Labor Questionnnaire

BALTIMORE LABOR QUESTIONNAIRE

General:

Why should organized labor support your campaign? Please explain.

As a social Democrat I am the candidate for labor and justice policy. I support not only labor union members but all labor. I created a state non-profit called Citizens Oversight Maryland that has worked in Maryland and especially Baltimore on public policy issues surrounding labor and justice. I have the right vision for labor unions as we recover from the coming economic crash. Labor unions must break from Clinton Wall Street global market pols-----these globalists have pulled national labor leaders along breaking unions while pretending to protect them. We know global corporate rule----the goal of neo-liberals having International Economic Zones and Trans Pacific Trade Pact will enslave labor and global corporations will not allow labor unions to exist unless they are working in the interest of corporations. We don’t want to lose our labor unions to this dynamic.

2.     Have you ever been a member of union? If yes, please give the union name, local number, and dates that you have been a member.

I worked for over a decade as a Teamster with United Parcel Service first as a loader and then a package car driver. This was as a college student. I was with UPS from 1977-1992. UPS has one of the strongest and very effective and efficient operations with management that hits labor union members hard. I received great benefits from this union employment as college grants and wages paid for my earlier degree programs.

3.   Do you support collective bargaining and the rights of all workers to forma labor union?

I do support collective bargaining and the rights of all workers to form a labor union. I think with today’s realities at the Congressional and Supreme Court level---of having the national Democratic Party controlled by Clinton/Obama neo-liberals and the Court controlled by global corporate justices that we will see, as with the current Supreme Court ruling on public sector union collective bargaining and dues, further attacks on union rights. I feel strongly that our labor unions should prepare for labor structures that mirror the early beginnings in the FDR era----we can organize labor with or without collective bargaining. I will be strong on all public policy tied to labor rights.

4.   What are the three most crucial issues facing your constituents?

We are watching as Wall Street and global corporations are empowered by global pols in both parties to not only dismantle and restructure government at Federal, state, and local level----but are openly filling our government and corporations with fraud, corruption, and attacks on all personal wealth, public Trusts, and public assets. We must rebuild oversight and accountability, Rule of Law, Equal Protection, public justice in order to stabilize not only the national economy----but our local economies as well. I am committed to rebuilding local economies with regional manufacturing and not global FOXCONN corporate campuses as global pols are trying to do as we know labor will be enslaved just as they are overseas. Building strong public sector unions always result in strengthening our private unions so we need to protect both to save and rebuild all labor union strength.
Redirecting city revenue to ALL communities building small businesses, rehabbing houses to create low-income and middle-income housing ----and recovering the corporate fraud to our local economy all works to get people to work, rebuilding personal wealth and having disposable income for consumption of products---fueling our economy. Labor unions look to corporations for organizing ----I support labor co-opts as a way to bring unions back to grassroots. I feel strongly that holding corporations accountable as good citizens will not push all out of a local market as corporations look for market share and will choose to conform in most cases.
We must get this housing market back on its feet as subprime mortgage fraud took the Federal Housing Agency and Fannie and Freddie and it is still predatory during the Obama years. Cities are pushing Master Plans that move all working and middle-class from city centers and are trying to install the same factory dormitory structure as in FOXCONNs in China with workers pushed to city limits for housing. I am against all of this and will create mixed-income housing that will be permanent in ALL communities----build platforms for the poorest to be homeowners to stabilize our underserved communities----and raise wages with Living Wage et al that will allow for homeownership to grow.

5.   Would you sponsor and/or support legislation that would require all contractors bidding on public works jobs to provide health benefits for their employees?

I support Expanded and Improved Medicare for All so it would be my goal to have both corporations and individuals out of the health insurance business with access to all needed through public health programs. Any government outsourcing awards should always go to corporations that are good corporate citizens. I believe in social market policy that takes into consideration the broad effects of contract awards and not only LOW BID. This means it does the city no good to award low bid when a contractor pays so little the city must subsidize in food stamps and health care. The trick since Affordable Care Act is to protect workers from the intent of making all corporate health care simply preventative care only.

6.   Would you support and/or sponsor legislation that would require interest-based arbitration in disagreements between public employees and management?

Yes. As well, I would provide oversight to the arbitration process to guard against the growing control of corporations on the decision process in these arbitrations. I also would stop PEACE Agreements because I know the power of striking for private unions.

7.   How would you address the increasing health care cost for active and retired city employees?

As stated above, I would use the Baltimore City health care market to create Expanded and Improved Medicare for All but until doing that I will work to protect public pensions and health benefits reversing cuts forced on city unions by the current administration. I plan to expand public health clinics in communities allowing for open access to all citizens.

8.   Contracting-out of services is sometimes seen as a way to save money and/or make the government more efficient. Do you see outsourcing or contracting appropriate in any circumstances? If so how?

I actually will reverse much of the outsourcing of city contracts rebuilding our Baltimore City public works and services. I will protect public transportation----and Port of Baltimore Longshoremen. There are opportunities for outsourcing that benefit community small businesses and I will be active in using city contracts to grow small businesses in all communities.

9.   All of the counties surrounding Baltimore City currently have FiOS access, but Verizon has not brought FiOS broadband to the city. Will you work to create a political environment to press Verizon to bring FiOS to Baltimore?

I support bringing FiOS to Baltimore and will work to do so. Baltimore citizens need a broad set of options in telecommunications and I will fight to keep all price-range options available. I know corporations need and want it in deciding to locate in Baltimore. I am also wanting to rebuild our Baltimore City telecommunications using the public conduits to do so as a hedge to growing telecommunication monopoly on rates. We need the city owning broadband for media----and that will include telecommunications. My focus for telecommunications in the City of Baltimore will be to increase competition with FIOS and Comcast in high-speed internet by pushing our local unions to create worker's co-op small businesses in high-speed technology to connect to our city conduit specializing in building service for our individual citizens and small businesses so global corporations do not take all access to internet. This same small business union co-op model can be used for our electrical union members in building competition with Exelon on our public lines-----and for our trade unions in building small business competition with the large construction corporations that dominate Baltimore City.

10. As an elected official of Baltimore City, would you support efforts to ensure that Verizon properly maintains land line service?

Absolutely!

11. In 2015, the governor significantly cut education funding for Baltimore City’s Public Schools. Some in Annapolis have argued that the city itself, not just the state, should be contributing much more to its public school student who are living in areas of very high concentration of poverty will have enough funding and resources to be successful?

I am a powerful advocate for strong and broad public education K-university and you can be sure that Baltimore, minus the corporate fraud and corruption and oversight and accountability of Federal and state funding will have plenty of funding to support public schools in all communities. We are being forced into a corporate K-career college structure with cheapened classroom models and quality of education and with that the defunding to push public schools into the hands of corporations. I feel that if Federal and state public education funding was gutted-----Baltimore City itself would have the revenues to support our public schools. The first critical step once in office is to protect against Wall Street bond market fraud tied to the Baltimore City School building bonds----this deal was really bad for schools and citizens and I will look at ways to mitigate losses to Wall Street.

12. Is there a pension crisis for city employees? How would you address structural issues in the Baltimore City Pension System?

First, I am the only candidate that knows the pension frauds from last decade and these several years so I will fight to move that fraud taking ½ of public pension value from 2008 and protect against the frauds directed at pensions in this coming economic crash. Simply seeking justice in these cases will reverse what Moody’s and other rating corporations are calling a public debt that is not serviceable. I understand that some public agencies have opted out of payroll taxes for Social Security because they saw these pensions as their retirements and I look at them that way as well. I do not see a pension crisis. What the next Mayor of Baltimore must be ready to do is fight the intent of sending Baltimore City into bankruptcy as Detroit was with all of the credit bond debt filling our economy. It is deliberate with the intent of busting public pensions and unions.

13.   Should teachers in Baltimore’s Public Charter Schools be considered employees of the charter school or employees of the local school board? Should they remain in the bargaining unit covered by the collective bargaining agreement between the school system and the Baltimore Teachers Union?

First, I am not wanting the charter system that is being pushed. It is not a public charter system they are building----it is a national corporate charter chain system with our schools built into a corporate campus structure and I will reverse that. So, initially, I will be reversing many charters and looking at the charter agreement process as in some cases unconstitutional and in violation of Federal laws of equity, opportunity and access. This will protect Baltimore Teachers’ Union. I am also not wanting Teach for America or other outside private teaching sources beyond augmenting community needs. I will protect teachers and unions. Once I feel comfortable the corporate movement is at bay, I think public charters can work when a community wants them and I would require that teachers be public and union.

14. In the past, the city administration has adopted a practice of rotating closures and complete closing of firehouses. Would you support this practice as a budgetary fix?

I support bringing back those fire stations closed and boosting our fire stations with funding to rebuild capacity and outreach in the communities. I support reversing cuts to pay and benefits and I will not allow privatization of police or fire personnel as is the push right now.

15. Currently, all seats on the Baltimore City School Board are appointed. Legislation is introduced in Annapolis every year to allow for at least a partially elected school board. Would you be in favor of such legislation?

The first thing I will do as Mayor of Baltimore is contest the control of our Baltimore City School Board by the State of Maryland. We have strong grounds for bringing it back to the city. I will then move away from the corporate structure in place today and I will appoint a Superintendent---- not a CEO because public schools are not businesses. I support a partially elected school board and will change the City Charter as such. As important, I will build community public policy forums in our schools to bring citizens into touch with education policy and politics so we can have informed voting for these school board members.

16. Baltimore’s schools are among the most overcrowded in the state. How can we work to reduce class sizes, especially for younger children and children with disabilities in the city’s public schools?

I am reversing all the public school closings and making the goal of a public school in every community the answer to over-crowding. I recognize Federal protections for special needs students and see the funding needs favoring special needs programs in their own community schools. I will return to the structure of having ancillary staff in each school----from nurse, social worker, librarians, arts and humanities, and special needs aids and teachers. I see the current education policies as violations of Federal law and US Constitutional rights.

17. DISPLACED WORKER PROTECTION ACT:
Many union members work for university and private building services like cafeterias, engineering, cleaners and security. These operations are often run by private contractors, not by the primary institution. For example, workers who prepare and serve meals to students at Johns Hopkins University work for Compass Group, not for the university.

If the primary institutions change the contract company, the workers are at risk of losing their jobs through no fault of their own. In several US jurisdictions (e.g. Montgomery County, MD and Washington, DC) legislative bodies have passed Displaced Worker Protection Acts, requiring incoming contractors to hire the existing workforce for at least a 90-day trial period.

Would you support enacting a DWPA act in Baltimore City? If so, how would you actively work to pass such an act?

I would support DWPA act in Baltimore City. More importantly, I will end outsourcing of contracts to large corporations and global corporations that then subcontract locally marginalizing our local workforce and local businesses. Having local trade unions partnering directly with our Baltimore City Public Works will assure labor unions and our local small businesses direct access to Baltimore City contracts and enforcing Federal labor laws for all contract work done in Baltimore will push Federal and State contracts to following guidelines that protect our local labor and businesses. Changing the Baltimore City Charter and reorganizing the structure of Baltimore Board of Estimates and how the city awards contracts will start to address this. Lobbying at the Maryland Assembly for these DWPA act policies will happen in my administration.

18. Do you support raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for all workers in Baltimore by 2020?

I actually see the Living Wage as higher by then and will be pushing for all Living Wage standards in Baltimore. We must watch for the Mom and Pop businesses that may not be able to afford to raise wages as fast----but protecting small businesses from outside costs always helps them to move savings to wages.

19. What do you think is the best strategy to assure that our school buildings are safe, structurally sound, and welcoming environment for children, teacher, and other education professionals in Baltimore?

One of the missed opportunities we are having is claiming all of the recyclable construction debris for the city as it is being taken for corporate profit. I will build community construction debris recycle centers in all communities with the goal of augmenting new school construction. Baltimore City has plenty of revenue and plenty of Federal funding that will easily rebuild most of our public schools. The current policies of closure are simply development tools.

20. Would you be in favor of expanding the community school strategy in Baltimore by working to make more public schools community schools? If so, Why? If not, why not?

I support community school strategies that do not dismantle what I feel are vital public institutions in each community. In other words, these expanded services should augment public services and not replace them. I do not like the degree of corporate non-profit replacing our public school staff. Again, non-profits should augment and not replace our public school structures. I support magnate schools for vocational specialties----but would move away from the large high school structures we see too often in Baltimore.

21. If elected, how will you urge developers and contracting companies to adopt PLA language into their bidding documents on large-scale projects in your district?

The key to having large – scale contractors bend on labor issues is to build the regional and local business capacity to hand these contracts to if these larger corporations do not want to address labor issues. Right now the current policy of dismantling all public works and local small businesses is done to give these larger corporations the power to tell us what they want. Rebuilding our local and regional businesses will reverse that power.

22. Do you support the strengthening and expansion of the City of Baltimore’s Prevailing Wage Law?

I do. I will as well end all the loop-holes written into Baltimore City laws in these regards ---and there are many used to circumvent these Prevailing Wage laws.

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