Vol 3, Issue 23
By Joe DiNicola, President, SEIU Local 503, OPEU
There are only 25 days left in 2007 to celebrate the victories SEIU Local 503, OPEU members have won in the fight for dignity and respect for workers throughout Oregon. As you get ready for holiday festivities, remember that you keep our union strong and each member can make a difference by getting informed, standing up for workers and respecting the work and values of friends, co-workers and neighbors.
In this issue of President Joe's Journal, care providers at Menlo Park Nursing Home in Portland decide to join SEIU Local 503, OPEU, unfair federal tax policies hurt the middle class and the DAS contract for State workers is published and ready to view online. The eight nights of Hanukkah begin this week and members in Polk, Marion and Yamhill counties get ready for the annual Holiday celebration at the Elsinore Theater in Salem.
In this issue:
Welcome Menlo Park Members Tax Cutting Away the Middle Class Hanukkah: Festival of Lights eNews Flash: DAS Contract Online and Happy Holidays!
Welcome Menlo Park Members!
Last week, forty-two workers at Menlo Park Nursing Home in Portland made the decision to join SEIU Local 503, OPEU. An overwhelming majority of workers said "Yes!" to union and made Menlo Park the twenty-first represented nursing home in Oregon.
When Eagle Healthcare management was presented with signed cards from more than 75% of the workers, there was no need for further discussion. Oregon State Senator Rod Monroe came forward to certify a majority for our union on site at Menlo Park last Tuesday.
Next April, the first of two improvements in minimum staffing levels will be implemented for certified nurses' aides in Oregon. As every member knows, changes like this don't happen by accident. Last year, hundreds of Nursing Home workers, Homecare members, State and Higher Ed members and SEIU Local 503, OPEU organizers hit the streets and gathered more than 100,000 voter signatures for "Safe Staffing" from every part of the state. Politicians and nursing home operators recognized the handwriting on the wall and supported a law change to implement new staffing requirements.
Carlotta Davison, Certified Nurses' Aide and SEIU Local 503, OPEU member from Pendleton, says, "The Safe Staffing law will have a huge impact on the kind of care that residents get and on the quality of our own lives." Carlotta adds that every nursing home care giver looks forward to having the time it takes to give every resident the care they need, when they need it.
Congratulations to Menlo Park members. SEIU organizers Aaron Giesa, Tony Cochran, Andrew Barnes and Danica Finley reported that signed cards flew in as fast as they could hand them out. When the dust settled, the organizing drive had taken less than twenty-four hours from start to finish. Great job everyone!
Tax Cutting Away the Middle Class
Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) is a long-time coalition partner of SEIU Local 503, OPEU. OCPP does in-depth research and analysis on budget, tax and economic issues and works to improve decision-making and generate more opportunities for every Oregonian.
The tax policy debate in Oregon and in America must be more than just a battle of slogans. Understanding how we got our current tax policies can help win the fight for tax fairness. The following "Tax Cutting Away the Middle Class" article is courtesy of OCPP Communications Director Juan Carlos Ordóñez and is reprinted from the OCPP website.
Take the word of a man willing to stake a million dollars on it: the U.S. tax system has been turned upside down.
In a recent interview with NBC's Tom Brokaw, billionaire investor Warren Buffett disclosed the results of a voluntary survey of his employees. They reported paying an average of 32.9 percent of their income in federal payroll and income taxes last year, compared to the 17.7 percent paid by Buffett, America's second richest man.
"The taxation system has tilted toward the rich," Buffett concluded. He offered a million dollars to anyone on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans who could show they paid a higher tax rate than their receptionist. So far, he's had no takers. Buffett's experiment is a dramatic example of how three decades of tax cutting has bled the fairness out of our system.
The tax structure built by America's Greatest Generation – to borrow Brokaw's phrase – was highly progressive, with marginal tax rates during the Eisenhower years above 90 percent. The strongly progressive system was a key factor in creating America's broad middle class.
But that was then. Today, the top marginal federal income tax rate is 35 percent, the lowest level since the early days of the Great Depression, except for the years 1988 to 1992.
Add the rise in federal payroll taxes that disproportionately burden low- and middle-income taxpayers and the system loses much of its progressiveness. This year, Social Security taxes are paid only on income up to $97,500. Thus, Buffet will pay only a miniscule percentage of his income on Social Security taxes compared to just about everyone else, especially middle- and low-income workers.
Factor in as well the slashing of taxes on capital gains to the current 15 percent level and you get the absurd situation where a multi-billionaire pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. It is a topsy-turvy world indeed when money earned from work is taxed at a higher rate than money earned from non-work, the appreciation of investments.
The $2 trillion in tax cuts pushed through by the current administration, in particular, have been highly skewed toward the well-off. While middle-income earners received an average tax cut of $744, the top 1 percent of income earners on average got over $44,000. More stunning still, the top one-tenth of 1 percent (0.1 percent) of income earners — the richest of the rich — banked over $230,000 on average.
The Bush tax cuts were not only massive but also highly regressive. According to the Tax Policy Center, the tax cuts represented only 2.5 percent of income for middle-income taxpayers but amounted to 5.4 percent of income for the top 1 percent of income earners. In other words, those at the top got more than twice as large a tax cut in percentage terms as those in the middle.
The overall tax system is still progressive, but much less so than it used to be. Middle- and low-income Americans today are carrying burdens sloughed off by the rich over the last few decades.
As the tax system has tilted toward the well-off, income inequality has returned to levels not seen since before the Great Depression. Today, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans receives about 19 percent of all income, compared to about 9 percent in 1980, thereby shrinking everyone else's share of the pie.
Rather than a trickle-down effect, the drive to cut taxes on the wealthy has seemingly created a geyser effect that shoots income upward. As the narrow group up top showers with more and more of the nation’s income, the broad middle-class society of the post-war years dries up.
Unless our political leaders take bold steps to reintroduce a more progressive tax system, as Buffett has urged, the middle class will continue its downward spiral. You can bet a million bucks on it.
Well said, OCPP. You can take that advice to the bank.
Hanukkah: Festival of Lights
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights or Festival of Dedication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah, also written as Hanukah or Chanukah, means dedication. The festival begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew Month of Kislev and lasts eight days. While Hanukkah usually begins in December, it can occasionally start in November. This year, the festival began at sundown December 4.
According to the Talmud, Hanukkah first occurred in 165 B.C. After a three year struggle against the Syrian tyrant Antiochus, the Jews won a resounding victory of the "few against the many." This resulted in the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
After removing all Syrian idols from the Temple, the Jews found only one small cruse of oil to light holy lamps. Miraculously, the cruse provided oil for eight days which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil. Judah Maccabee, the Jewish leader, then proclaimed a festival to be observed from that day forward.
As a religion, Judaism does not glorify military victories. Rather than a commemoration of the historical events and "victory," Hanukkah is instead a celebration of the miracle of the oil and the spiritual aspects of the Temple's rededication. Over centuries, the Jewish culture and religion have survived many trials and tribulations. The lighting of candles at Hanukkah recalls the miraculous eight days of oil and symbolizes the survival of the Jewish faith.
In the Jewish tradition, there is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), during Hanukkah. Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, have long been associated with the festival. Demonstrating great cultural flexibility, the tradition of fried foods can include jelly donuts, like in Israel, where potatoes are not grown. The game of driedel, a spinning top with four sides, is typically played by young and old alike.
During the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, gifts are exchanged and contributions are made to the poor. On the first night of Hanukkah one candle is lit on the right side of the Menorah or candelabra. On the following night a second light is placed to the left of the first candle, and so on. By the last evening, the eight lighted candles stand together.
As noted by the Jewish Outreach Institute, "Not only do people celebrate different holidays, but different people often celebrate the same holiday differently. By understanding Jewish holidays more, you will begin to see that there are interesting parallels between them and other holidays of other religions. The more you learn about the links between the holidays, the richer your holiday experiences will be."
eNews Flash
DAS Contract Online: State workers can now visit our website anytime and review the 2007-2009 DAS Master Agreement, DHS, ODOT, Institutions and Specials Coalition contracts. Happy Holidays: Union members and families in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties join together once again to sponsor a special annual Christmas celebration at the historic Elsinore Theater in Salem on Saturday, December 8. Doors open 9:45 am and the program runs from 10 am to 2 pm. Entertainment includes the movie Happy Feet, a visit with Santa, holiday songs with the Shoehorn Quartet and treats for the kids. Admission is free.