Teamsters
Los Angeles, Long Beach port truck drivers move nation’s goods Press-Telegram ...The port congestion has ramped up the Teamsters’ efforts to unionize drivers, leading to lawsuits over wage theft allegations and strikes at port terminals, rail yards and trucking companies. Julie Gutman Dickinson, an attorney representing the Teamsters [said] that the issue of misclassification existed long before the congestion issues arose. “It’s effectively wage theft,” she said. “It’s taking away money from hard-working drivers and putting it into the pockets of these companies. They are at the mercy of these companies”...
Global Labor & Trade
No love for Obama trade deal at California Democrats' protest Los Angeles Times ...Union workers gathered for a demonstration on the second day of the California Democratic Convention harshly criticized President Obama, giving voice to the grassroots angst that has turned much of the president's own party against him on a signature trade deal. powerful figures in the president's own party have undermined the pact, including firebrand Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is scheduled to address convention delegates Saturday morning...
Canadian MPs Join International Legislators to Oppose “Certification” in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, say it Endangers Country Sovereignty Common Dreams ...Today, in Canada, NDP trade critic Don Davies and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May joined in the debate by joining 40 parliamentarians from the other countries in writing a letter encouraging trade ministers to oppose the United States’ certification process. The certification process allows the United States to vet the other countries’ sovereign laws ensuring they “conform” with the trade agreement...
Labor activists let Castro know they’re not down with TPP San Antonio Express-News ...Friday afternoon, a group of eight labor activists from four organizations visited Castro’s downtown district office, holding signs that read, “Save Our Jobs! Don’t Fast Track the TPP!” One of the activists, Fuerza Unida co-founder Viola Casares, carried a pair of Levi’s jeans, a statement on the effects of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which she blames for Levi Strauss plant shutdowns in the United States...
Why Obama Is Wrong and Warren Is Right on Trade Bill Quarrel (opinion) Bloomberg ...In her quarrel with President Barack Obama over trade legislation, Elizabeth Warren has got the law on her side. The Massachusetts senator has warned fellow Democrats that a fast-track trade bill now in Congress could undo U.S. laws such as the Dodd-Frank banking regulations later. A number of constitutional scholars and other legal experts say she’s right...
The TPP: Why it Won’t Address Security Concerns with China (opinion) Renewing America ...Proponents who argue that the TPP is vital to countering China’s ambitions are ignoring the fact that those countries aren’t rushing into China’s embrace. In fact, just the opposite is true. Several of the TPP participants are more interested in stronger alliances with the United States which aren’t dependent on preferential trade relations and new trade agreements...
Trade and Trust (opinion) New York Times ...We were assured that the dispute settlement procedure couldn’t be used to force changes in domestic laws; actually, it apparently could. We were told that TPP couldn’t be used to undermine financial reform; again, it appears that it could.
How important are these concerns? It’s hard to judge. But the administration is in effect saying trust us, then repeatedly bobbling questions about the deal in a way that undermines that very trust...
Thousands of Renault Workers Strike in Turkey Industry Week ...More than 2,500 workers in a factory run by French carmaker Renault in western Turkey have gone on strike over wages and benefits, the company said Friday. Workers stopped production overnight Thursday in the company's factory in the Bursa province, state-run Anatolia news agency said...
Officials Pledge Charges After Factory Fire Kills 72 Workers In The Philippines Think Progress ...Officials in the Philippines are pledging to file charges against the owners of a suburban Manila factory where at least 72 workers died in a Wednesday fire. The metal barriers that prevented them from escaping out second-story windows are only the most immediate example of the unsafe and exploitative working conditions that workers and officials say Kentex Manufacturing Corp. imposed at the plant...
Students Ask Why JanSport Parent Company Won’t Sign Bangladesh Worker Safety Agreement In These Times ...This past April marked the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, a tragedy that called attention to the horrible labor conditions many Bangladeshi workers labor under. That disaster also led to new regulations, most notably the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a five-year legally binding agreement between brands, retailers and trade unions. One of the corporations that won’t sign is a company that many Americans are unfamiliar with: VF Corporation, a Greensboro, North Carolina-based clothing business that owns over 30 brands...
State & Living Wage Battles
Illinois Republican Governor Gets ZERO Votes On His 'Right To Work' Bill Alternet ...Illinois governor, Bruce Rauner, watched his anti-union bill called, 'Right-To-Work,' die a swift, cruel death in the House, on Thursday, with zero votes. Natasha Korecki with Chicago Sun Times reports the the tally was 0 yes votes, 72 no votes, and 37 voting present - "offering a blistering rebuke" to Rauner’s agenda...
Missouri Governor confirms he will veto ‘right to work’ Missourinet ...The bill called “right to work” by its supporters and “right to work for free” by opponents was the cause of much of the drama in the final week of the Missouri legislative session, and now Governor Jay Nixon confirms he won’t hesitate to use his veto pen on it. Senate Republicans forced a vote on the legislation and in response Democrats blocked debate the rest of the week...
Sanders and Warren Sign Letter Urging Obama to Get Behind 'Fight for $15' Movement Common Dreams ...In a letter sent to the White House on Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Senate Democrats in urging President Obama to escalate his support for struggling Americans and get behind the 'Fight for $15' movement, which has galvanized low-paid workers across the nation in a collective call for better treatment by employers, the right to unionize, and a living wage...
SEIU to ask FTC to probe alleged abusive practices by franchisors Reuters ...The Service Employees International Union, backer of a three-year campaign to improve the plight of low-wage retail and fast-food workers, on Monday said it would petition the Federal Trade Commission to investigate alleged abusive practices by major franchisors, including McDonald's Corp and 7-Eleven Inc...
The Slippery Math of Right-To-Work Advocates (opinion) Newsweek ...A bevy of “right-to-work” bills has been introduced in state legislatures across the United States this year. The legislation has generated intense debate and contention, making headlines across the country. What was most alarming about the parade of bills introduced this year, however, was how their proponents manipulated facts in order to propel them through state legislatures...
U.S. Labor
Postal workers union protests in Tampa Tampa Tribune ...Fifty or so members of the American Postal Workers Union fanned out at downtown intersections Thursday to demonstrate for better customer service and more job security just one week before their union contract is set to expire. The U.S. Postal Service has seen its ranks shrinking over the past decade, dropping from 850,000 employees to 450,000 , and it is scheduled to cut another 50,000 jobs by Oct. 1. APWU members staged the National Day of Action in 82 locations across the nation Thursday...
Security Officers Fight ‘Economic and Occupational Segregation’ in Silicon Valley In These Times ...On May 5, Silicon Valley security officers rallied outside the office of Broadcom, a wireless-component maker (which produces the WiFi chips in Apple iPhones), in hope of drumming up support for an organizing campaign at the company's security subcontractor, Universal Protection Service (UPS). They were joined by a high-profile supporter: Rev. Jesse Jackson...
USW Strike: Marathon Petroleum Corp Galveston Bay Refinery To Vote On Monday Bidness Etc ...The United Steelworkers (USW) strike at Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s refinery in Galveston Bay, Texas is likely to end soon as striking workers get ready to vote on a new contract next week. Officials of the labor union and company confirmed on Thursday voting will take place on Monday, after federal mediators helped hammer out the details of the newly-proposed contract...
Government Finds $60 Billion Company Responsible For Deaths Of Four Workers, Fines It $99,000 Think Progress ...The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) blamed the chemical company DuPont for failing to maintain the safety of workers, a failure that it says led to the death of four workers in November. OSHA cited the company for 11 safety violates and fined it $99,000. The company has a market capitalization of $63.6 billion and made $34.7 billion in revenue last year...
City warns of transit delays on several routes as dispute with transit union continues Winnepeg Free Press ...The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents 1,100 bus operators and 250 maintenance workers, has been without a contract since it expired on Jan. 17. Last month, the union rejected the city’s offer of settlement, placing them in a legal strike position. In the following week, the ATU instructed its members to refuse overtime as contract negotiations continue...
Miscellaneous
New Rules on Oil Trains Draw Flak From Firefighters, Too Truthout ...Lawmakers and environmental and industry groups criticized the federal government’s new safety measures for oil trains when they were announced earlier this month. Now another group has expressed disappointment in the new rules: Emergency responders. They’re among the first in danger when a fiery derailment happens...
Job Prospects Have Improved for Graduates, but the Class of 2015 Still Faces a Challenging Labor Market EPI.org ...Recent improvements in economic conditions have begun to finally translate into better job prospects for young graduates, but there is a long way to go before we return to the labor market health of the pre-recession period. Although the labor market is slowly recovering, unemployment remains elevated for both young high school and college graduates; underemployment rates for these groups are also unusually high...
