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ATU Action Weekly Update -
1/7/08
DC
Local Launches YouTube Campaign
In a series of short videos posted on YouTube, an online
video sharing website, ATU Local 689 in Washington, D.C. is
making the case for why DC needs stricter penalties for people
who assault transit workers.
In one video, the local proudly discusses their role in
pushing for an "exact fare" policy in the late 1960's - a policy
which was later adopted by transit agencies nationwide in an
effort to address the rising numbers of robberies on transit
vehicles. Another video features testimony by an ATU
member who was shot with a paint gun while working - the damage
to her hand caused her to be out of work for several
months. A third video features the testimony of Local
President/Business Agent Jackie Jeter, who called on the DC City
Council to take action to address the violence.
The local is advocating for a bill before the DC City Council
called the Transit Operator and Enhanced Penalty
Act. In addition to pushing for enhanced penalties,
the local is calling for signs in the Metro buses advising
passengers of the penalties.
Bush
Bars Kids From Medicaid
After twice vetoing the expansion of the State Children's
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) last year and issuing new rules
to prevent states from expanding the kids' health insurance
program, the Bush Administration is now barring states from
extending Medicaid coverage to cover some kids.
To cover more children in low-income families - many of whom
would have been eligible for coverage under the vetoed SCHIP
bill - officials in Ohio, Oklahoma and Louisiana developed plans
to expand Medicaid eligibility. But the Bush
Administration now is telling those states that expanding
Medicaid is not allowed - even though states have long been free
to set their own Medicaid eligibility rules.
For more information, check out the AFL-CIO
Now Blog.
Join the
ATU in Memphis for MLK, Jr. Observance
The ATU is encouraging members to join the ATU executive
officers, along with the AFL-CIO and other affiliates for the
AFL-CIO's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance, to be held
from January 17-21 in Memphis, TN.
The observance will mark the 40th anniversary of the Memphis
Sanitation Workers strike and will honor Dr. King's final
campaign for worker justice. Dr. King delivered his last
speech on April 3, 1968, in support of the striking Memphis
Sanitation Workers, one day before he was
assassinated.
The weekend of observance will include a program of education
and community service, while advancing the agenda for civil and
worker's rights. ATU members are encouraged to join a
contingent of ATU members marching in the MLK parade on Monday,
January 21, 2008.
For more information and a registration form, go to: http://www.atu.org/getinvolved/events/afl-cio-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-observance.html.
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