Snohomish County Labor Council, AFL/CIO
Minutes of the Meeting of March 23, 2005
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by President Chapman followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as typed and handed out.
M/S/C to seat the new delegates who were present: Cindy Hallstrom and Randy Kurtz, AFSCME 948; Shawn Unger, IAM 160; IBEW 191, Jason Armstrong; IBT 38, Samantha Kantak; OPEIU 8, Mary Cody; SEIU 6, Joan Bethel; Teamsters 763, Jason Powell; UNITE HERE, Mac Lal
Bob Gorman, AFL/CIO State Director, spoke on Social Security issues and possible AFL/CIO reorganization. He noted that one of the proposals is to regionalize Labor Councils. The May meeting of the SCLC will be given over to the reorganization discussion. Paul Quaintance, UFCW 1105, encouraged members to attend a Social Security rally in Seattle next week.
Secretary-Treasurer Sells gave a brief report on the Executive Board meeting of March 16th. Delegates received the minutes in their packets. Among items discussed were the Workers Memorial Day on April 27th before the next Labor Council meeting, Paine Field Expansion, the County Council prescription drug program, the AFL/CIO National Day of Action for Retirement Security, CAFTA, problems with unionization at the Everett Public Facilities District, HB 1849, Wal Mart, COPE Interviews and a recommended Social Security resolution. It was M/S/C to recommend the resolution to the full Council.
M/S/C to concur with the Social Security resolution
Resolution Rejecting plans to privatize Social Security
No. 1 – 05
Submitted by the AFL-CIO March 23, 2005
A Resolution calling on the Congress of the United States to reject plans to privatize Social Security by cutting Social Security’s guaranteed benefits and diverting money out of Social Security into private investment accounts and, further, calling on Congress to commit to repaying to the Social Security Trust Fund the monies it has taken and spent for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Social Security’s income protections – guaranteed, lifelong benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, increased benefits for families, greater income replacement for low-income workers and disability and survivor benefits are the backbone of retirement security and family protection in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Social Security provides crucial, often indispensable income protection for the 47 million individuals – one of every six Americans – receiving benefits; and
WHEREAS, Social Security is the nation’s most successful and most important family income protection program, but it has long-term funding needs we should address; and
WHEREAS, some policymakers propose to address these needs by cutting guaranteed benefits and privatizing Social Security, that is, diverting a third or more of workers’ payroll tax contributions out of the Social Security Trust Fund and into private investment accounts; and
WHEREAS, privatization will worsen Social Security’s funding needs by draining resources from the Trust Fund into private accounts, increasing the federal deficit by $2 trillion over the first decade alone putting us deeper in debt to foreign creditors; and
WHEREAS, some officials and members of Congress have suggested the federal government should not pay back the money it has taken from the Social Security Trust Fund over the past 20 years and used for other things, thereby denying working families the money they paid into Social Security and leading to further cuts; and
WHEREAS, privatizing Social Security will cut guaranteed benefits by 30 percent for young workers, even for those who participate in private accounts, costing them $152,000 over their retirements, denying them benefits they have earned and imperiling their economic security; and
WHEREAS, cutting guaranteed benefits will hurt the elderly because Social Security is the only secure source of retirement income for most Americans, providing at least half the income of nearly two-thirds of older American households and lifting more than 11 million seniors out of poverty; and
WHEREAS, cutting guaranteed benefits will hurt women and people of color, as they are more likely to rely on Social Security for most of their retirement income; and
WHEREAS, diverting resources from Social Security to fund private accounts will threaten guaranteed survivor and disability benefits, thus harming working families – as approximately one in five workers dies before retiring and nearly three in ten become too disabled to work before reaching retirement age; and
WHEREAS, privatizing Social Security will burden state and local governments, as cuts in guaranteed benefits will increase demands for public assistance at the very moment growth in the federal deficit due to privatization induces the federal government to shift greater responsibilities onto states and localities; and
WHEREAS, Congress should not rush through drastic and damaging changes in Social Security that undermines its family income protections but instead, should take the time needed to develop careful and thoughtful reforms that address Social Security’s funding needs without cutting benefits or increasing the deficit:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that:
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Community Services—Suzanne Moreau, Puget Sound Labor Agency Director, gave a report on the Community Services brochure. She thanked Jim Smith, LIUNA 292, for help with raising money through the selling of parking for Everett Events Center events. She noted that the Letter Carriers Food Drive is coming up and that the bags are in the process of development. Helpers for unloading the postal vehicles on the day of food pickup are needed. She is currently working with United Way on the Combined Fund campaign at Boeing with SPEEA and the Machinists. Our contract with United Way has been extended for three years. She requested nominations for the Spirit of Labor Award.
Organizing-Paul Quaintance reported on the last meeting. They are discussing organizing targets and local Wal Mart campaigns.
Workers Memorial-Allyn Triezenberg reported for Toni Bohan, SEIU 925, that the Workers Memorial would be held April 27th before the regular SCLC meeting. The traditional march will stage from the Labor Temple at 4:45PM and participants will walk to the County Courthouse Plaza at 5:00PM. The focus this year will be on the death of an AWPPW member at Kimberly Clark.
COPE
Dave Gossett announced that he would be having his campaign kickoff for reelection to County Council, Position 4, on Wednesday, March 30th at the Martha Lake Community Club.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS-None
NEW BUSINESS-None
Dave Somers, Candidate for County Council District 5, announced his candidacy. He discussed briefly his concerns with the current occupant of the office.
Travis Patterson, IBEW 191, gave an update on unemployment issues in Olympia, as did Mike Heins, IBEW 191, who testified on the issue.
Representative Mike Sells, 38th District, gave a brief update on Labor issues still before the House of Representatives.
Jim Smith, LIUNA 292, encouraged delegates to tune into the Radio Labor Journal on KSER 90.7 FM.
President Darrell Chapman reminded delegates that the May meeting would discuss the reorganization. He requested that delegates discuss this topic with their locals.
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Community Services Drawing winner: Pat Connelly, ATU 1576
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Sells, Secretary-Treasurer
From Washington State Labor Council, AFL/CIO
From AFL/CIO
4/1/2004 Voice @ Work Campaigns
From Local Unions and Councils
From Officials
From Candidates
From Organizations
From Individuals
ATTENDANCE:
AFSCME 109:
AFSCME 109E:
AFSCME 109S:
AFSCME 113:
AFSCME 1811:
AFSCME 1811C:
AFSCME 1811CA:
AFSCME 1811JPD: Chris Harper
AFSCME 1811JS:
AFSCME 1811PA: David Kurtz
AFSCME 1811S:
AFSCME 881:
AFSCME 948: Cindy Hallstrom, Randy Kurtz
AFSCME 1020:
AFSCME 1355:
AFSCME 2753:
AFSCME 2964:
AFT 772: Kim Mead, Mike Sells
AFT 1873:
AFT 4254:
APWU 484:
ATU 883:
ATU 1576: Dick McManus
GCIU 767M:
IAFF 46: Tom Deckers, Robert Downey
IAFF 1984:
IAFF 2694:
IAM 130: Shawn Unger, David Volkmann
IAM 751A: Bob Neumann, Don Shove
IAM 751C: Dave Brueher
IAM 751E: Ron Bradley
IAM 751F: Jackie Boschok
IATSE 15:
IBEW 46:
IBEW 77:
IBEW 89: Mike Ferrucci
IBEW 191: Jason Armstrong, Darrell Chapman, Mike Heins, Travis Patterson
IBT 38: Tami Brady, Steven Chandler, Janine Dibble, Samantha Kantak, Leonard Kelley, Rick Olson
IBT 763: Jason Powell
IBU/ ILWU:
IFPTE 17:
ILWU 32:
IUOE 302:
IUPAT DC 5:
IW 86:
IW 506:
LIUNA 292: Rex Martin, Jim Smith,
NALC 791: Bob James
National Writers Union:
OPEIU 8: Mary Cody
OPEIU 277:
Pac NW Newspaper Guild:
SEIU 6: Joan Bethel
SEIU 775:
SEIU 925: Toni Bohan
SEIU 1199NW: Jackie McGeachy, Steve Moll
SMIU 66:
SPEEA:, Chris Glenn, Joe Lake, Larry Marrell, Mark Moshay, Bob Rommel, Kurt Schuetz, David Simpson
UA 26:
UFCW 44:
UFCW 141, USNU:
UFCW 1001: Charles Primm
UFCW 1105:, Paul Quaintance
UniteHere: Mahesh Lal
AFSCME 1811CA: Jay Crockett, Jay Fraser, Patty Goins, Myrsa Montoya
IAM 751F: Judy Neumann
IBEW 191: Jeff Seibert,
IBT 38: Chuck Jewell, Barry Lund
LIUNA 292: Rodolfo Zavala
SEIU 925: Tania Rosario
SPEEA: Steven Bish, Tim Bond
UFCW 1105: Nancy Holland-Young
Bob Gorman, AFL-CIO
Dave Gossett, Snohomish County Councilman
Dave Somers, Candidate for Snohomish County Council
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