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The Insider

VOL 1, No. 2

 

BREAKING NEWS: Operation Clean Up: Thanks to continued grassroots lobbying by AFGE activists, AFGE’s fight to contract in jobs and end the waste, fraud and abuse in government contracting is coming closer to reality. On Thursday, June 4, 2009, The CLEAN UP Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. John Sarbanes (D, MD-3) along with more than 50 original cosponsors. The bill requires agencies to identify which jobs have been contracted out and to come up with a schedule to bring those jobs back in house. The CLEAN UP ACT also protects existing jobs by banning new A-76 (contracting out) studies until major reforms are enacted government-wide. The CLEAN UP Act was introduced in the Senate on April 29, 2009, by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and has 10 original co-sponsors. 

 

AFGE Activists Get IN Gear

 

  • In New York, over 100 Local 2367 activists led by DEFCON Chair and Local President Don Hale  held a rally at West Point Military Academy to protest an outsourcing study that would privatize 300 jobs at the facility. The rally coincided with a commencement address by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
  • In Columbus, Ohio, at Local 1148 – the Defense Logistics Agency Supply Center – activists rallied to protest an outsourcing study that has been going on at the facility for more than 30 months.
  • In Virginia, 65 members from AFGE Local 1992 – Defense Supply Center in Richmond -   rallied by the main gate of the Supply Center, with the goal of educating fellow federal employees and the general public about the importance of passing the CLEAN UP Act.  
  • AFGE Activists across the country have been delivering Operation Clean Up brooms to their lawmakers to emphasize the need to CLEAN UP the contracting out mess and start contracting in jobs.

 

                                      

 AFGE Local 948 Steward Marty Scanlon presents a broom to a staffer from Rep. Peter Welch’s (D, VT-AL) office.  

 (Left to right) - Carolyn Federoff Vice  President L3258, Juan Evereteze Pres. L3258, and Bethany McIvor Pres. L221 met with  staff at Rep. Stephen Lynch’s(D, MA-9) Boston office in late May  to discuss the Clean Up Act


To contact your senators, please visit: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/cleanup

 

To conact your representative, please visit:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/cleanuphouse

 

Want to get involved with Operation Clean Up? Contact AFGE’s Legislative and Political Action Department at 202.639.6413

 

The Fight for Collective Bargaining Rights for Transportation Security Officers: The efforts to pass H.R. 1881 – the bill that would grant union rights to TSOs – is continuing to pick up steam. Across the country, TSOs and other AFGE activists have been busy lobbying their representatives in support of H.R. 1881. Thanks to the work of these activists, there are currently 118 lawmakers who have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.

 

Last week, AFGE TSO activists launched petition and phone calling drives in support of H.R. 1881 that target key Representatives for co-sponsorship of the TSO rights bill. In less than one week the campaign has secured co-sponsorships from two of the targeted offices:  Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO).

 

Contact your representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor HR 1881. Please do so by visiting: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/TSA1881

 

Ensuring Quality Healthcare for Veterans, and Equal Rights for VA Employees: Bills have been introduced in the Senate (S.362) and House (H.R. 949)  that would ensure that all of VA’s front line Title 38 health care professionals have the same collective bargaining rights as other federal employees have. The National VA Council and VA Locals across the country have been actively working to get lawmakers to support this piece of legislation.

 

  • Last week, activists from Local 4041 in Albuquerque, NM, met with Senators Bingaman (D-NM) and Udall (D-NM) and Representative Heinrich’s (D-NM) offices to discuss S.362/H.R. 949 and deliver petition in support of the bills.
  • And in Seattle, WA, activists from Local 3197 met with the offices of Senator Cantwell (D-WA) and Representatives Smith (D-WA) and Larsen (D-WA).

 

Do your part: Help guarantee that VA health care workers can advocate on behalf of our veterans for safe and quality health care by visiting: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/VACampaign2009

 

 

Get Active Now:

 

Your activism last year helped to create the opportunity to move this long overdue legislative agenda. Now we need your continued activism to make it a reality. We need AFGE activists like you to call and write their lawmakers, set up face-to-face meetings back home and contribute to AFGE’s Political Action Committee (visit: http://www.afge.org//Index.cfm?Page=PoliticalActionCommittee . That’s the only way we will hold the lawmakers we helped elect accountable.  It’s how we ensure lawmakers deliver on their promises to make government work for all of us.  AFGE members across the country are already answering the call to action to advance AFGE’s legislative initiatives. Volunteer to join them right now: http://www.afge.org/Index.cfm?page=volunteer.

 

 

 

And we want to hear from you. Do you have a story about volunteering? E-mail us at: afgepac@afge.org 

 

With your help and time, 2009 will be a banner year for government employees. We’ll win collective bargaining rights for TSOs and all Veterans Affairs employees. We’ll start contracting in jobs. We’ll get fair pay raises and better benefits. We’ll build an effective government that works for all working families. But, we can’t do this with out you. We need you to get active and stay active.