ADRAY’S AND HFCC
In recent weeks, Adray Photo and Sound announced that it would remain in Dearborn, rather than move to a new shopping center in Allen Part at Outer Drive and Southfield. Adray’s had contemplated the move because of a very serious need to generate more traffic and, in turn, sales at its Dearborn store.
What does Adray’s fate mean to HFCC? First, for over 50 years Adray’s has been a major benefactor to the Dearborn and metropolitan Detroit communities. It has literally contributed well over $2 million to youth sports, College scholarships, community organizations, and community facilities. At HFCC, the Adray family has built a state-of-the-art theatre, sponsored hundreds of student scholarships, and is a major sponsor of the College radio station WHFR. For years, the late Michael Adray chaired HFCC and Dearborn Schools millage and capital improvement bond campaigns. Mr. Adray’s support of education tax renewals and increases did not endear him or his business to anti-tax, anti-public education ideologues. Nevertheless, he never failed to do so.
Second, having a staunch champion of public education and Henry Ford Community College in the Dearborn community benefits this College and its faculty indirectly. HFCC has no greater advocates and public relations boosters in Dearborn’s business and social circles than Debbie Adray and Adray’s Vice-president/General Manager George Bednar.
There are two ways in which HFCC faculty can express their appreciation of the Adray family’s support of HFCC. First, the Federation urges you to shop Adray’s for photo, television, stereo, fine jewelry and small appliance purchases. We urge you to encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do likewise. The very least the College community can do is to see if Adray’s prices are competitive. Those of us who regularly patronize Adray’s think they are. While shopping Adray’s, please factor in as well what the Adray family has done for our college and community as compared to any of its “big box” competitors. Adray’s is located at 20219 Carlysle in West Dearborn (Southfield south to Outer Drive west to Carlysle southwest).
Second, if you are able, please consider supporting the Mike Adray Memorial Golf Tournament for Scholarships at HFCC on May 18. You can do so as a golfer and/or diner – as can your family and friends. To support the Tournament, contact HFCC Foundation Director Joe Hallissey (x1700).
John McDonald
LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL ACTION
The 1650 Legislative/Political Action Committee has been hard at work compiling information on three critical issues with both short and long-term significance to HFCC teachers: Social Security reform, State funding for higher education, and MPSERS-related issues. Recognizing the complexity of the debate over privatizing Social Security and the rhetoric swirling around it, the Committee disseminated a detailed fact sheet on the role of Social Security and the serious flaws in arguments justifying its partial privatization through the establishment of Individual Investment Accounts.
With regard to Social Security reform and State funding issues, members of Local 1650 have been asked to share their views and concerns with their U.S. Representatives and Senators and State legislators in writing. The Committee has provided sample letters regarding Social Security and State funding . To ease the burden of such a letter-writing campaign, drafts of letters were sent recently to members via e-mail. Please write to your U. S. and State legislators right away if you have not yet done so.
As the following two articles from April 2’s AFT Retiree E-news demonstrate, Local 1650 is in good company in its questioning of President Bush’s Social Security reform proposal and in its resistance to the proposal.
AFL-CIO RALLIES THOUSANDS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Thousands of union activists in 70 sites from New York to San Francisco and Boston to Austin demonstrated March 31 to demand that Wall Street brokerage firm Charles Schwab and financial giant Wachovia Bank withdraw their support for President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security. In Washington, a throng of nearly 500, including some 50 AFT staff and activists, picketed Schwab and Wachovia offices. They heard AFL-CIO president John Sweeney call the Bush plan "a flim-flam scheme" that would reduce the standard of living of tomorrow's retirees and saddle the young with an exploding federal deficit. Sweeney warned the firms not to "try to pick our pockets while you line yours." Major corporations backing the privatization push are well positioned to make huge profits managing private accounts. AFT leaders and activists in New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Texas and other states participated in similar events.
Earlier, under pressure from Union activists, brokerage houses Edward Jones and Waddell Reed withdrew from a major business coalition backing privatization. For more information, go to http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/O1zcWTd1HPvE/wallstreet.
(Article from AFT Retiree E-news, April 2, 2005)
MEDICARE’S FINANCIAL OUTLOOK IMPROVES SLIGHTLY, BUT PROGRAM STILL FACES MORE PROBLEMS THAN SOCIAL SECURITY
The Social Security Trustees’ Annual Report, released March 24, shows little change in the Social Security's financial outlook, confirming that the program is secure today and faces modest long-term financial challenges. According to the Trustees' projections, Social Security will still have sufficient money coming in to cover 74% of benefits in 2041, one year earlier than last year's estimate, even if nothing is done to strengthen the system.
The Trustees stressed that although the short-term financial outlook for Medicare had improved slightly, the long-term problems of Medicare are much worse than those of Social Security. The primary culprits are soaring healthcare costs and an underfunded prescription drug benefit. By 2020, Medicare taxes will cover 79% of benefits.
Not surprisingly, Trustees appointed by the Bush administration seized upon the report to bolster its Social Security proposal to divert payroll taxes into private accounts. Yet, even President Bush acknowledges private accounts will do nothing to address Social Security's long-term solvency. In fact, private accounts would accelerate insolvency to 2030. For more info, go to: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/bpzcWTd1HPvI/ebri.
(Article from AFT Retiree E-news, April 2, 2005)
1650 MAKES “BUYING UNION” EASY
If it has been a while since you visited Local 1650’s Web site (http://www.hfccft1650.org), or if you have never been there at all, you might be unaware of a link that makes supporting your Union brothers and sisters easier than ever. Accessing the link “Shop Union Made” will lead you to information on a wealth of union-made products – including, of course, cars and trucks but also telephone, Internet services, and even live theatrical performances!
Do you want even more information than that? Well, it is just an “e-stone’s
throw away.” Click on “Miscellaneous” to go to www.ShopUnionMade.org, where
you can access over two dozen categories of goods and services. Why is
patronizing union-affiliated businesses important? A quick look at ailing
General Motors and Ford says it all – declining revenues that have spun into
layoffs, plant closures, reduced benefits, and weakened contracts. The
strength of one union, such as ours, depends largely on protecting the
well-being of the others, particularly those in the private sector. It will be
very difficult to maintain good wages and insurance benefits in the public
sector if they are disappearing from the private sector.
1650 CONGRATULATIONS
Quick! Turn to your nearest 1650 neighbor and give each other belated pats
on the back for helping to achieve such sterling results from HFCC’s recent
accreditation review! As you must know by now, the review team from NCA’s
Higher Learning Commission could not have given us better news: recommendation
that we be awarded a 10-year re-accreditation with no follow-up visits or
progress reports. Getting such unqualified approval is extremely rare and is a
testament to the College’s unique structure and dynamics. Both during the
months leading up to the visit and during the visit itself, all areas of the
College community pulled together to demonstrate HFCC’s commitment to student
welfare and learning and to the community college mission. Our system of
shared governance and the positive, respectful working relationship between
teachers, support staff, and administrators could not have served us better.
Congratulations to all!
MFT CONVENTION
The MFT&SRP Convention will be held May 6-7 in Traverse City. At the March
General Membership meeting, nominations for delegates closed, and the election
followed shortly thereafter. The following members were elected as 1650
delegates: Sam Bazzi, James Knack, Anthony Mazurak, Jeff Morford, John
McDonald, Margret Thornburg, and Nancy Widman. Local 1650 thanks these
delegates in advance for their service.
MICHIGAN PAY EQUITY NETWORK
The Michigan Pay Equity Network has declared Tuesday, April 19, to be
“Equal Pay Day,” in order to dramatize widespread pay inequities between men
and women. MPEN calculates that women are “in the red” for almost five months
of the year and must work until April 19 to attain the same pay as men in the
previous calendar year. It also reports that “Michigan is ranked 49th in the
U.S. for women’s wage parity with men!” To protest this pay inequity among
women and minorities, please join others in wearing red on April 19. To learn
more about the Pay Equity Network, gender-based statistics on academic and
professional advancement, and current legislative action, go to
www.pay-equity.org.