N.J. AFL-CIO ENDORSES SENATOR MENENDEZ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Organization of 1,000,000 union members' note Menendez's efforts for jobs creation in
New Jersey

NEW BRUNSWICK - Citing his long track record of fighting for New Jersey's middle class families as well as jobs creation in areas including construction and transportation infrastructure upgrades, the members of the New Jersey AFL-CIO have endorsed Robert Menendez for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

"To support labor is to support New Jersey. Senator Menendez has always understood that basic idea, and more importantly, he has acted upon it," said Charles Wowkanech, President of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. "Whether it's the Gateway Tunnel that will help New Jersey's 250,000 daily commuters to New York City, or the expansion of the Global Terminal in Bayonne to allow more ships and cargo to access markets around the world, Robert Menendez is fighting for the federal resources for projects that keep New Jersey's middle class families working. That's why we're fighting for Senator Menendez to be re-elected this November."

"I am very proud and honored that the N.J. AFL-CIO has put their confidence in me. It is an organization the people in New Jersey who do so much to make our plans and visions for a better New Jersey happen," said Senator Menendez, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development.

"Without the dedication and hard work of the men and women of the N.J. State AFL-CIO, the best-laid plans for better construction and improved transportation systems remain on the drawing board. They, and all middle class families of New Jersey, will always be able to depend on me to fight for them. Whether it is fighting to secure more funds to help meet our state's infrastructure needs, or fighting to increase the minimum wage or extending unemployment cuts - I will always have the backs of New Jersey's hard working men and women."

In New Jersey, local unions enjoy the opportunity to join together with 1,000 local unions and one million union members under the auspices of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. The resources of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO are committed to representing union members and their families through pursuing strong legislative and political initiatives, and by organizing and member mobilization.

Pallone To Speak Out Against Three Trade Deals & For China Currency Reform

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. Tuesday will stand with labor leaders and American job creators in opposition to three trade agreements that the House of Representatives will vote on next week and in support of a bill expected to be voted on in the Senate that will force China to stop manipulating its currency. All the bills could have a significant impact on job creation in America.

 

 

10:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 11, 2011

 Monmouth County One Stop Career Center
     60 Taylor Ave.   Neptune, New Jersey

 

 

 

 

Greens, Labor, and Healthcare Conference To Be Held 2/27/11.

By guest blogger David Petrovich

For almost 30 years (the last 12 as executive director for a non profit consumer advocacy) I've worked closely with families who are at-risk of mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, and loss of homeownership. Though each situation has its own unique set of hardships, the most common of hardship which precipitate foreclosure and bankruptcy include loss of, or reduction in employment, loss of health insurance, and out of pocket medical expenses. Intangible hardships include the trauma or stress of losing one's job, the inability to pay bills as they become due and then past due, the uncertainty/fear of losing the roof overhead, and the physical and emotional toll these hardships exact upon our health.

Appealing to mortgage lenders who act with arrogance and impunity is a circuitous, inneffective game I call Foreclosure Relief Roulette. Frankly, mortgage foreclosure is a (toxic) symptom of a larger, systemic problem. To curb foreclosure, we need to look at the larger picture.

Our war economy has ten million folks who face foreclosure, 20% unemployment, one in seven who live in poverty, and millions of stressed out folks without healthcare. However, Healthcare industry profits have never been higher, Wall Street bonuses have never been as outrageous, and "too big to fail" banks have never had it so good. What's wrong with this picture?

We need jobs. We need affordable healthcare. In my view, replacing our for-profit healthcare delivery system with a sensible, cost effective single payer system would provide unfettered access to improved healthcare for all citizens (working, unemployed, retired, youth, sick, or healthy) while saving (NJ) taxpayers about three billion dollars in its first year. A single payers system would all but eliminate our fifty seven billion dollar pension funding deficit for health benefits, reduce the costs for homeowners insurance, auto insurance, and workman's comp insurance. Do you hear that Governor Christie?

Implementing a single payer system would jumpstart our economy by enabling small and mid size businesses to operate without the staggering costs of healthcare, and through job creation.

When President Obama used his State of the Union address to tell people to "let him know" if there's a better approach that "will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare and stop insurance company abuses," the Labor Campaign for Single Payer (LCSP), a network of local and statewide union leaders, responded with a letter stating that single-payer system "would be far more cost effective than any of the proposed current reforms based on the continuation of for-profit, market-based insurance."

So what happened? Our corporate-lapdog government, intent on protecting corporate profits for HMOs, and Big Pharma, outlawed single payer thru 2019.

Vermont is seeking a waiver so it can be the first state to implement an improved Medicare for All.

What do labor unions, 18,000 physicians from across the USA, and Vermonters know that we don't?

You sure won't learn much by watching or reading corporate owned media. Except single payer is anti-American, Socialistic, Communistic or whatever the pejorative "ism" du jour.

Get the facts. Attend "Greens, Labor and Healthcare Conference" at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel on Sunday, February 27th. It promises to be a fact filled, entertaining luncheon with national speakers, top flight live music, and good food.

Register and you'll also receive, "Sticker Shock: Non Profit Hospital Accounting Practices - A Rip Off Report" an indictment of what's wrong with the business of healthcare delivery.

Email me for details (njdGreen@aol.com) or visit the conference's home page: http://tinyurl.com/6x848w6