Don Hale, Jacque Simon, and Heidi Shierholz

Friday May 15, 2009

Efforts to stop the contracting out of hundreds of jobs at the United States Military Academy at West Point will be discussed this week on AFGE's "Inside Government" radio show.

Don Hale, AFGE DEFCON Chair, will update listeners on the Army's recent decision to outsource more than 300 public works jobs to the private sector through a controversial A-76 cost competition study in late March. Hale also will detail AFGE's efforts to prevent further job loss, and praise congressional support from U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and John Hall (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Jacque Simon, AFGE public policy director, will address health care reform in the U.S., labor's role in the process, and what President Obama's plan may look like. Scott Eblin, president of the Eblin Group, then will talk about his book, "The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success," and provide executive coaching tips for federal employees.

Lastly, Economist Heidi Shierholz from the Economic Policy Institute will expand upon a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report that there are nearly five unemployed job seekers for every available job. That number has increased from a four-to-one ratio in November 2008.