "Workers rights are human rights, you are either for or against those rights". A Steelworker got up and asked the committee, "are we trying to become the Alabama or Mississippi of the Northeast?"

NH AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie was next to speak. He used economic data to oppose RTW. "New Hampshire has lower poverty levels, higher graduation rates and higher wages that RTW States". He talked about programs like NAFTA making Right To Work programs useless. He said "We are competing with China not Massachusetts".

While the testimony raged on for quite a while I think you get the point. The majority of the people who testified overwhelmingly opposed RTW in any form.

Bills Won't Help NH Workers (Dues Reductions)

2012-02-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

One of our local bloggers had a Letter to the Editor published today. She also submitted it to us. Enjoy!

Bills Won't Help NH Workers

The customer sales and service members we represent use payroll deductions for many of their services. For example: contributing to the United Way, paying premiums for life, home, health insurances, and union dues. In every case, it is an easy and time-efficient option - one that the member may choose because it works best for them and their families.

In a classic case of government overreach and interference, the New Hampshire Legislature is attempting to remove employees' right to manage their finances in a convenient way that works best for them.

Automatic deduction of union dues saves time for the workers and ensures that the condition of employment is guaranteed. HB 1163 and HB 1207 would eliminate this option. This is unfair and out of line. Government is interfering with a partnership between two businesses who are negotiating what is best for them and their employees.

Some Republican leaders in the New Hampshire House make claims that they are all about creating jobs and saving taxpayers money. However, these bills prove otherwise. Furthermore, they both should be rejected as political gimmicks that strip Granite Staters of their rights. HB 1163 and HB 1207 are wrong for New Hampshire workers and businesses.

Felicia C Augevich D.V.P

CWA Local 1400/ N.H. District 7

155 West Rd Portsmouth, NH 03801

Cell (603) 702-0902/Office (603) 436-4388

Email: felicia1400@yahoo.com

twitter : CWA1400

NATCA Boston Center Controllers Honored for Safety in Atlanta

2012-02-09T11:11:00.004-05:00

Chris Henchey, Boston Center air traffic controller and
New England Region Archie League Medal of Safety
award winner, is reunited with pilot Janice Peaslee,

Vermont State Representative.

(Courtesy photo)

About a month ago we posted a message on Chris Henchey being honored locally for his efforts in helping Janice Peaslee when the engine of her Cessna 150 suddenly stopped. (See post Local Union Members Celebrated for Excellence in Safety) Last week in Atlanta Chris Henchey was honored by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association with an Archie League Medal of Safety award along with nine other recipients from across the country.

Congratulations to Chris and all of the NATCA Archie League Winners. You can find out more about the Archie League Awards here including audio recordings of these dramatic events.

For those unfamiliar with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, "NATCA represents over 20,000 highly skilled controllers, engineers and other safety-related professionals."

Below is an article published in the NH Union Leader:

Pilot praises pair for saving her life: "NASHUA — Chris Henchey of Nashua and Ryan Workman of Merrimack were named two of the nation's 15 most accomplished air traffic controllers at a national awards ceremony in Atlanta.

“The controllers are a godsend,” said pilot Janice Peaslee at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association annual Archie League Medal of Safety Awards last week. “They're there when you need them most.”

Peaslee had just fueled her Cessna 150 in Fitchburg, Mass., Oct. 9, and was en route to Caledonia, Vt., when she started having navigation problems." (more)

NH Labor News 2/9: Workers Pay Restored, Right To Work Bill Public Hearing Today, Op/Ed on Public Schools

2012-02-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

Great Work by the Union Carpenters of New Hampshire on getting a settlement for these workers!!

Settlement OK'd for workers who claimed non-payment of wages | New Hampshire NEWS02: "DURHAM — Capstone Development Corp. and Cottage Builders have reached a settlement with eight workers who say they are owed tens of thousands of dollars for months of work on the Cottages of Durham project.

A candlelight vigil planned by the American Friends Service Committee and other faith organizations turned into a celebration as the settlement was announced on Wednesday evening, Maggie Fogarty economic justice project coordinator with the committee, said.

Fogarty said the workers, who are still in the area, expect to be paid today."

So-called right-to-work bill vetoed last session returns with new bargaining restrictions | The Republic: "Bill sponsor Republican Rep. Will Smith from New Castle said he believes the additional restrictions on collective bargaining will increase its popularity in the Legislature."

NH right-to-work bill returns - Boston.com: "CONCORD, N.H.—The so-called right-to-work bill vetoed by Gov. John Lynch last session returns with expanded powers to the Statehouse.

The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee is holding a hearing on the bill on Thursday.

The bill would allow public sector employees to stay out of the union and avoid paying fees, but it would also leave them uncovered by union-negotiated contracts. Proponents say this allows greater worker choice, while unions have decried it as an attack on their bargaining power."

Rep. Smith's vision for New Hampshire public education | SeacoastOnline.com: ""Public schools. Make them private," said Milton Friedman, the inventor of school vouchers, in his famous article. This is the impact the Republican legislative agenda would have on New Hampshire public schools.

And they have proposed over 20 bills to help do it. One group of bills would disband the New Hampshire Department of Education or, failing that, cut funding and move rule-making to the Legislature. Others would eliminate compulsory attendance or allow any child to opt out of a course if the parent conscientiously objects. This Legislature has already reduced state aid to school districts once and will try to reduce it more this year."

OP/ED: Save Our Schools - Bedford, NH Patch: "Unfortunately, and rather shockingly, education has become deeply politicized. When I was on the Education and Labor Committee in Congress, some members showed their contempt for public education by saying "government-run” schools, instead of public schools. They worked then, and still do, to discredit educators and dismantle the public school system, or to divert funding to private schools. Schools and teachers have received withering attacks from state legislators across the country who have tried to pass legislation undermining the curriculum, denying science, and trying to force the teaching of creationism."

Schools: House holds off on No Child withdrawal | Concord Monitor: "Legislators in the House tabled two bills yesterday that would have relieved school districts across the state of the obligations of federal education standards - and relieved their revenue sheets of millions of dollars in federal education funding.

The bills - one would have withdrawn the state from the No Child Left Behind law and the other would have banned all schools and districts from implementing any part of the act without approval from the Legislature - passed by overwhelming, party-line margins in the House Education Committee last month."

10 states to get "No Child Left Behind" waivers - CBS News: "he first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP."

Goodbye To You Lunch Break, The Labor Committee is Digesting the Idea?

2012-02-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

A follow up to our previous post Goodbye Lunch Breaks talking about HB 1574: "This bill repeals the requirement that an employer grant an employee a ½ hour lunch or eating period after 5 consecutive hours of work."

This week the Labor Committee held public hearings on one of their more bizarre bills. HB1574 would take away the law requiring employers to provide a 30 unpaid lunch break for shifts of 5 hours or more.
This is just another prime example of creating legislation for the sake of creating legislation. It is a waste of time and money to even be discussing this. During the hearing the sponsor, Rep J.R. Hoell, stated why he thought the current law should be changed. He stated, "Everybody already does it, so why do we need it?" He continued "It may have been needed 30 years ago." Your right it was needed 30 years ago and it is still needed today. The cut throat corporate world of today would gladly force you to skip your lunch break if it was not law. Think Progress reported: "In 2005, Walmart was forced to pay $172 million for denying workers their lunch breaks. Pyramid Breweries Inc. settled a case in 2008 for $1.5 million. Just a few months ago, California ordered Embassy Suites to pay workers tens of thousands of dollars for forcing them to skip breaks."

Where do they come up with these crazy ideas???

New Right To Work Article from The NH Union Leader (Garry Rayno)

2012-02-08T19:32:00.002-05:00

This was published in todays NH Union Leader. It is a good article that talks about how problems became worse in Oklahoma after they passed Right To Work. Jobs dried up and people became angry. It also talks about how Right To Work is not a jobs creator at all. In fact after Right To Work in Oklahoma they lost 1,400 good middle class jobs.

NH AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie is quoted:

"People are tired of fighting over right-to-work."

"We should be talking about the condition of our secondary roads, our crumbling schools and bridges and expanding I-93, to finish that project,” he said. “We should be investing in New Hampshire and its infrastructure so we can be the kind of state we want to be and provide opportunities going forward. That’s what our focus should be."

Pres. MacKenzie is right, the focas of the NH House should be on fixing the current problems in NH, not creating new ones. Right To Work is not going to bring new jobs into New Hampshire. I call on anyone to show tangible proof that any company will bring New Jobs to New Hampshire because they pass Right To Work. Zandra Rice-Hawkins from Granite State Progress has already put out a public statement calling on Speaker O'Brien to produce any evidence to these claims. Yet nothing has come out. Could it be that a Politician lied to sway the other members in the NH House? You be the judge.

NH Union Leader 2/8/12

Right-to-work debate revives with new House legislation

By GARRY RAYNO

New Hampshire Union Leader

CONCORD – The contentious battle over right-to-work legislation is about to start up again. House Bill 1677, which would prohibit collective bargaining agreements from requiring all workplace employees to pay union fees and would eliminate the requirement that unions represent all employees including non-union members.

The bill is very similar to HB 474, which passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by Gov. John Lynch last year. The House fell 12 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority needed to override Lynch’s veto.

HB 1677 will have a public hearing Thursday at 1:30 p.m. before the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee.

House Speaker William O’Brien, a strong supporter of the bill, said Tuesday he is not backing off his efforts to bring jobs back to New Hampshire, and the right-to-work bill is a very important way to do that.

“After such a strong vote in the House – 63 percent who want it to become law,” O’Brien said, “we would be doing a disservice to all the people looking for work in New Hampshire if we didn’t continue the effort.”

Economists have told him approving right-to-work would be as much an boost to the state’s economy as having no income or sales tax, he said.

In a conference call organized by labor groups, two Oklahoma workers Tuesday called rightto- work insidious and hateful and said it caused them to lose their jobs to overseas workers.

Jesse Isbelle worked at the Bridgestone Tire plant in Oklahoma City when right-to-work was approved on a referendum vote in 2001. By 2006, the plant was closed, and the 1,400 jobs moved to Mexico.

He said his plant closed because right-to-work created a hostile work environment that affected productivity and profits.

“When somebody gets something for nothing, the people who provide that something for nothing resent it,” Isbelle said. “We went from a good working environment to an unacceptable environment. … Right-towork did that, not globalization. It’s such a negative and insidious thing it ruined productivity in the plant and we lost our jobs because of it.”

Kitti Asberry of Oklahoma City told a similar story about the General Motors truck plant she worked at for 27 years until it closed putting 2,700 people out of work.

“Right-to-work didn’t make Oklahoma more competitive – all the jobs moved overseas,” Asberry said. “It doesn’t do any good to compete with other states when the true competitors are China and Mexico.”

She and Isbelle said rightto- work lowered benefits and wages in Oklahoma, reduced workplace safety and all the promised jobs and new companies never materialized.

But O’Brien took issue with that characterization, saying he has seen reports from economist Scott Moody that clearly shows people in Oklahoma are earning more money, there are better jobs and the economic health of Oklahoma took off precipitously after right-towork passed.

He noted Indiana just approved right-to-work, and he would support it if New Hampshire were the last state in New England to adopt instead of the first.

“It is the right thing to do, and the right time to do it” O’Brien said. “It would give us an advantage. We would grow our economy and attract manufacturers.”

New Hampshire AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie said people are tired of fighting over right-to-work.

“We should be talking about the condition of our secondary roads, our crumbling schools and bridges and expanding I-93, to finish that project,” he said. “We should be investing in New Hampshire and its infrastructure so we can be the kind of state we want to be and provide opportunities going forward. That’s what our focus should be.”

He referred to a study released by University of Oregon economist Gordon Lafer that shows that a right-to-work law would lower wages and benefits while doing nothing to create jobs in New Hampshire.

He said he hopes the report will convince lawmakers that right-to-work will harm New Hampshire.

At the time of this post the NH Union Leader has not posted the article online so there is no link to the article. If one becomes available, the NHLNN will remove this article and replace it with the appropriate link to the NH Union Leader Website.

AFT-NH--Retirement Update--February 8, 2012

2012-02-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

AFT-NH
"Fighting For Our Future"
www.aft-nh.org

Retirement Update
February 8, 2012

Below is an update on the New Hampshire Retirement Security Coalition's (NHRSC) lawsuit and Judge McNamara's recent decision. The message below provides a summary and our next steps. We are continuing our fight. If you have any questions, please email me at Lhainey@aft-nh.org or I can be reached at 603-661-7293.

NHRSC MESSAGE
PFFNH ET AL V. THE STATE OF NH

The Retirement Security Coalition's goal is to protect the health and longevity of the New Hampshire Retirement System, and to safeguard the fundamental contractual rights of employees; state, local and retired.

In New Hampshire, questions regarding the legality or constitutionality of legislation signed into law follow a certain legal process. The first step was to file suit in NH Superior Court. The Retirement Security Coalition filed a lawsuit in Merrimack Superior Court in July of 2011.

• The NHRSC filed suit on 2 counts:

First, to stop a 2-2.5% increase to current NHRS members on the grounds that is unconstitutional to raise employee rates without a commensurate benefit and that the increase was an income tax, perpetrated against a targeted population of citizens the sole purpose of which is to pay down state and municipal debt.

Second, to stop the NH Legislature from forcing the NH Retirement System Board of Trustees to deviate from their fiduciary responsibility by mandating the use of 5-year-old data to recalculate and recertify employer rates. This executive mandate goes against sound actuary advice the Board of Trustees received at trustee meetings this past spring and would put each board member in violation of their fiduciary duties.

• Judge MacNamara ruled on several counts:

First, that the 2-2.5% rate increase is unconstitutional for vested employees. In his ruling he stated, "RSA 100-A creates unalterable contract rights only as to vested employees."

In his ruling, Judge MacNamara states, "Retirement benefits vest for Group I and Group II members after they have served at least ten credible years."

The NHRSC has consistently held the position that vesting begins after an employee reaches permanent employment status (after they have completed their probationary period).

Second, Judge MacNamra ruled that employees do not have "standing" when it comes to how employer rates are calculated. Therefore, the calculation of employer rates using the old assumptions will continue.

Third, Judge MacNamara ruled that the employee rate increase was not a "disproportionate tax, but rather a fee."

Nest Steps

•   There will be a series of filings and/or possible hearings, including a possible motion to reconsider in Merrimack Superior Court. Once the record is complete, with any unconstitutional disagreements with respect to rulings in Superior Court, the lawsuit can be appealed to New Hampshire's Supreme Court.

•   The NHRSC, anticipating the difference of opinion with respect to when constitutional protections attach, the lawsuit will require an appeal to the NH Supreme Court.

•   Therefore, as quickly as possible, we hope to suspend this unconstitutional increase and furthermore will work hard to get the NH Retirement System to return the monies you have paid since July 1, 2011.

In Closing

We understand that all members are concerned about the promised retirement benefits and we recognize the impact and effect this economy has on all of our members. We further understand whether you are a firefighter, police officer, teacher or employee, the increase between 2-2.5% impacts your family budget dramatically.

Our goal is to insure the legislature honors the promised commitment that was made to our members, as you honor your commitment everyday you go to work.

Lastly, it will be very important to be well informed, so please visit AFT-NH on FACEBOOK and click LIKE US!* Spread the word to all of your Facebook friends. This allows us to provide our members with real time updates and spread the word to community members.*Type in AFT New Hampshire to find us! You can also sign up for "GET-ACTIVE" updates by visiting www.aft-nh.org and click on the link on the left –"AFT-NH GET ACTIVE--sign up".

In Solidarity,
Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

Congressman Frank Guinta is Hosting Another Job Fair In Portsmouth NH

2012-02-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

REP. FRANK GUINTA TO HOST JOB FAIR

IN PORTSMOUTH ON FEBRUARY 22

(Washington – February 7, 2012) U.S. Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) is hosting a job fair in Portsmouth later this month. It will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22nd at Great Bay Community College, 320 Corporate Drive in Portsmouth.

Representatives from more than 30 employers and organizations will talk with participants about employment options (see below for the list). It is also an ideal chance for people who are underemployed, or who are considering a career change, to explore opportunities as well.

The event is part of Rep. Guinta’s ongoing Getting Granite Staters Back to Work jobs initiative. He hosted job fairs in Derry, Rochester and Manchester last year. You can learn more about Rep. Guinta's ongoing Getting Granite Staters Back to Work jobs initiative by clicking here.

“The road back to employment is often long and hard,” Guinta explained. “This job fair is a perfect opportunity to see what jobs are available, and which ones may be a good fit for job seekers. Best of all, this fair personalizes the job application process by letting people meet face-to-face with employers. It’s a great chance for job candidates to sell themselves and their skills.”

For additional details on this important job fair, please call Ashley Pratte at (603) 641-9536.

Participating Employers and Organizations

Maxim Healthcare Services

NH Vocational Rehabilitation

Bankers Life & Casualty

FlexEnergy Energy Systems

Personal Touch Home Care

PC Connection

US Small Business Admin

Infotech Engineering/Aero Div

Arbonne International

US Cellular

Hesser College

Right at Home

Namtek Corp.

Primerica Financial Services

Fortune High Tech Marketing

CoWorx Staffing Services

Relyco Sales, Inc.

Fidelity Investments

Promoworks

Adecco Employment Services

Dover Adult Learning Center

New York Life Insurance Co.

Portsmouth Regional Hospital

American Resource Staffing

Clear Channel Media+ Entertainment

EFI (VuTek)

US Army

AMPM Facility Services

JobsInNH.com

Granite State Independent Living

Veterans Affairs

Kelly Services

# # #

Right To Work For Less Lobby Day and Public Hearing Tomorrow!!!

2012-02-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

The extreme Anti-Worker agenda is in full swing once again in Concord. Right To Work for Less is also back for another round. Speaker Bill O'Brien made promises to make New Hampshire a Right To Work State no matter who opposes him. Now that the bill is introduced, the public gets a chance to speak on the bill. Be there to tell the NH House Labor Committee we do not need Right To Work.

It was bad for New Hampshire last year, and its worse this year!

NH Labor News 2/8/12: RTW Hearing Tomorrow, Republican Bullying, Jobs are the Most Important Issues in NH

2012-02-08T09:27:00.002-05:00

Do not forget tomorrow Right To Work for Less is being discussed in the NH House at 1pm. Show up and make your voice heard. Tell the legislature that you do not want to work for lower wages and less benefits. Right To Work will not bring jobs and is all about destroying unions.

Tired of Republican bullying - NashuaTelegraph.com: "This letter is in regards to the New Hampshire House Leadership’s pro-business and taxpayer relief agenda (“GOP leaders focus on economy,” Feb. 3). House Majority Leader B.J. Bettencourt ends this with “while we are focused and passionate about this agenda, we invite the democrats to join us and work in a bipartisan manner.”
What a joke that Mr. Bettencourt feels he knows the meaning of bipartisan. Republicans need to be reminded that no one opinion is correct; there needs to be a meeting of the minds to have balance.
I’m tired of Mr. Bettencourt and House Speaker William O’Brien’s “my way or the highway” attitude, because even they are not all-knowing. No one voted for a dictatorship. The only Republican agenda I have seen them be passionate about is winning against the Democrats, no matter what the cost. Let’s get out of the sandbox and be professional."

Jobs, Economy Most Important Issues To NH Residents - Politics News Story - WMUR New Hampshire: "Jobs and the economy remain the most important issues for New Hampshire residents, according to a new poll.
The WMUR Granite State Poll shows that 27 percent of residents said jobs and the economy were the most important problems facing the state. Coming in a distant second place is the Republican majority in the Legislature."

My Turn: Force PSNH to divest and consumers will pay | Concord Monitor: "Nothing prohibits PSNH from selling the plant if it makes economic sense. The company has kept the plant so that it can provide benefits to its customers in the form of cheaper-than-market-rate electricity. This is a valuable benefit for New Hampshire, and the Legislature shouldn't interfere with the company's decision to continue to own and operate the facility."

NH vs. NCLB: Right goal, wrong method : "These bills don’t allow much time for a careful review. NCLB and all federal money associated with it (including federal programs that were targeting aid to poor-performing students well before NCLB was created) would be gone in a little less than five months. And rather than focusing the attention on the Lynch administration’s failure (again) to stand up for New Hampshire, legislators will have created an election-year talking point for Democrats: that Republicans said no to $66.5 million in education money."

Salem voters to debate contracts, school plans: "School officials are hopeful voters will approve five employee contracts in March, despite a history of rejecting such deals.

Residents can comment on the contracts and a $21.5 million plan to renovate three elementary schools at the district's deliberative session tomorrow night."

Bedford Teachers One Step Closer to Salary Raise - Bedford, NH Patch: "In terms of teachers' salaries, board member Scott Earnshaw explained that Bedford had fallen behind other similar districts in southern New Hampshire that offer similarly highly rated education standards."

Which Side Are You On? – Some New Words

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a pos from our friend and ally Arnie Alpert. I thought it was fitting since we will be at the State House on Thursday for the Right To Work Hearing.

Help Save Jobs and PSNH at the Same Time!

2012-02-07T21:23:00.001-05:00

A new bill is making waves in Concord and it could me the jobs of hundreds of IBEW workers and many more who are all employed by Public Service of New Hampshire. PSNH has been around for many years and have always been there when NH and New England needed them. Remember "SNOWTOBER" who were the people outside fixing the power lines? Now legislators are sticking their noses into PSNH and mandating that they sell all of power plants by 2013. This would mean hundreds of jobs and possibly huge price increases.

The Save PSNH Plants website (http://www.savepsnhplants.org/) says that "PSNH has saved NH customers more than 700 million dollars of the last decade." Why would the NH Legislature want to destroy a NH Company that has saved NH so much?

Now PSNH and members of the IBEW are working together to help save the PSNH Plants. Contact your local State Rep and tell them to oppose HB 1238. Contact the members of the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee [ST&E] today and tell them that you OPPOSE
House Bill 1238.

I have included a short informational video on the issues. You can follow all about it at http://www.savepsnhplants.org/

Actual voter fraud...

2012-02-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

Can you believe this? Seriously I could not make stuff up this good. The Indiana Secretary of State was convicted of six counts of Voter Fraud. We have talked about how NH is pushing a Voter Id Bill to counter the Fraud (non existant) problem. So it looks like we need to protect the system from people who are chosen to uphold it?

The Maddow Blog - Actual voter fraud: "Republican policymakers, at the federal and state level, are often desperate to find real-world, high-profile examples of voter fraud. The good news for the GOP is that a legitimate example has come to public light. The bad news is, the example is from their side of the aisle.

The top elections official in Indiana was convicted of multiple charges in a voter fraud case on Saturday, bringing uncertainty to one of the state's most powerful offices.

A Hamilton County jury found Charlie White, the Indiana secretary of state, guilty of six of seven felony charges: two counts of perjury and one each of false registration, voting in another precinct, submitting a false ballot and theft. He was acquitted of one fraud charge."

NH Labor News 2/7: Jackie Cilley Announces Run For Gov. Sen Ayotte Talk About PLA's, and RTW is Still Wrong For NH...

2012-02-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

Cilley: 'I Won't Play Pledge Politics' [VIDEO] - Portsmouth, NH Patch: ""I am running because I believe we can offer the citizens of New Hampshire win-win solutions to the challenges ahead," she said. "We can do that if we are willing to be honest about what those challenges are and the consequences of each potential solution. We can do that only if we are willing to engage with our citizens and bring all stakeholders to the table.""

Second video from Jackie Cilley is below.

Sen. Ayotte slams bidding for Manchester Job Corps Center | New Hampshire NEWS06: "Sen. Kelly Ayotte is calling on the Obama administration to scrap all union-friendly project labor agreements, saying they are the reason the planned Job Corps Center in Manchester has yet to be built."

"Mark MacKenzie, president of New Hampshire AFL-CIO, argued that PLAs ensure that all companies submitting bids are following the same rules and prevent companies from undercutting competitors by slicing into employee wages.

“The federal government said these are the wages we will pay for this project,” said MacKenzie. “Everybody is competing on the same level playing field. The problem is small companies will say we don't want to pay people what is the prevailing wage because we're afraid after the project is done, the employees will say we're worth more than you're paying us.”

By asking Obama to remove the PLA during the bidding process, Ayotte could be putting the project at further risk, MacKenzie said. Because the bid request includes a PLA, removing it could require putting out new bid specifications, he said."

Flo-Pro, Bedford manufacturing firm, shuts; 111 to lose jobs - NashuaTelegraph.com: "According to Ricardo Moreno, vice president of human resources, the company decided to discontinue its CV axle product line because it was no longer profitable. The company has two other facilities, both in Pennsylvania, but the Bedford facility was the only one manufacturing the CV axle product line.
Flo-Pro Inc.’s 111 employees were notified Dec. 9 that the company would close its doors Feb. 7, providing the 60-day notice required by the federal WARN Act, which requires advance notification of large-scale layoffs."

A letter to the Editor from Shawn J Patten President, Salem Professional Administrators Association

LETTER: Union Contracts Will Save Taxpayers Money - Salem, NH Patch: "As President of the Salem Public Administrators Association (SPAA) I feel compelled to write to the residents/taxpayers of the Town of Salem with the purpose of getting the facts out in order for people to make properly informed decisions at the upcoming elections.

All five unions in town representing Town Employees from each and every department entered into negotiations earlier this year with the Town Manager. Most town employees haven’t had a COLA since 2008 and the members of SPAA haven’t had a COLA since 2007 and six of the last seven years. This predates the current economic climate."

Education Bill Roundup | New Hampshire Public Radio: "The New Hampshire House of Representatives is currently awash in education bills, many of which will never see the light of day. However, some of these bills are setting the stage for big discussions about public schools, the state, and the rights of parents.

To help sort through the confusion, the following is a roundup of bills coming before the House between now and Crossover day."

RTW Still Wrong for New Hampshire | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG: "Last year, despite some twisted political maneuvering and trickery by New Hampshire House Speaker William O’Brien (R), he and other anti-worker lawmakers and their out-of-state backers could not override Gov. John Lynch’s (D) veto of a right to work for less bill. With a new legislative session underway, they’re back at it again.

Thursday, the House labor Committee will hold a hearing on a new right to work (RTW) bill. Although the calendar may have changed, the facts haven’t—right to work is still wrong for New Hampshire, a new Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report finds.

Political economist Gordon Lafer provides new evidence that RTW laws have failed as economic development strategies and would likely harm New Hampshire. Right to Work: A Failed Policy, A New Hampshire Update strengthens the findings of Right-to-Work: Wrong for New Hampshire, an analysis of why RTW was particularly unsuited to New Hampshire that EPI released last April."

PART TWO of Jackie Cilley for Governor Speech.

Nashua Right To Work District Meeting Tomorrow!!!

2012-02-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Do you feel that lately your State Legislators have not represented you? Do you live in the Nashua Area? If you answered yes to these questions then this post is for you. Labor Unions throughout the state are coming together to host In-District Meetings with your State Legislators. This is your chance to speak your mind directly to the people who represent you. Tell them how your feel about their vote on Right To Work. Tell them how you feel about the proposed Repeal of Collective Bargaining Bills.

I hope to see you there!!!

AFT-NH--Action Requested-- Contact Your Rep Today!

2012-02-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

AFT-NH
Legislative Update
Action Requested
February 6, 2012

NH House Poised to Reject $61.6 Million for NH Schools
Floor Vote on Wednesday, February 8th

Dear AFT-NH Member,

We all have concerns about No Child Left Behind and we all agree that reform is needed. However, the extreme action recommended by the House Education Committee would deprive NH public schools of necessary funding to the tune of $61.6 million in 2013.

If HB 1413 and HB 1517 become law, the State would refuse to accept NCLB funding which would be devastating to our schools.

Please use the suggested script below or your own message and Contact Your Representative . Please ask them to vote NO on HB 1413 and HB 1517.

In Solidarity,

Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

Dear Representative________________ :

I am writing to ask you to oppose HB 1413 and HB 1517, a pair of bills that would withdraw New Hampshire schools from No Child Left Behind.

HB 1413 and 1517 would reject $61.6 million in Federal education aid for 2013. The NH Department of Education stated in its analysis of HB 1413 that 98% of these funds pass directly to local school districts.

In order for local districts to continue federally funded programs, many of which are targeted to rural schools, those districts would need to generate revenue through significant property tax increases. These bills would also eliminate funding that allows NH to participate in NECAP testing.

While No Child Left Behind is not without its flaws, the rational course of action is to seek change through our elected US Senators and US Representatives, not through irresponsible bills like HB 1413 an HB 1517.

I urge you to vote NO on HB 1413 and HB 1517 on Wednesday, February 8th.

Thank you .

[Your Name and Address]

The PFF of NH Need People Of Portsmouth To Stop The Closure of Station #3

2012-02-06T14:38:00.000-05:00

The City of Portsmouth is trying to shut down Fire Station 3. There is a City Council Meeting tonight! Make your voice heard that these cuts to Your Safety are unacceptable.
You can also follow news and information about this at Save Portsmouth Fires Station #3 on FB. Follow the Professional Firefighters of NH on FB.

Since many of us are Digital People, you can also send the councilors a online request. If you live in Portsmouth but cannot attend tonight, take a moment to send them a letter against this closure!
http://cityofportsmouth.com/citycouncil/index-allrequest.htm

Here is the start of an article talking more about the closure and the PFF call for residents to stop this closure.
Fire officers ask public to speak against safety cuts | SeacoastOnline.com: "PORTSMOUTH — The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight on granting a supplemental appropriation to keep Fire Station 3 open full-time.

The Portsmouth Professional Fire Officers Association urges residents to speak out against budget cuts and keep the city's safety a priority. In the last fiscal year, the City Council implemented budget cuts that have put public safety at risk, according to the union. Cuts adopted by the mayor and council reduced the number of firefighters on duty, which led to the station closure. Fire officials say cutting staff and closing the station increased emergency response times."

Clint Eastwood Super Bowl Ad: Its Halftime America

2012-02-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

While some people were watching the Super Bowl for the football others watch just for the ads. There were many Ads that were funny while some pushed a political message. Last year the Chrysler Corporation started a new campaign to help revitalize the American Auto Industry. Some of you may remember the commercial titled "Imported From Detroit". The video (below) talked about how hard Detroit and the Auto Industry had been hit and we need to get back to buying American Made cars. While you watch this video, see if you can pick out some of the Union images embedded in the video.

Imported from Detroit 2011

Did you see them? I will give you a hint, one of them is the mural that is one the lobby wall of the AFL-CIO building in Washington DC. If you found more, leave a comment below and share with everyone.

Durning SB46, Clint Eastwood teamed up with Chrysler to create "Its Halftime In America" (below). This video was a little more pointed than "Imported from Detroit". He talks about how had the recession has been on all Americans, but the game is only half over. Eastwood says "we are all scared because this is not a game". We need to look at places like Detroit and the Auto Industry to see how we can work together to rebuild America. "We all rallied together and acted as One" Eastwood continued. Personally my favorite line is: "America cannot be knocked out with one punch, we get right back up again. And when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engine....."

Eastwood and Chrysler are right, we need to work together not against each other to Rebuild America. Bring manufacturing back to the US. "It Halftime America, And The Second Half Is About To BEGIN!"

Its Halftime In America

NH Labor News 2/6: More Wacky Bills in Concord, Save the Shipyard, No Tax is a Bad Idea!

2012-02-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

The NH Labor News 2/6/12
There is always next year for us Pats Fans

Several goofy bills a waste of time - NashuaTelegraph.com: "With 400 members seeking to prove their worth, it’s expected the New Hampshire House of Representatives will generate a few goofy legislative initiatives every session. This year though, our diligent lawmakers may have outdone themselves.
To it’s credit, Republican leadership has tried to steer attention to important issues such as the economy and jobs. However it’s difficult not to be distracted by some of the wackier proposals on the legislative agenda.
Near the top of the silly list is House Bill 1580, a measure that would require bills addressing individual rights or liberties to include “a direct quote from the Magna Carta which sets forth the article from which the individual right or liberty is derived.”"

Your Turn: Why America needs its shipyards, Portsmouth included | New Hampshire OPINION02: "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard should not be on the Base Realignment and Closure list. I do not say this because the yard is important to the economy of New Hampshire, though it is. And not because the yard has a proud record of on-time delivery, below cost, though it does. Nor because the yard is a fine homeport to three medium-endurance U.S. Coast Guard cutters, though that is quite true.

No, my reasons are much more important than that. It is a matter of national security."

The next two articles talk about how NH is pushing to ensure that NH stays Income Tax Free. However they say it would only require 3/5 of a majority to increase taxes. While I think that nobody wants to raise sometimes it is a necessity. Making this a constitutional amendment would hurt NH in the long run.
Check out the NHLNN Report on it.

The NH Union Leader pushes their "ultra conservative" opinion on CACR13 and other tax bills.
Tougher tax hikes: The three-fifths rule | New Hampshire OPINION01: "This would not prohibit tax increases. It would make them much more difficult to pass. It also would ensure that any new or increased taxes would have broad support. In 2010, legislators slipped an income tax on Limited Liability Company owners into the state budget at the last minute. That budget contained other controversial taxes, such as a new tax on gambling winnings, that along with the LLC tax were repealed the next year after the public learned more about them. This amendment would reduce those kinds of controversies. To increase the people’s tax burden, three-fifths of their representatives and senators will have to agree to it. "

GOP wants to abolish state income taxes | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com: "Last year, GOP lawmakers in many states quickly went to work on a new conservative agenda: restricting abortion, cracking down on illegal immigration, expanding gun rights and taking aim at public-employee unions.

Emboldened by that success, the party has launched income tax efforts in Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina. However, it's not clear how all those states would make up for the lost revenue, and Rueben said she's not aware of any state in modern history that has eliminated an income tax."

AFT-NH--Legislative Update --February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T20:35:00.000-05:00

AFT-NH
Legislative Update
February 5, 2012

Dear AFT-NH Member,

The attacks continue and it was another week filled with a negative agenda at the State House. Every day we are “FIGHTING FOR OUR FUTURE” and will continue to do so until there are legislators that believe in the NH advantage and supporting working class families.

Here is a summary of some of the latest attacks.

First, the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee held an executive session on HB 1344, which would prohibit public employees from being candidates for certain offices. Finally, some reason was seen and the committee made the recommendation to defeat this bill. It will now move to the full house for a vote on February 15, 2012.

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee held hearings on HB 1352: AN ACT relative to citizen complaints against a police officer. This bill was presented last year and was defeated but the sponsor Rep. Sapareto brought it back saying this is a bill about transparency, openness and it is an exposure bill. AFT-NH is opposed to this bill. How complaints against police officers are handled is already in place through personnel rules, collective bargaining requirements or statutory procedures. Click here to read AFT-NH testimony. We ask that the committee make the recommendation of Inexpedient to Legislate (defeat) the bill.

The House Judiciary Committee met on HB 1506: AN ACT relative to the right-to-know exemption for public employee personnel files. AFT-NH believes this bill is an unnecessary intrusion into the private and personnel matters of public employees. To read AFT-NH testimony click here. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Lambert and once again he does not have the understanding of the current process. He says this is a small change but in reality, it is a big change. This bill is an unnecessary interference with the management function of cities, towns and school districts and an unwarranted intrusion into private employee information.

Education
Below is a summary by Jeff McLynch of the NEW HAMPSHIRE FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE on HB 1607: an act establishing an education credit against the business profits tax.
All of the members of the subcommittee – Representatives Major, Hess, Ohm, Osgood, and Almy – were in attendance; the subcommittee will meet again on Thursday, February 2, at 1 pm. The Department of Education will likely be called upon at that meeting to address some of the technical aspects of the bill.

New Forsythe amendment – Senator Forsythe was present at the work session and was called upon regularly by the members of the subcommittee. He has yet another version of the bill that he intends to offer as an amendment. Although we do not yet have a copy, the intent is to attempt to clarify which students may be eligible for scholarships and which students are counted for the purposes of reducing adequacy aid under the bill. Bottom line is that this bill will reduce the amount of money given to local school districts. AFT-NH opposes this bill in all forms.

Representative Hess’ objections – Representative Hess, who had raised a number of concerns with the bill during the initial Ways & Means hearing, put forward his four main objections to the version of the bill presently in the House:
1.It does not, but should, include means test.

2.It does not adequately prevent the possibility of “self-dealing” i.e. it could allow individual businesspeople (e.g. members of an LLC) to make contributions to scholarship organizations that in turn are used to provide scholarships to the children or relatives of that businessperson.

3.There is too long a lag in determining the adequacy aid figures that would be used to reduce adequacy aid under the bill.

4.The cap on the size of the credits ($15 M in the original bill; $13.5 M in the revised version) is too high; he generally suggested that, with any new program, the state should start small and assess how well it is working, suggesting a cap of $2.5M in each of the first few years of the program.

The Republican members of the subcommittee, as well as Senator Forsythe, all seemed amenable to addressing the first three objections, but Forsythe did not seem willing to accept a lower cap.

There are many other bills before the House Education Committee. I believe that an "extremist group" in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker William O'Brien of Mont Vernon, is pursuing "a destructive agenda" that threatens public education. In a recent press conference reported by Garry Rayno of the New Hampshire Union Leader: “Rep Bettencourt said “We will also ensure that all New Hampshire students have access to an education system that is based on excellence by expanding educational choices and introducing competition to improve public education,” he said.” However, what he fails to say is this so-called choice will take scarce funding away from our public schools and divert these funds to homeschoolers, private schools and religious schools. Last time I checked, sending money to religious schools was against the constitution. I was a presenter at a recent education forum in Laconia. To read an article about the fo rum prepared by the The Laconia Daily Sun, please click on the following link. To read the full article click here.

UPCOMING HEARING –RIGHT TO WORK “FOR LESS” IS BACK AND EVEN WORSE—IF THAT IS POSSIBLE!

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Representatives Hall
1:30 p.m. public hearing on HB 1677-FN, relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization. This bill would not only pass Right to Work but would also strip Unions as the exclusive bargaining agent from representing all positions covered by the contract. This bill would say only members are represented. Sound good? It is not because we know it will create cronyism, nepotism and chaos in the workplace. It will be costly to employers. It is a divide and conquer bill and aimed at weakening your local Union. If you can attend this hearing, please email me at lhainey@aft-nh.org .

ACTION NEEDED:   It is time to TAKE ACTION AND CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and ask that they defeat HB 1677 and all of the anti-worker bills. Try our new ONE CLICK action to contact your representatives---a letter will be sent directly to them.

Here’s the link: http://action.aft.org/c/534/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=3539

We have been here, done this, defeated RTW, so why are we doing this again? It’s time to move on and get back to the real work of creating jobs and improving our economy. This bill will do neither. Let’s remember the facts on Right to Work for Less:
Public employees are covered by the NH Public Employee Labor Relations Act (RSA 273-A);
Private sector employees are covered by the National Labor Relations Act;
The NH Supreme Court has held that it is legal to charge an agency fee, although an employer is not required to bargain such a provision in the contract;
AFT-NH represents almost 4,000 public employees and only 10 out of 25 contracts have agency fee clauses and these were negotiated;
“RTW—for less” states have lower wages; lower wages means consumers with less money to spend and a hit on the economy.
NH’s Economy is better than Right to Work States:
Production workers in NH average $22.65/hr. In RTW states, they average $20.01/hr. (1)
Full-time women workers in NH average $17.44/hr. In RTW states, they average $15.40/hr. (2)
In NH, the poverty rate is 7.8%. In RTW states, it’s 14.5%.

1 John Schmitt, The Unions of the States, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Feb 2010
2 US Census Bureau

It will be very important to be well informed in the days to come, so please visit AFT-NH on FACEBOOK and click LIKE US!* Spread the word to all of your Facebook friends. This allows us to provide our members with real time updates and spread the word to community members.*Type in AFT New Hampshire to find us! You can also sign up for “GET-ACTIVE” updates by visiting www.aft-nh.org and click on the link on the left –“AFT-NH GET ACTIVE--sign up”.

In Solidarity,
Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

UPCOMING FULL SENATE VOTES ON FEBRUARY 8, 2012

CACR 6, relating to taxation. Providing that a 3/5 vote is required to pass legislation imposing new or increased taxes or license fees, or to authorize the issuance of state bonds and providing that the general court shall appropriate funds for payment of interest and installments of principle of all state bonds.
Ought to Pass, Vote 3-2.
Senator Bradley for the committee.

To read more on this go to : http://www.nhfpi.org/research/proposed-spending-cap-could-lock-in-current-spending-cuts-for-a-decade-or-more.html

CACR 12, relating to public education. Providing that the general court shall have the authority to define standards for public education, establish standards of accountability, mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity, and have full discretion to determine the amount of state funding for education.
Ought to Pass with Amendment, Vote 4-1.
Senator Bradley for the committee.

HB 145, permitting the audio and video recording of a law enforcement officer while in the course of his or her official duties.
Ought to Pass with Amendment, Vote 2-1.
Senator Groen for the committee.

UPCOMING HEARINGS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session
HB 1352, relative to citizen complaints against a police officer,
HB 1275, relative to the common law rule of lenity,

MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
11:00 a.m. Executive session on
HB 1603, relative to local spending caps,
HB 1176, relative to the amendment of warrant articles at official ballot town meetings,
HB 1292, requiring a 2/3 majority for borrowing by official ballot towns and school districts.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

EDUCATION, Room 103, LOB
1:00 p.m. SB 387, allowing schools to develop policies on the distribution of literature of patriotic organizations.
1:15 p.m. SB 300, relative to special education services in chartered public schools.

PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 101, LOB
9:20 a.m. SB 238, establishing a committee to assess the form of government in towns that have elected the official ballot referendum form of meeting.
10:20 a.m. SB 261, relative to requirements for warrant articles.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW AND STATUTORY RECODIFICATION, Room 206, LOB
1:00 p.m. Continued public hearing on HB 1533, prohibiting bullying in the state house and legislative office building.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
2:30 p.m. Continued executive session HB 1690-FN, prohibiting the use of cell phone data extraction devices by law enforcement agencies,

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 1313, allowing school districts to offer higher education scholarships to high school pupils.
10:30 a.m. HB 1377, requiring postsecondary education institutions to compile and submit reports on remedial education courses.
12:30 p.m. HB 1389, relative to the pre-engineering technology curriculum and pre-engineering technology advisory council.
1:00 p.m. HB 1424-FN, relative to a parent's conscientious objection to a school, school program, or school curriculum.
1:30 p.m. HB 1417, relative to a student's freedom of association.
2:00 p.m. HB 1583, relative to immunity for school personnel using reasonable force to protect a minor.
3:00 p.m. HB 1589, establishing a committee to study and propose a recodification of the education laws currently in RSA title 15.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:45 a.m. HB 1154, establishing a committee to study the management structure of state government.

FINANCE, Rooms 210-211, LOB
1:30 p.m. Executive session on
HB 1534-FN, repealing the self-funding of the department of labor,
HB 533-FN-L, establishing a cap on the amount of school building aid grants distributed in each fiscal year,
HB 1638, establishing a commission to study and recommend standards for downshifting and cost shifting from the state to counties, cities, towns, and individuals,

FINANCE – (DIVISION II), Room 209, LOB
9:30 a.m. Work session on HB 533-FN-L, establishing a cap on the amount of school building aid grants distributed in each fiscal year.

JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session on
CACR 28, relating to the allocation of authority between the legislative and judicial branches. Providing that the supreme court shall determine the constitutionality of judicial acts and the legislature shall determine the constitutionality of legislative acts,

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
10:15 a.m. HB 1574, relative to an employee’s lunch or eating period.
11:00 a.m. HB 1323, requiring employers who offer benefits to full-time employees to offer benefits on a pro-rated basis to part-time employees.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 304, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session on
HB 1129, establishing a committee to study the frequency and financial consequences of erroneously dialed 911 calls,
HB 1133, relative to membership of the enhanced 911 commission,

WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
3:00 p.m. HB 1678-FN-A-L, establishing video lottery and table gaming at certain locations in New Hampshire.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 100, SH
9:00 a.m. SB 246-FN, relative to the calculation of employer assessments for excess retirement system benefits.

JUDICIARY, Room 101, LOB
1:15 p.m. SB 385, relative to police investigations of motor vehicle accidents involving police officers.

CHILDREN AND FAMILY LAW, Room 206, LOB
10:00 a.m. Continued public hearing on CACR 31, relating to parental rights. Providing that parents have the natural right to control the health, education, and welfare of their children.
10:30 a.m. Executive session on
CACR 31, relating to parental rights. Providing that parents have the natural right to control the health, education, and welfare of their children,

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW AND STATUTORY RECODIFICATION, Room 205, LOB (Please note room change.)
10:00 a.m. Executive session on HB 1533, prohibiting bullying in the state house and legislative office building,

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
10:30 a.m. HB 1523-FN-L, relative to the return of personal property seized by law enforcement agencies from a person charged with a crime.

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 1456, relative to school district policies on health and sex education.
11:00 a.m. HB 1457, relative to scientific inquiry in the public schools.
1:00 p.m. Executive session on
HB 1313, allowing school districts to offer higher education scholarships to high school pupils,
HB 1377, requiring postsecondary education institutions to compile and submit reports on remedial education courses,
HB 1389, relative to the pre-engineering technology curriculum and pre-engineering technology advisory council,
HB 1417, relative to a student's freedom of association,
HB 1583, relative to immunity for school personnel using reasonable force to protect a minor,
HB 1589, establishing a committee to study and propose a recodification of the education laws currently in RSA title 15,
HB 1382, including parents in the approval process for alternative learning plans and requiring a truant officer to obtain a warrant or permission of a parent prior to returning a child to school.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
2:00 p.m. HB 1668-FN, relative to an individual's right to access to all state government files concerning the individual.

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Representatives Hall
1:30 p.m. Rescheduled public hearing on
HB 1677-FN, relative to choice as to whether to join a labor union and eliminating the duty of a public employee labor organization to represent employees who elect not to join or to pay dues or fees to the employee organization.

MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
1:30 p.m.    HB 1159, defining a default budget for a municipality.
2:00 p.m.    HB 1497, relative to the writing of warrant articles.

WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
10:00 a.m. Rescheduled executive session on HB 388-FN, establishing the amount of the enhanced 911 services surcharge and requiring providers of voice over Internet protocol services to pay surcharges for deposit in the enhanced 911 system fund,

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSIONS REFORM, Rooms 306-308, LOB
9:30 a.m. Full committee work session on HB 1306-FN-L, requiring retirement system employers to make contributions for part-time employment of retired members of the retirement system.
10:00 a.m. Dartmouth presentation on colas.
11:00 a.m. NH Retirement System presentation comprehensive annual financial report.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14

EDUCATION, Room 103, LOB
1:00 p.m. SB 372-FN-L, establishing an education credit against the business profits tax.

PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 101, LOB
9:40 a.m. SB 269, relative to the definition of default budget in towns that use official ballot voting.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW AND STATUTORY RECODIFICATION, Room 206, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 1131, establishing a committee to study the revisions to laws which would be necessary if the Supreme Court and superior court were abolished as constitutional courts.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
11:00 a.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1584, relative to the authority of police chiefs.
2:00 p.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1630, relative to traffic control at public meetings or functions.

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 1467, relative to educational requirements for teacher certification.
11:00 a.m. HB 1148, requiring the teaching of evolution as a theory in public schools.
1:00 p.m. Executive session on
HB 1167, repealing the 180 day school year requirement,
HB 1139, making changes to the unique pupil identification system,
HB 1403, allowing a parent or guardian to withdraw a child from a school district which adopts the international baccalaureate program.

TRANSPORTATION, Room 203, LOB
9:00 a.m. Subcommittee work session on HB 1309-FN-A, establishing a special number plate to support public elementary and secondary schools.

WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
1:00 p.m. Executive session on
HB 1698-FN-A, establishing keno and providing scholarship money to New Hampshire students

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
11:00 a.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1524-FN, expanding the definition of official oppression.
1:30 p.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1327, relative to official oppression.

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session on
HB 1175, relative to the membership of the cooperative school district budget committees,
HB 1456, relative to school district policies on health and sex education,
HB 1467, relative to educational requirements for teacher certification,
HB 1457, relative to scientific inquiry in the public schools,
HB 1148, requiring the teaching of evolution as a theory in public schools.
1:00 p.m. CACR 8, relating to education. Providing that the legislature shall have the power to authorize schools.
1:30 p.m. HB 1637-L, authorizing a school district which uses official ballot voting to conduct a special meeting necessitated by changes in adequate education funding.
2:00 p.m. HB 1703-FN, requiring a course in business or financial literacy as a prerequisite to high school graduation.
2:30 p.m. HB 1715, relative to authorized regional enrollment area agreements.

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Representatives Hall
9:00 a.m. Rescheduled public hearing on HB 1685-FN-L, relative to collective bargaining under the public employee labor relations statutes.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session on
HB 1199, relative to school district voting on school building projects,
HB 1424-FN, relative to a parent's conscientious objection to a school, school program, or school curriculum,
CACR 8, relating to education. Providing that the legislature shall have the power to authorize schools,
HB 1606-FN, adopting the interstate compact on educational support for military children,
HB 1637-L, authorizing a school district which uses official ballot voting to conduct a special meeting necessitated by changes in adequate education funding,
HB 1703-FN, requiring a course in business or financial literacy as a prerequisite to high school graduation,
HB 1712, relative to the teaching of the Bible in public schools,
HB 1713-FN, abolishing the department of education and transferring all functions, duties, and responsibilities to the commissioner of education and the state board of education,
HB 1715, relative to authorized regional enrollment area agreements.
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