According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the new federal regulations could deny overtime pay to 6 million Americans. In addition, three former top U.S. Department of Labor officials, who served under Reagan, Clinton and the first President Bush, examined these new rules and concluded that they "substantially broadened the class of employees who will be exempt, without substantially clarifying the rules for exemption." Depending on how these rules are interpreted, these experts said they could exempt up to 53 million workers, or 40 percent of the U.S. workforce.

The new overtime regulations spell trouble for Western New York workers, who are already suffering from a stagnant economy, continued job loss and a high local tax burden. On Friday, the State Department of Labor reported that Buffalo/Niagara lost 2,600 private sector jobs since last July - the second highest percentage drop among the state's metropolitan areas. In Rochester, 2,300 private sector jobs have disappeared over the last year. Just last week it was also reported that residents of Upstate New York pay an additional $6 billion in local taxes compared to the rest of the nation.

Congress has tried repeatedly to block the overtime regulations. The Senate has twice passed Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) amendment to the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill, which would prevent the Department of Labor from putting the rules into effect. Last year, the House voted to instruct conferees on the Labor/HHS bill to accept the Harkin language in conference. However, the Republican leadership stripped the language out of the bill. Rep. Slaughter has voted on three separate other occasions to stop the overtime rules, but again the Republican leadership opposed the effort every time. Furthermore, the Department of Labor received over 75,000 comments from the public on the rules, but refused to hold a single public hearing.

Overtime protections were created in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. They guarantee most workers time and a half pay for hours worked beyond a standard 40-hour workweek. Considered one of the most basic, bedrock labor protections, overtime provisions cover approximately 115 million workers - or 85 percent of the nation's workforce. In 2000, overtime pay accounted for one-quarter of total income for families earning it.

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the new federal regulations could deny overtime pay to 6 million Americans. In addition, three former top U.S. Department of Labor officials, who served under Reagan, Clinton and the first President Bush, examined these new rules and concluded that they "substantially broadened the class of employees who will be exempt, without substantially clarifying the rules for exemption." Depending on how these rules are interpreted, these experts said they could exempt up to 53 million workers, or 40 percent of the U.S. workforce.

The new overtime regulations spell trouble for Western New York workers, who are already suffering from a stagnant economy, continued job loss and a high local tax burden. On Friday, the State Department of Labor reported that Buffalo/Niagara lost 2,600 private sector jobs since last July - the second highest percentage drop among the state's metropolitan areas. In Rochester, 2,300 private sector jobs have disappeared over the last year. Just last week it was also reported that residents of Upstate New York pay an additional $6 billion in local taxes compared to the rest of the nation.

Congress has tried repeatedly to block the overtime regulations. The Senate has twice passed Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) amendment to the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill, which would prevent the Department of Labor from putting the rules into effect. Last year, the House voted to instruct conferees on the Labor/HHS bill to accept the Harkin language in conference. However, the Republican leadership stripped the language out of the bill. Rep. Slaughter has voted on three separate other occasions to stop the overtime rules, but again the Republican leadership opposed the effort every time. Furthermore, the Department of Labor received over 75,000 comments from the public on the rules, but refused to hold a single public hearing.

Overtime protections were created in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. They guarantee most workers time and a half pay for hours worked beyond a standard 40-hour workweek. Considered one of the most basic, bedrock labor protections, overtime provisions cover approximately 115 million workers - or 85 percent of the nation's workforce. In 2000, overtime pay accounted for one-quarter of total income for families earning it.

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the new federal regulations could deny overtime pay to 6 million Americans. In addition, three former top U.S. Department of Labor officials, who served under Reagan, Clinton and the first President Bush, examined these new rules and concluded that they "substantially broadened the class of employees who will be exempt, without substantially clarifying the rules for exemption." Depending on how these rules are interpreted, these experts said they could exempt up to 53 million workers, or 40 percent of the U.S. workforce.

The new overtime regulations spell trouble for Western New York workers, who are already suffering from a stagnant economy, continued job loss and a high local tax burden. On Friday, the State Department of Labor reported that Buffalo/Niagara lost 2,600 private sector jobs since last July - the second highest percentage drop among the state's metropolitan areas. In Rochester, 2,300 private sector jobs have disappeared over the last year. Just last week it was also reported that residents of Upstate New York pay an additional $6 billion in local taxes compared to the rest of the nation.

Congress has tried repeatedly to block the overtime regulations. The Senate has twice passed Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) amendment to the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill, which would prevent the Department of Labor from putting the rules into effect. Last year, the House voted to instruct conferees on the Labor/HHS bill to accept the Harkin language in conference. However, the Republican leadership stripped the language out of the bill. Rep. Slaughter has voted on three separate other occasions to stop the overtime rules, but again the Republican leadership opposed the effort every time. Furthermore, the Department of Labor received over 75,000 comments from the public on the rules, but refused to hold a single public hearing.

Overtime protections were created in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. They guarantee most workers time and a half pay for hours worked beyond a standard 40-hour workweek. Considered one of the most basic, bedrock labor protections, overtime provisions cover approximately 115 million workers - or 85 percent of the nation's workforce. In 2000, overtime pay accounted for one-quarter of total income for families earning it. | Add as favourites (20) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 973

We can only wonder if, in selecting this site, the entire RNC had lost its collective mind. The Republicans at all levels of government managed to do everything that they could possibly do to ensure nothing less than a hostile reception in this city. The administration has upset labor unions, including New York’s bravest and finest. Bloomberg was forced to lay off workers as the Bush administration stiffed the city out of the $20 million that it promised after the 9/11 attacks. Just up the island is Greenwich Village, home to thousands of unmarried and unhappy homos who can raise an army of supporters from sea to shining sea. MSG is not that far away. Anyone in manufacturing who has lost a job to China might have a gripe as well, even as George W. tries to persuade anyone still employed that it’s OK to get time off instead of being paid time and a half. Any veteran who actually served time in the ‘Nam might have something to say. Dick Cheney used four or five deferments, claiming that, at the time, he had “other priorities,” besides getting blown to bits in some rice paddy. No one is sure where George W. spent the war. I doubt if he himself remembers.

John Kerry may have his GOP bought and paid for critics, but at least he was there.

Besides labor, gays, veterans against the war (and Bush), there remains a long list of students, environmentalist, and health and political activists who have a gripe against Bush’s misguided adventure in Iraq.

It is anticipated that more than 250,000 demonstrators will find their way to New York for the convention.

Legendary Madison Square Garden is the place, and the elite of the GOP will grace its stage for the George W. Bush love fest. The prime time speakers include the top of the heap. Leading off on Monday night will be Mayor Mike Bloomberg himself. In the number two slot will be former mayor Rudi Giuliani, to be followed by slugger Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.). On Tuesday, we see First Lady Laura Bush, Education Secretary Rod Paige and the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I can’t understand this choice. Even though anointed by Lord Rothschild himself, Arnold is new to elected office. Perhaps the hundreds of thousands of legal and illegal Hispanic voters in California have something to do with his appearance. Perhaps they believe his speech will hasten the arrival of their driver’s licenses. Wednesday finds Lynne Cheney speaking, followed by the Darth Vader of the GOP, her very own husband, Dick Cheney. After Dick speaks, Senator Zell Miller, a DEMOCRAT from Georgia will try to follow his nastiness. Miller must be thrilled indeed to follow the vice president. I’m sure that the entire convention will be interested in hearing every word from a turncoat southern DEMOCRAT who has dared to defile a REPUBLICAN love fest.

Thursday night is the main event. Our very own Governor George Pataki will speak just prior to the acceptance speech by the wooden puppet who wants to be a real live boy: President of the United States George W. Bush.

It is a formidable lineup, a political murders row of unprecedented power. The late Lee Atwater would have been impressed. Richard Nixon would have only sighed and wished for what could have been.

Guess who’s not coming to party???

Secretary of State Colin Powel will not make an appearance. Deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said on Tuesday that “The secretary does not plan to attend.” This decision demonstrates that the secretary, unlike the RNC, has not lost his mind. But his absence will raise many political eyebrows. Is he trying to save what little credibility he still has? After he was ill used by the administration before the WMD fiasco at the UN, Powell has taken a back seat to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon in matters of foreign policy. Perhaps he knows that his tenure ends with a Bush re-election, and he is rebuilding some political capital. Perhaps he also knows that an escape from New York, with thousands of upset protesters lurking at every corner of mid-town Manhattan, might be a little bit difficult.

The Guns (and heat) of August

Summer in Manhattan is second only to summer in Washington, D.C, for its sweltering heat and humidity. Heavily armed and armored Robocops will not be in the best of humor as they try to contain the hundreds of scattered protests by the thousands of equally unhappy opposition members. Heat casualties could be heavy on both sides of the lines. The Robocops will have the advantage of interior lines, with supplies continually available. Protesters will have to fend for themselves. Rank and file New Yorkers may have little use for the Bushes. But they may resent having their downtown turned into a combat zone. The good news for the protesters is that tear gas may not be used. The bad news is that the police may use rubber bullets. At close range, the phrase “rubber bullet” may suggest something benign. But propelled by a 12-gauge shell, the close quarter effect will not be so. Ask those who participated in the WTO protests in Miami last year. A puppet will give little cover.

The Opposition

On Sunday, August 29, the protesting begins in earnest. The World says No to the Bush Agenda: United for Peace and Justice will “host” a march past Madison Square Garden, followed by a rally. On Monday, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and the Still We Rise Coalition are co-sponsoring a march and rally to support HIV/AIDS health care, welfare reform, immigrant issues, housing/homelessness, and criminal justice issues. There are enough social issues to attract thousands of protesters. How they will all fit together remains to be seen. Perhaps the point is for them not fit but to spill out all over Manhattan. At the same time, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union presents another march, beginning at the United Nations and ending at Madison Square Garden. It is hoped that they won’t collide with the folks just mentioned.

Tuesday could see some eye-to-eyeball confrontations. The One Million Yeses and One NO! people are planning a direct demonstration against the Free Speech Zones (police pens). There could be some major league action here. At the same time, the noRNC Youth are calling for “a youth day of action.” What this could be is anybody’s guess.

On Wednesday, the New York City Labor Council will host a massive union rally and march.

These are the main events. There are hundreds of other organizations that are planning to head to the Big Apple to join in the festivities. Manhattan could well become more densely populated than Bangladesh.

Adding to the population will be about 20,000 Republican Party delegates, donors, and officials, who are expected to attend the convention. Following all the action will be a press circus, featuring 15,000 members of the various media. Getting to the center of activities should be easy for conventioneers as the majority of the delegates’ hotels are within a one-mile radius of the convention center.

Delegates and media should expect to meet up with most of the protesters. More than likely, all three groups will meet to discuss the various burning issues of the day.

Bloomberg’s office has issued a press release describing all of the street closures around the vicinity. Many will be closed to all vehicular traffic, and many areas will be restricted to pedestrians who have a “business-related” reason to enter. A designated protest area has been set up on 31st Street at 8th Avenue.

The robocops are busily preparing, as well. Details are, of course, classified, but one can imagine the preparations. Robocop will have plenty of back up.

Meanwhile, the Counter Convention organization is estimating that the protests around the Republican Convention could very well be “the largest in history.”

There is no reason to doubt their prediction. | Add as favourites (16) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 1308

Masiello Ignores Mutual Assistance Rule

In situations such as these, the strategy of the Masiello administration has been to rely on a mutual assistance agreement between Buffalo and neighboring municipalities, created in 1977. Fire Department representatives have pointed out that there is no plan in place to call Buffalo firefighters, even though an on-call detail of the BFD could respond faster than units from other municipalities. In fact, the 1977 agreement explicitly states, “Off-duty personnel (from the BFD) will be re-called for immediate duty and will be compensated at the rate of time and one half...” in the event of such an emergency.

This has not been happening, however. The administration has sought to obtain mutual aid without declaring an emergency, thereby avoiding paying time and a half to Buffalo firefighters.

“They got the County people ready to respond, but they never actually had to call them in. They dodged a bullet,” Lucca said.

“We have asked the mayor’s office and (the city’s acting fire commissioner) Mike D'Orazio to put a plan in place, and they have refused our request to even talk about putting an emergency call back plan in place. It’s beyond belief. I can’t believe that anybody in their position would ignore the needs of the citizens for political reasons,” he added.

Of course, these days, any discussion involving emergency planning must involve the possibility of terrorism. Although the federal Department of Homeland Security has earmarked at least eight million dollars for these purposes, it appears that the county has hijacked the funds. “We still haven’t seen the benefit of those security dollars,” Lucca said. “We believe Mayor (Anthony) Masiello has bargained away those dollars to the county.”

Lucca said that he believes that this puts the community at risk unnecessarily. He said that he suspects that The Buffalo News has avoided coverage of these issues for the same reason that it failed to cover the major fire on Howard Street: the editorial staff's support of the Control Board's blatant anti-union agenda.

Control Board Strategy: Divide and Conquer

The Control Board was, in large part, created by the Republican Party's need to attain something that they could never achieve at the polls in the City of Buffalo – power. M&T Bank CEO and the ideological leader of the Control Board, Bob Wilmers, has been the point man in the all-out war against the city's three most powerful unions representing police officers, firefighters, and public school teachers.

Hopes that a funding crisis would put the teachers’ union at Wilmer's mercy appear to have been ill founded. Only the governor’s veto of spending on education as legislators appear ready to allocate enough money to the district to stave off the push toward privatization represented by the charter school movement, at least for this year.

Now State Supreme Court Justice Nelson H. Cosgrove's decision to force the city to make promised pay increases to the Buffalo Police Department has created the possibility of another defeat for Wilmers and the Control Board.

While Control Board Chairman Thomas Baker has expressed confidence that the board can get the ruling overturned upon appeal, he and fellow Wilmers supporters on the editorial board of The Buffalo News portrayed the victory for the Police Benevolent Association as a major threat to the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Union, and white-collar workers for the city.

As transparent as the strategy might seem, it appears to have had some effectiveness with some of the rank and file firefighters. One firefighter we talked to on condition of anonymity expressed frustration with Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association President Joe Foley, emphasizing the need for the union to play “hardball” in negotiations and admitting to an “us vs. them” attitude with the Buffalo Police. “(PBA President) Bob Meeghan gets them pay raises and we're left holding the bag? We're already stretched to the limit. You can't make any concessions with these people. We've made too many concessions to them already.”

“Of course, there’s frustration on our part,” Lucca said of the police contract. “But the police contract wasn’t even honored and the Control Board is still fighting it. Plus they had to give up quite a bit to get those pay raises. The police tend to come first because fighting crime is paramount in most people’s minds.”

Buffalo News Fails to Publish Firefighters Critique of Fire Study

The city commissioned a study of the Buffalo Fire Department to MMA Consultants of Boston, Mass. The results were a number of suggestions for departmental reorganization. Not surprisingly, The Buffalo News has failed to allow the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association to give their input on the recommendations, despite the fact that the union agrees with some of the study’s findings.

The union has put its response to the study online on its website, http://www.local282iaff.com

Here are a few excerpts from the response:

“We believe that MMA’s analysis of Buffalo Fire Department Operations and the city’s fire suppression needs is superficial. Relevant criteria were not considered in some of their recommendations.”

“We know that some of their data were inaccurate, which can lead to incorrect conclusions. We also believe that the methodology they employed in their mapping analysis, which attempted to show that their suggested relocation/firehouse closing plan would still enable the city to meet the response time standards of NFPA 1710, does not answer the fundamental question posed by the standard: Can the City of Buffalo put one engine on the scene in four minutes, and a full assignment (as determined after performing a task analysis for the typical fire to be expected in our municipality) on the scene in eight minutes?”

“They cherry-picked what they wanted from this study,” Lucca said pointing out that the only thing from the study that has been implemented is the closing of firehouses. “They haven’t upgraded training. We’ve been without a commissioner for eight months now. No new rigs. No new firehouses. Nothing. Absolutely zero. What we’re saying is if you’re going to follow this study’s recommendations, follow them.” | Add as favourites (22) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 2155