Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Today's Teamster News 09.02.14

Trade
Trade deal could cost us jobs, wages (opinion)   Miami Herald   ...Sadly, members of Congress — and the public they are supposed to represent — are being left out of important talks about a trade deal that could end up costing us our jobs and wages while jeopardizing our clean air and water...
TPP nations kick off fresh official meeting in Vietnam  Global Post   ...it is uncertain how much closer they can move over contentious issues, official sources say, as not a few issues remain to be resolved, while Japan and the United States -- the biggest economies in the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- have yet to secure a bilateral deal seen as key to advancing the broad negotiations...
State Battles
Did Gov. Scott Walker Violate Campaign Laws? (opinion)  New York Times   ...Mr. Walker and his aides brazenly violated state campaign finance regulations barring coordination between independent groups and candidate campaigns, first by rounding up the money and then by telling the groups how to spend it...
Indiana’s working families deserve a raise (opinion)  Indianapolis Star   ...Our wages haven’t remained stagnant by chance. The rise in political and corporate attacks on working people has meant that for decades wages have declined or remained flat. The drop in labor union participation over the years has contributed to falling labor standards in Indiana and across the country...
War on Workers
Eric Cantor joins Wall Street bank  Politico   ...(Former House Majority Leader Eric) Cantor is expected to receive a pay package of $3.4 million in his new role...
Atlantic City facing unprecedented economic collapse  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...The closing of three casinos, starting with Showboat and Revel this weekend followed by Trump Plaza two weeks later, and the rapid-fire loss of 5,700 jobs, draw historic comparisons to longer-term collapses of U.S. industries such as steel...
Study: Citizens United elected more Republicans  Washington Post   ...The 2010 Supreme Court decision that helped usher in a new era of political spending gave Republicans a measurable advantage on Election Day, according to a new study...
This is why it feels like the recession never ended  Washington Post   ...Say that you're a median wage earner, right in the 50th percentile. And let's say that in 2007 you could buy a week's worth of groceries for $100. Fast forward to today: those exact same groceries cost $115, but you only have $112 dollars in your pocket...
It’s harder to reach the American dream if you’re reaching all alone (opinion)  Reuters   ...No job is inherently marginal. Lousy jobs in places like non-union Phoenix are middle-class jobs in unionized New York City...