American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Abstract Presently, a preferred minimization for strong‐constraint four‐dimensional variational (4D‐Var) assimilation uses a Lanczos‐based conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm. This requires the availability of a square‐root of the background‐error covariance matrix (B). In the context of weak‐constraint 4D‐Var, this requirement might be too restrictive for the formulations of the model error term. It might therefore be desirable to avoid a square‐root decomposition of the augmented background term. An appealing minimization scheme is the double CG minimization employed, for example, in the grid‐point statistical interpolation (GSI) analysis. Realizing the double CG algorithm is a special case of the more general bi‐conjugate gradient (BiCG) method for solving non‐symmetric problems, the present work introduces a Lanczos‐based preconditioning strategy when B, instead of its square‐root, is used initially. Implementation of the scheme is done in the context of the GSI analysis system, and preliminary experiments are presented using its 3D‐Var version. Comparison of the Lanczos‐based CG and the BiCG shows that the algorithms converge at the same rate and to the same solution. Despite the additional computational cost, the importance of the re‐orthogonalization step is also shown to be fundamental to any of these CG algorithms. Furthermore, when using the Hessian eigenvectors for preconditioning, the BiCG behaviour is shown to be comparable to that of the Lanczos‐CG algorithm. Both schemes construct the same approximation of the Hessian with the same number of eigenvectors, and benefit in the same way from the reduction of the condition number. The efficiency, computational cost, and stability of the three algorithms are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

This article discusses District Council 37's legal–social work benefit: its origins, philosophy, development, issues, and impact. We discuss the effect that a collaborative model (union, lawyers, and social workers) has on service delivery, service focus, service outcome, and social policy. The center of interest is the significance and power of the labor affiliation. We present case examples illustrating how these services have benefited the union membership. We also point out some of the challenges posed and some of the unique programs generated by this collaboration under labor auspices. Collectively, a creative synergy emerged. Finally, we review practice implications for this setting.

The aim of this study was to assess the risk of blood and body fluid exposure among non-hospital based registered nurses (RNs) employed in New York State. The study population was mainly unionized public sector workers, employed in state institutions. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by a random stratified sample of members of the New York State Nurses Association and registered nurse members of the New York State Public Employees Federation. Results were reviewed by participatory action research (PAR) teams to identify opportunities for improvement. Nine percent of respondents reported at least one needlestick injury in the 12-month period prior to the study. The percutaneous injury (PI) rate was 13.8 per 100 person years. Under-reporting was common; 49% of all PIs were never formally reported and 70% never received any post-exposure care. Primary reasons for not reporting included: time constraints, fear, and lack of information on reporting. Significant correlates of needlestick injuries included tenure, patient load, hours worked, lack of compliance with standard precautions, handling needles and other sharps, poor safety climate, and inadequate training and availability of safety devices (p<0.05). PAR teams identified several risk reduction strategies, with an emphasis on safety devices. Non-hospital based RNs are at risk for bloodborne exposure at rates comparable to hospital based RNs; underreporting is an important obstacle to infection prevention, and primary and secondary risk management strategies appeared to be poorly implemented. Intervention research is warranted to evaluate improved risk reduction practices tailored to this population of RNs.

The future of nonpublic safety, non-teacher, non-federal public sector unions is bright. As a result of past success, the unions, led by AFSCME, have an organizing culture and sufficient power within the sector to maintain and increase density. However, the challenges that lie ahead in the 21st century will surely test the strength of AFSCME and the other public service unions. The large gains in public employee membership achieved in the last third of the 20th century are not likely to come with the relative ease with which they were achieved during that period. The remaining unorganized workers are in locations and occupations that have not been historically fertile ground for unions, public or private. In addition, the threat of privatization of jobs requires public unions to re-think their traditional strategies and organize in the more hostile private sector while simultaneously protecting the public sector from attacks. The public sector unions recognize that they have a tenuous grasp on their relatively strong position and must organize to maintain and strengthen their position. Absent dramatic changes in federal private sector labor law, and adoption of numerous public sector labor laws, the resources necessary for organization will be tremendous. The future is bright for the public sector unions only because they have demonstrated a willingness to adapt to change, make sacrifices, and deploy sufficient resources to achieve growth.

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