Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
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Friday, December 11, 2020 |
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The labor movement continues to lead the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to fight for economic opportunity and social justice for America’s workers. |
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A Few of Thoughts from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka |
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America’s workers are hurting like never before. Our pain is growing worse with each passing day, ravaged by a pandemic that is at its worst point yet and fighting with every fiber of our being to support our families. Once again, we find ourselves at the crossroads of life and death. We need additional COVID-19 relief. And we demand it now. The fact is we can’t wait for a new president or the promise of a vaccine. But make no mistake, this is our moment to go on offense.
Something is happening in America. Working people are holding our country together. We’re essential. And we’re not going to return to an economy where the rules are rigged against us. We are going to stand together and win a better day.
With the virus surging, we need to do what we can now to protect lives. Wearing a mask is one of the most effective and important ways to fight the spread of COVID-19. It’s not political, it’s science. It’s about saving lives. The coronavirus isn’t going to magically disappear. In fact, if we do nothing, it will only get worse. Now is the time to put aside partisan differences and do what’s right for our communities and our country. Please wear a mask when you go out. It’s that simple.
The holiday season should be a time of joy. But for far too many of America’s workers who have been laid off or lost hours and benefits due to the pandemic, this holiday will be harder to celebrate. Across the country, the labor movement is doing what we do best: linking arms and lifting each other up. It is so important that we give what we can to not only our sisters, brothers and friends in need, but to our communities that are hurting, too. Please join me in taking part in the labor movement’s relief efforts this holiday season. Together, we can make this season brighter for workers and our families.
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The labor movement delivered key victories up and down the ballot during our Labor 2020 campaign. Now, our path forward runs through Georgia, where we are facing two crucial runoff elections that will decide the difference between a pro-worker majority and an anti-union majority in the U.S. Senate. Until the election, you can look in your inbox for daily Georgia updates from the AFL-CIO.
Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council: Voter Registration Rally Features Savannah Mayor and Stacey Abrams.
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Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council Executive Director Sandra Williams (RWDSU) reports the labor council, in partnership with the New Georgia Project, held a Virtual Voter Registration Rally on Friday that featured guest speaker Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Georgia (pictured right). Speakers highlighted the importance of making sure Georgians are registered by Dec. 7 in order to vote in the Senate runoff elections on Jan. 5. The event concluded with a special video recorded by Stacey Abrams for the labor council. Watch the full video here.
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Join the Georgia Senate Runoff Campaign:
Phone Banks and Postcard Information
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Between now and Jan. 5, the national virtual phone banks are up and running, and we are calling on union members to make calls. We have 1.2 million calls that need to be made to our fellow union siblings as well as to the general public. We need about 10,000 volunteers, but with your help, we will make it. If your organization would like to sponsor a phone bank, please click the links below to get started.
Virtual phone banks are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST, seven days a week, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
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We also have a postcard program that will make a major difference. We have a universe of 400,000 voters—labor and general public—to whom we intend to send postcards. We are about 25% to goal with orders right now, so there's still a lot to do to meet our goals by the Dec. 11 cutoff. You will receive postcards, stamps, sample messaging and a mailing list. All you need to do is write the notes and pop them in the mail! Reminder: A minimum of 300 postcards must be ordered. |
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This Season a Flu Vaccine is More Important than Ever! by Bill Froehle
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Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during 2020-2021 to protect yourself, your family and your community from flu. A flu vaccine this season can also help reduce the burden on our healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and save medical resources for care of COVID-19 patients. If you haven’t gotten your flu vaccine yet, get vaccinated now. You can get a free flu vaccine at Activate Healthcare, with locations in Erlanger and Sharonville.
The more people vaccinated; the more people protected.
What to expect for the 2020-2021 flu season, during the COVID-19 Pandemic? Signs and Symptoms
Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe symptoms. Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle pain or body aches
- Headache
- Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults
Differences:
Flu
Influenza (flu) can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
- fever* or feeling feverish/chills
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue (tiredness)
- some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
COVID-19
COVID-19 seems to cause more serious illnesses in some people. Other signs and symptoms of COVID-19, different from flu, may include change in or loss of taste or smell. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.
How long symptoms appear after exposure and infection
Similarities:
For both COVID-19 and flu, 1 or more days can pass between a person becoming infected and when he or she starts to experience illness symptoms.
Differences:
Flu
Typically, a person develops symptoms anywhere from 1 to 4 days after infection.
COVID-19
Typically, a person develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as early as 2 days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection, and the time range can vary.
How long someone can spread the virus
Similarities:
For both COVID-19 and flu, it’s possible to spread the virus for at least 1 day before experiencing any symptoms.
Differences:
If a person has COVID-19, they may be contagious for a longer period of time than if they had flu.
Flu
Most people with flu are contagious for about 1 day before they show symptoms.
Older children and adults with flu appear to be most contagious during the initial 3-4 days of their illness but many remain contagious for about 7 days.
Infants and people with weakened immune systems can be contagious for even longer.
COVID-19
How long someone can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 is still under investigation.
It’s possible for people to spread the virus for about 2 days before experiencing signs or symptoms and remain contagious for at least 10 days after signs or symptoms first appeared. If someone is asymptomatic or their symptoms go away, it’s possible to remain contagious for at least 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19.
How it Spreads
Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can spread from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Both are spread mainly by droplets made when people with the illness (COVID-19 or flu) cough, sneeze, or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
It may be possible that a person can get infected by physical human contact (e.g. shaking hands) or by touching a surface or object that has virus on it and then touching his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
Both flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 may be spread to others by people before they begin showing symptoms, with very mild symptoms or who never developed symptoms (asymptomatic).
Differences:
While COVID-19 and flu viruses are thought to spread in similar ways, COVID-19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups than flu. Also, COVID-19 has been observed to have more superspreading events than flu. This means the virus that causes COVID-19 can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses.
Young children are at higher risk of severe illness from flu.
Complications
Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can result in complications, including:
- Pneumonia
- Respiratory failure
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (i.e. fluid in lungs)
- Sepsis
- Cardiac injury (e.g. heart attacks and stroke)
- Multiple-organ failure (respiratory failure, kidney failure, shock)
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions (involving the lungs, heart, nervous system or diabetes)
- Inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissues
- Secondary bacterial infections (i.e. infections that occur in people who have already been infected with flu or COVID-19)
Differences:
Flu
Most people who get flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications, some of these complications are listed above.
COVID-19
Additional complications associated with COVID-19 can include:
How to Prevent Flu
CDC recommends 3 actions to prevent flu.
- Get a flu vaccine,
- Practice everyday preventive actions, and
- Take antiviral medication to treat flu if your doctor prescribes them.
Common side effects from a flu shot include soreness, redness, and/or swelling where the shot was given, headache (low grade), fever, nausea, muscle aches, and fatigue.
*Refer to the CDC website for the most up to date, accurate information.
(Bill Froehle is Business Manager for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Mechanical Equipment Service Local Union No. 392 and President of Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council - bill@local392.com )
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AFSCME: Volunteer Drive in Full Swing |
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Volunteer efforts from AFSCME are in full swing. In coordination with the Georgia State AFL-CIO, AFSCME members are knocking on doors and phone banking by the thousands. As of Wednesday, volunteers have made more than 10,800 calls, with phone bank shifts scheduled daily through the election.
On Nov. 23, AFSCME President Lee Saunders released a video to members calling them to action. He said:
“Control of the U.S. Senate is still up for grabs. On Jan. 5, Georgia will hold not one, but two Senate runoff elections. A victory for Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock will create a pro-worker majority that will pass the urgent state and local aid we need. This is all hands on deck. All of us who care about funding the front lines and passing a broader working families’ agenda. We need to pour everything we’ve got in these Georgia races.”
AFSCME members interested in volunteering can sign up at the link here.
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Coalition of Labor Union Women:
Relaunch of Text Banking ‘Snappy Hour’
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The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) has relaunched its text banking “Snappy Hour” events, where union members will be texting potential voters in Georgia and encouraging them to vote. The next event will be held Dec. 11. There will be two shifts, one from 5–7 p.m. ET and another from 8–10 p.m. ET.
“We also just sent a series of postcards to the printer, which will be distributed to our CLUW chapters across the country and then sent off to our union sisters in Georgia,” said CLUW President Elise Bryant (TNG-CWA). “This election could not be more important. In 1974, CLUW was founded on the belief that a woman's place is in her union. That is still true today, and we cannot stop there. That’s why we’re out there getting it done.”
Those interested in signing up for a shift can do so here. Attendees must have a phone and a computer available to join the event, and training will be provided.
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News from EPI
"Corporate power and legal challenges have exploited weaknesses in labor law for over fifty years"
Policymakers must make it easier for workers to form unions
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A new report by EPI’s Unequal Power project shows how employers have exploited weaknesses in U.S. labor law and routinely resisted workers’ efforts to form unions, thus stripping large numbers of workers of their freedom to join unions and benefit from collective bargaining. The report illustrates how employers escalated their resistance to union organizing in the 1970s and 1980s, powering a steep decline of private sector unionization in those decades.
The report’s authors, EPI Distinguished Fellow Lawrence Mishel, EPI Senior Fellow Lynn Rhinehart, and Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor Associate Director Lane Windham, explain why private-sector unionization in the 1970s dramatically declined by examining data on union elections and workers’ ability to achieve an initial contract.
The authors find that employers were successful in reducing the share of workers who were able to clear three hurdles required for unionizing: triggering an NLRB election, winning that election, and obtaining a first collective bargaining agreement. While 0.46% of the workforce was able to make it across the unionizing finish line in the 1966–1968 period, only 0.17% of the workforce was able to do so by 1978–1980.
“Unions have consistently been a driving force against wage inequality and racial inequities in the United States by improving workers’ wages and working conditions,” said Mishel. “Employer opposition, both legal and illegal, has blunted an increasingly large share of the workforce from obtaining the collective bargaining workers desire.”
The report explains how employers have increasingly used the “free speech” rights included in the Taft-Hartley amendments of 1947, holding mandatory “captive audience” meetings to voice opposition to unions and make thinly veiled threats about layoffs and facility closures if workers organized. Employers also began far more extensive use of a growing “union avoidance” industry of consultants. While there were just a handful of anti-union consulting firms in the beginning of the 1970s, by decade’s end there were hundreds. In 2019, EPI estimated that employers spend nearly $340 million per year hiring union avoidance advisers to help them prevent employees from organizing.
Additionally, by the 1970s, employers were charged with committing significantly more unfair labor practices (ULPs), such as firing union activists during organizing campaigns. ULP charges against employers rose sevenfold between 1950 and 1980. A previous EPI report found that employers are now charged with violating labor law in 41.5% of union election campaigns.
Despite employers’ efforts to bust unions, worker interest in unions remained high through the 1970s, and working people continued to try to organize in both the private and public sectors. In recent years nearly half the nonunion workforce has expressed the desire to have collective bargaining where they work. Workers began to try to form unions in traditionally nonunion sectors of the economy, like retail and service, and throughout the South in the 1970s. Many of these efforts were led by women and people of color. Black and Hispanic workers were the most likely demographic groups to be union members; in 1973, Black and Hispanic men’s unionization rates were 38%, far above the 24% rate of all workers.
“Women and people of color led a new wave of union organizing in the 1970s, but they faced a solid wall of employer resistance,” said Windham. “In order for America’s workers to build power today, especially in today’s high-risk pandemic, we need to understand how employers shut the door on workers’ labor organizing in earlier decades, and government did far too little to stop them.”
The sharp decline of union representation and new union members in the 1970s—a decline from which workers and the labor movement have never recovered—was due not to worker disinterest but rather to a combination of employer tactics and weaknesses in the law that undermined worker organizing. The erosion of private-sector unionism has been a policy failure, leaving workers and unions less equipped to combat an increasingly aggressive set of legal and illegal employer practices. Policymakers should take account of these lessons and conclusions as they debate measures to strengthen workers’ ability to organize and bargain in the months ahead.
The report also provides statistical analyses showing that automation and globalization, frequently cited reasons for union decline, account for less than a fifth of the decline in private sector unionism.
“Over the last 50 years, employers have been able to more easily take advantage of the weaknesses in labor law as union-busting has become the norm,” said Rhinehart. “The National Labor Relations Act fails to deter employer interference when workers try to organize. Policymakers need to strengthen the law. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would curtail employer interference and impose meaningful penalties on employers who violate the law.”
The paper’s authors will discuss this research at an event on December 17, 2020. Register here.
This report is part of the Unequal Power project, an EPI initiative to reestablish the understanding in law, politics, economics, and philosophy, that equal bargaining power between workers and employers does not exist. Recognizing this inherent workplace inequality will bolster freedom, economic fairness, workplace protections and democracy.
And we EPI is having an event on the 17th to discuss this research.
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EPI is an independent, nonprofit think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States. EPI’s research helps policymakers, opinion leaders, advocates, journalists, and the public understand the bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary Americans • 1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 600 • Washington, DC 20005 • Phone: 202-775-8810 • epi@epi.org • © 2020 Economic Policy Institute • Privacy Policy • Contact Us
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Sen. Brown's Latest Work for Working People |
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DECEMBER 09, 2020 — Brown: We Need Multi-Employer Pension Fix in Next Covid Relief Package — WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing entitled: ‘Investigating Challenges to American Retirement Security. ’In August, Brown took to the Senate floor to call on his... READ MORE
DECEMBER 08, 2020 — Brown Outlines Key Priorities for President-Elect Biden’s Covid-19 Response Team — WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a letter to incoming White House COVID-19 Coordinator Jeffrey Zients and nominee for U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) outlined a number of key priorities and actions the incoming administration should take as they oversee the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown urged... READ MORE
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Homeless Memorial Day Virtual Vigil |
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Or by phone: Meeting ID: 920 5173 2746
646 558 8656 US (New York)
301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
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Profiteering on Our Misfortunes! |
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Many corporate titans have profited handsomely from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even while the death count rises, millions of American families struggle to make ends meet, and main street businesses shutter, some of the biggest companies in our country have recorded record profits. Corporate windfalls from this catastrophe have further concentrated wealth in a few hands as 647 billionaires in the United States saw their personal fortunes grow by nearly $1 trillion between the start of the pandemic and mid-November. Read more.
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We need COVID-19 relief now! |
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Ohio COVID-19 Vaccination Program |
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Ohio is preparing to distribute safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines statewide to those who choose to be vaccinated. As COVID-19 vaccines are granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state will begin to strategically and thoughtfully distribute the vaccines to Ohioans at the greatest risk in conjunction with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
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COVID-19 Fact Sheet
Ohio Stay at Home Tonight Order
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As the spread of COVID-19 accelerates across the state, Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud has ordered Ohioans to stay home between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the 21-day (three-week) period from Nov. 19, 2020, through Dec. 10, 2020.
This curfew is intended to reduce COVID-19 spread, keep Ohioans safe, minimize the risk of major limitations or economic shutdowns, and reduce the impact on the healthcare and hospital system.
The curfew order:
- Requires anyone residing in Ohio to stay at a place of residence between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Homes or residences include single family homes, apartments, condominiums, dormitory living units, hotels, motels, shared rental units, and shelters.
- Does NOT mandate the closing of any businesses or services; however, restaurants are limited to pickup, carryout and/or delivery services between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Allows travel in and out of the state.
Populations exempt from the curfew include:
- People who are homeless. If you are homeless, you are strongly encouraged to obtain shelter. Governmental and other entities are urged to make shelter available as soon as possible and to the maximum extent feasible, implementing COVID-19 risk mitigation practices.
- People who are unsafe in their homes, including victims of domestic violence. If you are in an unsafe situation, you are urged to leave home and stay at a safe alternative location.
Activities exempt from the curfew include:
- Religious observances.
- First Amendment protected speech, including activity by the media.
- The following essential activities:
- Activities or tasks essential to the health and safety of oneself, family or other household members and pets, or people who are unable to/should not leave their homes. Examples include seeking emergency healthcare services, obtaining medical supplies or medication, visiting a healthcare professional, and taking care of a homebound friend.
- Obtaining necessary supplies and services for oneself, family or other household members, or people who are unable to/should not leave their homes. Examples of necessary supplies include groceries and food, household products, supplies needed to work from home, and products needed to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of a residence.
- Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., food and beverages may be obtained only for consumption off-premises, such as via delivery, drive-thru, curbside pickup, or carryout.
- Obtaining necessary social services from any provider funded by the Ohio Department of Aging, Department of Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health, Department of Job and Family Services, Department of Medicaid, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Department of Veterans Services, Department of Youth Services or other organization providing services to the public.
- Examples of such services include long-term care facilities; day care centers and day care homes; residential settings/shelters; transitional facilities; needed home-based services; field offices that provide/help determine eligibility for basic needs; developmental centers; adoption agencies; and businesses that provide services and necessities to those in need.
- Working, including employment and volunteer work.
- Taking care of and transporting family, friends, or pets in another household.
- Performing or accessing government services.
- Travel required by law enforcement or court order — including to transport children according to a custody agreement — or to obtain fuel.
Updated Dec. 5, 2020.
For additional information, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.
For answers to your COVID-19 questions, call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you or a loved one are experiencing anxiety related to the coronavirus pandemic, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call the COVID-19 CareLine at 1-800-720-9616.
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Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 by taking these precautions.
- Stay home except for work or other needs
- Wear a face covering when going out
- Practice social distancing of at least 6 feet from others
- Shop at non-peak hours.
- Wash hands often with water and soap (20 seconds or longer)
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth with unwashed hands or after touching surfaces
- Cover your mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing
- Clean and disinfect "high-touch" surfaces often
- Don’t work when sick
- Call before visiting your doctor
CLEAN ALL "HIGH-TOUCH" SURFACES EVERY DAY
High touch surfaces include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe according to the label instructions. Labels contain instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
If you have questions regarding Coronavirus/COVID-19
please call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634)
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COVID - 19 By The Numbers |
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Global Confirmed: 69,269,177
Global Deaths: 1,576,606
U.S. Confirmed: 15,470,795
U.S. Deaths: 290,670
(As of 3:00 PM, Thursday, December 10, 2020)
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Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard
Current Trends
Below are the current reporting trends for key indicators calculated from data reported to the Ohio Department of Health. The graphics and information were taken from the Ohio Department of Health Coronavirus (COVID-19) website Thursday, December 10, 3:30 PM.
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The only purple counties in Ohio are in the Northeast Ohio area: Summit, Portage, Stark, Medina and Richland counties.
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Summit, Portage, Medina, Stark and Richland counties turned purple (Level 4), the most severe level, last week, in the Ohio Public Health Advisory System.
- Montgomery, Lorain and Lake counties, which had been purple, dropped to red Thursday. Franklin County had also previously dropped from purple to red.
- Three red counties were put on the watch list last week, meaning they were at risk of turning purple: Cuyahoga, Fairfield and Madison counties. But they remained red Thursday.
- Ashland and Guernsey counties were moved to the watch list Thursday. That means they could turn purple next week.
- There are only five orange (Level 2) counties in the state, down from eight last week, mostly in the southeast corner of the state. Except for the purple counties, the rest of Ohio's 88 counties are red. There have been no yellow (Level 1) counties for weeks.
Gov. Mike DeWine has said the map was developed as an early warning system to let people know when to take increased precautions.
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Hamilton County
Cases
40,751
Hospitalizations
1,821
Deaths
390
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Clermont County
Cases
8,464
Hospitalizations
403
Deaths
57
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Brown County
Cases
1,618
Hospitalizations
46
Deaths
7
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Butler County
Cases
20,306
Hospitalizations
717
Deaths
169
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Warren County
Cases
11,705
Hospitalizations
436
Deaths
92
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Other Important Headlines and Information: |
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Cincinnati AFL-CIO
Labor Council
Bill Froehle, President
Pete McLinden,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Brian D. Griffin,
Director, Communication & Technology
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