Saturday, November 17, 2012

Today's Teamster News 11.17.12

China weighs into Europe's austerity battle  Guardian   ...Top official at China's £300bn sovereign wealth fund said that the depth of public anger in the eurozone could lead to a 'complete discarding' of austerity programmes...
Why Cell Phones Went Dead After Hurricane Sandy  Bloomberg   ...Americans might assume that the U.S. government exercises enough authority over communications networks to ensure that they are responsibly run, reliable and available to all at reasonable rates. In reality, after a decade of steady deregulation, during which communications companies asserted that new wires required new rules, the companies are in charge of themselves...
Right-To-Work In Michigan?  WTVB   ... The fight over whether or not to make Michigan a "Right to Work" state is heating up once again. A pair of Republican heavyweights are pushing the state Senate to pass right to work legislation before the end of the year, but Democratic strategists warn that will result in recalls...
State weighs options with turnpike lease deal  Toledo Blade   ...Among the options under consideration by the $3.4 million study is a long-term lease of 50 years or more with a private entity, as neighboring Indiana did in 2006. The Ohio Public Interest Research Group questioned whether such a deal might include a clause, as Indiana’s did, that might prohibit improvements to nearby public roads seen as competition...
Study finds Indiana's poor are getting poorer  Evansville Courier & Press   ... over the last decade, Indiana saw the second largest decrease in the nation in median household income...
Hostess Blames Union For Bankruptcy After Tripling CEO’s Pay  ThinkProgress   ...While the company was filing for bankruptcy, for the second time, earlier this year, it actually tripled its CEO’s pay, and increased other executives’ compensation by as much as 80 percent...
Hostess Liquidation: Teamsters Seen As Collateral Damage In Bakers Union Strike  Huffington Post   ...Now, Hostess is winding down. Publicly, management has attributed its decision directly to the bakers union strike, even though the company had plenty of problems aside from labor issues, including a customer base that has been turning away from the likes of Twinkies and Ding-Dongs for healthier foods...
Teamsters Statement on Hostess Brands' Announcement To Cease Operations  IBT   ...Hostess’ problems go back almost a decade. The company has clearly been mismanaged for quite some time. However, the workers should not suffer because of poor management and therefore, the Teamsters Union tried everything in its power during the company’s most recent financial difficulties to shape an outcome that would put Hostess on strong footing to be viable and preserve jobs...