Disaster Relief

Our hearts and prayers are with all the Oklahomans effected by yesterday’s tornado.

Please contact us if any union member has been effected so we can ensure their immediate needs are taken care of now, as well as taking care of them in the weeks that come as we work together to recover from this disaster.

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Say No to Senate Bill 1022

 

If passed, the law will completely exempt all licensing enforcement  at a variety of industrial work sites including but not limited to oil refineries, gas processing plants, and water treatment facilities.  And depending on the interpretation could exempt corporate office structures.

The new language in SB 1062 is problematic on many levels.

1.    It creates significant safety risks for the citizens of Oklahoma.

2.    The term “facilities” is vague and could imply office and administrative structures which we do not believe is the intent of the legislators.

3.    Exempting “contractors” is a broad concept that could have a far reaching fiscal impact on both the public and private sectors.

4.    The proposed language will be found in the CIB Act and will contradict language found in the other licensed trades acts.

5.    It opens the door for more unscrupulous practices from unlicensed contractors.

We urge you to contact your legislators and the two bill authors and let them know SB1022 is fraught with problems and ask them to vote against it.

Senate (405) 524-0126

House of Representatives (405) 521-2711

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ALEC IS NOT OK


The IAFF is working hard to let people know about the American Legislative Council (ALEC), which has operated for years in secrecy to help connect lawmakers and big businesses pass laws that override the rights of workers. Oklahoma fire fighters took to the streets to make their voices heard that ALEC is not welcomed in their state.

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MidSouth Union Leadership Institute

The Labor Education Program (LEP) is a regionally recognized provider of educational services and training programs for labor organizations and workers. Programs are conducted for local unions, central labor councils, and international unions at the regional or district level. The Labor Education Program will be holding the 2013 MidSouth Union Leadership Institute on June 3 – 5 at Clarion Resort on the Lake, Hot Springs, AR. This Institute is for any Union representatives and officers with any leadership responsibilities.

Click here to learn more about the Institute and to register for this great opportunity.

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Oklahomans Say “ALEC is Not OK”

In what might be the biggest anti-ALEC rally yet, the ALEC legislators and lobbyists arriving at the Renaissance Hotel on May 2 were greeted by a wave of protesters that outnumbered the conference attendees. More than 600 firefighters, teachers, environmentalists, and church leaders carried signs reading “ALEC is Not OK” and chanting “backroom deals are ALEC’s game/sweetheart deals for corporate gain,” while a giant inflatable pig wearing a banner reading “Hi, my name is ALEC” floated overhead. Two big rigs adorned with Teamsters logos circled the convention center, honking their horns and blowing air brakes.

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Four Governors Whose Radical Tax Plans Have Taken a Beating

Oklahoma’s Governor Mary Fallin produced a proposal straight out of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) fiscal policy playbook. She is seeking to provide huge boons to upper-income taxpayers and profitable corporations, and is …(wrongly) touting her proposal as a surefire path to economic growth. She proposed major radical and unsound tax proposal this year, and is running into significant resistance.

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TWU – Your Union Mechanic to Mechanic


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White House releases state-by-state breakdown of sequester’s effects

The White House on Sunday detailed how the deep spending cuts set to begin this week would affect programs in every state and the District, as President Obama launched a last-ditch effort to pressure congressional Republicans to compromise on a way to stop the across-the-board cuts.

But while Republicans and Democrats were set to introduce dueling legislative proposals this week to avert the Friday start of the spending cuts, known as the sequester, neither side expected the measures to get enough support to pass Congress.

Lawmakers instead were planning for a lengthy round of political jostling ahead of another budget showdown in late March that could determine whether the $85 billion in cuts to domestic and defense spending this fiscal year stick.

Republicans questioned whether the sequester would be as harmful as the White House predicted and worked on a proposal that could preserve the cuts while giving the administration more discretion to choose how to implement them. Democrats expressed worry that they might be forced to accept the cuts if the public outcry is not loud enough in coming weeks.

Seeking to raise alarm among a public that has not paid much attention to the issue, the White House on Sunday released 51 fact sheets describing what would happen over the next seven months if the cuts go into effect.

Read More

Read the effects of the sequester in the State of Oklahoma.

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