Steve Campisi, mental health counselor, and Darryll Bell, legislative political coordinator with American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 31 spoke with America’s Work Force on Jan. 15 about switching to e-dues. Continue reading
David Cann, director field services and education department for the American Federation of Government Employees spoke with America’s Work Force on Dec. 18 about contract talks with the Veterans Administration. Continue reading
Jacque Simon, policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees spoke with America’s Work Force on Oct. 23 about the Trump administration working to bust government employee unions. Continue reading
Jacque Simon, policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees spoke with America’s Work Force on August 21 about the federal prison system. Continue reading
Gail Tate and Ebony Douglas, both from American Federation of Government Employees, AFGE, Local 3283, spoke with America’s Work Force about extensive background checks for people who want to work within the government. Continue reading
Jeff Kreisler, author of Get Rich Cheating: The Crooked Path to Easy Street, spoke with America’s Work Force on May 15 to discuss people who try to cheat their way through life without worrying about repercussions.
Kreisler spoke about the college admissions scandal where wealthy individuals had paid extra money to admissions offices to ensure that their children would receive admittance into a university, even if there were more qualified candidates. He then talked about how even though it is illegal, people would think that it is “OK” because they are giving extra money to a university, so their needs should be met. Adding to that, Kreisler said that America has ethical rules, not an ethical culture. He explained that Americans will know something is wrong, but push the boundaries of laws and rules until they get caught, rather than knowing it is wrong and refraining from acting on their bad impulses.
Ibidun Roberts, National Veterans Affairs Council Supervisory Attorney with the American Federation of Government Employees spoke to AWF on May 15 about the V.A. accountability act. She spoke about lawmakers trying to put legislation in place that would privatize the VA, and would also take away their ability to file grievances if anything were to go wrong. Roberts said that the accountability act would prevent retaliation and prevention for companies to attack workers, or punish them, for wanting to organize.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc spoke to AWF about Delta Airlines and their anti-union messages, telling workers that they are better off purchasing new gaming consoles, going to sporting events, or other recreational activity rather than spending their money on union dues.
On March 20, Jacque Simon, policy director of the American Federation of Government Employees joined America’s Work Force to talk about President Trump’s proposed budget.
Simon talked about how President Trump’s proposed budget included cuts to many valuable programs, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, healthcare and social security, along with cuts to public education. She said that a lot of what the President is proposing to cut in his budget is a classic union busting move, however, as of right now, there is not much progress being made in Washington D.C. to push anything through. Simon went on to talk about the Paid Leave Act and the Federal Medical Leave Act and the push for more paid parental leave. Lastly, she spoke about the issue of TSA workers still waiting to receive back pay from their missed pay periods while working during the government shutdown.
Davida Russell with the North Coast Labor Federation – AFL-CIO, spoke with America’s Work Force on March 20 to talk about getting more involved in local government. She talked about if you want to see change, you have to actively participate and vote on issues that are important to you. To add on to that, Russell said that she would also like to see more union members get involved in government, whether it is running for a spot on city council, or by voting on issues that most affect unions.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc discussed the General Motors Lordstown plant and how the workers are demanding that the company invest into them as much as they had invested into the company over the years.
During Jan. 16 episode of America’s Work Force, guests discuss privatization and contracting out services at VA medical centers.
Willie Haywood Jr., District 6 Representative of the National Veterans Affairs Council, discussed the current state of the VA’s across the country. Haywood , member of VA Council 262, which encompasses Indiana, Ohio and Northern Kentucky, talked about fully staffing VA’s. He said that by fully staffing veterans, they will be able to receive the proper, adequate care that they need and deserve. Haywood also mentioned that VAs having their own medical providers will take away the need to go through a private sector to receive care and it will also keep the sense of comradery between the veterans in tact.
John Auerbach, President and CEO of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), discussed public health and preventable issues during the Jan. 16 edition of AWF. Auerbach talked about West Virginia and Ohio having the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in America. He said that he believes the reason for the high overdose death being so high in those areas is a result of poor quality of life as well as a lack of access to proper treatment. He mentioned that the life expectancy in America is dropping because of the increase in drug overdose deaths. Lastly, he mentioned the problem with doctors over prescribing opioids for pain treatment.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc discussed the ongoing government shutdown and the effects that it is having on government employees.
Legendary Cleveland sports reporter Dan Coughlin joined America’s Work Force Radio and talked about the Cleveland sports scene.
Coughlin, who worked for the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Press and Fox 8, covered everything from slow pitch softball to high school football, major college football programs, the Browns and the Indians. He talked about his fourth book, Just One More Story, which is similar to his first three books where he reminisces about eccentric Cleveland sports personalities and unusual events.
Dr. James Martin also appeared on the Dec. 19 edition of America’s Work Force Radio and discussed his time working at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. A specialist in emergency medicine, Dr. Martin talked about his experience working at one of Chicago’s Veterans Affairs hospitals, where he treats active-duty military members, their dependents and veterans. In addition to emergency care, he also serves as a primary care physician. He spoke about several instances where he was called to the Naval Station Great Lakes base.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc talked about a meeting of the country’s labor leaders, where they discussed the future of unions, how to build strong unions and ways to build up their bargaining power.
AFGE Local 3571 Executive Amad Ali appeared on AWF on Nov. 21 and talked about the Social Security Administration’s plans to either privatize or eliminate the social insurance program. He said plans should be made to strengthen and protect social security, in order to ensure the money that millions of hard working people invested into the system will be returned to them during their lifetime. With Democrats reclaiming the majority in the House, he hopes the progressives will focus on protecting workers’ rights to their pensions, social security and other benefits.
Executive Director of the United Labor Agency Dave Megenhardt was also a guest on AWF and talked about expanding the ULA into another Ohio county in hopes of bringing more work to the area. Megenhardt said workers need to start take advantage of the new work opportunities in their area and stressed the importance of developing a highly trained and highly skilled workforce for those jobs.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc discusses General Motors laying off non-union workers, and the order of immediate resumption of purging active voters.