In case you missed it...news highlights from yesterday and this morning on banks, union heroes, health insurance reform, voter turnout and fighting budget cuts [and the swine flu].
Wall Street Bonuses Rise Up, Up, Up and Away: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase, the three biggest banks to receive bailouts, are set to pay record bonuses this year. They'll hand out $29.7 billion in bonuses--an increase of 60 percent from last year.
It's Time to Write Some Thank You Notes: Let's not forget to thank the members of Congress who worked with us along the way to get the "The Affordable Health Care for America Act" passed--Celebrate the passage of the House bill by thanking (or admonishing) your Representative for their vote on health insurance reform.
What exactly did we win? Take a look at some of the highlights in the historic health insurance reform legislation, which include coverage expansion, more choices, encouraging small businesses to cover employees and ending abuse by insurers.
Send your best wishes to Fort Hood Hero: Sgt. Kimberly Munley risked her life to stop the alleged gunman who killed 13 people and injured 30 at Fort Hood, Texas, on Nov. 5. Munley fired four shots at the alleged assailant, Maj. Nidal Hasan, despite being shot herself. She's currently in stable condition. As Officer Munley recovers from her injuries, her union AFGE has set up a site where you can send her your best wishes.
"Protect our patients, NY healthcare from draconian cuts!" New York's frontline caregivers from 1199SEIU are mobilizing by the thousands to go to Albany on Thursday, November 12, to tell the Legislature and Governor that enough is enough: the state's healthcare industry has already been hit by six rounds of budget cuts, totaling $2.2 billion in the past two years. Now Gov. David Paterson is calling for another $746 million in cuts for the current fiscal year, ending next April.
A Win for Maine, Washington, and Lovers of Good Government: Read Monday's Washington Post column by E.J. Dionne about how Maine and Washington voters stood up against cuts to services like home health care for seniors by rejecting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). "Why aren't we hearing more of this?" asks Dionne.
Latino Voter Turnout remains high in 2009: While Election 2009 had its ups and downs, initial results show the dire predictions about a drop off in Latino voter turnout proved to be false - and that candidates from all parties rejected campaigning with an anti-immigrant wedge based strategy. Key highlights compiled by America's Voice here.
Puerto Rican unemployment tops 16 percent: About one in six people are now out of work on the U.S. island territory of 4 million people, and another 2,000+ public employees lost their jobs on Friday. More on SEIU.org.
Hand-washing and sneeze-covering precautions can only take you so far: In the mad scramble for flu shots across the country (which are in short supply), the U.S. House is considering a proposal: Mandate that employers pay five sick days if they send a worker home or advise him to stay home.
Pennsylvania SEIU Members win three-year contract: The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) and the SEIU Local 668 have reached agreement on a three-year contract that calls for a wage increase retroactive to September 1, 2006. The local represents about 350 secretarial, library, accounting, clerical, housekeeping and maintenance personnel at the college.
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