Pictured Above: State Senator Eric Schneiderman received endorsements last week from United Auto Workers Region 9 and 1199 Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers East in his campaign for New York State Attorney General.  Meeting with several local Labor Leaders at 1199 SEIU’s Kenmore Avenue headquarters, Schneiderman - who proclaimed he will be “an independent Attorney General with a powerful voice for justice” – said: “We have a wonderful opportunity to get back on track and tie this into the Labor Movement.  I believe in Unions.  We need to take things in a new direction.  Wage theft is a ‘crime wave’ in New York State and if an employer is engaged in violating the law during an (Union) organizing campaigning, it’s probably not the only area they’re violating.” (WNYLaborToday.com Photo)

News, Notes & Observations collected while covering the Western New York Labor Community over the past several days:

You didn’t have to go any further than Friday’s Internet Edition of The Buffalo News that displayed two headlines/stories that were placed on top of each other: $65 million in federal aid to WNY is unspent and Collins endorses Paladino, cites business background – to understand why Buffalo and Western New York is in the sad shape its in.  And it’s gotten way past the point of just standing around and shaking one’s head as we watch our electeds and their political system hold our region back.  Even though Buffalo is the third-poorest city in the Nation, we learned that we just can’t get moving on $65 million of federal aid that was targeted over the years for a number of major projects - including $17 million for the yes it will get built someday Peace Bridge.  According to The News story, the Sunlight Foundation - which is described as a good-government group that conducted the study - labeled the unspent federal funds "disappearmarks" - projects that make headlines when announced by local electeds who elbow each other out of the way to bask in the subsequent positive publicity, but result in no shovel ever touching ground.  And speaking of federal funding, then there’s Erie County Executive Chris “I’m da King” Collins – who’s decided he would rather not use Federal Stimulus Dollars given to the county for job creation, but hold on to it for rainy day purposes.  Last week, Collins took time to endorse Carl Paladino for governor.  Collins was quoted in The News story as saying: "(Paladino’s) a private-sector guy who knows how to meet a payroll.  It was an easy endorsement for me to make, and I was happy to do it.  I'm not an endorsing kind of guy, but I made an exception for Carl and his business background."  If you didn’t know, Paladino has been on the receiving end of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for state rental of his many area real estate holdings over the years, which hasn’t stopped him from blasting current state leaders for every ill known to man.  Paladino has made tens of millions of dollars more on his area construction projects, including the building of a number of area Rite Aid drug stores – and has been reported to pay his workers far less than the Prevailing Wage, while allowing them to work in what some in the Construction Trades describe as unsafe working conditions without the use of protective hard hats and goggles.  Now, Paladino is painting himself as an everyday working stiff who wants to change the way Albany does business.  So let me get this straight - All of a sudden Paladino’s found religion and is gonna do what’s best for the little guy?  C’mon, gimme a break!  On Thursday, I and several other Labor Representatives looked out over the city from a unique vantage point - the roof of the 40-floor HSBC Tower in Downtown Buffalo – while we were conducting a Labor Video News shoot.  It was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and it was so clear that you could see the Niagara Falls skyline in the distance.  And Downtown Buffalo looked great.  In one viewing perch, we watched the Bisons playing ball as workers continued to finish up the new federal building and expanded Buffalo General Hospital’s facilities in the Medical Corridor.  On the other side of the tower, we looked out onto the waterfront and down at the heavy construction at the old Memorial Auditorium site.  But our conversation instead turned to what has not happened here in Buffalo and Western New York – which in the end has cost us so many of our young people who’ve left for greener employment pastures and the true inability of the electeds in our region to have worked together and provided us with a real waterfront and a Peace Bridge to economically take advantage of.  Now we learn that we’ve been missing out on $65 million in federal funds that could have been used toward the waterfront and a new bridge.  And now we have a county executive who’s decided – himself – not to spend a ton of federal money earmarked for job creation here in Erie County because he just doesn’t want to.  How’s that running Erie County like a business, I ask you?  And now, King Chris - who’s also known for a good lap dance joke himself - has endorsed Paladino, who is no slouch when it comes to forwarding controversial e-mails involving bestiality.  When are we – collectively, as Western New Yorkers – finally going to say that enough is enough and vote these bozos out of office and send a message to millionaire developers who’ve taken advantage of Working People that No, you’re not getting my vote!   It makes no matter if you’re Union or not – this impacts all of us, period.  So stop complaining about what Buffalo could be and do something about it now, including getting rid of people like Collins who say one thing, but do the other, and Paladino, whose dubious track record and ego come around the corner a full two weeks before he physically does.  Buffalo and Western New York can no longer withstand such failed leadership and potentially failed leadership at this juncture.  What we need is real action that will be funded by dollars already targeted for projects that create real jobs, mold our region and attract new development.  Seriously, it hasn’t been done to the degree that it needs to with some of these bozos who’ve capitalized on our numbness to what has not happened over too many years to painfully remember.

And now that you’ve got me started, I hope all Working People across this country who are unemployed and struggling remember what Washington Republicans did to you over the past seven weeks – holding up Unemployment Benefits for unemployed Americans who needed a hand-up to bridge their economic gap while continuing to look for another job, which is no easy task these days.  Early last week, President Obama publicly chastised Senate Republicans, saying they “had no problem spending money” when President Bush was in office and had taken over from the Clinton Administration with a “major surplus that they eventually turned into a major deficit.”  On that note, here’s some sobering and shocking statistics that underscored the need for continuance of such benefits: A U.S. unemployment rate of 9.5%; The share of families with an unemployed member rose from 7.8% in 2008 to 12% in 2009 - the highest proportion since the data series began in 1994; Of the Nation's 78.4 million families, 80.4% had at least one employed member in 2009, down by 1.8 percentage points from 2008; The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans was 10.2 % in 2009; The jobless rate for veterans of all eras combined was 8.1%; and About 21% of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service-connected disability in August 2009, compared with about 13%of all veterans.  When it comes to pointing a finger of blame for this, WNYLaborToday.com asks that you remember whom to point your finger at.  No matter what these Republicans say or use as an excuse – be it Washington or right here in Western New York – make no mistake about where their allegiance is aligned: fighting hard against increasing taxes on the wealthy, who must bear their fair share, and slamming the door on Working People. 

Last week, WNYLaborToday.com was invited by 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare Workers East to an introductory sit-down with State Senator Eric Schneiderman (pictured above) - who has received a number of Union endorsements in his campaign for New York State Attorney General, including endorsements from the Western New York-based United Auto Workers Region 9 and 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union).  Meeting with Paul Schuh, the UAW's regional director of community action programs, UAW Local 846 President Jim Lakeman (who also serves as chairman of the Western New York Chapter of the Working Families Party), SEIU 1199 Vice President Bruce Popper and 1199 SEIU Buffalo Political Coordinator Jennifer Hibit, Schneiderman (Democrat/31st District that includes parts of the Bronx and Manhattan) spoke of his commitment to Organized Labor and – if elected – his commitment to investigate and prosecute employers who violate hour, safety and wage laws.  Schneiderman also spoke of his intent to beef up the number of investigators assigned to those cases across New York State, as well as his support of the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act – which provides incentives for so-called “whistleblowers” who see wrongdoing in their workplaces.  “It’s a very exciting time.  The Attorney General is an incredible office and I we have a wonderful opportunity to get back on track and tie this into the Labor Movement.  I believe in Unions.  We need to take things in a new direction.  Wage theft is a ‘crime wave’ in New York State and if an employer is engaged in violating the law during an (Union) organizing campaigning, it’s probably not the only area they’re violating.  I will be an independent Attorney General with a powerful voice for justice.  We’re not ‘going along to get along,’” Schneiderman said.  For more information on the Schneiderman campaign and those Labor Unions that have endorsed his campaign for New York State Attorney General, visit www.ericscheiderman.com. 

And a reminder, the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council’s Summer Picnic will be held this Friday (July 30th) at Elma Meadows on Girdle and Rice Roads/Shelter #2 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Tickets for the picnic can be obtained by either calling 716-852-0375.  The picnic is an annual attraction to not only the Western New York Labor Community, but also with the elected community, as many incumbents and candidates turn out to hob-knob and press the flesh with a variety of Labor Leaders.  In addition, Stewart Acuff - who serves as chief of staff and assistant to the president of the Utility Workers Union of America, and has been involved in the Organized Labor Movement for 30 years now, beginning in 1982 with SEIU – is slated to attend the picnic.  Acuff has written a book with Labor Economist Dr. Richard Levins that’s entitled, Getting America Back to Work.  In 1990, Acuff became president of the Atlanta AFL-CIO Labor Council, where he led the campaign to organize the 1996 Olympics.  A decade later, he left to serve as Organizing Director for the National AFL-CIO.  In 2008, Acuff began channeling his efforts in leading the AFL-CIO’s campaign to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.  WNYLaborToday.com plans to interview Acuff during his visit to Buffalo.

And finally… Best Birthday wishes from WNYLaborToday.com go out to National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who turned 61on Saturday, and Niagara Falls-headquartered International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 237 – a supporter/subscriber of WNYLaborToday.com - which celebrated its 96th birthday on Saturday.