Ohio Lawmakers Introduced 33 Bills Last Year Based on ALEC Model Legislation truthout.com ...At least nine of the 33 bills have passed the State Legislature, including the now-defunct Senate Bill 5, which was poised to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights until Ohioans overwhelmingly voted for a repeal in November...
Koch Brothers Spend $700,000 on Ads Defending Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Atlantic Wire ...Last year, they were reportedly behind Walker in his showdown with unions over the state budget...
49-State Foreclosure Fraud Settlement Will Be Finalized Thursday firedoglake ...Forty-nine states, every one but Oklahoma, as well as federal regulators will participate in a foreclosure fraud settlement that will release the five biggest banks (Wells Fargo, Citi, Ally/GMAC, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America) and their mortgage servicing units from liability for robo-signing and other forms of servicer abuse, in exchange for $25 billion in funding for legal aid, refinancing, short sales, restitution for wrongful foreclosures and principal reduction for underwater borrowers...
Insight: The dark side of Germany's jobs miracle Reuters ...Wage restraint and labor market reforms have pushed the jobless rate down to a 20-year low, and the German model is often cited as an example for European nations seeking to cut unemployment and become more competitive. But critics say the reforms that helped create jobs also broadened and entrenched the low-paid and temporary work sector, boosting wage inequality...
Condemned Florida prison gets second chance at life in House Palm Beach Post ....The Senate and Gov. Rick Scott still need to be persuaded. But the House decision to add the prison financing to its $69.2 billion proposed state budget will likely go a long way toward preventing the closing...
Boiling point at the port Seattle Times ...the Teamsters are supporting an effort by non-union drayage (short-haul) truckers to shut down the Port of Seattle...
