Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Message from President Liz Shuler
It’s no secret our democracy is in danger. Across the country, anti-worker politicians are working overtime to try to sow doubt in our elections. Working people won’t stand for it. We’ll continue to be at the front lines standing tall for our democratic way of life. With crucial elections coming up in Virginia, New Jersey and so many other states, the labor movement will play our part—not only working to elect pro-union candidates—but fighting for the right to vote and ensuring every vote gets counted.
Watch: President Shuler Speaks at the National Press Club
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke at the National Press Club earlier today about the wave of collective action sweeping the nation. Here is a portion of Shuler’s remarks:
 
“Some are calling this ‘Striketober.’ I call it Exhibit A for why we need to rebalance the playing field and put workers back in the center of our economy. The pandemic laid bare the inequities of our system, and as we try to get beyond COVID, working people are refusing to return to crappy jobs with low pay. Essential workers are tired of being thanked one moment and treated as expendable the next.
 “The real headline isn’t that there’s a shortage of people willing to return to work. The real scarcity story is the shortage of safe, good-paying, sustainable jobs. And the good news is that workers feel a new sense of power and leverage and aren’t willing to settle anymore. And the solution, once again, can be found in the labor movement.”
Watch: President Shuler and SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry promote the jobs bills being negotiated in Congress
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry held a joint press conference this morning to promote the jobs bills being negotiated in Congress. Here is a portion of President Shuler’s remarks:
 
“We have the opportunity to realize something better with the jobs bills moving through Congress. Both of them. We fully support both the reconciliation and the bipartisan infrastructure bills.
 
“This is the kind of bold plan that puts workers at the center of policy and will help us recover from the pandemic. Infrastructure is everything that
connects us. It’s what makes going to work possible.
 
“So our message today is this: Pass both jobs bills. As big as possible. As bold as possible. As soon as possible.”
Watch: Shuler and Stacey Abrams' Fireside Chat on Voting Rights
Watch President Shuler and Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams' fireside chat on protecting the freedom to vote and the power of the labor movement. The discussion focuses on the connection between democracy at the voting booth and in the workplace, and the importance of representation and the power of collective bargaining.
Shuler Welcomes DHS Memo on Workplace and Immigration Laws
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a memo Tuesday on the enforcement of immigration and labor laws. President Shuler issued this response:
 
“The Department of Homeland Security has taken an important step to ensure that immigration enforcement supports, rather than interferes with, the effective enforcement of the laws meant to protect all workers in this country. In order to improve wages and working conditions, we must change the current enforcement environment in which employers violate labor laws with impunity, while immigrant workers live in fear. It is long past time for our country to rebalance its worksite enforcement priorities, and this directive guidance is a much-needed step in the fight to remove the barriers to organizing and promote a just recovery for all.
 
“We urge DHS to work closely with our unions on implementation, and continue to call for concrete protections and work authorization for working people demanding safe and fair workplaces. When workers take action to address issues of wage theft, sexual harassment or other violations, it benefits everyone. We must use this opportunity to remove the fear in our workplaces so that all workers, regardless of where we were born, are able to exercise our fundamental rights. That is why we need to pass the PRO Act and ensure that no worker ever risks deportation for demanding justice at work.”
Redmond Promotes BIT Construction Project Putting Union Members to Work
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond (pictured above on the left) went to Chicago on Wednesday to meet with union members and leaders. He toured Wolf Point South, a groundbreaking new construction project in the heart of the city that’s putting hundreds of union members in the building trades to work. Like all other AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust (BIT) projects, Wolf Point South is 100% union-made. The BIT invested in all three phases of the development, which, when complete, will have generated more than 6 million hours of work for union construction trades on the site.

“The work of the AFL-CIO BIT, supporting projects like Wolf Point and others across the nation, is personal to me. I want every worker to have the same chance as my family, the chance to join a union, to work on projects like Wolf Point, and to succeed in achieving all their dreams. I want every working family to feel the power of the labor movement as a change agent for prosperity,” Redmond said. “Wolf Point South, along with the other BIT construction projects, is a testament to what we can achieve together as a movement.” Click here to read more about the event.
Petition: I support the Build Back Better agenda
The Build Back Better agenda means trillions of dollars will be invested in our jobs, families and communities. Add your name to tell Congress to pass the budget reconciliation and the infrastructure bills.
This agenda is made up of two critical pieces of legislation: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2021 budget reconciliation bill.
 
Congress must pass both.
 
The infrastructure bill is transformative in that it invests in roads, bridges, transit, rail, climate change mitigation, electric vehicles, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, resilient transmission lines and more that will create good-paying union jobs.
 
Budget reconciliation is a $3.5 trillion investment in working people, good union jobs, health care and more. It includes things like 12 weeks of universal paid leave and two years of free community college, and it reduces prescription drug costs.
 
"Where We Go From Here!" The 51st Annual Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council COPE Celebration!
“Where We Go from Here?” That is the question that will be asked and answered at the 51st Annual Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council COPE Celebration, Thursday evening, October 21, 2021.

Never before has Labor had the opportunity we have today. 

  • Not in any of our lifetimes has there been a political and social environment this favorable to working people and our right to organize! 

  • We have the most pro-union administration in the white house in over 75 years, Labor Unions are more broadly popular now than they've been in over 60 years and younger workers are the biggest backers of unions, with 77% of those 34 and younger having a positive view.

  • The Executive Council Members of the AFL-CIO elected the most diverse leadership team in the history of the AFL-CIO with Liz Shuler, the organization’s first female leader, and United Steelworkers International Vice President Fred Redmond as secretary-treasurer, the first Black American to hold that office.

Our 51st Annual COPE Celebration opens with a special greeting from the newly elected leadership of the AFL-CIO followed by a Cincinnati Labor Council Rising Stars, Young Leaders perspective. Then Aftab Pureval, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, and Cincinnati AFL-CIO Endorsed Mayor Candidate will introduce the first of two featured speakers, Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative for Ohio's 13th Congressional District and AFL-CIO Endorsed Candidate for U.S. Senate. Then brother Andre Washington, Vice Chair-Ohio Democratic Party will introduce our second featured speaker, Clayola Brown, AFL-CIO Director - Civil, Human and Women’s Rights.

Now is our time. It is time to embrace the pace and the changing nature of the workplace, workers and to fight for what is rightfully ours. The right to health and safety protections, a livable wage, collective bargaining, universal paid sick leave and family and medical leave, protections for whistleblowers, an end to worker misclassification, health care security, support for child care, the recognition of workers as experts, and the ability to hold corporations accountable for meeting their responsibilities. This is where we go from here. Join us for this epic celebration of Labor in 2021!

Unfortunately, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the new threat posed by the Delta Variant, we are once again unable to hold our traditional, in-person dinner gathering. Instead, the Cincinnati AFL-CIO will be holding a special COPE online event.

Please download, print, complete and return the registration form below to join Labor Council family and friends to celebrate 51 years of Solidarity and Unity in the Cincinnati Labor movement.
In unity and solidarity,
Labor 2021: Come Lit Drop With The Sisters and Brothers!
Rides to the Polls
Volunteers Needed to Get Our Neighbors to the Polls!

The Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative (GCVC) is offering free rides to the polls for voters in the Cincinnati area during early voting and on election day. 

1. The collaborative is still searching for volunteer drivers to help take voters who lack access to transportation to the polls. If you're interested in learning more or signing up for a driving shift, click here

2. Please feel free to spread the word to your networks about free rides to the polls using the attached flyer.

If you have questions, please contact GCVC at cincinnativoter@gmail.com.
Women, Including USW's Roxanne Brown, Make Up Majority of the SEAB for the First Time
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm has announced her appointments to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). This powerful board advises the secretary on a wide variety of issues ranging from energy exploration to nuclear security. For the first time, women will make up the majority of the SEAB. Among them is Roxanne Brown (pictured above), international vice president for the United Steelworkers (USW). “I’m proud to bring the voices of USW members and the labor movement to the SEAB, and I look forward to doing great work with this historic board,” Brown said.
COVID Exposed Health Gaps In This Country. Build Back Better Act Can Help.
The Build Back Better Act has some transformative parts that would make a real difference in health care:

  • Expand Medicare to include dental, vision and hearing
  • Lower Medicare's age of eligibility to 60 years old
  • Expand Medicaid to help the working poor in red states where Republican governors have refused to accept federal aid
  • Allow Medicare to directly negotiate prescription drug prices

All of these proposals are politically popular, and will have an immediate impact. However, Democrats are under a lot of pressure to make cuts to this landmark legislation. Help ensure they don't remove some of its most crucial healthcare components by making a call today.

Call Senator Sherrod Brown at (202) 224-2315. When you reach an aide, leave the following message:
Hello, my name is [insert name here] calling from zip code [insert zip code here] in [insert city here]. We need to seriously expand health care coverage. I strongly urge you to do everything in your power to keep the health care provisions in the Build Back Better Act: Expand Medicare to include dental, vision & hearing. Lower the age of eligibility to 60, and other crucial elements. Thank you.
Buy Union-Made Halloween Candy
October 31st is only 15 days away! Did you know that when you do your Halloween shopping, you can use the power of your paycheck to support good jobs that pay well and respect the rights of working people?

Visit aflcio.org/halloween to receive a handy guide to the union-made treats that will make your holiday not only fun, but will help working people, too.
Take Action To Support President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan
Congress is facing a once in a generation opportunity to invest in American workers by passing a bipartisan infrastructure package. This investment is greatly needed in Ohio to help repair and rebuild our aging infrastructure like the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati that we have been hearing about for more than a decade. Years of kicking the can down the road has finally caught up and the time to invest in Ohio’s future is now.
 
Passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act means Ohio will get $10 Billion to repair and rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges, over $1 Billion in transportation spending that will improve healthy, sustainable transportation options for tens of thousands of Ohioans. In addition to traditional infrastructure spending, Ohio will also receive $250 million to help deliver high-speed internet to all corners of the state and start building out our Electric Vehicle charging station infrastructure. 
 
 
Ohio politicians have campaigned on better infrastructure for decades and now they have a chance to do something about it. This bipartisan bill will help create good-paying union jobs throughout every county in Ohio. This package also invests in the future of Ohio by cutting down the amount of lead our children are exposed to by replacing aging lead water lines and reduces the amount of lost electricity by making our transmission lines more resilient. This is the kind of forward looking, common sense policy that we voted for in 2020. It’s time Congress gets the job done.  
 
Ohio Supreme Court Says GOP Redistricting Officials Can Be Deposed Over New State Legislative Map
After a severely gerrymandered map was approved by the Ohio Redistricting Committee three lawsuits were filed to end the unconstitutional and illegal practice of gerrymandering. Ohioans twice went to the polls to pass Constitutional Amendments (once for State Legislative districts and once for Congressional districts) to end the practice of politicians picking their voters. However, all five Republicans on the Redistricting Commission approved what they even admitted to were severely flawed maps.
 
There are now three separate lawsuits filed challenging the constitutionality of the maps that were drawn to retain a Republican supermajority in both chambers. The five Republican officials on the Ohio Redistricting Commission were dealt a blow as the Ohio Supreme Court ruled they must now face depositions explaining their internal process and how they settled on these maps
 
Lawyers involved in the three Ohio Supreme Court cases will have two hours of deposition with each Republican member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. Those five members are Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-Ohio), Auditor Keith Faber (R-Ohio), House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima), and Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima).
 
Huffman was asked to talk about the request by the plaintiffs but said since it's pending litigation, "We're not really supposed to talk about it publicly until our lawyers say it's okay to do that."
 
The depositions must happen by October 12, then the parties can file their evidence by the end of the month with oral arguments beginning in December.
 
American Energy Worker Opportunity Act Prioritizes Workers Affected by Changes in Energy Industry
U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a bill, the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act, which would provide critical resources and training opportunities to assist and empower workers whose jobs are affected by the energy industry’s move toward renewable sources.
 
The bill would create a worker transition program with wage supplements, health care benefits, education and training funds, and an additional education benefit for children of laid-off workers. “The American Energy Worker Opportunity Act will position working people across Ohio to not only benefit from new energy opportunities but also spur the local economies throughout the Ohio River Valley,” said Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga.
 
“The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) has been clear that as we continue to move through an energy transition in the United States we need to stop leaving workers, families and communities behind. For us, the principles of a true transition are to; first, preserve as many UMWA jobs as possible; second, create new well-paying union jobs in the coal-producing areas of the country; and third, create a bridge for those workers who are forced to make a transition so that they do not fall into poverty,” said United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil E. Roberts. “This legislation fulfills that last principle, and I thank Senators Brown and Casey for introducing it and standing up for UMWA members, their families and their communities. As Congress considers how to approach energy transition, this must be part of the solution.”
 
The proposal would also prioritize employers who plan to hire eligible workers for the clean energy grants created under the Build Back Better plan. It is endorsed by the United Mine Workers of America, United Steelworkers (USW), the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, and the BlueGreen Alliance. 
 
“We can’t allow the workers who powered our country to get left behind as we adopt new technology and grow the renewable energy sector,” said Sen. Brown. “Often it’s not a matter of starting over and retraining for a whole new career, we’re not telling coalminers to go learn to code – it’s just about updating your skills, taking a training course or two to get a job in a related field.”
 
Member Spotlight: 58 Union Members Join The Path To Power As They Run For Local Public Office
Across the state, union members are stepping up to run for local office at every level to ensure the voice of working people is front and center as we begin to Build Back Better.
 
When union members hold public office, they champion labor’s values and work hard to shift the balance of power for working people. Union members elected to public office have introduced, championed and helped pass legislation that directly affects the lives of working people. In Columbus, Councilman and IBEW member Rob Dorans introduced and passed a wage theft ordinance to protect workers' paychecks. In Lima, Utility Workers' Tony Wilkerson who sits on City Council led the effort to pass a resolution in support of the PRO Act and in Lakewood, OPEIU's Dan O'Malley, President of Council, has been using American Rescue Plan dollars to help with rent assistance and infrastructure. And Cleveland Heights City Councilwoman Davida Russell, who is up for re-election, helped ensure American Rescue Plan dollars coming to her city were used for premium pay for firefigthers for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing relief to local, small businesses.
 
Local governments have a tremendous influence over the lives of working people. That is why we want to mention the 57 members who are running for public office this year: Tenaeh Chambers (OCSEA/AFSMCE), Jeffrey Mims (OEA), Stacey Taylor-Benson (AFSCME Ohio Council 8), Gary Steinbeck (USW), Alford Nova (UFCW), Jamie Shumaker (OCSEA/AFSCME), Tina Cottone (Working America), Lori Elmore (OCSEA/AFSCME), Jody Mills (Utility Workers), Brian Poindexter (Ironworkers), Ed Favre (FOP), Ron Jackson (SMART), Timothy Tatum (LIUNA), Chris Scarl (Insulators), James Graven (OAPFF), Lori Jones (OCSEA/AFSCME), Sean Breannan (OEA), Roy Jech (UA), Chanell Elston (AFGE), Michael O'Donnell (SEIU), Davida Russell (OAPSE/AFSCME), Kevin Tanski (ATU), Ray Gruber (USW), Mike French (OPEIU), Mark Weber (IBEW), Tom Rounds (OEA), Cerssandra McPherson (OFT/TFT), Katie Moline (OAPFF), Polly Taylor-Gerken (UAW), Christine Varwig (UAW), Michele Grim (CWA/TFT), Dennis Nicodemus (IBEW), Melanie Houston (OEA), Molly Wassmuth (OEA), Amber Clark (OEA), Kara Crowley (OEA), Katherine Chipps (Teamsters), Alison Hanudel (OEA), Kristi Piper (OEA), Michelle Dillingham (OFT/CFT), Mary Wineberg (OFT/CFT), Ana Chapman (OEA), Erick Walker (SEIU), Michael Kan (AFSCME Ohio Council 8), Maggie Cook (OEA), Virginia Jeschling (OEA), Brandon Towns (OEA), Michelle Moore (CWA), Julie Towns (OEA), Tyler Seibert (IBEW), Wayne Smith (IBEW), Joe Barnes (LIUNA), Solomon Hill (AAUP), Doug Schwind (IBEW), Ken Carano (OEA), Cathy Johnson (OEA) and Russ Montgomery (Ironworker).
Support Striking BCTGM Workers At Kellogg
For more than a year throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellogg workers around the country have been working long, hard hours, day in and day out, to produce Kellogg ready-to-eat cereals for American families.
 
Trevor Bidelman is a fourth-generation Kellogg’s worker. His great-grandpa, his grandpa and grandma, and his dad all worked at the storied cereal maker’s Battle Creek, Michigan, plant, making breakfast staples like Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes.
 
Now Bidelman is on strike with 1,400 other Kellogg’s workers at four plants, and wonders if it will be a job worth taking when his own four kids grow up.
 
“This is a company that’s been coming at us over and over and over while their profits grow,” said Bidelman, 40, a mechanic at the plant and president of the local affiliate of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), which represents Kellogg’s workers. “This fight is about the people coming up behind us. We’ve got to say enough is enough.”
 
The showdown at Kellogg’s revolves around a two-tier work system that the union says management is trying to expand at its plants in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
 
Their most recent contract created a class of “transitional” employees who are paid lower rates and have lesser benefits than “legacy” employees. These newer employees can graduate into the legacy system as more tenured workers retire or quit, and the contract stipulates no more than 30% of the workforce can be “transitional.”
 
Kellogg’s is seeking to eliminate that cap as they negotiate a new five-year contract. Doing so would eventually leave all employees on the lower tier after legacy employees have moved on.
 
Kellogg is making these demands as they rake in record profits, without regard for the well-being of the hardworking men and women who make the products that have created the company’s massive profits.
 
IATSE Announces Strike Date for 60,000 Film and Television Workers
The workers who make film and television programs a reality have had enough. After an overwhelming authorization vote last week, members of the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are preparing to strike. IATSE International President Matthew Loeb announced today that unless an agreement is reached, union members will begin a nationwide strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Monday, Oct. 18, at 12:01 a.m. PT.
 
Loeb said the union will continue bargaining with the producers this week in the hopes of reaching an agreement that addresses core issues, such as reasonable rest periods, meal breaks and a living wage for those on the bottom of the wage scale. “However, the pace of bargaining doesn’t reflect any sense of urgency,” Loeb said. “Without an end date, we could keep talking forever. Our members deserve to have their basic needs addressed now.”
Over 34,000 Health Care Workers Authorize Strike at Kaiser Permanente
The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7600 announced on Monday that 31,000 members who work at Southern California Kaiser Permanente locations have voted—by an overwhelming majority—to grant the unions the authority to call a strike.
 
“Health care workers are facing record levels of burnout after 20 months of the COVID pandemic,” said USW Local 7600 President Michael Barnett. “We urge Kaiser Permanente management to come to the table and bargain a fair contract that addresses chronic understaffing and safety issues rather than forcing workers into a labor dispute by insisting on dangerous cost-cutting measures.”
 
Together UNAC/UHCP and Local 7600 represent a combined 31,000 workers in a wide range of job classes, from registered nurses, physical therapists and pharmacists to appointment clerks, housekeeping attendants and medical assistants. The nearly 3,400 members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals-AFT Local 5017 (OFNHP), who work at Kaiser locations across the state, also announced the results of their strike vote earlier this week.
UAW Members at John Deere Go on Strike for Improved Standard of Living, Retirement Benefits and Better Work Environment
More than 12,000 members of the UAW who work at John Deere went on strike early Wednesday morning after management failed to offer a proposal that met their demands and needs. “Our members at John Deere strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with dignity and establish fair work rules,” said Chuck Browning, UAW vice president and director of the union’s agricultural implement department. “We stay committed to bargaining until our members’ goals are achieved.”
 
UAW President Ray Curry stated that all of the UAW’s members and retirees are in solidarity with those out on strike. Earlier this week, it was announced that UAW members had rejected the latest contract offer. The labor movement stands with these brave union members as they go on strike for a fair contract.
A Promise Made Is A Promise Kept
Our years of advocacy for AFT members around the country is paying off.

We want everyone who wants to attend college to be able to do so, but it has become increasingly unaffordable. More than 42 million Americans, including many of our members, now owe $1.7 trillion in student debt.

Since 2016, the AFT has been working to address and abate this student debt crisis. We hosted thousands of debt clinics, pressed lawmakers for changes and took this fight to the courts. We took on one of the largest loan servicers in the country, Navient, and then in July of 2019, in a groundbreaking legal action, we sued then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for mismanaging the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and leaving tens of thousands of borrowers with nowhere to turn when their relief was denied.

I am pleased to share that yesterday, Oct. 12, we reached a settlement in Weingarten v. DeVos. The Department of Education led by Secretary Miguel Cardona agreed to work with us to ensure relief for the countless borrowers who relied on the promise of Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The department has agreed that a promise made is a promise kept.

Millions of Americans will now have their loans completely forgiven or will be properly enrolled in a forgiveness program crediting their years of past payments, putting them much closer to full forgiveness. The AFT’s nurses, educators, public employees, school staff and higher education staff will all benefit from these changes.

Last week’s announcement of a temporary waiver of many PSLF program provisions was big. The Department of Education made much-needed changes, expanding who qualifies for PSLF and making the system more manageable. (If you will qualify under this waiver, it’s critical to apply for it by Oct. 31, 2022.)

This week, with the settlement of Weingarten v. DeVos, we have more good news to share. Since the creation of the program in 2007, 98 percent of all borrowers who have applied for PSLF have been denied. With the Education Department’s temporary waiver, plus this settlement, every one of those borrowers’ PSLF applications will be reviewed and processed through a new review procedure.

We expect this new review process—which is the core of this settlement—to result in complete discharge for tens of thousands of student loan borrowers across the country, including teachers, nurses, firefighters and others eligible for PSLF.

The Biden administration continues to work on implementation of these changes, with input from the AFT and others, to ensure a fast, clear and simple process so public service workers can get full credit for the payments they made toward PSLF and soon see a zero balance on their student loan statements. And the AFT continues to work on behalf of our 1.7 million members to get them the help they deserve through hundreds of AFT student debt clinics and through our partnership with Summer, an online resource that helps members navigate and reduce student loan debt.

If you are a current AFT member who may be affected by this settlement:
The AFT will help you navigate this new process with our partner Summer. Working with Summer, AFT members already have saved $500 million on student loans. Summer helps AFT members take the steps necessary to qualify for PSLF, including under the just-announced temporary waiver. AFT members can sign up for a free account with Summer here: https://www.meetsummer.org/pslf
If you are a borrower who works in public service and want individualized help from a PSLF expert, you can join the AFT as an associate member now and access a Summer account: https://www.aft.org/joinsummer

I’m so happy with how this has worked out. We’re seeing firsthand the difference it makes when we have a president and a secretary of education who believe in education and in delivering on promises made to Americans.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President

P.S.: If you want to stay up to date on our advocacy efforts around student debt and other issues, be sure to sign up for my e-Activist list.
U.S Senator Sherrod Brown: Working For Working People!
United Way: Your Voice is Important
Dear United Way friends,

We want to hear from you.

What do you see as the strengths of your community? What are the challenges? The opportunities for systemic improvement? Who is doing good work?

Your voice is important to our solutions. As we embark on our next granting cycle, we are shaking things up. Instead of asking for solutions that align with our interpretation of community challenges, we are asking for community voice to determine the challenges so we can align our funding to capitalize on those opportunities.

We are focused on systemic change. Meeting immediate needs is important. But for true change that allows more people to thrive, we need true systemic change.

We want a deeper understanding of what is needed in our community so that can drive our work. So we can test innovative solutions. So we can mobilize advocates for awareness and change.

Soon, we will release a Community Insights survey to gather your input. If you are interested in receiving that survey, please click on the button below and leave your pertinent information.

Your voice is important.
Sincerely,

Moira Weir
President/CEO
United Way of Greater Cincinnati
RetireMEDiQ Weekly Update
4 Medicare Questions to Ask During Annual Enrollment
Medicare Annual Enrollment lasts until Dec. 7. During this time, you can enroll in Medicare or switch to
a new Medicare plan for 2022. As you start thinking about your benefits for next year, ask yourself these

Deductible vs. Out-of-Pocket Maximum: What’s the Difference?
You’ve likely heard these terms used by your insurance provider, but do you know what they mean? We explain the definitions and the differences between deductible and out-of-pocket maximum on our blog.

October Medicare Must-Knows
Every month, our advisors round up the latest updates in the Medicare industry and explain how the
news impacts you. In October, read about the start of Annual Enrollment, premiums for Medicare
Advantage and drug plans in 2022, and more.
COVID-19 Dashboard
Ohio Vaccination Dashboard

The COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard displays the most recent data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding the number of individuals that have started and completed the COVID-19 vaccination series by various demographics and county of residence.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard displays the most recent data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding the number of individuals that have started and completed the COVID-19 vaccination series by various demographics and county of residence. “Vaccination started” indicates that the individual has received at least one valid dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The number listed as “vaccination completed” is a subset of the number included in “vaccination started,” indicating that those individuals within that group have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses and are considered fully immunized. ODH is making COVID-19 data available for public review while also protecting privacy. This dashboard will be updated daily. Please see footnotes below for more details.
Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard
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).
Current Trends
Below is a snapshot of key metrics pulled Friday, October 15 from daily data reporting to the Ohio Department of Health. These metrics are updated daily.
Below are the current reporting trends from Friday, October 15 for key indicators calculated from data reported to the Ohio Department of Health. These trends are updated daily and are presented by report date.
Hamilton County
Cases
103,798
Hospitalizations
3,944
Deaths
1,388
Clermont County
Cases
27,741
Hospitalizations
990
Deaths
315
Brown County
Cases
6,248
Hospitalizations
74
Deaths
81
Butler County
Cases
50,677
Hospitalizations
2,169
Deaths
694
Warren County
Cases
32,183
Hospitalizations
923
Deaths
365
Other News For and About Working People:
Cincinnati AFL-CIO
Labor Council

Bill Froehle, President

Brian D. Griffin,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Ashley Schleicher,
Communications Associate

1385 Tennessee Avenue | Second Floor | Cincinnati, OH 45229 | 513.421.1846 | info@cincinnatiaflcio.org | www.cincinnatiaflcio.org