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New Incentives in APWU Health Plan
(This article first appeared in the January/February 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
By Health Plan Director John Marcotte
Los Angeles Teachers Striking for Smaller Class Sizes and Fair Pay
On Monday, Jan. 14, over 30,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) walked out on strike, taking to the streets in a driving rainstorm. The strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) comes after their 21 month-long contract negotiation reached an impasse.
The education workers are demanding: reasonable class sizes; an instant 6.5 percent pay increase; more nurses, librarians, psychiatrists and counselors to fully staff all district schools; and limits on funding to charter schools (a form of education privatization – turning schools into profit making and driven entities).
Martin Luther King Day
The APWU joins the country today in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a dedicated champion for the civil rights and labor movements. Dr. King’s actions still resonate in the hearts of labor and civil rights activists.
Stop the Shutdown!
The United States is in the midst of the longest government shutdown – with 800,000 government employees locked out of their jobs. Thousands are currently forced to work without pay. Make no mistake: federal employees’ pay is being held hostage as the White House and Congress lock horns over federal funding.
President Mark Dimondstein is asking APWU members to contact their Senators, telling them that they shouldn’t use federal employees’ pay as a bargaining tool over policy issues.
APWU’s Greater Los Angeles Area Local Joins UTLA Strike
APWU’s Greater Los Angeles Area Local joined United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) on the picket line last week, offering support to fellow public-sector workers during the week-long strike that ended Tuesday morning.
“It’s important to support each other in solidarity,” said Greater Los Angeles Area Local President Dominic Davis. “Teachers were out in full force, side by side with us in solidarity, during the Stop Staples campaign. We’re so closely aligned with them, with both of us going through negotiations [now], so it was important to show our support.”