Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
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Friday, November 13, 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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AFL-CIO Looks Forward to Working with President-Elect Joe Biden |
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Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the presidential election:
Democracy is prevailing. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory in this free and fair election is a win for America’s labor movement. Everywhere in every way, working people are heroically and resiliently fighting back against this pandemic, its economic fall out, chronic income inequality and systemic racism. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris saw us, heard us and campaigned on a promise that we, as one nation, will build back even better than before. That is why working people decisively rejected the politics of darkness and division and voted in record numbers for public servants who want to join us in writing America’s comeback story.
Let’s be clear: Union voters delivered this election for Biden and Harris. Their message and commitment to create “the most significant pro-labor, pro-worker administration” resonated with our 12.5 million members and 56 affiliated unions who are hungry for a bigger voice in our economy and our politics.
Now the AFL-CIO stands ready to help the president-elect and vice president-elect deliver a long overdue workers’ first agenda. That starts with passing the HEROES Act to provide our families and communities emergency support and services in the face of this deadly virus. But COVID-19 relief is just that—relief. Once working people are made whole, the real rebuilding can begin. We call on Congress to pass and Biden to sign the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act early in 2021 to make sure every worker who wants to form or join a union is able to do so freely and fairly. Working people want our leaders to act swiftly and think more boldly than ever before. The time to begin is now.
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CLUW Salutes Harris, First Woman and First Person of Color Elected Vice President |
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The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) has reason to celebrate as Harris was elected vice president. Over the weekend, CLUW President Elise Bryant (TNG-CWA) congratulated members and volunteers for their efforts in winning the election. “We worked hard to get out the vote and it paid off big time—we have the first woman to be elected vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, and, as you well know, we still have work to do!” she wrote. “I ask you to join me in saying to Kamala Harris, ‘Sister, we got your back’ and mean it.” |
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CBTU Reacts to the Election Results |
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Black union voters played a key role in swing states like Michigan and Georgia, where the Biden–Harris campaign won after Trump carried them four years ago. Over the weekend, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), led by the Rev. Terry Melvin (CSEA-AFSCME), released a statement reflecting on the results. “In 2019, CBTU members made it clear in a straw poll that a Biden–Harris ticket would be the winning ticket in 2020 for the Democrats and for America. We were first and we were right,” CBTU said. “When Black labor leads, the people’s interests are front and center. CBTU will stay on the battlefield because our work is not done.”
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Saunders: Biden and Harris Will Be ‘Two Fearless Fighters for Working People’
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AFSCME President Lee Saunders declared victory for public service workers on Saturday following the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. “The people have spoken, through legitimate democratic processes. It's time for our country to unite around the will of the voters, to rally around an administration that is ready to fund the front lines and get to work defeating COVID-19,” he said. He reiterated that even though the outcome is no longer in doubt, every vote must still be counted so that every voter’s voice is heard.
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As federal employees, members of AFGE elected more than a new president and vice president last week. They have new management taking over in a couple months when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are inaugurated. “As the largest union representing federal and D.C. government workers, AFGE looks forward to working with the incoming administration to tackle these challenges and restore the public’s faith in the apolitical civil service,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said. “In truth, federal employees are ready and able now to begin tackling the latest wave of COVID-19 sweeping the country, if only President Trump is willing to listen to the experts and heed their advice during his remaining weeks in office.” AFGE said it is hopeful that the incoming administration will restore its members’ labor rights and work to keep them safe on the job.
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Electrical Workers (IBEW) International President Lonnie Stephenson issued a statement on Saturday celebrating the election of Biden and Harris. “Joe Biden didn’t just make promises to labor,” he said. “The power professionals of the IBEW had a seat at the table in Biden’s campaign from the beginning. That is why his energy platform is not only aggressive about combating climate change, but is also committed to creating tens of thousands of good union jobs and building a 21st century energy infrastructure.” Stephenson thanked the many union member volunteers who took part in IBEW’s campaign.
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Election and Pandemic Show the Importance of USPS |
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Throughout the pandemic, members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) have kept us connected as a country, delivering lifesaving medications and keeping our communities running. The workers at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) also have served our democracy by delivering millions of mail-in ballots as a safe and convenient alternative to voting in person. NALC, under the leadership of President Fredric Rolando, said: “This election and pandemic have shown the importance of the Postal Service network. For the last four years, we’ve had to play defense against attacks from the current administration. Now, it is time to go on the offense for letter carriers by providing COVID-19 relief to this agency, repealing the mandate to prefund retiree health care and utilizing the network to continue serving the nation.”
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AFSA Celebrates Election of Biden |
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The School Administrators (AFSA) is celebrating the election of Biden, calling it a first step in building back trust, honesty and respectability in our nation. “Biden and Harris must immediately confront two difficult tasks, and we stand ready to support them on both fronts. First, they need to attack the COVID-19 [pandemic] sweeping this nation,” said AFSA President Ernest Logan. “Second, we must find common ground on the issues that impact all of us. These issues include race and the economy.” With regard to the critical issues facing us, Logan said that it’s imperative for us to find a way to get children, teachers, staff and administrators safely back in schools.
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Callahan: "Now Is the Time to Reunify Our Country"
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General President James Callahan of the Operating Engineers (IUOE) is calling for unity and solidarity following a bitterly contested election that divided so many Americans—and even union members. He is reaching out to all IUOE members, regardless of who they voted for in the presidential election. On the union’s website, Callahan wrote: “American democracy can be messy, but now that the 2020 presidential election has culminated in a clear winner being declared, I would like to take this opportunity to address each and every Operating Engineer household in the hope that a new period of national healing may now commence. It is my desire that each and every member of this great organization continue to prosper and grow in the American middle-class. I believe that our common goals for a safe and productive career outweigh any and all allegiance to political parties.”
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"We cared, fought, showed up and voted.
And we won."
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Today, America resumes the hard work of creating a more perfect union that helps everyone thrive, led by an effective, ethical and empathetic administration elected by more voters than any presidential ticket in history. Under immense pressure, our democracy worked.
We look forward to working with an administration that will embrace the values we hold dear: justice and opportunity for all; strengthened public schools that work for all kids; economic security, starting with decent wages, good jobs and the right to a union; a belief in truth and science; and universal access to healthcare and college. We can’t wait to get started.
This will be hard work. But I know with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House, we can do it. Because we counted every vote, we achieved this. Share this graphic on social media to celebrate.
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Brown Testifies Before ITC For Ohio Whirlpool Workers |
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WASHINGTON, DC – November 5, 2020 – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) testified on behalf of Ohio Whirlpool workers, urging the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to recommend that President Trump extend safeguard tariffs to ensure Whirlpool and its workers get sufficient relief from unfair trade practices of foreign competitors. Brown has led efforts with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to help Whirlpool workers in Clyde. Last month, Brown sent a letter to the International Trade Commission (ITC) urging them to support an extension of the current washing machine safeguard.
“If we don’t extend the safeguard, these companies will continue this bad behavior, and workers in Clyde will pay the price,” said Brown. “On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited Whirlpool’s ability to recover from the injury caused by Samsung and LG. An extension of the safeguard is necessary to prevent Samsung and LG’s manipulation of the U.S. market and to ensure American companies like Whirlpool are able to compete on a level playing field.”
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Senator Gives Bank Regulators Caustic Send-off |
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In an unusually caustic send-off, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee told Trump administration’s top bank regulators on Tuesday that he would be glad to see them be replaced by the new Biden administration.
During a hearing on bank oversight, Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democrat from Ohio, started by saying he wanted to thank the four regulators at the hearing for their service.
Appearing at the hearing on bank regulation were Randal Quarles, the Fed’s vice chairman for supervision, Brian Brooks, the acting comptroller of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jelena McWilliams, the chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Co, and Rodney Hood, the chairman of the National Credit Union Administration.
But Brown’s thank-you quickly became caustic as he complained that the top officials were tools of big banks.
“When you took office, each of you could have done so much more to actually improve American’s lives, especially during these difficult last months. Instead, you finalized the Wall Street wish-list,” Brown said.
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November 17, We’ll Stand Together to #SaveThePostOffice |
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Thanks to the dedication of postal workers, 65 million Americans successfully cast their mail ballots this election.
Postal workers put in long hours, did special sweeps of facilities and made extra deliveries to make sure our votes were delivered.
On November 17, we’re coming to deliver our demands for a thriving, public Postal Service. Find an event to join or host one in your community!
The dedication of postal workers kept mail ballots moving, but now that the election is over Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to resume his disastrous policies that created delays and chaos this summer and fall.
At the same time, the Postal Service’s finances are still devastated by COVID. The House has passed $25 billion in COVID relief twice, but this administration refused to deliver that aid before the election.
Join us November 17 to demand funding and reverse DeJoy’s delays.
The unprecedented success of vote by mail this election is more evidence that we should be expanding and strengthening the Postal Service—not undermining it.
I hope we’ll see you Nov. 17 to #SaveThePostOffice!
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The pandemic could have crushed voter participation. Thanks to the unprecedented service of postal workers, 65 million Americans safely voted by mail. The post office is a national treasure. On Nov. 17, we’re coming together to #SaveThePostOffice. Join us: https://apwu.org/post-office-action
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What Happens When We All Stand! Together
Labor Invitation to Premiere Stand! Dec. 1st
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Hello. It's Danny Schur, composer/producer/co-writer of the new Hollywood, labor movie musical Stand! - premiering at a special one-night-only screening across the United States on December 1st, 2020.
Stand! is a union production, made in partnership with unions across North America. It tells a riveting labor story (the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike) with a diverse cast of working-class heroes and an inspiring ode to solidarity.
We're thrilled with the election results and invite you to use the premiere of Stand! as a night to relax and celebrate the power of solidarity, in a theater near you.
In solidarity,
Danny Schur
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Mobilizing Public Health to Achieve Environmental Justice |
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NOV 17 2020
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
Description:
The final webinar in APHA's Advancing Racial Equity series will raise awareness of the ongoing impact of environmental racism on the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous and people of color in the U.S.
Presenters will:
- Address historic and systemic issues (e.g., redlining, toxic waste siting, zoning policies) that have disproportionally impacted communities of color, including social, economic, and health implications of these practices;
- Discuss the importance of environmental justice initiatives to mitigate inequity and how public health professionals can address environmental racism; and
- Present strategies and frameworks to address environmental racism, such as health-in-all-policies, just transition, and cumulative impacts policies to curtail future health disparities.
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Welcome
- Kate Robb, MSPH, Senior Program Manager, Environmental Health, APHA Center for Public Health Policy
Moderator
- Crystal Dixon, MPH, MCHES, NBC-HWC, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Education, UNC Greensboro
Presenters
- Donna Chavis, Senior Campaigner, Fossil Fuels, Friends of the Earth
- Donele Wilkins, Founder and CEO, Green Door Initiative
- Sacoby Wilson, PhD, MS, Associate Professor, Director, Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland-College Park
- Michele Okoh, JD, Senior Lecturing Fellow of Law, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic
The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the webinar audience. Closed captioning will be provided.
The webinar will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing on APHA’s website within a week of the live event.
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We invite you to join us and sponsor Co-op Cincy's Annual Event, a futuristic celebration titled “Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 2099,” on Thursday, Nov 19 from 7-8:30pm. It is inspired by the profound transformation sparked in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis in 2020 and during it we will look “back” on the ways that Co-op Cincy accelerated the worker co-op movement between 2020 and 2099. When 2020 brought the start of a profound transformation, Co-op Cincy accelerated our vision of eliminating barriers and creating an economy that works for all, alongside everyday people from all walks of life.
While our event will be held a little differently this year, as you can guess... virtually, it doesn't mean that your support will be any less noticed or impactful. We so appreciated your support last year of $500 and are hoping the Central Labor Council would be interested in making a similar or increased contribution as a sponsor for our event this year. We have attached our flyer for the event, a sponsorship letter and sponsorship grid for your review.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support of our work!
Sincerely,
Ellen & the Co-op Cincy Team
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Episcopal Diocese: Community Forum - Covid-19'S Impact On Existing Inequities
From our Friends and Community Partners at Faith Community Alliance
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Covid-19'S Impact On Existing Inequities In Greater Cincinnati
DATE: Thursday, November 12 , 2020
TIME: 12 NOON-1:00
SPEAKERS:
Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition
John E. Schrider, Director of the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio
Ryan Luckie of the Free Store Food Bank.
To access by phone
Dial in: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 834 4556 3469
Password: 576443 (if prompted)
We look forward to your participation!
Before the start of the pandemic, poverty, homelessness, an affordable housing crisis, and other inequities related to income and race already existed in Cincinnati. Seven months of this public health crisis has increased unemployment and left too many families and individuals with insufficient incomes to pay for food, rent or utilities.
At the next Community Issues Forum on November 12th, a panel will report on how COVID-19 has increased existing inequities in this area.
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Helpful Information from our Friends and Partners at RetireMEDiQ
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Your Comprehensive Guide to Medicare Premiums
Understanding what you can expect to pay in Medicare premiums can help you prepare for your health care expenses. Different parts of Medicare come with different premiums—some are optional, some are required, some can change based on your income level. RetireMEDiQ created this guide to give you clarity on Medicare premiums. Want more information on finding the right Medicare plan for your budget? Learn more.
Using Health Savings Account Funds When You Enroll in Medicare
If you are currently on employer health coverage, you may have a health savings account (HSA) as part of your health care benefits. But how are your HSA funds impacted when you enroll in Medicare? It all depends on when you enroll, what your employer health coverage looks like, and how soon you plan to retire. Read more to learn about using your HSA to pay for Medicare costs. |
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RetireMEDiQ simplifies Medicare by providing guidance, evaluating your plan options and helping you enroll in the right plan that meets your needs and budget – all at no cost to you. We’ve helped over 50,000 retirees gain peace of mind and we are ready to help you, too. Contact a RetireMEDiQ advisor today at 1-877-291-4110 or visit https://bit.ly/3adwr7O.
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The Freestore Foodbank Fall Classic Is Underway - don't miss it!
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This year, the event known as The Taste of the NFL has a virtual replacement — The Freestore Foodbank Fall Classic!
It kicks off TODAY and includes a silent auction, restaurant raffle, virtual food drive—and is 100% online.
The holiday season is upon us. It’s always our busiest time of year, but COVID-19 has increased the need exponentially. Our Fall Classic is a great way help— you can get a gift for a loved one, while giving back to your tristate neighbors in need at the same time.
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Your participation will support the men, women and children in our community who are currently facing hard times. This year, more than ever, they need your support. |
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Here are 3 ways you can participate: |
RESTAURANT RAFFLE, PRESENTED BY TRIHEALTH |
FREESTORE FOODBANK SILENT AUCTION |
CINCINNATI BENGALS VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE |
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1141 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
© 2020 Freestore Foodbank, All rights reserved.
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AT&T Special Promotions for Union Members |
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Sisters and Brothers
I wanted to send a note to let you know Union Plus has a promotion with AT&T through November 30, 2020, that extends additional benefits for union members who switch over to AT&T and purchase a new smartphone. Resources to share this promotion with your members and on your networks can be found in our digital toolkit link:
That same link contains materials on the other special promotions this month – including a Holiday Giveback campaign that will award 100 extraordinary union members with $1000 based on their video or written submission. I hope you will also consider sharing both of these events with your members this month. (Collateral for the contest will appear in the Digital Toolkit link in the next 24 hours.)
We’ve also refreshed the Union Plus website including the section designed to serve union leaders. It’s our hope more local union leaders and staff turn to Union Plus for free materials, customized flyers and any resources they may need to share Union Plus programs with their members.
In solidarity,
Jill
Jill Cashen
Vice President, Union Plus
O: 202-778-9820
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COVID - 19 By The Numbers |
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Global Confirmed: 52,289,705
Global Deaths: 1,286,926
U.S. Confirmed: 10,403,745
U.S. Deaths: 241,809
(As of 2:00 PM, Thursday, November 12, 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. These trends are updated daily and are presented by report date.
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Hamilton County
Cases
22,546
Hospitalizations
1,397
Deaths
356
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Clermont County
Cases
3,828
Hospitalizations
264
Deaths
41
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Brown County
Cases
632
Hospitalizations
40
Deaths
4
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Butler County
Cases
11,275
Hospitalizations
562
Deaths
135
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Warren County
Cases
5,923
Hospitalizations
335
Deaths
72
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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 of Communication & Technology
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