Senate District 8 – Special Election
As mentioned at our previous executive board meeting, a special election will be held in Senate District 8 (Pawtucket) due to the resignation of State Senator James E. Doyle II. The Legislative District Activists Committee (LDAC) in Senate District 8 was activated and interviewed two of the three democratic candidates for the vacant seat, Sandra Cano and Matthew Fecteau. David Norton did not respond. The LDAC voted unanimously to recommend that Ms. Sandra Cano receive the Rhode Island AFL-CIO endorsement based on her response to questions posed about issues important to working families. Ms. Cano currently serves on the Pawtucket City Council.
We fully concur with the LDAC recommendation to endorse Sandra Cano and solicit your support. The timeline for the special election is very short (Primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 and General election on Tuesday, April 3, 2018) therefore, we are asking that you inform your membership of our decision to endorse and encourage them to become actively involved in Ms. Cano’s election campaign.
You can contact Sandra’s campaign and receive further information by visiting her campaign website at www.sandraforsenate.com.
Dr. Scott Molloy presenting a $7,500 donation on behalf of the Heritage Harbor Foundation to the Institute for Labor Studies and Research
Providence Journal: In Pawtucket the state of the school depends on the side of the street
This city is a tale of two school districts.
On one side of Newport Avenue, Potter Burns Elementary School is a striking example of what a modern school should be.
Natural light pours in from the windows and skylights. The walls are painted in bold primary colors. Air-quality sensors regulate the amount of oxygen in each classroom. The cafeteria has acoustical tiles to dampen noise. -READ MORE
Providence Journal: Raimondo touts proposed rate hikes for childcare workers
In a campaign year when every move she makes will be viewed through a political prism, Gov. Gina Raimondo went into an Elmwood Avenue daycare center on Wednesday to draw attention to the rate hikes she is proposing for childcare workers, including those represented by the Service Employees International Union who are currently in contract negotiations with the state.
The morning press conference at Beautiful Beginnings centered on the $1.5 million in raises that Raimondo’s budget proposal would give the army of state-subsidized daycare operators who, in many cases, work out of their own homes, taking care of other people’s children. The state’s contract with the at-home workers expired last June. -READ MORE
AFL-CIO: Nine Years Later: Why We’re Still Fighting Pay Discrimination
Nine years ago today, then-President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, restoring working women’s right to sue over pay discrimination. It was the first piece of legislation enacted during his presidency, and he noted the significance of the moment: “It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign…we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.”–READ MORE
AFL-CIO FaceBook: I AM 2018 – Moment of Silance. Remembering today, February 1, AFSCME members Echol Cole and Robert Walker, whose death sparked the I AM A MAN strike. WATCH VIDEO
KITCHEN TABLE ECONOMICS
682,900: American jobs outsourced to Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
No upcoming events.
THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY
1867 – Bricklayers begin working 8-hour days.
1941 – U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Wages and Hours (later Fair Labor Standards) Act banning child labor and establishing the 40-hour work week.
1968 – The federal minimum wage increases to $1.60 per hour.
THIS WEEK ON LABOR VISION:
Rhode Island AFL-CIO 