Common Ground September 2013

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Drugandalcoholaddictioncanbealonelybattle. Recoveringfromitshouldn’tbe. OnSeptember21attheRogerWil-liams National Memorial, thousandsare expected to send that message attheannualRhodeIslandRally4Recov-ery, which is sponsored by several lo-cal treatmentandrecoverygroupsandorganized by the state Department ofBehavioral Healthcare, DevelopmentalDisabilities,andHospitals. This year’s event will feature thebandDumpstaphunk,withleadsingerIvan Neville, a former addict. FormerCongressman Patrick Kennedy willbe speaking and serving as the grandmarshal of a parade at the end of theevent.DavidMineta,DeputyDirectorofDemandReductionatWhiteHouseOfficeofNationalDrugControlPolicy,

alsoisscheduledtospeak. RhodeIslandwillalsohostthena-tionalRallyforRecovery,sponsoredbyFacesandVoicesofRecovery.Theorga-nizationisdedicatedtotellingthesto-riesof individualswhohave recoveredfromdrugandalcoholaddictionandtoencourageandinspireothersstillstrug-glingwithsubstanceabuse. “Wethankeveryonewho’sstandingupforrecovery,offeringhopeandop-portunityforpeoplewhostillneedhelpto recover,” said Dona Dmitrovic, thechairofFacesandVoicesofRecovery’sboardofdirectors. “Whenwe recover,webenefitourselves,ourcommunities,andthenation.” Some people think that drug andalcoholaddictionendswithtreatment,said Fred Trapassi, a vice president atPhoenixHousesofNewEngland,one

of the prime sponsors of the RhodeIsland rally. “It’s doesn’t. It’s actuallythebeginning,” saidTrapassi,whode-scribesrecoveryasalifelongjourney. The rally will bring recovering ad-dicts, mental health advocates, andcommunity leaders together. Trapassisaidtheeventletsthepublicknowhowbig of an issue drug and alcohol ad-dictionis.Hesaidthoseinrecoveryaswell as currentaddicts arewelcome toattend,alongwith family, friends,andanyone else who has known someonebattlingdrugandalcoholabuse. Theevent,whichwillbeheldattheRogerWilliamsNationalMemorial indowntown Providence, will feature anall-dayrosterofspeakersandlivemusic,alongwithfoodandrefreshments,andgamesforchildren. Therallyisalsoanopportunityfor

local mental health organizations, likePhoenixHouses,toadvertisetheirser-vices. Phoenix Houses, for example,provides a broad rangeof services, foreverything from detoxification to resi-dential treatment toprograms tailoredspecificallytoadolescents.“Weprovidethe entire gamut of services,”Trapassisaid. Asof thiswriting,otherconfirmedspeakers include: Lt. Governor Eliza-bethRoberts,ProvidenceMayorAngelTaveras, Senator SheldonWhitehouse,state Senate President Teresa PaivaWeed, and Craig Stenning, the direc-tor of the Department of BehavioralHealthcare, Developmental Disabili-ties,andHospitals.Formeraddictswhoarenow in recoverywill also tell theirstories,according toDeborahVarga,aspokespersonforthedepartment.

‘Recovery’ Rally set for Sept. 21 in ProvidenceBy Common Ground staff

See Rally cont. on page 23

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Nearlyonethirdofteachercontracts in the state were setto expire at the end of lastmonth,meaningthathundredsof educators across Rhode Is-land could begin the schoolyearwithnonewagreement. It is not uncommon forteachers to begin the schoolyear without a new contract,but it has become more fre-quentinrecentyearsasfiscallystrained municipal budgetsoften prolong negotiationsbetween unions and districts,accordingtoJimParisi,afieldrepresentative for the RhodeIsland Federation of TeachersandHealthProfessionals. Thisyear,atleast10outof36contractsforteachershadorwereabouttoexpirebytheendofAugust,basedonareviewoflocalnews reports andadata-basemaintainedfortheRhodeIsland School Committee As-sociation. Four were localswith the AFT: Central Falls,Cranston, North Providence,andPawtucket.TheremainingsixwereNEA-affiliated:Cum-berland,EastGreenwich,Glo-cester, New Shoreham, NorthKingstown,andPortsmouth. JustoneAFTlocalcontractthatexpiredthisyearhasbeen renewed so far: in Woonsocket, where the budgetcommissionorchestratedanewfive-yeardealwithteach-ersaspartofabroaderplantorestorethefiscalhealthofthecash-strappedcity. FortherestoftheAFTlocals,asoflateAugust,talkswerestillunderway. With negotiations lingering until the 11th-hour forthe other districts, many teachers face the possibility ofworking without a new contract. In such cases, the oldcontractnormallyremainsineffect,inkeepingwithastateSupremeCourtdecisionhandeddownyearsagoinacaseinvolvingWarwickteachers,Parisisaid. “It works for students. It works for teachers and itworksforschooladministratorstohavecontinuity,”Parisisaid. But it’snotguaranteed:a fewyearsago,afteracon-

tract had expired, East Provi-dence unilaterally imposed anewcontractonteachers.Theissue was eventually settledout of court before it reachedthe state Supreme Court, Pa-risisaid,butitleftthebroaderquestion—whathappenswhena teacher contract expires—insomewhatof a legalgrayarea.WhilesomedistrictsmaynowfeelemboldenedtofollowEastProvidence’slead,Parisisaidheisunawareofanydistrictswhoare actually threatening to dosothisyear. Becausenegotiationsarestillunderway, Parisi said he wasbarred from discussing detailsof the talks between teachersand administrators in Crans-tonandCentralFalls—thetwodistrictswhereheisdirectlyin-volvedintheprocess. Aside from specific local is-sues, two are expected to becommontonegotiationsacrossthe state: implementation ofthenewstatewideteachereval-uation system and EducationCommissioner Deborah Gist’smoveagainsttheuseofsenior-ity rights in staffingdecisions,Parisisaid.

Butnomajorbattlesareexpectedonthosetwoissues. Teacherunionshadaskedforadelayintheimplemen-tationontheevaluations.Thatrequestwasdenied. But, last year, they won an important concessionfromtheRhodeIslandDepartmentofEducation,whichagreedthatnohigh-stakesdecisionswouldbemadeabouta teacher’s jobbasedupontheperformanceof their stu-dents—eventhoughstudentperformanceisapartofthenewevaluations.He said teachershave always faced theriskofterminationoratransferbasedupontheirevalua-tions—andthathasnotchanged,Parisisaid. Seniorityrightsalsoremainasorepoint.Lastyear,Gistthreatened fundingcutsandother sanctionsagainstdis-trictswhodidnot complywith aRIDE regulation thatlimiteduseofseniorityinmakingstaffingdecisions.Mostdistrictscompliedandnowthefalloutfromthosechangesisbeingfeltincontractnegotiations,Parisisaid.

One third of teacher contracts up for renewal By Common Ground staff


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Tenthousandworkersmarchedintohistoryacen-turyagowhentheyparticipatedinAmerica’sfirstLa-borDayparade. OnTuesday,September5,1882,membersofpow-erfultradeunionstookthedayoffinNewYorkCitywithoutfearofretaliationbytheiremployers.Skilledcraftsmen likebricklayers, shoemakers, printers, andcigar-makerstrampedalongsideethnicgroups,social-ist organizations, independent labor clubs, and theKnights of Labor who represented the unskilled aswellastheeliteoftheworkforce. Unknowntomosthistorians,severalkeypromot-ersoftheNewYorkCityparadehadjoinedinasimilareventinProvidence,RhodeIslandalmosttwoweeksearliertherebyunderminingNewYork’sclaimasthebirthplaceofthelaborDayparadeandmakingProvi-denceastrongcontenderforthathonor.OnWednes-day, August 23, 1882, a thousand union memberssnaked their way through the streets of downtownProvidence.TheprocessionincludedawidevarietyofskilledworkersandKnightsofLaborfromRhodeIs-

land,Connecticut,Massachusetts,and“otherstates.” TheparadeleftMarketSquareat9:30thatmorn-ingtoareviewingstandatCityHall.Therewerethreedivisions in the parade with the 25-piece NationalBand in the lead.Thefirstdivision included tailors,boilermakers, and shoemakers followed by severalcarriageswithlabordignitaries.Theseconddivision,withKnightsofLaborandMoulder’sUnion#9inat-tendance,steppedofftothebeatof12drummersintheZouaveCorpsBand fromWorcester,Massachu-setts.Thelastdivisioncontainedunionblacksmiths,moreKnightsofLabor fromtheoldThirdWard inProvidence,and48membersofLocal94,UnitedOr-der ofCarpenters and Joiners,which is still in exis-tencetodayinRhodeIsland. Professor Henry Appleton of Providence wouldlaterremarkthat“hehadseengreatPresidents,whis-key-stained politicians and luxurious thieves cartedthroughthecityofProvidence;buttodayforthefirsttimehehadseentheMayorofthatgreatcitytakeoffhishattolabor.”

The parade continued past the reviewing standtothedocksoffDyerStreetwhereathrongof5,000boardedsteamboatstoRockyPoint.Theamusementpark had advertised: “United Trades Unions fromall parts of the country.This is expected to be theGREATESTOFTHESEASON.” Even theProvi-dence Journaladmiredtheprecisionanddisciplineoftheprocession,callingit“oneofthelargestandmostimposing turnoutsofworkingmenevergiven in theState.” GuestspeakersatRockyPointfromRhodeIslandand New York hurled barbs and insults at the millbarons and captainsof industry in the state.RobertBlissert, a tailor and the president of the NewYorkCentralLaborUnion,declaredthat“thelastplaceonGod’searthtobefreewouldheRhodeIsland”becauseofrestrictivevotinglawsandthe12-hour-a-daymillsystem.LouisF.Post,lateranimportantfigureintheUnitedStatesLaborDepartment,claimedthatundercapitalism 99 people tilled in misery to enrich theSee Labor Day cont. on page 4

Rhode Island hosted America’s First Labor Day Parade By Scott Molloy


100thperson.VictorDrury,describedbyaJournalre-porterasa“prominentsocialistaswellasagitator,”saidthatlaborcreatedallwealthanddeservedthefruitsofitstoil. The featured speakerof thedaywasPeter J.Mc-Guire, the first national secretary of the Carpenter’sUnionandaco-founderof theAmericanFederationofLabor.McGuirepreachedorganizationamongtheworkers and attacked child labor in the state: “HereinRhodeIslandundertheruleofyourSpraguesandAnthonys,thirteenthousand,sevenhundredchildrenunderfourteenyearsofagehavebeencondemnedtoworkinyourcottonandwoolenmills.” TheprogramendedwiththreecheersforIreland,areflectionofIrishdominanceinRhodeIslandunionsatthetime.AthleticcontestsfollowedandtheRhodeIslandKnightsofLaborbeattheirWorcestercounter-part5to1inbaseball.Othereventsincludedthe600-yarddash, thehigh jump, and thepole vaultwith awinningleapof6feet! Justice,theofficialnewspaperfortheRhodeIslandCentralLaborUnion,statedin1893thateffortstoes-tablishaholidaybeganinthestateasearlyas1879.In1880,20,000Rhode Islandworkers signedpetitionsdemandingrecognitionofalaborholiday. Finally in 1893, after years of intense pressure,Governor Russell Brown declared Labor Day a stateholiday. Some2,000workersmarched in theparadethatyearandacrowdof10,000wentonanexcursionto Rocky Point. A number of floats appeared in the

processionincludingonebythecigar-makersshowingthedifferencebetweenworkingconditionsinaunionfactory and a tenement house establishment. TheProvidenceTypographicalUnion,theoldestunioninthestatetoday,orderedaspecial$15bannerforthese

paradesandpaideightcentseachforfancygold-col-oredribbon-badgeswornatsuchaffairs.Overall, the1893demonstrationemphasizedthenine-hourday. Duringthe1920sand1930spicnicsandoutings,whichhadtraditionallyfollowedtheparades,replacedthemarches.TheRhodeIslandA.F.ofL.helditslastparade in1938after anabsenceof sevenyears.Wil-liam Green, Gompers’ successor as president of the-Federation, presided over events in Providence that

year.Some10,000unionmembersmarchedincluding800carpentersand2,000teamsterswhowerefined$5fornotshowingup. The1939celebrationwasreducedtospeechesanda12-mile road race as thefighting inEuropewouldovershadow domestic events during the war years.Outings were held at the Dexter Training GroundsinProvidence.TheIndependentTextileUnionwouldpreservetheparadetraditionforawhileafterthewarintheWoonsocketarea.ThemergeroftheA.F.ofL.AndtheC.I.O.inthemid-50’sdidnothingtoresurrecttheparadeandeventheoutingsatLincolnWoodsendedinthe1960s. Ofcourse therewasalwaysanelementofapathy.The Rhode Island Labor News bluntly complainedaboutthisindifferencein1937:“Withthecomingoftheautomobile,whichaffordedopportunitiestowork-erstotaketheirfamiliesoutforaweekendtrip,itbe-camemoreandmoredifficulttosecurelargenumbersasparticipantsinparades.” Yet theghostsof laborpastare stirringacross thelandonceagain.TheNewYork laborCouncil resur-rected theirLaborDayparade, andBoston followedsuit recently year with a procession before the tradi-tionalholidayinhopesofavoidingtheusualexodustomebeaches. TheRhodeIslandAFL-CIO,atthebehestoftheCarpenter’sUnionhelditsfirst labordayoutinginalongtimeat,ofallplaces,RockyPoint. Canaparadebefarbehind?

Labor Day cont. from page 3


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Debate over the 38 Studios bondpayments dominated this year’s Gen-eral Assembly session. Rightly so—thedecisionwasanimportantoneforstatelawmakers,withlarger implicationsforRhode Island’s economy.Butwe’re leftwithafearthatuneaseoverthe38Stu-dios fallout could further damage thestate’s struggling economy if we allowourcautiontoturntoapathy,our feartoparalysis. Wemustrealizethatnoteverynewor ambitious economic developmentproposalbaresthehallmarkof“another38Studios.”Weshouldn’ttieourbusi-ness climate—recently ranked 49thin the country by CNBC—just to 38Studiosbutrathertothelargerissueoffailed economic strategies. Moreover,we shouldn’t letoneexperience impacthowweviewopportunitiestobuildnewindustrieshereor capitalize onoutside

investments. BoththeGreaterProvidenceCham-ber of Commerce and the Rhode Is-landBuildingandConstructionTradesCouncil aredismayed, for example,bythe recentunfair comparisons betweenthe 38 Studios’ failed venture and thepromising Deepwater Wind offshorewindprojects. Critics (including Michael R. Be-auregard, “Deepwater Deal Smacks of38 Studios,” Providence Journal, July2, 2013) are either inexcusably unin-formed, given the amount of publicinformation available on the Block Is-landWindFarm,ortheyarepurposelymisleading the public in a desperate11th-hourattempttoswayopinionona project that has consistently drawnwidespread and diverse support fromthegeneralpublic, theChamber, laborleadersaswellasmajorlocalandnation-

alenvironmentalgroups.Let’sremindthosecriticsaboutthefacts: DeepwaterWindwasthewinnerofa competitive RFP, besting eight otherprospectivedevelopers,onthemerits,tobecome the state’s preferred developerforoffshorewindin2008. Deepwater Wind’s projects arebacked entirely by private dollars.Thecompany and its private backers haveinvested more than $30 million—andcounting—in the Block Island WindFarmprojectaloneanditsleadershavebeenactivemembersoftheBlockIslandand Rhode Island business commu-nitysincemovingtheirheadquarterstoProvidencein2010. More than 50 offshore wind farmsare in operation in northern Europe,producing clean energy and jobs for35,000 people. Rhode Island is poisedto install the first offshore wind farm

in the country.DeepwaterWind is onrecord insayingthat itplans,whenallissaidanddone,to investaquarterofabilliondollars inRhode Island—oneof the largest-ever private investmentsinthestate.WeknowthattheBlockIs-landWind Farm will produce roughly200constructionjobs,includingelectri-cians, welders, barge operators, divers,and more.These are real jobs, for realworkers.Whywouldwedeterthiscom-pany and their private investors fromspendingtheirdollarshereinourstate,from employing our laborers so eagerforwork?RhodeIslandisperfectlypo-sitioned to take advantage of this newindustry,becomingahubofgreentech-nologyandmanufacturingasmoreoff-shorewindfarmsarebuiltintheNorth-east. We’realltroubledbywhatseemslikeSee Fallout cont. on page 23

38 Studios fallout shouldn’t paralyze us By Laurie White and Michael Sabitoni


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ThepastmonthhasbeenabigonefortheMartyWalshcampaignforBos-tonmayor. In early August, the Boston GlobereportedthatWalshhadtakentheleadin the fundraising race, hauling in anestimated$245,000—aboutahundredthousand more than the next high-est amount—the $162,697 raised byCounciloratLargeJohnConnolly. “Wearefeelinggreatgoingintothefinalmonthofthecampaign.Ourfund-raising iscompetitive,andourgroundgame is unrivaled.Wehave thousandsof volunteers knocking hundreds ofthousands of doors and making hun-dredsofthousandsofcalls,”saidJoyceLinehan, a campaign spokesperson.“This election will be won neighbor-to-neighbor,astheworkingfamiliesofBoston decide who will best representtheir interests at City Hall. WorkingfamiliesidentifywithMartyWalsh,andwillelecthimMayorofBoston.” In one day alone in early Augustalone,300peoplecongregatedonHydeParktogodoor-to-dooratalaborwalkorganizedbytheGreaterBostonLaborCouncil, according to the Massachu-settsAFL-CIO.“Workingpeoplehavebeendoorknockingandcallingunionmembers across the city to tell themwhy Marty is the right candidate forus,”theAFL-CIOsaid.

Two more key labor groups endorse And more support continues topour in from the labor community:over the lastmonth,Walshnetted an-otherroundofendorsementsfromkeylaborgroups.

In late July, Boston FirefightersLocal 718 formally endorsed Walsh,bringingthesupportofabout2,400ac-tiveandretiredfirefighterstothecam-paign. Two weeks later, on August 8,twoother labororganizationsfollowedsuit:theMassachusettsOrganizationofStateEngineersandScientistsandBos-ton’sLocal26,which representshotel,restaurant,anddiningserviceworkers. “Marty Walsh has been the voiceof our neighborhoods since he wasfirstelectedtooffice,”saidBrianLang,President of Local 26. “The membersofLocal 26 areproud to endorsehimasthenextmayorofBostonbecauseweknowthathewillrepresenteveryoneinBoston.” “Local26’sendorsementisanhonorand an incredible motivation for mycampaign as we move forward,” saidWalsh. “As the child of immigrants, IunderstandthechallengesmanyofLo-cal26’smembersandtheirfamiliesfaceastheyworktogainfootinginourcom-munity. I also carry in my heart theirhopesforabetterlifefortheirchildren.Local26representspeoplewhobuckedtheoddsandcametothiscitytobuildabrighterfuturefortheirfamilies.I’mhumbledtobeLocal26’scandidateformayorofBoston.” Thosethreeendorsementsareinad-ditiontomorethanadozenotherspre-viously announced, including Labor-ers Local 223, New England RegionalCouncil of Carpenters, the GreaterBoston Labor Council, and the Mas-sachusettsNursesAssociation.Walsh,astate rep, is a formerheadof theBos-ton BuildingTrades, a position which

he resigned in order to run for office.HeremainsamemberofLaborersLocal223. A preliminary election on Septem-ber 24 will cull down the field of adozen candidates to a few finalists. ArunoffbetweenthefinalistswillbeheldNovember 5.The race is the first onein twodecadeswithout an incumbentmayorrunningforre-election.

Walsh outlines policy agenda Walshhasalsobeenbusyoutliningtheagendahewouldpursueifelected.AttheendofJuly,heunveiledasweep-ing proposal for overhauling Bostonpublicschoolbuildings.Hisplancalledfora$1billioninitiativetobuild,reno-vate,andmaintainschoolbuildings.HealsoenvisionsthecreationofaBostonSchoolBuildingOversightCouncil. “Asmayor,Iwilladdresslong-termeducation problems in systematic, eq-uitable, and collaborative approaches.Improvingthequalityofourschoolin-frastructureacrossthecityisessentialtoattractingandkeepingparentsandtheirchildrentoourpublic schools,”Walshsaid.“Aqualityinfrastructureisattain-able if we work together, break downsilos,collaborateacrossgovernmentor-ganizations,andshareexpertisearounda commonpurpose.Weowe it toourchildren.” Bostonhassomeoftheoldestpublicschoolbuildingsinthenation,accord-ingtotheWalshcampaign,whichsaysthat80ofthebuildingscurrentlyinusedateback to theperiodbetween1890and 1945. The total cost of replace-ment, renovations, and much-needed

maintenance is roughly$3billion, ac-cordingtothecampaign. “Boston Public Schools are search-ing for hundreds of seats for kinder-gartnerswhowill enroll inSeptember,whilethereisasurplusofseatsinhighschools.At the same time, the choicesavailable to parents and their childrenthrough the new student assignmentplanarelimited.Boston’stotalstudentenrollment is projected to increase by7,000studentsinthenextfouryears,”thecampaignsaid. Walsh’s education plan also laysoutaseriesofstepsforaddressinglow-performingschoolsthatwouldincludeteachersandstaffintheprocess. Thecandidatehasalsoproposedes-tablishedanOfficeofRecoveryServicesat City Hall, which will connect sub-stanceabuseaddictswithvitally-neededservices.Theofficewillalsomaintaina24-hourreferrallineandpushforbetterservicesforaddicts,Walshsaid. AsofJuly22,Walshhadheldmorethan 250 events around the city andspoken to more than 100 volunteerswho comprisehispolicy teams.Thosevolunteers, in turn, have spoken withover500citizensandadvocates,provid-ing “great ideas and feedback” Walshsaid. “Stay tuned. As we work towardSeptember 24, we will begin to an-nounce collaborative and innovativepolicy initiatives across approximately20 areas,” Walsh said. “I am runningformayorbecause I love thiscity,andI believe government is about servingpeople.ThisisoneverypersonalwayIcandothat.”

Walsh campaign takes fundraising lead By Common Ground staff


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Months after opening, the New England CasinoDealerAcademyisdoingmorethanjusttrainafreshtroopofdealersfortheburgeoningcasinoindustryinRhodeIslandandMassachusetts. Theacademyisalsoonamissiontogivebacktothecommunity. In August, the academy held the first of what ithopeswillbemonthlypokertournamentstobenefitlocal charities at its 6,000-square foot facility in theEmeraldSquareMallinNorthAttleboro.Inthiscase,thebeneficiarywasachildren’sfoundationoutofFallRiver,forwhichtheacademyraised$500atitsAugust3tournament,accordingtoMikeTassoni, thepresi-dent and CEO of the academy, which launched inMarch. The tournaments,whichare expected tobeheldoneSaturdayeachmonth,areawin-winforthenewschool: ithelpsthe localcommunityanditprovidesmuch-needed experience for the dealers-in-training.“Anditgivesourschoolsomeexposureaswell,”saidTassoni,whoisthebrotherofCommonGroundpub-lisherandformerstateSenatorJohnTassoni.

For example, one of the participants at the lasttournamenthasnowsigneduptobeastudentattheschool,accordingtoMikeTassoni. SincelaunchinginMarch,thecasinoacademyhashadanestimated145studentsgraduatefromitspro-grams,whichprovidetraininginhowtobeadealerfor poker, black jack, craps, and roulette as well asAsiangamesandnovelties.Theschool,which is theonly licensedoneof itskind in southernNewEng-land,openedtomeetthedemandanticipatedbythebuilding of three new casinos and a slots parlor inMassachusetts,aswellasthearrivaloftablegamesatTwinRiverandNewportGrandinRhodeIsland. Anestimated3,000dealerswillhavetobehiredattheMassachusettscasinos,withanother450expectedatTwinRiver,accordingtoanofficialattheacademy. The next poker tournament fundraiser is set forSeptember7.TheeventwillbenefittheSimonYouthFoundation,whosemissionistospark“hopethrougheducationalopportunitiesforstudentswhoareatriskof dropping out of high school.”The foundation isanarmoftheSimonPropertyGroup,therealestate

magnatethatownstheEmeraldSquareMall. “Obviously,sincewe’reatenantwefiguredwe’ddoonefortheirorganizationtoo,”Tassonisaid. Tassoniishopingtogetdoubletheattendanceofthefirstevent,whichdraw27players.Sofar,about15to20peoplehaveregisteredfortheSeptemberevent. The other events have not been formally sched-uled, but Tassoni expects to have one a month forthe foreseeable futureand is in theprocessof liningupother local charitiesandcommunitygroupswhocouldusethesupport. New England Casino Dealer Academy is alsoplanningtoopenasecondlocationintheSilverCityGalleriamallinTauntonandisworkingonadealtosupplydealerstothecasinobeingbuiltinthatcom-munity by the Mashpee WampanoagTribe,Tassonisaid.Oncethatschoolopens,aroundnextJanuaryorFebruary,Tassonisaidhewouldexpecttoholdcharityfundraiserstheretoo. Editor’s Note: For more information about the fund-raisers, call the New England Casino Dealer Academy at 508-643-3500 or e-mail [email protected].

Casino Academy gives back with charity poker tournaments By Common Ground staff


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licpolicytoinvestininfrastructurefortheimmediateimpactithasonunem-ployment while providing long-termquality-of-lifeimprovements. ThatiswhyIwaspleasedtoseetheGeneral Assembly include the reau-thorization of the HistoricTax Creditprogramaspartofitsbroadercompre-hensiveeconomicdevelopmentagenda.The restoration of $34.5 million inhistorictaxcreditspreviouslyapproved

forprojects thatwerenevercompletedwasamongover30 initiatives that theHouse and Senate passed to stimulategrowthandincreasethestate’seconom-iccompetitiveness. The Historic Tax Credit programhas been one of the most successfultoolsthestatehasintroducedinrecentmemorytostimulateeconomicgrowth.The program encourages the develop-ment and reuse of historic structuresinto attractive modern commercial,industrial,andresidentialspaces,helpsfoster civic pride, improves the long-termeconomicwell-beingofthestate,and will help create new and good-payingconstructionjobsforthepeopleofRhodeIsland.Theprogramwillalsodocumenttheconstructionjobscreatedfor Rhode Islanders and include ap-prenticeshipandtrainingonthelarger,morecomplexprojects. An additional accomplishment bytheGeneralAssembly thatwillbenefitthousands of Rhode Islanders was in-creasing the state’s minimum wage to$8, beginningon Jan. 1, 2014.Whilethewealthiest onepercentwere barelyimpacted by the Great Recession andcontinue to enjoy record incomesand profits, thousands of low-income

Rhode Island families are barely mak-ingendsmeet. While $8 an hour is not nearlyenough,weneedtocontinuetosupportaminimumwagethatsomeonewillingtoworkcanliveonandprovideforhisorherfamily. The increased minimum wage willhelp these families and will result inincreased consumer purchasing power,whichcanhelpRhodeIslandbusinesses. More work remains in restoringeconomic growth and ensuring thatthe benefits of that growth reach allRhodeIslanders.Issuessuchasworkermisclassification and investment inworker training programs in the formof apprenticeship utilization, whichbothpassedtheSenatebutdiedintheHouse,needtobetopprioritiesinthenextlegislativesessionifthisstateisgo-ingtoreverseitscourse. I commend the General Assemblyontheinitiativesittookthissessiontoincrease the state’s economic competi-tiveness. Michael Sabitoni is president of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council. This op-ed was previously published in the August 10, 2013 edition of the Providence Journal.

State lawmakers helped the economy this session By Michael Sabitoni


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PROVIDENCE – Governor Lin-colnChafeeannouncedlastmonththatRhode Island will receive a $670,000Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in-centive grant from the U.S. Depart-mentofLabor. “In order to continue movingRhodeIsland’seconomyintherightdi-rection,weneedtoimproveeducationandtrainingateverylevel—fromearly-childhood education right up throughour public schools, our colleges anduniversities, and our adult educationand workforce development,” Chafeesaid. “This incentive grant recognizesthe outstanding work already underway in Rhode Island and will furtherenable the Rhode Island Departmentof Education and the Rhode IslandDepartment of Labor andTraining toinvestinimprovementstoadulteduca-tionandworkforcetrainingservices.” Rhode Island’s high performancein adult education and workforce de-velopmentprogramsqualifiedthestateto apply for this incentive award. It isthefirsttimeRhodeIslandhasbeeneli-

giblesincetheincentivegrantsbeganin1998. The Rhode Island Department ofEducation (RIDE) exceeded all WIAperformance targets related to adulteducationand to enteringpostsecond-ary education or training, and DLTsurpassed all WIA Dislocated WorkerandAdultemploymentservicestargets.These targets included GED comple-tion, educational gains, entered em-ployment,andemployeeretention. RIDE and DLT plan to use fundsfrom the incentive awards topurchasetechnologytools. DLTwilluse itsportiontoacquiredata-analyticstechnologythatwillhelptracktheprogressofemploymentpro-grams and analyze specific trends inworkforcedevelopment. “Iamexceedinglyproudoftheout-comes our dedicated workforce devel-opment staffhasachieved,particularlyinlightofRhodeIsland’sstillchalleng-ingeconomicsituation,”DLTDirectorCharlesFogartysaid. RIDE will implement technology

for use in adult educationclassrooms. In addition,RIDE will establish aTechnology Committee todevelop a comprehensivestatewide technology planto address issues of policyand access, with a specialfocus on professional de-velopment, training, andassessmentneeds. “Iwanttocongratulatethe teachers, staff mem-bers, leaders of our adulteducation programs, and all of ouradult learners for meeting their goalsandearningourstateeligibilityforthisimportant incentive award,” said Eva-Marie Mancuso, Chair of the BoardofEducation.“Wewillusethesefundswisely to maintain and improve thequality of adult education in RhodeIslandandtobuildastrongworkforcethat will advance the economy of ourstate.” “We are committed to developingand supporting high-quality programs

for adult education across the state,”added Deborah Gist, Commissionerof Elementary and Secondary Educa-tion.“Iampleasedthatallofourstate-fundedadulteducationprogramshavesurpassed their annual targets and areproviding adult learners with oppor-tunities to improve their lives and thewell-beingoftheirfamilies.Withtheseincentive funds, we will continue toimprovethequalityofadult-educationservicesinRhodeIsland.”

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WARWICK–ThroughoutAugust,CongressmanJimLangevinheldatourofhisdistrictthathighlightedskillsandjobtraining. In2010,Langevin,D-RI,convenedtheRhodeIslandSummitontheEcon-omy to discuss strategies for closingthe skills gap, strengthening the state’sworkforce, and improving Rhode Is-land’seconomicoutlook. TheforumgavewaytoaRhodeIs-land Skilled Economy, or RISE,Tourthathas continuedover thepast threeyears. In August, Langevin picked up

whereheleftoff. TheRISEClassroomtoCareertourhas highlighted skills and job trainingprograms acrossLangevin’sdistrict, al-lowing the Congressman to connectwithprogramcoordinatorstofindoutmoreaboutcurrentemployerdemandsand the resources needed to prepareRhodeIsland’sworkforceaccordingly. Langevinisco-chairoftheCongres-sionalCareerandTechnicalEducationCaucus and has recently introducedtheCounseling forCareerChoiceActtoensurethathighschoolstudentsare

made fully aware of their career andeducationoptionspriortograduation.TheClassroomtoCareertourputsthatconceptintopractice,bothforstudentsstill unsure of their futures and foradultslookingforstableemployment. “As the economic recovery contin-ues locally and nationally, more em-ployersare lookingforqualifiedwork-ers.Skillsandjobtrainingprogramsarecriticaltomeetingthatdemand,”Lan-gevinsaid.“Inordertokeepbusinessesin Rhode Island, we must maintain askilledworkforce.Inordertokeepourpromisingyoungpeoplehere,wemustmaintainqualityeducationandtrainingprogramsandthepromiseofgoodjobstocome.Ifwesupportourworkforce,theywillinturnboostoureconomy.” Locations visited in August in-cluded: the New Horizons ComputerLearningCenterinProvidence,AS220

inProvidence,theThundermistHealthCenterinWestWarwick,theNewEng-land Institute of Technology in EastGreenwich,theRhodeIslandCommu-nityFoodBankinProvidence,andtheKingstonFreeLibraryinKingston “Ihavevisitedavarietyofprograms,focusedoneverythingfromartseduca-tion to IT training, but the universalthemedrivingthis tour is thedemandfor skilled workers,” Langevin said.“Whattheseprogramshaveincommonis that theyprovide soft skills trainingandsupport forRhodeIslanders look-ing forwork.Theyhave the resourcesourjobseekersneed,butwemustdoabetterjobconnectingpotentialemploy-eeswithavailableprograms.Sometimesallajobapplicantneedsishelpwithhisor her resume or a refresher course intechnologyinordertobeamorequali-fiedcandidate.”

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Therehasbeenmuchsaidaboutthefailed 38 Studios deal. In spite of thisfactorbecauseof it, thestorydeservesfurther clarification as to the specificeventsandissueswhich, inmyestima-tion,ledtotheill-fated38Studiosdealaswellas to thecompany’s subsequentbankruptcy. The following account isbaseduponcommitteetestimony,newsaccounts,investigativereports,research,andothersourcesofinformation. CurtSchillinghadanillustriousca-reerasapitcherfortheBostonRedSox.Asafamous,albeitformer,RedSoxplay-er,CurtSchillingwaspossessedofgreatself-confidence, making him the idealpitchman for his long held dream—tobuildavideogamingempire.However,whileSchillingknewbaseball,headmit-tedlywas“outofhis element”when itcame to understanding the day-to-dayoperations of a business. By contrast,DonaldL.Carcieriwasaknowledgeablebusinessman for years prior to turn-ingtopoliticswhenhedecidedtorunforgovernorofRhode Island in2002.Once elected, Republican GovernorDonCarcieriwouldtasktheEconomic

DevelopmentCorporation(EDC)withhelping him transform Rhode Islandintoamorebusiness-friendlystate. Bythewinterof2010,Carcieriwasnearingtheendofhistwotermsasgov-ernor.Hewasfacedwithahighunem-ploymentrate(nearly12percent),smallbusinesses starved for access to capital,and an incomplete political legacy. Achance meeting between Carcieri andSchillingledtodiscussionsandeventu-allyaprospectivedealtobring38Stu-diosalongwithmanyhigh-techjobstoRhodeIsland.Thestatehaddesiredtobuildatechnologysectorinthe“Knowl-edgeDistrict”ofProvidence.38Studioswouldhelpformthecenterpieceofthisnewhightechdevelopment.Forasmallstate, thiswas “thinkingbig.” For theGovernorandtheunemployed,thispo-tentially could be a win-win scenario,ahomerun.(Whileitisstillunknownwhatroleortowhatextent,ifany,leg-islativeleadersplayedinbringingaboutthe38Studiosdeal,pendingcivilsuitsmayshedsomelightonthisquestion.) Still, Carcieri must assume thelion’s share of responsibility for the 38

Studios deal given his leadership posi-tionaschairmanoftheEDCBoardaswellastheofficialwhohand-pickeditsmembership. In a retrospective inter-viewinSeptemberof2012withWPRINews, the former governor did take“responsibility” for the deal being ap-proved “on his watch,” but explainedthateveryone“hadhighhopesthatthiscould be the nucleus of something forawholenewindustryinourstate.”In-deed, it was this “hope” that seemedtocoloranddrivethedecision-makingprocessof38Studiosdeal,inspiteofanumber of red flags which urged cau-tion. 1. Rejection by private investors: VenturecapitalfirmsrepeatedlyturnedCurt Schilling down prior to pitchinghisdreamideatoRI. The “word on the street” was thatMassachusetts-based venture capitalistswere fondofCurtSchillingpersonally,but were unwilling to invest in his 38Studios company. In short, it seemedthat the “smart money” was not buy-ing. Even future stateTreasurer GinaRaimondo, herself a venture capitalist,

weighedinontheprospectivedealinalettersenttothenEDCDirectorKeithStokes. Shewarned,“Iwouldproceedverycarefullyon[the38Studiosdeal]...If [38 Studios] were in fact a compel-ling investment I would have to thinkitwouldbewell-fundedalreadybyven-turecapitalists;thefactthatmanyhavelooked at it and passed is a red flag.”Herwarningwentunheeded. 2. Putting all your eggs in one bas-ket:Investingalargesumofmoneyinasinglebusinessinthealreadyriskyin-dustryofvideogamingisunwise. Abasictenetofinvestmentisdiver-sification. As the old saying goes, youshouldnotputallofyour“eggsinonebasket.” When the $125 million JobCreation Guaranty Program came be-foretheGeneralAssembly,itwastoutedasameanstoprovideaccesstocapital,particularly for small companies. Inturn, this would help them expandtheirbusinessesandhirenewemployeeswhichcouldshortenthestate’slongun-employment lines. Unfortunately, thiswasnot tobe the case:$75millionofSee 38 Studios cont. on page 13

38 Studios: The broken road to bankruptcyBy Senator James Sheehan


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the$125millionappearedtobeintend-ed,atleastfromtheEDC’sperspective,foronecompany—38Studios.Furthercomplicating matters, the EDC ap-pearedtolackclearordefinitivelendingguidelinesandrequirementsthatbanksandotherfinancial institutions relyonto reduce riskand toassuremorepru-dent and consistent investment prac-tices. 3. No due diligence: The vettingprocessforthe38Studio’sdealwasin-adequate, hurried, and possibly negli-gentinitslackoffullriskdisclosure. EDC did not possess in-house ex-pertise in either the video gaming in-dustry or venture capital-like invest-ment. Therefore, the EDC turned toan outside firm to vet the 38 Studiosprospects forsuccessasabusinessven-ture.TimothyCole,theSeniorStrategyandResearchManager,voicedconcernabout theoutsidefirm thatwas select-ed toperformtheduediligenceon38Studios.Indeed,thecompany,StrategyAnalyticsofBoston,wasnotconsideredbyColetobeadequatetothetask.Colesuggestedawell-established,albeitmoreexpensive,firmcalledMonitorGroupofCambridge.Inspiteofthisrecommen-dation, the EDC stuck with StrategyAnalytics. Cole also believed that theduediligencewasbeingrushedincom-pletingitsanalysisbeforeallmajorriskscouldbeweighed. When the due diligence was com-pleted, Sean Easton, EDC’s FinancialPortfolio Manager, was alarmed that38 Studios’ projections for its businessseemedtorelyonreleasingasuccessfulgame every two years—a track recordthatmostcompaniescanonlydreamof(New York Times report).Per an inves-

tigative reportbyWPRINews,Eastonwrote to his superiors that he couldnotsupporta$75millionguaranteetoany single company in the video gam-ing industry due to the wide volatilityincommercialsuccessofgamereleases.Hefurthercautionedthathehadmoreinformation on a $10,000 micro loanthanhedidonthe$75million38Stu-diosdeal,especiallyaboutthefinancialprojections made by 38 Studios. Heconcluded,“[t]hisisaproblem....Iamstillnotcomfortabletheopportunityisas strong as they’d like us to believe.”Easton believed his analysis was bur-iedwhenhewas instructedbyDeputyDirectorofEDCJ.MichaelSaul,that,“...weshouldstayawayfromanystate-ments about financial projections”whenbriefingtheEDCboard.Ifsuchinformationwasnotdisclosedor clari-fiedtotheEDCBoardofDirectors, itisconceivablethattheboardmayhaverejectedthe38Studiosdeal. 4. Not a good fit for jobs program:The Job Creation Guaranty Programwasawrongfitfor38Studiosatitsstageofdevelopment. The Job Creation Guarantee Pro-gramwasconceivedofasawaytopro-vide capital to companies seeking toexpand their businesses and hire newemployees.Ajobcreationprogramwasamismatchfor38Studios.Asasoftwarestart-upcompany,38Studiosneededtospend its money on product develop-ment and getting its product to mar-ket.Instead,theJobCreationGuarantyProgrammandatedthatbusinessespar-ticipatingin it increaseandmaintainacertainnumberofemployees.Moreover,38Studiosappearedtohaveaspendingproblemor“highburnrate.”According

toaJuly2012GoLocalProvarticle,re-cordsshowthat38Studioswasspend-ing between $4 million to $5 millionper month and had spent some $133millionsince2006. 5. Third-party monitoring:Third-party monitoring or oversight of 38Studiosmanagementwasimprudentatbest. Aconsultingarmof IBMwascon-tracted to monitor and analyze 38Studios financial records and providequarterly reports on the status of the38 Studios new video game “Coper-nicus” and provide them to the EDC.The EDC board apparently operatedunder the false impression that IBMwould police the EDC investment onthe board’s behalf. To the contrary,IBM was being paid by 38 Studios asopposed to the EDC, creating an ob-vious conflict of interest with regardto providing proper oversight. Accord-ing to an investigative report by Go-LocalProv, IBM, in fact, never issuedasinglereporttotheEDCboardastothefinancialhealthof38Studios.Thesamereportfurtheraddedthat,between September2010toMay2012,theEDCboard never formally discussed the fi-nancialhealthof38Studioseither. In spite of this lack of oversight, itis improbable that the38Studiosdealcould have survived even if the EDChadbeenawareof38Studiosfinancialproblems,giventhefactthatitdidnothavenearlyenoughcapitaltolaunchitssecond video game. According to theNew York Times, the 38 Studios gameReckoningsoldabout1.5millionunits,whichwas amore-than-respectablede-butforagamingcompany,butnothinglikethespectacularshowingthatSchil-

ling had projected or needed to keephis company afloat. At the same time,Schillingwasunabletoattractmorepri-vatefinancingforhisailing38Studios. OnMay1,2012,38Studiosdefault-edonitsloanpaymenttoEDC.WhileCarcieri’s successor, Governor LincolnChafee,madesomeefforttorescuethecompany, thecompanyappeared tobeatrope’sendfinanciallyspeaking.Afterafailedlastditchefforttosecurestate-sponsored film tax credits, 38 Studioshadtolayoffallofits400employeesinlateMay.OnMay25,38StudiosagaindefaultedonitsloanpaymenttoEDC.Withitsoptionsexhausted,38StudiosfinallyfiledforbankruptcyonJune10,2012. Since38Studiosdeclaredbankrupt-cy, the ill-fated deal has been investi-gatedbytheFBI,theU.S.Attorney,theRI Attorney General and the RI StatePolice. With all of these investigationsnearing an end or already concluded,no apparent criminal wrongdoing hasbeen found. Meanwhile, the State ofRhode Island has filed separate civilsuits against those it believes were re-sponsible for the 38 Studios deal inorder to recovermonetarydamagesonbehalfofthestate.Asthesecivillawsuitsgoforward,Iexpectanylingeringques-tionsmaybeansweredasthekeyplayersin the38Studiosdebaclefinallybreaktheir silence and testify in the lawsuitsagainstthem. James Sheehan is a high school history teacher in Warwick and represents District 36 (Narragansett, North Kingstown) in the state Senate. This piece has previously been published in the North Kingstown Standard-Times.

38 Studios cont. from page 11


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Celebrating Recovery The Rhode IslandCouncil onAlco-holism and Other Drug Dependence(RICAODD), a Phoenix House Pro-gram,presentsthe44thAnnualCommu-nityServiceAwardsLuncheononThurs-day,September26. In celebration of Recovery Month,theRhodeIslandCouncilonAlcoholismand Other Drug Dependence (RICA-ODD), a Phoenix House Program, willhostits2013CommunityServiceAwardsLuncheon on Thursday, September 26,atnoonatTheRadissonHotel, locatedat 2081 Post Road in Warwick, RhodeIsland. The annual event will honor anumber of outstanding individuals andorganizations thathavemadesignificantcontributions to the field of substanceabusetreatment. The 2013 award honorees include:TheHonorablePatriciaA.Serpa,RhodeIslandHouseofRepresentatives,JamesH.OttmarAward-Foradvocacyonbehalf

of those strugglingwith substanceabuse; ChristopherHerren, Founder,TheHerrenProjectCommunity Ser-vice Award - For

contributions to the field of alcoholismon a statewide level; Ian Knowles, Ex-ecutive Director, RICARES, President’sAward -Foryearsof exceptional leader-shipinthefieldofalcoholanddrugtreat-ment; Stephanie Riotte, Sergeant FirstClass, Rhode Island National Guard,Bronze Key Award - The highest localawardgivenbytheNationalCouncilonAlcoholismandOtherDrugDependenceandpresentedbyanaffiliate,StevenRo-billard;VolunteeroftheYearAward-Forsignificantcontributionsoftimeandtal-enttothoseinsubstanceabusetreatmentand recovery; The Drug and AlcoholTreatment Association of Rhode Island-Appreciation Award - For outstandingcontributionstotheworkoftheCouncilatthestatewidelevel. Allproceedsfromthe luncheonsup-porttheRhodeIslandCouncilinitscon-tinuing efforts to help those strugglingwith drug and alcohol addiction accessthetreatmentandrecoveryservicestheyneed,andtoprovidesafe,sober,andaf-fordable housing for individuals in re-covery.Pleasevisitwww.ricaodd.orgforsponsorship, advertising opportunities,andticketinformation.Tomakereserva-tions, contact RICAODD at 401-725-0410 or by e-mail at hcabral@phoenix-

house.org.Toregisteronline,gotowww.phoenixhouse.org/rhode-island.

The Rhode Island Council on Alcohol-ism and Other Drug Dependence The Rhode Island Council wasfounded in1969as theHopeCommit-tee. For sixteen years, this committeeoperatedasastrictlyvolunteer,nonprofitinformationagency.In1986,theHopeCouncilonAlcoholismreorganizeditselfastheRhodeIslandCouncilonAlcohol-ism. In 1990, the Council changed itsnametotheRhodeIslandCouncilonAl-coholism and Other Drug Dependencetopubliclyacknowledgetheneedtoad-dresstheabuseofotherdrugs.ItwasatthistimethatRICAODDbeganofferingrecoveryhousingtothoseinearlystagesofrecoveryfromdrugandalcoholaddic-tion. In 2012 RICAODD joined forceswith Phoenix Houses of New England.Phoenix House provides a broad spec-trum of services to adults and adoles-cents, including medically monitoreddetoxification,residentialandoutpatienttreatment, education and preventionservices, gender-specific treatment forwomen, residential family treatment for

mothers and children, emergency hous-ingforwomenwithsmallchildren,tem-porary shelter for adolescents, and casemanagement for court-involved adoles-centsattheRhodeIslandJuvenileDrugCourt. Phoenix House is dedicated topreserving the name and mission ofRICAODD.Together,RICAODDandPhoenixHouseprovideafullcontinuumofcaretothoseinneedoftreatmentandrecoverysupport.

Recovery Housing in Rhode Island The Rhode IslandCouncil onAlco-holism and Other Drug Dependence(RICAODD),aPhoenixHouseProgram,provides a number of recovery housesthroughout Rhode Island, all located inquiet residential neighborhoods, whichhelp individuals in early recovery fromalcoholordrugaddictionmakethetran-sition back into the community. Theyoffer regular drug and alcohol testingandrequireattendanceatsupportgroupssuchasAlcoholicsAnonymousandNar-coticsAnonymous.Housesareoverseenby a RICAODD staff member and vis-ited frequently to ensure smoothopera-tions. Clients live together in comfort-able, single family houses that offer anSee Luncheon cont. on page 17


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UtilityworkersinNewEnglandhavewonanewfour-yearcontractwithNa-tional Grid, earning them annual 2.5percentraiseswhilemakingconcessionson pensions for new hires and healthcareforallemployees,avertingapossiblestrikeoverthesummer. “I’m happy in this environment,”saidPhilFogarty,presidentoftheUtilityWorkersUnionofAmerica,Local310,BrotherhoodofUtilityWorkers,whichrepresents mostNationalGrid gas andelectricworkersinRhodeIsland. The sentiment seems to be sharedby National Grid. “We’re very happytohavereachedanagreementwithourunion partners,” spokeswoman Debo-rahDrewsaidinastatementpublishedintheBoston Globe.“Webelievethisisan agreement that meets the needs ofbothouremployeesandourcustomers.” Theagreementaffects50membersofLocal310whoworkforNationalGridgas and nearly 500 who are employedwith the electric division.The electricagreementtookeffectMay12thisyear.

ThegascontracthadaneffectivedateofJuly20. Themajorstickingpointinnegotia-tions, Fogarty told Common Ground,was National Grid’s plan to move newhires from defined benefit plan to a401(k)-style defined contribution plan.Workers at one time had consideringstrikingovertheissue,butFogartysaidultimately it would have been a toughsell to rank-and-file members to losework and walk away from a four-yearcontract with pay increases—on behalfof people who aren’t even members ofthelocalyet. Ontheupside,thecontractprovides2.5 percent pay raises for each of thefouryearsofthedeal.Workerssplitthedifferenceonhealthcarechanges.Theysuccessfullybattledagainstaproposaltoincrease their current contribution rateof20percentontheirhealthanddentalplans, but they agreed to double theirco-paysforprescriptiondrugsanddoc-torvisits,from$10to$20,accordingtoFogarty.

Thepayandbenefitsprovisionswereessentiallythesameforboththeelectricandgasworkers,Fogartysaid.Thetwocontracts differedmainly on theprovi-sionsthatinvolveworkingconditions. Oneofthemajorbenefitsofthecon-tract is simply the stability that comeswith having a four-year agreement,Fogartysaid.Thepreviouscontracthadexpiredin2011.BecauseNationalGridwas in the middle of some operationalchangesatthetime,theutilityworkersagreedtoextendtheoldcontractbytwoyears,insteadofinsistingonanewone,saidFogarty. Heexpressedhopethattheeconomywillturnaroundoverthenextfewyearssothattheunionshavemoreleverageinnegotiationswhenthenewcontractex-piresin2017. Negotiations for the new contractwerecontentiousattimes,butnothos-tile, Fogarty said. Talks began in lateFebruary and lasted until literally the11thhour:thedealfortheelectricwork-erscontractwasstruckat10:30p.m.on

Saturday May 11, just an hour and ahalfbeforetheoldcontractexpired,ac-cordingtoonenewsaccount. FogartycreditedtwoothermembersofLocal310fortheirworkwithhimonthemaintablenegotiatingteam:JamesDiggle, the vicepresident of the local,and Laurie Stenovitch, the recordingsecretary.MarkZito,thevicepresidentofthegasdivisionintheunion,assistedinnegotiationson thecontract forgasworkers. Six other members of the lo-cal’s executive board also sat on thesteeringcommitteeforthenegotiations. Inall,sixlocalsinRhodeIslandandMassachusettswonnewcontractswithNational Grid this summer. All wereoverwhelmingly ratified by about 85percent of their membership. In Local310, the ratification vote was closer to90percent,Fogartysaid. “Intheend…wefelt thatwedidagood job and the package we broughtbacktomemberswasfairandequitableforbothparties,”Fogartysaid.

National Grid workers get new four-year contractBy Common Ground staff


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Luncheon cont. from page 15 atmosphere of home, security, and sup-port.Theyhave24-houraccesstocrisisinterventionandtothewrap-aroundser-vicesavailablethroughPhoenixHouse. Recoveryhousing isoneof themostmisunderstood services offered to thoserecoveringfromdrugandalcoholaddic-tion.Traditionallycalledsoberhousing,it is a service that, for the vastmajorityof its history, has been an undergroundendeavor.Soberhousesbeganwithaverysimpleidea:thatpeopleinrecoveryneedto livewithothers in recovery tomain-taintheirsobriety.Oftenapersonnewly

inrecovery,perhapshavingjustcomplet-eddetoxificationorresidentialtreatment,willreturnhometoanenvironmentthatisnotconducivetomaintaininghisorhersobriety.Inresponsetotheneedforpeer-to-peersupport,groupsofpeoplerentedproperties together with the agreementthatindividualswouldleavethehouseiftheyuseddrugsoralcohol. Throughout the years, sober hous-inghasevolved.InRhodeIsland,soberhousingisreferredtoasrecoveryhousingbecause it is not just about staying so-ber,butaboutfullyparticipatinginone’s

own recovery. Residents maintain theirrecovery through peer-to-peer support.Theyattendself-helpgroups,workwithrecoverycoachesandtelephonerecoverysupport,andbenefitfromtheencourage-ment received from their housemates.They search for employment, reconnectwiththeirfamilies,friends,andchildren,andlearntobecontributingmembersofsociety. They build a support networksothateventuallytheyareabletoliveontheirownwithout turningtodrugsandalcohol. There are different levels of recov-eryhousing. Theserange fromthefirstlevel, in which a group of individualslivetogether inahousewithnooutsidesupervision, to the highest level, whichis staffedwith trained clinicians. How-ever,mostrecoveryhousesliesomewherein themiddleof that range. Whilenotcompletely unsupervised, they do nothave24-hoursupervisionbyapaidstaff. Recovery housing is recognized inRhode Island and nationally as an im-

portant facet of the continuum of care.Three years ago, a group of dedicatedoperators of recovery housing, in coop-eration with RICARES (Rhode IslandCommunitiesforAddictionRecoveryEf-forts),formedtheOceanStateCoalitionofRecoveryHouses(OSCRH).Thisvol-untary coalition created the first officialstandard for recovery houses in RhodeIslandandcontinuestoworkoneduca-tion,advocacy,andcommunityoutreach.As a founding member of the OceanState Coalition of Recovery Houses,RICAODD was instrumental in creat-ingtheorganization’sstandards,ensuringsafeandhigh-qualityhousingforpersonsinrecovery.In2013,OSCRHbecameamember of the National Association ofRecoveryResidences(NARR). For more information on recovery hous-ing in Rhode Island, please visit www.rica-odd.org, www.recoveryhousingri.com, or call 401-725-0410.

The Orchard provides safe, supportive recovery housing for six women in a quiet, residential neighborhood in Cranston.

Acceptance House, located in Cranston, provides recovery housing for men in close proximity to public transportation and employment opportunities.


“We can never insure one-hundred percent of the popula-tion against one-hundred percent of the hazards and vicis-situdes of life. But we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age. This law, too, represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete. It is a structure intended to lessen the force of possible future depressions. It will act as a protection to future Administra-tions against the necessity of going deeply into debt to fur-nish relief to the needy. The law will flatten out the peaks and valleys of deflation and of inflation. It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide for the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt, August 14, 1935

On Wednesday, August 14, 2013, Social Securitycelebrated its 78th birthday. Before Social Security,seniors worked until the day they died because theycouldneveraffordtoretire.Retireesacrossthecountrycelebratedtheprogramthattheycontributetointheirworkingyearsandcanrelyonformodestbenefitswhentheyneeditmost.Theprogramismoreimportantthan

everwiththedeclineofdefined-benefitpensions,plum-meting401(k)s,andscantysavings. WeareupsetwhenwehearpoliticiansorTVcom-mentatorstalkabouthowweshouldcutSocialSecuritybenefits.Somepoliticianshave talked for a long timeaboutturningSocialSecurityovertoWallStreet,cut-tingbenefits,usingtheChainedCPItocalculatecostoflivingincreases,andraisingtheretirementage.Easyforthemtosay—maybetheyhavetrustfundsthattherestofusdon’t. As retirees, it bothers us when people think thatSocialSecurityisahandoutoragive-away.Thetruthiswepaidfor iteverydayweworked.WeknowhowimportantSocialSecurityistoourcommunity.SocialSecurityhelpsseniors,personswithdisabilities,widows,andchildrenwhohavelostaparent.Formanyofthesepeople,Ijustdon’tknowhowtheywouldsurvivewith-outSocialSecurity. WorkingmenandwomenpaidfortheirSocialSe-curity through taxes that cameoutof everypaycheckoftheirlives,soithasnothingtodowithourbudgetdeficit.Ourgovernmentmusthonoritscommitmenttoworkers,andifwewanttolowerthedeficit,let’sinsteadtakeawayall thosetaxbreaksformillionairesandbig

corporations. Whatareourchildrenandgrandchildrengoingtodo?Theyarehavingahardtimeofitnow,sowhatwillitbelikeforthemwhentheyretire?They’lldefinitelyneedSocialSecurity, so let’smake sure thepoliticiansdon’ttakeitaway. SocialSecurityisasmart,responsiblewaytoprepareforyourretirement.Asmallamountofmoneycomesoutofeachpaycheck,weekafterweek,yearafteryear.Then,whenyouretire,thatmoneyisthereforyou. Notonlydoesthismakeperfectsense,butit’salsosomethingwehaveearnedanddeserve.Iknowweneedtolowerthebudgetdeficit,butIthinkweshouldstartwith unnecessary corporate tax breaks people don’tneed,andnottheSocialSecuritythatwehaveworkedhardforallourlives. SomepoliticianshavepromotedtheideasofturningSocial Security over to Wall Street through privatiza-tion,cuttingbenefits,andraisingtheretirementageto70.TherearebetterwaystostrengthentheSocialSecu-rityTrustFundthatdon’tcompromisethis importantlifeline.Andtherearedefinitelybetterwaystolowerournationaldeficit,whichSocialSecuritydidnotcontrib-uteto.

Happy 78th birthday Social Security—Thank you FDRBy John A. Pernorio, President, RI ARA


FourgoodgovernmentgroupshavedemandedthatGinaRaimondoreleaserecordsthatshowhowmuchthestateispayinginfeestothecontroversialhedgefundsintowhichthestatetreasurerhasmoved about a $1 billion in pensionfundinvestments. TheletterwasissuedinresponsetoaProvidence Journalreportthatrevealedthetreasurer’sofficehadprovidedheav-ilyredactedreportsinresponsetoare-questforinformation. “Giventhatthereportsarepaidforwith public funds and detail how thestateisinvestingthepublic’smoney,wefeeltheyshouldbemadepublicintheirentirety,”theAugust7letterstated. TheletterwassignedbytheRhodeIslandACLU,CommonCauseRhodeIsland,theRhodeIslandPressAssocia-tion,andtheLeagueofWomenVotersofRhodeIsland. Hedge funds typicallyclaimhigherfees that other non-alternative invest-ments. Usually, the hedge fund man-

agers will charge an annual 2 percentmanagementfee,witha20percentcutof any profits. The Providence Journal estimatedthatRhodeIslandspentato-tal of $45 million on such fees in thelastfiscalyear,buttheexactamounthasyettobedisclosedbythetreasurer’sof-fice. Thesecrecyhasalsoearnedasharprebuke fromreformpensioncriticTedSiedle. “Refusingtodisclosetothepublic,includingparticipantsinthestatepen-sions, material information regardinghigh-cost, high-risk speculative invest-ment schemes is bad enough,” SiedlewroteinhisForbes.comcolumn. “Far more indefensible is Raimon-do’sclaimthatthestateiscontractuallyobligedtodefertothehedgefundandalternative managers on the release ofso-calledproprietaryinformation.Del-egating to private entities the decisionas to what records are available undertheopen-recordslawwould,obviously,

effectively nullify it,” he added. (SiedlenotedthatsimilarrequestshehasissuedonbehalfofAFSCMECouncil94havebeendeniedbyRaimondo’sstaffaswell.) Belowisthefulltextoftheletterde-manding the releaseofhedge fund feerecords. So far, Raimondo’s office hasnotissuedafullresponse.

Letter on Hedge Fund Fees to General Treasurer Gina Raimondo

August7,2013GeneralTreasurerGinaRaimondoStateHouse,Room102Providence,RI02903

DearTreasurerRaimondo: We are writing in response to theSunday,August4tharticleintheProvi-denceJournaltitled, “Inhedgefundworld,transparencytakesahit.”Asadvocatesforopengov-ernment,wewould liketoexpressourconcerns and share our views. We are

particularlytroubledbytheresponseofyourofficetothepublicrecordsrequestsubmitted by the newspaper for the“duediligence”reportspreparedbythestate’shedgefundadvisorCliffwater. The reports that were released tothe Providence Journal were heavilyredacted,includingentirepages.Giventhatthereportsarepaidforwithpub-licfundsanddetailhowthestateisin-vestingthepublic’smoney,wefeeltheyshouldbemadepublicintheirentirety. According to the article,Cliffwaterpresented those due diligence reportsat meetings of the Rhode Island StateInvestment Commission, which youchair.Becausethedocumentsweredis-cussedandpresented toapublicbodyaspartofanopenmeeting,webelievethatthestate’sAccesstoPublicRecordsAct(APRA)isevenclearerthatyouarerequiredtorelease thereports.Specifi-callywerelyupon§38-2-2(4)(K)thatexempts from disclosure, “PreliminarySee Records cont. on page 22

Groups demand Raimondo release hedge fund records By Common Ground staff


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Areyouconfusedaboutwhich foodstoeat?Ifso,youarenotalone. Today,perhapsmorethanever,itisadaunting task todecidewhich foods arethe healthiest choices. One simple pieceof advice, to help you figure out whattoplaceinyourshoppingcart,istostayaway from chemical-laden foods. Butwhatistrickyisthatvarioustoxicingredi-entsarenotoftenfoundonthelabel.Thesadtruthisthatmanybigcompanieshavefiguredoutways tokeep the toxic addi-tivesanddisease-promotingpackagingoffthe label,making your job verydifficultasaconsumer.Letmehelpclearupanyconfusionbysuggestingsomefooditems

tostayclearofforbothyouandyourfam-ily. Let’sstartwithsoda.Thetoxicflameretardant chemical brominated vegetableoil,alsoknownasBVO,hasbeenaddedtocertainsportsdrinks,sodas,andjuices.Thischemicalhasbeenlinkedtoskinle-sions,memory loss, andnervedisorders.Why do they add this? The purpose ofthis flame retardant chemical is to keeptheartificialflavoringchemicalsfromsep-aratingfromtheremainderoftheliquids.Please—justoptforwater. Certainsaladdressings,creamers,andicing contain a chemical called titaniumdioxide, often contaminated with lead.

An item used in paint, this chemicalmakesdarkhighlyprocesseditemsappearbrighterandwhiter.Pleasetakethetimeandmakeyourowndressings,orsimplysplasholiveoilandvinegaronyourplateofgreens.Andgoahead,ditchthecoffeecreamerandaddrealmilk.Ifyouuserealfoods,youwon’thavetoworryaboutanyofthesetoxicadditives. OK, this is truly disgusting: cannedmushrooms have maggots in them. Yes,fly larvae (also known as maggots) thatfeast on rotting food. Sit down for thisone.TheFDAlegallyallows19maggotsand74mitesina3.5-ouncecanofmush-rooms. Moreover, most cans are linedwith toxic substances such as BPA (Bi-sphenolA)thatcancausehormonalshiftslinkedtoheartattacks,obesity,andevencertaincancers. Thischemicaladditiveiswindingupin our produce—Phthalates. This plas-ticizing chemical is used in soaps andshampoosandevenvinylshowercurtains.What’sreallyunnervingaboutthischemi-cal is that it is found in human sewage

sludgeappliedasafertilizertocropsthatiscontaminatingproduce.Thesludgecanbe tainted with the shampoo chemicalsthatwashdownthedrain.(Humansew-agesludgeisbannedinorganicfarming.)Phthalateexposurehasbeenlinkedtobe-havioral problems in children, allergies,asthma,andshiftsinhormonalbalances. And lastly, be careful what type ofmeatyoupurchase.Factory farmedcon-ditionsarefilledwithhigh levelsofbac-teria. To make this type of meat safer,theybathethemeat inanammoniagas.WhatisscaryisthattheUSDAdoesnotrequirethatthisprocessbelabeledonthemeatproduct andmaynot evenbe abletofullykillallthegermsinyourproduct.Doyour verybest, tobuyorganic, free-range beef, as this method is banned inmeatearningorganiccertification. Joy Feldman is a writer, lecturer and author. She is the author of JoyfulCook-inginthePursuitofGoodHealthandIsYourHairMadeofDonuts?Learn more about her by visiting joyfeldman.com and isyourhairmadeofdonuts.com

What is in your food? The sad truth revealed By Joy Feldman, JD, NC


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drafts, notes, impressions, memoranda,workingpapers,andworkproducts;pro-vided, however, anydocuments submit-tedatapublicmeetingofapublicbodyshallbedeemedpublic.” According to the Providence Journalarticle, you have claimed that provisiondoesnotapplybecausetherecordswerebeing withheld pursuant to another ex-emption, dealing with financial infor-mation “of a privileged or confidentialnature.” But we find this response justasproblematic. It appears that thedeci-sions as to what information would bedisclosed or redacted were made by thehedgefunds,notbyyouroffice.Asare-sult, certain information, such as hedgefunds’ expenses, were made public forsomefundsbutnotforothers.Thisisex-tremelytroubling. We are aware of nothing in the Ac-cesstoPublicRecordsActthatauthorizesan agency todelegate toprivate entitiesthedecisionastowhatrecordsareavail-abletothepublicundertheAct.Thatis

adecisionthatmustbemadebyyouasthe representative of the public agencymaintaining the records. APRA wouldbe seriously undermined if any recordsubmittedbyaprivatepartytoagovern-mentagencyweresubjecttowithholdingbasedon the thirdparty’s interpretationof the open records law and its view ofwhat should be disclosed to the public.Responsibility for those determinationsliesonyouasthepublicrecord-keeper. Just as troubling is a comment at-tributedtoyourgeneralcounselthat,ininvestinginhedgefunds,yourofficewascontractuallyboundfromdisclosingcon-fidentialinformation.First,thisdoesnotaddress the issue, noted above, of whodetermines what constitutes confiden-tial information. More importantly, wefirmlyrejecttheviewthatapublicbodyhas the authority to contractually waivethestatutoryrightsthattheGeneralAs-sembly has provided the public underAPRA.Allowingagenciestodosowouldopenagapinghole intheActandfrus-

trate its core purpose. If certain recordsareexemptfromdisclosure,itisbecauseAPRA,notacontract,makesthemso. In sum, APRA contains numerousexemptionsinordertoprotectfromdis-closureinformationwherecountervailingprivacy considerations prevail. Some oftheinformationthatwasredactedinre-sponsetothenewspaper’sAPRArequestmayqualifyunderoneormoreofthoseexemptions.Butthosedeterminationsareforthepublicbodytomake,notthepri-vatepartyprovidingtherecords.NormayanagencyrelyonacontracttowithholdrecordsiftheyareotherwisenotexemptfromdisclosureunderAPRA.Finally,itisdifficulttoacceptclaimsofconfidential-ityfordocumentsthatwerereviewedandconsideredatpublicmeetings. ThearticleacknowledgesthatRhodeIsland is “one of the first governmentretirement systems in the country topubliclybreakdown the fees [forhedgefunds],” a fact that pleases our groups.Wefirmlybelievethatyourofficeshould

continuetoleadbydisclosingasmuchaspossiblethroughafullreleaseoftheduediligencereports,whichareofenormouspublic interestandsignificance.Wefur-therrequestthatyouclarifyyouroffice’spositionontheroleofcontractsandthirdparties in determining what records areandarenotavailableunderAPRA.Ifwehavemisconstrued your office’s positioninanyway,wewelcomebeingcorrected. Thankyouforyourconsiderationoftheseimportantissues.Welookforwardtoyourresponse.

Sincerely,

StevenBrown,ExecutiveDirectorAmericanCivilLibertiesUnionofRhodeIsland

JohnMarion,ExecutiveDirectorCommonCauseRhodeIsland

MarkS.Murphy,PresidentRhodeIslandPressAssociation

JaneW.Koster,PresidentLeagueofWomenVotersofRhodeIsland

Records cont. from page 19


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Themaineventstartsat2p.m.onSaturdayandrunsforfivehours.Thenat7p.m.therewillbeacandlelightprecession fromtheRogerWilliamsNationalMemorial toMemorialPark, ledbyKennedy,asthegrandmarshal.BehindKennedywillbeagroupoftorchbearers,followedbyindividualscarryingluminarias.Eachpersoncarryingaluminariawillbringadedicationcardwithanotecommemoratingsomeonetheyknowwhowaslosttoadrugoralcoholaddiction. OncetheprocessionarrivesatMemorialPark,theluminarieswillbesetdownontheground,ontopofthededicationcards.Theluminariaswillbearrangedinacirclearoundothersetoflumi-nariaswhichwillspellouttheword“recovery.” Duringtheevent,organizerswillunveilthe2013RecoveryQuilt,witheachsquaremadebyacurrentorformerparticipantintheRogerWilliamsMedicalCenter’sAddictionMedicineandBehavioralHealthprograms.Eachsquarewillhaveamessageof“recovery,hope,andremembranceofalostlovedone,”accordingtoastatenewsrelease. “Creating thisquilthelpedbring formerandcurrentprogramparticipants together,keepingthemconnectedtoeachotherandtotheMedicalCenter,”saidJimGillen,Co-ChairmanoftheRhodeIslandRally4Recovery.“Maintainingtheseconnectionsisimportantbecausekeepingtheirnewrelationshipsalivehelpstoavoidtemptationstoreverttooldalliancesthatmayhavefosteredtheiraddictions.”

Rally cont. from page 1

aconstantstreamofnegativeheadlinesaboutRhodeIsland’sbusinessclimate.Wechallengeanyonewithaninterestinbolsteringthestate’seconomytoviewtheserankingsasarallyingcry. TheBlockIslandWindFarmisjustoneofthemanyexcitingproj-ectsontap.Planstobringanursingschooltotheformer“DynamoHouse”andtheexcitingeffortsalreadyunderwaybyBetaspringandtheFoundersLeaguetonurturestartupsaretwootherworthyinitia-tives. Thefalloutfrom38Studiosshouldnotcrippleussomuchthatweallowittounfairlytaintworthyprojects.OtherstatesarewaitinginthewingstocapitalizeonthesepromisingopportunitiesifRhodeIslanddoesn’tmoveforward. Let’smovesmartlyandboldlyontherightprojects,rightnow. Laurie White is President of the Greater Providence Chamber of Com-merce. Michael Sabitoni is President of the Rhode Island Construction and Building Trades Council. This op-ed has previously been published in the August 2, 2013 edition of the Providence Journal.

Fallout cont. from page 5


ExECuTIvE BOARDKevinCole•NickDeCristofaro•BrianFarrell•ChristopherLemire

VirginiaMoffitt•AtthurOlink•FrankPlutzner•VinRowan

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Warwick-Jamestown:DaveKilduff•BrendaPaine•MaryTarbox

Johnston:KimCastiglioni•WendyLaCombe

Limerock Fire Fighters:JonWright

www.mediationservicesofri.com

Common Ground September 2013

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