Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Today's Teamster News 03.05.13

Vulnerable U.S. Dairy Industry Could Be Harmed By TPP Trade Deal  IBT   ...Congress should not approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal without carefully considering the impact on vulnerable U.S. dairy farms and workers. ... the Teamsters would not support any trade deal that provides lesser protections to workers than to corporations...
Regulators Crack Down on Classifying Workers as Contractors  Wall Street Journal   ...State and federal regulators have cracked down on companies in recent months by filing lawsuits against companies that classify workers as independent contractors...Targeted companies span the labor spectrum from construction and package delivery to trucking and exotic dance...
Obama taps Walmart Foundation head as budget chief  NBC Politics   ...President Barack Obama will nominate Walmart Foundation Sylvia Mathews Burwell to direct the Office of Management and Budget ... one of the most important jobs in the administration...
Banks Find More Wrongful Foreclosures Among Military Members  New York Times   ...The nation’s biggest banks wrongfully foreclosed on more than 700 military members during the housing crisis and seized homes from roughly two dozen other borrowers who were current on their mortgage payments...
Despite Colombia's measures, labor union officials' lives at risk  Los Angeles Times   ...Last year, about 20 union leaders were killed in Colombia, with few if any of the slayings resulting in arrests. In addition, 90 labor leaders were kidnapped and 431 labor leaders were threatened, according to CUT, the nation's labor umbrella organization...
Union contracts could be in crosshairs as Gov. Snyder intervenes in Detroit  Fox News   ...Michigan lawmakers tired of failed efforts to save Detroit from its long, slow decline are poised to appoint an emergency manager who will assume control of virtually all aspects of city government. And union contracts could be in the crosshairs...
GOP may punish Mich. schools that sign long labor contracts before right-to-work deadline  The Republic   ...Michigan public universities and K-12 districts that consider signing unusually long new contracts before the contentious right-to-work law goes into effect March 28 may have to think twice. Some Republican lawmakers with the power of the purse are threatening to limit their state aid and call them into the Capitol for an explanation...
Mo. Senate stalled on 'paycheck protection' bill   Associated Press   ...An effort to ban public employee unions from automatically deducting dues from a member's paycheck has been gaining momentum across the country, but Missouri Democrats were able to stall it — at least for now...
Critics assail reform plans for Arizona elections  Arizona Republic   ...One bill would pare down early-voting lists; another would make it more difficult to deliver other people’s ballots to polling places; and other bills would make it more difficult to place citizen initiatives on the ballot...
Walker Walks Away from "John Doe" Investigation, Pushes Budget Deal Only ALEC Could Love  Center for Media and Democracy   ...There is no doubt that Walker emerges from the scandal in a stronger position to advance his extreme legislative agenda and his plans for higher office...
ABF Freight, Teamsters talks look to get in gear  Kansas City Business Journal   ...In the latest round of talks, which concluded last week, the two sides moved closer to an agreement, a Friday release from the Teamsters said. The statement said that ABF has withdrawn its initial proposal and now is negotiating based on the existing labor agreement...
CitationAir Forces Pilots to Work a Month for Free  IBT  ...CitationAir, the Greenwich, Conn.-based provider of luxury business jet and charter aircraft services, radically altered the work schedules of the company's nearly 230 pilots...Management's new schedule pattern now requires pilots to be available for duty eight consecutive workdays during each two-week period for an increase of 26 more workdays per year... 
Teamsters issue strike notice to sanitary district  Northwest Indiana Times  ...The district announced in a news release Monday that the Teamsters Local 705 bargaining unit has submitted a notice that it intends to strike as soon as Wednesday...The district and union have been negotiating a four-year contract for the past 2-1/2 years...