Today's Teamster News 07.14.12

Judge halts 'debtors prison' by Harpersville city court, calls it 'judicially sanctioned extortion'  The Birmingham News   ...A Shelby County judge shut down what he called a "debtors prison" run by Harpersville Municipal Court and a private probation company that he said amounted to a "judicially sanctioned extortion racket," court records show...
JPMorgan refuses to hand over emails in energy manipulation case  Reuters   ...The investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission follows complaints from grid operators that JPMorgan traders may have bid up electricity prices by some $73 million in California and the Midwest...
Unions reach beyond their base for election help  Los Angeles Times   ...Unions intend to make workers’ rights a big issue in November, and are reaching beyond their traditional membership base to rally workers ahead of an election that’s projected to be very close...
Romney's 'Free Stuff' Speech Is a New Low  Rolling Stone   ...The twin appearances revealed the candidate to be not merely unlikable, and not merely a fatuous, unoriginal hack of a politician, but also a genuinely repugnant human being, a grasping corporate hypocrite with so little feel for how to get along with people that he has to dream up elaborate schemes just to try to pander to the mob...
Teamsters Ratify Contract at Sorrento  IBT   ...Teamsters Local 264 and Sorrento reached an agreement that provides for wage increases, maintenance of comprehensive health care coverage and a host of positive non-economic provisions for the 257 maintenance and production workers...
Company, union lawyers clash in court  The Press-Enterprise   ...Attorneys for Anheuser-Busch and an Inland-based Teamsters local presented their arguments on Friday, July 13 on whether a rule that allows striking warehouse workers to block beer delivery trucks and other vehicles will stay in effect...