Trade
Talks on Pacific Trade Zone Set for Canada in Early July Wall Street Journal ...Chief negotiators from the dozen countries aiming to create a free-trade zone spanning the Pacific Ocean will gather in Ottawa early next month in a bid to advance the talks toward a deal...
Japan, US kick off TPP talks on deadlock issues Ecns.cn ...The three-day working level meeting will cover issues over tariffs on key farm products such as beef and pork and trade barriers on the auto sector, according to local media...
Australia to question Brunei over stoning laws before trade talks Sydney Morning Herald ...The Australian government will question Brunei over its new criminal law regime – whose punishments include limb amputation for theft and stoning to death for adultery or homosexuality – before deciding whether to proceed with trade negotiations with the tiny, but oil-rich, Sultanate...
State Battles
Federal prosecutors say Ben Suarez tried to buy influence from Josh Mandel, Jim Renacci Cleveland Plain Dealer ...In 2011, Suarez's company, Suarez Corporation, was facing ongoing litigation from a group of district attorneys in California over false advertising of one of its products. Lutzko said Suarez thought he could solve his problems with money, knowing it was illegal for his company to donate to political campaigns...
Local Taxes Up 34% Under Kasich Innovation Ohio ...$670 million in new school operating levies have been passed by Ohio taxpayers between May, 2011 and May, 2014. The local tax hikes represent a 34% increase over the corresponding 3 year period prior to Kasich’s governorship...
War on Workers
Unions Fear This SCOTUS Case Could Bring Their 'Final Destruction' Talking Points Memo ...The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday, the last day of its term, in a landmark case that unions fear could deal a fatal blow to their movement. The case, Harris v. Quinn, is about the constitutionality of "agency fees" charged by public sector unions to all workers in a unionized setting, even non-union members…
Workplace secrecy agreements appear to violate federal whistleblower laws Washington Post ...Lawyers who represent whistleblowers like Busche say they are seeing a rise in the use of overly restrictive nondisclosure agreements, which prevent employees from reporting fraud, even to government investigators. The agreements incorporate language that goes beyond those that had traditionally protected proprietary information, the attorneys said. In recent months, agreements criticized as overly restrictive have surfaced at Kellogg, Brown and Root, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, and International Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization in Arlington County, Va...
Moaning Moguls New Yorker ...Although the Obama years have been boom times for America’s super-rich—recent work by the economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty showed that ninety-five per cent of income gains in the first three years of the recovery went to the top one per cent—a lot of them believe that they’re a persecuted minority...
With Teacher Tenure Threatened, Trouble in Every Direction for Public Education truthout ...The magic sauce for this reform recipe has three ingredients: replace the public schools with some sort of privately controlled administration, sort the winners relentlessly from the losers - test, test, TEST! (then punish), and destroy teachers' ability to speak with any sustained or unified voice...
David Cameron to allow ALL public land to be privatised – another devastating blow to democracy 4bitnews ...The Infrastructure Bill has somehow managed to slip through to its Second Reading in the House of Lords from 1830 Wednesday 18th June 2014, with almost zero news coverage...
Miscellaneous
Demographics: Prime and Near-Prime Population and Labor Force Calculated Risk ...The good news is the prime working age group will start growing again by 2020, and this should boost economic activity...
Showing posts with label Kasich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kasich. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Ohio workers gear up to elect friend of labor, Ed Fitzgerald, as governor
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is up for re-election in Ohio this November, and Teamsters aren't about to forget SB5, Kasich's attempt to destroy government-worker unions.
In 2011, the Ohio Legislature passed SB 5, but a historic campaign succeeded in overturning the anti-worker law.
Now working people in Ohio are gearing up to send Kasich packing despite the vast amounts of Koch-linked campaign money he'll have available to him.
The AFL-CIO just posted this video (above) to kick off the campaign:
In its most targeted Ohio political program to date, the AFL-CIO program of voter education and voter turnout will be broad in its scope. In addition to its traditional labor-to-labor outreach, the AFL-CIO programs will be geared toward all middle-class Ohioans, regardless of union membership, as the organization seeks to educate voters on the economic issues central to the debate in the election. Together with its community-based affiliate Working America, the Ohio AFL-CIO has a traditional universe of more than 1 million voters in Ohio.
The Labor 2014 operation in Ohio will involve more than 35,000 volunteer shifts that will cover all aspects of the campaign, including voter registration, voter education and voter turnout. The effort is to include an unprecedented level of more than 2 million combined door knocks, phone dials and leaflets distributed at worksites and millions of additional voter contacts through direct mail and electronic and social media.(Look for our brother Matt Ford, political coordinator for Teamsters Local 507 at about 1:36.).
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Today's Teamster News 03.04.14
Teamster News
Government report: Too few pilots or too little pay? Associated Press ...The nation's regional airlines are having trouble hiring enough pilots, the government says, suggesting one reason may be that they simply don't pay enough. A pool of qualified pilots is available, but it's unclear whether they are willing to work for low entry-level wages, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Friday...
Trade
Lies Our Political Elites Tell Us As They Rip Us Off Down With Tyranny! ...the last mega-trade deal corporate elites and their political handmaidens ... sold the American people, NAFTA, was a beautifully-packaged barrel of lies. Froman is uncomfortable and highly defensive when confronted with the analogy...
Obama’s trade chief undeterred by opposition Politico ...The Obama administration is confident it will win support in Congress for a big Asia-Pacific trade deal despite opposition from many Democrats that has stalled legislation needed for approval of the agreement, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said...
State Battles
Report: Privatizing government work reaps lavish profits for some Tallahassee.com ...there’s George Zoley of the GEO Group, which runs prisons all over the world. GEO has four of Florida’s six privately run prisons and is a mainstay of the state Republican Party and Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign fund. CMD said Zoley took in $22 million in compensation between 2008 and 2012...
E-mails show Wisconsin Gov. Walker as hands-on tactician fixated on public image Washington Post ...An analysis by the Democratic super PAC American Bridge found that Walker was copied on 960 e-mails sent to the private e-mail addresses of public employees during work hours...
WI ALEC Leader in Hot Water over Allegations of Sexual Harassment Center for Media and Democracy ...Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer, a stalwart of the American Legislative Exchange Council, has been accused of sexually harassing two women while in Washington, D.C. last week for a Wisconsin GOP fundraiser...
Wisconsin income gap widening faster than nation as a whole The Cap Times ...Inflation-adjusted income for the bottom 99 percent of Wisconsin residents has actually fallen by 0.4 percent since 1979 while incomes for the upper 1 percent more than doubled over the period...
How ALEC helped Duke Energy block stricter coal ash rules Facing South ...ALEC has been involved in efforts to block stricter regulation of coal ash, which is in the spotlight again following Duke Energy's massive spill into the Dan River from a coal ash pit at one of its North Carolina plants. It has carried out this work with the financial backing of Duke, which belonged to ALEC during the height of the group's work to block federal coal ash oversight...
Kasich’s policies hurt local governments The Columbus Dispatch ...Beginning in 2011, we have experienced a 50 percent reduction — more than $11 million annually — in local-government funding from the state, primarily due to Kasich’s aggressive income-tax cuts...
The War on Workers
Citi Affiliate’s Troubles Multiply as Money-Laundering Subpoenas Follow Fraud New York Times ...A headache is growing for Citigroup as a banking affiliate involved in money transfers across the Mexican border has become ensnared in a criminal investigation...
Amazon workers look for justice from a business-friendly Supreme Court Salon ...Temporary workers at Amazon warehouses can spend as long as 30 minutes waiting to get through security checks. Since the security checks are designed as a theft-prevention measure, reasonable people might consider them a part of the regular Amazon warehouse workday. Integrity Solutions Staffing, an Amazon contractor, disagrees...
Miscellaneous
Why Russia No Longer Fears the West Politico Magazine ...Putin’s inner circle no longer fear the European establishment. They once imagined them all in MI6. Now they know better. They have seen firsthand how obsequious Western aristocrats and corporate tycoons suddenly turn when their billions come into play. They now view them as hypocrites—the same European elites who help them hide their fortunes...
The Pattern of Job Creation and Destruction by Firm Age and Size Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta ...he rate of job creation and destruction tends to decline with firm age. Younger firms of all sizes tend to have higher job-creation (and job-destruction) rates than their older counterparts...
Government report: Too few pilots or too little pay? Associated Press ...The nation's regional airlines are having trouble hiring enough pilots, the government says, suggesting one reason may be that they simply don't pay enough. A pool of qualified pilots is available, but it's unclear whether they are willing to work for low entry-level wages, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Friday...
Trade
Lies Our Political Elites Tell Us As They Rip Us Off Down With Tyranny! ...the last mega-trade deal corporate elites and their political handmaidens ... sold the American people, NAFTA, was a beautifully-packaged barrel of lies. Froman is uncomfortable and highly defensive when confronted with the analogy...
Obama’s trade chief undeterred by opposition Politico ...The Obama administration is confident it will win support in Congress for a big Asia-Pacific trade deal despite opposition from many Democrats that has stalled legislation needed for approval of the agreement, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said...
State Battles
Report: Privatizing government work reaps lavish profits for some Tallahassee.com ...there’s George Zoley of the GEO Group, which runs prisons all over the world. GEO has four of Florida’s six privately run prisons and is a mainstay of the state Republican Party and Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign fund. CMD said Zoley took in $22 million in compensation between 2008 and 2012...
E-mails show Wisconsin Gov. Walker as hands-on tactician fixated on public image Washington Post ...An analysis by the Democratic super PAC American Bridge found that Walker was copied on 960 e-mails sent to the private e-mail addresses of public employees during work hours...
WI ALEC Leader in Hot Water over Allegations of Sexual Harassment Center for Media and Democracy ...Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer, a stalwart of the American Legislative Exchange Council, has been accused of sexually harassing two women while in Washington, D.C. last week for a Wisconsin GOP fundraiser...
Wisconsin income gap widening faster than nation as a whole The Cap Times ...Inflation-adjusted income for the bottom 99 percent of Wisconsin residents has actually fallen by 0.4 percent since 1979 while incomes for the upper 1 percent more than doubled over the period...
How ALEC helped Duke Energy block stricter coal ash rules Facing South ...ALEC has been involved in efforts to block stricter regulation of coal ash, which is in the spotlight again following Duke Energy's massive spill into the Dan River from a coal ash pit at one of its North Carolina plants. It has carried out this work with the financial backing of Duke, which belonged to ALEC during the height of the group's work to block federal coal ash oversight...
Kasich’s policies hurt local governments The Columbus Dispatch ...Beginning in 2011, we have experienced a 50 percent reduction — more than $11 million annually — in local-government funding from the state, primarily due to Kasich’s aggressive income-tax cuts...
The War on Workers
Citi Affiliate’s Troubles Multiply as Money-Laundering Subpoenas Follow Fraud New York Times ...A headache is growing for Citigroup as a banking affiliate involved in money transfers across the Mexican border has become ensnared in a criminal investigation...
Amazon workers look for justice from a business-friendly Supreme Court Salon ...Temporary workers at Amazon warehouses can spend as long as 30 minutes waiting to get through security checks. Since the security checks are designed as a theft-prevention measure, reasonable people might consider them a part of the regular Amazon warehouse workday. Integrity Solutions Staffing, an Amazon contractor, disagrees...
Miscellaneous
Why Russia No Longer Fears the West Politico Magazine ...Putin’s inner circle no longer fear the European establishment. They once imagined them all in MI6. Now they know better. They have seen firsthand how obsequious Western aristocrats and corporate tycoons suddenly turn when their billions come into play. They now view them as hypocrites—the same European elites who help them hide their fortunes...
The Pattern of Job Creation and Destruction by Firm Age and Size Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta ...he rate of job creation and destruction tends to decline with firm age. Younger firms of all sizes tend to have higher job-creation (and job-destruction) rates than their older counterparts...
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Today's Teamster News 10.30.13
Newsday drives off with new union pact New York Post ...Just two weeks after rejecting a new labor contract, workers, who are members of the IBT/Graphic Communications Conference at Newsday, ratified the same pact that cuts 25 driver jobs but hikes pay for the remaining workers by 6 percent over four years...
Grocery worker contract vote begins Tuesday KIRO TV ...Voting on the proposed contract will take place at several locations Tuesday and Wednesday for the unionized grocery workers, including members of Teamsters Local 38...
YRC requests meeting with Teamsters for company update Kansas City Business Journal ...YRC Worldwide Inc. is calling its members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to Dallas to talk about the company's future...
UPS TCI Supplement Passes teamster.org ...The UPS TCI Supplement has passed by a vote of 87 to 12. That brings the total number of revoted local supplements and riders that have been approved by members to seven...
Rail optimistic on union deal as strike deadline nears Reuters ...Canadian National Railway Co., the country's largest railroad, said on Monday it is still talking with the union representing about 3,300 conductors and other workers and expects the two sides will be able to avoid a strike...
U.S. sham corporations aid drug lords CNN ... the Russian "Merchant of Death" Victor Bout used a global network of shell companies to move the funds of his international outfit, which authorities say provided weapons used to fuel conflicts throughout Africa, South America and the Middle East. At least 12 shell companies in Texas, Florida and Delaware have been linked to him...
Dutch Rabobank fined $1 billion over Libor scandal Reuters ...U.S. and European regulators have fined Dutch lender Rabobank $1 billion for rigging benchmark interest rates, making it the fifth bank punished in a scandal that has helped to shred faith in the industry...
'We got away with murder': £2.2m avoidance boast of Gordon Ramsay's tax expert in leaked memo Daily Mail ...Gordon Ramsay ‘really got away with murder’ as his company hid ‘incriminating evidence’ of alleged fraud from the taxman, a leaked memo claims...
The Coming Food Stamp Cut Will Hit 900,000 Veterans ThinkProgress ...Benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, will automatically drop come Friday thanks to the loss of additional funds from the 2009 stimulus bill. That cut will hit about 900,000 of the country’s veterans...
Senate OKs Obama pick for NLRB general counsel The Guardian ...Senators voted 62-37 Tuesday to end Republican delaying tactics against Richard Griffin, who Obama nominated to be NLRB general counsel...The general counsel investigates and prosecutes cases before the board. Griffin is a Democrat and long-time labor lawyer...
Another View: Americans' appetite for Amtrak service growing (opinion) Des Moines Register ...On the heaviest traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak keeps breaking ridership records...
Municipal workers, nurses, pensioners protest against austerity Cyprus Mail ...Tuesday, in the Republic of Cyprus, was a day of protests outside parliament and the finance ministry as nurses, pensioners and municipality workers all gathered to voice their discontent at government imposed cuts. Municipality workers from trade unions PEO and DEOK went on strike for four hours to protest against a further 12 per cent cut to state funding for 2014...
8 Scary Facts About The Trans-Pacific Partnership BuzzFeed ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, is a massive, secret trade agreement being negotiated behind the backs of Congress and the American people...
Brunei Sultan Raises More Worries About TPP teamster.org ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has rightfully come under fire for its potential to make things worse for workers and consumers both in the U.S. and the 11 other countries which are currently involved in negotiations...
Snyder rejected pension fund conditions Detroit News ...Gov. Rick Snyder’s testimony Monday in Detroit's historic Chapter 9 case marked a dramatic turn, featuring a sitting governor forced to defend a series of decisions likely to set a national precedent for union protections and pension rights in municipal bankruptcy...
Republican Says He'd Bring Back Slavery If His Constituents Asked Him To AlterNet ...A Nevada Republican sparked outrage after he told members of the GOP that he’d bring back slavery if that’s what his constituents wanted...
More follies from the Kasich circus! Toledo Blade ...A Blade investigation of Ohio’s taxpayer-funded job-creation efforts discovered that businesses did not create thousands of jobs that state documents said they did. The probe also revealed that Ohio development officials awarded tens of millions of dollars to companies they knew little about. Much of that money is now lost...
Gov. Walker says he cannot yet comment on alleged discrepancies in his book WKOW ...Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) says he cannot yet comment on alleged discrepancies between what is reportedly published in his upcoming book and the recording of a phone conversation he had with a blogger posing as billionaire Republican donor David Koch on February 22, 2011...
Grocery worker contract vote begins Tuesday KIRO TV ...Voting on the proposed contract will take place at several locations Tuesday and Wednesday for the unionized grocery workers, including members of Teamsters Local 38...
YRC requests meeting with Teamsters for company update Kansas City Business Journal ...YRC Worldwide Inc. is calling its members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to Dallas to talk about the company's future...
UPS TCI Supplement Passes teamster.org ...The UPS TCI Supplement has passed by a vote of 87 to 12. That brings the total number of revoted local supplements and riders that have been approved by members to seven...
Rail optimistic on union deal as strike deadline nears Reuters ...Canadian National Railway Co., the country's largest railroad, said on Monday it is still talking with the union representing about 3,300 conductors and other workers and expects the two sides will be able to avoid a strike...
U.S. sham corporations aid drug lords CNN ... the Russian "Merchant of Death" Victor Bout used a global network of shell companies to move the funds of his international outfit, which authorities say provided weapons used to fuel conflicts throughout Africa, South America and the Middle East. At least 12 shell companies in Texas, Florida and Delaware have been linked to him...
Dutch Rabobank fined $1 billion over Libor scandal Reuters ...U.S. and European regulators have fined Dutch lender Rabobank $1 billion for rigging benchmark interest rates, making it the fifth bank punished in a scandal that has helped to shred faith in the industry...
'We got away with murder': £2.2m avoidance boast of Gordon Ramsay's tax expert in leaked memo Daily Mail ...Gordon Ramsay ‘really got away with murder’ as his company hid ‘incriminating evidence’ of alleged fraud from the taxman, a leaked memo claims...
The Coming Food Stamp Cut Will Hit 900,000 Veterans ThinkProgress ...Benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, will automatically drop come Friday thanks to the loss of additional funds from the 2009 stimulus bill. That cut will hit about 900,000 of the country’s veterans...
Senate OKs Obama pick for NLRB general counsel The Guardian ...Senators voted 62-37 Tuesday to end Republican delaying tactics against Richard Griffin, who Obama nominated to be NLRB general counsel...The general counsel investigates and prosecutes cases before the board. Griffin is a Democrat and long-time labor lawyer...
Another View: Americans' appetite for Amtrak service growing (opinion) Des Moines Register ...On the heaviest traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak keeps breaking ridership records...
Municipal workers, nurses, pensioners protest against austerity Cyprus Mail ...Tuesday, in the Republic of Cyprus, was a day of protests outside parliament and the finance ministry as nurses, pensioners and municipality workers all gathered to voice their discontent at government imposed cuts. Municipality workers from trade unions PEO and DEOK went on strike for four hours to protest against a further 12 per cent cut to state funding for 2014...
8 Scary Facts About The Trans-Pacific Partnership BuzzFeed ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, is a massive, secret trade agreement being negotiated behind the backs of Congress and the American people...
Brunei Sultan Raises More Worries About TPP teamster.org ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has rightfully come under fire for its potential to make things worse for workers and consumers both in the U.S. and the 11 other countries which are currently involved in negotiations...
Snyder rejected pension fund conditions Detroit News ...Gov. Rick Snyder’s testimony Monday in Detroit's historic Chapter 9 case marked a dramatic turn, featuring a sitting governor forced to defend a series of decisions likely to set a national precedent for union protections and pension rights in municipal bankruptcy...
Republican Says He'd Bring Back Slavery If His Constituents Asked Him To AlterNet ...A Nevada Republican sparked outrage after he told members of the GOP that he’d bring back slavery if that’s what his constituents wanted...
More follies from the Kasich circus! Toledo Blade ...A Blade investigation of Ohio’s taxpayer-funded job-creation efforts discovered that businesses did not create thousands of jobs that state documents said they did. The probe also revealed that Ohio development officials awarded tens of millions of dollars to companies they knew little about. Much of that money is now lost...
Gov. Walker says he cannot yet comment on alleged discrepancies in his book WKOW ...Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) says he cannot yet comment on alleged discrepancies between what is reportedly published in his upcoming book and the recording of a phone conversation he had with a blogger posing as billionaire Republican donor David Koch on February 22, 2011...
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Today's Teamster News 10.23.13
Teamsters Union optimistic for deal with CN Railway this week Reuters ...The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union is optimistic that talks with Canadian National Railway Co, Canada's largest rail operator, will produce a deal this week…
Hershey Medical Center, Teamsters Continue Talks Lebanon Daily News ...Negotiators for the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Teamsters Local 776 were expected to sit down with a federal mediator to hammer out a new contract...
'Local Union Communications: The Social Art of Educating Members' TLA to be Held December 3-4 teamster.org ...This two-day Teamsters Leadership Academy (TLA), hosted by Local 986 in Los Angeles, will explore effective ways Teamster affiliates can communicate with members through the use of social networking, flyers, newsletters, websites and media. Don’t forget to register for this program...
Grocery Workers Strike in Puget Sound Averted Sky Valley Chronicle ...The large grocery store workers strike that was headed to begin October 21, by some 21,000 union employees against four large grocery chains, was averted at the wire by a tentative agreement reached by the negotiating teams for both sides in the dispute...
Top Five Ways Lobbyists Will Win and We Will Lose If a Major Corporate Trade Deal Goes Through Alternet ...The next time you want to share a song or a recipe online, you’d have to ask yourself: Am I a criminal? Interested in writing some fan fiction based on your favourite detective series and sharing it online? Ask yourself that very same question. That’s how TPP provisions could characterize you based on what we know about its Intellectual Property chapter...
Billion Dollar Pay Check? 10 CEOs in America Break All Records for Executive Pay Alternet ... the top 10 CEOs in this year's poll took home over $4.7bn between them and for the first time ever none earned less than $100m. "I have never seen anything like that," said Greg Ruel, GMI's senior research consultant and author of the report. "Usually we have a few CEOs at the $100m-plus level but never the entire top 10..."
College campuses see rise in homeless students USA Today ...Though hard data are lacking, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid estimates that there are 58,000 homeless students on campuses nationwide...
Plutocrats at Work: How Big Philanthropy Undermines Democracy Truthout ...For a dozen years, big philanthropy has been funding a massive crusade to remake public education for low-income and minority children in the image of the private sector...
Tax breaks could ease pain of JPMorgan deal Politico ...JPMorgan Chase has struck a tentative deal with the Justice Department to pay a record $13 billion over dodgy mortgage products — but the biggest U.S. bank may be able to slash that bill by paying Uncle Sam less in taxes...
Following Nationwide Strikes, Bangladesh Garment Workers Win Minimum Wage Increase The Real News ...Garment workers in Bangladesh are poised to receive a 50 to 80 percent increase in the minimum wage following massive protests in September which closed more than 100 factories and caused a 20 percent decline in national production, according to a Reuters report citing the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association...
Limited service delays BART commuters as strike ends Los Angeles Times ...Despite having reached a deal Monday night to end a four-day Bay Area commuter-rail strike, staffing issues made for a rocky start for BART riders Tuesday morning...
Hatred of unions is misplaced, as they created the strong middle class (opinion) Canton Repository ...I cannot understand why so many Americans have hatred for unions, which gave us a strong and vibrant middle class in the past...
Your prescription history is their business Los Angeles Times ...A secretive, for-profit service called ScriptCheck keeps track of all your prescriptions, even those you pay for with cash. Life insurers pay for the data...
More Americans pessimistic about economy after shutdown, poll shows Los Angeles Times ...Americans are more pessimistic about the state of the economy after the partial government shutdown and debt limit fight, according to poll results released Tuesday...
Feeding antibiotics to livestock is bad for humans, but Congress won’t stop it Washington Post ...The farm and pharmaceutical lobbies have blocked all meaningful efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics in raising livestock in America, a practice that contributes to a major public health risk, according to a study released Tuesday...
Ohio State University has invested millions with friend of Gov. John Kasich and Gordon Gee, but officials won't share details about the deal Cleveland Plain Dealer ... Ohio State University has invested tens of millions of dollars in a new, untested fund co-founded by a venture capitalist who enjoys close relationships with recently retired university president E. Gordon Gee and Gov. John Kasich. The deal was done behind closed doors, right around the time trustees changed OSU policy to allow top administrators more leeway over how to invest operating funds...
Court Holds Wisconsin Officials In Contempt For Enforcing Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Law ThinkProgress ...A Wisconsin judge who declared Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) union-busting law unconstitutional more than a year ago held the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission in contempt of court on Monday for continuing to enforce that law against school and municipal workers...
Capitol Hill Needs to Save the Middle Class (opinion) teamster.org ...America’s ever-shrinking middle class is not only feeling pain in their wallet from lower take-home pay. Many are also witnessing a change in the places they live and the schools their children attend that could alter the fabric of our society for years to come...
Hershey Medical Center, Teamsters Continue Talks Lebanon Daily News ...Negotiators for the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Teamsters Local 776 were expected to sit down with a federal mediator to hammer out a new contract...
'Local Union Communications: The Social Art of Educating Members' TLA to be Held December 3-4 teamster.org ...This two-day Teamsters Leadership Academy (TLA), hosted by Local 986 in Los Angeles, will explore effective ways Teamster affiliates can communicate with members through the use of social networking, flyers, newsletters, websites and media. Don’t forget to register for this program...
Grocery Workers Strike in Puget Sound Averted Sky Valley Chronicle ...The large grocery store workers strike that was headed to begin October 21, by some 21,000 union employees against four large grocery chains, was averted at the wire by a tentative agreement reached by the negotiating teams for both sides in the dispute...
Top Five Ways Lobbyists Will Win and We Will Lose If a Major Corporate Trade Deal Goes Through Alternet ...The next time you want to share a song or a recipe online, you’d have to ask yourself: Am I a criminal? Interested in writing some fan fiction based on your favourite detective series and sharing it online? Ask yourself that very same question. That’s how TPP provisions could characterize you based on what we know about its Intellectual Property chapter...
Billion Dollar Pay Check? 10 CEOs in America Break All Records for Executive Pay Alternet ... the top 10 CEOs in this year's poll took home over $4.7bn between them and for the first time ever none earned less than $100m. "I have never seen anything like that," said Greg Ruel, GMI's senior research consultant and author of the report. "Usually we have a few CEOs at the $100m-plus level but never the entire top 10..."
College campuses see rise in homeless students USA Today ...Though hard data are lacking, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid estimates that there are 58,000 homeless students on campuses nationwide...
Plutocrats at Work: How Big Philanthropy Undermines Democracy Truthout ...For a dozen years, big philanthropy has been funding a massive crusade to remake public education for low-income and minority children in the image of the private sector...
Tax breaks could ease pain of JPMorgan deal Politico ...JPMorgan Chase has struck a tentative deal with the Justice Department to pay a record $13 billion over dodgy mortgage products — but the biggest U.S. bank may be able to slash that bill by paying Uncle Sam less in taxes...
Following Nationwide Strikes, Bangladesh Garment Workers Win Minimum Wage Increase The Real News ...Garment workers in Bangladesh are poised to receive a 50 to 80 percent increase in the minimum wage following massive protests in September which closed more than 100 factories and caused a 20 percent decline in national production, according to a Reuters report citing the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association...
Limited service delays BART commuters as strike ends Los Angeles Times ...Despite having reached a deal Monday night to end a four-day Bay Area commuter-rail strike, staffing issues made for a rocky start for BART riders Tuesday morning...
Hatred of unions is misplaced, as they created the strong middle class (opinion) Canton Repository ...I cannot understand why so many Americans have hatred for unions, which gave us a strong and vibrant middle class in the past...
Your prescription history is their business Los Angeles Times ...A secretive, for-profit service called ScriptCheck keeps track of all your prescriptions, even those you pay for with cash. Life insurers pay for the data...
More Americans pessimistic about economy after shutdown, poll shows Los Angeles Times ...Americans are more pessimistic about the state of the economy after the partial government shutdown and debt limit fight, according to poll results released Tuesday...
Feeding antibiotics to livestock is bad for humans, but Congress won’t stop it Washington Post ...The farm and pharmaceutical lobbies have blocked all meaningful efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics in raising livestock in America, a practice that contributes to a major public health risk, according to a study released Tuesday...
Ohio State University has invested millions with friend of Gov. John Kasich and Gordon Gee, but officials won't share details about the deal Cleveland Plain Dealer ... Ohio State University has invested tens of millions of dollars in a new, untested fund co-founded by a venture capitalist who enjoys close relationships with recently retired university president E. Gordon Gee and Gov. John Kasich. The deal was done behind closed doors, right around the time trustees changed OSU policy to allow top administrators more leeway over how to invest operating funds...
Court Holds Wisconsin Officials In Contempt For Enforcing Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Law ThinkProgress ...A Wisconsin judge who declared Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) union-busting law unconstitutional more than a year ago held the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission in contempt of court on Monday for continuing to enforce that law against school and municipal workers...
Capitol Hill Needs to Save the Middle Class (opinion) teamster.org ...America’s ever-shrinking middle class is not only feeling pain in their wallet from lower take-home pay. Many are also witnessing a change in the places they live and the schools their children attend that could alter the fabric of our society for years to come...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
ALEC pushes 117 bills to crush unions in 2013, report says
"As working Americans speak out for higher wages, better benefits, and respect in the workplace, a coordinated, nationwide campaign to silence them is mounting -- and ALEC is at the heart of it," CMD tells us.
ALEC has been trying to tilt the playing field in favor of corporations -- and at the expense of workers -- since 1979, when it began pushing No Rights At Work bills. When Republicans took control of 26 statehouses in 2010, ALEC was emboldened to attack workers as never before. Newly elected
The CMD report is the third in a series of four being written in the run-up to a protest against ALEC in Chicago on Aug. 8. The Chicago Federation of Labor will demonstrate outside ALEC's 40th anniversary conference at the Palmer House.
ALEC is bringing state politicians to Chicago to push their agenda that rewards CEOs at the expense of middle class families and our public schools and puts our safety at risk. Forty years of ALEC is nothing to celebrate.(If you can make it, RSVP on Facebook.)
The report tells a frightening tale of giant corporations able to hijack governments in order to make their CEOs even more obscenely wealthy than they already are. CMD documents the sordid details. Here are a few:
- ALEC's No Rights at Work bill was introduced in 15 states;
- ALEC bills to silence workers' political speech were introduced in 11 states, to weaken unions' finances in four states, to prohibit employers from honoring employees' voluntary requests to deduct their union dues in five states;
- ALEC bills attacking prevailing wage, minimum wage and living wage laws were introduced in 14 states;
- ALEC bills promoting the outsourcing of government services were introduced in four states.
Here's who doesn't benefit from these policies: non-billionaires. In Wisconsin, where Walker is the poster child for ALEC stooges, the state's economy has been in a freefall almost from the minute he took office.
Find out how ALEC is trying to turn your state into a feudal serfdom by reading the whole CMD report here. And if you can make it, go to Chicago on August 8.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.15.13
Low-income U.S. students getting less college aid than better off ones: study Reuters ...Low-income students are increasingly bypassed when colleges offer applicants financial aid, as schools compete for wealthier students who can afford rising tuition and fees, according to a public policy institute's analysis of U.S. Department of Education data...
Prisoners Stage Hunger Strikes Worldwide The Real News ...30,000 California prisoners on hunger-strike find solidarity from Guantanamo Bay to the occupied territories of Palestine...
The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe (opinion) The Telegraph ...Europe’s debt-crisis strategy is near collapse. The long-awaited recovery has failed to take wing...
Brazil's Major Unions Join Movement for First Time, Strike in 150 Cities Free Speech TV ...After a month with plenty of demonstrations, when more than a million people reached the streets to protest and obtained important political and social achievements, such as the investment of a full 100 percent of oil revenue in education and health, today was the first day that workers paralyzed the country and joined the demonstrations...
Teachers' unions call further strikes in pay row The Guardian ...Teachers are to stage a one-day national walkout in the autumn in an ongoing row over pay, pensions and workload...
To Rescue Local Economies, Cities Seize Underwater Mortgages Through Eminent Domain The Nation ...In Richmond, California, home prices plummeted 58 percent since their peak. Now the city is trying out a new way to help homeowners refinance—and halt the slide into foreclosure...
'Moral Monday' crowd to rally for women's rights WRAL.com ...The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP says Monday's protest at the state legislative building will focus on the rights and leadership of women...
New right-to-work laws might cloud state contract talks Lansing State Journal ...Before negotiators even approach a bargaining table later this summer, state officials and the unions that represent 36,000 state workers are still at odds over one key issue: Do Michigan’s new right-to-work laws apply to civil service employees?...
Group Works To Get Enough Signatures To Put Right To Work On The Ballot NBC4 ...Supporters of making Ohio a Right to Work state gathered for a discussion Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Columbus...
Retirees hit hard in Kasich’s budget Plunderbund ...Kasich’s budget shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto those who are lower income or on fixed incomes – especially retirees...
Prisoners Stage Hunger Strikes Worldwide The Real News ...30,000 California prisoners on hunger-strike find solidarity from Guantanamo Bay to the occupied territories of Palestine...
The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe (opinion) The Telegraph ...Europe’s debt-crisis strategy is near collapse. The long-awaited recovery has failed to take wing...
Brazil's Major Unions Join Movement for First Time, Strike in 150 Cities Free Speech TV ...After a month with plenty of demonstrations, when more than a million people reached the streets to protest and obtained important political and social achievements, such as the investment of a full 100 percent of oil revenue in education and health, today was the first day that workers paralyzed the country and joined the demonstrations...
Teachers' unions call further strikes in pay row The Guardian ...Teachers are to stage a one-day national walkout in the autumn in an ongoing row over pay, pensions and workload...
To Rescue Local Economies, Cities Seize Underwater Mortgages Through Eminent Domain The Nation ...In Richmond, California, home prices plummeted 58 percent since their peak. Now the city is trying out a new way to help homeowners refinance—and halt the slide into foreclosure...
'Moral Monday' crowd to rally for women's rights WRAL.com ...The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP says Monday's protest at the state legislative building will focus on the rights and leadership of women...
New right-to-work laws might cloud state contract talks Lansing State Journal ...Before negotiators even approach a bargaining table later this summer, state officials and the unions that represent 36,000 state workers are still at odds over one key issue: Do Michigan’s new right-to-work laws apply to civil service employees?...
Group Works To Get Enough Signatures To Put Right To Work On The Ballot NBC4 ...Supporters of making Ohio a Right to Work state gathered for a discussion Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Columbus...
Retirees hit hard in Kasich’s budget Plunderbund ...Kasich’s budget shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto those who are lower income or on fixed incomes – especially retirees...
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Today's Teamster News 06.01.13
US Lawmakers Press Obama to Include Currency in Pacific Trade Deal Reuters ...Nearly 200 U.S. lawmakers have signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to insist on new rules against currency manipulation in a proposed trade agreement with Japan and 10 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region...
Walmart’s Shocking Threats And Employee Bullying Detailed In 27-Page Report Opposing Views ...Walmart continually asks Americans to consider what’s more important: justice for its workers or low prices for its customers?...
Catalonia firefighters were starting fires rather than putting them out this week during a demonstration held in Barcelona Metro ...emergency workers clashed with riot police while protesting over austerity cuts in the recession hit Catalonian capital...
Judge: Coal company can drop retirement benefits for 13,000 workers, Underwood says MSNBC ...Bankrupt coal mining company Patriot Coal will be able to void its agreement with the United Mine Workers union (UMWA) and stop funding pensions for retired miners, thanks to a ruling from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri...
Pension bill stuns counties, could force tax increases Tampa Bay Times ..."Is that money going to FRS to actually shore it up? Or is it a long-term strategy to pressure those of us at the local level to say we can't sustain these increases?"...
New Jersey Passes Misclassification Bill; Gov. Christie Could Veto Truckinginfo ...Though the Teamsters-backed employee misclassification bill was passed Thursday by the New Jersey State Senate, opponents say they will continue to work to make sure the measure does not actually become law...
Kasich frustrating safety unions Toledo Blade ...Gov. John Kasich and Republican lawmakers are pursuing tax cuts and banking huge surpluses, according to police and professional firefighters, at the expense of public safety...
UW education dean warns school boards that ALEC seeks to wipe them out The Cap Times ...The model legislation disseminated by the pro-free market American Legislative Exchange Council’s national network of corporate members and conservative legislators seeks to privatize education and erode the local control...
Appeals court upholds voter ID law WISN ...A Wisconsin law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls is constitutional, a state appeals court ruled Thursday...
How Enterprise Zones Are Killing the California Dream Truth-Out ...(Teamsters) John Thomas and Hans Burkhardt ... are now collecting unemployment, having lost their $22-an-hour jobs after their employers moved to take advantage of California’s enterprise zone plan…
Connecticut State House boosts minimum wage CT Post ...More than 106,000 of Connecticut's lowest-earning workers will see the current $8.25-per-hour minimum wage rise to $9 by January 2015...
Perry Vetoes "Buy American" Bill Approved 145-0 By Texas House Opposing Views ...Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the “Buy American” bill, despite a unanimous bipartisan vote in the Texas House. The bill, which would have given preference to American-made goods...
Port Truck Drivers Take a Stand WTOC-TV ...WTOC-TV in Savannah, Ga., reports on port truck driver misclassification and how it impacts drivers and their families. Visit the Stand Up for Savannah! website for more information...
Teamsters Protect Nine-Hour Workday for CVS Pharmacists Teamsters Joint Council 25 ...CVS pharmacists ratified a new three-year contract yielding raises and improved working conditions after Teamsters Local 727 representatives fought to protect the nine-hour workday from the management that wanted 12-14 hour workdays...
The Union Edge Reports On Durham School Bus Campaign Union Edge ...Teamsters Local 570 and Durham School Services drivers in the Baltimore area are standing up for safe school buses, respect and an end to wage theft. Hear what they have to say on The Union Edge radio program...
Dairy Workers in Washington Win With Teamsters IBT ...A unit of 30 drivers at Estenson Logistics, who voted to be represented by the Teamsters Local 690 in Spokane in late 2011, recently ratified their first contract...
Walmart’s Shocking Threats And Employee Bullying Detailed In 27-Page Report Opposing Views ...Walmart continually asks Americans to consider what’s more important: justice for its workers or low prices for its customers?...
New Jersey Passes Misclassification Bill; Gov. Christie Could Veto Truckinginfo ...Though the Teamsters-backed employee misclassification bill was passed Thursday by the New Jersey State Senate, opponents say they will continue to work to make sure the measure does not actually become law...
Kasich frustrating safety unions Toledo Blade ...Gov. John Kasich and Republican lawmakers are pursuing tax cuts and banking huge surpluses, according to police and professional firefighters, at the expense of public safety...
How Enterprise Zones Are Killing the California Dream Truth-Out ...(Teamsters) John Thomas and Hans Burkhardt ... are now collecting unemployment, having lost their $22-an-hour jobs after their employers moved to take advantage of California’s enterprise zone plan…
Connecticut State House boosts minimum wage
Perry Vetoes "Buy American" Bill Approved 145-0 By Texas House Opposing Views ...Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the “Buy American” bill, despite a unanimous bipartisan vote in the Texas House. The bill, which would have given preference to American-made goods...
Port Truck Drivers Take a Stand WTOC-TV ...WTOC-TV in Savannah, Ga., reports on port truck driver misclassification and how it impacts drivers and their families. Visit the Stand Up for Savannah! website for more information...
Teamsters Protect Nine-Hour Workday for CVS Pharmacists Teamsters Joint Council 25 ...CVS pharmacists ratified a new three-year contract yielding raises and improved working conditions after Teamsters Local 727 representatives fought to protect the nine-hour workday from the management that wanted 12-14 hour workdays...
The Union Edge Reports On Durham School Bus Campaign Union Edge ...Teamsters Local 570 and Durham School Services drivers in the Baltimore area are standing up for safe school buses, respect and an end to wage theft. Hear what they have to say on The Union Edge radio program...
Dairy Workers in Washington Win With Teamsters IBT ...A unit of 30 drivers at Estenson Logistics, who voted to be represented by the Teamsters Local 690 in Spokane in late 2011, recently ratified their first contract...
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Here we go again: Ohio lawmakers make another attempt to strip workers of their rights
This time around, proponents seek to weaken the rights of employees through two different pieces of legislation. Rep. Maag’s bill would apply to public employees, while Rep. Roegner’s measure would apply to the private sector. While both claim the "right-to-work" legislation would create new jobs, the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that economists and academics give little credence to that view.
Explaining the union-haters’ strategy, the newspaper states:
Introducing two bills would allow Republicans a chance for at least a partial victory. If right-to-work for private sector workers proves unpopular, Republicans might push through a public sector law by capitalizing on resentment from voters whose wages and benefits were cut in the recession.
In November 2011, voters overwhelmingly rejected Republicans’ effort to sharply limit collective bargaining for public employees by overturning Senate Bill 5—a referendum that might still have political ramifications for Gov. John Kasich.
Kasich has since refused to support any right-to-work efforts in Ohio—a bid to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot is proceeding slowly—and Democrats were quick to pounce on news of the new bills. But Kasich wouldn’t commit one way or the other on the latest GOP effort.
"There have been 300 bills introduced so far this year," said Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman. "We don’t weigh in on all of them, and it would be premature to do so on these...The governor has a big agenda that’s moving through the legislature, and he continues to work on it."
"Here we go again," said state Democratic chairman Chris Redfern, comparing right-to-work to the failed attempt to ban collective bargaining in 2011. "We expect this unnecessary sideshow—which will do nothing to create more good-paying jobs—to fail."
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Today's Teamster News 03.03.13
Lords of Disorder: Billions for Wall Street, Sacrifice for Everyone Else truthout ...The President’s “sequester” offer slashes non-defense spending by $830 billion over the next ten years. That happens to be the precise amount we’re implicitly giving Wall Street’s biggest banks over the same time period...
New Cars Increasingly Out of Reach for Many Americans CNBC ...a new study ... finds median-income families in only one major U.S. city actually can afford the typical new vehicle. The typical new vehicle is now more expensive than ever, averaging $30,500 in 2012...
Greece reclassified to 'emerging market' from developed The Telegraph ...A major fund manager has reclassified Greece from a developed to an emerging market, in an unprecedented move reflecting the "unfortunate economic tailspin" of the Greek economy, which has threatened the future of the euro...
Paycheck protection bill yields contentious Senate debate Missouri Times ...Sen. Paul LeVota, D-11, called the bill unnecessary and “a mockery.” ... Right now, under the law, you can refuse to support political contributions through your union. I mock this bill because this bill is a mockery...”
New poll from Quinnipiac finds voters aren't sold on Kasich's sales tax expansion Plain Dealer ...Gov. John Kasich’s rising popularity among Ohioans hasn’t translated into strong support for his bold tax reform plan that would broaden the state’s sales tax while cutting the income tax rates...
Loosened gag still too tight (opinion) Fort Wayne Journal Gazette ...Prosecuting Hoosiers for photographing or videotaping embarrassing or illegal activity at industrial operations would be, unfortunately, easier under a bill passed in the state Senate on Tuesday...
John Doe probe of Scott Walker office closed with no new charges Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Nearly three years after the probe was launched, retired Appeals Court Judge Neal Nettesheim signed an order shutting down the secret investigation...
Teamsters: ABF talks going ‘in the right direction’ The City Wire ...After a slow start and some less than kind comments from both parties about tactics, progress is being reported on contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Arkansas Best Corp...
New Cars Increasingly Out of Reach for Many Americans CNBC ...a new study ... finds median-income families in only one major U.S. city actually can afford the typical new vehicle. The typical new vehicle is now more expensive than ever, averaging $30,500 in 2012...
Greece reclassified to 'emerging market' from developed The Telegraph ...A major fund manager has reclassified Greece from a developed to an emerging market, in an unprecedented move reflecting the "unfortunate economic tailspin" of the Greek economy, which has threatened the future of the euro...
Paycheck protection bill yields contentious Senate debate Missouri Times ...Sen. Paul LeVota, D-11, called the bill unnecessary and “a mockery.” ... Right now, under the law, you can refuse to support political contributions through your union. I mock this bill because this bill is a mockery...”
New poll from Quinnipiac finds voters aren't sold on Kasich's sales tax expansion Plain Dealer ...Gov. John Kasich’s rising popularity among Ohioans hasn’t translated into strong support for his bold tax reform plan that would broaden the state’s sales tax while cutting the income tax rates...
Loosened gag still too tight (opinion) Fort Wayne Journal Gazette ...Prosecuting Hoosiers for photographing or videotaping embarrassing or illegal activity at industrial operations would be, unfortunately, easier under a bill passed in the state Senate on Tuesday...
John Doe probe of Scott Walker office closed with no new charges Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Nearly three years after the probe was launched, retired Appeals Court Judge Neal Nettesheim signed an order shutting down the secret investigation...
Teamsters: ABF talks going ‘in the right direction’ The City Wire ...After a slow start and some less than kind comments from both parties about tactics, progress is being reported on contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Arkansas Best Corp...
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Today's Teamster News 02.14.13
Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of James R. Hoffa. Happy Birthday, Jimmy!
Jimmy Hoffa's son, Teamsters work to burnish tarnished image Detroit News ...Teamsters President Jim Hoffa is working to polish the legacy of his father, James R. Hoffa, the legendary Detroit labor leader who would have turned 100 today...
Jimmy Hoffa's son, Teamsters work to burnish tarnished image Detroit News ...Teamsters President Jim Hoffa is working to polish the legacy of his father, James R. Hoffa, the legendary Detroit labor leader who would have turned 100 today...
EU and US free-trade talks launched BBC ...The US said that "everything is on the table" in the talks. A deal would bring down trading barriers between the two biggest economies in the world...
Federal workers’ unions rally near Capitol to protest sequestration Washington Post ...Public servants were out in force Tuesday, protesting potential federal budget cuts that would severely hinder their ability to serve the public...
Retail Sales in U.S. Increase for Third Straight Month Bloomberg ...Department stores and online merchants were among those showing growing demand as improving job prospects and a strengthening housing market helped companies...
American Airlines and US Airways agree to merge and create world’s biggest airline Associated Press ...The deal caps a turbulent period of bankruptcies and consolidation that leaves the U.S. airline industry dominated by four big carriers. The boards of American parent AMR Corp. and US Airways approved the deal late Wednesday...
Mexico unveils new strategy in war on drugs The Guardian ...Mexico's new administration has offered the first details of its new strategy in the country's war on drugs, saying the government will spend $9.2bn (£5.9bn) this year on social programmes...the announcement was a forceful rejection of his predecessor...
House Kills Latest Effort To Make Right-To-Work Law In N.H. New Hampshire Public Radio ...Union workers broke into raucous applause after Speaker of the House Terrie Norelli announced the tally of votes on the right to work bill brought before the full House on Wednesday...
Right-to-work building interest in Missouri St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...Legislation that could deal a blow to labor unions in Missouri is drawing increased interest at the Capitol, though the measure may still face a tough road to passage this year...
Mo. Sen. Committee Considers Bill That Would Eliminate Prevailing Wage Rule KBIA ...Randy Long is a non-union mechanical contractor from southwestern Missouri who sided with labor unions in opposing the bill. “Everybody deserves a good quality wage in this day and time," Long said...
MO House Speaker, Congressman candidate bury ALEC connections in campaign finance documents DailyKos ...you won't see the wining and dining of Missouri GOP leaders by ALEC special interests spelled out in lobbying documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission....The expenses, and there are plenty, are buried in finance documents filed with the Commission...
Americans for Prosperity tabulate at least 229 fiscal proposals, including Arch tax, on April ballot St. Louis Beacon ...In a sign that fiscally conservative groups are gearing up again in Missouri, the state’s chapter of Americans for Prosperity will be raising alarm bells Wednesday about the number of local tax proposals to be on ballots across the state on April 2...
Unions pack Assembly to protest labor-law rewrite Anchorage Daily News ...More than 750 people, many representing eight labor groups, clogged the Tuesday night Anchorage Assembly meeting in a sign of the fight to come over Mayor Dan Sullivan's proposal to weaken city unions...
Tax chief, legislators spar over Kasich’s budget Columbus Dispatch ... They questioned the state tax commissioner for hours about details of the sales-tax expansion, the impact of the income-tax cut and the facts behind a new severance tax on shale drilling...
Gov. Corbett Insists on Full Privatization of Pa. Liquor Store System CBS Philly ...even before he made his privatization proposal late last month, legislative leaders –- including the state House speaker — signalled that modernizing liquor sales, such as allowing beer and wine sales in grocery stores, seems more likely than full privatization...
Anti-union bill makes way through Kansas Legislature Kansas City Business Journal ...In addition to preventing the payment of union dues, House Bill 2023 would eliminate collective bargaining laws, change the process for workers' compensation appeals and delay unemployment benefits, the report says. The bill is a replica of model legislation by the American Legislative Exchange Council...
Canonsburg approves contract for 20 employees Observer-Reporter ...the contract, between Canonsburg Borough and Teamsters Local 205...calls for a 70-cent per hour raise in 2013; 75-cent raise in 2014 and an 80-cent per hour raise in 2015...
Rhinebeck, Spackenkill school bus strike averted for now Poughkeepsie Journal ..."We have agreed to hold off on any kind of job action until they come back to the table and we will reevaluate at that point,” Teamsters Local 445 business agent Lori Polesel said...
Federal workers’ unions rally near Capitol to protest sequestration Washington Post ...Public servants were out in force Tuesday, protesting potential federal budget cuts that would severely hinder their ability to serve the public...
Retail Sales in U.S. Increase for Third Straight Month Bloomberg ...Department stores and online merchants were among those showing growing demand as improving job prospects and a strengthening housing market helped companies...
American Airlines and US Airways agree to merge and create world’s biggest airline Associated Press ...The deal caps a turbulent period of bankruptcies and consolidation that leaves the U.S. airline industry dominated by four big carriers. The boards of American parent AMR Corp. and US Airways approved the deal late Wednesday...
Mexico unveils new strategy in war on drugs The Guardian ...Mexico's new administration has offered the first details of its new strategy in the country's war on drugs, saying the government will spend $9.2bn (£5.9bn) this year on social programmes...the announcement was a forceful rejection of his predecessor...
House Kills Latest Effort To Make Right-To-Work Law In N.H. New Hampshire Public Radio ...Union workers broke into raucous applause after Speaker of the House Terrie Norelli announced the tally of votes on the right to work bill brought before the full House on Wednesday...
Right-to-work building interest in Missouri St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...Legislation that could deal a blow to labor unions in Missouri is drawing increased interest at the Capitol, though the measure may still face a tough road to passage this year...
Mo. Sen. Committee Considers Bill That Would Eliminate Prevailing Wage Rule KBIA ...Randy Long is a non-union mechanical contractor from southwestern Missouri who sided with labor unions in opposing the bill. “Everybody deserves a good quality wage in this day and time," Long said...
MO House Speaker, Congressman candidate bury ALEC connections in campaign finance documents DailyKos ...you won't see the wining and dining of Missouri GOP leaders by ALEC special interests spelled out in lobbying documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission....The expenses, and there are plenty, are buried in finance documents filed with the Commission...
Americans for Prosperity tabulate at least 229 fiscal proposals, including Arch tax, on April ballot St. Louis Beacon ...In a sign that fiscally conservative groups are gearing up again in Missouri, the state’s chapter of Americans for Prosperity will be raising alarm bells Wednesday about the number of local tax proposals to be on ballots across the state on April 2...
Unions pack Assembly to protest labor-law rewrite Anchorage Daily News ...More than 750 people, many representing eight labor groups, clogged the Tuesday night Anchorage Assembly meeting in a sign of the fight to come over Mayor Dan Sullivan's proposal to weaken city unions...
Tax chief, legislators spar over Kasich’s budget Columbus Dispatch ... They questioned the state tax commissioner for hours about details of the sales-tax expansion, the impact of the income-tax cut and the facts behind a new severance tax on shale drilling...
Gov. Corbett Insists on Full Privatization of Pa. Liquor Store System CBS Philly ...even before he made his privatization proposal late last month, legislative leaders –- including the state House speaker — signalled that modernizing liquor sales, such as allowing beer and wine sales in grocery stores, seems more likely than full privatization...
Anti-union bill makes way through Kansas Legislature Kansas City Business Journal ...In addition to preventing the payment of union dues, House Bill 2023 would eliminate collective bargaining laws, change the process for workers' compensation appeals and delay unemployment benefits, the report says. The bill is a replica of model legislation by the American Legislative Exchange Council...
Canonsburg approves contract for 20 employees Observer-Reporter ...the contract, between Canonsburg Borough and Teamsters Local 205...calls for a 70-cent per hour raise in 2013; 75-cent raise in 2014 and an 80-cent per hour raise in 2015...
Rhinebeck, Spackenkill school bus strike averted for now Poughkeepsie Journal ..."We have agreed to hold off on any kind of job action until they come back to the table and we will reevaluate at that point,” Teamsters Local 445 business agent Lori Polesel said...
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Today's Teamster News 01.10.14
2012 Trade Deficit with China Tops $300 billion; Shatters Record Trade Reform ...“If Washington spent as much time worrying about the trade deficit as it did the budget deficit, our unemployment rate would be a lot lower than it is right now...
Despite Inflating Exports, Today's 2012 Trade Data Falls Short of Obama's Export Growth Promise Public Citizen ...the Census data is skewed in a way that inflates U.S. export levels, and even the inflated export figures show that President Obama’s goal of doubling exports is seriously lagging...
Imbalance of Power New York Times ...The party that gets the most votes usually wins the most seats in Congress, but that did not happen in the November election in states with gerrymandered districts...
Sen. Grassley: 'The irony is thick' in Lew’s Cayman Islands investment fund The Hill ...Congressional Republicans are raising new questions about the Treasury nominee's offshore financial holdings...
The United States Hugely Lags in Leisure Time Center for Economic Policy Research ...The United States has seen a much smaller reduction in work time over the last three decades than any other wealthy countries...
Expect more public safety layoffs as Kasich again guts Local Government Fund Plunderbund ...we’re talking about a massive gutting of local budgets that will continue to have a serious impact on local services like first responders...
Cost of Kasich Security Increasing by $5.4 Million Plunderbund ...It would appear this budget more accurately predicts the actual costs associated with protecting the Governor and his family...
Florida Is Swamped with Foreclosures – And Deals on Distressed Homes TIME ...Florida was home to 8 of the country’s top 20 metropolitan areas for highest foreclosure rates last year...
Is this the year Wall Street completes its purchase of Florida’s Court System? Bankruptcy Law Network ...After 4 years of trying, it appears Wall Street has finally purchased enough of our state legislators to enact a bill that will eliminate due process and fundamental justice in Florida foreclosure cases...
Despite Inflating Exports, Today's 2012 Trade Data Falls Short of Obama's Export Growth Promise Public Citizen ...the Census data is skewed in a way that inflates U.S. export levels, and even the inflated export figures show that President Obama’s goal of doubling exports is seriously lagging...
Imbalance of Power New York Times ...The party that gets the most votes usually wins the most seats in Congress, but that did not happen in the November election in states with gerrymandered districts...
Sen. Grassley: 'The irony is thick' in Lew’s Cayman Islands investment fund The Hill ...Congressional Republicans are raising new questions about the Treasury nominee's offshore financial holdings...
The United States Hugely Lags in Leisure Time Center for Economic Policy Research ...The United States has seen a much smaller reduction in work time over the last three decades than any other wealthy countries...
Expect more public safety layoffs as Kasich again guts Local Government Fund Plunderbund ...we’re talking about a massive gutting of local budgets that will continue to have a serious impact on local services like first responders...
Cost of Kasich Security Increasing by $5.4 Million Plunderbund ...It would appear this budget more accurately predicts the actual costs associated with protecting the Governor and his family...
Florida Is Swamped with Foreclosures – And Deals on Distressed Homes TIME ...Florida was home to 8 of the country’s top 20 metropolitan areas for highest foreclosure rates last year...
Is this the year Wall Street completes its purchase of Florida’s Court System? Bankruptcy Law Network ...After 4 years of trying, it appears Wall Street has finally purchased enough of our state legislators to enact a bill that will eliminate due process and fundamental justice in Florida foreclosure cases...
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Today's Teamster News 01.19.13
Big win for labor in Chicago Salon ...By a unanimous vote on Thursday, Chicago’s City Council passed one of the strongest “wage theft” laws in the United States...
Poverty increasingly means the employed Salon ...For a growing segment of workers, a middle-class life is slipping out of reach...
Harry Reid seeks middle path on filibuster Politico ...Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) doesn’t plan to advance a “talking filibuster” proposal envisioned by liberals who want sweeping changes to the stodgy Senate...
787 grounding puts Boeing’s outsourcing in focus Trade Reform ...Some 70 per cent of the plane is outsourced...
New study finds China gaining advantage in setting technology standards manufacture this ... while U.S. firms place a high value on intellectual property protection, China has adopted a fundamentally different approach to intellectual property rights that can disadvantage U.S. companies...
GOP takes off the suicide bomb vest Washington Post ...The GOP leadership is prepared to agree to a three month debt ceiling hike. This is a major de-escalation of the crazy and effectively means Republicans have all but taken the threat of default off the table completely...
GOP Memo: Gerrymandering Won Us The House Majority Talking Points Memo ...even as they took a beating in the races for Senate and the White House, House Republicans ended up with a 33-seat majority, thanks to friendly district maps drawn by their own state colleagues. As the RSLC memo admits, “Democratic candidates for the U.S. House won 1.1 million more votes than their Republican opponents...”
Right to Work gaining momentum in legislature News-Leader ...In just a few weeks, Right to Work has gone from a dream of Republicans in the Missouri statehouse to an issue that appears headed for a debate on the House floor and one that may even receive a vote...
Judge refuses to dismiss Fla. redistricting case Associated Press ...Democrats, the League of Women Voters of Florida and other plaintiffs ... contend the map "as applied" violates anti-gerrymandering restrictions in the Florida Constitution...
Unions look ahead on fight over right-to-work Associated Press ...Union leaders looking for an olive branch from Gov. Rick Snyder in his third State of the State address say he left them empty-handed, but they vow to keep fighting to bring down right-to-work legislation enacted last month...
Columbus Democrat wants voting rights cemented in Constitution Columbus Dispatch ...Saying he wants to better secure the right to vote in the Ohio Constitution, Rep. Michael Stinziano is proposing a ballot issue that he says would establish that the right should be paramount above other administrative issues...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich Gets First Positive Approval Rating The Cleveland Leader ...(The) latest statewide survey of Ohio registered voters by Quinnipiac University shows that Governor John Kasich, a Republican, has a positive job-approval rating for the first time since he took office in 2011, with 45 percent approving and 35 percent disapproving...
Democrats launch $500,000 plan against Walker, other Republicans Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...party Chairman Mike Tate called the effort a "72-county plan" and said it would focus on one-on-one voter contact and technology investments...
Teamsters, ABF continue labor negotiations Kansas City Business Journal ...Negotiations between ABF Freight Systems Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters continued in Kansas City this week, and the two parties are no closer to an agreement, a release from the union said...
Poverty increasingly means the employed Salon ...For a growing segment of workers, a middle-class life is slipping out of reach...
Harry Reid seeks middle path on filibuster Politico ...Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) doesn’t plan to advance a “talking filibuster” proposal envisioned by liberals who want sweeping changes to the stodgy Senate...
787 grounding puts Boeing’s outsourcing in focus Trade Reform ...Some 70 per cent of the plane is outsourced...
New study finds China gaining advantage in setting technology standards manufacture this ... while U.S. firms place a high value on intellectual property protection, China has adopted a fundamentally different approach to intellectual property rights that can disadvantage U.S. companies...
GOP takes off the suicide bomb vest Washington Post ...The GOP leadership is prepared to agree to a three month debt ceiling hike. This is a major de-escalation of the crazy and effectively means Republicans have all but taken the threat of default off the table completely...
GOP Memo: Gerrymandering Won Us The House Majority Talking Points Memo ...even as they took a beating in the races for Senate and the White House, House Republicans ended up with a 33-seat majority, thanks to friendly district maps drawn by their own state colleagues. As the RSLC memo admits, “Democratic candidates for the U.S. House won 1.1 million more votes than their Republican opponents...”
Right to Work gaining momentum in legislature News-Leader ...In just a few weeks, Right to Work has gone from a dream of Republicans in the Missouri statehouse to an issue that appears headed for a debate on the House floor and one that may even receive a vote...
Judge refuses to dismiss Fla. redistricting case Associated Press ...Democrats, the League of Women Voters of Florida and other plaintiffs ... contend the map "as applied" violates anti-gerrymandering restrictions in the Florida Constitution...
Unions look ahead on fight over right-to-work Associated Press ...Union leaders looking for an olive branch from Gov. Rick Snyder in his third State of the State address say he left them empty-handed, but they vow to keep fighting to bring down right-to-work legislation enacted last month...
Columbus Democrat wants voting rights cemented in Constitution Columbus Dispatch ...Saying he wants to better secure the right to vote in the Ohio Constitution, Rep. Michael Stinziano is proposing a ballot issue that he says would establish that the right should be paramount above other administrative issues...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich Gets First Positive Approval Rating The Cleveland Leader ...(The) latest statewide survey of Ohio registered voters by Quinnipiac University shows that Governor John Kasich, a Republican, has a positive job-approval rating for the first time since he took office in 2011, with 45 percent approving and 35 percent disapproving...
Democrats launch $500,000 plan against Walker, other Republicans Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...party Chairman Mike Tate called the effort a "72-county plan" and said it would focus on one-on-one voter contact and technology investments...
Teamsters, ABF continue labor negotiations Kansas City Business Journal ...Negotiations between ABF Freight Systems Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters continued in Kansas City this week, and the two parties are no closer to an agreement, a release from the union said...
Thursday, October 11, 2012
1st privately owned prison: dangerous, dirty, well below state standards
ThinkProgress reports the first privately owned U.S. prison, which is in Ohio, violated state standards 47 times on food quality, sanitation, hygiene and safety.
We are also not surprised that Corrections Corporation of America bought the prison.
CityBeat reports a recent audit disclosed:
... safety concerns due to low staffing numbers and not having enough coverage. Other staff stated that there is increased confusion due to all the staffing transitions.”
The report says “there has been a big staff turnover,” and only one staff person was properly trained to meet Ohio Risk Assessment System standards. The audit found that a workplace violence liaison wasn’t appointed or trained. Inmates complained they felt unsafe and that staff “had their hands tied’” and “had little control over some situations.”
The local fire plan had no specific steps to release inmates from locked areas in case of emergency, and local employees said “they had no idea what they should do” in case of a fire emergency.
The audit also found all housing units provided less than the required 25 square feet on unencumbered space per occupant. It found single watch cells held two prisoners with some sleeping on the floor, and some triple-bunked cells had a third inmate sleeping on a mattress on the floor.Cells weren't cleaned, the food sucked, sick patients were allowed to languish and searches weren't conducted often enough -- or properly.
There was a bright spot, though: The staff was friendly and helpful during the audit and the prisoners wore their ID badges!
Here's what else won't surprise you: CCA has close ties to
- One of Kasich's first appointments was Gary Mohr to be the state Director of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Prior to his appointment, Mohr worked as managing director for the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
- The CCA’s Ohio lobbyist, Don Thibaut, “served as Kasich’s chief of staff when he was in Congress.” The CCA has retained the services of Thibaut’s firm, The Credo Company, which also employed Mohr as a consultant for five years.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Today's Teamster News 10.09.12
IMF Sees ‘Alarmingly High’ Risk of Deeper Global Slump Bloomberg ...The IMF report called for U.S. policy makers to find an alternative to planned automatic tax increases and spending cuts that would trigger a recession. Europeans must follow on their commitments for a more integrated monetary union, and many emerging markets can afford to cut interest rates or pause tightening to fight off risks to their economies, the IMF said...
In Pilot Program, Student IDs Track the Students Texas Tribune ...“It gives the kids a little bit more responsibility, knowing that we as a faculty are keeping up with them,” she said. “Once they get out there in the real world, they’re going to have to be on the job on time, and they’re going to have to be accountable...”
In voter registration fraud case, it's not Mickey Mouse you have to worry about Miami Herald ...it’s not blatant fraud like this that has elections experts worried about possible voting mayhem come November. Rather, it’s the re-registration of voters, where personal information such as someone’s party affiliation, signature or address could have been changed without the person’s knowledge...
Subpoena for Gov. Walker's testimony filed in misconduct case against former county staffer Associated Press ...Kelly Rindfleisch is accused of using county time to conduct campaign work for a Republican who lost a lieutenant governor race in 2010. Rindfleisch was Walker's deputy chief of staff when he was the Milwaukee County executive...
Kasich closer to turnpike lease Columbus Dispatch ...A lease would need the legislature’s approval. The Ohio Turnpike Commission has the authority to finance debt, but the legislature would have to change state law to allow the money to be used outside the turnpike...
UPS, Teamsters start contract talks Press-Enterprise ...UPS and the Teamsters are still almost a full 10 months away from the expiration of their contracts. But the two sides began negotiations on Sept. 27, and both sides are hoping they can settle their differences by coming up with a tentative agreement by March 31, 2013...
In Pilot Program, Student IDs Track the Students Texas Tribune ...“It gives the kids a little bit more responsibility, knowing that we as a faculty are keeping up with them,” she said. “Once they get out there in the real world, they’re going to have to be on the job on time, and they’re going to have to be accountable...”
In voter registration fraud case, it's not Mickey Mouse you have to worry about Miami Herald ...it’s not blatant fraud like this that has elections experts worried about possible voting mayhem come November. Rather, it’s the re-registration of voters, where personal information such as someone’s party affiliation, signature or address could have been changed without the person’s knowledge...
Subpoena for Gov. Walker's testimony filed in misconduct case against former county staffer Associated Press ...Kelly Rindfleisch is accused of using county time to conduct campaign work for a Republican who lost a lieutenant governor race in 2010. Rindfleisch was Walker's deputy chief of staff when he was the Milwaukee County executive...
Kasich closer to turnpike lease Columbus Dispatch ...A lease would need the legislature’s approval. The Ohio Turnpike Commission has the authority to finance debt, but the legislature would have to change state law to allow the money to be used outside the turnpike...
UPS, Teamsters start contract talks Press-Enterprise ...UPS and the Teamsters are still almost a full 10 months away from the expiration of their contracts. But the two sides began negotiations on Sept. 27, and both sides are hoping they can settle their differences by coming up with a tentative agreement by March 31, 2013...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
With friends like Kasich, Romney doesn't need enemies
John Kasich may be singlehandedly losing the battleground state of Ohio for Mitt Romney.
For months, the Ohio governor seemed to be hiding in the shadows. He tried and failed to destroy collective bargaining rights for government workers (you all remember the stunning defeat of SB5, right?)
We didn't hear much from Kasich for a while. But now he's campaigning for Mitt Romney -- and he's not doing him any favors.
Romney already has trouble with women voters. Kasich makes it worse by saying political spouses are home doing the laundry. And then there's his tepid endorsement of Romney, as reported by Daily Kos:
The Obama campaign says privately that they have a nine-point lead in Ohio, while conservatives admit those numbers are accurate.
It's surprising that Mitt Romney is trailing so badly given the quality of his surrogates in the state:Heh-heh.
[Ohio Gov. John] Kasich, meanwhile, said almost nothing positive about Romney in our conversations, other than to say his life would be better with a president who would get the federal government out of his way. “He says he’s got a 53-point plan or whatever, I don’t know,” was Kasich’s rousing endorsement of the Romney agenda.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Ohio gives corporations more control of government
Plunderbund has the story:
Since it was unveiled, SB314 has been referred to on Capitol Square as “JobsOhio II.” The bill’s other 144 pages finalize the privatization of the state’s economic development activities, a controversial move that puts billions of taxpayer dollars into the hands of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats not subject to Ohio’s ethics, public records or public meetings laws.
What does Senate Bill 314 actually do?
Finalizes the privatization of the state’s economic development activities at JobsOhio
Eliminates oversight of loans and grants issued by the state at the urging of JobsOhio
Gives the Chief Investment Officer of JobsOhio a vote to approve tax breaks that he, through JobsOhio, proposed
Eliminates the Minority Business Enterprise Loan program
Pokes holes in the state’s revolving door laws (that prevent public officials from lobbying their old agencies for a year after leaving) for the benefit of two former Kasich cabinet directors that moved over to JobsOhio
Source: PlunderBund (http://s.tt/1h40W)Read the whole thing here.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Today's Teamster News 11.16.11
Tea Party activists, non-union trade group kick off campaign for right-to-work amendment Dayton Daily News ...Rob Nichols, spokesman for GOP Gov. John Kasich, said in an email: “Now’s not the time to be taking up or considering these types of issues...”
Could 'Right-To-Work' Backfire On Republicans? theindychannel.com ...Indiana Republicans seem determined to push ahead with a so-called "right-to-work" law in the next legislative session, but the experiences of a neighboring state may cause them to rethink their strategy...
Keystone pipeline builder proposes changing Nebraska route Los Angeles Times ...The builders of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline agreed Monday to reroute it around Nebraska's ecologically fragile Sandhills in the hope the move would shorten any delay in the project, which has posed political complications for the Obama administration...
Teamsters Vote Official Support of Occupy Wall Street IBT ...The General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters unanimously passed a resolution today supporting the right of protesters at Occupy Wall Street to assemble at Liberty Park...
Protesters vow to fight on after return to NY park AFP ...Protesters have flooded back into the New York park where police demolished their two-month-old tent camp, vowing to step up the Occupy Wall Street campaign despite a ban on camping out there...
Contagion grips euro zone debt markets Reuters ...Europe's government debt market was hit again on Wednesday, with Italy's borrowing costs above the 7 percent level widely viewed as unsustainable despite the European Central Bank buying up its bonds...
Could 'Right-To-Work' Backfire On Republicans? theindychannel.com ...Indiana Republicans seem determined to push ahead with a so-called "right-to-work" law in the next legislative session, but the experiences of a neighboring state may cause them to rethink their strategy...
Keystone pipeline builder proposes changing Nebraska route Los Angeles Times ...The builders of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline agreed Monday to reroute it around Nebraska's ecologically fragile Sandhills in the hope the move would shorten any delay in the project, which has posed political complications for the Obama administration...
Teamsters Vote Official Support of Occupy Wall Street IBT ...The General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters unanimously passed a resolution today supporting the right of protesters at Occupy Wall Street to assemble at Liberty Park...
Protesters vow to fight on after return to NY park AFP ...Protesters have flooded back into the New York park where police demolished their two-month-old tent camp, vowing to step up the Occupy Wall Street campaign despite a ban on camping out there...
Contagion grips euro zone debt markets Reuters ...Europe's government debt market was hit again on Wednesday, with Italy's borrowing costs above the 7 percent level widely viewed as unsustainable despite the European Central Bank buying up its bonds...
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Kasich stumps for SB5 wearing shirt from snooty male-only country club
This just in: ThinkProgress reports on a story that just makes your head spin.
Corporate stooge Ohio Gov. John Kasich was campaigning for his anti-union bill while wearing a shirt bearing the insignia of the Pine Valley Golf Club, which discriminates against women (and, we presume, middle-class Americans). Reports ThinkProgress:
Described as one of the “most exclusive” clubs in the world, Pine Valley Golf Club in Camden, New Jersey is “male-only membership” that is offered “by invitation from the board of directors only.” The membership list is “a closely guarded secret” and women wishing to play the course are permitted only on Sunday afternoons.
Indeed, when asked what was on his bucket list of golf courses, former President Bill Clinton noted that he was invited to to Pine Valley but never played because “I have a wife and daughter that don’t like the No Women policy.” Kasich, who has a wife and two daughters, seemingly does not share that same concern.File it away under "Just What Are These People Thinking?"
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Today's Teamster News 05.24.11
Apologies for the light posting -- been under the weather. Blogging will resume today.
Right-to-work veto targeted Manchester Union-Leader ...There may be other bills pending, but right-to-work is the biggest piece of business on the agenda this week...
Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators Think Progress ...Today, the non-partisan state election officials announced the success of their efforts by ordering a recall election for state GOP Sens. Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, and Luther Olsen on July 12...
Another GOP candidate in Holperin recall means 3 Republican primaries Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...A second candidate has announced that he'll run against Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) if a recall election is declared in that northern Wisconsin Senate district...
Wisconsin elections board certifies Supreme Court recount win for Prosser Associated Press ...The Wisconsin board that certifies elections declared Monday that a recount had confirmed state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in the hard-fought April 5 election many saw as a referendum on polarizing union rights legislation...
Kasich doesn't expect rising state revenue to ease budget cuts The Columbus Dispatch ...Even if revenue improves, local governments and schools should not expect much relief from the cuts proposed in the two-year state budget, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday as he again stressed the need for governments to become more efficient...
Road builders turn up pressure on Scott Post on Politics ...Road builders are upping the pressure on Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Legislature’s decision to pull $150 million out of the state’s transportation trust fund and scatter it across the budget, filling holes...
Petitions for Snyder recall to circulate Detroit News ...A group seeking the recall of Gov. Rick Snyder is to begin collecting signatures today as the Michigan Republican Party begins a fundraising campaign to fight the effort....
Right-to-work veto targeted Manchester Union-Leader ...There may be other bills pending, but right-to-work is the biggest piece of business on the agenda this week...
Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators Think Progress ...Today, the non-partisan state election officials announced the success of their efforts by ordering a recall election for state GOP Sens. Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, and Luther Olsen on July 12...
Another GOP candidate in Holperin recall means 3 Republican primaries Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...A second candidate has announced that he'll run against Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) if a recall election is declared in that northern Wisconsin Senate district...
Wisconsin elections board certifies Supreme Court recount win for Prosser Associated Press ...The Wisconsin board that certifies elections declared Monday that a recount had confirmed state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in the hard-fought April 5 election many saw as a referendum on polarizing union rights legislation...
Kasich doesn't expect rising state revenue to ease budget cuts The Columbus Dispatch ...Even if revenue improves, local governments and schools should not expect much relief from the cuts proposed in the two-year state budget, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday as he again stressed the need for governments to become more efficient...
Road builders turn up pressure on Scott Post on Politics ...Road builders are upping the pressure on Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Legislature’s decision to pull $150 million out of the state’s transportation trust fund and scatter it across the budget, filling holes...
Petitions for Snyder recall to circulate Detroit News ...A group seeking the recall of Gov. Rick Snyder is to begin collecting signatures today as the Michigan Republican Party begins a fundraising campaign to fight the effort....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)