Please join us on Wednesday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. for a one hour live-blog chat with Mary Fant Donnan. Mary won the primary election, however did not break the 40% threshold to prevent a runoff.
Mary joined us last week for our monthly Democratic Women's meeting here in Union County. We had an opportunity to hear Mary speak about her priorities and her passion for the work she will do as Labor Commissioner. I'm so happy I had a chance to listen to Mary and hear what she had to say outside the normal 3-5 minutes most candidates have at forums featuring a large number of speakers. She was gracious enough to agree to stop by to visit with us prior to the convention and the June 24 runoff election.
Mary has been endorsed by both Robin Anderson and Ty Richardson, two of her challengers in the May primary. She has also earned the endorsement of the Charlotte Observer.
Please post your questions for Mary. I'll let you know later if we are going with our traditional method or CoverItLive.
[UPDATE] We will have a traditional live-blog chat, Mary should be joining us any minute.
Comments
FMLA
Would you support an expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act to cover companies that employ less than 50 workers?
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
FMLA
FMLA has been one of the greatest supports to working families and the sandwich generation, and I’ve seen that first hand. I’m in favor of providing reasonable leave benefits to as many persons as we can afford, and conceptually support expansion of the FMLA to employers with fewer than 50 employees, but with some important considerations:
First, FMLA is a federal law, so the only thing any state official can do is be an advocate. That’s a reasonable topic for a Labor Commissioner to be concerned with, though, and I’d take advantage of the “bully pulpit” to do so.
Second, the FMLA, like other laws, has to strike a “balance” between the interests of workers and the ability of the employers in our business community to support the benefits. I don’t want to see a good but small employer go out of business, and cost people their jobs, because of some unreasonable government-compelled benefit program. The current FMLA is a compromise, and while it may be that the coverage limit can go lower than 50, it’s a topic that would need to be studied and considered carefully.
Finally, as a woman who has worked for small employers which have voluntarily implemented the policies created by FMLA, I know that where there’s a will there’s a way.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Thank you for joining us, Mary
Can you share with us what makes you uniquely qualified to serve as our Commissioner of Labor?
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Qualifications
Thanks Betsy for setting up this live blog. I'm here because I believe I am uniquely qualified both by experience and by leadership style. I have recent relevant experience at the department, where I worked for seven years under Harry Payne as policy analyst and director of research and policy. My roles gave me close work with each bureau within the department, I had management experience, and I worked well with other agencies to develop wage standards and the asset-building program, Individual Development Accounts. I've been learning about issues facing our state for the past seven years by working with grant requests to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, primarily in the field of community economic development. That work has deepened my passion and commitment to helping keep North Carolina safe and working.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary, Thank you again for joining us
I apologize up front if I disappear. I'm having some internet issues. I'm on now, but have had a slow connection.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
27th?
I think it's the 24th.
Or maybe we'll get to vote twice!
Thanks James...I fixed it earlier
just forgot to thank you for the assist.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Will you post your pictures in the elevators or will you....
depoliticize the position.
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Elevator pictures
Most people think the only reason to run for Labor Commissioner is to get your picture in an elevator and then have a song written about you.
Seriously, I'm not in this race for the personal publicity.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Do you plan to continue
the practice of deciding which workplace hazard complaints are worth more than a phone call?
Just received a phone call from her husband asking me to vote.
That's a grassroots campaign right there.
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
inspection and public employees
Mary, do you support restoring for public employees the human right to join a union?
Given that the budget for inspection is small, how will you reduce the number of safety violations in North Carolina meat processing plants?
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http://twitter.com/Jerimee
Public employees
Collective bargaining can be an important tool that brings the voice of workers to the workplace. With North Carolina and Virginia as the only two states with that ban, I think it’s time to better understand and discuss that ban and the ramifications of repealing it.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Public Financing of campaigns
Thoughts on expanding NC's public financing to all Council of State races?
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
Public Financing
Expand? Yes!! Raising funds to campaign does help keep the candidate connected to voters. I've believed for years that public financing is important to creating a fair playing field. My time working as a candidate and raising funds has really brought home the reality that unless one is financially independent, it is really hard to run for office and to raise funds to communicate with and educate voters about the office and the candidates.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Workplace safety & health
Mary, please discuss how you will strengthen workplace safety and health enforcement, with special attention to high-problem industries like meat processing. Please include how you will work to head off continued abuse of vulnerable migrant workers in the process (the folks who are most afraid to complain, report, or testify about unsafe conditions). I believe that this area is the key bright-line distinction in the Labor Department's responsibilities between good Democratic policy and the irresponsible lassez-faire Republicanism exemplied by the Berry administration.
Thanks.
Dan Besse
Dan Besse
Problem industries
Tragic that after 100 years since Upton Sinclair published The Jungle about the horror of the working condiditions in slaughter houses through the story of a young immigrant worker that we continue to see workers go home from poultry plants with terrible injuries and illnesses related to that work. The Charlotte Observer series, "The Cruelist Cuts" which many of you read with horror was the best piece of investigative journalism on workplace issues that we've seen in years. OSHA is understaffed, and I think we have to look at staffing issues. We also recognize that an inspector cannot target a single employer. With that in mind, I think we really need to look at the programs for focused inspections that create a way to look at the sector and identify the common issues accross the sector as well as the "bad actors" within that sector. For common issues in the sector, it is time to really use the best ergonomics research, education and engineering to reduce the workplace threats and help share the costs to employers. The abuses of vulnerable workers is a separate program. It takes community organizing and raising awareness of basic human rights and opportunities for reporting violations. From work I've seen with Latino resource centers and other worker support groups, I think having a trusted partner is really very important to help people feel confident that they can report issues.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Two Questions from another thread
usernamehere asked these questions of Robin Anderson. I thought it would be nice to have your answers as well.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Discrimination
I oppose all types of discrimination in the workplace. I will tolerate no discrimination in my administration.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Thanks for being with us tonight.
You received a glowing endorsement from one of your primary opponents, Robin Anderson, whose judgment I trust enormously.
One question, though. How would you describe yourself on the continuum of being an "insider" versus an "outsider" when it comes to North Carolina politics?
insider/outsider
The endorsements have been huge, and I've said before how much Robin's meant to me personally. I've never thought of politics that way. If anything, I'm a bit of a policy wonk. That said, I'm a first time candidate who has worked with some of the state's leaders, both Democrat and Republican. I'm results oriented and never been part of the "old boys (or girls) network."
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Bennetth asks on another thread....
Mary, what do you think the biggest problems or issues will be for you as the new Commissioner to address which have been created by 8 years of a Republican administration and what will your first steps be in that first year to tackling them.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Opportunity
The greatest opportunity, as I see it, is to restore leadership that will uncork the lassez-faire bottle and release the tremendous talent within the agency.
Eight years ago, the current commissioner was handed an agency that was actively engaged in working with the workforce communities (employers and employees) to find solutions and improvements that worked for everyone.
Disclosure: I was there during the Payne years and closely observed all the contributions Mary made to the proactive, collaborative, and fair play environment cultivated during that time. We need to bring these values back to the Department of Labor and she is definitely the right person for that task.
problems
The problems are core to the actual tone set for the department, and I will use data and work with the talented staff to: make sure the department is doing its job with both education and regulatory energy; strengthen policy within the functions of the department; and work to bring a voice for labor to the overall council of state issues.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Berry administration
Is there one thing from the Payne or Brooks administration that Commissioner Berry quit doing or dropped that you think eneds to be reinstated?
re-instated
There are a number of things I would do differently. Though Berry was supportive as a legislator of the IDA program, she has not advocated for any support to grow that program. I would advocate for that effort. It is one of the most effective programs for helping low-income working families buy their own homes or get additional education. In today's subprime lending crisis, this program is one of the state's success stories and deserves being the lead in supports to working families.
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
The Jungle
Wow, does anyone reading this think Ms. Berry has a clue what "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair was about. Not I.
Mary, Thank you for joining us
I know our hour is about up. Please feel free to come back by to check for late questions if you or a staff member has time.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Closing
Thanks everyone for your questions and your interest in this conversation.
I am glad to be part of the BlueNC community. (And, I'm adding to my list of safety concerns carpal tunnel issues for bloggers:)) I need to log off for now but will continue to post answers and do my best to keep up with the strings of conversation. We do have the run-off election on Tuesday, so please come out and vote!
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
First act as Labor Commish
Require your brother in law John to sing the UVa. fight song
Bet Rebecca would love that
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
UVA
That would be a testimony to my diplomatic and negotiation skills!!
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com
Mary Fant Donnan for N.C. Commissioner of Labor
www.maryfantdonnan.com