Dozens arrested in Wal-Mart protests nationwide, 10 in Chicago Chicago Tribune ...Hundreds of protesters, including some Walmart workers who skipped their shifts on the retail industry's busiest day, spoke, chanted and sang outside of Walmart stores around the United States, making pleas for higher wages and better healthcare for Walmart hourly workers...
Wal-Mart protesters arrested at Black Friday rallies CNN ...In a tradition that's becoming as much a part of Black Friday as the shopping, protesters gathered outside a number of Wal-Mart locations Friday calling for higher wages at the country's largest private retailer...
Activists arrested in Virginia at one of 1,500 planned Wal-Mart protests Salon ...Nine activists were arrested at an Alexandria, Virginia protest Friday morning, the first of nine planned civil disobedience demonstrations against Wal-Mart...
Walmart's Black Friday Going About As Badly As You'd Expect Huffington Post ...The … video was taken at a Walmart in Johnson City, Tenn., according to Instagram user jcooper770. Such instances weren't limited to a single Walmart store, according to various Internet users...
Senators blast Wal-Mart “trampling” workers’ rights as dozens of activists are arrested on Black Friday Salon ...Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown and Ed Markey, and House members Jan Schakowsky, Judy Chu, William Lacy Clay, Gwen Moore, and Jim McDermott also voiced their support in a Friday statement, saying “It is time that Walmart pays its workers a fair wage and stops trampling on their rights...”
On Register’s Other Side, Little to Spend” New York Times ...In many stores around the country, the workers stocking the shelves and ringing up the gifts are at the very heart of this season’s retail lament —many Americans are so financially strapped that projections for holiday sales have grown bleaker by the week...
The dark side of Black Friday BBC Trending ...The vast volume of shoppers has led to chaotic scenes and outbreaks of violence. Stampedes and shootings have plagued the day, resulting in four deaths and 56 injuries in the past five years...
Struggles of Younger US Workers Ripple Through Economy Alternet ...Since 1965, the number of households has grown at a rate of 1.5 percent annually, according to census data, and that’s meant about 1.3 million new ones every year. ... “The number of households, via quarterly Census Bureau data, (suggests) we’re only adding about 600,000 to 700,000 this year...
Secretive Corporate Deal in the Works Could Establish Special Closed Door Courts for Big Business Alternet ...The proposed investment chapter of the deal revealed plans to expand the system of international investment tribunals that deal with what is called ‘investor-state dispute settlement’. These are closed-door courts that take direct aim at the ability of governments across the world to enact environmental, public health and other protections for their citizens...
World Fights Back Against the Biggest Brother in History truthout ...a United Nations committee approved without a vote a draft resolution entitled “The Right to Privacy in a Digital Age.” The nonbinding resolution, which will now head to the General Assembly where it has broad support, follows from a report published in June by the United Nations Human Rights Council. It detailed the negative impact of state surveillance on free expression and human rights and lamented that technology has outpaced legislation...
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Today's Teamster News 11.29.13
Five Ways to Support Striking Walmart Workers truthout ...Join Them! Nothing demonstrates support for striking workers more than actually showing up yourself. Not only do the workers appreciate your display of solidarity, but also the increased turnout signifies to bystanders that this is a legitimate problem worthy of everyone’s concern...
Pizza Hut Employee Fired For Defending Thanksgiving Offered Job Back firedoglake ...Rohr, a ten year employee of Pizza Hut, was asked to resign from his position as general manager after he took issue with orders from the owner to keep the store open on Thanksgiving, forcing workers to be away from their families. But instead of resigning Rohr wrote a letter explaining why he thought the decision was wrong. Now, after suffering a two day PR nightmare, Pizza Hut wants Rohr back...
TPP Defenders Take To The Internet To Deliver Official Talking Points; Inadvertently Confirm Opponents' Worst Fears tech defenders ...The leaked TPP draft, pried loose from the "open and transparent" grip of the USTR, is generating plenty of commentary all over the web. After getting a good look inside, it's little wonder the USTR felt more comfortable trying to push this through under the cover of darkness...
Good News: Geneva WTO Talks Collapse Trade Reform ...It seems that over 100 countries are not going to agree to further give up their sovereignty to the WTO...
Doesn’t Eat, Doesn’t Pray and Doesn’t Love (opinion) New York Times ...The question of whether for-profit companies can claim a religious identity, one that exempts them from obeying a generally applicable law, is fully worthy of the attention the Supreme Court is about to give it...
Mexico's booming car industry selling unsafe cars Associated Press ...Vehicles destined to stay in Mexico or go south to the rest of Latin America carry a code signifying there's no need for antilock braking systems, electronic stability control, or more than two air bags, if any, in its basic models...
6 of the Top 10 U.S. Billionaires Are Kochs and Waltons Alternet ...For the first time ever, according to Forbes magazine, the 400 richest Americanshave more than $2 trillion in combined wealth. And, a fifth of that amount is held by just 10 individuals...
U.S. Student Homelessness Up 10% Since Last Year naked capitalism ...the reality, as many here know altogether too well, is that only group that has shown meaningful gains over the last few years is the top 1%...
The Turkey Lobby Helped Block Child Labor Regulations The Nation ... counter to the National Turkey Federation’s family-friendly public image ... is the work the group has done to orchestrate opposition to the Obama administration’s child farm labor regulations...
North Carolina Faculty Complain After Conservative Group Seeks Liberal Professor’s Email Portside ...A group of law professors at UNC-Chapel Hill is standing behind Gene Nichol, director of the school’s poverty center, after a conservative think tank requested the left-leaning professor’s emails, phone records and calendars...
Pizza Hut Employee Fired For Defending Thanksgiving Offered Job Back firedoglake ...Rohr, a ten year employee of Pizza Hut, was asked to resign from his position as general manager after he took issue with orders from the owner to keep the store open on Thanksgiving, forcing workers to be away from their families. But instead of resigning Rohr wrote a letter explaining why he thought the decision was wrong. Now, after suffering a two day PR nightmare, Pizza Hut wants Rohr back...
TPP Defenders Take To The Internet To Deliver Official Talking Points; Inadvertently Confirm Opponents' Worst Fears tech defenders ...The leaked TPP draft, pried loose from the "open and transparent" grip of the USTR, is generating plenty of commentary all over the web. After getting a good look inside, it's little wonder the USTR felt more comfortable trying to push this through under the cover of darkness...
Good News: Geneva WTO Talks Collapse Trade Reform ...It seems that over 100 countries are not going to agree to further give up their sovereignty to the WTO...
Doesn’t Eat, Doesn’t Pray and Doesn’t Love (opinion) New York Times ...The question of whether for-profit companies can claim a religious identity, one that exempts them from obeying a generally applicable law, is fully worthy of the attention the Supreme Court is about to give it...
Mexico's booming car industry selling unsafe cars Associated Press ...Vehicles destined to stay in Mexico or go south to the rest of Latin America carry a code signifying there's no need for antilock braking systems, electronic stability control, or more than two air bags, if any, in its basic models...
6 of the Top 10 U.S. Billionaires Are Kochs and Waltons Alternet ...For the first time ever, according to Forbes magazine, the 400 richest Americanshave more than $2 trillion in combined wealth. And, a fifth of that amount is held by just 10 individuals...
U.S. Student Homelessness Up 10% Since Last Year naked capitalism ...the reality, as many here know altogether too well, is that only group that has shown meaningful gains over the last few years is the top 1%...
The Turkey Lobby Helped Block Child Labor Regulations The Nation ... counter to the National Turkey Federation’s family-friendly public image ... is the work the group has done to orchestrate opposition to the Obama administration’s child farm labor regulations...
North Carolina Faculty Complain After Conservative Group Seeks Liberal Professor’s Email Portside ...A group of law professors at UNC-Chapel Hill is standing behind Gene Nichol, director of the school’s poverty center, after a conservative think tank requested the left-leaning professor’s emails, phone records and calendars...
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Today's Teamster News 11.28.13
Teamsters YRCW Local Union Leaders to Meet on December 6 teamster.org ...The Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) has called a meeting with Teamster Local Unions that represent YRCW members on December 6th to review a forthcoming proposal from YRCW that modifies the existing Restructuring Agreement that is not scheduled to expire until March 31, 2015...
United Airlines Mechanics Escalate Actions For Joint Agreement At 12 U.S. Airports teamster.org ...United Airlines (UAL) professional aviation mechanics represented by the Teamsters Union escalated their actions to pressure the company to live up to its promises by hand-billing UAL customers inside and outside 12 major airports around the country...
‘IKEA Hurts Families’ Campaign Featured on Leslie Marshall Show teamster.org ...Radio host Leslie Marshall interviews Tim Beaty, Director of Global Strategies for the Teamsters, about the ‘IKEA Hurts Families’ campaign and the ongoing lockout of 350 Teamsters by IKEA in Canada...
Union-Made in America Thanksgiving AFL-CIO Now ...double check your shopping list to make sure your Turkey Day fixin's are all union made in America...
'Walmart Illegally Fired Me, But I’m Still Fighting for Change This Black Friday' Alternet ...A Walmart worker who was fired after taking part in the longest strike ever against the corporation continues to fight for his former co-workers...
These Retailers Say No to Thanksgiving Madness Wall Street Journal ...Discount chain T.J. Maxx and regional department store Dillard's Inc., along with warehouse clubs and some electronics stores are holding true to tradition and waiting for Friday before kicking off the all-important holiday shopping frenzy...
The NSA is crippling America’s economy Salon ...many American companies have been reporting large profit losses due to the spying revelations. By some estimates, the damage to U.S. companies could run as high as $180 billion...
Pope Francis: Why are Deaths of the Homeless not a Headline but a 2-point Dow Jones rise is? informed comment ..."Until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples is reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence," he wrote...
SeaTac $15 Minimum Wage Barely Passes In Final Vote Tally, Recount May Follow Huffington Post ...After weeks of careful ballot counting, officials in Washington state on Tuesday certified the results in a potentially historic vote that will create far and away the highest minimum wage in America...
For U.S. stores it is ugly out there: in more ways than one Reuters ...With growing online competition, weak consumer confidence and no fashion must-haves, most U.S. retailers will have to offer both big discounts and stellar service to get consumers to spend freely, according to analysts who joined Reuters reporters on visits to stores in New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois ahead of the holiday season...
Holiday shopping: Love it or hate it, more do it online Pew Research Center ...Just 2% of Americans say they will shop on Thanksgiving Day itself — the majority of Americans (76%) believe stores should be closed then...
The IRS Moves to Limit Dark Money – But Enforcement Still a Question ProPublica ...The IRS and Treasury Department announced proposed guidelines clarifying the definition of political activities for social welfare nonprofits Tuesday afternoon, a move that could restrict the spending of the dark money groups that dumped more than $254 million of anonymous money into the 2012 elections...
Sriracha: judge orders partial shutdown of California factory The Guardian ...Claims smell sickened residents lacked 'credible evidence', said judge, but Huy Fong Foods must cease production and reduce future odours...
United Airlines Mechanics Escalate Actions For Joint Agreement At 12 U.S. Airports teamster.org ...United Airlines (UAL) professional aviation mechanics represented by the Teamsters Union escalated their actions to pressure the company to live up to its promises by hand-billing UAL customers inside and outside 12 major airports around the country...
‘IKEA Hurts Families’ Campaign Featured on Leslie Marshall Show teamster.org ...Radio host Leslie Marshall interviews Tim Beaty, Director of Global Strategies for the Teamsters, about the ‘IKEA Hurts Families’ campaign and the ongoing lockout of 350 Teamsters by IKEA in Canada...
Union-Made in America Thanksgiving AFL-CIO Now ...double check your shopping list to make sure your Turkey Day fixin's are all union made in America...
'Walmart Illegally Fired Me, But I’m Still Fighting for Change This Black Friday' Alternet ...A Walmart worker who was fired after taking part in the longest strike ever against the corporation continues to fight for his former co-workers...
These Retailers Say No to Thanksgiving Madness Wall Street Journal ...Discount chain T.J. Maxx and regional department store Dillard's Inc., along with warehouse clubs and some electronics stores are holding true to tradition and waiting for Friday before kicking off the all-important holiday shopping frenzy...
The NSA is crippling America’s economy Salon ...many American companies have been reporting large profit losses due to the spying revelations. By some estimates, the damage to U.S. companies could run as high as $180 billion...
Pope Francis: Why are Deaths of the Homeless not a Headline but a 2-point Dow Jones rise is? informed comment ..."Until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples is reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence," he wrote...
SeaTac $15 Minimum Wage Barely Passes In Final Vote Tally, Recount May Follow Huffington Post ...After weeks of careful ballot counting, officials in Washington state on Tuesday certified the results in a potentially historic vote that will create far and away the highest minimum wage in America...
For U.S. stores it is ugly out there: in more ways than one Reuters ...With growing online competition, weak consumer confidence and no fashion must-haves, most U.S. retailers will have to offer both big discounts and stellar service to get consumers to spend freely, according to analysts who joined Reuters reporters on visits to stores in New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois ahead of the holiday season...
Holiday shopping: Love it or hate it, more do it online Pew Research Center ...Just 2% of Americans say they will shop on Thanksgiving Day itself — the majority of Americans (76%) believe stores should be closed then...
The IRS Moves to Limit Dark Money – But Enforcement Still a Question ProPublica ...The IRS and Treasury Department announced proposed guidelines clarifying the definition of political activities for social welfare nonprofits Tuesday afternoon, a move that could restrict the spending of the dark money groups that dumped more than $254 million of anonymous money into the 2012 elections...
Sriracha: judge orders partial shutdown of California factory The Guardian ...Claims smell sickened residents lacked 'credible evidence', said judge, but Huy Fong Foods must cease production and reduce future odours...
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
United mechanics escalate strike warning at 12 airports
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| Teamsters at Los Angeles International Airport today. |
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| Teamsters at Newark Airport today. |
According to the Teamsters press statement,
After a year of stalling, UAL executives broke off contract negotiations without agreeing to the pensions they had promised, and declared that 3,500 mechanics will be forced to pay an additional $300-$500 each month for their health care. The last proposal made by the company would actually have thousands of mechanics making less than they do today.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) announced that they stand “shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with our sisters and brothers at the Teamsters” to “demonstrate to the company it’s time to move forward together” and joined the Teamsters on the picket line. Read AFA press release here.
- A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GUM)
- Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport (IAH)
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
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| Today at San Francisco International Airport. |
View more pictures here.
Leading Democrat warns: Americans want a third party
A leading Democrat strategist is trying to send a wake-up call to his party, warning that Americans are sick to death of politicians and are ready for a third party.
Politico got hold of a memo he wrote, warning a rising populist tide threatens to swamp both parties. His name is Doug Sosnik, and he was a close adviser to President Bill Clinton. The magazine published his memo in full under the title, 'Which Side of the Barricade Are You On?' (Teamsters know where we stand!)
Key points:
Politico got hold of a memo he wrote, warning a rising populist tide threatens to swamp both parties. His name is Doug Sosnik, and he was a close adviser to President Bill Clinton. The magazine published his memo in full under the title, 'Which Side of the Barricade Are You On?' (Teamsters know where we stand!)
Key points:
- Americans’ alienation from our political system and its leaders has been building for more than a decade.
- Americans are worried about the struggles of the battered middle class, whose real incomes have not improved in more than two decades (Note: actually, wages have declined), the elimination of special deals for the wealthy and big business and the protection of the public’s privacy from what they see as predatory companies and an intrusive federal government.
- There is a pent up desire for dramatic change (check).
- Americans have concluded that the rules aren’t fair and that the system has been rigged to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a privileged few at the expense of the many (check).
- For the first time in our country’s history, there is more social mobility in Europe than in the United States.
- One in six Americans lived at or below the poverty line last year – almost 50 million people.
Americans’ long-brewing discontent shows clear signs of reaching a boiling point. And when it happens, the country will judge its politicians through a new filter—one that asks, “Which side of the barricade are you on? Is it the side of the out-of-touch political class that clings to the status quo by protecting those at the top and their own political agendas, or is it the side that is fighting for the kind of change that will make the government work for the people—all the people?”Check.
Teamster tips on safe driving for the holiday
Who better to listen to for safe driving tips than a Teamster? With severe weather coming for much of the country, it’s especially critical to drive safely over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Courtney Goodman-Bell, a business agent with Teamsters Local 777 in Lyons, Ill., representing school bus workers, offers the following safe driving tips. They apply whether you're driving a car, a truck or a school bus.
Courtney Goodman-Bell, a business agent with Teamsters Local 777 in Lyons, Ill., representing school bus workers, offers the following safe driving tips. They apply whether you're driving a car, a truck or a school bus.
Winter driving can be dangerous for bus drivers. Stay informed and be prepared for weather conditions so you know what to expect. Do your research and be familiar with alternate routes.
In fog, reduce speed and use low beams. In snow, keep moving in order to maintain traction and never take unnecessary risks.
DO’s
• Dress properly. Winter clothing, hats and boots will keep you warm.
• Slow down. In bad weather conditions, it is more important to keep the passengers safe than it is to stay on schedule.
• Use extra caution in school zones, at bus stops and at bus loading and unloading areas where high snow banks may exist.
• Anticipate poor or dangerous road conditions. Keep greater distances between you and other objects, which will give you more time to react to things you may encounter on your route.
• Drive defensively. Be careful of other motorists when entering intersections and always be aware of the traffic around you.
• Keep your windshield free of ice and snow.
• Know and follow the laws of your state regarding school buses.
• Drive safely - winter climate may cause extreme weather conditions, short daylight and dangerous roads which requires extra effort by every driver.
DON'TSThis article was published in the Winter 2013 issue of the Drive Up Standards newsletter. To see this story and others, check out the newsletter here.
• Don't be in a hurry. Student safety is important.
• Don’t take chances. If there is a concern that something might not be safe, it probably isn’t.
• Don’t proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
• Don't follow too closely behind vehicles.
Today's Teamster News 11.27.13
H&L Bloom Bus Drivers Join Teamsters teamster.org ...School bus drivers with H&L Bloom in Attleboro, Mass., have voted by
a nearly 2-1 margin to join Teamsters Local 653 in South Easton, Mass.,
seeking job security and workplace protections...
Local 330 Arbitration Victory Preserves Area Construction Standards teamstersjc25.com ...Precedent was set when a Chicago arbitrator ruled subcontractors and owner operators performing union work in the construction trades must be paid area standard wages and benefits...
Winter School Bus Safety Tips driveupstandards.org ...With a severe winter predicted for much of the country, it’s critical to exercise caution while driving. Courtney Goodman-Bell, a business agent with Teamsters Local 777 in Lyons, Ill., representing school bus workers, offers the following safe driving tips...
Ratio of Job Seekers to Job Openings Holds Steady at 2.9-to-1, Equal to the Worst Month of Early 2000s Downturn Economic Policy Institute ...for nearly two out of every three job seekers, there simply were no jobs...
Walmart Workers Strike In Maryland, Making Nine Strikes In A Month ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers walked off the job at two stores in Maryland on Tuesday ... The strikes come a day after one in Miami and makes nine strikes total for the month of November...
Americans Really Hate Thanksgiving Shopping Creep, Poll Finds Huffington Post ...Although retailers have started creeping into Thanksgiving by pushing Black Friday openings earlier and earlier, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that a big majority of Americans think retailers should stay closed on Thanksgiving so workers can have the day off...
How Walmart Shortchanges Employees Who Work Thanksgiving ThinkProgress ...With more stores than ever opening early this Thanksgiving, the larger chains are offering extra pay and perks to appease employees working holiday shifts. But the company calculates holiday pay differently from other retailers and manipulates staff schedules so they’re paid less on Thanksgiving than the retailer implies...
Pope Francis: Capitalism is “a new tyranny” Salon ...Pope Francis on Tuesday called capitalism “a new tyranny” and very explicitly called on global leaders to act on poverty and growing inequality...
A Fake Slum for Luxury Tourists Who Don't Want to See Real Poverty Gizmodo ...The Emoya Luxury Hotel and Spa near Bloemfontein, South Africa offers Shanty Town, a dozen shacks made from scrap wood and corrugated metal that it thinks is the perfect setting for your next corporate retreat or wedding anniversary. The resort has gone to great lengths to recreate the joys of slum living without the nuisances of crime, disease, or poor sanitation...
Breadlines Return New York Times ... one-sixth of ... (New York) city’s residents and one-fifth of its children live in homes without enough to eat...
Food Stamp Cuts, Holidays Stress Food Banks Huffington Post ...For those who help the hungry, 2013 is looking a lot like the years since the recession began—with the added challenge of a $5 billion cut in food stamp benefits, which took effect Nov. 1...
Salt Lake TPP Talks End with Growing Pressure to Announce “Deal” at December TPP Ministerial, but No Resolution of Major Controversies Public Citizen ... There was no discussion of disciplines to counter currency manipulation despite 230 House and 60 Senate GOP and Democrats demanding such terms...
Among American workers, poll finds unprecedented anxiety about jobs, economy Washington Post ...American workers are living with unprecedented economic anxiety, four years into a recovery that has left so many of them stuck in place...
Banks Threaten To Charge You For Saving Money Huffington Post ...In an effort to protect their record profits, banks might soon charge you for the privilege of having a savings account...
ALEC’s Proposal Threatens To Bypass Primaries, Weaken Voters In Electing Senators MintPress News ...The Equal State’s Enfranchisement Act seeks to give state legislatures the power to place Senate candidates directly on the ballot without party approval...
How Wall Street Turned America Into Incarceration Nation AlterNet ...Transforming poorer neighborhoods into desirable real estate for the new elites often requires getting rid of the poor: jail becomes the new home for many...
Revealed: How corporate spooks spy on activists BillMoyers.com ...A new report discusses some of the techniques. They can be devious...
Latest job numbers not good for Scott Walker — or those looking for work The Cap Times ...A new round of numbers show the pace of job creation in Wisconsin slowing by 37 percent for the one-year period ending in June — not good news politically for Gov. Scott Walker or for those looking for work...
Local 330 Arbitration Victory Preserves Area Construction Standards teamstersjc25.com ...Precedent was set when a Chicago arbitrator ruled subcontractors and owner operators performing union work in the construction trades must be paid area standard wages and benefits...
Winter School Bus Safety Tips driveupstandards.org ...With a severe winter predicted for much of the country, it’s critical to exercise caution while driving. Courtney Goodman-Bell, a business agent with Teamsters Local 777 in Lyons, Ill., representing school bus workers, offers the following safe driving tips...
Ratio of Job Seekers to Job Openings Holds Steady at 2.9-to-1, Equal to the Worst Month of Early 2000s Downturn Economic Policy Institute ...for nearly two out of every three job seekers, there simply were no jobs...
Walmart Workers Strike In Maryland, Making Nine Strikes In A Month ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers walked off the job at two stores in Maryland on Tuesday ... The strikes come a day after one in Miami and makes nine strikes total for the month of November...
Americans Really Hate Thanksgiving Shopping Creep, Poll Finds Huffington Post ...Although retailers have started creeping into Thanksgiving by pushing Black Friday openings earlier and earlier, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that a big majority of Americans think retailers should stay closed on Thanksgiving so workers can have the day off...
How Walmart Shortchanges Employees Who Work Thanksgiving ThinkProgress ...With more stores than ever opening early this Thanksgiving, the larger chains are offering extra pay and perks to appease employees working holiday shifts. But the company calculates holiday pay differently from other retailers and manipulates staff schedules so they’re paid less on Thanksgiving than the retailer implies...
Pope Francis: Capitalism is “a new tyranny” Salon ...Pope Francis on Tuesday called capitalism “a new tyranny” and very explicitly called on global leaders to act on poverty and growing inequality...
A Fake Slum for Luxury Tourists Who Don't Want to See Real Poverty Gizmodo ...The Emoya Luxury Hotel and Spa near Bloemfontein, South Africa offers Shanty Town, a dozen shacks made from scrap wood and corrugated metal that it thinks is the perfect setting for your next corporate retreat or wedding anniversary. The resort has gone to great lengths to recreate the joys of slum living without the nuisances of crime, disease, or poor sanitation...
Breadlines Return New York Times ... one-sixth of ... (New York) city’s residents and one-fifth of its children live in homes without enough to eat...
Food Stamp Cuts, Holidays Stress Food Banks Huffington Post ...For those who help the hungry, 2013 is looking a lot like the years since the recession began—with the added challenge of a $5 billion cut in food stamp benefits, which took effect Nov. 1...
Salt Lake TPP Talks End with Growing Pressure to Announce “Deal” at December TPP Ministerial, but No Resolution of Major Controversies Public Citizen ... There was no discussion of disciplines to counter currency manipulation despite 230 House and 60 Senate GOP and Democrats demanding such terms...
Among American workers, poll finds unprecedented anxiety about jobs, economy Washington Post ...American workers are living with unprecedented economic anxiety, four years into a recovery that has left so many of them stuck in place...
Banks Threaten To Charge You For Saving Money Huffington Post ...In an effort to protect their record profits, banks might soon charge you for the privilege of having a savings account...
ALEC’s Proposal Threatens To Bypass Primaries, Weaken Voters In Electing Senators MintPress News ...The Equal State’s Enfranchisement Act seeks to give state legislatures the power to place Senate candidates directly on the ballot without party approval...
How Wall Street Turned America Into Incarceration Nation AlterNet ...Transforming poorer neighborhoods into desirable real estate for the new elites often requires getting rid of the poor: jail becomes the new home for many...
Revealed: How corporate spooks spy on activists BillMoyers.com ...A new report discusses some of the techniques. They can be devious...
Latest job numbers not good for Scott Walker — or those looking for work The Cap Times ...A new round of numbers show the pace of job creation in Wisconsin slowing by 37 percent for the one-year period ending in June — not good news politically for Gov. Scott Walker or for those looking for work...
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Teamsters arrested to show solidarity with Walmart workers
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| Refusing to be moved in front of the Chinatown Walmart in LA. |
A massive wave of protests is expected to engulf the giant retailer on the day after Thanksgiving, and Teamsters are encouraged to represent. Walmart workers and supporters are expected to engage in peaceful civil disobedience like the kind that got Castillo arrested in Los Angeles earlier this month. The Los Angeles protest resulted in 54 arrests, the largest civil disobedience action against Walmart so far.
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| Brother Gilbert Castillo, Business Agent, Teamsters Local 396. |
"They're downsizing the economy, and it's affecting us all," said Brother Castillo, a business agent with Teamsters Local 396 in Covina, Calif. "Teamsters need to show some kind of solidarity."
"I'm willing to get arrested so I can send a message to my union brothers. I'm not going to stand for Walmart's bullshit," he said.
Castillo, president of Teamsters Horsemen Chapter 42, was joined in jail by Brother Juan Gutierrez, a UPS shop steward and Horseman, and Brother Ruben Tiscareno, also a UPS shop steward and secretary-treasurer of the Horsemen. Teamsters Local 396 Secretary-Treasurer Ron Herrera was a big motivator in encouraging them to take action, Castillo said.
Witnesses say they were wowed by the sight of the three Horsemen arriving on their bikes and wearing their Teamster gear. They parked their motorcycles and sat down on the pavement. When the permit for the demonstration expired at 6 pm, they refused to budget. Castillo was arrested at 6:12 pm, along with longshoremen, a priest and UFCW members. As he was taken away in plastic handcuffs, a girl from AFSCME shouted, "Teamsters don't cry."
"We got inside at 9:30," Castillo said. "The Labor Fed posted bail, and we got out at 2 a.m."
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| Brothers Gutierrez, Tiscareno, Castillo |
Here's how the Huffington Post described the scene:
Surrounded by about 100 police officers in riot gear and a helicopter circling above, more than 50 Walmart workers and supporters were arrested in downtown Los Angeles Thursday night as they sat in the street protesting what they called the retailer's "poverty wages."
...The 54 arrestees, with about 500 protesting Walmart workers, clergy and supporters, demonstrated outside LA's Chinatown Walmart. Those who refused police orders to clear the street after their permit expired were arrested without incident.A series of strikes and demonstrations followed the action in Los Angeles. Walmart workers have walked off the job in Seattle, Dayton, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pa., Chicago, the Twin Cities, Miami and Dallas. They have been joined by port truck drivers in a Teamsters-supported strike at companies that move and store Walmart products.
Today, Walmart workers walked off the job at three stores in the Washington, D.C., area. Politicus USA reports,
Workers in Washington, DC are hitting Walmart where it hurts by walking off the job in protest of illegal treatment and low wages just days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
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| Gilbert Castillo, surrounded by the police. |
According to Our Walmart, “Walmart workers walked off the job at three Washington DC area stores today, calling on Walmart to end its illegal retaliation against workers calling for better wages and full-time work. Many earning less than $25,000 a year at the country’s largest employer, these workers are risking their livelihoods by striking against an employer that aggressively, and illegally, fires and disciplines workers for speaking out for better jobs.”One of the Walmart workers explained why she walked off the job today:
The way they treated us was so unfair, it was very disrespectful....They treated us like dirt underneath their shoes. They treated us like we were nothing. They are so unfair to anybody, they don't care about anything except what goes in their pockets, they break the law and they don't care. It's inhuman what they do.Listen to Brother Castillo. Listen to the Walmart workers. And click here to find a Black Friday protest near you.
Teamsters' winning percentage rises as union membership increases in 2013
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| This is what a Teamster organizing victory looks like. |
Just today, Teamsters announced an organizing victory in Easton, Mass., among school bus drivers for H&L Bloom.
"The Teamsters, year in and year out, (are) the most active union on the organizing scene," reported Bloomberg BNA Employment and Labor blog.
Here's more good news: 65,185 workers were organized in NLRB elections in the first half of this year—more than were organized over the entire course of 2012. Many of those new members now belong to SEIU, after they organized 44,919 workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California.
Independent unions with bargaining units of fewer than 50 workers increased their win rate from 64.6 percent to 68 percent, according to the NLRB Election Statistics Report.
Way to go, brothers and sisters!
Another Teamster organizing victory in Massachusetts!
The drivers are seeking job security and workplace protections. They join the 14 school bus drivers for children with special needs who are employed directly by the Attleboro School District. They became Teamsters Local 653 members in June.
Michael Clark, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 653, said the local represents seven other school districts under contract, including at First Student and Lucini Bus Lines. Said Clark,
These workers are looking for job security and the protection that our other members have under Teamsters bus contracts.For more information about the Teamsters work to drive up standards in the school bus industry, check out the Drive Up Standards website.
And welcome to our great union!
Today's Teamster News 11.26.13
United Airlines Mechanics Call for Pension Reinstatement During Informational Pickets at Airports Across the U.S. teamster.org ...On Monday, United Airlines (UAL) professional aviation mechanics represented by the Teamsters Union held informational pickets at 10 major airports around the country to let the public know they may be forced to strike if the company refuses to keep its promise to reinstate the workers’ pension plans...
BLET Urges Support For Two-Person Crew Bill ble-t.org ...The BLET, working jointly with SMART-Transportation Division (formerly the United Transportation Union), made nearly 150 visits to members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week in support of H.R. 3040, the Safe Freight Act...
Thanksgiving Openings Show Lack of Respect for Workers teamster.org ...“Many of them are underperforming and desperate for every dollar of sales.”...
Walmart Strikes Hit Three More Cities In Florida And California ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday...
National, Iowa Right to Work Groups Subsidized State Candidates, Misled IRS, Former Employee Charges Open Secrets ...A former political operative with the National Right to Work Committee who was involved with the 2008 and 2012 Ron Paul presidential campaigns has accused the anti-union group of running a sprawling off-the-books mass-mailing operation that violated state campaign finance laws and is at odds with the group's statements to the IRS...
WTO talks fail to agree on global trade deal text Reuters ...Marathon talks on the World Trade Organization's first-ever worldwide trade reform in Geneva failed early on Monday to agree on a text to put to ministers who meet in Bali next month...
Why Globalization Is Going Into Reverse Bloomberg ...A new study shows that cross-border investment and trade flows declined worldwide in 2012, ending a two-year recovery after the global financial crisis...
Bold Boeing workers refuse to screw over next generation The Salon ...By rejecting a contract that amounted to corporate extortion, employees have taken a stand for the middle class...
The Corporate Bully Whose Front Groups, Willful Distortions and Hate-Mongering Has Poisoned U.S. Politics: Meet Richard Berman AlterNet ...“Why don’t we know one of the most powerful people in America is? What he has done? Why '60 Minutes' called him Dr. Evil?” asks Saru Jayaraman, a leader in a growing national movement of restaurant workers demanding better pay and working conditions...
H&M: 'Living Wage' Coming To Textile Workers By 2018 Reuters ...Hennes & Mauritz, the world's second-largest clothing retailer, laid out a plan on Monday to pay a fair "living wage" to some 850,000 textile workers by 2018, saying governments were acting too slowly...
4 Ways the Koch Brothers' Wealth Is Beyond Comprehension Alternet ...In 2012, David and Charles Koch made enough money in one second to pay the food bill for an entire year for a homeless woman named Beverly...
10 Biggest Myths About Retail Workers The Guardian ...The average age of a retail worker is 37 years old (pdf), and more than half of year-round retail workers contribute a significant portion (pdf) of their family's total income. For example, researchers found that a third (pdf) of New York City retail workers support at least one dependent...
Hungry Americans Less Productive as Budget Cuts Deepen: Economy Bloomberg ...Hunger costs the U.S. at least $167.5 billion each year in lost economic productivity and earnings, health-care expenses that could have been avoided by better nutrition and the value of charity to keep families fed...
Unions to address austerity measures Kenora Online ...Ontario Federation of Labour gathers in Toronto this week to address austerity measures, including anti-union legislation...
A tale of two states MSNBC ...After the 2010 elections, Wisconsin got to work targeting collective bargaining, tax cuts, and reduced spending. After the 2010 elections, Minnesota got to work raising taxes on the wealthy and making new in-state investments in areas such as education and infrastructure….Three years into Mr. Walker’s term, Wisconsin lags behind Minnesota in job creation and economic growth...
Heart of Darkness: Criminal Investigation of WI Recall $ Center for Media and Democracy ...The post-Citizens United dark money showdown is underway in Wisconsin...
Herring wins Virginia attorney general race, elections board announces Washington Post ...The State Board of Elections on Monday declared Democrat Mark R. Herring Virginia’s next attorney general, capping a dramatic three-week certification process in the closest statewide race in Virginia history...
BLET Urges Support For Two-Person Crew Bill ble-t.org ...The BLET, working jointly with SMART-Transportation Division (formerly the United Transportation Union), made nearly 150 visits to members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week in support of H.R. 3040, the Safe Freight Act...
Thanksgiving Openings Show Lack of Respect for Workers teamster.org ...“Many of them are underperforming and desperate for every dollar of sales.”...
Walmart Strikes Hit Three More Cities In Florida And California ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday...
National, Iowa Right to Work Groups Subsidized State Candidates, Misled IRS, Former Employee Charges Open Secrets ...A former political operative with the National Right to Work Committee who was involved with the 2008 and 2012 Ron Paul presidential campaigns has accused the anti-union group of running a sprawling off-the-books mass-mailing operation that violated state campaign finance laws and is at odds with the group's statements to the IRS...
WTO talks fail to agree on global trade deal text Reuters ...Marathon talks on the World Trade Organization's first-ever worldwide trade reform in Geneva failed early on Monday to agree on a text to put to ministers who meet in Bali next month...
Why Globalization Is Going Into Reverse Bloomberg ...A new study shows that cross-border investment and trade flows declined worldwide in 2012, ending a two-year recovery after the global financial crisis...
Bold Boeing workers refuse to screw over next generation The Salon ...By rejecting a contract that amounted to corporate extortion, employees have taken a stand for the middle class...
The Corporate Bully Whose Front Groups, Willful Distortions and Hate-Mongering Has Poisoned U.S. Politics: Meet Richard Berman AlterNet ...“Why don’t we know one of the most powerful people in America is? What he has done? Why '60 Minutes' called him Dr. Evil?” asks Saru Jayaraman, a leader in a growing national movement of restaurant workers demanding better pay and working conditions...
H&M: 'Living Wage' Coming To Textile Workers By 2018 Reuters ...Hennes & Mauritz, the world's second-largest clothing retailer, laid out a plan on Monday to pay a fair "living wage" to some 850,000 textile workers by 2018, saying governments were acting too slowly...
4 Ways the Koch Brothers' Wealth Is Beyond Comprehension Alternet ...In 2012, David and Charles Koch made enough money in one second to pay the food bill for an entire year for a homeless woman named Beverly...
10 Biggest Myths About Retail Workers The Guardian ...The average age of a retail worker is 37 years old (pdf), and more than half of year-round retail workers contribute a significant portion (pdf) of their family's total income. For example, researchers found that a third (pdf) of New York City retail workers support at least one dependent...
Hungry Americans Less Productive as Budget Cuts Deepen: Economy Bloomberg ...Hunger costs the U.S. at least $167.5 billion each year in lost economic productivity and earnings, health-care expenses that could have been avoided by better nutrition and the value of charity to keep families fed...
Unions to address austerity measures Kenora Online ...Ontario Federation of Labour gathers in Toronto this week to address austerity measures, including anti-union legislation...
A tale of two states MSNBC ...After the 2010 elections, Wisconsin got to work targeting collective bargaining, tax cuts, and reduced spending. After the 2010 elections, Minnesota got to work raising taxes on the wealthy and making new in-state investments in areas such as education and infrastructure….Three years into Mr. Walker’s term, Wisconsin lags behind Minnesota in job creation and economic growth...
Heart of Darkness: Criminal Investigation of WI Recall $ Center for Media and Democracy ...The post-Citizens United dark money showdown is underway in Wisconsin...
Herring wins Virginia attorney general race, elections board announces Washington Post ...The State Board of Elections on Monday declared Democrat Mark R. Herring Virginia’s next attorney general, capping a dramatic three-week certification process in the closest statewide race in Virginia history...
Monday, November 25, 2013
What real people really say about Walmart
Walmart's new CEO ought to take a good hard look at what people are saying about the giant retailer. He might reconsider his company's practice of impoverishing workers, retaliating against them if they speak out, selling cheap crap from China and looting the public treasury.
Here's what a small sample of people posted about Walmart on the Teamsters Facebook page.
Here's what a small sample of people posted about Walmart on the Teamsters Facebook page.
Kevin McBride I'm proud to say I haven't shopped at Walmart in nearly 5 years and don't miss it! I won't even accept products or goods as a gift if bought from there!
Michael Paul Heverin I worked at Walmart in high school making $8.00 an hour in 2000. Have a friend who was out of work and desperately needed work recently start at Walmart in Middletown Del. Making $7.50 an hour. Makes ZERO sense! This scumbag company needs to get it together and pay their employees a livable wage! Smh!
Barbara Guzman Wow, they only paid me 7.50 an hour as a Department Manager. And I was there for 7 years. I did so much for them! Wish they would just go under!
Becky Hunter People who shop Walmart may save a few pennies but they cheat themselves in the long run. While they may not give any thought to what they are doing to American competition, they are buying themselves into a hole of not being able to ever get fair wages in other jobs. Walmart drives down their competition and puts other companies that could pay people better wages out of business. Their motto is to sell cheap, drive the other guys out of business and monopolize the market place. Their customers have allowed them to do just that. Now their workers complain about low wages, the wages will only get lower, as time goes on they have no incentive to pay people more money why should they? They have driven so many companies out of business.
Sherry N Rick Pepper Proudly Walmart free for TEN weeks now. I DO NOT need them! SUPPORT your local union affiliates business!!
Ron Gwynne I will not buy from Walmart until such time that you pay a fair and equitable wage. You can get richer off the backs of the poor without my contribution.
Mark Mancini If consumers purchased goods made in the US and let the retailers know that's what they want.....hopefully the retailers will respond and find suppliers in this country. As long as the public is apathetic and concerns themselves with just a "low " price.....the retailers will continue to use foreign suppliers.
What people don't know is that those " always low prices" come at a horrific cost in the long run in terms of unemployment...manufacturing capability .....and ultimately....national security! We are at the mercy if the Chinese government. Imagine what would happen if they embargoed this country. We would have very little to sell as there are so many companies that have shipped production there. It would take literally years to get our facilities up and running.
Buy American!
Robert Worth Sr. I refuse to give them another dime. Wish more people would wake up
Cliff Ross Pay a ' Living Wage,' Goddammit !!! You can surely afford it.
Donald Pringle Oh come on if not for Walmart's and companies like them their wouldn't be enough greed to go aroundTo find a Black Friday protest against Walmart near you, click here.
Teamster UAL mechanics picket for pension reinstatement
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| Teamsters picketing at San Francisco International Airport today. |
According to the press statement,
In 2005, UAL took away the pensions for 11,000 professional aviation mechanics, but promised when the company’s financial situation improved they would get their retirement plans back. UAL has since rebounded and is reporting hundreds of millions in profits. The second quarter of 2013 saw UAL earn its highest revenue in history. After a year of stalling, UAL executives broke off contract negotiations without agreeing to the pensions they had promised, and declared that 3,500 mechanics will be forced to pay an additional $300-$500 each month for their health care.UAL mechanic John Lauren, a member of Teamsters Local 856, said they'd weathered the storm with the airline when times were tough, and now management wants to leave them in the cold:
It is insulting that United Airlines is asking me to pay an extra $300-$500 each month for my health care when the company brought in record profits last year. What happened to us being in this together?The 10 airports where mechanics picketed include:
- A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GUM)
- Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport (IAH)
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Walmart CEO quits as more workers strike in Miami, St. Paul
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| Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn. |
Duke makes 6,132 times what the average Walmart worker earns.
The International Business Times reports,
The chief executive of giant US retailer Walmart has stepped down while the company battles with a series of clashes with workers.
Mike Duke, who is heading off to retirement, is to be replaced by company veteran Doug McMillon to take the helm of one of the world's largest companies in February next year.Walmart worker and OUR Walmart member Tiffany Beroid put out a statement saying the change of leadership is a testament to the pressure the company is under:
We’re happy to see Mr. McMillon acknowledge the hard work of associates in his statement this morning, and we hope that this appreciation translates into improving jobs for Walmart workers. Americans nationwide are looking to Walmart to improve jobs and strengthen our economy, and Mr. McMillon has an opportunity to be a leader in moving Walmart in the right direction, not just in offering more empty promises. We sincerely hope that Mr. McMillon will answer the country’s calls for Walmart to publicly commit to paying $25,000 a year, providing full-time work and ending its illegal retaliation against its own employees.ThinkProgress reported on today's strike in Miami:
Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday.
Katie, who has worked at a store in Miami for three years and makes $8.75 an hour, told ThinkProgress she’s striking to improve conditions for both herself and her coworkers. “We’re going on strike for better benefits, for better pay for associates, and for respect,” she said.And in St. Paul, the Union Advocate reports:
The strikes make eight this month, coming after workers called out or walked off the job in Dallas, cities in Ohio, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Workers also went on strike in Miami in October.
The nationwide wave of Walmart strikes hit Minnesota this morning, when three women who work at the Brooklyn Center store informed management they were going on an unfair-labor-practices strike.
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and Rev. Doug Mork of nearby Cross of Glory Lutheran Church accompanied the workers into the store, and dozens of supporters from faith, labor and community groups greeted them on their way out, ready to erect a picket line.
Andrea Williams, April Williams and Lillian Griffin said they decided to take a stand after attempts to organize for better wages, meaningful benefits and a voice on the job drew retaliation from store managers.Throughout the country, Walmart workers and supporters from the Teamsters and other unions plan to demonstrate against abuse and poverty wages on Black Friday. If you haven't found a Walmart protest near you, click here to find one.
Today's Teamster News 11.25.13
IKEA Lockout - Coquitlam Rally Nov. 23, 2013 Teamsters Local 213 ...It was a fantastic turnout today at the IKEA Rally held at the Coquitlam location with strong representation from many Unions including Teamsters Canada, Unifor, Unite Here, BCTF, ITF, ILWU, PSAC, BCFL. CUPE, COPE and many more...
France Investigating Ikea on Spying Allegations New York Times ...Prosecutors have placed three senior Ikea executives in France under investigation amid allegations that they authorized illegal spying on employees and customers...
$13 Billion, Yes, but What Took So Long? New York Times ...although it took the Justice Department more than five years to pursue a major bank for its role in the mortgage mania, the investigation seems to have unearthed material that, by and large, could have been dug up with a spoon...
Failure To Punish Wall St Weighs on Economy Big Picture ...enforcing the rule of law – i.e. prosecuting white collar fraud – is necessary for a healthy economy...
FCC: Airlines Will Be the Ones Deciding Whether to Allow In-Flight Calls Slate ...Shortly after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said that it was time to review “our outdated and restrictive rules” on the use of mobile phones on airplanes, the outrage was immediate...
Deficit of Trade Information (updated) TradeReform ...Fast Track combined with the TPP was not so much a mechanism for getting things through the Congress quickly and efficiently as it was a mechanism for getting around the Congress...
Swiss voters reject plan to cap top managers' pay CBC ...Swiss voters soundly rejected on Sunday a proposal to limit the pay of companies' highest-paid managers to 12 times that of their lowest-paid workers, a plan that business leaders had warned could weaken the prosperous nation's economy...
German union plans further strikes at Amazon Reuters ...Union Verdi is preparing more strikes to step up pressure on Amazon in Germany, its biggest market outside the United States, in a dispute over pay and conditions...
Nonprofit that flipped homes to investors faces scrutiny Reuters ...A U.S. housing regulator has been investigating the activities of a small California not-for-profit that bought hundreds of foreclosed homes through a federally backed program intended to help local communities hurt by the housing bust...
Electric vs hydrogen: China is battleground for auto giants Reuters ...While the Europeans were heralding the all-electric vehicle at the Guangzhou auto show this week, Toyota Motor and Honda Motor were unveiling hydrogen fuel cell cars at shows in Tokyo and Los Angeles...
Bloomberg News Suspends Reporter Whose Article on China Was Not Published New York Times ...top editors, led by Matthew Winkler, the editor in chief, decided in late October not to publish an investigative article because of fears that Bloomberg would be expelled from China. The article (was) about a Chinese tycoon and his ties to families of Communist Party leaders...
Reform the New York Times! Media must stop protecting companies tied to Chinese corruption Salon ...The story is that America and most of its people are heavily dependent upon, if not addicted to, the very system of suffocating control and exploitation they profess to regret...
ALEC Mulls Assault On Constitution’s 17th Amendment — The Direct Election Of Senators ThinkProgress ...one of the items up for review is language for a bill, called the Equal State’s Enfranchisement Act, that would allow state legislatures to add a candidate’s name to the ballot for a U.S. senate seat, along with the names of those nominated by voters...
5 Reasons Millennials Should Support Strengthening, Not Cutting, Social Security AFL-CIO Now ...Millennials will likely rely on Social Security even more than generations before...
France Investigating Ikea on Spying Allegations New York Times ...Prosecutors have placed three senior Ikea executives in France under investigation amid allegations that they authorized illegal spying on employees and customers...
$13 Billion, Yes, but What Took So Long? New York Times ...although it took the Justice Department more than five years to pursue a major bank for its role in the mortgage mania, the investigation seems to have unearthed material that, by and large, could have been dug up with a spoon...
Failure To Punish Wall St Weighs on Economy Big Picture ...enforcing the rule of law – i.e. prosecuting white collar fraud – is necessary for a healthy economy...
FCC: Airlines Will Be the Ones Deciding Whether to Allow In-Flight Calls Slate ...Shortly after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said that it was time to review “our outdated and restrictive rules” on the use of mobile phones on airplanes, the outrage was immediate...
Deficit of Trade Information (updated) TradeReform ...Fast Track combined with the TPP was not so much a mechanism for getting things through the Congress quickly and efficiently as it was a mechanism for getting around the Congress...
Swiss voters reject plan to cap top managers' pay CBC ...Swiss voters soundly rejected on Sunday a proposal to limit the pay of companies' highest-paid managers to 12 times that of their lowest-paid workers, a plan that business leaders had warned could weaken the prosperous nation's economy...
German union plans further strikes at Amazon Reuters ...Union Verdi is preparing more strikes to step up pressure on Amazon in Germany, its biggest market outside the United States, in a dispute over pay and conditions...
Nonprofit that flipped homes to investors faces scrutiny Reuters ...A U.S. housing regulator has been investigating the activities of a small California not-for-profit that bought hundreds of foreclosed homes through a federally backed program intended to help local communities hurt by the housing bust...
Electric vs hydrogen: China is battleground for auto giants Reuters ...While the Europeans were heralding the all-electric vehicle at the Guangzhou auto show this week, Toyota Motor and Honda Motor were unveiling hydrogen fuel cell cars at shows in Tokyo and Los Angeles...
Bloomberg News Suspends Reporter Whose Article on China Was Not Published New York Times ...top editors, led by Matthew Winkler, the editor in chief, decided in late October not to publish an investigative article because of fears that Bloomberg would be expelled from China. The article (was) about a Chinese tycoon and his ties to families of Communist Party leaders...
Reform the New York Times! Media must stop protecting companies tied to Chinese corruption Salon ...The story is that America and most of its people are heavily dependent upon, if not addicted to, the very system of suffocating control and exploitation they profess to regret...
ALEC Mulls Assault On Constitution’s 17th Amendment — The Direct Election Of Senators ThinkProgress ...one of the items up for review is language for a bill, called the Equal State’s Enfranchisement Act, that would allow state legislatures to add a candidate’s name to the ballot for a U.S. senate seat, along with the names of those nominated by voters...
5 Reasons Millennials Should Support Strengthening, Not Cutting, Social Security AFL-CIO Now ...Millennials will likely rely on Social Security even more than generations before...
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Today's Teamster News 11.24.13
Teamsters contract to bring less than 2 percent raises Ironton Tribune ...The first Teamsters contract for employees of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office will bring them raises over the next three years...
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Teamsters Conclude Round of Contract Talks CBS St. Louis ...Teamsters Local 6 Principal Officer Ron Shy says the three-week-long local talks wrapped up last night with what he says are a “couple of unresolved issues” they will take to the national talks that open in St. Petersburg, Florida on December 2...
Middletown Boro, Teamsters local reach agreement on holiday decoration volunteers Fox 43 ...Earlier this fall, Arnold announced the Borough would be forced to suspend the decorating activities this year after members of Teamsters Local 776 filed grievances seeking compensation for the work the volunteers did last year...Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the union recognizes the Borough’s right to use volunteers so long as such use does not result in employee layoffs...
Walmart Protests Promised To Be Even Bigger This Black Friday Huffington Post ...Walmart workers and their supporters are planning to kick off this year's holiday shopping season with protests at 1,500 Walmart stores around the country on Nov. 29...
Civil Society Groups Demand Transparency and User Protections in TPP Electronic Frontier Foundation ...Civil society groups are coming out in force against the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, following Wikileaks' publication of the “Intellectual Property” chapter...
An Orgy of Thieves Counterpunch ...There was indeed a vast criminal class coming to full vicious potential in the 1990s: a group utterly vacant of the most elementary instincts of social propriety, devoid of moral fiber, selfish to an almost unfathomable degree. The class comes in the form of our corporate elite...
Analysis: U.S. businesses back Tea Party Republicans after shutdown Reuters ...Eight of the most active business PACs wrote checks totaling $84,750 to 56 Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives after they voted against an October 16 deal to re-open the government that had been shut down since October 1 and avert an imminent debt default...
End the 1 percent’s free ride: Taxing land would solve America’s biggest problems Salon ...Just tax the stuff that humans had nothing to do with creating, and therefore have no basis to claim ownership over at all. You’ll find that almost all of it is “owned” by the fabled 1 percent...
Robert Samuelson Is Upset that the Government Gives One Thousand Times as Much Money to Billionaires Like Peter Peterson as It Does to Poor Children Center for Economic Policy and Research ...we should look at the billions of dollars in interest paid out on government bonds to rich people like Peter Peterson without taking account of the fact that Peterson and his billionaire friends paid for these bonds...
Watch economic insecurity spread like a virus over a quarter-century Washington Post ...the two great transformations of the economy over the late 20th century have been the rise in inequality and the increasing risk that households and workers bear...
Caught in a Revolving Door of Unemployment New York Times ... joblessness lasting more than six months is a major factor preventing people from getting rehired, with potentially grave consequences for tens of millions of Americans...
Susan J. Demas: How the Democrats blew it after Right to Work (opinion) Michigan Live ...they filed a couple long-shot lawsuits and essentially decided to give up...
Ohio unions optimistic about shifting Right to Work landscape Keep Ohio's Heritage ...Following this month’s colossal failure of the Ohioans for Workplace Freedom Election Day signature push, labor groups believe that Ohio voters are beginning to make their choice clear at the ballots...
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Teamsters Conclude Round of Contract Talks CBS St. Louis ...Teamsters Local 6 Principal Officer Ron Shy says the three-week-long local talks wrapped up last night with what he says are a “couple of unresolved issues” they will take to the national talks that open in St. Petersburg, Florida on December 2...
Middletown Boro, Teamsters local reach agreement on holiday decoration volunteers Fox 43 ...Earlier this fall, Arnold announced the Borough would be forced to suspend the decorating activities this year after members of Teamsters Local 776 filed grievances seeking compensation for the work the volunteers did last year...Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the union recognizes the Borough’s right to use volunteers so long as such use does not result in employee layoffs...
Walmart Protests Promised To Be Even Bigger This Black Friday Huffington Post ...Walmart workers and their supporters are planning to kick off this year's holiday shopping season with protests at 1,500 Walmart stores around the country on Nov. 29...
Civil Society Groups Demand Transparency and User Protections in TPP Electronic Frontier Foundation ...Civil society groups are coming out in force against the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, following Wikileaks' publication of the “Intellectual Property” chapter...
An Orgy of Thieves Counterpunch ...There was indeed a vast criminal class coming to full vicious potential in the 1990s: a group utterly vacant of the most elementary instincts of social propriety, devoid of moral fiber, selfish to an almost unfathomable degree. The class comes in the form of our corporate elite...
Analysis: U.S. businesses back Tea Party Republicans after shutdown Reuters ...Eight of the most active business PACs wrote checks totaling $84,750 to 56 Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives after they voted against an October 16 deal to re-open the government that had been shut down since October 1 and avert an imminent debt default...
End the 1 percent’s free ride: Taxing land would solve America’s biggest problems Salon ...Just tax the stuff that humans had nothing to do with creating, and therefore have no basis to claim ownership over at all. You’ll find that almost all of it is “owned” by the fabled 1 percent...
Robert Samuelson Is Upset that the Government Gives One Thousand Times as Much Money to Billionaires Like Peter Peterson as It Does to Poor Children Center for Economic Policy and Research ...we should look at the billions of dollars in interest paid out on government bonds to rich people like Peter Peterson without taking account of the fact that Peterson and his billionaire friends paid for these bonds...
Watch economic insecurity spread like a virus over a quarter-century Washington Post ...the two great transformations of the economy over the late 20th century have been the rise in inequality and the increasing risk that households and workers bear...
Caught in a Revolving Door of Unemployment New York Times ... joblessness lasting more than six months is a major factor preventing people from getting rehired, with potentially grave consequences for tens of millions of Americans...
Susan J. Demas: How the Democrats blew it after Right to Work (opinion) Michigan Live ...they filed a couple long-shot lawsuits and essentially decided to give up...
Ohio unions optimistic about shifting Right to Work landscape Keep Ohio's Heritage ...Following this month’s colossal failure of the Ohioans for Workplace Freedom Election Day signature push, labor groups believe that Ohio voters are beginning to make their choice clear at the ballots...
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Today's Teamster News 11.23.13
Teamsters Kick Off ‘IKEA Hurts Families’ Campaign teamster.org ...On Friday, the Teamsters Union launched the ‘IKEA Hurts Families’ campaign that highlights how far IKEA’s Richmond, British Columbia, Canada store has departed from the original values of the Swedish company. IKEA has locked out 350 workers at its Richmond store without pay for more than six months because the workers voted down a contract proposal with a discriminatory two-tiered wage system...
MV Batavia Dispatchers Vote for Teamster Representation teamsterslocal727.org ...Dispatchers at MV Transportation Batavia voted unanimously for Teamsters Local 727 representation on Nov. 20...
Hoffa Lauds 'Reid Rule' Allowing Nominations to Move Forward teamster.org ...The following is an official statement of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa on the Senate’s approval Thursday of a filibuster rule change that permits nearly all judicial and executive branch nominations to come to a vote based on the backing of a simple majority of senators...
Agreement Reached to Preserve Live Horse Racing at Illinois Racetracks teamstersjc25.com ...Full live racing schedules — and the livelihoods of hundreds of workers — are on their way to being preserved for all five racetracks in Illinois. Teamsters Local 727 represents dozens of racetrack employees at Arlington Park, Hawthorne Racecourse and Maywood Park...
Dying Sooner: America Falls Behind On Longevity National Memo ...Life expectancy at birth in America is now a year shorter than the average of 34 modern countries, while in 1970 it was a year longer, a detailed report just released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows...
Walmart Protests Promised To Be Even Bigger This Black Friday Huffington Post ...Walmart workers and their supporters are planning to kick off this year's holiday shopping season with protests at 1,500 Walmart stores around the country on Nov. 29...
Retailers Agree On Safety Standards For Bangladesh Factories Reuters ...North American and European retailers announced Wednesday that they had agreed on fire and safety inspection standards for up to 2,000 factories in Bangladesh that supply such retailers as Gap, Wal-Mart and H&M...
Workers Strike At UC Hospitals, Campuses Over Safe Staffing Issues CBSLA.com ...The Strike stems from a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation and harassment from UC Administrators against frontline service and patient care workers advocating safe staffing standards during a two day UC Hospital Strike in May, the union said...
Expanding Social Security (opinion) New York Times ... the elderly poverty rate is highly likely to rise sharply in the future, as the failure of America’s private pension system takes its toll....
Filthy Rich CEOs Are Lobbying to Cut Medicare, Social Security and Push the Retirement Age Back AlterNet ...The loudest calls for Social Security cuts are coming from CEOs who will never have to worry about their own retirement security...
Home-Care Aides at Poverty’s Edge Are Hottest U.S. Jobs Bloomberg News ...Two years after the recession was over, 32 percent of working families didn’t earn enough to cover basic necessities, up from 28 percent in 2007, according to a report by the nonprofit Working Poor Families Project that analyzed 2011 U.S. Census data. In the home-care sector, workers make so little that 50 percent depend on some form of government assistance...
FCC chairman: cellphone usage ban on planes 'outdated and restrictive' The Guardian ...Rules against making cellphone calls during airline flights are "outdated," and it's time to change them, federal regulators said Thursday, drawing immediate howls of protest from flight attendants, airline officials and others...
Humans shipped across the country: How America exports inmates to private prisons Salon ...four states currently entrust their inmates to facilities in other states, all run by the for-profit Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). This year, Vermont sent prisoners to Arizona and Kentucky; Idaho sent prisoners to Colorado; California sent prisoners to Arizona, Oklahoma and Mississippi; and Hawaii sent prisoners to Arizona, about 2,900 miles away...
Son of Mexican cartel leader arrested at US border Associated Press ... His indictment filed under seal in San Diego on Sept. 27 offers little detail, saying only that he conspired to bring at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and 5 kilograms of cocaine to the U.S...
Tribune Co. to cut 700 jobs at newspaper division Associated Press ...Tribune Co. says it's eliminating about 700 jobs as part of a restructuring of its newspaper business...
Starbucks union-buster is ironic winner after liberals push nuclear option Salon ...With GOP obstruction defeated, attorney who helped Starbucks get away with firing union activists headed to bench...
MV Batavia Dispatchers Vote for Teamster Representation teamsterslocal727.org ...Dispatchers at MV Transportation Batavia voted unanimously for Teamsters Local 727 representation on Nov. 20...
Hoffa Lauds 'Reid Rule' Allowing Nominations to Move Forward teamster.org ...The following is an official statement of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa on the Senate’s approval Thursday of a filibuster rule change that permits nearly all judicial and executive branch nominations to come to a vote based on the backing of a simple majority of senators...
Agreement Reached to Preserve Live Horse Racing at Illinois Racetracks teamstersjc25.com ...Full live racing schedules — and the livelihoods of hundreds of workers — are on their way to being preserved for all five racetracks in Illinois. Teamsters Local 727 represents dozens of racetrack employees at Arlington Park, Hawthorne Racecourse and Maywood Park...
Dying Sooner: America Falls Behind On Longevity National Memo ...Life expectancy at birth in America is now a year shorter than the average of 34 modern countries, while in 1970 it was a year longer, a detailed report just released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows...
Walmart Protests Promised To Be Even Bigger This Black Friday Huffington Post ...Walmart workers and their supporters are planning to kick off this year's holiday shopping season with protests at 1,500 Walmart stores around the country on Nov. 29...
Retailers Agree On Safety Standards For Bangladesh Factories Reuters ...North American and European retailers announced Wednesday that they had agreed on fire and safety inspection standards for up to 2,000 factories in Bangladesh that supply such retailers as Gap, Wal-Mart and H&M...
Workers Strike At UC Hospitals, Campuses Over Safe Staffing Issues CBSLA.com ...The Strike stems from a coordinated campaign of illegal intimidation and harassment from UC Administrators against frontline service and patient care workers advocating safe staffing standards during a two day UC Hospital Strike in May, the union said...
Expanding Social Security (opinion) New York Times ... the elderly poverty rate is highly likely to rise sharply in the future, as the failure of America’s private pension system takes its toll....
Filthy Rich CEOs Are Lobbying to Cut Medicare, Social Security and Push the Retirement Age Back AlterNet ...The loudest calls for Social Security cuts are coming from CEOs who will never have to worry about their own retirement security...
Home-Care Aides at Poverty’s Edge Are Hottest U.S. Jobs Bloomberg News ...Two years after the recession was over, 32 percent of working families didn’t earn enough to cover basic necessities, up from 28 percent in 2007, according to a report by the nonprofit Working Poor Families Project that analyzed 2011 U.S. Census data. In the home-care sector, workers make so little that 50 percent depend on some form of government assistance...
FCC chairman: cellphone usage ban on planes 'outdated and restrictive' The Guardian ...Rules against making cellphone calls during airline flights are "outdated," and it's time to change them, federal regulators said Thursday, drawing immediate howls of protest from flight attendants, airline officials and others...
Humans shipped across the country: How America exports inmates to private prisons Salon ...four states currently entrust their inmates to facilities in other states, all run by the for-profit Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). This year, Vermont sent prisoners to Arizona and Kentucky; Idaho sent prisoners to Colorado; California sent prisoners to Arizona, Oklahoma and Mississippi; and Hawaii sent prisoners to Arizona, about 2,900 miles away...
Son of Mexican cartel leader arrested at US border Associated Press ... His indictment filed under seal in San Diego on Sept. 27 offers little detail, saying only that he conspired to bring at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and 5 kilograms of cocaine to the U.S...
Tribune Co. to cut 700 jobs at newspaper division Associated Press ...Tribune Co. says it's eliminating about 700 jobs as part of a restructuring of its newspaper business...
Starbucks union-buster is ironic winner after liberals push nuclear option Salon ...With GOP obstruction defeated, attorney who helped Starbucks get away with firing union activists headed to bench...
Friday, November 22, 2013
IKEA lockout of Teamsters drawing international concern
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| Our locked-out Teamster sisters in front of Richmond IKEA. |
A new website, www.ikeahurtsfamilies.org, tells the story. On May 15, Teamsters rejected a company offer that included the imposition of a tiered wage structure. IKEA locked them out without pay to force them to accept pay and benefit cuts. Three weeks later, Canadian labor officials found IKEA guilty of using scab workers to keep the Richmond store open.
The lockout dragged on, and on Nov. 7 an international fact-finding mission visited locked-out IKEA workers in Richmond. What they found concerned them deeply. The international labor leaders proclaimed the ongoing dispute was now under the gaze of the wider labor movement. The Tyee reported,
The increasingly-fractious, six month labour dispute at IKEA's big box store in Richmond may be on the verge of a dramatic escalation -- all the way to Europe.Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced the launch of the new website in a statement.
"The company I have grown up to love and admire has become one big corporate machine, at least in North America," said IKEA Richmond employee Julia Buczek. "It is upsetting to see that the original Swedish values that we have all looked up to and regarded in such a positive way are just going down the drain."Left Labor Reporter tells us the IKEA in Canada is busting the union -- and it isn't the only bad behavior by IKEA management.
The lockout, which has lasted longer than any other labor dispute with IKEA anywhere else in the world, the company’s take it or leave it attitude, and its efforts to coax union members to cross the picket line and return to work all suggest that IKEA in Richmond wants to be union free.
In Turkey, after workers voted to form a union, IKEA went of its way not to recognize the workers’ union.
In France, police are questioning two IKEA executives about illegally spying on IKEA workers and customers. According to rt.com, the former head of risk management at IKEA France has already been charged with bribing police to obtain “car registration numbers and names connected with a list of mobile phone numbers” of union members who work for IKEA in France.You can help locked-out IKEA Teamsters in several ways:
- Visit www.ikeahurtsfamilies.org website.
- Post a supportive comment on the IKEA workers' Facebook page.
- Attend a rally tomorrow. Here are the details:
TO BRING PUBLIC AWARENESS TO IKEA’S TREATMENT OF WORKERS
DATE: SATURDAY November 23rd, 2013
TIME: 1PM
PLACE: Very close to the IKEA Coquitlam store,(1000 Lougheed Hwy).
PLEASE BRING YOUR IKEA CATALOGUE TO THE RALLY!
Contact Info: Anita Dawson 604-876-5213
Or anita@teamsters213.org
Why Facebook and Google joined ALEC
Readers of this blog know that ALEC (the American legislative Exchange Council) is a corporate dating group for state lawmakers. It offers lawmakers thinly disguised vacations at posh resorts in exchange for legislation that empowers corporations, enriches billionaires, eradicates public education, destroys workers' rights, undermines health and safety, weakens democracy and lowers the standard of living for the 99 percent.
So why would Facebook and Google want to join ALEC?
Tim Worstall at Forbes magazine has a great explanation: It's the way the system works.
...the tech companies have all learned their lesson from Microsoft. A decade or more ago the company did almost no lobbying. It sat there out in Redmond and carried on its plans for world domination without worrying overmuch about politics or politicians. It was rudely disabused of this notion when it got sued, investigated, charged with abuse of a monopoly and much, much, more. It found that you needed friends in politics at this point and they way to get such friends is to join the various lobbies, spread a little cash around the city of DC and in general, make the political classes feel happy that you’re paying attention to them.
Thus what Facebook and Google are doing. Making sure that the political classes, all sides and flavours of them, know and like them. That way there will be much less trouble from said political classes over the years. No, it’s not quite the Mafia extorting: but there’s a definite flavour of “nice company you’ve got here, would be a shame if the law changed, wouldn’t it?”. A few millions in the lobby budgets, a few millions spread around every electoral cycle is the cure for this potential problem.
And it is just a few millions: for whatever else politicians are they are undoubtedly cheap.Best explanation we've heard.
Iron Mountain workers defy threats, join Teamsters
The drivers voted today because they want a share in the billions of dollars of profit the company is making. One worker said they are choosing to go union because the company is making changes and all the workers see is more work, with new deadlines and quotes.
Teamsters Local 728 organizer Ben Speight tweeted:
...these brothers stood strong and united today! Proud to be a TEAMSTER!The new Iron Mountain Teamsters stood up to anti-union lectures, intimidation, threats and the firing of a pro-union worker. A worker recorded one anti-union lecture and shared it with Josh Eidelson at Salon.
One recording captures a manager telling an activist worker one-on-one, “There’s nothing I don’t know,” “There’s no secrets anymore,” and “I am upset with you personally” for pursuing unionization without telling him. The other captures the same manager telling a group of employees in an Oct. 24 meeting,"We have the right to educate you, and we’re gonna exercise that right.”...Workers told Eidelson the company's managers are constantly harassing them not to unionize.
Well, they did and we're proud to call them brother and sister. Welcome to the Teamsters!
Today's Teamster News 11.22.13
Teamsters Joint Council 42 and Local 911 Endorse Lee Rogers for Congress Inland Empire ...Dr. Lee Rogers, candidate for Congress in California’s 25th District, announced today that he has picked up the endorsements of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 911 and their umbrella organization, Joint Council 42. Rogers, a podiatrist, is a member of the Teamsters Union...
Use Teamster-Made Ingredients for Thanksgiving teamster.org ...For your Thanksgiving recipes, use Teamster-made ingredients and support your brothers and sisters at these companies...
Waste Workers Near San Diego Ratify First Teamster Contract teamster.org ...Drivers and mechanics at Waste Management in Carlsbad, California, who voted to join Teamsters Local 683 in San Diego, have ratified their first contract...
New contract gives wage increases for dining workers The Daily Pennsylvanian ...Penn dining workers have finished negotiations with Bon Appetit, which will increase their wages and provide a healthcare package. Negotiations began in September, after the workers joined Teamsters Local 929...
Massena, highway department union reach four-year deal North Country Now ...The Town Council in Messena, New York, unanimously agreed to a four-year contract with the Teamsters Local 687 to cover the town Highway Department’s eight employees on Wednesday night...
Hoffa to Corporate America: 'Have You No Sense of Decency?' Huffington Post ...the average American family pays $6,000 a year to cover government tax breaks for big business....
Senator Sounds The Alarm On Social Security teamster.org ...The median retirement savings of U.S. workers near retirement age is only $12,000....
Walmart Workers Strike At Seven Stores In Dallas ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers called out or walked off the job at seven stores in Dallas, according to OUR Walmart activists, the group that has been organizing strikes and protests against the company...
Wal-Mart labor group promises 1,500 Black Friday protests next week Salon ...Amid scrutiny of Wal-Mart taking up employee-to-employee charity, strike wave continues against retail giant...
The Middle Class Is Disappearing Despite The Economic Recovery ThinkProgress ...There were nearly 700,000 fewer middle-income households since the began than during the economic crisis, according to new Census Bureau data...
The U.S. ranks 26th for life expectancy, right behind Slovenia Washington Post ...Back in the 1970s, Americans typically lived longer than residents of other countries. Not anymore, according to a new report...
‘I Watched My Patients Die of Treatable Diseases Because They Were Poor’ AlterNet ...A Galveston medical student describes life and death in the non-existent Texas safety net...
Tea party groups can't shield donors, FEC rules Politico ...The panel voted 3-2 against a proposal that would have allowed the Tea Party Leadership Fund to shield the names and information of their donors from public scrutiny...
What will happen to truck drivers when self-driving vehicles take over? Washington Post ...Google's test vehicles for its self-driving technology are a Lexus and a Prius. That suggests that Google sees self-driving as a technology for passenger cars. But self-driving technology will almost certainly affect industry and commerce first...
5 Signs the Rich Have Way Too Much Money AlterNet ...You can get a $5,000 hamburger for lunch. The Fleur de Lys restaurant in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay offers the "Fleurburger 5000" for $5,000...
Cash America fined over claims of robo-signing, gouging military families Washington Post ...The $19 million settlement is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first with a payday lender...
UPS increasing rates by 4.9% in 2014 Associated Press ...The shipping company said that the number is an average of its UPS Ground, Air and International, and Air Freight rate increases for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico...
Spanish court sentences 'Robin Hood' mayor Associated Press ...A Spanish court has sentenced a town mayor and four others to seven months in prison for occupying unused military land they wanted to be loaned to farmers hard hit by the economic crisis...
NY Signs DOL Deal to Tackle Misclassification; Payroll Fraud Protection Act of 2013 Introduced The We Party ...The state of New York has signed into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division in an attempt to stop the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. New York is the 15th state to sign such an agreement...
Targets seek stay of investigation into Scott Walker's recall campaign and other groups Wisconsin State Journal ...Three unnamed petitioners are asking that a judge be ordered to temporarily halt a secret investigation into campaign activity by Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign and more than two dozen conservative political groups...
Wisconsin Employment: October 2013 Econbrowser ...Two numbers to remember: 84 thousand and 107 thousand. The first number is the amount by which actual October employment lags Governor Walker's promised path; the second is the amount by which the Administration's own forecast for January 2015 lags Walker's promised 250,000 net new jobs figure...
Use Teamster-Made Ingredients for Thanksgiving teamster.org ...For your Thanksgiving recipes, use Teamster-made ingredients and support your brothers and sisters at these companies...
Waste Workers Near San Diego Ratify First Teamster Contract teamster.org ...Drivers and mechanics at Waste Management in Carlsbad, California, who voted to join Teamsters Local 683 in San Diego, have ratified their first contract...
New contract gives wage increases for dining workers The Daily Pennsylvanian ...Penn dining workers have finished negotiations with Bon Appetit, which will increase their wages and provide a healthcare package. Negotiations began in September, after the workers joined Teamsters Local 929...
Massena, highway department union reach four-year deal North Country Now ...The Town Council in Messena, New York, unanimously agreed to a four-year contract with the Teamsters Local 687 to cover the town Highway Department’s eight employees on Wednesday night...
Hoffa to Corporate America: 'Have You No Sense of Decency?' Huffington Post ...the average American family pays $6,000 a year to cover government tax breaks for big business....
Senator Sounds The Alarm On Social Security teamster.org ...The median retirement savings of U.S. workers near retirement age is only $12,000....
Walmart Workers Strike At Seven Stores In Dallas ThinkProgress ...Walmart workers called out or walked off the job at seven stores in Dallas, according to OUR Walmart activists, the group that has been organizing strikes and protests against the company...
Wal-Mart labor group promises 1,500 Black Friday protests next week Salon ...Amid scrutiny of Wal-Mart taking up employee-to-employee charity, strike wave continues against retail giant...
The Middle Class Is Disappearing Despite The Economic Recovery ThinkProgress ...There were nearly 700,000 fewer middle-income households since the began than during the economic crisis, according to new Census Bureau data...
The U.S. ranks 26th for life expectancy, right behind Slovenia Washington Post ...Back in the 1970s, Americans typically lived longer than residents of other countries. Not anymore, according to a new report...
‘I Watched My Patients Die of Treatable Diseases Because They Were Poor’ AlterNet ...A Galveston medical student describes life and death in the non-existent Texas safety net...
Tea party groups can't shield donors, FEC rules Politico ...The panel voted 3-2 against a proposal that would have allowed the Tea Party Leadership Fund to shield the names and information of their donors from public scrutiny...
What will happen to truck drivers when self-driving vehicles take over? Washington Post ...Google's test vehicles for its self-driving technology are a Lexus and a Prius. That suggests that Google sees self-driving as a technology for passenger cars. But self-driving technology will almost certainly affect industry and commerce first...
5 Signs the Rich Have Way Too Much Money AlterNet ...You can get a $5,000 hamburger for lunch. The Fleur de Lys restaurant in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay offers the "Fleurburger 5000" for $5,000...
Cash America fined over claims of robo-signing, gouging military families Washington Post ...The $19 million settlement is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first with a payday lender...
UPS increasing rates by 4.9% in 2014 Associated Press ...The shipping company said that the number is an average of its UPS Ground, Air and International, and Air Freight rate increases for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico...
Spanish court sentences 'Robin Hood' mayor Associated Press ...A Spanish court has sentenced a town mayor and four others to seven months in prison for occupying unused military land they wanted to be loaned to farmers hard hit by the economic crisis...
NY Signs DOL Deal to Tackle Misclassification; Payroll Fraud Protection Act of 2013 Introduced The We Party ...The state of New York has signed into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division in an attempt to stop the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. New York is the 15th state to sign such an agreement...
Targets seek stay of investigation into Scott Walker's recall campaign and other groups Wisconsin State Journal ...Three unnamed petitioners are asking that a judge be ordered to temporarily halt a secret investigation into campaign activity by Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign and more than two dozen conservative political groups...
Wisconsin Employment: October 2013 Econbrowser ...Two numbers to remember: 84 thousand and 107 thousand. The first number is the amount by which actual October employment lags Governor Walker's promised path; the second is the amount by which the Administration's own forecast for January 2015 lags Walker's promised 250,000 net new jobs figure...
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