Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
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A Statement from President Trumka |
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Our Workers First Agenda is within our reach. Our country is turning to the labor movement. We’re being seen and heard and courted at all levels of government. Together, we can win a new era where wages are family-sustaining—an era where our workplaces are safe, and the tens of millions of people who want a voice on the job can finally have one.
We are on the brink of a union renaissance. And what we do next will make all the difference.
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"I’m On the Strike Line in Alabama!"
Liz Shuler - Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO
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Sisters and Brothers,
Our Mine Workers (UMWA) union family is on strike against management at Warrior Met Coal. Add your name to say you support their fight for a fair contract.
UMWA members saved Warrior from bankruptcy. They sacrificed, taking pay and benefit cuts. Now Warrior won’t give them a fair contract.
Central Alabama is UMWA country and has been for more than 100 years. A fair contract would help the community—every business, every restaurant, every clinic and every pharmacy.
But Wall Street hedge fund executives are saying they can’t afford to pay miners a fair wage, while taking bonuses for themselves.
They don’t care about the community and families in central Alabama. They just want to take as much money as they can from the region.
We want Warrior to be successful—as long as it shares its success with the workers who make it profitable and the community it calls home.
If you’re in Alabama, support the strike in person. Join me at the UMWA members’ sixth weekly support rally on Wednesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at Tannehill Park in McCalla.
In Solidarity,
Liz Shuler
Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO
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"Our hearts go out to our fallen ATU Local 265 Sisters and Brothers"
ATU Local 627 President, Troy Miller
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It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write this now... It grieves me that ATU has joined the ranks of those that have fallen prey to the senseless gun violence that continues unabated across our nation.
I know I speak for all my Sisters and Brothers here at ATU local 627, and on behalf of all our Sisters and Brothers in the Cincinnati Labor community when I say that we pray for the victims and their families. Our hearts go out to them. Let us all remember the members and families of ATU Local 265, but let's also remember to rededicate ourselves to the greater purpose to which we are all called… to stand together... in true solidarity... to be true Sisters and Brothers and help, in whatever way we are able, to raise each other up.
May God bless all those whom we lost this week in that San Jose rail yard. Let us remember the fallen while we do what we can for those who remain. As Mary Harris “Mother” Jones taught us over a century ago, “Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.” I believe in us. I believe we are called to be there for each other. It is up to us to help make the difference and be the change we seek. Union Forever!
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It has been a difficult year for transit workers. But today hit especially hard. The ATU suffered an incredible loss at a Santa Clara VTA rail yard where our Local 265-San Jose, CA members work. There were multiple fatalities and injuries. Nobody should ever have to worry about walking into their jobs and fear for their safety. Survivors of this horrific shooting will be dealing with the aftermath for a very long time.
Our members have always supported our brothers and sisters in dire need, and now it’s time we show our support again. We call on all ATU Locals and members to help our San Jose brothers and sisters impacted by this tragic shooting by contributing through the ATU Disaster Relief Fund.
Donations can be made online here or by mailing a check to:
Amalgamated Transit Union
Disaster Relief Fund
10000 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20903
Attn: John A. Costa
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Tri-state Area Patients Deserve Better!
"It’s time to make short-staffing a never event!"
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Dear Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
On Monday, I and another member of our RNA/AFT bargaining team spoke with several of our elected leaders at the statehouse. It was requested that RNA provide them with talking points as well as our current social media ask. As we discussed on the phone the suggestion from this call was to connect with some of our Cincinnati leaders.
Additionally, the week of June 6 we are starting our community engagement yard sign campaign. I discussed this ask with Ohio AFL-CIO Southwest Region State Representative Julien Johnson on Wednesday of this week. We are asking community members and you, our Sisters and Brothers in Labor, to put our signs in your yards and businesses, and then take a picture and post it in all your social media feeds with specific tags and hashtags included below. We will provide you with a social media toolkit with directions upon delivery of the signs.
The following are the talking points that were sent to the elected officials with whom we met. Then, below that is the current social media ask, with sample posts and our hashtags.
Please feel free to give me a call with any questions.
In Unity and solidarity…
Michelle Thoman,
RNA President
513-926-2156
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RNA Background
The Registered Nurses Association (RNA) is the local affiliate of the Ohio Nurses Association(ONA) and represents 1700 union nurses at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. We are also affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
The University of Cincinnati Medical Center is the only Level 1 Trauma and Comprehensive Stroke Center in the Tri-state area. The Medical Center provides access to care for all, regardless of patients' ability to pay and receives Hamilton County levy money to provide care. UCMC has one of only seven dedicated psychiatric emergency rooms in the country and nurses routinely treat victims of gun violence and traumas from around the area. UCMC is the only area hospital to treat adult patients with significant burns and leads the way in the city's transplant program - performing liver, kidney, pancreas, and heart transplants. Other area hospitals routinely transfer their sickest patients to UCMC for life saving care. RNA nurses make all of this possible.
After a grueling 15-month global pandemic, recognizing the tireless work of front line care providers is imperative.
ONA/RNA and UCMC have held 6 bargaining sessions thus far. The contract expires June 30th. The parties have another 14 bargaining sessions scheduled but have not started discussing economic proposals as the Medical Center has been unwilling to do so.
Contract objectives:
- Record numbers of nurses are leaving the industry due to stress and burnout or leaving to take on subcontracting travel assignments as those are now paying double the current hourly rate at UCMC. This could leave the greater Cincinnati community without the quality care our neighbors, family and friends deserve. ONA/RNAs proposals seek to address retaining and recruiting nurses through more equitable benefits, including rewarding longevity and the specialty skills UCMC nurses possess.
- Cincinnati and Tri-State are patients deserve established nurse-to-patient ratios. ONA/RNA is proposing that UCMC make a contractual commitment to these nationally recognized ratios. Whether a nurse splits their time between 4 patients or 6 patients, the patient’s insurance is still billed for nursing care. As the ratio increases that nurse’s ability to provide care goes down as his/her workload increases, sometimes over 50%. Patients deserve to receive the care they are paying for and nurse staffing ratios are proven to create better patient outcomes.
- The Medical Center is currently contractually limited to subcontracting bargaining unit work for up to 1 year. UCMC wants to increase their ability to subcontract up to 3 years as “a tool to help with staffing.” Subcontractors cannot perform the same quality of work as UCMC nurses, due to the specialization and complexity of care at UCMC. Subcontracting lowers the bar on quality of care to the community and outsources good paying jobs away from the Cincinnati and the Tri-state area.
- Over the past year, UCMC has made part-time nurses, for the first time ever, pay more for health insurance than full-time nurses. Part-time nurses with a spouse or family plan have seen premiums nearly double while caring for a record number of patients during a global pandemic. The Union seeks to remedy this injustice.
- The Union contract obligates UCMC to pay 3% of a nurse’s compensation into their 401K each year. The Medical Center is only paying 3% of a nurse’s base rate of pay. Nurses this year alone have been shorted thousands of dollars from their 401Ks, especially for those nurses who worked overtime to protect the community during the height of the pandemic.
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Violence in the workplace has always been an issue, but incidents at UCMC have increased with the stressors of COVID. UCMC had an active shooter incident in 2017 in the psych emergency services department. Nurses want signs posted that violence, threats, and abusive language towards staff will not be tolerated, and may result in a felony.
- The Nurses have contract language stating that nurses who contract communicable diseases and cannot work are to be placed on paid leave and not lose PTO. UCMC has not been following this language. Front line care providers shouldn’t lose their earned paid off for contracting COVID when their job is to care for the sick.
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ADDITIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES
On the RNA Facebook page, @cincynurses, each day we are sharing nurses’ accolades of what being treated like a hero means to them with pictures and quotes. Sharing these would be helpful using the following hashtags:
#safestaffingsaveslives
#proudunionnurse
#nurseconditionsarepatientconditions
#heroesnotzeros
#1u
Sample posts w/ links to more information:
Patients in the Tri-state area deserve nurse-to-patient ratios. It’s time to make short-staffing a never event! #safestaffingsaveslives #nurseconditionsarepatientconditions
The #proudunionnurses with @cicnynurses at UC Medical Center are Leading the Way to ensure they can provide the best care to our community with nurse-to-patient ratios! #safestaffingsaveslives
The #proudunionnurses with @cincynurses at UC Medical center are joining nurses across the country fighting to keep patients safe with nurse-to-patient ratios.
This year on National Nurses’ Day, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown with his colleagues, U.S. Senators, Van Hollen (D-Md.) Padilla (D-CA), Baldwin (D-WI), Markey (D-MA), Warren (D-MA) reintroduced the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act that deals with nurse-to-patient ratios. The Ohio State University nurses have nurse-to-patient-ratios written into their union contract. Attached is also some information regarding nurses to patient ratios and their outcomes on patient care.
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"The mail system is in chaos"
- Jim Sizemore, President - APWU Local 164
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The mail system is in chaos. Postal workers are tired and frustrated and customers are angry.
Despite the hard work and dedication of postal workers throughout this dangerous pandemic, service has deteriorated to levels never seen in modern times. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy has released his 10-year plan and he believes that slowing the mail down even more is the way to go to improve the USPS. Postal management also informed the APWU of management’s intent to pursue consolidations and operational mail moves in 18 facilities nationwide.
Now that President Biden has nominated three people to fill the three vacancy’s on the USPS board of Governors, two of which have been confirmed, Ron Stroman and Amber McReynolds one can only hope that when the third one is confirmed Anton Hajjar, and the USPS having its first fully staffed Board of Governors in more than a decade something will be done to replace PMG Dejoy or stop his plans of destruction of the USPS.
In the meantime, there have been two bipartisan bills introduced in Congress that we can support to aid the USPS. In the Senate (S. 1720), The Postal Service Reform Act of 202. Introduced by Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) and Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-OH), of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In the House of Representatives (H.R. 3076) by Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY) of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. On May 13, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee “marked-up” and approved the Postal Service Reform Act.
These bills provide a path to achieve a strong future for America’s Postal Service and ensure that USPS is better able to perform the job that they are assigned to do which is serve the American public.
James T. Sizemore, President
Greater Cincinnati Ohio Area Local
American Postal Workers Union
513-522-1114
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REGISTER NOW!! Cincinnati Labor Council 34th Annual Golf Tournament Friday, August 6
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The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council’s 34th Annual Golf Tournament is Friday, August 6, 2021, once again on the Grizzly Course at the City of Mason Golf Center! This nationally renowned course was designed by Jack Nicklaus, 18-time Major Champion and Ohio native, and has been host to several PGA, LPGA, and Senior PGA tournaments.
The entry fee is $150 per individual golfer or $500 for a four-person team. The fees include greens fees, carts, coffee, donuts, lunch, and prizes. Individuals and/or organizations may also purchase hole sponsorship ($150), lunch-only tickets ($35), our VIP Package, which includes a four-person team plus hole sponsorship ($600). We also gratefully accept donated items for door prizes at this fun event!
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The above flyer lists all relevant details, including directions and a registration form with payment information. Just fill it out and send it along with your check made payable to Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council to Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, 1385 Tennessee Avenue, 2nd Floor, Cincinnati OH 45229 and you are done.
The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council Annual Golf Tournament helps provide the Council with the resources it needs to strengthen the Labor movement and continue providing valuable resources and services to working families in the greater Cincinnati area.
On behalf of over one-hundred-plus union affiliates, our union members, and all working families, I thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you Friday, August 6!
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An Update From Our Ohio AFL-CIO Field Rep |
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Brothers and Sister,
Here's a few items we all need to keep on our radar going forward:
1-on-1s meetings
Leaders, Local Union Coordinators, Political Coordinators, Please remember to schedule 1-on-1 meetings with Me to discuss your Union’s needs, receive new updates, and review CLC and State Federation Campaigns as they come in. This is one of the most effective tools to share information and build a broader coalition! Big thanks to last week’s 1-on 1 meetings!
- IBEW 212: Rich Heimbrock
- Cincinnati Building Trades: Fred Lampe
- AFGE 2031: Nicole Leoparti
- SEIU: Paul Breidenbach
AFL-CIO Great Lakes District Meeting
Brothers and Sisters, as we move towards Summer 2021, I wanted invite you all to the all-important AFL-CIO Great Lakes District Meeting. This years meeting will be Virtual and accessible from anywhere with Internet connection. Like previous years, Ohio has always had a big turn out and we want to continue that trend in 2021! Please RSVP for the upcoming Great Lakes District meeting, June 3, 2021.
Voter Registration
With the end of the first phase of Labor 2021, I wanted to take the opportunity to encourage Leaders, Members and Activists to distribute voter registration forms and links to their unions and communities. As you know, the key to winning elections is voter power! Lets build that power by getting our friends and family registered. Please download voter registration or request forms from the CLC today!
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Agenda Set for 2021 AFL-CIO District Meetings; Registration Remains Open
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The agenda has been set for the six AFL-CIO District Meetings scheduled for this year, including the Great Lakes District meeting on June 3 and the Midwest District meeting on June 8. Registration for the meetings remains open and can be accessed at the links below.
The agenda includes state breakouts, workshops and a town hall with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA). The full agenda is available here.
We encourage leaders and staff from local unions, state and local federated bodies, labor liaisons and constituency groups to participate, so please feel free to share the registration links with anyone who may be interested.
To register for the Great Lakes District meeting, click here.
To register for the Midwest District meeting, click here.
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GCBTC 35th Annual Golf Invitational Huge Success - Sold Out !
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The greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council (GCBTC) hosted its 35th annual Golf invitational yesterday, Thursday May 27th at Twin Oaks Golf Club.
Proceeds from this annual event are donated to Dollars Against Diabetes, better known as DAD's Day. This initiative began on the Father's Day weekend of 1986 in union halls across the country and has become a standing tradition for families and friends. Local street corner collections morphed into a nationwide consortium of golf tournaments, poker runs, 5Ks and much more - all benefiting The Diabetes Research Institute. Through your participation in our 2020 local golf outing we were able to donate $6,000 to the worthwhile cause
Some of this year's proceeds will again benefit our local VA Hospital. GCBTC contributed to three separate food pantries operated by the department of veterans affairs here in our area.
Additionally they supported the Guitars for Pets. This is another great program that of hitting those who give so much. Thanks to all of you who helped continue this 35-year tradition by supporting GCBTC in their efforts to help find a cure for diabetes and by showing gratitude to our veterans.
Now here are a few images as yesterday's event got underway:
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Sen. Sherrod Brown: Working For Working People!
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The Senate Banking and Housing Committee held a hearing with the CEOs from the six largest banks in our country.
I asked JP Morgan’s CEO why he makes 900 times more than his company’s lowest paid worker. He punted responsibility elsewhere.
I asked that same CEO if he wouldn’t interfere if his employees wanted to form a union. He said “no,” flat out.
And I asked the CEOs to tell me what concrete actions they plan to take to make our financial system work for everyone -- and not just for themselves.
Because the fact of the matter is, hard work isn’t paying off for American workers the way it is for those at the very top.
Just take a look at what happened during the pandemic. Workers faced the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. I heard from workers who were laid off without severance. And while folks were figuring out how they would pay their bills and buy groceries, some were hit with overdraft and late fees from their banks.
At the same time, Wall Street’s profits soared.
It’s a pattern that has gone on long before the pandemic. Corporate profits, stock prices, and CEOs’ compensation soar, at the expense of the workers who help create that wealth.
Under Republican leadership, too often the Banking and Housing Committee rolled over for Wall Street. As the Chairman of the committee now, I’m proud to say those days are over.
We're taking on powerful special interests, and standing on the side of the workers.
I’m fighting for accountability from the biggest financial institutions in our country. I’m fighting to make our economy work for everyone -- not just Wall Street. And I’m fighting for the Dignity of ALL Work.
And I’m so grateful to know I have you in this fight with me, because it’s going to take all of us getting involved to change the Wall Street system, from the ground up.
With gratitude,
Sherrod
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Join LISC for discussion on health and housing! |
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Please join us for an upcoming discussion with national experts from Bethesda Inc.'s bi3, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Nationwide Children's Hospital and Caresource on the critical connections between healthcare and housing. |
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Housing Our Future: Health and Housing Connections
There is a growing body of evidence that connects health outcomes to housing stability, quality and safety, affordability, and neighborhood characteristics. By focusing on these four pathways, health care systems and other partners are investing in housing in ways that both improve housing conditions for residents and communities while also improving health outcomes and health care costs. In this session, we will share examples of how health care systems are expanding their reach beyond their hospital walls into communities and how housing providers are focusing on improving the health of their residents.
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Housing Our Future: Health and Housing Connections
Thursday, June 10th
10:00am - 11:30am
virtual (webex); registration required
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10:00am — Welcome and Introduction
10:05am — Framing the Discussion: Social Determinants of Health Overview
10:10am — Panelist Introduction
10:20am — Discussion Topic 1: Establishing the Connection
10:35am — Discussion Topic 2: Policy Implications
10:50am — Q&A
11:00am — Post-webinar Conversation
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Kiana Trabue
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, bi3
(moderator)
Kiana R. Trabue currently serves as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships for bi3, a grantmaking initiative of Bethesda Inc. In this role she works with partners to co-design innovative initiatives to improve health in Greater Cincinnati.
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Kendra Smith
Kendra Smith oversees community health strategy for Mercy Health in the Ohio and Kentucky markets. Her work focuses on evaluating the health and well-being of patients as well as the communities surrounding our facilities.
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George Kleb
George Kleb is Director for Housing and Community Development at Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH). Employed at Bon Secours since 1987, he is responsible for all housing programs for Bon Secours in Baltimore including rental housing, management and new housing development. He also serves as a key member of BSMH’s Community Health team where he participates in the creation of strategies that address the social determinants and influencers of health in the seven (7) states served by the health system.
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Gretchen West, MCRP
Gretchen West serves as the Executive Director of Healthy Homes, a nonprofit housing organization and innovative collaboration between Community Development for All People and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The mission of Healthy Homes is to provide and preserve affordable housing through the provision of homeownership, rental and home repair services in two Columbus communities.
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Diane Alecusan
Social Determinants of Health Strategy Lead – Housing, Ohio Market, CareSource
Diane Alecusan is the Housing Strategy Lead for Ohio at CareSource. In this role, she focuses on driving and implementing affordable housing strategies throughout CareSource’s Ohio market that ultimately improve the health and well-being of CareSource’s members.
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Help us oppose House Bill 294! |
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House Bill 294 is an attack on our fundamental freedom to vote. This bill places severe restrictions on drop boxes and mail in voting, both of which led to the record nationwide turnout in 2020. There have been more than 350 anti-voter bills in 48 states introduced this year.
We Want: Freedom to vote, safe & accessible elections and the opportunity to safely and freely cast our ballots.
ACTION STEPS:
- Call your legislator and the sponsors/co-sponsors of HB-294
- Email your legislator and the sponsors/co-sponsors of HB-294
- Write a letter to the editor
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Sign our online petition HERE.
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TESTIFY! If you can't make it to Columbus to testify before the committee, you can send your written testimony to the House committee by using this form HERE.
Click HERE for Emails and Phone Numbers of the Sponsors & Co-Sponsors of HB 294 as well as the Ohio Government Oversight Committee
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Be a Part of Something BIG |
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together we can bring an end to hunger.
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Going virtual has its benefits—it’s never been easier to participate! Just register, select your local agency, and share your fundraising page with family and friends. Then get in your steps however you wish!
Take a walk with family, go jogging, or sit on your couch and pretend you ran a 5K! Anything goes, so get creative! No matter what you do, you’ll help raise awareness and needed funds for the 1 in 6 individuals in the tristate facing hunger.
Just don’t forget to snap a pic and share on social with the hashtag #cincyhungerwalk so we can see your support in action.
— Freestore Foodbank
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1141 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
© 2021 Freestore Foodbank, All rights reserved.
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Global Confirmed ─ 168,497,846
Global Deaths ─ 3,500,348
U.S. Confirmed ─ 33,191,164
U.S. Deaths ─ 591,957
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Overview
ODH is making COVID-19 data available for public review while also protecting patient privacy.
The State of Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard displays the most recent preliminary data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) about cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Ohio by selected demographics and county of residence. Data for cases and hospitalizations is reported to ODH via the Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS), and verified mortality data is reported via the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS).
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COVID-19 Update
Courtesy of Government Strategies Group, LLC
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5/25 COVID19 Update
Current COVID Data
Data as of yesterday, May 24th, at 2pm. There are currently 89.8 cases per 100,000 Ohioans (updated Thursdays).
- 1,091,623 total cases
- 19,528 deaths
- 58,049 hospitalizations and 7,986 ICU admissions
Children & Quarantine
Following the latest CDC guidance, beginning on June 2nd, vaccinated children do not have to quarantine or be tested if they are exposed to COVID-19.
- Unvaccinated children who are exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine if the exposure took place outside of a classroom setting where masks were required to be worn.
- Unvaccinated children should also isolate if they test positive for the coronavirus.
- Local health departments should determine if quarantine or isolation should occur.
- Individual school districts will decide whether or not to continue masking and social distancing in school settings
Moderna is seeking approval for its vaccine for children ages 12-17. Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for that age group.
Vax-A-Million
The million dollar vaccination drawing will be an opt-in program. To register, visit OhioVaxaMillion.com. To date, over 2.7 million Ohioans have registered for the $1 million prize and over 100,000 young Ohioans have entered for the scholarship drawing. Winners will be selected on Wednesday.KEY LINKS:
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Hamilton County
Cases
80,825
Hospitalizations
3,160
Deaths
1,228
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Clermont County
Cases
19,994
Hospitalizations
835
Deaths
247
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Brown County
Cases
3,989
Hospitalizations
60
Deaths
59
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Butler County
Cases
38,716
Hospitalizations
1,610
Deaths
591
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Warren County
Cases
24,498
Hospitalizations
734
Deaths
303
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Other News For and About Working People: |
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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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