LA Superior Court judges are doing the wrong thing. They decided to deal with a $53 million budget deficit by arbitrarily closing eight courthouses around LA County, which will send justice into chaos, inconvenience people, and cause transportation and other problems.
 

LA City Tree Surgeon Art Sweatman responds to LA Times columnist Steve Lopez's April 24 article, "Time for public employee unions to pick up the tab":

My name is Marianne Garcia. For eleven years, I've been working in the Department of Children and Family Services. I am currently an Intermediate Typist Clerk at Sante Fe Springs and I say, we need to TURN IT UP and tell Los Angeles County that we are overworked and overdue for RAISES!

Yes we have been here before.

Capitalism is an economic system that values the accumulation of wealth. In free-market economics, governmental regulation should be as little as possible. The combination of capitalism and the laissez faire, free-market economy has brought the United States to a major imbalance of wealth distribution. Today, CEOs make more than 400 times the salaries of the average worker.

Download a flyer of this One to One blog.

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was a struggle to end the second-class status of a sector of the population that did not enjoy the rights decreed by the U.S. Constitution.

Today, undocumented immigrant workers and their families live in circumstances similar to what African-Americans had to endure before civil rights were won.

On Nov. 6, 2012, the people sent a message: Americans cannot be bought. We do believe there is a place for government in providing services that the private sector is ill-equipped to provide.

Did you hear what the mayor is doing?

First, he went after our jobs and slashed our pensions. Now, he's pushing his cutback agenda on tens of millions of people across the country.

Volunteer this weekend through Nov. 6 to get out the vote. Download a flyer with locations and volunteer information.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan is pushing a ballot initiative that would decimate city workers' pensions and replace them with risky 401(k) plans.

$200 to $300 per month has been taken from us.  The county wants to eliminate our retirement plan.  Our healthcare costs continue to rise. I could be talking about Ventura County, but I could also be describing what is going on throughout the country.

We all want something better in life and in seeking that we often seek fairness.   One might consider that a flaw in our character considering how well greed and corruption are rewarded in America and the rest of the world.  To seek improvement in our lives we must make choices.  I see too many choosing weakness for us.  When a person chooses weakness they must also choose the responsibility for having less in their lives.

I arrived in Denver for the SEIU International Convention on a Sunday morning, alone and interested in learning what our union has to offer. At the airport I was amazed to see all the purple shirts welcoming us to Denver and helping to get us to our hotel. That Sunday afternoon I attended my first Latino Caucus meeting and delegate orientation. That night I ate dinner at a local restaurant alone, anticipating the long days in front of me. This was the last opportunity that I had to think by myself. That night I meet my roommate, who was full of energy and excitement, and really helped make my trip an experience that I will never forget. 

By Rosie Martinez

PHN retiree - SEIU 721

The 25th International Convention has just ended and I am deeply encouraged by the vision my union,  SEIU, has proposed over the last four days. It brings  clarity  to our world turned upside down!  My thoughts  go back to the last four years and I often wonder how we could have survived the challenges and attacks on working families. But rest assured our union  has a strategic plan that encompasses a clear and formidable direction.

I have attended many conventions, but this convention offers a vision unique in its design for creating a just and fair society for all. Through the ideas proposed  in the Blue Print for the Future,  we can LEAD, UNITE, FIGHT, AND WIN for our members and the communities we serve. The world will be changed because of our profound will to make the world better for all--and SEIU members will lead the way.  Together we are forging alliances with the 99% to transform our union, our communities and our world.

Our path is clear and our transformation is real. We must re-elect President Barack Obama,  end income inequality, organize millions into unions,  engage our youth in action and leadership,  elect champions with a mandate that reflects our vision, direct action to take our communities back, mobilize other members and build the 99% movement so that we all benefit--not  just the 1%. We will embrace the ideals of human dignity and respect, worker rights, immigrant rights, civil rights, productive and quality work, solidarity with communities and allies and a transformation for a better future.  THIS IS OUR MANDATE, THIS IS OUR VISION.

By Mark Kisselburg
Riverside County Staff Development Officer