Saturday, March 20, 2010

Benefits of Health Care Reform, District by District Impact

Thursday, 18 March 2010 09:20

Take a look for yourself. AFSCME supports passage of Health Care Reform and we think it is very important for each of our members to see what the benefits of health care reform will mean to their congressional district.

The Committee has prepared, for all 435 congressional districts, a district-level analysis of the impact of health care reform legislation. This analysis includes information on the impact of the legislation on families, small businesses, seniors in Medicare, health care providers, and the uninsured.

Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1924:benefits-of-health-care-reform-district-by-district-impact&catid=169:legislation&Itemid=55#toc49

MOU Reached Regarding Sabbatical Leave

There has been confusion and misinterpretation of the Sabbatical (Options for Use of Paid Annual Leave) language in your collective bargaining agreement. On March 10th Executive Director Beil signed a Memorandum of Understanding that basically straightened out the intent of the contract language for utilizing vacation time earned in 2009 to be placed in your sabbatical accounts in 2010.

Simply put, people who are eligible to put vacation time in sabbatical in the last contract, regardless of sick leave accrual, will be eligible to put time in their 2010 sabbatical account. All agencies should have received this MOU and should be complying. If there are problems, or if some agencies are unclear, please contact us at (608) 836-0024 and we will remedy the situation.

Download, view and print the MOU >>>

Friday, March 19, 2010

A Message from AFSCME Pres. McEntee



Call Congress Now!

Now Is The Time to Protect the Vote


The Wisconsin Voter Protection Act was introduced this week and we need your help to make sure these critical protections are passed into law. Use the link below to send a message to your state legislators to support the Wisconsin Voter Protection Act and encourage them to sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor.

AFSCME Council 24 SEPAC is partnered with One Wisconsin NOW.

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/voterprotection

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Role of Government in Rebuilding the Economy

FREE Workshop and You Are Invited;

Patrick Bresette, a national speaker from DEMOS, will present exciting new research on why public structures pave the way to prosperity and how we can best protect them at a time when state and local budgets are running on empty.

Choose any of the several sessions listed below and RSVP your selection by calling 414-967-1682 or email Karyn Royster at kroyster@wisconsinsfuture.org.

EAU CLAIRE

March 25th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Gateway Technical College, Room 130, 2320 Alpine Rd.

March 25th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Gateway Technical College, Commons Room, 2320 Alpine Rd.

MADISON

March 24th, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Democratic Assembly Caucus, Site TBD

March 24th, 4:30pm - 7:00pm
AFSCME, 8033 Excelsior Dr.

March 25th, 8:00am - 10:00am
WEAC, 33 Nob Hill Rd.

MILWAUKEE

March 23rd, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Urban Ecology Center, 1500 East Park St.

March 24th, 8:00am - 10:00am
Brico Fund, 1122 N. Astor St.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Scott Walker Steps Into The Sly Den

Posted by SLY IN THE MORNING at 8:37 AM

Republican Candidate for Governor and current Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker answers tough questions about combined reporting, State workers, and his plan to create jobs by cutting taxes. Listen to Gubernatorial Candidate Scott Walker.

SEPAC NOTE: This interview comes after Executive Director Marty Beil was on the air with "Sly In The Morning" accusing Scott Walker of laying the foundation for the attacks on state employee pensions, wages and benefits.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Stop Big Insurance



On March 9th, insurance company executives were gathered behind closed doors in a Washington hotel to plot their efforts to kill health care reform. They have spent millions of dollars to thwart the will of everyday Americans who know that health care reform is essential to our economic future. At the same time, workingmen and women boarded buses and trains and traveled to Washington to tell the insurance industry that they won’t win this battle. It’s time to take health care decisions away from insurance executives who regularly put profits over people. It’s time for a final up-or-down, majority vote on health care reform.

It’s time to tell the insurance industry: Your time is up.

• It’s time to stop insurance companies from denying coverage to people with
pre-existing conditions.
• It’s time to stop insurance companies from dropping patients when they get sick.
• It’s time to require insurance companies to spend money on health care, not CEO salaries
and Washington lobbyists.
• It’s time to strengthen Medicare and close the “donut hole” in drug benefit
plans for seniors.
• It’s time to stop insurance companies from jacking up premiums on small businesses and families.