Friday, March 2, 2012

Today's Teamster News 03.02.12

Group submits petition to repeal Michigan's emergency manager law  Detroit Free Press   ...If a state elections panel verifies that 161,305 of the signatures are those of registered voters, the controversial statute enacted last year would be suspended until the vote...
GOP weighs cost of union battle  Minneapolis Star Tribune   ...Passage by voters would make Minnesota the 24th state in the nation to allow employees who opt out of unions to avoid paying dues or fees. But a full debate could lead to the kinds of protests and energized union voters that have made Wisconsin ground zero for labor activism...
Georgia bill to limit picketing sparks protest  Atlanta Journal Constitution   ...Senate Bill 469 would fine individuals $1,000 a day -- and organizations as much as $10,000 as day -- if they ignore court orders to stop their protests...
Making the United States More Like Greece  The Baseline Scenario   ... One of the big problems in Greece over the past decade or so is that the people running the country decided to conceal the true nature of their budget and their debt. This deception ended up costing the country dearly – completely undermining its credibility under pressure and making it much harder to turn the fiscal and economic situation around. House Republicans are now proposing something similar for the United States...
Silicon Valley Homeless Feel The Grip Of Recession's Long Reach  Huffington Post   ...The first time Michele arrived at the Maple Street homeless shelter three years ago, she was still driving her BMW 325xi, the final remnant of her Silicon Valley affluence...
Probation officers alarmed by policy reversal on oversight of offenders Miami Herald ...Christina Bullins, a Teamsters Union member who is also a probation supervisor in Miami, said fewer field visits make it less likely that an officer will discover a technical violation of probation that could prevent more serious crimes later...