[Peace] Rally Against UI Wage Cuts, Thu 8/21, noon PAR; Labor Day Parade, County Board meeting Thu (Nursing Home)

[Ricky Baldwin]

Here's a summary of some events from Jobs with Justice that AWARE members may want to join (info on each follows the list) ...  please note nos. 1 & 2 are coming up very soon, and nos. 8 & 9 are of particular antiwar interest ...

-Ricky



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
To: Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:04:44 AM
Subject: Rally Against UI Wage Cuts, Thu 8/21, noon PAR; Labor Day Parade, County Board meeting Thu (Nursing Home)

Central Illinois Jobs with Justice
News and Upcoming Events
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

1. Rally Against U of Illinois Wage Cuts, Thursday, August 21, PAR-FAR
Dorm Entrance (Lincoln & Pennsylvania), noon.

2. Nursing Home: next County Board meeting, Thursday, August 21, 7pm.

3. AFSCME - Heartland Human Services update

4. Labor Day Parade, Mon 9/1, gather at Lincoln Square, 9:30 pm.

5. Labor Education Class Tuesday nights starting October 14.

6. Employee Free Choice Act - One Million Mobilization - sign your card

7. Prevailing wage under attack in Quincy

8. Dan Kenney coming to C-U to talk about privatization the weekend of
October 10

9. Cost of Iraq war billboard update

10. Nominations for Executive Committee

11. Next meeting: Saturday, September 20, 10 AM, IEA, 2110 Clearlake, Champaign.

1. Rally Against U of Illinois Wage Cuts, Thursday, August 21, PAR-FAR
Dorm Entrance (Lincoln & Pennsylvania), noon.

When state legislators passed the State Budget on May 31st U of I
campus workers were optimistic. The University received a 2.76%
increase in its overall operating budget and appropriations of
$641,354,200 for employees' wages.

In total, the budget promised workers at the University of Illinois a
3% salary increase for 2008/09. Certainly not a cost of living
increase, but competitive with other state institutions and much
needed by many campus workers.

However, University of Illinois President Joseph White had different
ideas about how to use the funds allocated for employees' much needed
salary increases. Instead of giving employees 3 percent, White
announced on July 24th that the University could only afford to give
increases of 1.5% to 2%.

Join UIUC building service workers, food service workers, clerical
workers, graduate employees, faculty, and student workers at noon on
August 21st to ask Pres. White: "Where has the money gone?"

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22705363971

2. Nursing Home: next County Board meeting, Thursday, August 21, 7pm.

Public participation is first item on the agenda. Working conditions
at the nursing home continue to deteriorate, leading to an increase in
turnover. It appears that the Policy Committee did not forward a
referendum to the full board. County Board Member Carol Ammons attened
our last Jobs with Justice Steering Committee meeting; she expressed
concern that the groundwork is being laid for privatization of the
facility. Please show your support for our public Nursing Home in
Champaign County.

3. AFSCME - Heartland Human Services update
Workers at Heartland Human Services in Effingham tried to go back to
work, and have now been locked out. AFSCME has a resolution in the
Illinois House for an audit of the facility (in particular - did they
receive money from the state when they were not providing services
because the employees were on strike?)

4. Labor Day Parade, Mon 9/1, gather at Lincoln Square, 9:30 pm. There
will be a Jobs with Justice contingent. We'll use the milling-about
time before the parade begins to pass out JwJ cards and talk to people
about Jobs with Justice. After the parade is the picnic, food,
beverages, music, fun stuff for kids. More info: http://il.aflcio.org

5. Labor Education Class Tuesday nights starting October 14.
Building and Re-Building the Labor Movement. Participants who complete
the class get a Union Community Action Network and Labor Education
Program certificate. Meets at ILIR. Support our friends working to
maintain a Labor focus of the UI Labor program. More info
www.ilir.uiuc.edu; contact Helena: hworthen at uiuc.edu;

6. Employee Free Choice Act - One Million Mobilization - sign your
card, and return it to us (for example, to Gene, Germaine, Ricky, or
Bob.) Every supporter of workers' rights to organize should sign a
card. The JwJ page is here: http://www.jwj.org/efca.html

7. Prevailing wage under attack in Quincy
The Quincy School Board (in Adams County) is suing the Illinois
Department of Labor over prevailing wage. The school board takes issue
with how prevailing wage is set, argues that school construction jobs
should be exempt from prevailing wage standards as they are currently
calculated by IDOL. The Association of Illinois School Boards is on
board with the suit.  Jeff Mays (Quincy School Board member and
founder of the Illinois Business Roundtable, former IL legislator) and
friends are laying the groundwork for an assault on prevailing wage at
the state level.

8. Dan Kenney is coming to C-U to talk about privatization the weekend
of October 10; Friday night at 7PM-9PM Urbana City Council Chambers:
"Outsourcing our Sovereignty - Blackwater and the privatization of
War." Other events, interviews - contact: Barkes at gmail.com.

9. Cost of Iraq war billboard update:
There was money left over from the "cost of the Iraq war billboard"
project, to which several Jobs with Justice members contributed. This
money has been used to purchase a mobile electronic billboard that
will display the same info. Currently slated to begin its display in
the window of the Champaign County Democrats in downtown Champaign,
but it can go elsewhere. Contact: Barkes at gmail.com

10. Nominations for Executive Committee
We've had some turnover in our Executive Committee and we're
rebuilding it. At the last meeting we nominated: Rick Prince, AFSCME,
and Justus Fortado, SEIU; they accepted the nomination. We'll have an
election in September. Nominations to naiman at justforeignpolicy.org.

11. Next meeting: Saturday, September 20, 10 AM, IEA, 2110 Clearlake, Champaign.

-- 
Robert Naiman