Local 3315 members,
I am posting a candidate statement from Presita West who is running for executive-at-large.
Christa Petty
Election Chair
Election News
Local 3315 members,
Below are the results of the nomination which took place last week. The only positions contested are the three executive-at-large positions.
- President: Bob Galhotra
- Vice-President: Brendan Max
- Secretary: Amy Thompson
- Treasurer: Mark Douglas
- Trustee: Monique Patterson
Executive-at-large candidates:
- Mary Butterton
- Colleen Gorman
- Joe Gump
- Tim Leeming
- Kevin Ochalla
- Richard Porter
- Sara Garza Reznick
- Presita West
Elections will take place on May 5, 2011 at each major work site. I will be contacting stewards or other volunteers to run the election at their work site. Candidates may e-mail a candidate statement to me at pdchrista@yahoo.com. If anyone has any questions e-mail me at the above address or call me at (312)603-8326.
Sincerely,
Christa Petty
Election chair
CORPUS DELICTI REQUIRED TO PROVE PENETRATION (Reversed 10-17-2012)
A confession alone in not sufficient to prove the element of penetration for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault. Thus, our Appellate Court, by JUSTICE NEVILLE reduces Jason Lara’s conviction from the Class X offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault to the Class 2 felony of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, a lesser included offense.
It seems that Jason admitted in a written statement that he placed his finger into the victim’s vagina on two occasions. However, that was the only proof of penetration as the victim claimed that Jason had only placed his hand on her vagina. Citing cases from 1856 and 1904, the Court noted that the corroboration rule has changed very little since that time. You can read this case, People v Jason Lara, 1-09-1326, First District., Third Division, 3/31/11, that contains, among other things, an interesting discussion of the problems with confessions.
Reversed by Illinois Supreme Court: http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2012/112370.pdf
WE ARE ONE RALLY THIS SATURDAY AT DALEY PLAZA
Excitement is building for the WE ARE ONE Rally this Saturday, April 9, 2011 at Daley Plaza. While the Rally begins at 1pm, and Bill Lucy will be speaking, thousands of union activists, friends and family will be gathering around downtown during the hour before the Rally. Already we have had many members commit to attending and it’s not too late for you to attend also!
Why is this important? It’s no secret that unions are under attack from the corporate and business intrests in this country. They have gotten hold of our elected officials and a full scale assault on our collective bargaining rights is underway, not to mention the stripping away of our pensions under the guise of pension “reform.” What’s happened in states like Wisconsin and Ohio is beginning to happen here in Illinois. And earlier this week, on April 4, we commemorated the assasination of Martin Luther King Jr. who was in Memphis with AFSCME to organize the sanitation workers. Why was he there? To defend their dream – a better way of life for their families. During this week, we are all coming together to remind everyone that the dream is not dead and that we will defend our rights!
See you at Daley Plaza.
In Solidarity,
K. S. Galhotra
View pictures from the rally at our facebook page.
From Memphis to Madison, the Struggle Continues for Workers’ Rights
“Work That Serves Humanity… It Has Dignity and It Has Worth.” Washington, DC —
At the time of his death on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was marching in solidarity with 1,300 AFSCME sanitation workers in Memphis; the public employees were defending their right to collective bargaining for better wages, working conditions, respect and dignity. Forty-three years later, public service workers across the country are fighting to keep their collective bargaining rights — the very rights Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died defending.
In Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Michigan and dozens of other states, well-funded, right-wing corporate politicians argue that collective bargaining has led to rich contracts and benefits for public employees; blaming public employees for budget problems they did not create. Teachers, nurses, firefighters and sanitation workers have been portrayed as the villains, while those on Wall Street continue to collect their bonuses and get off scot-free.
“At a time when American families are struggling, elected officials should be working together to get our economy back on track,” said AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee. “But instead of working to create jobs, too many politicians are using our real economic problems as an excuse to take away the rights of hardworking Americans.” Today, in Memphis and in more than 1,000 communities across the country, Americans are honoring Dr. King’s legacy by coming together in support of collective bargaining rights that give workers a voice. “Governors Walker, Kasich and Scott as well as other politicians on the state and national level are attempting to change the rules to silence workers so that corporate influences can go unchecked,” said AFSCME Sec.-Treas. Lee A. Saunders, who today is leading the 43rd Annual March to remember Dr. King in Memphis. “Their actions have awakened a powerful movement and we will not allow them to steal our power or our future.” The war on the middle class and working families is about political payback to big corporations that want to restrict workers’ rights to collective bargaining for a middle class life, cut wages and benefits, increase Wall Street profits and make teachers, nurses, snow plow drivers and firefighters pay for it.
Recent polling shows that more Americans support unions over governors in states where worker’s rights are under attack. In Memphis in 1968, Dr. King stood with AFSCME sanitation workers to give them a chance to achieve the American Dream. Today, across the country, nurses, teachers, students, firefighters, small business owners, and all working people are standing together to revive the Dream.
Get Educated on the Pension “Reform” Issue (NEW LINK ADDED)
Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired. Ill. Const. Article XIII, Sec. 5.
If you think that changes to pensions are something to worry about in other states and not Illinois, you are dead wrong. There has been a whole lot of propoganda put out by big business (Civic Federation, Commercial Club, etc.) that is false and misleading and is pushing politicians to pass laws that strip away pensions of government employees.
Rose Costin (MDD) indicates that there is a shell bill pending currently in the General Assembly that would affect the pensions of Cook County Employees. That bill, HB521 deserves a close eye and make sure you let your state rep or senator know how you feel about them tinkering with our pensions.
Sister Rose also directs us to three links that are described below which educate you on the fine points of the pension issue if you need some schooling.
And the final piece link is to an explanation of the clause from the Illinois Constitution’s prohibition against pensions being “diminished or impaired,” from the Center for Business and Public Policy.
And now we have a new link that was sent to us from Senator Cullerton’s Chief Legal Counsel, Eric Madair.
The local hopes these resources will be of help to the membership.
INVENTORY SEARCHES
For the latest word and a good holding on inventory searches see People v Michael Spencer, No. 1-08-0973, 1st Dist., 4th Div., 3/24/11. The case illustrates the need to obtain a copy of the relevant police department’s rules on inventory searches prior to litigating such a motion, but also makes the important point that, ” …the existence of a police regulation cannot be used as a predicate to determine the lawfulness or reasonableness of an inventory search of a vehicle.” (Note also that much of the record below was developed pro se!) Read JUSTICE GALLAGHER’S opinion by clicking here.