No Cap and trade
US Crt Rejects Admin On Environmental Power Plant Exemptions
WASHINGTON (AP)--A federal appeals court struck down a Bush administration policy exempting power plants from certain environmental regulations.
Attacks
New state law could result in 5-to-10 year jail conviction for attacking utility workers
Last update: 11:31 a.m. EST Feb. 11, 2008
CHICAGO, Feb 11, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Two ComEd field employees were violently attacked in Joliet and Kankakee over the past two weeks, raising the number of vicious assaults against ComEd field employees to 27 since Jan. 2006.
Smart Meters
Pittsburgh Teachers President: Solidarity Led to Bargaining Success
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Lenny Sapozhnikov, AFL-CIO deputy state director for Pennsylvania, recently talked with John Tarka, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers/AFT, which represents more than 3,400 teachers, classroom aides and technical-clerical workers. Earlier this year, the members voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract. The teachers had helped the school district by working this school year without a contract. The last pact expired June 30, 2007.
Sapozhnikov: What are your political plans for this important year?
Tarka: We believe that political action is a crucial matter for all unions. The people who work in public education especially have to be aware of the importance of being proactive in politics. We have a strong political action committee that has expanded over the last three years. We were very active in the last Senate campaign and also played a part in the Jason Altmire election [Altmire, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House in 2006].
We are obviously very interested in supporting candidates of both parties who care about public education and working family issues. This year, we are particularly interested in the upcoming presidential race. It is absolutely vital for our country to reverse the damage done by the Bush administration. The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers will play as significant a role as we possibly can in electing new leadership to the White House.
Sapozhnikov: What are the highlights of the negotiation process and the new contract?
Tarka: We have been in negotiations for more than a year. These were very challenging negotiations to say the least. We did a lot of work with the [national] AFT and received tremendous support from our membership. [The PFT] has not been on strike for more than 35 years and the negotiating team felt it was necessary to take a strike authorization vote [in October]. More than 80 percent of our members voted and nearly 92 percent voted in favor of authorizing the executive board [to use] that option if it was found to be necessary.
Read more: Pittsburgh Teachers President: Solidarity Led to Bargaining Success
West Penn Power Audit
HARRISBURG – According to an audit report released today by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), West Penn Power Company may realize yearly savings up to $8.4 million and one-time savings of $371,000 by implementing recommendations contained in the audit.