January 6, 2014 – RI Future

January 6, 2014January 7, 2014

Teny Oded Gross talks about locating a parole office in downtown Providence

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Teny Oded Gross, the executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, works with people who are trying to turn their lives around after being in trouble with the law. And as such, he had some choice words for Angus Davis, Ed Achorn and others who don’t want the state to locate a parole office in downtown Providence. But his choice words were, to my mind, surprisingly balanced.

He said Davis, the Swipley CEO who ignited the debate, made some good points that may have been overshadowed by his use of the term “criminal convention centers.” He said it was “unfortunate” that the Providence Journal editorial chose to re-purpose that phrase rather than the more reasoned points in Davis’ letter. He also took issue with the ProJo headline: “Protect the downtown.”

He also said parolees may prefer to drive to their parole visits, and downtown isn’t the best place for that. And that the NetworkRI location on Reservoir Avenue may be a better locale considering all transportation options.

My favorite thing he said: “The business people are not leeches on our city and the poor who are being serviced by the government are not leeches either. We cannot step on each other.”

Listen to the entire podcast here:

January 6, 2014

Labor Board sets trial date for Renaissance Hotel dispute

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Regional Director Jonathan B. Kreisberg of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) out of Boston “issued a Government complaint and notice of hearing against the Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel and TPG Hospitality, Inc., The Procaccianti Group’s hotel management affiliate. The NLRB Complaint charges the Hotel with multiple unfair labor practices deterring workers from organizing to improve their low wage, low benefit jobs,” according to a press release on the Joey Quits blog late Friday.

The press release continues:

Representatives of the hotel workers’ union asked the Hotel to resolve the case by being neutral. The Hotel has refused. A trial before a federal labor judge is scheduled for March 31, 2014 in the NLRB’s Boston office.

The Government complaint names thirteen different managers, including Elizabeth Procaccianti and Hotel General Manager Angelo DePeri. The NLRB Complaint alleges multiple acts of interfering with, restraining and coercing employee organizing rights, including interrogation and illegal promises of benefits to induce workers to abandon union organizing. The NLRB Complaint cites The Procaccianti Group’s TPG Hospitality affiliate for maintaining illegal work rules nationwide, including rules restricting communications and prohibiting employees from speaking to the media and the public about their jobs.

This NLRB Complaint comes after OSHA cited the Hotel in October 2013. The Hotel ultimately settled with OSHA by agreeing to correct the workplace hazards and paying $8,000 in fines.

Julian Bello, a houseman at the Renaissance, said: “This is now the second time the Federal government is citing the Hotel for violating our rights. Why does it think it is above the law?”

Citing the Hotel’s coercive anti-union campaign, sweatshop workloads and sub-living wages, the workers called for a boycott of the Hotel on December 4, 2013. While the law gives Hotel managers the right to force workers into mandatory anti-union meetings, the law does not force the public to patronize their Hotel.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has already canceled over 800 rooms they had reserved for their General Assembly convention, to be held in Providence in June 2014. Jan Sneegas, the UUA’s director of General Assembly and Conference Services, said, “The Unitarian Universalist Association is strongly committed to the fair treatment and equity of all employees in the workplace. When a labor dispute arises, it is our policy to review our contract with that company. In this instance, the UUA decided to terminate the contract.”

Renaissance workers currently make significantly lower wages and benefits than their counterparts in union hotels like the Omni Providence Hotel. The Procaccianti Group, has owned, developed or managed over 100 hotels nationwide and claims real estate assets exceeding $5 billion nationwide.

January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

RIF Radio: Jack Reed on unemployment insurance; legislative session predictions and ‘High Hopes’

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Monday Jan 6, 2014
North Kingstown, RI – Good morning, Ocean State. This is Bob Plain, editor and publisher of the RI Future blog podcasting to you from The Hideaway on the banks of the Mattatuxet River behind the Shady Lea Mill in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

As Bruce Springsteen suggests it’s Monday, the first day of the first full week of 2014 … and talk about climate change! It’s already 50 degrees warmer than it was last week. A 50 degree swing! Last week pipes were freezing all over Rhode Island. Today, we might have a thunder storm.

The big news out of Washington DC this week centers around Rhode Island’s senior Senator Jack Reed, who is working with Republican Dean Heller of Nevada to extend federal unemployment benefits. Listen to my interview with Sen. Reed from Friday here.

Policy aside, it’s really cool that 2014 inside the beltway politics starts with a bit of bipartisanship that includes a Rhode Islander. Will this be a trend in the new year … will this be the year America re-learns how to work together? Here’s more evidence that perhaps we will: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a jew and a socialist, said he’s on the same side as the pope!

To learn more about the Ocean State version of Pope Frank, make sure to check out Ed Fitzpatrick’s column on Sister Ann Keefe … Remember earlier when I wondered what Rhode Island would be like if Anchor Rising or RI Future were in charge? Well imagine if superstar Ann Keefe ran the state? I’d take that.

The : “the $14,947-a-year legislators will be off and running, with public hearings, private horse-trades and almost nightly legislative fundraisers…”

The AP’s David Klepper had a fascinating look at one of the ways Rhode Island has been systematically ignoring our most vulnerable residents.

A Florida judge ruled drug testing welfare recipient is unconstitutional.

For yet another example of how Rhode Island seems to revile the poor and disaffected, see the recent ire from the business community about a potential parole office in downtown Providence. Please make sure to check out Sam Howard’s take on this issue. Needless to say, the ProJo op/ed page thinks reformed offenders don’t belong in downtown Providence.

Tom Sgouros thinks you need to read this press release. If you know why, you passed the spelling test.

Jonathan Jacobs, who works for Brett Smiley’s campaign for Providence mayor, had this to say about Eli Broad’s op/ed about how maybe we are giving the rich a hard time.

And James Kennedy wants you to sign this petition to add more bike lanes to the West End of Providence.

January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

A knew hat in the wring

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Received the following press release in my email. It is reproduced verbatim here as a public service to East Side voters:

Press Release:

From College Republicans of Johnson & Wales University

A Young College Republican Upset that his District is paying more of there fare share into the city and the State of Rhode Island.

Johnson & Wales University College Republican President Russell Taub considers running for either city council in Providence or for the State House in 2014 at Edith Ajello.

H. Russell Taub 25 years old student at Johnson & Wales University studying hospitality and entrepreneurship is a member of many campus organization starts to gather information on issues that his district faces and what changes need to start happening.

H. Russell Taub who participated in this year Hanukkah lighting says he feels that that Jewish Community has been ignored when the state house did not even have the Hanukkah lighting on the calender for people to look up or attend. Even Governor Chafee staff had no idea when or if it was still happening, creating a feeling of not caring about the Jewish Community. And that Christmas is more important than any other holiday.

He went to Fairleigh Dickinson University to study politics and foreign relations, which he did for three years before he given an opportunity to be part of the Social Humanitarian Committee on Indigenous Affairs as an NGO Rep. at the United Nations for one year. After that he transferred to Johnson & Wales University. Currently H. Russell Taub represents many organizations including a social group designed to promote the State of the Rhode Island and its job to promote businesses and the state with foreign governments, the group is called the United Nations Association of Rhode Island. He also works for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council as the Relationship Manager and part of the RIGOP Finance Committee as an educational resource for him to learn from. He recently was part of the polar express in Woonsocket where the Tourism Council was solely responsible for bringing roughly 11,500 people to the city of Woonsocket. Last year he was appointed by the International Human Rights Commission to Ambassador to the USA at the age 24.

H. Russell Taub maybe a republican but he is very much bi partisan politician who believes in working together is the only way that we can start to solve Rhode Island problems. He does not stand for party politics at all he stands for the community and what his constituents wants.

He believes in property tax reform, bipartisan women in leadership and entrepreneurship, accountability of taxes, and making sure those who are paying more of there fare share do not have to any more.

More news will come in the next weeks to weather or not he will run and if so what he will run for.

From College Republican

H. Russell Taub