JUICE: AFL-CIO Endorses Frosh for Attorney General, B'more AG Debate, Delaney Funds Minimum Wage Hike & Day of Dead

Below Maryland Juice provides a round-up of news items that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: AFL-CIO ENDORSES SEN. BRIAN FROSH FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL // DEL. BILL FRICK BLAMES SENATE PRESIDENT MIKE MIILLER - The Baltimore Sun's Michael Dresser reports that the AFL-CIO is endorsing State Senator Brian Frosh for Maryland Attorney General. Dresser's article also includes commentary from the rival campaign of Delegate Bill Frick accusing Senate President Mike Miller of orchestrating the labor union endorsement (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: The Maryland and District of Columbia AFL-CIO has thrown its support behind Sen. Brian E. Frosh for the Democratic nomination attorney general, giving the Montgomery County lawmaker a potentially important boost in his primary contest....

"This is really Mike Miller's endorsement," [a spokesman for Delegate Bill Frick Andrew] Feldman said of the Calvert County Democrat, who has served as head of the Senate for 26 years.... "Some unions chose not to risk what would have happened to them politically if they made the right choice," Feldman said.

Frick's spokesman said the AFL-CIO made the endorsement over the objections of its Building Trades member unions -- a statement confirmed by Chuck Graham, business agent of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 in the Washington area....

A spokesman for Miller could not be reached to comment, but [AFL-CIO President Fred] Mason said the Senate president did not exert pressure on labor to back Frosh....

JUICE #2: ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATES DEBATE IN BALTIMORE THU 11/7 - The University of Maryland's School of Law is hosting a candidates forum for the four Democratic candidates for Attorney General: Del. Aisha Braveboy, Del. Jon Cardin, Del. Bill Frick & Sen. Brian Frosh. The event will be next Thursday, November 7th at 5:00 pm - 500 W Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD 21201 (details and RSVP link below):

November 7, 2013 | 5:00 p.m.

Join us for the first open forum among all four confirmed 

Democratic candidates for Maryland Attorney General.

Click and Register at Eventbrite

Free and open to the public.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. - Forum starts promptly at 5:00 p.m.
Reception (6:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.) with available candidates immediately following.
This student-initiated forum will feature a 45 minute moderated discussion, featuring pre-approved questions submitted by the public, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session, with students from UM Carey Law addressing the candidates.

Registration:
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Find complete information and register online at:
www.law.umaryland.edu/AGForum

Candidates:

Aisha Braveboy
Maryland State Delegate | District 25, Prince George's County

Jon Cardin
Maryland State Delegate | District 11, Baltimore County

Bill Frick
Maryland State Delegate | District 16, Montgomery County

Brian Frosh
Maryland State Senator | District 16, Montgomery County

Submit a Question:
Do you have a question for the candidates? Tweet us!
Send us your question on twitter using #CareyLawAGF -- it is as easy as that! Don't have a twitter account? Or need more than 140 characters? You can also send an e-mail to MarylandLaw.AG.Forum@gmail.com or post to UM Carey Law's Facebook account.

Organized and Sponsored By:
-  University Student Government Association
-  The Class of 2015
- The University of Maryland Association of Legislative Law
- The Republican Legal Society
- The University of Maryland Law Democrats

JUICE #3: REP. JOHN DELANEY TO BANKROLL ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN FOR MARYLAND MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE - Maryland Juice received the following press release from Raise Maryland (the coalition advocating for a state minimum wage increase), indicating that Congressman John Delaney will be funding an online outreach campaign for the organization:

PRESS RELEASE

SUPPORT GROWS FOR RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE IN MARYLAND

Backing from U.S. Rep. John Delaney for Raise Maryland campaign  will build constituent communications capacity
COLLEGE PARK -- Support to increase Maryland’s minimum wage continues to grow as Raise Maryland, the coalition working to raise the state’s rate, has received funding from U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-MD6) and his wife April to build on the coalition’s digital constituent communications capacity.

Rep. Delaney’s support will be used to engage low-wage workers and their supporters via email, social media and texting, along with an enhanced campaign website, to ensure that their voices are heard by their elected representatives and the general public. Raise Maryland will also create a rapid response system to mobilize Marylanders to show their support for raising the wage before and during the 2014 Maryland General Assembly. The effort is projected to actively involve more than 60,000 state residents in actions ranging from writing letters, lobbying in districts and Annapolis and speaking out about raising the minimum wage in the media.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Congress will not act on many issues of critical importance to working Americans, including raising the minimum wage,” said U.S. Rep. John Delaney. “My constituents need and deserve higher pay for their work and Maryland can use the economic boost that comes with raising the wage. Importantly, based on my two decades of experience as a job creator in the private sector, I believe that raising the minimum wage is also good for Maryland businesses, which will benefit from increased demand and greater productivity. Action has to come at the state level and that is why I am supporting the Raise Maryland campaign and their work to bring our state to a higher standard for our workers.”

The proposed legislation would raise Maryland’s minimum wage in three steps to $10.10 per hour by 2016 and index it to the cost of living thereafter so that it doesn’t lose value over time. The legislation also incorporates an increase for tipped workers (from 50 percent to 70 percent of the prevailing minimum wage).

“Raise Maryland is grateful and energized by this support and leadership from Rep. Delaney and his wife April,” said Ricarra Jones, chair of the Raise Maryland coalition. “We know that Marylanders are overwhelmingly in favor of raising the minimum wage. This funding gives everyone a voice and a platform to communicate and express their needs and goals to our elected officials.”

Momentum is building for Maryland to increase the state’s minimum wage. The Baltimore City Council, Montgomery County Council and the Charles County Board of Commissioners have all passed resolutions calling for a minimum wage of at least $10 an hour and indexing and each of the Democratic 2014 gubernatorial candidates have announced their support for a raise.

Research has found that approximately 472,000 Marylanders would benefit from the increase, putting $466 million more in their pockets in the next two years. At the same time, businesses would benefit from nearly half a billion dollars in new consumer spending and would create more than 4,000 new full-time jobs as they expand to meet increased demand.

Raise Maryland is a diverse coalition of business, civil rights, community, faith, immigrant and labor, organizations united to pass a statewide minimum wage increase indexed to inflation.

###

JUICE #4: ACTIVISTS ORGANIZE "DAY OF THE DEAD" PROTEST TO URGE MD U.S. HOUSE MEMBERS TO END TORTURE TRAINING FOR LATIN AMERICAN SOLDIERS - Activists from the organization School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) are gearing up once again to try and shut down the U.S. government's torture and military training facility for Latin American soldiers (aka the School of the Americas). This Friday, several Maryland members of Congress will be visited by advocates urging them to support a bill (HR 2989) to suspend operations at the School of the Americas, and so far Rep. Donna Edwards is the only Maryland U.S. House member signed on as a sponsor. As a result, SOAW will be presenting Edwards with the following letter thanking her for her sponsorship of HR 2989:

Dear Representative Donna Edwards,

We the undersigned 4th District voters want to sincerely thank you for becoming an original co-sponsor of the Latin America Military Training Review Act for the 113th Congress. It means a lot to me, your other constituents, and people throughout this hemisphere to be able to count on leaders like yourself who are truly committed to democratic values, transparency, human rights, and respect towards our Latin American neighbors.

As the ongoing human rights violations by SOA/WHINSEC graduates in Honduras and the recent suicide of Chilean Gen. Odlanier Mena (trained at the SOA in 1970 and convicted for ordering the deaths of three civilians in 1973) demonstrate, we need to stop spending our tax dollars on the School of the Americas SOA/WHINSEC, an institution that does great harm to the people of Latin America - as well as the reputation of the United States.

Thank you for your conscientiousness and leadership in our movement for peace and human rights.

Wikipedia notes the origins and shifting mission of this "educational institution," while highlighting recent efforts to close the school that have come close to succeeding in Congress (excerpt below):

WIKIPEDIA: The US Army School of the Americas was founded in 1946. From 1961 (during the Kennedy administration), the School was assigned the specific Cold War goal of teaching "anti-communist" counterinsurgency training to military personnel of Latin American countries. At the time and in those places, "communists" was, in the words of anthropologist Lesley Gill, "... an enormously elastic category that could accommodate almost any critic of the status quo...."

As the Cold War drew to a close around 1990, United States foreign policy shifted focus from "anti-communism" to the War on Drugs, with narcoguerillas replacing "communists". This term was later replaced by "the more ominous sounding 'terrorist'".

In 2005 a bill to abolish the institute, with 134 cosponsors, was introduced to the House Armed Services Committee. In June 2007, the McGovern/Lewis Amendment to shut off funding for the Institute failed by six votes. This effort to close the Institute was endorsed by the nonpartisan Council on Hemispheric Affairs, which described the Institute as a "black eye" for America....

SOAW is organizing visits to the Congressional offices of Elijah Cummings, John Delaney, and John Sarbanes to drum up support for HR 2989, and they'll be organizing a protest this Friday, November 1st (aka the Day of the Dead). SOAW explains some of their reasons for trying to shut down the School of the Americas (excerpt below):

SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH: School of the Americas has been historically dubbed the “School of Assassins”.... Since 1946, the SOA has trained over 64,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins....

Below you can see the flyer for the protest march that will occur after the activists have visited with members of Congress from Maryland and Virginia:

GUEST POST: Councilmember Phil Andrews on Union Protest of MoCo Democrats // PLUS: George Leventhal & Others Weigh In

Tonight is the Montgomery County Democratic Party's annual spring fundraiser, the source of a planned picket line from various labor unions in the area. Below Maryland Juice provides a final round of commentary on the controversy from various MoCo and Maryland politicos:

JUICE #1: GUEST POST FROM COUNCILMEMBER PHIL ANDREWS - Statement by Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews on the boycott of the Democratic Spring Ball led by the Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO

PHIL ANDREWS: It's no surprise that the Fraternal Order of Police is unhappy with the County Council (unanimous vote in favor), the County Executive, the County's Democratic Party (precinct officials voted 109-14 in favor), and the voters of Montgomery County (58 percent voted in favor, a margin of more than 60,000 votes). All supported eliminating the requirement in law that the Chief of Montgomery County Police bargain the effects of the exercise of all management decisions with the Fraternal Order of Police. No other County union has "effects bargaining" in law and the County Council was wise not to extend effects bargaining beyond its initial mistake in the 1980s of including it in the police collective bargaining law. As the chair of the Council's Public Safety Committee since 2000, my experience is that the effects bargaining provision prevented our County's police department from implementing policies in a timely manner to better protect both the public and police officers. The FOP disagrees and that is their right.

What is notable about the statements of those Democratic elected officials who say they will boycott the Montgomery County Democratic Spring Ball on May 11, as called for by the Washington Metropolitan AFL-CIO, is that none of the elected officials even attempt to defend the effects bargaining requirement that the County Council and the voters eliminated. Their statements essentially say, "If organized labor is against it, the Democratic Party should not be for it." That's what this boycott is about. Veto power. The public will be disturbed that so many elected public officials who are Democrats appear willing to cede the Democratic Party's independence to organized labor.

It's easy to understand why unions want a veto over public policy positions of the Democratic Party, but for elected officials, central committee members, and precinct officials to do so would be an abdication of responsibility to the people we represent -- the public. Public officials should support the positions of unions when they further the public interest (such as living wages which I led the battle for on the County Council, health care coverage, and workplace safety), and oppose the positions of unions when they conflict with the public interest (such as effects bargaining). If adhering to this approach costs the Democratic Party money from unions, that's the price of doing the right thing for the people we represent.

JUICE #2: COUNCILMEMBER GEORGE LEVENTHAL'S EMAIL BLAST ON THE MCDCC PROTEST - George Leventhal sent the following message to his email subscribers regarding the planned labor protest:

GEORGE LEVENTHAL: Dear Friends, I will be attending the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee’s (MCDCC) Spring Ball on Saturday, May 11. Several unions and some elected officials have announced they will boycott this event. I was MCDCC chairman from 1996 to 2001, and I know how hard the staff and precinct volunteers work to ensure a strong Democratic presence in Montgomery County. I have attended this event every year for 26 years, and I will not be swayed by the protest demonstration.

While I will attend the ball because my relationship with the county Democratic Party is a key part of my history, we should not dismiss out of the hand the protestors’ concerns as petulant. It is the job of leaders to listen to all sides, and try to bring people together.

Union members are understandably frustrated by an unprecedented fusillade of decisions that weakened their economic position and affected their family incomes. While some of these decisions were necessary in the midst of a deep recession, others may have appeared like political opportunism, egged on by The Washington Post editorial page. In 2010 and 2011, County Executive Leggett and the County Council restructured arbitration rules, revised disability benefits, abrogated contracts, increased health insurance and retirement premiums, repealed effects bargaining and some councilmembers even tried to prevent firefighters from raising money for muscular dystrophy research. In 2012, the council hired an attorney at public expense to purge the effects bargaining referendum from the ballot and County Executive Leggett used public funds to campaign against the referendum. To the unions, this barrage of anti-union legislation appeared like an overreach. While some political blowback should be expected, the unions are overreaching in response. They have the right to mount a protest but no right to decide for others who may attend the event.

Presidential historian Richard Neustadt relays an important story about the 1952 transition between Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower: "He'll sit here," Truman remarked (tapping his desk for emphasis), "and he'll say, 'Do this! Do that!' And nothing will happen. Poor Ike-it won't be a bit like the Army. He'll find it very frustrating."

An executive can issue orders, but can only achieve his or her goals by inspiring his or her workforce and earning its loyalty, and our county has an excellent workforce. These are the bus drivers, social workers, police officers and firefighters upon whose service we rely, and whose wages have stagnated. Over the last three years, these people gave up on average about $30,000 through pay freezes, larger contributions to health and retirement plans, and furloughs. The County also eliminated more than 10 percent of the workforce. These sacrifices saved $469 million over those four years, and they continue to save the County $154 million annually.

That’s why I thought it was reasonable to vote for new contracts for county employees that do not amount to double-digit increases in a single year, as has been misconstrued. After four years without raises, the contracts call for a 3.25% cost-of-living adjustment, step increases of 3.5% for eligible employees, and small retroactive step increases for police officers and career fire fighters. The total cost in 2014 is $32 million, still a $122 million savings to the county in that year alone.

The county makes budget decisions year by year. If economic circumstances worsen, when we examine the 2015 budget, we can make adjustments. I don’t feel that a social worker making $53,000 is undeserving of a raise amounting to $75 a week, or that a police officer doesn’t earn his or her $3,600 increase. These are the people who dutifully serve the residents of this county.

Labor and its allies are not only protesting anti-union decisions. Union leaders have told me that the protest is also against an unwarranted tax giveaway approved by the state legislature for Lockheed Martin and special expedited rezoning to allow a Walmart in Aspen Hill. Young Democrats are protesting longtime officeholders who treat their seats as an entitlement. They are unhappy about a sense that the party that they know and love is drifting from its principles. The elected officials who make these decisions do so in good conscience, pursuing their own vision of the public interest. But these same elected officials are accountable to the people who campaigned and voted for them, and the political blowback is not surprising.

With time, cooler heads will prevail. In the meantime, let’s all respect each other’s point of view, not draw lines in the sand over whether or not to attend a social event on Saturday night.

Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you in any way.

Cordially,
George

JUICE #3: MARYLAND YOUNG DEMOCRATS PRESIDENT JOINS LABOR PROTEST -  The MoCo & Prince George's Young Dems previously announced support of the labor protest tonight, and now the statewide Young Democrats are weighing in with the following press release:

YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF MARYLAND: YDM President to join MoCo Picket Line Tomorrow - One of my most vivid memories as a kid was waking up early some mornings to join my dad on his bus route. He was a school bus driver and on the days childcare fell through, I was with him on the bus…big Joe and Little Joe. Those days helped developed my passion for education even before I was in school myself. Those mornings also helped introduce me to the labor movement. It was because of his union contract that my parents knew if babysitting didn’t work out I could ride the bus with dad. It was because of his contract my family had good health benefits. It was because of his contract that college was always within reach for me if I did my part. Labor has been a key foundation of my family and my life personally. It fundamentally is why I am a Democrat.

This weekend I hoped to join my friends and fellow young democrats to honor the President of the Montgomery County Young Democrats, Dave Kunes for all his hard work at the MCCDCC Spring Ball. He has done an outstanding job not only with MCYD but the entire Montgomery County Young Democrats. However news that the AFL-CIO has established a picket line of the event makes that impossible. The first lesson I learned from labor is to never cross a picket line, and it is a lesson I’ll honor this weekend.

The Democratic Party is a big tent but one of the strongest pillars holding that tent up is the labor movement and an unyielding belief in the right to collectively bargain. So instead of dressing up in a nice suit and going to a dinner party, I’ll have my marching shoes on standing with the men and women who help keep our community moving forward.

-Rev. Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr.
President - Young Democrats of Maryland

JUICE #4: MORE ELECTED DEMOCRATS JOIN LABOR PROTEST OF MCDCC -  The latest AFL-CIO Metro Council newsletter highlights additional elected Democrats who are joining the labor protest of the MCDCC:

AFL-CIO: Local 1994's Renne reports that the local has lined up live music, food and refreshments for the 5:30p picket, which continues to generate support, with UFCW Local 400 on board, as well as Maryland delegates Kumar Barve, Bonnie Cullison, Sheila Hixson, Shane Robinson, Luiz Simmons and Craig Zucker joining the boycott yesterday.

JUICE #5: DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON MCDCC PROTEST -Emily Koechlin, a Democratic Precinct Official in Montgomery County has provided Maryland Juice with the following letter she sent to some of her friends who are leading the protest of the MCDCC Ball:

EMILY KOECHLIN: This situation has me very, very, distressed.

I have served as a precinct official with the Montgomery County Democrats for over ten years. I am one of the precinct officials who voted to recommend a YES vote on Question B in last November’s election. 109 out of 123 of us precinct officials present at the ballot initiatives meeting voted to endorse a YES on Question B.

I strongly support Labor.  I am very concerned that collective bargaining has been weakened in so many ways throughout the US. However, at the precinct meeting last fall where we precinct officials voted for our positions on ballot initiatives, no proponents of the Police Union position demonstrated that supporting Question B would weaken Organized Labor. I did not walk into that meeting planning to vote against Labor’s position. However, once I heard the arguments pro and con, I voted in support of Question B because I felt I could not do otherwise. Montgomery County Police Chief Manger, as well as other police officials who testified, presented us with very strong, reasonable, arguments in favor of their position. Officials speaking for Labor provided us with pretty much no reason at all to support theirs.

109 out of 123 of us voted to endorse a YES on Question B. 109 out of 123 is 89%. Do you really think that 89% of your Democratic Party grassroots activists are anti-labor and that 89% of us want to “gut collective bargaining?”

Perhaps there were some very good reasons to vote NO on Question B. I would have loved to have heard them.  However, no one testifying against the ballot initiative presented any such arguments. I would have been delighted to have voted to support Labor. However, I am not willing to show blind loyalty to anyone, even family or close friends.

I wish so much that those who are planning to carry anti-MCDCC signs and join the picket line Saturday night had been present to see what really happened at that meeting. In my opinion this action drives a wedge between organizations that all support the hardworking people in our County, our State and our Country. I want to keep unions strong (or make them strong again) in Maryland and in the US, but I think that this approach will not help in this effort, but rather turn people against unions.

Emily Koechlin
Takoma Park

MORE ON THE LABOR PROTEST OF THE MCDCC BALL SOON!

GUEST POST: Councilmember Craig Rice "Why I'm Going to the MCDCC Spring Ball" // PLUS: Former Pol Gail Ewing Comments

The planned labor protest of this Saturday's MCDCC Spring Ball is continuing to roil politics in Montgomery County. After all, the event is the party's biggest fundraiser of the year. Below Maryland Juice publishes a guest post from Democratic Councilmember Craig Rice and former Councilmember Gail Ewing.

JUICE #1: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER CRAIG RICE - "Why I am going to the MCDCC Spring Ball"

CRAIG RICE: What is missing in this debate about the MCDCC Spring Ball are the awardees.  I am presenting the Rosalie Reilly Lifetime Service Award to Tina Clarke.  You will not find a Democratic candidate in this County that Christine ”Tina” Clarke has not worked for.  Over the past years, she has volunteered her time, her car, her family, her friends and her work colleagues to help Democratic candidates.  Tina’s kitchen in Poolesville is known as “Election Central”.  She is famous for bringing candidates to Black churches and for generating volunteers and support from these congregations for the candidates.

In addition, there is not one non-profit, school or civil rights organization in the County that Tina has not helped.  Tina has provided enormous assistance to children in need and parents from challenged communities.  She has never asked for credit, she just works behind the scenes to help.

Her and her family are stalwarts in the historic Black community of Poolesville and in Montgomery County as a whole.  There is nothing that would stand in the way of me honoring her and her commitment to our community.

My wife and I will be there to honor her and the other community volunteer awardees that have fought hard for years to enact and foster Democratic principles in our County.

It is my hope that all parties will join me in honoring those that have given of themselves to help us all have a better way of life here in Montgomery County.

JUICE #2: FORMER MOCO COUNCILMEMBER GAIL EWING - A reader posted the following letter in the comments section of a post earlier today:

GAIL EWING: Dear Montgomery County Democratic Elected Officials,

I am ashamed of our elected officials who are participating the the boycott of the Spring Ball on Saturday. This Labor action is despicable -- intended to bring the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee and Party to it's knees.

By supporting this boycott our elected officials are saying and affirming that our Democratic Party is just a front for Organized Labor. Whatever Labor wants -- Labor gets.... and when they don't, the Party will pay -- dearly -- and we, as elected officials, think that is okay and support Labor's actions by joining in the boycott.

Organized Labor is a major part of the Democratic Party but just one of many partners and the thousands of supporters who make up the heart and hard work of the Montgomery County Democratic Party.

Our Central Committee is an elected body chosen by Montgomery County Democrats. They didn't do what Organized Labor wanted them to do on this one issue. After all the 30+ years of doing just about everything Organized Labor asked them to do.

Is Organized Labor afraid of the Central Committee's power?

How else to explain the insanity of turning their backs on the award winners who will receive recognition Saturday night for their hard work and dedication to the Democratic Party.

How else to explain failing to contribute to the Party's major fundraiser of the year.

How else to explain the ridicule, humiliation and embarrassment to the Party caused by this boycott -- for all to see.

Organized Labor has made their point and the only salvation in this situation is to call-off their boycott. If they do not, I, for one, will proudly cross their picket line on Saturday and support the Montgomery County Democratic Party that has been there for all of us and will continue to be there with us in spite of this action by Organized Labor.

I urge all our elected officials join me and be there Saturday night.

Gail Ewing
Former Montgomery County Councilmember

MORE ON THE LABOR PROTEST OF THE MCDCC BALL SOON!

UPDATE: Ken Ulman, Heather Mizeur, Aisha Braveboy and Other Candidates Join Labor Protest of MoCo Democratic Ball

Below Maryland Juice provides a round of updates on which Democratic officials and organizations are supporting a planned protest of this Saturday's MoCo Democratic Party fundraising ball. It appears that statewide officials and a handful of MoCo lawmakers are unwilling to cross the picket line. There were apparently attempts by a few Democratic officials to broker some sort of compromise this week, but the unions appear set on holding their protest. Details below:

JUICE #1: KEN ULMAN & HEATHER MIZEUR JOIN ANTHONY BROWN IN SUPPORTING LABOR PROTEST - Three out of the four Democrats seeking the Governor's office in 2014 are now supporting the AFL-CIO's protest of the MCDCC spring ball. Only Attorney General Doug Gansler has not yet weighed in, while Lt. Governor Anthony Brown previously indicated he would be joining the labor protest. Below Maryland Juice provides statements from Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Delegate Heather Mizeur:

KEN ULMAN: I would like to be able to support my labor friends in Montgomery County, and celebrate the achievements of my Democratic neighbors in Montgomery County. But I can't do both on May 11.  I will honor the picket and the protest, and hope that these tensions are resolved soon.

HEATHER MIZEUR: If there's one thing I learned from my Dad, a UAW member for 32 years, it's solidarity – the importance of standing together. My Dad never once crossed a picket line, and I certainly will not cross one for Saturday's event.

JUICE #2: DEL. AISHA BRAVEBOY JOINS DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL IN SUPPORTING UNION PROTESTERS - Maryland Juice previously printed responses from three out of the four Democratic candidates for Attorney General indicating they would be supporting the union protesters and cancelling previous plans to attend the MCDCC spring ball: State Senator Brian Frosh and Delegates Bill Frick & Jon Cardin. But now all four Democratic candidates are supporting the protest. We recently received the following statement from Del. Aisha Braveboy indicating that she too would not be attending the MCDCC ball:

DEL. AISHA BRAVEBOY: I respect the decision by our brothers and sisters in labor to exercise their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and to assemble; and I believe that the decision by labor to boycott and picket the MCDCC Spring Fling was made after thoughtful consideration and deliberation by its membership.

My hope is that this action by our party's most loyal and giving constituency will lead to meaningful dialogues between all parties and the development of a plan to move forward in unity.

I hope to be able to attend the Spring Fling in 2014, but will be standing in solidarity with my labor partners this year.

Respectully,
Aisha N. Braveboy, Esq. Delegate (D-25)

JUICE #3: COALITION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT LABOR PROTEST OF MCDCC BALL - Today Maryland Juice received the latest AFL-CIO Metro Council email newsletter, and it includes a round-up of additional officials and groups endorsing their planned picket of the MoCo Democratic Spring Ball this weekend (excerpt below):

AFL-CIO: Here’s who’s joined the boycott thus far: Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO; FOP Lodge 35; UFCW Local 1994, MCGEO; IAFF Local 1664; Montgomery County Young Democrats; Prince Georges County Young Democrats; Progressive Maryland; Fund Our Communities; Senator Ben Cardin (D, MD); Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown; Del. Charles Barkley; Del. Bill Frick; Del Brian Frosh; Sen. Rob Garagiola; Del. Tom Hucker; Sen. Roger Manno; Del. Heather R. Mizeur; Sen. Karen Montgomery.

MORE ON THE LABOR PROTEST OF THE MCDCC BALL SOON!

Unions Picketing MoCo Democratic Party Fundraiser // Anthony Brown, 2014 AG Candidates, Young Dems & More Join Effort

All week Maryland Juice has been hearing murmurs about a possible protest by labor unions at the Montgomery County Democratic Party's (MCDCC) May 11th annual fundraising event. It turns out the picket line has been given the green light, and the MCDCC's annual spring ball is now becoming a full-blown political controversy. The AFL-CIO Metro Council released the following statement today announcing the formation of a picket line (excerpt below):

AFL-CIO: The metro Washington-area labor movement is boycotting – and picketing -- the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee’s Spring Ball because the Committee took a position in favor of the 2012 Question B referendum, which took away the police union’s right to bargain the effects of management decisions....

[Metro Council President Jos Williams said] "‘An injury to one is an injury to all’. When the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee decided to support Question B, it not only took sides, it took a position in opposition to organized labor and for that it must pay a price, which in this case is a withdrawal of our – and our friends and allies -- traditional support for the MCDCC Spring Ball, and the establishment of a picket line to publically express our disappointment with the MCDCC.”

Added UFCW 1994 MCGEO president Gino Renne, “Labor will not tolerate being treated as an ATM and foot soldiers for a party which is often indifferent -- and sometimes openly hostile -- to working families in Montgomery county.”

ANTHONY BROWN & BEN CARDIN SUPPORT MCDCC PROTEST // PLUS: SOME DONORS SEEKING REFUNDS - We are now hearing reports of several statewide candidates who are canceling their previous plans to attend the Montgomery County Democrats' spring ball. Additionally, some donors that had previously paid to reserve entire tables are now seeking refunds, which appears to be enraging MoCo Democratic Party officials. This could get ugly, because I'm told that the MCDCC ball is one of the key revenue generators for the MoCo Democratic Party's annual budget. I'm also hearing that the refund requests might not be honored anyway. We shall have to see how this all plays out.

Below Maryland Juice provides statements from several candidates regarding the MCDCC event, along with some background info on what started this conflict. The AFL's statement announcing the picket line also noted that statewide Democratic officials have pledged their support for the labor protest:

AFL-CIO: Senator Ben Cardin (D, MD), Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and the Montgomery County Young Democrats are among those who have announced that they’re honoring a boycott of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee’s May 11 Spring Ball....

MOCO YOUNG DEMS JOIN PROTEST OF MCDCC - It is interesting to see the Montgomery County Young Democrats participating in this protest, given that their President Dave Kunes is being awarded "Democrat of the Year" at the event. But note that Kunes previously worked for AFSCME.


2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATES CANCEL PLANS TO ATTEND BALL - Maryland Juice today received statements from three out of four candidates for Attorney General announcing they will not cross the picket line at the MCDCC ball. Maryland Juice did not receive a response from Del. Aisha Braveboy by the time we posted this entry, but below you can read remarks from State Senator Brian Frosh and Delegate Bill Frick, along with a press release from Delegate Jon Cardin:

• STATE SENATOR BRIAN FROSH: I have always valued the support of organized labor and I respect the sanctity of the picket line. I have never crossed a picket line and will not for this event.  Unfortunately, this dispute will prevent me from honoring my dear friend and supporter Madeleine Siegel,  by presenting her with the Rosalie Reilly Lifetime Service Award for her outstanding commitment and contributions to the County Democratic Party.  

• DELEGATE BILL FRICK: I bought tickets, but won't cross any picket line to use them.

PRESS RELEASE

Del. Jon Cardin to Stand with Montgomery County’s Working
Families, Skip Democratic Central Committee Spring Ball

BALTIMORE, MD – Del. Jon Cardin, who is currently laying the groundwork to run for Attorney General, announced today that he would stand in solidarity with Montgomery County’s unions and working families – and not attend this year’s Montgomery County Democratic Central Spring Ball on May 11, 2013.

The Metropolitan Council AFL-CIO and Fraternal Order of Police announced recently that they would boycott the Spring Ball after the Central Committee endorsed Question B on last year’s ballot, which dramatically limited the FOP’s rights to collectively bargain.

“Today and always, I’m proud to stand with the police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe,” Del. Cardin said. “At a time when so many working Marylanders, including our police officers, are having a tough time making ends meet, we should help folks earn a better living – not make it tougher for them to get a fair shake.”

In the Maryland legislature over the past 10 years, Del. Cardin has been a consistent supporter of working families and their right to organize.

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BACKGROUND OF THE PROTEST: The original grievance that led to calls for a protest came from Montgomery County's Fraternal Order of Police, who fought with MoCo Democrats over the police officers' "effects bargaining" rights. The County Executive and County Council voted to eliminate these rights, and the police union initiated a referendum (Question B) to fight the policy change during the November 2012 Presidential Election.

But the current conflict with the MCDCC started when MoCo Democrats created and mailed a sample ballot to all registered MoCo Democrats. Their endorsements included a recommendation that Democrats support the elimination of effects bargaining rights. Members of the MCDCC voted overwhelmingly for that recommendation prior to issuing of the sample ballot, and it appears that the FOP is now retaliating against the party for tipping the scales on the issue.

Here's how the FOP described the issue on their 2012 campaign website (excerpt below):

FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: For over 30 years Montgomery County police officers have collectively bargained over issues critical to us and our families, including the effects of the exercise of management rights.... Repealing effects bargaining will set back police labor relations. It will undermine the purpose of the police collective bargaining law which has kept labor peace for over 30 years....

95% of management decisions do not implicate effects bargaining. Effects bargaining does not impede operational decisions. In the 30 years that effects bargaining has been in place, police operations has run smoothly. In fact, so smoothly, that the county has never utilized the process in the law for resolving a dispute over effects within 50 days.... Don’t be fooled into believing that effects bargaining is about requiring police officers to check their email. It is about requiring us to check email when we are on vacation or in the hospital giving birth....

We police officers are concerned about having the resources and training to do our jobs well. We are concerned about the effects of management decisions that impact our schedules, ability to plan time with our families, our vacations, and our time off. We are concerned about fairness in transfers, assignments, and promotions. For over 30 years that effects bargaining has existed, no call has gone unanswered, no report of crime has gone uninvestigated. Simply put, effects bargaining has had no adverse impact on the public. Federal employees and most private sector employees with collective bargaining have the right to bargain collectively over the effects of the exercise of a management right....

MORE ON THE MCDCC SPRING BALL PROTEST SOON!

CD6 - LEAKED DOC: John Delaney's Survey Responses for AFL-CIO Congressional Endorsement Questionnaire

A political insider today told Maryland Juice, "Rumor in Annapolis is labor groups going crazy about Delaney endorsement." That may explain why we just received a leaked copy of John Delaney's survey responses to the AFL-CIO's candidate questionnaire. The union is backing State Senator Rob Garagiola in the CD6 race. Read John Delaney's survey responses below:

CD6: John Delaney's Responses to AFL-CIO's Candidates Questionnaire

CD6: AFL-CIO Endorses Rob Garagiola for Congress in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District

PRESS RELEASE

AFL-CIO Endorses Rob Garagiola for Congress in
Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District
Rallying behind the grassroots support and citing his proven track record of fighting for Maryland’s middle class and working families, the AFL-CIO, America’s largest labor organization, endorsed State Senator Rob Garagiola for Congress in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District. The endorsement comes amidst a flurry of support from labor unions and community leaders.

Tea Party Reports on AFL-CIO Poll in MD's 6th Congressional District: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett or State Sen. Rob Garagiola

Ann Corcoran, editor of Maryland's Potomac Tea Party blog, recently reported on a telephone poll she participated in:

Last evening my home phone rang.... the caller ID reported that it was the AFL-CIO calling.....

TODAY @ 6 PM - AFL-CIO Rally in Annapolis w/ Rep. Donna Edwards, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown & Del. Heather Mizeur

Maryland Juice recently received the following media advisory:

Hundreds to Rally in Annapolis to Honor Dr. King,
Call for Jobs, Justice and Equality

At MLK Day Rally, Progressive Leaders Will Rally Supporters to 

Honor Dr. King’s Legacy with Action and Continue His Struggle

What: Annapolis rally to honor Dr. King and call for bold action
When: MLK Day Monday, January 16, 2012; 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Where: Lawyers’ Mall, Annapolis, MD
Who: A host of civil rights, faith, labor, and elected leaders including:

• Congresswoman Donna Edwards
• Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown
• Fred Mason, President, Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO
• George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
• Roger Lash, Business Manager, IBEW Local 24
• Rev. C. D. Witherspoon, President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Baltimore 
• Delegate Heather Mizeur, Maryland House of Delegates
• Sue Esty, AFSCME Maryland, Save our State Coalition

ANNAPOLIS — The 300,000-member Maryland and District of Columbia AFL-CIO along with faith and civil rights organizations will hold a major rally of supporters on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor Dr. King’s legacy and call for bold action to realize the civil rights leader’s vision.