Austerity Fails: European Nations See Debt Grow Despite Deep Spending Cuts ThinkProgres ...Since the onset of the financial crisis,
European countries have attempted to deal with their economic
malaise by implementing austerity packages, slashing government
spending and laying off public workers. However, such measures
have proved self-defeating, as the austerity measures blunted
economic growth and caused Europe’s debt to actually grow...
British PM proposes vote on EU membership AP ...Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday he
will offer British citizens a vote on whether to leave the
European Union if his party wins the next election, a move which
could trigger alarm among fellow member states...
Two Democrats try for long-shot financial transaction tax Reuters
...Two congressional Democrats
said on Tuesday they will revive a bill to tax financial transactions
after 11 euro
zone countries won approval for such a tax...
Austerity bites for unions Washington Post ...The Labor Department
is out this morning with its annual report on union membership in
America, and once again, it shows a year-over-year drop in how many
workers belong to labor unions. The big culprit for last year’s
drop doesn’t appear to be outsourcing (though union factory
employment has fallen since the recession, while non-union employment
has risen). The issue was austerity...
Senate to examine FAA approval of Dreamliner battery Reuters ...A key Senate committee will hold a
hearing in coming weeks to examine U.S. aviation safety oversight and
the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to allow Boeing Co to
use highly flammable lithium-ion batteries on board its new 787
Dreamliner...
Wal-Mart Factory Rules Won’t Make Them Safer, Activists Say Bloomberg ...Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)’s
new zero-tolerance policy for suppliers that source garments from
unauthorized factories won’t make workers safer, a labor-rights
activist said...
Colorado right to work bill gets quick axing Denver Business Journal ...it took just 21 minutes for a
Senate committee to dismiss a freshman senator’s effort to turn
Colorado into the 25th right-to-work state, dismissing it with nary a
word...
Maine lawmakers join effort to amend Constitution to allow campaign funding limits Bangor Daily News ...Republican state Sen. Edward Youngblood of Brewer and Democratic state Sen. Geoff Gratwick of Bangor joined forces Tuesday to endorse a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling that equates campaign donations to free speech protected by the First Amendment...
Unions pan NH proposal as management power grab NECN.com ...New Hampshire's labor unions are criticizing legislation that would give public employers more control in the collective bargaining process as a power grab...
Supreme Court to hear whether JobsOhio lawsuit can proceed Plain Dealer ...No court has ever heard ProgressOhio's main contention: That it violates the Ohio Constitution for Kasich to funnel state liquor profits to support JobsOhio, a private economic development entity that he set up...
Voter ID trial set for July WITF ...Today Judge Robert Simpson issued an order scheduling the voter ID trial for July 15, 2013, at the Pennsylvania Judicial Center in Harrisburg...
Virginia State Senate Moves Ahead on Electoral College-Rigging Bill Slate ...Virginia's Republican-ruled legislature has taken the first steps toward ending the state's winner-takes-all system of apportioning its 13 presidential electoral votes...
Board Approves Pay Raise The Sentinel ...the approval of collective bargaining agreements with the Teamsters Local 776 Juniata County Commissioners residual unit and appointed employees unit...meant close to a 10 percent pay increase for employees during the next four years...