Home Blog Page 65

Fairfax Education Unions and Over 27,500 FCPS Workers Overwhelmingly Win Landmark Union Elections

3

Good news, courtesy of Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch and Fairfax Education Unions:

Statement: Fairfax County Public Schools Staff Collective Bargaining Vote

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA – Today, Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch released the following statement on the heels of news that instructional and operational staff in Fairfax County Public Schools – one of Virginia’s largest employers – have voted to allow Fairfax Education Unions to represent and collectively bargain for them:

“This is a historic and exciting day for Fairfax County. Collective bargaining will help staff retention and student success. After all, teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. Everyone wins when educators and other school staff have a seat at the decision-making table — pay increases, working conditions improve, and turnover becomes less common.”

“Growing up, my dad had a public sector union job, and my mother waited tables. Our family’s stable middle-class existence was a direct result of their hard work and the transformative power of collective bargaining. I am excited that our tireless educators and staff now have that right too.”

BACKGROUND:

In February 2020, the Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously to reverse its longstanding opposition to collective bargaining rights for teachers and staff, adopting an amendment sponsored by Frisch to the FCPS legislative program — issues the school division lobbies for and against in Richmond and Washington.

A few weeks later, the General Assembly came through, giving localities, including school boards, the option of granting collective bargaining rights to public employees. The Fairfax County School Board moved quickly, initiating a process following an “interest-based” model to draft a resolution for board consideration.

Each of the school division’s 17 certified employee associations was invited to participate in the collective bargaining resolution’s development, working with division counsel, staff, and experts for more than a year to reach a consensus.

Following that process, the Fairfax County School Board hosted a work session to discuss the draft resolution’s finer details. It also held a public hearing to receive feedback from staff, students, families, and other community members.

Last March, the School Board passed a resolution providing collective bargaining rights to teachers and other staff in FCPS, opening the door for today’s historic staff vote. Frisch sponsored the resolution, which was seconded by then-School Board Member Stella Pekarsky.

 

Monday News: EU Election Results; Trump’s Like Your “Unhinged Uncle…After He Has Had That Third Drink”; “Republicans pitch tax cuts for corporations, the wealthy in 2025”; “Virginia’s hurried, anachronistic legislative schedule invites [mistakes]”

11

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, June 10.

Sunday News: “Supreme Court’s Strains Intensify as Term’s End Approaches”; “Trump loyalist pushes ‘post-constitutional’ vision for second term”; “Trump’s Bizarre Moments With Dr. Phil and Hannity Should Alarm Us All”; “5 Virginia Republicans run for Senate; Trump looms over race”

11

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, June 9.

[UPDATED] Virginia U.S. House Pre-Primary Campaign Finance Numbers

8

See below for campaign finance numbers – courtesy of the FEC – from 4/1 to 5/29, the final reports prior to the June 18 primaries.

U.S. Senate

  • Sen. Tim Kaine: $1,040,741 net contributions this period; $8,615,047 cash on hand
  • Hung Cao: $420,452 net contributions this period; $500,655 cash on hand
  • Scott Parkinson: $88,357 net contributions this period; $329,151 cash on hand
  • Jonathan Emord: $57,206 net contributions this period; $34,905 cash on hand
  • Edward Garcia: $39,783 net contributions this period; $25,249 cash on hand
  • Chuck Smith: $33,948 net contributions this period; $20,500 cash on hand

VA01

  • Rep. Rob Wittman: $208,394 net contributions this period; $1,642,933 cash on hand
  • Leslie Mehta: $52,761 net contributions this period; $65,384 cash on hand
  • Herb Jones: $22,616 net contributions this period; $266,278 cash on hand

VA02

  • Rep. Jen Kiggans: $437,451 net contributions this period; $1,846,148 cash on hand
  • Missy Cotter Smasal: $261,815 net contributions this period; $367,660 cash on hand
  • Jake Denton: $104,137 net contributions this period; $83,040 cash on hand

VA05

  • John McGuire: $626,357 net contributions this period; $520,201 cash on hand
  • Rep. Bob Good: $285,979 net contributions this period; $167,832 cash on hand
  • Gary Terry: $12,605 net contributions this period; $3,663 cash on hand
  • Gloria Tinsley Witt: $7,688 net contributions this period; $5,448 cash on hand

VA07

  • Eugene Vindman: $1,187,255 net contributions this period; $876,053 cash on hand
  • Derrick Anderson: $212,214 net contributions this period; $421,885 cash on hand
  • Cameron Hamilton: $182,258 net contributions this period; $177,601 cash on hand
  • Briana Sewell: $73,942 net contributions this period; $60,061 cash on hand
  • Elizabeth Guzman: $60,115 net contributions this period; $104,428 cash on hand
  • Andrea Bailey: $59,175 net contributions this period; $100,032 cash on hand
  • Margaret Franklin: $42,672 net contributions this period; $67,085 cash on hand
  • Carl Bedell: $23,366 net contributions this period; $17,362 cash on hand
  • Cliff Heinzer: $1,108 net contributions this period; $14,909 cash on hand

VA10

  • Dan Helmer: $429,812 net contributions this period; $536,350 cash on hand
  • Suhas Subramanyam: $366,022 net contributions this period; $285,807 cash on hand
  • Eileen Filler-Corn: $205,842 net contributions this period; $219,035 cash on hand
  • Jennifer Boysko: $134,244 net contributions this period; $95,103 cash on hand
  • Krystle Kaul: $88,989 net contributions this period; $42,867 cash on hand
  • Atif Qarni: $73,562 net contributions this period; $80,430 cash on hand
  • David Reid: $55,684 net contributions this period; $16,219 cash on hand
  • Aliscia Andrews: $53,247 net contributions this period; $26,970 cash on hand
  • Mike Clancy: $32,312 net contributions this period; $110,727 cash on hand
  • Alex Isaac: $23,030 net contributions this period; $22,997 cash on hand
  • Michelle Maldonado: $21,531 net contributions this period; $836 cash on hand
  • Travis Nembhard: $15,000 net contributions this period; $22,752 cash on hand
  • Adrian Pokharel: $14,648 net contributions this period; $33,769 cash on hand
  • Marion Devoe: $2,165 net contributions this period; $10,395 cash on hand
  • Mark Leighton: $1,885 net contributions this period; $2,019 cash on hand

VA11

  • Rep. Gerry Connolly: $179,651 net contributions this period; $3,864,549 cash on hand
  • Ahsan Nasar: $25,321 net contributions this period; $23,853 cash on hand

 

Saturday News: “Robust job growth in May once again exceeds expectations”; “Wow! I Wonder Why So Many People Have Offered Clarence Thomas Such Expensive Gifts!”; “Trump Won’t Let Anyone Talk Him Out of Revenge”; “The Growing Debacle for Will Lewis and the [WaPo]”

8

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, June 8.

Hypocrite Hung: Hung Cao Attacks Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion While Holding VP Position At A Company That Actively Promotes DEI 

2

From DPVA:

Hypocrite Hung: Hung Cao Attacks Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion While Holding VP Position At A Company That Actively Promotes DEI 

Richmond, VA – A new report from American Journal News highlighted how Hung Cao has repeatedly attacked diversity and inclusion in the workplace yet holds a top position at a company that actively promoted diversity and inclusion.

Cao has compared DEI programs to “Marxism” and even blamed the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on DEI efforts at the Department of Transportation. He also blamed the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on their DEI efforts in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner.

Yet at the same time, CACI International, where Cao is the Vice President of the Navy and Marine Corps division, has a dedicated DEI program to help “unleash their full potential and appreciate the richness of differences.” Cao talks out of one side of his mouth that diversity is “Marxism,” “communism,” and “socialism,” and yet is in a leadership role at a company that has diversity “woven into” its fabric.

“Hung Cao got caught with a new hypocritical and transparent political reversal because he is an absolute fraud whose words mean nothing,” said DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker. “Virginians will see through Hypocritcal Hung’s endless political calculations and will see that no matter what position he stakes out next, the only consistent position he has ever had is furthering himself.”

Read more below:

American Journal News: Virginia U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao says workplace diversity is ‘Marxism’

FACT CHECK: In CNN Appearance, Gov. Youngkin Spews Contraception Doublespeak

12

See below for a press release by Katie Baker, who among other things works for Protect Our Care Virginia. Also note that in this same interview on CNN, Youngkin lied about many other things as well, including President Joe Biden’s superb record (which Youngkin of course trashes, falsely), what Donald Trump would  supposedly bring to the White House (Youngkin of course doesn’t mention fascism, corruption, incompetence, etc.), Trump’s felony convictions supposedly being all “political” (quite the contrary; Trump was convicted for committing crimes, by a jury of his peers, fair and square), more “oily clean car b.s.”  about electric vehicles and California’s emissions standards, etc. Jake Tapper, of course, just let Youngkin lie and lie and lie some more – with basically zero pushback, because that’s how Tapper and his pathetic fellow “access journalists” roll. Disgusting on every level.

FACT CHECK: In CNN Appearance, Gov. Youngkin Spews Contraception Doublespeak

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared on CNN yesterday in the wake of the U.S. Senate’s vote on June 5 to block the federal Right to Contraception Act. In an interview with Jake Tapper, Youngkin falsely claimed that the proposal he sent to the General Assembly “would have protected access to contraception”.

In fact, Youngkin’s substitute gutted Virginia’s Right to Contraception Act, introduced by Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) and Delegate Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News). His toothless proposal:

  • Deleted the bill’s enforcement mechanism.
  • Converted the legislation into a Section 1 bill. These bills are not included in the state code because they are typically of limited and temporary application (e.g. bills directing studies).

The General Assembly refused to entertain Youngkin’s effort to gut the bill and sent the Right to Contraception Act back to his desk. Gov. Youngkin then vetoed the bill.

Video: President Biden Delivers Remarks on Democracy at Pointe du Hoc in France

3

See below for video and excerpts, courtesy of the White House, of President Joe Biden’s remarks on democracy, delivered a few minutes ago at Pointe du Hoc in France. As President Biden said:

“[The Rangers in June 1944] stood against Hitler’s aggression. Does anyone doubt that they would want America to stand up against Putin’s aggression here in Europe today?…Does anyone believe these Rangers would want America to go it alone today?…Does anyone doubt they wouldn’t move heaven and earth to vanquish hateful ideologies of today?…They believed America was a beacon to the world; I’m certain they believed that it would be that way forever…They’re not asking us to scale these cliffs, but they’re asking us to stay true to what America stands for…They’re asking us to care for others in our country more than ourselves…They’re not asking us to do their job, they’re asking us to do our job – to protect in our time, to defend democracy, to stand up to aggression abroad and at home, to be part of something bigger than ourselves. My fellow Americans, I refuse to believe, I simply refuse to believe that America’s greatness is a thing of the past. I still believe there’s nothing beyond the capacity of America when we act together…Our actions every day ensure that our democracy endures and the soul of our nation endures. To come here simply to remember the ghosts of Pointe du Hoc isn’t enough. We need to hear them. We have to listen to them…We need to make the solemn vow to never let them down…God bless America.

Well said.

Excerpts from President Joe Biden Speech on 80thAnniversary of D-Day at Pointe du Hoc

“When we talk about democracy  – American democracy – we often talk big ideas like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What we don’t talk about enough is how hard it is.”

“American democracy asks the hardest of things: to believe that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves. So democracy begins with each of us.”

“I’ve long said that history has shown that ordinary Americans can do the most extraordinary things. And there’s no better example of that in the entire world than right here at Pointe du Hoc. Rangers from farms, from cities, from every part of America.”

As we gather here today, it’s not just to honor those who showed such remarkable bravery that day June 6, 1944. It’s to listen to the echo of their voices. To hear them. Because they are summoning us. They’re asking us what will we do. They’re not asking us to scale these cliffs. They’re asking us to stay true to what America stands for.

Friday News: “Biden defends democracy in Europe while Trump undermines it at home”; “US sets new record with $71B in clean energy investment”; “WaPo CEO: Ask Me Anything Except About Phone Hack Cover-Up”; “Youngkin’s autocratic decision moves Virginia backwards on the transition to EV’s”

10

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, June 7.

Video: Sen. Mark Warner Talks GOP Opposing Women’s Right to Contraception; Tyler’s Law/Fentanyl; Envigo Beagles; Biden’s Border Executive Actions; Threats to Our Elections; etc.

10

In this week’s media availability, Sen. Mark Warner commented on a variety of topics. See below for video and highlights, including:

  • “I have felt for a long time and believe very strongly that women in America and women in Virginia ought to have the freedom to decide how and when to start a family. Unfortunately, those freedoms around, particularly reproductive health, have been dramatically cut back. We saw the Dobbs decision, which overturned the right to an abortion that had been ensconced as law for 50 years in this country. A dramatic cut back on women’s rights. And yesterday, we had an opportunity to guarantee for women all across America the right to contraception. So, again, a woman can decide when to start a family. Unfortunately, many of my Republican colleagues who say we’ve got no intent in undermining contraception would not put their vote for the legislation we put forward yesterday. We didn’t get 60 votes. Two of my Republican colleagues, Senator Collins and Senator Murkowski, joined all of the Democrats in this effort. But I hope folks, as they go to the polls this year, will remember, don’t look at politicians what they say about women’s health care rights. Look at what they’ve done. Unfortunately, we saw in Virginia a right to contraception law vetoed as well…My message to women and men who are part of families everywhere is you got to vote, You know, and anybody that says, I don’t want to go after your ability to get  contraception, I don’t want to go after, you know, IVF kind of fertilization techniques, I won’t kind of defer on questions on a woman has a right to an abortion. Talk is cheap. What is makes a difference is where you vote and how you vote. And as we saw yesterday, even though virtually every Republican senator said they believe that contraception was not under assault, they wouldn’t back what is a very straightforward law…As we’ve seen in state after state, where a woman’s right to choose has been on the ballot, when women, men who want to respect women’s health care rights get out, they turn out in remarkable numbers. And again, I think that’s the reason why the Democrats in Virginia took back the General Assembly.”
  • Tyler’s law is named after Tyler Shamash, who unfortunately did not get tested in a hospital and died because there was not that testing for fentanyl…We need to make sure that…this bill becomes law so that as folks present at a hospital in an emergency room, this becomes a standard active testing for fentanyl. And that’s not going to solve all of the problem around this issue.  We need to do more in terms of cutting back on the drug gangs from Mexico.  We need to put more pressure on China. But we sure have got to make sure that if a person presents at the emergency room, that it is standard procedure and protocol, that that individual gets tested for fentanyl…”
  • “You all may recall back in 2022, Tim Kaine and I and others, and found that there  was an animal facility in Cumberland, Virginia, owned by a company named Envigo, where 4000 beagles were being held in awful, awful conditions. They were they were being malnourished. They were kept then in cages that were not cleaned. There was about any kind of animal abuse possible. Through our actions, we were able to free those 4000 beagles.”
  • “First of all, you know, the border is a mess. We need to do more. And we had an opportunity to provide the strongest border security law in our country’s history. And it was bipartisan, negotiated by my good friend, very conservative senator from Oklahoma, James Lankford. The only reason we didn’t take that bill up and pass it was callous little political interference from Donald Trump who said, hey, I don’t want to really solve the border, I want to simply bash President Biden. And it was hugely disappointing that we didn’t pass that bill. I think President Biden’s actions, I think, again, he was waiting until after the Mexican elections took place this past weekend. But I think it was appropriate to shut down the border if if more people come across than can be handled so that we don’t have this policy of catch and release for people who are waiting to get their their hearing are released into the country or sometimes they don’t show up. I think it was a strong executive action. The challenge is it probably won’t stand up in court. So he will have taken this action, but without the force of law, the question will be whether it stands up to judicial review. We must fix the border. And the only way you can do that is by passing a strong bipartisan law.”
  • I’m hugely concerned about disinformation. And the truth is, in some ways, we may be more vulnerable today than we were four years ago. And the reasons are one other nation states are potentially using this tool. I you know, we’ve thought about it in the past Russia, China, Iran. There have been public reports that even an ally like  Israel may be trying to influence our elections. And I’m waiting to get a briefing from the intelligence community on that. I also am concerned about the fact that, you know, let’s just face it, more Americans believe crazy conspiracy theories. So the bad guys don’t necessarily have to plant always a false story. They simply have to amplify things that are, you know, racing around the Internet on some of these extreme sites and bring more eyeballs to those stories because people are willing to to believe some of the crazy conspiracy theories. Third is there were six months because of a legal case where we didn’t even have voluntary communications between social media companies and law enforcement. That is restarted.  We lost a valuable six months. And then finally, we’ve got artificial intelligence tools that can create deepfakes where my face and my voice or your face and your voice can be created to say anything. And it’s not you. Even though to the observer, it will appear to be you and your voice. That is enormously, enormously challenging…We don’t need foreign countries interfering in our elections, and we sure as heck don’t need further undermining of trust by AI tools that could be enormously damaging to faith in our election.”