Friday, May 10, 2013

Today's Teamster News 05.10.13

Fast Food Strike Wave Spreads to Detroit  The Nation   ...Hundreds of Detroit fast food workers plan to walk off the job beginning at 6 AM today, making the motor city the fourth in five weeks to see such strikes. Organizers expect participants from at least 60 stores, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, Little Caesar’s, and Popeye’s locations...
Unions, lawmakers line up against Koch Brothers  Los Angeles Times   ...California legislative leaders and 10 public employee unions announced opposition Wednesday to any sale of the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune Co. newspapers to a pair of wealthy brothers who fund conservative causes throughout the country...
Fannie Mae to pay $59.4bn back to US taxpayer and forestall debt battle  The Guardian   ...The government-backed mortgage giant Fannie Mae is to pay $59.4bn back to US taxpayers, in a move that is likely to forestall a looming battle over the federal debt limit...
House approves bill to change overtime pay law  Associated Press   ...The Republican-led House on Wednesday approved a measure that would give private sector workers the option of trading overtime pay for extra time off weeks or months later...
Bangladesh Garment Factory Collapse Death Toll Reaches 1,000  Bloomberg  ...Latest from that horrific building collapse in Bangladesh in April: 1000 bodies have now been found...
Eight dead in yet another Bangladesh garment fire  Associated Press   ...Not another! “A fire has raced through an 11-story building housing a garment factory and residential complex in Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least eight people.”...
Obama showcases booming Texas economy as he kicks off latest jobs tour  Washington Post   ...President Obama swooped into the booming Austin area on Thursday to showcase manufacturing growth and technology innovation as he began a series of visits across the country designed to pressure Congress to pass his economic agenda...
Local Fights Against Austerity Are Growing Across the US  Truthout   ...Between sequestration, with its damaging impact on workers and the economy, and the billions of dollars in cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other necessary social programs that President Obama is pushing, it is evident that the economic policies of both major parties are not intended to promote a recovery for working people...
Gender Wage Gap Causes Typical Woman To Miss Out On $443,360: Analysis  Huffington Post   ...
It's still a man's world. And to make a man's amount of money over her career, the typical working women would have to put in an extra decade of work. Because of the gender wage gap, the typical full-time working woman stands to miss out on $443,360 over 40 years...
Trans Pacific Partnership puts member countries' health at risk  The Conversation   ...International trade agreements bring new transnational food companies into countries, along with new food advertising and promotion. This has often led to an increase in unhealthy foods entering the domestic market...
Colleges Pushing Poor Students Into Debt To Give Aid To Rich Ones  Fire Dog Lake   ... A report by the New America Foundation details the systematic undermining of the financial aid system by colleges and universities who are using financial aid to attract wealthy students rather than open doors for poorer ones, forcing poorer students to either not attend or take on high debt burdens...
Social Security Agency Says Immigration Bill Aids Economy  Bloomberg News   ...A Social Security Administration analysis said the Senate’s bipartisan immigration proposal would boost U.S. tax revenue, create jobs and increase the gross domestic product over the next 10 years...
California sues JPMorgan Chase over debt collection  Associated Press   ...California's attorney general sued one of the nation's largest banks Thursday, alleging that JPMorgan Chase & Co. used illegal tactics in its efforts to collect debts from more than 100,000 credit card holders...
Barrow won't run for Senate in Georgia  The Hill Blog   ...Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) announced he won't run for the Senate in Georgia, dealing a major blow to Democrats' hopes of picking up the seat...
Illinois Senate passes union-backed pension reform deal  Belleville News-Democrat   ...
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension problem just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn...
N.D. does badly in worker death report  Bismarck Tribune   ...Workers died in North Dakota at four times the national average in 2011, according to a recent report…
Wisconsin Legislature: Panel bars cities from banning large, sugary drinks  Associated Press   ...No Wisconsin city could prohibit the sale of large, sugary drinks as was recently done in New York City under a provision added to the state budget Thursday...
South Dakota gets first Democratic candidate for Senate  The Hill Blog   ...South Dakota has its first Democratic contender for the state's open Senate seat in Rick Weiland, whose decision to run could set up a primary rematch between him and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin...
Colorado strikes a blow for voting reform  Washington Post   ...It hasn’t gotten the national attention it deserves, but a sweeping measure to overhaul elections in Colorado is swiftly moving towards passage — one that could function as a model for other voting reformers in other states, and perhaps even nationally...
Poll Shows Strong Lead for Democrat in Massachusetts Senate Race  New York Times   ...In the special Senate election in Massachusetts, Representative Edward J. Markey, the Democratic nominee, is starting with a strong lead over Gabriel Gomez, the Republican, according to a new poll…
Nevada foreclosure rate led nation in April  Associated Press   ...After briefly falling from its long-held place as the nation's foreclosure king, Nevada chalked up the highest foreclosure rate in the country for the second straight month in April, a tracking firm said Thursday...
City Council Approves Bill Mandating Sick-Day Pay  New York Times   ...The New York City Council, after years of impassioned debate, approved a bill on Wednesday that will require many businesses to offer paid time off to sick employees...
Senate measure to raise Delaware minimum wage tabled by House committee  Associated Press   ...A Senate proposal to raise Delaware’s minimum wage by a dollar over the next two years has been tabled by a House committee...
Non-Citizens In New York City May Be Allowed To Vote In Local Elections  Think Progress   ...In a hearing on Thursday, the New York City Council will consider allowing legal immigrants who are not citizens to vote in municipal elections...
Honor Our Heroes During National Correctional Officers Week  IBT   ...Many Americans this week are reflecting on the silent heroes who ensure our communities are safe by closely supervising society’s criminals in jails and prisons across this country...
Scott Touts Correctional Officers Pay Bump; Teamsters Say They Deserve More  WFSU Radio   ...This week is National Corrections Week, and Governor Rick Scott took some time away from his “Teacher Pay Raise Victory Tour” to praise Florida’s correctional officers. He’s also reminding them about his efforts to get them higher pay. But some, including the Teamsters, say the state could do more for Florida’s prison officers...
Keep Dairy “off the table” in Trans-Pacific Partnership  Teamsters Canada   ...Teamster locals in Canada represent thousands of dairy workers. They are calling on the Canadian government negotiators to the TPP to keep dairy off the table in negotiations...
Teamsters Fight For North American School Bus Workers' Rights At National Express Annual Meeting  IBT   ...Teamster school bus drivers and representatives from the United States and Canada called on National Express Group PLC (NEX: LN), a large multinational corporation, to honor and respect the rights of its North American workers at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held yesterday in London...
Back To School In The U.S. For National Express  The Independent   ...Forget the bus, bosses at National Express need to get on a plane. Today's AGM promises some fireworks with demonstrations planned from the main union (the Teamsters) representing drivers of those iconic yellow school buses used in the US...