[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Now here's a new website after my own heart: Shame on the CNA: The Truth About the California Nurses Association.

No, it's not produced by Governor Schwarzenegger. Or from any of the broad swatch of Democratic groups that fought long and hard for health care this year opposed by CNA. It's produced by one of the most progressive labor unions in the USA: SEIU.

The site features testimony from registered nurses and others about CNA's actions in Ohio, where it spearheaded a nasty fight with SEIU. Sections include: "CNA Exposed" and tons o' quotes about CNA's effort that's resulting in what the site says are lower wages and poorer working conditions.

Take a peek.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

This afternoon, I had the chance to sit down with a Andy Stern, president of SEIU International, and a few other bloggers. We talked about a number of things, a couple of which directly affect the labor movement in California.  Before we get to those more controversial elements, I'll address some of the great political work.

First of all, there's the They Work for Us and similar efforts.  SEIU was critical in Donna Edwards' victory over Al Wynn in MD-04. They are doing a good job of pushing the issues, rather than the candidates.  As Stern put it, you don't seal the deal by getting certified as the union after a long organization campaign, you have to get the contract.  Following up on our issues is the contract. If we don't follow up, we have really gained nothing.  Follow me over the flip...

by Dante Atkins (hekebolos) [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Word is getting out that the State Council of SEIU has indeed endorsed Barack Obama.  Given the fact that the election is four days away, we'll see how much of a difference those 650,000 members are able to make on Tuesday.

I'll update with a release when I've gotten it.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Anthony York has a nice bit of analysis on health care over at Capitol Weekly in an article of the same name. I would not be surprised to see this make the jump into the big newspapers. His main point is that the bar was raised for any deal when Arnold made the decision not to try and get any Republicans support and instead to pass a bill with a simple majority and get the funding approved on the ballot.

But in the process, the governor created a new problem. Now, the Legislature is charged with devising a plan that stakeholders will not simply passively support. Schwarzenegger and Speaker Fabian Núñez must now find a way to concoct a plan that supporters are willing to spend millions of dollars on to get the funding mechanism approved on the November ballot.

That is the crux of the new health care balancing act: How far toward the governor can the speaker stretch while still ensuring that labor unions and major players in the health care industry will be willing to open their pocketbooks?

“When the governor made the decision to go to the ballot for financing, he raised the threshold of what the deal needed to be for different stakeholders,” said Anthony Wright, director of the consumer group Health Access. “There’s a difference with what they’d be willing to tolerate versus what they’re willing to campaign for.”

read more »

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Yup, this is part 3 in the series. Today, a snazzy letter from Andy Stern aficionado Tyrone Freeman, president of United Long-Term Care Workers' Union, another union with over 100,000 members. He seems to be a proponent of just gettin 'er done. Freeman gives no indications of what plan he's talking about, but you get the sense that some plan, any plan, would work with him. Be that ABx1 1 or whatever it is that Arnold's got cooking.

The funny thing is, Arnold's plan isn't really on the table. The Democrats aren't going to just drop their demands of affordability, nor are the other It's OUR Healthcare coalition partners (I'll let others speak to that with more insight though).  SEIU alone doesn't determine whether Arnold's healthcare will pass.  Is Arnold's plan better than Massachusetts? Probably, but it's still not good enough for California. And that's what's frustrating about this excerpt from the letter:

? Healthcare reform, as it realistically could be passed this year, will set a benchmark, like a minimum wage, where currently there is none.

We can't half-ass this and expect to come back to healthcare in 3 years. It's just not going to happen. And when you make it law that everybody must pay for insurance to a cartel of insurance providers, you better be damn well sure that you cover all your bases and provide a workable system.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]