November 2011

Sterling Journal-Advocate: State employee salaries

Before Thanksgiving the issue of state worker pay came up at the State Legislature. See the coverage of this debate in a recent article in the Sterling Journal-Advocate.

“When we continue to fall behind prevailing market
wages, it’s going to be hard to attract the talent to the state of
Colorado,” said Ferrandino. “As we get toward higher and higher
retirements, we need to make sure that we have compensation that’s
competitive. It’s something we need to keep on our radar.”

See the article here.

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CAP: 9 Ideas for Congress to Address the 99 Percent

See this new brief, from the Center for American Progress, about how Congress can help get Americans back on their feet and get our economy going again.

Among the 9 ideas:
- Allow homeowners to refinance their mortgages at lower rates
- End the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest
- Reign in tax giveaways to wealthy corporations and the richest 1 percent
- Reduce student loan debt and hold colleges accountable

What do you think?

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New data calls for shift to job creation

Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics released new state employment data and it showed that twenty-nine states have unemployment rates of 9 percent or higher. Unemployment rates in Colorado remain high, at 8.1 percent.

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), since the start of the Great Recession, Colorado has lost more than 95,000 jobs.  To see the recent EPI brief and use their interactive maps, click here.

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Pueblo Chieftain: Job seekers get inside information

See the Chieftain’s recent coverage of unemployed workers’ frustrations with the weak job market. Last week, Pueblo hosted a job expo featuring seven of the city’s largest employers.

Read the article here.

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Pueblo Chieftain: Keep it open

See the Chieftain’s recent editorial in favor of keeping the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility open. Fort Lyon is scheduled to close on March 1st. At the urging of community leaders and families in the area, the Governor has been exploring options to keep the facility – which is a critical employer of local men and women – open.

Read the complete editorial here.

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Listen: Colorado WINS Tele-Town Hall

In case you missed it, click here to listen to the November 9th Colorado WINS Tele-Town Hall with President Paul Boni and Executive Director Scott Wasserman.

More than 1,200 state employees participated in the tele-town hall to discuss the campaign to reverse the 2.5% pay cut, state personnel reform and health care.

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New poll finds that Americans want action on inequality

See the new blog post from the Center for American Progress about the recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll which found that Americans want action on inequality.

More than three-quarters of those polled favor action, while 60% strongly agreed that the country’s current economic structure is out of balance and that we need to reduce the power of banks and corporations.

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Pueblo Chieftain: State voters bury Proposition 103

Patrick Malone of the Pueblo Chieftain reports today that Proposition 103 failed. Despite many school districts moving to four day weeks, huge budget cuts and ballooning classroom sizes, voters weren’t ready to approve a temporary tax increase to fund Colorado schools.

And now more budget cuts are on the horizon for education. Yesterday, Governor Hickenlooper proposed another $150 million in cuts from K-12 and higher education in his 2012-13 budget proposal. Looks like Coloradans have more overcrowding, lower quality and less education in store.

View the entire article here.

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Denver Post: Hickenlooper proposes budget

See Tim Hoover’s coverage on Governor Hickenlooper’s budget proposal from today. Colorado WINS President Paul Boni is quoted:

“Many state employees are taking on second jobs and losing homes to foreclosure, while some have had to resort to using food banks or forgoing critical medical care,” said Colorado WINS President Paul Boni. “Continuing to cut our paychecks means that state employees will have even less money to spend at local businesses – and that’s bad for our economy. This budget is a step forward, but there’s much more to be done.”

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LA Times: Colorado voters decide- hike income, sales tax for education?

See the LA Times article from today about Prop 103- which would stop the short-sighted and irresponsible cuts to your schools and colleges and help build for a stronger economy.

Today is election day. Don’t forget to drop off your ballot (or to go vote)! If you’re not sure where you can drop off your ballot you can find information at the following sites: JustVoteColorado.org or the Colorado Secretary of State.

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