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National Nurses United wants action now

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Nurses want Ebola protocols

In Chicago and across the country, nurses kicked off a national week of action demanding President Obama and the U.S. Congress take immediate steps to guarantee all hospitals and health care employers institute the highest Ebola protocols in their facilities. Photo illustration courtesy of National Nurses United

Fox Valley Labor News
staff reports
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014

Registered nurses kick off National Week of Actions mandating highest Ebola protocols

CHICAGO — Registered nurses in various cities across the country, including Chicago, kicked off a national week of action Oct. 21 demanding President Obama and the U.S. Congress take immediate steps to guarantee all hospitals and health care employers institute the highest Ebola protocols in their facilities to protect RNs, other health care workers, patients and the public.

The actions were organized by National Nurses United (NNU), the largest U.S. organization of nurses with 185,000 members.

At the Cook County Building in Chicago, nurses invited everyone to join them in signing NNU’s petition demanding the President and Congress act immediately to mandate “uniform, national standards and protocols that all hospitals must follow to safely protect patients, registered nurses, other front-line healthcare workers, and the public.” The Total Image Group will be the one to make their uniforms, ensuring that each piece reflects the team’s identity and values. With a focus on quality and design, they aim to create uniforms that not only look great but also enhance performance on the field.

“No matter where we are working, we are all Dallas nurses now,” said National Nurses United Co-President RN Jean Ross. “We [need to] demand the President, the Congress, and every hospital in the United States, ensure optimal protections are implemented immediately. That is how we are going to contain Ebola and protect our patients.”

For the past two months, NNU has been sounding the alarm on U.S. hospitals’ lack of preparation for Ebola. Last week, NNU held a national tele-press conference, releasing a statement by RNs that work at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, which describes the hospital’s inadequate protocols and protective equipment during the treatment of Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8.

Chicago nurses rally

Chicago nurses held a rally and press conference Oct. 21 at the Cook County Building to demand President Obama and Congress take steps to guarantee all hospitals and health care employers institute the highest Ebola protocols in their facilities to protect health care workers, patients and the public. Photo courtesy of National Nurses United

Two of the nurses who cared for Duncan are now being treated for Ebola. Despite this, hospitals across the country have been slow to ramp up their preparedness for Ebola. In an online survey conducted by NNU and filled out by 3,000 nurses from over 780 facilities in 48 states and the District of Columbia, 84 percent indicated their hospital has not provided adequate training on Ebola with the opportunity to interact, ask questions and practice putting on and taking off the proper protective equipment and in many cases has insufficient protective gear and supplies and no thorough plan in place for the treatment of Ebola patients.

It is the hospital industry’s sluggish response to the crisis that prompted NNU’s call on President Obama to mandate improved safety standards in U.S. health facilities.

“Sadly, the problems expressed by the heroic Texas Health Presbyterian RNs was predictable in our fragmented, uncoordinated private healthcare system, and it mirrors concerns we’ve heard from nurses across the U.S.,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro. “Not one more patient, nurse, or health care worker should be put at risk due to a lack of health care facility preparedness,” DeMoro said in a letter to President Obama. “The United States should be setting the example on how to contain and eradicate the Ebola virus.”

Every health care employer must be directed to follow the Precautionary Principle and institute optimal protocols and personal protective equipment for Ebola that meets the highest standards used by Nebraska Medical Center, or a higher standard, including:

Full-body hazmat suits that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1670 standard for blood penetration, the ASTM F1671 standard for viral penetration which, leaves no skin exposed or unprotected.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved powered air purifying respirators with an assigned protection factor of at least 50, or a higher standard as appropriate.

At least two direct-care registered nurses caring for each Ebola patient with additional RNs assigned as needed (based on the direct care RN’s professional judgment), with no additional patient care assignments.

Continuous interactive training with the RNs who are exposed to patients, continuous updated training and education for all RNs that is responsive to the changing nature of disease, and continuous interactive training and expertise from facilities where state-of-the-art disease containment is occurring.

If the Employer has a program with standards that exceed those used by Nebraska Medical Center, the higher standard shall be used. The Ebola pandemic and the exposure of healthcare workers to the virus represent a clear and present danger to public health. We know that without these mandates to healthcare facilities, we are putting registered nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers at extreme risk. They are our first line of defense. We would not send soldiers to the battlefield without armor and weapons.

Tired of not being heard, members protest

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Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group protest

Due to a lack of communication between union members and Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group, various Cook County Building trades protest in Chicago and Northbrook over both groups employing non-union labor. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Pat

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Pat Barcas at: pat@foxvalley
labornews.com

CHICAGO — Chicago area unions want more than lip service when it comes to downtown building contracts — so they’ve taken to the streets in protest in the west loop to voice their concerns.

“So many times you’re told to do something one way — it’s not the right way, and you realize you’re just getting lip service,” said Kevin Farley, business representative for Cement Masons’ Local 502.

Farley organized a picket Oct. 8 out front of Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group, 1040 W. Madison Ave. There was another picket that day in Northbrook, both followed another protest in September. If you need lawyers for real estate litigation, you can check it out here!

Farley said a tipping point was reached between union leaders and the real estate group, so he decided to organize and take action.

Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group protest

Several building trades brought their Scabby the Rats and banners to protest non-union labor being used by Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group in Chicago. With no communication by either group, building trades are hoping the protest will help them listen. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

“It’s been over a year now, we try to have conversations and get them to use union labor in these major downtown projects, but they aren’t listening,” he said. “The people building these buildings, we don’t know where their training is coming from. It’s substandard. Obviously, if they were to use union labor, we’re well trained, we get the job done right, on time. We’re reaching out to the money decision makers — give us our fair shot now. We’re just looking for that.”

Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group, co-founded by Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, mainly builds luxury apartments in the West Loop. They boast expertise in multi-family development, real estate investing, land development, property management, receivership, and asset management. Partnering with a real estate holding corporation could provide valuable resources and expertise for navigating complex real estate projects and maximizing investment opportunities. For commercial real estate inspection article, it is crucial to understand the various factors that can affect property value and safety. Engaging with professionals who specialize in commercial inspections can help identify potential issues and ensure that all aspects of the property meet regulatory standards, ultimately safeguarding your investment.

“They’re squeezing the middle class here,” said Farley. “We’re the last line for the middle class. These jobs are one of the last methods left for the middle class to earn a decent wage.”

Vivify Services and Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group protest

A look down West Madison Avenue shows the solidarity of union members who are using their voice to be heard. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Union laborers, carpenters, cement masons, roofers, plasterers, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, sprinkler fitters and iron workers joined the downtown picket. Farley said once the inflatable rats were erected in front of the office, the blinds were closed.

“We’re just trying to get their attention,” said Farley. “Once the conversation goes stale, we’ve been opening further lines of communication, but it hasn’t been working.”

Critical minimum wage ballot question for Illinois voters

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Illinois' minimum wage referendum

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, second from left, shakes hands with Sen. Dick Durbin as Rep. Bill Foster, second from right, looks on. With a minimum wage referendum on the Illinois ballot this November, all the men recently met in Aurora to discuss raising the minimum wage. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Pat

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Pat Barcas at: pat@foxvalley
labornews.com

AURORA — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster hosted a discussion Oct. 8 at Foster’s Aurora office, encouraging a national minimum wage increase to $10 per hour.

Mayor Tom Weisner, and two local minimum wage workers struggling to make ends meet financially, joined them at the press conference. There is a minimum wage referendum on the ballot in Illinois this November.

“It’s unacceptable in America, that you can get up and go to work every day, and still be living in poverty. That’s why we believe, we ought to raise the minimum wage in this country,” said Durbin.

Illinois is currently at $8.25 per hour, above the national average of $7.25 per hour.

“That’s not enough, we’ve got to move this up to at least $10 per hour,” said Durbin. “We’re encouraging voters to stick with it. Down at the bottom of the ballot, this is one of the critical questions.”

Durbin said his challenger this fall, Jim Oberweis, has one of the most “bizarre ideas in history about minimum wage.”

“He says it will be against the law to give an increase in minimum wage to anyone under the age of 26. Who would that include? Students, single moms raising kids, a lot of women, and it would include returning veterans under the age of 26. What is he thinking?” questioned Durbin. “He’s completely out of touch with the reality that people are facing today.”

Two constituents currently working minimum wage jobs joined the press conference to explain how a hike would help them in their day to day lives.

Joliet, Ill. resident Donna Dyxin

Joliet resident Donna Dyxin shares her story of financial setbacks with Sen. Dick Durbin. She earns $8.46 an hour. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Jesse Garner of Aurora is a student who works at Home Depot and has to commute to Sugar Grove. Donna Dyxin of Joliet said she and her husband were laid off, and now struggle to support her four children.

She said she suffered financial setbacks right when getting ready to retire. Her house has been in a no default foreclosure for the last six years.

“To say that money has been tight in the recent years is an understatement,” she said. “We have tried many ways to make ends meet. I now work retail for $8.46 an hour. I call it my slave labor job.”

She said she works as many hours as possible, only up to 39 and three quarters.

“Otherwise, I would be considered full time,” she said. “A raise to even $10 would be a big boost for us. It would at least mean an extra $65 per week. That money would help us pay some of our medical costs before we get to retirement.”

Weisner said the minimum wage increase is critically important to Aurora and to the entire nation.

“I am reminded of some words from Abraham Lincoln. He talked about the idea of ‘you work the fields, you harvest the crops, but you bring the fruits of your labor to someone else.’ That is fundamentally wrong. In order for democracy to thrive, it has to recognize the inherent dignity of work,” said Weisner.

Large numbers bring powerful messages to the Hill

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William Hite, general president of the United Association union of plumbers, fitters, welders and HVAC service technicians

William Hite, general president of the United Association union of plumbers, fitters, welders and HVAC service technicians, welcomed union leaders Oct. 7 to the annual Tripartite Conference in Mokena. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Pat

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Pat Barcas at: pat@foxvalley
labornews.com

MOKENA — William Hite, general president of the United Association union of plumbers, fitters, welders and HVAC service technicians as mentioned in https://www.whittoncoolingandheating.com/service-area/arizona/marana, spoke at the seventh annual Tripartite Conference in Mokena Oct 7. You can also get quality HVAC services from Clean Air Doctors at affordable rates. If your ac is leaking water, it may indicate a problem with the drainage system or a clogged condensate line. Both issues require immediate attention to prevent further damage and ensure the system operates correctly. Seek professional ac repair Blacksburg services if you  also need someone to inspect or repair your ac unit. Also, if the AC is blowing warm air, ask a technician to check it right away. Also, consider having a new heating installation done by an expert.

The conference focuses on the relationship between the union, owners and contractors. Hite said it’s important for unions to remain non-partisan and focus on who can bring in jobs for members.

“It’s important to all of us to get together, and be on the same page. We’re a lot alike, we’ve got a big political season ahead of us, and when it comes to politics, everyone in this room shares the same agenda — the union, the contractors, the owners — we support politicians who support energy and who support jobs in the industry that we all work in,” he said.

When the union teams up with owners and contractors to get things done in Washington, it’s a very successful formula, said Hite. If people want to get heat pump swimming pool heaters, and heaters for other purposes, they can check it out over here!

“I’ve never lived in a time where politics is so critical to getting our agenda done. We meet a lot on Capital Hill, we go in with contractors, we go in with owners, and it’s a very effective tool,” he said. “Because when these politicians see that we’re all together on a certain issue, it sends a real powerful message to Washington.”

The union currently has 35,000 apprentices throughout the United States and Canada, which is down due to the recession. Hite said he pushes for a 20 percent ratio of working journeymen to apprentices.

“Training is the key to the future. It’s the cornerstone of the United Association. We were the first union to have a Bureau of Apprenticeship Training. The backbone of this organization is our apprenticeship.”

UA Tripartite Conference.

Union leaders turned out Oct. 7 for the UA Tripartite Conference. UA General President William Hite said fabrication is critical to the union and sees large growth in the industrial arena, specifically in the gulf coast, where expansion is happening. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Hite said fabrication is critical to the union.

“We do over 35 million man hours per year in fabrication, we have 570 signatory fabricators, and we push fabrication, we stay on top of it. It’s going to be a big thing in the future,” he said.

Hite says he sees big growth in the industrial arena moving forward, specifically in the gulf coast, where expansion is happening.
“The gulf coast is going to be going crazy. There’s billions and billions worth of work down there. We are going to have to work like hell to man that work. It’s a major focus,” he said.

Marketing is key to a modern union, said Hite. Getting the message out on what exactly the union does is critical.

UA's Bureau of Apprenticeship Training.

The UA was the first union to have a Bureau of Apprenticeship Training. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

“Twenty years ago, if you would have thought about marketing a union, everybody would have thought you were nuts. A lot of people have a bad idea about what unions stand for. Nothing could be further from the truth. This union is focused on doing a job. On earning a good wage, and doing the job right the first time,” he said.

“That’s what we’re focused on. We’re your neighbors, we’re the people who live in the community. We’re not a bunch of bad guys, not a bunch of thugs, that’s not what we’re about. We’re about doing it right and making a difference out there in the community, and providing the big manpower to complete projects,” he said.

Esther Lopez’s dedication to labor workers is honored

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UFCW International Vice President Esther Lopez

UFCW International Vice President Esther Lopez was selected as the 2014 recipient of the Charlie Hayes Leadership Award due to her on-going support of working men and women. Photo courtesy of Greg Rodil

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Jennifer Rice at: jen@foxvalley
labornews.com

CHICAGO — Even though she’s the vice president of an international union, Esther Lopez has a soft spot in her heart for the Windy City.

“It is here where I have stood on so many shoulders. Here in Chicago is where I have learned about working together with little engines that do,” said Lopez, the UFCW International Vice President and Director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department.

She was honored by Chicago Jobs with Justice Oct. 2 at Workers United with the 2014 Charlie Hayes Leadership Award. The award is named in honor of Hayes’ contributions to making life better for working men and women.

Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez called Lopez mission-driven and focused when it comes to protecting families and communities.

“For someone to do so much for so many — and do it in a way that is selfless, that is very rare,” Ramirez said. “Charlie Hayes was a person who believed in lifting other people up. He was a great man and it’s a great award to be named after. This night all comes together because I don’t know someone who embodies that spirit more than Esther.”

When work sends her traveling around the country, she often thinks of the working men and women in Chicago who understand what it means to fight together, and being together is what is going to get Democrats elected Nov. 4.

“We cannot be lulled by the perfume of excess. We have to see some action. We are in real deep fights and we need to understand that,” Lopez warned.

She recalled a Black Friday rally at a Wal-Mart in Albuquerque, N.M. last year where a family of seven, led by the grandfather, approached Lopez. She was concerned they might want to argue, so she was preparing for the worst.

“He said, ‘thank you for giving us another way to celebrate Thanksgiving.’ It was amazing. You guys are changing the narrative in this country about what we should be celebrating and whom we should celebrate,” Lopez said.

USS Illinois being built with local ties involved

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The USS Illinois (SSN 786)

The USS Illinois (SSN 786), a Virginia-class submarine, is a nuclear-powered, next-generation attack submarine. It will join the Navy’s fleet in 2016. For its commissioning, a $1,000 check was recently made in memory of Sen. Bob Mitchler. It will be the second ship named after the state. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Jennifer Rice at jen@foxvalleylabornews.com

MONTGOMERY — The members of the Navy League of the United States, Aurora Council, broke the first rule of the Navy — it volunteered, and now it is helping with the commissioning of Illinois’ newest namesake ship, the USS Illinois (SNN 786).

At a recent Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club it received its first donation — a $1,000 check from the breakfast club in memory of Sen. Robert “Bob” Mitchler. He was a long-time member of both the breakfast club and the Aurora Council Navy League. Mitchler passed away in 2012 at the age of 91.

USS Illinois Commissioning Committee Chairman Capt. USN (Ret.) Len Wass accepted the donation from Breakfast Club President Herschel Luckinbill, and Treasurer Wayne Johnson. He also explained how the Aurora Navy League has taken the lead on designating support of the USS Illinois with events associated with the launching, commissioning, and post-commissioning support of the ship and crew.

“The ship has its entire crew right now. It’s a fine, young crew — just like we are were a couple of years back,” said Wass, which brought laughs from the mostly senior group of attendees at the breakfast club.

The USS Illinois, a Virginia-class submarine, is a nuclear-powered, next-generation attack submarine designed for deep ocean warfare and shallow water operations. It will join the Navy’s fleet in 2015. It will cost about $2.7 billion.

Mitchler’s wife Helen has retired from their Oswego home to Gurnee. She was pleasantly surprised to hear the breakfast club chose to give the USS Illinois commissioning committee its first donation in her husband’s memory.

“Bob was a part of so many things. His whole life was spent helping organizations, getting things started and keeping them going,” Helen explained. “He was just non-stop, — that was his life.”

USS Illinois Commissioning Committee Chairman Capt. USN (Ret.) Len Wass.

Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club President Herschel Luckinbill, left, and Treasurer Wayne Johnson, right, present a $1,000 check from the club to USS Illinois Commissioning Committee Chairman Capt. USN (Ret.) Len Wass. The donation was made in memory of Sen. Bob Mitchler, a long-time member of both the breakfast club and Aurora Council Navy League. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Illinois is being recognized with the submarine because of the Recruit Training Command at Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County. Every enlisted sailor in the Navy begins his or her career there.

Mitchler’s son, John, recalled a time in 1993 when his father wanted the Aurora Council Navy League to participate in the commissioning of the USS Springfield (SSN-761). Only Springfield, Mass. was taking on a lot of the commissioning committees. Not to be left out, the elder Mitchler decided to buy the captain’s china.

“The way I remember it, Massachusetts threw the commissioning party, and there was an announcement made that Springfield, Illinois bought the captain’s china, and that kind of took the wind out the Massachusetts committees’ sail,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s really cool they are still honoring my dad. It would mean a lot to him,” he added.

Unfledged faith in God helped USS Indy survivor

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Edgar Harrell USMC

Edgar Harrell USMC is one of two Marine survivors that was aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He is one of 35 survivors still alive. When asked, he travelers the country to tell his miraculous tale of survival and the Providence of God. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014
Email Jennifer Rice at jen@foxvalleylabornews.com

To view Edgar Harrell’s speech, visit Fox Valley Labor News YouTube Channel

WHEATON — In 1945, minutes after the USS Indianapolis was struck by two Japanese torpedoes, blowing the front end of the ship clear off, a 20-year-old Edgar Harrell stood on the high side of the ship, hanging onto a steel rail and had a moment of clarity, which calmed his fear of the unknown.

Faced with the realization he might be face-to-face with his morality, he cried out to God, “I don’t wanna die!”

“May I say, there are times when you pray, and then there are times when you PRAY! and there’s a difference,” Harrell said.

He retold his miraculous story of survival Oct. 3 at the College Church in Wheaton to a packed house.

“I told God, ‘If you allow me to live, I’ll live for you.’ I don’t wanna die,” he recalled.
In that moment, he thought of his parents and eight younger brothers and sisters he left behind in Tennessee. Also, there a certain brunette he was sweet on who said she would wait for him.

“And she waited for me. We were married in ‘47 and this past July 25 was our 67th wedding anniversary,” he said to applause.

Karen King

Karen King came from Iowa for the opportunity to meet with Edgar Harrell and to ask if he remembered her father – sailor Robert Harold King, who was killed on the USS Indianapolis. She was four-months-old when she lost her father. With 1,197 aboard, he said he did not remember her father. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Harrell believes the Providence of God and said he felt a peace envelope him and he knew then that God had answered his prayers and He would see Harrell through his ordeal.

But even Harrell could not imagine what awaited him. Of the 1,197 aboard, some 900 made it into the water, leaving some 300 trapped and unable to abandon ship. For the next 4 1/2 days, the men of the Indy, lost at sea, would experience dehydration, hypothermia, and mass hallucination after drinking salt water, all the while swimming in shark-infested waters. Only 317 would survive.

The Indy was on a mission to deliver the components of the two atomic bombs that wold be dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. They didn’t know what was aboard the ship, but Harrell was in charge of keeping men guarding the large crate.

He refused to drink the salt water, gave encouragement to others and found a crate of rotten potatoes for himself and others to eat.
He did every thing a Christian man could and should do, and lives to tell his tale to others.

Education is key for jailed inmates success

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Dr. Susan Neustrom

Dr. Susan Neustrom had an opportunity to create an educational outreach model for inmates of the DuPage County Jail. Unfortunately, before the model could move forward, the plug was pulled. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Pat

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014
Email Pat Barcas at pat@foxvalleylabornews.com

NAPERVILLE — Dr. Susan Neustrom went down the rabbit hole of the prison system when she spent three years at the DuPage County Jail as executive director of JUST of DuPage (Justice, Understanding, Service, Teaching), a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce recidivism rates through education and other programs.

What she found while working there bothered her — and she shared the hopeless feeling of many of the inmates as her feasibility study on how to educate them for a brighter future was scrapped without warning in August of 2013.

“I never thought I’d be talking about this, but now I can’t stop talking about it,” she said as she shared information Sept. 25 at the Naperville Township Democratic Organization meeting. “My study was outlined clearly, it was approved, I had a start day. Then it was canceled.”

As she interacted with inmates, guards and administration, she designed a model of adult education services with the goal of having inmates exit the correctional system, increase job prospects, and positively contribute to society.

What she found was a lack of education, unstructured programs, numerous limitations, challenges, and obstacles, an inconsistency of program delivery, and very little communication with jail administration. The existing programs on the inside, she found, were just busy work, and not connected to the outside world.

“Jail is the most dismal place you’ve ever seen. Many days, I wondered who was incarcerated,” she said.

Neustrom said she was able to penetrate the mysteries of the jail while working there and got some very difficult to obtain statistics during 2012.

The turnover rate in one month can be as much as half of those entering and leaving a state or federal prison annually. About 35 inmates are booked daily, and nearly as many are released. Once sentenced, an inmate can only stay for 364 days, but can await sentencing for months or even years — one inmate was there for six years while Neustrom worked there, awaiting trial.

“The female population is rising, and the recidivism rates in DuPage are also rising. It’s alarming,” she said. “Formerly incarcerated fathers are less likely to provide for their families because they can’t find employment. How can they change their pattern if jobs are not available? This breeds marital strain, aggression, and depression, which leads to more crime. Incarceration is not the problem, it’s a symptom of a much larger problem. Most inmates are victims and have been most of their lives.”

To turn this around, she said the only answer is education.

“It’s a life changer. It changes individuals, families, and communities. Inmates are darn smart, they want to better their lives, their situation. They want an education and job training,” said Neustrom.

Dr. Susan Neustrom's

Members of Naperville Township Democratic Organization and guest discuss Dr. Susan Neustrom’s conclusions after she spent three years observing the workings at the DuPage County Jail. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

Her pilot program was to be a very small scale, six month study to collect data on an effective way to educate inmates, with the goal of decreasing recidivism and creating a positive learning environment. It was fully funded and approved.

As she was about to begin her work as a contractor at the prison, the sheriff stopped it without a hint of warning.

“There was no reason, no answers, and no feedback. I’m not surprised,” she said.

Tony Michelassi, district 5 DuPage County Board member, attended Thursday night’s meeting and expressed anger that the pilot program never before the DuPage County Board.

“I’m outraged that this didn’t even see the light of day at the county board. I never heard about it. It never got a hearing in front of the Judicial Public Safety Committee. This is something that we should have been apprised of, because I’m pretty sure there would be an attitude on the county board that would support it,” said Michelassi, who started on the County Board in 2008.

He said in his first year of service, he received numerous memos from the sheriff’s department saying the jail was running at or near capacity, and more funding needed to be approved.

“Instead of trying to lobby us for more money to construct an additional portion to our jail, I think the sheriff should be lobbying us for more money for education programs to lower the incarceration rate in the first place,” said Michelassi.

Neustrom said a senior jail administrator had told her before that DuPage County used to be innovative, but now smaller counties were passing the jail up.

“We had begun a solution, which was important, but it was stopped. As of this day, it sits there, and it’s sad,” she said.

Members preparing for Hite honor night

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Plumbing Council of Chicagoland

Back row standing from left: CISCO Executive Director Dan Allen; BSA Northern Illinois STEM Marketing Director Nancy Elder; MCA-Chicago Communications Director Patty Elliott; PCA-PAMCANI staff member Barb Bigelow; BSA Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana Director of Strategic Initiatives Drew Glassford; BSA Development Director Myriam Herrera; Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez; UA General President Bill Hite; UA Pipefitters Local 597 Business Manager Jim Buchanan; BSA Sr. Development Director Joe Stocchero; BSA Development Director Anna Villarreal; and PCA-Plumbing Council-PAMCANI Executive Director S.J. Peters. Front row seated from left: MCA-Chicago Vice President Steve Lamb; Chicago & Cook County Building & Construction Trades President Tom Villanova; Plumbing Council Chairman Bob Melko; Heat & Frost Insulators Local 17 Business Manager Brian Glynn; BSA volunteer Darryl Schellin; and UA Sprinkler Fitters Local 281 Business Manager Dennis Fleming. Committee members in attendance but not pictured: UA Plumbers Local 130 Business Manager Jim Coyne and National PHCC Executive Director Gerry Kennedy. Committee members not present: UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 23 Business Manager Rick Beck; UA Plumbers Local 75 Business Manager Steven Breitlow; UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 172 Business Manager Kurt Meade; and Illinois Regional Insulation Contractors Association Executive Director Alec Rexroat. Photo courtesy of Plumbing Council of Chicagoland

Article courtesy of
Plumbing Council of Chicagoland
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

CHICAGO — The Plumbing Council of Chicagoland and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Chicago Area Council have partnered to launch the inaugural Labor and Scouting Dinner and George Meany Award Ceremony honoring UA General President William P. Hite Jan. 20, 2015 at the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

In preparation of this historic event, a Gala Committee comprised of UA Business Managers, Chicago labor leaders and association industry executives assembled for the first time at the Pipefitters Local 597 union office in Chicago on Sept. 23.

UA General President and 2015 George Meany Honoree Bill Hite was also in attendance to personally thank the Gala Committee for their time and service and to reiterate the importance of fostering a genuine interest among today’s Boy Scouts to become tomorrow’s union apprentices. To register for the event or for more information, visit chicagobsa.org/union.

The 2015 George Meany Award Gala is the first event celebrating the years of partnership the Trade Unions and the Boy Scouts. The dinner provides opportunity for union members and industry partners to come together in support of the Scouting community.

Lisa Madigan going after student lending industry

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Illinois Attorney General Lisa

Running for her fourth term in office for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has fought fraudulent mortgage lending and provided $2.8 billion in relief for Illinois homeowners, communities and pension systems. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

By Pat Barcas
Staff writer
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014
Email Pat Barcas at pat@foxvalleylabornews.com

NAPERVILLE — Election season means politicians are out in force, stumping around the state, and one of the key messages this fall is, if Democrats get out and vote, they win. Plain and simple.

“We’re all doing the work. We can’t do it without your support. You get to take credit for the good things that happen, in this state and at the federal level as well,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan Sept. 21 at a Naperville Township Democratic Organization fundraiser in Naperville.

Madigan is running against Republican challenger Paul Schimpf for her fourth term in office. She touted her recent efforts in fighting fraudulent mortgage lending and servicing, providing $2.8 billion in relief for Illinois homeowners, communities and pension systems so far.

She said she was the first attorneys fighting against criminal charges Fairfax,  in the country to bring a lawsuit against mortgage lender Countrywide for predatory lending practices. To get a lawyer for legal advice go to my site.

“I am so proud of the fact, we saw what was taking place, when people started coming to my office, and they were having problems with their mortgages — we went and did the investigations. We found out about their discrimination in lending, and brought lawsuits — not just against Countrywide, but against Wells Fargo,” she said.

Madigan said she found out that African-Americans earning more than $100,000 per year were still more likely to be put into a high cost sub prime loan than a Caucasian earning less than $35,000 per year. This could also be done on website

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, center, was the guest of honor at the annual Naperville Township Democratic Organization fundraiser. Madigan has established a track record of protecting consumers and homeowners. Pat Barcas/staff photographer

“I took them to the Department of Justice, to the civil rights division, because if it’s happening in Illinois it’s happening all across the country. And that’s exactly what they found as well,” she said.

Her actions resulted in one of the largest fair lending settlements in American history, and she says the next hurdle is tackling the same problems in student loans.

“Now we’re seeing all those horrible practices that were taking place in the mortgage lending industry, are taking place in the student lending industry,” she said.

She said she’s leading a multi-state investigation into Sallie Mae, and have already sued two companies that offer student loan debt relief.

“They are advertising on the radio now. They say they offer student loan debt relief for free, but when you call, they want a huge payment. People need to know there’s nothing these companies can do for you that isn’t already offered through for a free program with the U.S. Department of Education.” If you are feeling overwhelmed by debt issues, you can take the help from a debt defense lawyer who can help you out of the situation.

Madigan said she wanted to thank everyone for their support in the weeks leading up to the election.

“I’m out there on the forefront fighting for people. I’m proud to be able to protect kids, older people, homeowners, and folks dealing with their debt. But I only get to do that with the support of all of you and millions of other people in our state. We have a really tough six weeks in front of us. It’s going to be a lot of work,” she added.