OSA has proudly participated in the Labor Day Parade for nearly a decade. This year, the Labor Day Parade is scheduled for Saturday, September 6th. That's the Saturday after the actual Labor Day holiday. OSA will be fielding a contingent in this year's parade and we invite you to join us. We will be assembling at 11:15am on 46th Street mid-block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Look for your OSA brothers and sisters and the OSA banner.

In this national election year, it is important for a unified labor movement to show its strength and voice its concerns. We've had a great turnout in prior years and would like to do even better this year. You can download a flyer about the parade by clicking here. Keep it as a reminder of the date and time and share it with your OSA brothers and sisters. OSA tee shirts and caps will be provided to all who march with us. After the parade, the union will provide lunch to all who march with our contingent. Friends and family are welcome. If you are able to join us, please call Michael Spector or Rob Spencer at the union office at (212)686-1229 and let them know you are planning to attend and whether family and friends will be joining you.

In 2007, we included in our summer mailing to you, a brief article "Make your Vote Count in 2008," in addition to a longer article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr, "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?”

Unfortunately, the problems about touch screen voting machines and the need for verifiable voting mentioned in those articles still remain with us and, of course, we’re running out of time to resolve them for this year’s national election.

Since this is a national problem, if you have friends in other states, or you or your friends are members of national organizations like AARP or the Alliance for Retired Americans or you have friends who are members of a national labor union, please try to get them to take action prior to the November election.

You might want to email the National Committee for an Effective Congress (Russ Hemmenway). Contact information is available at http://www.ncec.org and express your concerns on this issue. They supply information for Congressional campaigns.

Please try to get national Democratic leaders (Senator Charles Schumer is the Senate Democratic campaign chairman) to press for action on this problem prior to the November 2008 election.

Given the make-up of the current Congress, Congressional action isn’t likely. Therefore, action state by state and county by county is what’s required and this should be emphasized to the people you contact.

Listed below are links that will give you further information on voting machine and vote counting problems and what can be done to protect us from having another national election stolen. An honest election in November 2008 is the “sine qua non” (that without which there is nothing) for our society. The nation you save will be your own.

www.blackboxvoting.org (especially click on toolkit2008)

www.voteraction.org

www.votersunite.org (sign up for weekly, daily, or breaking news alerts)

www.electiondefensealliance.org

www.wheresthepaper.org (sign up for weekly, daily, or breaking news alerts)

New York State did get to keep its lever machine system for 2008 with the addition of a provision for voters with disabilities, but there is still a major problem nationally with electronic vote counting.

All agencies except the Actuary have been sent the Associate Staff Analyst list. However, since it is August, the movement of those lists may be delayed on account of vacations.

Our large summer mailing is nearly completed and should be coming out soon. But the content is already up on this website as the August edition of News From OSA, available by clicking here.

For a little humorous summer viewing on a topic of serious concern, we direct you to the YouTube link below for a short four minute video entitled "Intro 650 Is All Wrong - Civil Liberties Will Be Gone" in which a group of New York environmental testing advocates call attention to a rather problematic piece of legislation, Intro 650, currently under consideration in the New York City Council and urge calls to Council Speaker Christine Quinn's office opposing the bill.

View the clip and read more about the bill at www.intro650.net. If you want a flyer about the bill to share with others, you can download it here. OSA submitted testimony against the bill at a City Council hearing in late April. Consider adding your voice.