By Chinta Strausberg

If you like law enforcement and working in the natural element, it’s not too late to apply for one of the 15 new Illinois Conservation Police positions that are available.

If interested, especially people of color, you have until Thursday, February 9, 2012, to bring your application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), 100 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL, on the second floor.  You may click on the this link, http://dnr.state.il.us/law3/career.htm, to download an application and to read about the qualifications for this position.

The test is 90-minutes long and consists of 85 questions. At least 1,000 have applied for the position.

Interviewed at a job fair held at Saint Sabina, 1210 W. 78^th Place sponsored by Reps. Mary E. Flowers (D-31^st) and La Shawn K. Ford (D-8^th and the IDNR, Jason Brewer, Assistant Director of the Office of Compliance Equal Opportunity and Ethics (OCEE) for IDNR and Rafael Gutierrez, Director of Law Enforcement for the Illinois Conservation Police, said they are looking for diversity and applicants who love law enforcement and working in the state’s natural habitat.

The Conservation police officers would be responsible for enforcing all criminal and drugs laws as well as vehicle violations. They patrol all borders of the water including the rivers. These offices also enforce fishing, boating and hunting laws, check boat safety. They also protect the natural resources of Illinois including coalmines and tender.

 “They enforce all of the same laws as that of the state police,” said Brewer. “ “They are federally deputized with the U.S. Fish and Wile Life Service. “They can make arrests.” He said their non-enforcement duties including going out to speak on topics like safety boating procedures.”

“We want women and minority applications for this job,” said Brewer who also said there is no age limit for this position. The officers will be trained to use a wide variety of equipment like snowmobiles, boats, ATV’s. They will be trained to handle domestic disputes, look for narcotic violations and marijuana fields and according to Gutierrez, these officers will do body recoveries when there is a drowning.

Eric Bumgarner was part of the Conservation Police contingent that went to New Orleans during the Katrina flooding. He rescued 1300 people that included 1200 frozen embryos. Later, he interviewed the father, also a police officer, of one of those embryos when that child was born.

All three men urged interested persons to apply for this position. They said this test is not given that often and again stressed they are looking for diversity.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.

CHICAGO, IL – Delores Withers, President of Local 1708 announced that a rally / protest against the “deceptive practices” of Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman over contract negotiations of City Colleges of Chicago clerical workers will be held at 8am Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 226 W. Jackson Blvd.

Hundreds of protestors are expected to demonstrate at the corporate headquarters of City Colleges of Chicago. The rally/protest will focus on:

UNFAIR BARGAINING and 5-YEAR WAGE FREEZE: While CCC Reinvention officials are treated to lavish salaries, benefits, and perks, they have refused the clerical workers a fair bargain over the new contract since the dialogue began over a year and a half ago. CCC has frozen wages since June 30, 2010 and has proposed a 5-year wage freeze.

SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE PREMIUMS: In addition, part-time workers can no longer afford health care coverage because the premiums have increased as much as 80%–the equivalent to one month’s paycheck for many. A good number of part-time employees are faced with having to obtain medical services from area free clinics.

Lucy Rodriguez, a part-time CCC employee with a heart condition, was forced to return this summer to her native country Colombia because she could not afford to be treated in Chicago. Mary Hernandez, another part-time employee, has been confined in a county hospital for over a month with no income and no sick time because part-time workers are not allowed “sick days.” While District officials and their family members receive free (100% covered) healthcare for life¹ in an overblown benefits package that only the 1% can afford, many part-timers who need immediate healthcare cannot afford the burdensome premiums the District is now charging. Part-timers work up to 34 hours per week with no benefits, vacation or holiday pay. Full time union 1708 employees have been operating without a contract since June 30, 2010 and part-timers since June 2011.

On July 1, 1999, a City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees resolution allows officers of the district with less than 20 years of service free health care for life for themselves their spouse and dependents.

Reinvention undermines the integrity of the public colleges: 

Institutional knowledge, memory, and history is being eradicated with the replacement of longtime staff at the seven city colleges and at District Office with new hires who have no higher ed background or experience earning over $100,000 a year!

GIVE US A BREAK!! SUPPORT 1708 in MAKING A STRONG STATEMENT ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 IN FRONT OF DISTRICT OFFICE!! Federal mediation of our contract begins January 25, 2012. Joining the protest on Wednesday are the Illinois Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFLCIO, and the Chicago Federation of Labor.

For additional information or interviews contact Delores Withers at 773-520-6770 dwitherslocal1708@sbcglobal.net or Audrey Butler at 312-523-3976 – abultlerlocal1708@sbcglobal.net

Illinois’ largest labor organization to activate member-to-member program
 
 

Representatives of local and statewide labor organizations met in Burr Ridge to endorse candidates for the March 20 Primary Election in Illinois.
 
More than 100 representatives make up the Illinois AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) that issues endorsement recommendations to the federation’s Executive Board. The Board ratified the endorsements later on Tuesday.
 
Topping the endorsement list were Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress including Bobby Rush (1st District), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2nd), Dan Lipinski (3rd), Luis Gutierrez (4th), Mike Quigley (5th), Leslie Coolidge (6th), Danny Davis (7th), Jan Schakowsky (9th), Bill Foster (11th), Brad Harriman (12th), Matt Goetten (13th), Dennis Anderson (14th) and Cheri Bustos (17th).
 
The Illinois AFL-CIO also endorsed in primaries for General Assembly, as well as Appellate Court races.

“The delegates thoroughly discussed and debated merits of getting involved in these races,” Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan said. “This election is crucial to working families both on the state and federal levels. As our state and country starts pulling out of recession, rebuilding the middle class and closing the income gap have to be top priorities.”
 
Carrigan said the state federation would boost the campaigns through its Labor 2012 program.

“We have nearly two million registered voters out of union households in this Illinois,” Carrigan said. “In many of these areas, union families can and will directly affect the outcome of vote.””  
 

Other endorsements are:

For the Illinois Senate

1st Tony Munoz – D

2nd Willie Delgado – D

3rd Mattie Hunter – D

4th Kimberly Lightford – D

5th Annazette Collins – D

6th John Cullerton – D

7th Heather Steans – D

8th Ira I. Silverstein – D

9th Daniel Biss – D

10th John G. Milroe – D

11th Martin Sandoval – D

12th Steven Landek – D

13th Kwame Raoul – D

14th Emil Jones, III – D

15th Donna Miller – D

16th Jacqueline Collins – D

17th Donne Trotter – D

18th Bill Cunningham – D

20th Iris Martinez – D

22nd Michael Noland – D

25th Steven Hunter – D

28th Dan Kotowski – D

30th Terry Link – D

31st Melinda Bush – D

34th Dan Lewandowski – D

36th Mike Jacobs – D

38th Tom Ganiere – D

39th Don Harmon – D

40th Toi Hutchinson – D

42nd Linda Holmes – D

43rd A,J. Wilhelmi – D

46th Dave Koehler – D

47th John Sullivan – D

48th Andy Manar – D

49th Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant – D

52nd Michael W. Frerichs – D

54th Danny L. Stover – D

56th William Haine – D

57th James Clayborne,Jr. – D

59th Gary Forby – D

For the Illinois House

1st Dan Burke – D

2nd Edward Acevedo – D

3rd Luis Arroyo – D

4th Cynthia Soto – D

5th Ken Dunkin – D

6th Esther Golar – D

8th LaShawn Ford – D

9th Art Turner - D

10th Derrick Smith – D

11th Ann Williams – D

12th Sara Felgenholtz – D

13th Gregory Harris – D

14th Kelly Cassidy – D

15th John D’Amico – D

16th Lou Lang – D

17th Laura Fine – D

18th Robyn Gabel – D

19th Rob Martwick – D

20th Michael McAuliffe – R

21st Albert Cacciottolo – D

22nd Michael Madigan – D

23rd Michael J. Zalewski – D

24th Lisa Hernandez – D

25th Barbara Flynn Currie – D

27th Monique Davis – D

28th Robert Rita – D

29th Thaddeus Jones – D

30th Will Davis – D

31st Mary Flowers – D

32nd Andre Thapedi – D

33rd Marlow Colvin – D

34th Elgie Sims, Jr. – D

36th Kelly Burke – D

38th Al Riley – D

39th Toni Berrios – D

55th Martin J. Moylan – D

57th Elaine Nekritz – D

60th Rita Mayfield – D

62nd Sam Yingling – D

67th Chuck Jefferson – D

68th Carl Wasco – D

71st Mike Smiddy – D

72nd Pat Verschoore – D

74th Donald Moffitt – R

76th Frank Mautino – D

77th Angelo “Skip” Saviano – R

78th Camille Lilly – D

79th Katherine Cloonen – D

80th Anthony DeLuca – D

83rd Linda Chapa LaVia – D

84th Alex Arroyo – D

86th Jack McGuire – D

95th Brad Gillespie – D

98th Natalie Manley – D

103rd Naomi Jakobsson – D

111th Daniel Beiser – D

113th Jay Hoffman – D

114th Eddie Lee Jackson – D

116th Jerry Costello II – D

117th John Bradley – D

118th Brandon Phelps – D

Judicial

1st App. Ct. Nathaniel House, Jr. – D

1st App. Ct P. Scott Neville, Jr. – D

1st App. Ct William Boyd – D

1st App. Ct Maureen Connors – D

5th App. Ct Judy Cates – D 

(Statement from Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan)

In Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and across the country, including here in Illinois, working families want to see politicians do the jobs they were elected to do – to build an economy that restores balance and creates jobs instead of one that works only for CEO’s and special interest groups.

Yesterday (Tuesday), Ohioans resoundingly vetoed legislation that would have taken collective bargaining rights away from teachers, firefighters and first responders – sending a strong message that politicians need to stand with working families and stand for building a strong middle class.

They marched to the polls to demand politicians like Ohio Gov. John Kasich stop his partisan agenda. And voters rejected the crazy notion that the 99 percent – nurses, bridge inspectors, firefighters, and social workers – caused the economic collapse, rather than Wall Street. Despite untold millions of dollars dumped into Ohio by shady special interest groups, the voters spoke out loud and clear.

This election should be a wake-up call for Illinois about what happens when politicians go too far. Voters in Illinois want to see action that creates jobs and creates an economy that works for everyone. We can start heading in the right direction by passing legislation like a federal jobs bills that will repair bridges and roads and get Illinoisans back to work.

Our elected officials need to focus on creating jobs in order to get our economy back on track. Together we can create an economy that works for the 99 percent.

Web Site Lists Thousands of Well-Paying Job Openings For African Americans and Other Minorities

Immediate openings are available from McGraw Hill, Novartis, Time Warner, Nike, FedEx, Nationwide Insurance, Verizon Wireless, and hundreds of other companies and organizations

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — The national unemployment rate is high at about 8.9%, but the Labor Dept reports that Black unemployment is almost double that at 16.7% – the highest in 27 years. As a result, the owners of BlackJobs.com are stepping up their efforts to alert African American professionals that they have thousands of well-paying jobs listed on their web site.

The jobs are being offered by hundreds of major corporations, and hundreds of smaller organizations, such as local community colleges, that have highly concentrated diversity initiatives. In other words, they want to hire more minorities.

Launched by Columbus Ohio-based Lee Moss Media, BlackJobs.com is essentially an online career center that allows employers to post jobs, and allows jobseekers to upload resumes and apply for jobs. The thousands of full-time and part-time positions listed on the web site vary in industry, and are open to both college graduates and non-college professionals with 3+ years of experience. Although also open to the public, the positions are specifically being marketed for minority candidates to fill.

CNN is one of many credible resources that have recommended BlackJobs.com as a great tool and resource for African Americans looking to be employed. The site allows jobseekers to easily find well-paying jobs from reputable companies and organizations, and also features paid and non-paid internship opportunities for students. At no cost, users can immediately create a profile, upload their resume, and start searching for jobs.

Companies that are posting jobs on the site include: Time Warner, Novartis, Best Buy, Kelloggs, OfficeMax, T-Mobile, State Farm, Deloitte, Phillip Morris USA, McGraw Hill, and many others. The site also features daily news, tips and strategies on how to build one’s career.

For more details or to sign up free, visit:
www.BlackJobs.com

Citing taxpayer savings and assuring quality work, Illinois AFL – CIO President Michael T. Carrigan applauded Gov. Pat Quinn for signing into law the use of Project Labor Agreements on public works projects in Illinois .

“PLAs have worked in Illinois and across this country for decades,” Carrigan said. “We have a legacy in Illinois of tending to our infrastructure needs and we’ve used PLAs to get them done under budget, on time and with quality workmanship. This law is the continuation of good public policy.”

Project Labor Agreements are pre-hire, pre-bid contracts used to provide a mechanism for quickly staffing the job with the most highly-trained employees from all of the trades ensuring on-time and on-budget construction.

Illinois has used PLAs under Executive Orders issued by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and, most recently, Quinn. With this new law passed by the General Assembly, Project Labor Agreements may be used by state agencies now and into the future.

Carrigan applauded the General Assembly for passing the bill, especially bill sponsors Rep. Pat Verschoore and Sen. Toi Hutchinson.

“This is a prime example of government doing what it should to rid projects of waste and inefficiency,” Carrigan said. “Public works projects will use taxpayer money wisely and each dollar will go to making Illinois a better state.”

Statement by Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan

The working families of the Illinois AFL – CIO applaud the Illinois Supreme Court on its unanimous decision today. The capital construction bill passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Quinn puts Illinois solidly at the forefront in the country in job creation and infrastructure investment.

As we climb out of the worst economic slide since the Great Depression, Illinois has made an investment that will, most assuredly, create a climate of economic renewal well into the future. Thousands of Illinoisans are working on projects that make our state a better place to live and work. This decision keeps those projects moving and people on the job.

Again, the Supreme Court decision affirms what we believed – that the capital bill was created lawfully and with the best interests of the state in mind.

On Thursday, April 28, working families around the country will gather to remember and honor friends and family members who have been killed or injured while doing their jobs.

In Illinois, there are 10 events scheduled to honor deceased workers and to call attention to the need for continuing worker safety training, stricter laws and increased enforcement of current laws.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports there were over 4,300 workplace deaths nationwide due to traumatic injury in 2009 (the most recent figures). In Illinois, 158 workers were killed on the job in 2009 while 137,900 people suffered workplace injuries or illness. Illinois employs only 77 workplace inspectors for a working population of over 6,600,000 (Illinois Department of Employment Security 2010). According to the BLS, it would take those 77 inspectors 94 years to inspect each Illinois worksite one time.

“Even though Illinois has some of the best worker safety laws, we still need improvements at the state level and nationally to ensure you and I can go to work under the safest conditions,” said Michael T. Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO.  “Obviously we need

to increase the number of worksite inspectors by improved funding to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Department of Labor. Worker safety is a core issue for the Illinois AFL-CIO and we work diligently in Springfield with lawmakers to strengthen our laws and increase penalties for those companies who do not comply.”

The State Labor Federation has also been working tirelessly over the past months to secure benefits for workers who are injured on the job through workers’ compensation laws. “Our goal is to protect injured workers’ benefits and to make sure they get the best medical care possible in a timely manner, so they can get back to work quickly,” said Carrigan.

A complete list of Workers’ Memorial Day events is posted below and they can also be viewed at www.ilafl-cio.org.

 2011 Workers’ Memorial Day Events

ALTON - Thursday, April 28, the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor Workers’ Memorial Day Services from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m., beginning in the Muenstermann Building at Gordon F. Moore Community Park, Highway 140 and Park Rd, Alton, followed by a roses and candlelight walk to the memorial at the entrance of the park from the Muenstermann Building. The program will feature guest speakers, color guard, music and video presentation.

BLOOMINGTON - Thursday, April 28, Bloomington-Normal Trades and Labor Assembly Workers’ Memorial Day Service at 6 a.m. at White Oak Park Pavilion in Bloomington.

DECATUR - Thursday, April 28, Decatur Trades and Labor Assembly Workers’ Memorial Day Service, 5 p.m. on the northwest corner of the Macon County Courthouse lawn, located at 253 West Wood Street in downtown Decatur.

GALESBURG - Thursday, April 28, Galesburg Trades and Labor Assembly Workers’ Memorial Day Service at 5:30 p.m. at the Laborers Hall, 118 W. Main in East Galesburg.

JOLIET - Friday, April 29, Will and Grundy Counties Trades and Labor Council annual Workers’ Memorial Day Dinner at the IBEW 176 West Banquet Hall in Joliet.

PEORIA - Thursday, April 28, Labor Council of West Central Illinois Workers’ Memorial Candlelight Service – We gather at the Peoria Labor Temple, 400 NE Jefferson in Peoria at 5 p.m. and walk to the Workers’ Memorial site at 419 Fulton Street. We will have a short ceremony to honor all workers and members of the United States Military who have died or were injured on the job.

QUAD CITIES - Thursday, April 28, Quad Cities Federation of Labor Workers’ Memorial Day Service at 3:30 p.m. at the USW Local 105 Hall, 880 Devils Glen Rd, Bettendorf, IA.

ROCKFORD - Thursday, April 28, the 22nd Rockford United Labor Workers’ Memorial Day Ceremony. Meet at the Workers’ Memorial Day Tablets located behind the E.J. ‘Zeke’ Giorgi Building, 200 South Wyman Street in Rockford at 5 p.m. for a short ceremony and Wreath Dedication. Refreshments and a Safety Fair will occur immediately following the ceremony.

SPRINGFIELD - Thursday, April 28, Springfield and Central Illinois Trades and Labor Council Workers’ Memorial Day Service at 5 p.m. in the Illinois State Library Atrium. Program reception following.

SPRING VALLEY - Workers’ Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing: Friday, June 10 at SpringCreek Golf Course in Spring Valley, IL. Workers’ Memorial Scholarships: $1,000 scholarships given to eligible dependents of union members who have been either killed or permanently injured on the job and are affiliated with the Illinois Valley Federation of