TEAMSTERS
Teamsters Applaud Supreme Court's Refusal to Hear Amerijet Lawsuit Teamster.org ...Teamsters Airline Division Director Capt. David Bourne in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of a petition this week by Amerijet International Inc.: “It comes as no surprise that the Supreme Court would refuse to hear this case, and in doing so, uphold the Eleventh Circuit Court’s reasoning that this lawsuit is without merit. The lawsuit by Amerijet is unnecessary and a blatant abuse of the legal process in an effort to circumvent the legally established standards of labor law”...
Judge: Con-way Violated Rights of Workers in Los Angeles Teamster.org ...Con-way Freight, Inc. violated the rights of workers who were trying to form their union with the Teamsters and must re-hire two workers it unlawfully fired during the organizing campaign, among other remedies, an administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled. The workers at Con-way’s Los Angeles terminal were trying to join Local 63. The company must cease its illegal activities, reinstate the two fired workers and pay them back wages and benefits, and take other steps...
Pettiness Reaches New Heights At Résidences Soleil Teamsters Canada ...Unhappy with being forced to pay half of its workers’ life insurance premiums, Résidences Soleil owner Eddy Savoie is taking it out on his workers by making them pay… for their coffee! This bizarre story began in October 2012 when the management of Résidences Soleil decided to do away with its long-standing practice of paying 50% of its employees’ life insurance premiums. Teamsters Local Union 106 filed grievances to protest against this arbitrary decision...
Concord city employees to strike Wednesday Contra Costa Times ...Barring a last minute deal, the city's largest employee union will strike Wednesday to protest alleged unfair labor practices in the public works department. Teamsters Local 856 represents 137 employees, including administrative, clerical and maintenance staffers. The union also represents police dispatchers, but they will report to work Wednesday...
San Francisco tech shuttles get long-term approval USA Today ...San Francisco’s tech shuttles that service Facebook, Google and other companies have gained a permanent place in the city’s transportation system. The Teamsters have been involved in helping to organize shuttle drivers and other workers at Silicon Valley tech giants including Apple, eBay, Facebook and Yahoo. “We are pleased with this ruling, which protects daily public transit riders and the shuttle drivers who deserve to be treated properly and with dignity,” said Rome Aloise...
21 Organizations Fighting for Labor Rights in the Food System Huffington Post ...In Tracy, California, Teamsters members are fighting poverty wages and severe violations of basic rights at Taylor Farms. And more than 11,000 Teamsters workers have united to defeat a mega-merger of U.S. Foods and Sysco, which would have jeopardized thousands of broadline food service and transportation jobs...
Local 727 Beverage Members Stand Together for Strong Contracts in Niles, Alsip Local 727 ...Teamsters Local 727 members at Coca-Cola Refreshments and Reyes/Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution wore their unity loud and proud on Tuesday, November 17, as negotiations continued for new contracts with both companies. Hundreds of members sported red Teamster T-shirts as they started their shifts in beverage production and warehouse facilities in Chicago, Niles and Alsip, Ill. Local 727 also brought food and refreshments to members in Niles and Alsip, rallying together in support of new agreements...
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
Petrobras holdout strikers to vote on new deal Thursday Reuters ...A union representing workers in the Brazil's top oil region will vote on Thursday on a contract offer from state-run oil company Petrobras on Thursday or continue a strike, the most disruptive in 20 years, the union said Wednesday. The union, Sindipetro Norte Fluminense, called the vote after Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as Petrobras is known, agreed to discuss its demand that members receive back pay for all the days they were on strike...
Prospects dim for 2016 Pacific Rim trade vote in US Congress Reuters ...A 12-nation Pacific Rim free-trade deal, facing stiff opposition from many Democrats and unexpected resistance from Republicans, is unlikely to be voted on by the U.S. Congress before President Barack Obama leaves office, according to some Republican lawmakers and aides. A veteran Senate Republican aide, who asked not to be identified, said Republican leaders intend to shelve the deal until after the November 2016 presidential election...
House Democrats call TPP 'too big' to pass Congress The Hill ...A half dozen House Democrats asserted on Wednesday that opposition is growing for a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade agreement as the White House ramps up efforts to build support for the deal. The six Democrats — Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Louise Slaughter (N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.), Mark Pocan (Wis.) and Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) — said the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal is “too big” to pass Congress and must be scrapped...
Pacific Rim trade pact praised, panned as proposed deal faces uphill battle in to Congress AP ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other Pacific nations is drawing potential new members from Asia and criticism from those excluded, as it heads for a tough ride in the U.S. Congress. Leaders of the trade grouping that spans the Pacific Rim met alongside a regional economic summit on Wednesday in the Philippines and President Barack Obama urged them to ratify the deal "as quickly as possible"...
Obama expects TPP approval from Canada after first meeting with Trudeau Globe and Mail ...Barack Obama said he expects Canada will sign on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The President of the United States made the comment following his first formal meeting with new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Liberal government has officially been non-committal on the deal...
APEC Protesters Defy Water Cannons as TPP Signing Announced TeleSUR ...While APEC condemned “terrorism” and called for an international security response in the summit's last day, protesters continued to slam free trade. Philippine police pushed back crowds with water canons in Manila on Thursday as demonstrators protested the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, soon after member states agreed that the the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement would be signed on Feb. 4, 2016...
UK PM to Get $15 Mln Private Jet Ahead of Public Austerity Cuts Sputnik News ...David Cameron will be given his own version of the US President's Air Force One. This is despite the government's commitments to cutting billions of pounds of public spending. A Royal Air Force Voyager A330 is to be re-fitted at the taxpayers' expense, in order to provide private transportation for Mr Cameron, senior ministers, and possibly members of the royal family...
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
77 California cities on ‘economically challenged’ list SacBee ...Nearly a third of Californians live in 77 “economically challenged” cities – including Los Angeles – with high levels of poverty, and low levels of income and employment, a new study declares. Moreover, says the report from the National Resource Network, California’s distressed cities are more than a quarter of the 297 U.S. cities over 40,000 population that fall into that category...
New York Cities to Raise Minimum Wage for City Workers Wall Street Journal ...Buffalo and Rochester are moving to raise the minimum wage of municipal employees to $15 an hour as part of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s push to raise the wage floor for all workers. The Democratic governor joined the mayors of both cities for their announcements on Wednesday...
Gov. Cuomo: State should enact $2B tax cut if minimum wage is raised to $15/hour Daily News ...Gov. Cuomo suggested Wednesday that the state enact a $2 billion tax cut if the Legislature approves his plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. At an event in Buffalo, Cuomo accused businesses of “stealing from taxpayers” by paying workers low wages knowing those same employees can also qualify for state welfare assistance. The governor called the situation a “scam” and “the mother of all loopholes”...
Democrats attack Rep. Bishop on union wage votes The Detroit News ...The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running drive-time radio ads this week linking U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop’s votes on prevailing wage bill provisions with campaign donations from the powerful DeVos family of Grand Rapids. The ads, on the air in Metro Detroit and Lansing, charge that the Rochester Republican “wants to gut prevailing wage laws that make sure construction workers get paid a fair local wage”...
U.S. LABOR
Airport workers at 7 U.S. hubs to strike Wednesday night Washington Post ...Airport workers at seven of the busiest U.S. airports are going on strike Wednesday night to protest what they say are poor working conditions and retaliation for unionizing. More than 2,000 workers, including cleaners, wheelchair attendants, and baggage handlers plan to strike at Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Newark Liberty and New York’s Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, the Service Employees International Union said...
SEIU, Local 1021 returns to work as negotiators meet with county, mediator The Reporter ...Following a two-day strike action Wednesday, members of Service Employees International Union, Local 1021 voted to take a breather today as union negotiators meet with Solano County negotiators and a mediator. John Stead-Mendez, SEIU executive director, explained that the membership wanted the bargaining team to focus on negotiations and not worry about the striking workers...
Ford's UAW agreement in jeopardy after defeats at big plants Crain's ... Leaders of the United Auto Workers union scrambled Wednesday to salvage a proposed labor agreement with Ford, warning rank-and-file members that a rejection of the deal could jeopardize investments that would sustain U.S. factory jobs. With three-fourths of the national Ford union voted counted, 52 percent have rejected the proposed contract, Jimmy Settles, head of the UAW's Ford Department, said at UAW Local 600 in Dearborn, Michigan...
UAW Taking 'Micro' Approach to Unionizing Volkswagen Plant ABC ...The United Auto Workers union is back with a more concentrated approach after suffering a bitter loss in its efforts to gain collective-bargaining rights for all blue-collar workers at Volkswagen's plant in Tennessee. The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday granted a petition by a small group of skilled-trades workers to hold a vote on being represented by the UAW for collective bargaining purposes...
Rauner Strikes Contract Deals With Unions, Takes Aim At AFSCME Progress Illinois ...The state of Illinois and a number of labor unions have reached four-year contract agreements, the Rauner administration said Wednesday. In announcing the new agreements, the Rauner administration used the opportunity to take aim at AFSCME Council 31. The union and the administration have yet to reach a new contract agreement...
Remembering the Life and Music of Labor Agitator Joe Hill, Who Was Executed 100 Years Ago Today In These Times ...Joe Hill saw his music as a weapon in the class war, composing songs to be sung on soapboxes, picket lines or in jail. And 100 years ago today, the forces of capital and the state of Utah executed him. Born Joel Hagglund in Sweden, Hill immigrated to the United States in 1902. Hill became politicized, eventually joining the Industrial Workers of the World...
Money and clout on the line for teachers union in 2016 CAL Matters ...The California Teachers Association, one of Sacramento’s most powerful interests, is heading into an extraordinary year with decisions on the ballot, in the Capitol and in the courts holding the potential to impact its clout for many years to come. Billions of dollars for schools will likely be at stake on the 2016 ballot as well as pivotal campaigns for state Legislature and a question about union pensions...
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
The Koch intelligence agency Politico ...The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life.
The operation, which is little-known even within the Koch network, gathers what Koch insiders refer to as “competitive intelligence” that is used to try to thwart liberal groups and activists...
Elizabeth Warren Blasts Tax Plan as 'Giant Wet Kiss' to Corporate America Common Dreams ...Denouncing a "rigged" system that favors corporations over middle-class Americans, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a "must-watch" speech on Wednesday that any reform of the U.S. corporate tax code must force big businesses to "substantially increase" the amount of federal tax they pay. Warren's address at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "staked out the left-wing position on corporate tax reform," Politico said...
Growing Number of Voters Have Families Impacted by Immigration Policy NBC ...For a significant number of potential 2016 voters, immigration policies are not an abstraction but have a direct impact for their loved ones. As many as 1.5 million U. S. citizen relatives of immigrants awaiting deportation relief under the president's stalled executive action program will be eligible to vote for president next year...
Hysterical Corporate Media Fueling War Fervor, Xenophobia in 24/7 Cycle Common Dreams ...Just as they did in the wake of 9/11, corporate media outlets—led by cable news networks—are spreading hysteria, fueling anti-immigrant sentiment, and beating the drum for war by providing "context-free coverage of terror," as one analyst put it this week. The 24/7 coverage of Friday's attacks in Paris and their aftermath, marked by speculation and sensationalism, is only helping the media conglomerates...
In Minneapolis, Local Black Lives Matter Activists Draw on a Growing National Network Truth Out ...Like many groups, BLM Minneapolis emerged as the wider movement for black lives exploded into headlines last year. The last few months, the group has been working to further involve community members in their strategizing and decision-making processes, as well as create opportunities to mobilize more broadly around the forces impacting black, Latino and indigenous city residents...
With Demands for Racial Justice, Student 'BlackOut' Actions Sweep US Common Dreams ...Students at colleges and universities from coast to coast walked out of class, held rallies and teach-ins, and protested on Wednesday as part of a coordinated national day of action demanding racial justice both on- and off-campus. The actions were both inspired by and in solidarity with recent protests at the University of Missouri and other institutions...
Showing posts with label Conway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conway. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
At Unity, Teamsters look ahead to a bright future
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| Building Teamster Power at Unity Conference. |
Rank-and-file union members joined with Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa as well as other Teamster leaders to let attendees know they all have a role in ensuring that Teamster Power will not flourish if they don't continue to contribute and speak out.
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| Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa |
These people are crazy. They want to roll the clock back to 1890. We need to make sure we stand together. They are not going to get rid of us.One of those fights is against fast track trade authority, which would allow lousy trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to move forward. Hoffa said the government shouldn't sacrifice good U.S. jobs for even bigger corporate profits:
We are not sending any more jobs out of America. Leave the damn jobs at home!Hoffa greeted new Teamsters likes the 13,500 San Bernardino County, Calif. public workers who joined the union earlier this year. And he also gave a shout out to more than 11,000 Clark County, Nev. school district employees who won a battle against the state that nearly ensures those same workers will be joining the Teamsters after a planned union election this fall.
Elena Rodriguez, a clerical worker at the school district, said she and her fellow workers will be empowered once they can join the union:
With the Teamsters, we will have real power. This time next year, we will be your brother and sisters.
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| Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall |
We have the money and the resources to take on the fights. That's what we're supposed to be doing.
That said, it was clear there have been plenty of victories for the Teamsters in the past year. Whether it was Facebook contract bus drivers, workers at several hubs of Fed Ex Freight and Con-way, port truck drivers in Los Angeles and Long Beach or Selland car haul workers, the victories kept coming.
For many, the union plays an important role in their life. A waste worker at Universal Waste in Los Angeles who recently joined Local 396 talked about how his life has improved for himself and his family since becoming a member.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Ceja Morones, a driver with new drayage trucking firm Eco Flow Transportation that will hire all its Southern California drivers as employees, said he is already winning by having a more stable job:
The Teamster have taught us how to fight our fights. With the support of the Teamsters, we will earn a good wage, good benefits, and respect on the job.
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| Clark County worker Elena Rodriguez |
Beyond all the important talk of organizing and politics, the Unity Conference also provides an opportunity for leaders and members to get back in touch with what it means to be a Teamster. Preach Haynes, a trustee for Local 41 in Kansas City, said:
When you talk about Unity, it means you've got come out of your comfort zone and be willing to help under any circumstances and lend your ear to your members because their concerns are your concerns.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Today's Teamster News 10.29.14
Teamster News
Second Con-way Terminal Joins Teamsters; Two Vote No Truckinginfo ...The Teamsters Union has gotten the go-ahead from workers at a second Con-way Freight terminal to represent them in talks with company management, but were turned back at two other locations in votes all supervised by the National Labor Relations Board...
Republic Waste Workers Approve 3-Year Contract Massillon Independent ...Members of Teamsters Local 92 employed by Republic Waste Services voted Sunday to ratify a three-year agreement with the company ... by a vote of 100 to 26...
UVM Maintenance Workers Ratify Contract Vermont Digger ...In August, the school agreed to a two-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents police officers, service officers and dispatchers on campus. The Teamsters FY15 increase also will be adjusted to 2.25 percent...
Avalon Truck Drivers Close To Contract Massillon Independent ...the union will meet with the company Friday with some proposals he believes may lead to a tentative agreement. Truck drivers of refrigerated tractor-trailers at Avalon Foodservice have been negotiating their first contract for a year. Drivers organized in August 2013...
D.C. Taxi Drivers Demonstrate As Council Votes On Bill To Regulate Ride Services teamster.org ...Hundreds of D.C. taxi drivers circled Freedom Plaza and packed a D.C. City Council hearing room today to protest a bill to regulate private sedan services that drivers say continues to give the services a huge competitive edge...
PaRR: Sysco/US Foods Divestitures Not Clear Solution, Industry Sources Say teamster.org ..It will be challenging for Sysco (NYSE:SSY) and US Foods to craft an antitrust remedy package that creates a new national competitor, industry sources said...
First Student drivers protest at bus yard WTOC ...First student bus drivers rallying today to protest what they call income insecurity during sommer months...
Nicholas Lanzilli Receives Teamster Endorsement Medford Transcript ..."It is with much pleasure that I announce that I have received the endorsement of the Teamsters Local 25 Union...
Trade
APEC next stop for TPP talks — Fast-track to move in lame duck? Politico ...Labor groups are waging a four-week ad campaign in the Washington metro system aimed at discouraging a vote on “fast-track” trade legislation during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress. The legislation, also known as trade promotion authority, would allow the White House to submit trade agreements like the proposed TPP pact to Congress for a straight up-or-down vote without amendments...
H&M Blacklists Spinning Mill In India After Reports Of Child Labour And ‘Appalling’ Work Conditions Financial Post ...Hennes & Mauritz AB will blacklist a spinning mill in southern India after a report claimed five manufacturers there use child labour and subjected workers, mostly women and girls, to “appalling” working conditions...
State Battles
Power Players Behind the Corporate Takeover of Pennsylvania Schools Center for Media and Democracy ...at least 31 Pennsylvania legislators are still ALEC dues-paying members and many more appear to use the ALEC library of bills when shopping around for corporate education policy. Bills to institute school vouchers, take away local control for authorizing charter schools, expand tax credits to fund charter schools, or enact so-called “parent trigger legislation” can be traced back to ALEC and member groups like the American Federation of Children and the Cato Institute...
Arkansas Court Lets Minimum Wage Issue Stay On Ballot Huffington Post ...Arkansas' highest court ruled Monday that a proposal to gradually raise the state's minimum wage can remain on the November ballot. ...Arkansas is one of the few states with a minimum wage below the federal level of $7.25 an hour...
Will Conservative Kansas Vote Out Its Conservative Governor, Sam Brownback? Washington Post ...Sam Brownback ... is at risk of becoming an object lesson in the limits of conservative governance in a conservative state...
For-profit company’s role scaled back in plan for Maine second virtual charter school Portland Press Herald ...Officials trying to open a virtual charter school in Maine have significantly changed their business model, agreeing to staff the school with Mainers after critics and state officials said their original plan left too much power in the hands of a national for-profit company...
War on Workers
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to Lowest Since Early 1995 Bloomberg ...Entry-level buyers have been held back by stringent mortgage standards and slow wage growth. The share of first-time buyers was 29 percent in September for the third straight month, compared with about 40 percent historically...
Feds set to destroy H-1B records Computerworld ...The U.S. has changed its H-1B record retention policy to the concern of people who study the visa's impact on the workforce and economy...
AT&T Sued By Feds For Throttling “Unlimited” Wireless Customers Consumerist ...AT&T ticked off a lot of wireless customers with so-called “unlimited” plans byannouncing that it would throttle data speeds for users who passed certain monthly thresholds. Though customers tried to sue in response, AT&T’s terms of service generally prevent class action suits from customers and force users into private, binding arbitration. But even though millions of customers can’t sue, the federal government can...
Worker Killed in Explosion at Ammunition Factory jobs.aol.com ...Federal investigators are returning to the scene of a deadly explosion at an ammunition factory in Tennessee. One worker was killed and three others were injured in the blast...
Construction worker dies after falling off roof GreenvilleNews.com ...James Irby, a commercial painter, was securing a ladder on top of an apartment at 114 Asteria St. on Oct. 22 when he fell from the roof onto the concrete walkway about 25 feet below...
Miscellaneous
Report Reveals Wider Tracking Of Mail In U.S. New York Times ...the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor the mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations. ... the surveillance program is more extensive than previously disclosed and that oversight protecting Americans from potential abuses is lax...
Second Con-way Terminal Joins Teamsters; Two Vote No Truckinginfo ...The Teamsters Union has gotten the go-ahead from workers at a second Con-way Freight terminal to represent them in talks with company management, but were turned back at two other locations in votes all supervised by the National Labor Relations Board...
Republic Waste Workers Approve 3-Year Contract Massillon Independent ...Members of Teamsters Local 92 employed by Republic Waste Services voted Sunday to ratify a three-year agreement with the company ... by a vote of 100 to 26...
UVM Maintenance Workers Ratify Contract Vermont Digger ...In August, the school agreed to a two-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents police officers, service officers and dispatchers on campus. The Teamsters FY15 increase also will be adjusted to 2.25 percent...
Avalon Truck Drivers Close To Contract Massillon Independent ...the union will meet with the company Friday with some proposals he believes may lead to a tentative agreement. Truck drivers of refrigerated tractor-trailers at Avalon Foodservice have been negotiating their first contract for a year. Drivers organized in August 2013...
D.C. Taxi Drivers Demonstrate As Council Votes On Bill To Regulate Ride Services teamster.org ...Hundreds of D.C. taxi drivers circled Freedom Plaza and packed a D.C. City Council hearing room today to protest a bill to regulate private sedan services that drivers say continues to give the services a huge competitive edge...
PaRR: Sysco/US Foods Divestitures Not Clear Solution, Industry Sources Say teamster.org ..It will be challenging for Sysco (NYSE:SSY) and US Foods to craft an antitrust remedy package that creates a new national competitor, industry sources said...
First Student drivers protest at bus yard WTOC ...First student bus drivers rallying today to protest what they call income insecurity during sommer months...
Nicholas Lanzilli Receives Teamster Endorsement Medford Transcript ..."It is with much pleasure that I announce that I have received the endorsement of the Teamsters Local 25 Union...
Trade
APEC next stop for TPP talks — Fast-track to move in lame duck? Politico ...Labor groups are waging a four-week ad campaign in the Washington metro system aimed at discouraging a vote on “fast-track” trade legislation during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress. The legislation, also known as trade promotion authority, would allow the White House to submit trade agreements like the proposed TPP pact to Congress for a straight up-or-down vote without amendments...
H&M Blacklists Spinning Mill In India After Reports Of Child Labour And ‘Appalling’ Work Conditions Financial Post ...Hennes & Mauritz AB will blacklist a spinning mill in southern India after a report claimed five manufacturers there use child labour and subjected workers, mostly women and girls, to “appalling” working conditions...
State Battles
Power Players Behind the Corporate Takeover of Pennsylvania Schools Center for Media and Democracy ...at least 31 Pennsylvania legislators are still ALEC dues-paying members and many more appear to use the ALEC library of bills when shopping around for corporate education policy. Bills to institute school vouchers, take away local control for authorizing charter schools, expand tax credits to fund charter schools, or enact so-called “parent trigger legislation” can be traced back to ALEC and member groups like the American Federation of Children and the Cato Institute...
Arkansas Court Lets Minimum Wage Issue Stay On Ballot Huffington Post ...Arkansas' highest court ruled Monday that a proposal to gradually raise the state's minimum wage can remain on the November ballot. ...Arkansas is one of the few states with a minimum wage below the federal level of $7.25 an hour...
Will Conservative Kansas Vote Out Its Conservative Governor, Sam Brownback? Washington Post ...Sam Brownback ... is at risk of becoming an object lesson in the limits of conservative governance in a conservative state...
For-profit company’s role scaled back in plan for Maine second virtual charter school Portland Press Herald ...Officials trying to open a virtual charter school in Maine have significantly changed their business model, agreeing to staff the school with Mainers after critics and state officials said their original plan left too much power in the hands of a national for-profit company...
War on Workers
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to Lowest Since Early 1995 Bloomberg ...Entry-level buyers have been held back by stringent mortgage standards and slow wage growth. The share of first-time buyers was 29 percent in September for the third straight month, compared with about 40 percent historically...
Feds set to destroy H-1B records Computerworld ...The U.S. has changed its H-1B record retention policy to the concern of people who study the visa's impact on the workforce and economy...
AT&T Sued By Feds For Throttling “Unlimited” Wireless Customers Consumerist ...AT&T ticked off a lot of wireless customers with so-called “unlimited” plans byannouncing that it would throttle data speeds for users who passed certain monthly thresholds. Though customers tried to sue in response, AT&T’s terms of service generally prevent class action suits from customers and force users into private, binding arbitration. But even though millions of customers can’t sue, the federal government can...
Worker Killed in Explosion at Ammunition Factory jobs.aol.com ...Federal investigators are returning to the scene of a deadly explosion at an ammunition factory in Tennessee. One worker was killed and three others were injured in the blast...
Construction worker dies after falling off roof GreenvilleNews.com ...James Irby, a commercial painter, was securing a ladder on top of an apartment at 114 Asteria St. on Oct. 22 when he fell from the roof onto the concrete walkway about 25 feet below...
Miscellaneous
Report Reveals Wider Tracking Of Mail In U.S. New York Times ...the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor the mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations. ... the surveillance program is more extensive than previously disclosed and that oversight protecting Americans from potential abuses is lax...
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Today's Teamster News 10.22.14
Teamster News
Teamsters Local 769 In Miami Files For Representational Elections At Con-Way Freight IBT ..."For far too long, these hardworking employees have not had the respect and dignity on the job that they deserve," said Mike Scott, President of Local 769. "When they form their union with the Teamsters, they will be treated fairly and we will work hard to negotiate a strong Teamster contract for them that addresses their issues including job security."...
The Frozen-Egg Gap: Silicon Valley's Perks Aren't For Everyone NBC News ...“We’ve got companies that make stupendous amounts of money and can afford to treat them better,” said Rome Aloise, principal officer of Teamsters Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif. The Teamsters is seeking to organize shuttle drivers who work at tech firms through third-party contractors...
Brinks Workers In Alberta Ratify New Labour Contract Canadian Labour Reporter ...Alberta workers with the logistics cash provider Brinks recently ratified a new labour contract. The new collective agreement — negotiated with Teamsters Local Union 362 — includes wage increases of 2.5 per cent to three per cent every year for the next four years. Approximately 230 workers are covered by the contract. The agreement will expire in September 2018...
Brian Davis IBT ...Dear Brothers and Sisters: We are saddened to inform you that Teamster Local 174 Business Agent and Joint Council 28 Freight Division Director Brian Davis tragically passed away on Sunday, October 19, 2014...
Americold Workers in Wisconsin Choose Teamsters teamster.org ...Cold storage warehouse workers at Americold in Darien, Wisc., have voted by nearly a 2-1 margin to join Teamsters Local 695 in Madison, Wisc. There are 133 workers in the bargaining unit...
Hoffa Tells Wisconsin Teamsters They Can Effect Change teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa continued his whirlwind tour of the union’s workplaces in Wisconsin today, urging members at UPS, Roundy’s grocery and Nestle to get out and vote to ensure that pro-worker candidates are elected in Madison and Washington, D.C...
Funeral Giant SCI Accepts Union's Offer to Enter Federal Mediation teamster.org ... Funeral industry giant Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has accepted Teamsters Local 727’s offer to enter federal mediation as the union attempts to reach an agreement on a new contract for Chicago-area funeral workers...
Trade
WTO Rejects US Country-of-Origin Labels for Meat Associated Press ...In a ruling Monday, the World Trade Organization rejected U.S. rules requiring labels on packaged steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat identifying where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The WTO said the requirements put Canadian and Mexican livestock at an unfair disadvantage...
U.S. floats cutting tobacco from part of Pacific trade pact -sources Reuters ...The United States has floated excluding tobacco products from a key section of a 12-nation Pacific trade deal and signaled it may present a formal proposal to trading partners at talks in Australia, sources briefed on the negotiations said...
Don’t Let Congress Trade U.S. Jobs Away teamster.org ...Hardworking Americans have seen a significant decline in the availability of middle-class jobs in this country during the last 20 years. And that is largely due to one thing – lousy trade deals approved by Congress...
State Battles
Emails show Scott Walker campaign treasurer got inside information on real-estate deal Wisconsin State Journal ...The campaign treasurer for Gov. Scott Walker got detailed financial information from a top Walker aide around the time he was bidding on a real estate deal involving Milwaukee County, according to correspondence released Tuesday as part of a now-closed investigation into Walker’s office while he was county executive...
Wisconsin: Effort To Reinstate Voter ID Law Is Abandoned New York Times ...J. B. Van Hollen, the state’s attorney general, is giving up on finding a way to get a voter photo identification law in place for the Nov. 4 election...
Why is the Boston Globe Covering Up for Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Baker? (Updated) naked capitalism ...Boston’s paper of record is effectively covering up for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker by failing to cover a growing pay to play scandal in New Jersey, with Baker as one of its central figures...
Minimum Wage Increase Headed To Ballot NBC News ...San Diego City Council voted unanimously to let voters decide whether to raise the city’s minimum wage. But it’s not as though they had much of a choice. On Monday, the council voted on whether to put the matter on the ballot or rescind an ordinance that would have raised the minimum wage to $11.50 over the next three years, beginning in January...
Minimum Wage In Mountain View To Jump From $9 An Hour To $10.30 This Summer San Jose Mercury News ...the Mountain View City Council followed San Jose's lead by voting ... to increase the minimum wage in the city from $9 to $10.30 an hour. After the initial bump in July, the wage is supposed to increase every Jan. 1 based on inflation. The council set a goal of $15 per hour by 2018...
White Hat’s Magic Trick: Transforming Public Schools into Private Assets Center for Media and Democracy ...There’s a lot of money at stake in Ohio charter schools, which as a group will receive almost $900 million in 2014. Charters get about $7,200 per student in taxpayer funding, compared to about $3,500 per student in traditional public schools...
ALEC’s Corporate Sponsors Should Be Held Accountable For Forcing Taxpayers to Subsidize Their Lobbying Common Cause ...A complaint pending in the IRS Whistleblower office, filed by Common Cause, used thousands of pages of ALEC’s own records to challenge the group’s claim that it does not engage in lobbying. If the tax agency finds that ALEC is a corporate lobby masquerading as a charity, and its corporate sponsors knew this all along, the businesses which contribute to its $7 million annual budget could be on the hook for back taxes, too...
War on Workers
Labor Secretary Says U.S. Record On Paid Parental Leave Is 'Dismal': 'We Need To Lead' Huffington Post ...Labor Secretary Tom Perez said Monday the path to more "shared prosperity" in the U.S. economy lies in a higher minimum wage, paid family leave for workers and stronger union density in the private sector...
Uber Will Lower GDP Forbes ...If someone takes an Uber ride instead of a regular cab, what happens? The customer is spending less, a taxi driver somewhere is losing a customer, the Uber driver is making less than the taxi driver would have, and the customer gets where they want to go in a happier state. Alternatively, traditional taxi companies may try to compete and start lowering their prices, as they appear to be doing. Add it all up; you get a smaller number. GDP goes down..
New Efforts To Ban Tobacco Farm Child Labor ABC News ...Two years after the Obama administration backed off a rule that would have banned children from dangerous agriculture jobs, public health advocates and lawmakers are trying anew to get kids off tobacco farms. The new efforts were jumpstarted by a Human Rights Watch report in May that said nearly three-quarters of the children interviewed by the group reported vomiting, nausea and headaches while working on tobacco farms...
Worker killed at North Antelope Rochelle Mine identified Associated Press ...A contractor died in a weekend accident at Peabody Energy's North Antelope Rochelle Mine in northeastern Wyoming…The contractor's death was the second this year at North Antelope Rochelle...
Friends, relatives remember Pittsburgh sanitation worker killed in Carrick Pittsburgh Post-Tribune ...Those who knew Mr. Hodges, who had no criminal record and who worked three jobs to try to support two children he treated as his own, said they were stunned by the way he died...
Greece: Deficit would be just 1.8% without the "support" to banks! unbalanced evolution ...Another official source, Eurostat this time, confirms that the banks in Greece received billions in bailout packages, leading to the unprecedented enlargement of the national deficit. Of the total 12.2% of GDP revised deficit, 10.4% is due to recapitalization of the banks!...
Miscellaneous
Low Oil Prices Hurting U.S. Shale Operations naked capitalism ...The number of active rigs drilling for oil and gas fell by their most in two months, according to the latest data from oil services firm Baker Hughes. There were 19 oil rigs that were removed from operation as of Oct. 17, compared to the prior week. There are now 1,590 active oil rigs, the lowest level in six weeks...
U.S. to funnel travelers from Ebola-hit region through five airports Reuters ...The United States ratcheted up its safeguards against Ebola on Tuesday, requiring travelers from three countries at the center of an epidemic in West Africa to fly into one of five major airports conducting enhanced screening for the virus...
Help, We're in a Living Hell and We Don't Know How To Get Out Esquire ...There have always been fools, and rancorous factionalism, too. What is new in this part of history that we are living through is that we have been taken hostage by them and by the heroes of the Constitution and various other charlatans...
Teamsters Local 769 In Miami Files For Representational Elections At Con-Way Freight IBT ..."For far too long, these hardworking employees have not had the respect and dignity on the job that they deserve," said Mike Scott, President of Local 769. "When they form their union with the Teamsters, they will be treated fairly and we will work hard to negotiate a strong Teamster contract for them that addresses their issues including job security."...
The Frozen-Egg Gap: Silicon Valley's Perks Aren't For Everyone NBC News ...“We’ve got companies that make stupendous amounts of money and can afford to treat them better,” said Rome Aloise, principal officer of Teamsters Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif. The Teamsters is seeking to organize shuttle drivers who work at tech firms through third-party contractors...
Brinks Workers In Alberta Ratify New Labour Contract Canadian Labour Reporter ...Alberta workers with the logistics cash provider Brinks recently ratified a new labour contract. The new collective agreement — negotiated with Teamsters Local Union 362 — includes wage increases of 2.5 per cent to three per cent every year for the next four years. Approximately 230 workers are covered by the contract. The agreement will expire in September 2018...
Brian Davis IBT ...Dear Brothers and Sisters: We are saddened to inform you that Teamster Local 174 Business Agent and Joint Council 28 Freight Division Director Brian Davis tragically passed away on Sunday, October 19, 2014...
Americold Workers in Wisconsin Choose Teamsters teamster.org ...Cold storage warehouse workers at Americold in Darien, Wisc., have voted by nearly a 2-1 margin to join Teamsters Local 695 in Madison, Wisc. There are 133 workers in the bargaining unit...
Hoffa Tells Wisconsin Teamsters They Can Effect Change teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa continued his whirlwind tour of the union’s workplaces in Wisconsin today, urging members at UPS, Roundy’s grocery and Nestle to get out and vote to ensure that pro-worker candidates are elected in Madison and Washington, D.C...
Funeral Giant SCI Accepts Union's Offer to Enter Federal Mediation teamster.org ... Funeral industry giant Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) has accepted Teamsters Local 727’s offer to enter federal mediation as the union attempts to reach an agreement on a new contract for Chicago-area funeral workers...
Trade
WTO Rejects US Country-of-Origin Labels for Meat Associated Press ...In a ruling Monday, the World Trade Organization rejected U.S. rules requiring labels on packaged steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat identifying where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The WTO said the requirements put Canadian and Mexican livestock at an unfair disadvantage...
U.S. floats cutting tobacco from part of Pacific trade pact -sources Reuters ...The United States has floated excluding tobacco products from a key section of a 12-nation Pacific trade deal and signaled it may present a formal proposal to trading partners at talks in Australia, sources briefed on the negotiations said...
Don’t Let Congress Trade U.S. Jobs Away teamster.org ...Hardworking Americans have seen a significant decline in the availability of middle-class jobs in this country during the last 20 years. And that is largely due to one thing – lousy trade deals approved by Congress...
State Battles
Emails show Scott Walker campaign treasurer got inside information on real-estate deal Wisconsin State Journal ...The campaign treasurer for Gov. Scott Walker got detailed financial information from a top Walker aide around the time he was bidding on a real estate deal involving Milwaukee County, according to correspondence released Tuesday as part of a now-closed investigation into Walker’s office while he was county executive...
Wisconsin: Effort To Reinstate Voter ID Law Is Abandoned New York Times ...J. B. Van Hollen, the state’s attorney general, is giving up on finding a way to get a voter photo identification law in place for the Nov. 4 election...
Why is the Boston Globe Covering Up for Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Baker? (Updated) naked capitalism ...Boston’s paper of record is effectively covering up for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker by failing to cover a growing pay to play scandal in New Jersey, with Baker as one of its central figures...
Minimum Wage Increase Headed To Ballot NBC News ...San Diego City Council voted unanimously to let voters decide whether to raise the city’s minimum wage. But it’s not as though they had much of a choice. On Monday, the council voted on whether to put the matter on the ballot or rescind an ordinance that would have raised the minimum wage to $11.50 over the next three years, beginning in January...
Minimum Wage In Mountain View To Jump From $9 An Hour To $10.30 This Summer San Jose Mercury News ...the Mountain View City Council followed San Jose's lead by voting ... to increase the minimum wage in the city from $9 to $10.30 an hour. After the initial bump in July, the wage is supposed to increase every Jan. 1 based on inflation. The council set a goal of $15 per hour by 2018...
White Hat’s Magic Trick: Transforming Public Schools into Private Assets Center for Media and Democracy ...There’s a lot of money at stake in Ohio charter schools, which as a group will receive almost $900 million in 2014. Charters get about $7,200 per student in taxpayer funding, compared to about $3,500 per student in traditional public schools...
ALEC’s Corporate Sponsors Should Be Held Accountable For Forcing Taxpayers to Subsidize Their Lobbying Common Cause ...A complaint pending in the IRS Whistleblower office, filed by Common Cause, used thousands of pages of ALEC’s own records to challenge the group’s claim that it does not engage in lobbying. If the tax agency finds that ALEC is a corporate lobby masquerading as a charity, and its corporate sponsors knew this all along, the businesses which contribute to its $7 million annual budget could be on the hook for back taxes, too...
War on Workers
Labor Secretary Says U.S. Record On Paid Parental Leave Is 'Dismal': 'We Need To Lead' Huffington Post ...Labor Secretary Tom Perez said Monday the path to more "shared prosperity" in the U.S. economy lies in a higher minimum wage, paid family leave for workers and stronger union density in the private sector...
Uber Will Lower GDP Forbes ...If someone takes an Uber ride instead of a regular cab, what happens? The customer is spending less, a taxi driver somewhere is losing a customer, the Uber driver is making less than the taxi driver would have, and the customer gets where they want to go in a happier state. Alternatively, traditional taxi companies may try to compete and start lowering their prices, as they appear to be doing. Add it all up; you get a smaller number. GDP goes down..
New Efforts To Ban Tobacco Farm Child Labor ABC News ...Two years after the Obama administration backed off a rule that would have banned children from dangerous agriculture jobs, public health advocates and lawmakers are trying anew to get kids off tobacco farms. The new efforts were jumpstarted by a Human Rights Watch report in May that said nearly three-quarters of the children interviewed by the group reported vomiting, nausea and headaches while working on tobacco farms...
Worker killed at North Antelope Rochelle Mine identified Associated Press ...A contractor died in a weekend accident at Peabody Energy's North Antelope Rochelle Mine in northeastern Wyoming…The contractor's death was the second this year at North Antelope Rochelle...
Friends, relatives remember Pittsburgh sanitation worker killed in Carrick Pittsburgh Post-Tribune ...Those who knew Mr. Hodges, who had no criminal record and who worked three jobs to try to support two children he treated as his own, said they were stunned by the way he died...
Greece: Deficit would be just 1.8% without the "support" to banks! unbalanced evolution ...Another official source, Eurostat this time, confirms that the banks in Greece received billions in bailout packages, leading to the unprecedented enlargement of the national deficit. Of the total 12.2% of GDP revised deficit, 10.4% is due to recapitalization of the banks!...
Miscellaneous
Low Oil Prices Hurting U.S. Shale Operations naked capitalism ...The number of active rigs drilling for oil and gas fell by their most in two months, according to the latest data from oil services firm Baker Hughes. There were 19 oil rigs that were removed from operation as of Oct. 17, compared to the prior week. There are now 1,590 active oil rigs, the lowest level in six weeks...
U.S. to funnel travelers from Ebola-hit region through five airports Reuters ...The United States ratcheted up its safeguards against Ebola on Tuesday, requiring travelers from three countries at the center of an epidemic in West Africa to fly into one of five major airports conducting enhanced screening for the virus...
Help, We're in a Living Hell and We Don't Know How To Get Out Esquire ...There have always been fools, and rancorous factionalism, too. What is new in this part of history that we are living through is that we have been taken hostage by them and by the heroes of the Constitution and various other charlatans...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Links 07/08/10
On Pentagon Wish List: Russian Copters Wall Street Journal
US Workers' Salaries Lost Ground In Past Decade Wall Street Journal (subscription only)
Wal-Mart Fighting $7,000 Fine in Trampling Case New York Times
Greece Approves Pension Overhaul Despite Protests New York Times
Conway wins endorsement of teachers in Senate race Associated Press
Woman denied health insurance over one-cent shortfall Raw Story
US Workers' Salaries Lost Ground In Past Decade Wall Street Journal (subscription only)
Wal-Mart Fighting $7,000 Fine in Trampling Case New York Times
Greece Approves Pension Overhaul Despite Protests New York Times
Conway wins endorsement of teachers in Senate race Associated Press
Woman denied health insurance over one-cent shortfall Raw Story
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