A Nov 8th Coalition

    I wrote this for Huffington Post but thought it might generate some thoughtful discussion here. The previous post looked at the close relationship between corporate lobbyists and the Democratic Party--and how those lobbyists are stepping up their cash contributions to Dems in anticipation of a switch in control of one or both house of Congress.

The 26th Gets Interesting

    Yesterday I had been musing about whether the 26th Congressional District race might be a race to watch. Democrat Jack Davis is running against Republican incumbent Tom Reynolds; Davis is making trade a huge issue in the race in an area that has been devasted by NAFTA and so-called "free trade."

    And, sure enough, a poll came out yesterday showing Davis within two points of Reynolds:The poll was commissioned by the local Channel 2 News and was completed by SurveyUSA: 45% Tom Reynolds (R) 43% Jack Davis (D) 8% Christine Murphy (G) 4% Undecided. What's even more interesting is that the survey was done with the Green Party's Murphy in the mix but on September 26th she was tossed off the ballot. You would figure more Green Party votes would migrate to Davis than Reynolds--though Davis may not benefit as much because he has a fairly bad, from my point of view, stance on immigration. A new poll with just Davis and Reynolds matched head-to-head is expected out next week.

    It certainly would be sweet to see the head of the Republican Congressional campaign committee go down to defeat--and with an anti-NAFTA opponent providing the coup de grace.

Going to Jail In L.A.

    Sounds like a start of a piece about Paris Hilton, huh? Nah. Several hundred people went to jail yesterday in Los Angeles for blocking a main street near the airport as part of a protest in support of unionizing Hilton and Westin hotels.

    Which brings up the tactic of civil disobedience. It says something when--if this is true--the Los Angeles Times reports that, "Police, noting the number of arrests, called the event the largest civil disobedience in Los Angeles in a generation and one of the largest in the city's history. The protest saw more arrests than any labor action in 60 years." Could that be right? 300 people going to jail tops anything over the past 60 years. Hmmmm...

    I'm all for civil disobedience (and, in fact, have my own court date next week for participating in such an effort to support the striking NYU grad students here). But, don't we need larger numbers to make this effective? Or at least have these arrests take place day after day in order to truly have an impact. Particularly in L.A., which has no geographical center, I'm not sure how this kind of action disrupts the daily pace of the city. If CD is a moral action designed to get media attention, certainly you don't need thousands of people.

A Race Over Trade

    This Congressional race isn't in the top-tier of competitive races--it doesn't even rank in the top 50 races to watch at The Hotline--but it will be interesting to see what happens in the 26th CD in New York. Democrat Jack Davis is running against Republican incumbent Tom Reynolds, who also happens to be the national party's Congressional campaign chair. The main issue is trade.

    Davis has been well-known in the area for his vehement opposition to NAFTA. On the other hand, Reynolds is a down-the-line supporter of so-called "free trade." The district covers the area stretching from the east side of Buffalo, across Erie and Genesee Counties to the west side of Rochester. Unfortunately, Davis has coupled his anti-so-called "free trade" stance with a fairly hard-nosed position on immigration.

    Here's a short local television station report on the race.

Fasting For Fairness and Power

    This came across my desk and is worth noting: a group of janitors is fasting literally on the freeway on-ramp of a strip mall in an all-white, wealthy suburb outside of Boston. It's a five-day, water-only fast to protest alleged sexual misconduct and other charges at  Burlington, Mass.-based Gutierrez Co. Here's what the union sent me:

Surrounded by members of the Burlington community, clergy and other supporters, several janitors began a 5-day fast today over dangerous and poor working conditions in buildings owned by the largest office property owner in Burlington, Gutierrez Company. Two Gutierrez Co. contractors, Foxboro, Mass.-based Resource One and Dallas-based American Housekeeping, are under investigation for violations including indecent assault and battery, sexual harassment, and illegal threats and intimidation against janitors.

"We are doing this not just for working people in Burlington, but everywhere," said Flor Arache, a janitor who says she experienced sexual harassment in a Gutierrez building.  "I am putting myself in God's hands. God will bring us justice."

The first in a team of nurses also reported to the corner of Wall Street and US Rt. 3 today, where they will provide virtual round the clock medical attention for the fasters during this physically demanding act.    Janitors, who are paid wages as low as $9 an hour—and offered no health care, sick days or other paid leave, have repeatedly called on the Gutierrez Co. to hire responsible contractors that follow area wage and benefit standards and respect the law.

Because the Gutierrez Co. continues to stand by while workers and their families struggle with poor working conditions and hostile workplaces, janitors feel they have no choice but to make this tremendous sacrifice. "Burlington needs to hear the voice of reason," said Bedardo Sola, a Harvard University janitor, who is fasting in support of workers at Gutierrez properties.  "Our children are the future of the community, and we need to be able to provide for them."

SHORT BLOG BREAK

    Friends, I'm going to take a short break--just a few days--to catch up on some sleep and just turn the brain off. So, going to be off-line until Wednesday morning. See you then...But, keep discussing any issue you want right here as an open thread:

   What's on your mind?:

THE ECONOMY?

WAGES?

UNION STUFF?

THE WAR?

Bringing Some Jobs Home

    It's not an avalanche but nice job on the part of CWA--the union negotiated the return of about 2,000 jobs that AT&T had outsourced:

AT&T is bringing back 2,000 outsourced jobs

Sanford Nowlin Express-News Business Writer
In a move hailed as a union victory, San Antonio-based AT&T Inc. has agreed to return 2,000 outsourced jobs, including some that were shifted overseas, to the company payroll.

After negotiations with the Communications Workers of America, its largest union, the telecom giant next year will begin turning 800 jobs now filled by outside contractors into union-represented company positions. It also will return to its U.S. payrolls about 1,200 customer service jobs now filled by overseas contractors, many in India. The jobs support AT&T's growing high-speed Internet business.

An AT&T official said it's too early to know where it will hire the employees, although they likely will be in facilities across the country. The company employs 182,900 people worldwide — 6,000 of them in San Antonio.

    Rest of the article is here.

 

The Abyss Gets Larger

    The combination of two stories today in The New York Times reinforces what has been clear: the occupation continues to descend into more chaos. My first thought in reading the articles was: If only The Times hadn't acted, as much of the MSM did, as a cheerleader for the war, would we be in this mess? Everything written in these two pieces was precisely predictable.

    First, is the lead front-page piece about the failure of the prime minister to hold Iraq together:

Senior Iraqi and American officials are beginning to question whether Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has the political muscle and decisiveness to hold Iraq together as it hovers on the edge of a full civil war.

Four months into his tenure, Mr. Maliki has failed to take aggressive steps to end the country’s sectarian strife because they would alienate fundamentalist Shiite leaders inside his fractious government who have large followings and private armies, senior Iraqi politicians and Western officials say. He is also constrained by the need to woo militant Sunni Arabs connected to the insurgency.

Patience among Iraqis is wearing thin. Many complain that they have seen no improvement in security, the economy or basic services like electricity. Some Sunni Arab neighborhoods seem particularly deprived, fueling distrust of the Shiite-led government.

    Wholly predictable. Then, that's followed up by an article inside the paper that makes it clear that, without a change in policy, the troops aren't coming home anytime soon:

The top American commander in the Middle East said Tuesday that more than 140,000 soldiers would probably be needed in Iraq at least until spring because of continuing sectarian violence and the need to secure Baghdad.

“I think that this level probably will have to be sustained through next spring, and then we’ll re-evaluate,” the commander, Gen. John P. Abizaid, told reporters at a breakfast round table.

    And I'd bet my last dollar that any article written next spring, without a chance in policy calling for the immediate withdrawal of the troops, will, then, quote Abizaid saying that the security situation has not improved and the troops won't be coming back until...your guess.

More Red Ink

    The trade deficit grew last quarter. Again. Not good. From The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. reported that the deficit in its current account, the broadest measure of trade, widened further in the second quarter -- underscoring concerns about economic imbalances voiced by global finance ministers this past weekend.

Finance officials have long warned that the dimensions of U.S. borrowing from abroad -- reflected in the current-account figures -- threaten the stability of the world economy. The current account measures not just trade in goods and services, but also some financial flows; the deficit effectively amounts to how much the nation borrows abroad to finance U.S. consumers' appetite for imported goods and services.

Yesterday, the Commerce Department said that the U.S. current-account gap widened by $5.21 billion to $218.41 billion in the second quarter. The wider deficit was due in large measure to soaring global oil prices, which raised the U.S. bill for imported petroleum. The deficit remained 6.6% of the U.S. economy, the Commerce Department said, a large slice of the U.S. economy.

Critics say huge current-account deficits, which approached $800 billion last year, can't be sustained forever and warn there may be a heavy price to pay -- in the form of higher interest rates and falling stock values -- if foreign investors ever decide to pull back.

    And who do you think will be hit hardest when interest rates rise and stock values fall?

Another Argument for Single Payer

    The figure are pretty well-known by now: 48 million Americans don't have health care and millions more pay outrageous prices for inadequate care. This is all about greed and profit--take those two factors away and, presto, you get national health care.

    The Wall Street Journal today exposes one aspect of the blood-suckers who are ripping us off (it's subscription only so I'm giving you a taste here):

Health-Care Consultants Reap Fees From Those They Evaluate
As Insurance, Drug Costs Rise, Employers Seeking Advice Often Discover Conflicts
A Superintendent's Surprise
By BARBARA MARTINEZ

When Kevin Grady took over as an employee-benefits consultant for the Columbus Public Schools District in 2001, he signed a contract promising to act "in the best interest" of the schools. The Ohio district agreed to pay him $35,000 a year to help it choose a health insurer. Officials thought that was all Mr. Grady was getting out of the deal.

It wasn't. After the district switched its health insurance to UnitedHealth Group Inc. on what it says was Mr. Grady's recommendation, he started getting payments and other compensation from the big Minnetonka, Minn., insurer. "Thank you and United for the steaks," Mr. Grady wrote in a Dec. 20, 2001, email to a UnitedHealth employee. "We'll have those on Christmas eve."

All told, UnitedHealth paid Mr. Grady $517,138 for helping it get the district's business. The district says it learned about the payments two years ago after a new human-resources chief came on the job. It canceled Mr. Grady's contract. Last month, the Ohio Department of Insurance suspended Mr. Grady's license for three years, accusing him of "deception." He was ordered to pay $137,000 in restitution to the Columbus district and a $25,000 civil penalty. Earlier this year, UnitedHealth agreed to pay a $125,000 penalty to settle the matter without admitting wrongdoing.

The episode spotlights a widespread and largely invisible practice that critics say boosts the cost of health care. Many consultants and brokers who are hired to help employers get the best deal on health insurance or prescription-drug coverage have significant financial ties with the health vendors they are supposed to be scrutinizing. The ties may take the form of bonuses for bringing in business, commissions or consulting fees. Often they are disclosed only partly or not at all.

Mr. Grady's son, Joe, who is president of the family consulting business, says his father is appealing the suspension and did nothing wrong because the payments he received are standard in the industry. "All [insurance] companies offer bonuses," says Joe Grady. "It's a way to sell the product and saves them from hiring 20,000 agents." He denies that his father pushed the district to choose UnitedHealth and contends the district knew all along about the payments. The insurer declined to discuss the specifics of Columbus case.