TEAMSTERS
Hoffa Says Release of TPP Text Does Little to Allay Workers' Concerns About Deal Teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa in response to the White House today releasing the text of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a deal which would lead to tens of thousands of U.S. jobs being shipped overseas and lower wages for many Americans: "While we are pleased that Congress and the public will now be able to see the entire text of this massive agreement, viewing it in person will not make it any better for U.S. workers"...
Hoffa: Safety Can't Be Compromised as Part of Transportation Funding Bill Huffington Post ...Congress is on the cusp of doing something it hasn't done in more than a decade - approve a long-term highway bill. A bipartisan collection of lawmakers in both the House and Senate should be lauded for the difficult work they have accomplished thus far in attempting to enact a six-year funding measure. This includes rejecting an amendment that would have allowed heavier trucks on the nation's thoroughfares...
House Moves Multi-Year Transportation Bill Forward, but Concerns for Drivers Remain Teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa after the House today overwhelming approved a six-year, $340 billion transportation funding bill that would invest in much-needed infrastructure improvements while protecting motorists from heavier trucks on the road:
“A bipartisan collection of lawmakers came together today to back a long-term plan for transportation"...
Teamsters Local 700 Stands Up for Firefighters and Paramedics Teamster.org ...Teamsters Local 700 represents 31 hardworking firefighters and paramedics at the Summit Fire Department whose jobs are on the line as the Village of Summit threatens to outsource their services to nearby Bedford Park. Local 700 filed a complaint on Oct. 27 with the Illinois Labor Relations Board against the Village of Summit for violating the collective bargaining agreement...
Pennsylvanians Elect Teamster-Endorsed Judges Throughout Court System PR Newswire ...Pennsylvania's working families won a major victory at the polls on Nov. 3 when voters elected judges throughout the court system that were endorsed by labor unions across the state. The results sent a strong message to special interest groups that poured millions into the state to support anti-union and anti-worker candidates – Pennsylvania's courts are not for sale...
BMWED/Teamsters Holds Advanced Officer Education Program Teamster.org ...Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED) members from several System Federations gathered once again in Hendersonville, Tenn. to participate in the BMWED two-week Advanced Officer Education Program this past July. The educational courses take place at Volunteer State Community College, with curriculum focused on union-specific subjects...
Teamsters Address Outstanding Contract Proposals With Coke, Company Cuts Meeting Short Local 727 ...Even before contract negotiations resumed on Thursday, November 5, Coca-Cola representatives made it clear to Teamsters Local 727 they had to cut the day short. Management kicked off the morning by addressing just one lone provision among its dense and varied contract proposals. The company initially offered no movement or other specifics regarding the remaining proposals on the table...
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
21 Workers Die in Pakistan Factory Collapse; Many Missing Solidarity Center ...Workers once again gave their lives for their jobs when a plastic bag factory collapsed in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday, killing at least 21 and injuring dozens. Between 150 and 200 workers, including child laborers, were in the factory when the building collapsed. Rescuers, who mostly include members of the Pakistan Army, report hearing voices in the rubble, and family members say they have received calls from relatives trapped in the debris...
Obama tells Congress he will sign TPP The Hill ...President Obama notified Congress on Thursday that he intends to sign a broad trade agreement spanning from Asia to Latin America. The president’s notification was expected soon after the final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was released around 3:30 a.m. Thursday. The message kicks off a period of at least 90 days before Obama can sign the agreement...
Obama Faces Tough Battle In House To Pass TPP Forbes ...President Obama now faces probably his toughest political challenge since passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2009 – persuading Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Republicans, who have been reliable yes votes on free trade agreements since the beginning of time, aren’t so sure about this one...
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): ‘Worse Than We Thought’. A Total Corporate Power Grab Nightmare Global Research ...As expert analysis of the long-shrouded, newly publicized Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) final text continued to roll out on Thursday, consensus formed around one fundamental assessment of the 12-nation pact: It’s worse than we thought. In fact, Public Citizen charged, the TPP rolls back past public interest reforms to the U.S. trade model while expanding problematic provisions demanded by the hundreds of official U.S. corporate trade advisers...
Civil Society Reacts to Finally-Released TPP Text CTC ...The United States formally entered into negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in February 2008. For years afterwards, the public had to rely on leaked documents to learn what U.S. negotiators were proposing in our names. On November 5, 2015, text for the TPP was officially released for the first time. Within hours, a broad range of civil society organizations representing the labor, environmental, family farm, consumer, LGBT and other social movements issued statements...
TPP nations agree to abstain from currency wars Japan Times ...The dozen countries that signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership have committed to refraining from competitive currency devaluations and to being transparent about their exchange-rate policies, the U.S. said. Negotiators for Pacific Rim nations including Japan, Australia and Vietnam agreed last month to the deal...
TPP Caves to the Tobacco Industry, Threatens Public Health CPATH ...The vacuous “tobacco control” provision in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) virtually capitulates to the demands of multinational tobacco corporations, jeopardizing nations’ health and economic welfare. Public health and medical advocates in the U.S. and abroad consistently urged negotiators to exclude tobacco control protections from trade challenges under the TPP...
As US Promotes TPP As A Way To Improve Labor Standards, Guatemala Shows Failed Promises Of Previous Trade Deals IBTimes ...When the country joined the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2006, proponents of the deal said it would improve conditions for workers, raise wages and make it easier for laborers to organize. Seven years later, Guatemala was named the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. Supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are making many of the same promises...
Mass European Protest against TTIP corporate Takeover: EU Commission Sanctions “Revolution Against Law” Global Research ...The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has its objectors – mainly the citizens of the countries involved in what can only be seen as confirmation of a corporate takeover. Governments have confirmed that democracy is no longer a principle worth pursuing. Three million citizens have signed a petition voicing their opposition, of which 500,000 were from Britain alone...
Canada’s Montreal hit with massive student anti-austerity protest RT ...A few thousand students marched through the streets of Montreal protesting the Canadian government’s austerity measures and calling for “a massive reinvestment in public services.” Around 2,000 members of a local student organization ASSÉ (Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante) took part in a large demonstration against what they call the “pillaging of public services” by Quebec’s provincial government...
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
Pennsylvania Supreme Court sweep gives Democrats legislative redistricting control Daily Kos ...In what was by far the most important victory of the night, Democrats swept three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, giving them a five to two majority; previously, Republicans had controlled the bench three to two, with two vacancies. This victory isn't simply about ensuring a more just court, though undoubtedly the cause of fairness will benefit greatly. It will also have an enormous impact on the next round of legislative redistricting...
Failed prevailing wage repeal petition drive prompts calls for investigation, prosecution MLive ...A group seeking to repeal Michigan's prevailing wage law turned in an estimated 161,781 invalid signatures, prompting rejection by the Board of State Canvassers and calls for investigation, prosecution and a review of circulator laws. The board officially killed the petition drive Thursday afternoon...
Reform Wins: Ohio Bans Gerrymandering While Maine and Seattle Bust Big Money The Nation ... In Ohio, 71 percent of voters backed Issue 1, a constitutional amendment to ban partisan gerrymandering and establish a bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw legislative district lines that promote real competition. In Maine, 55 percent of voters backed a proposal to dramatically strengthen the state’s 19-year-old old Clean Elections system...
Activists in Portland and beyond fight for $15 minimum wage Oregon Live ...The latest minimum-wage movement caught fire in New York City in 2012, when a couple of hundred fast-food workers walked off the job and demanded higher pay. Since then, their $15-an-hour rallying cry has reverberated across the country. In the Northwest, local leaders say Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, a socialist elected in 2013 on a platform that included a $15-an-hour minimum, sparked action...
Elizabeth joins municipal paid sick leave movement NJ Biz ...Earlier this week, Elizabeth became New Jersey's 10th municipality to pass a paid sick leave initiative after voters approved a ballot-box question. The new ordinance will largely mirror those that have come before it in other New Jersey municipalities, allowing private-sector workers the ability to accrue up to an hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, with a 40-hour-per-year cap for workers at businesses with 10 or more employees...
U.S. LABOR
Sweet Relief: A Strong October Jobs Report The Atlantic ...After three consecutive months of disappointing jobs reports, October finally delivered the strong numbers economists had been hoping for. The report from the Labor Department shows that the unemployment rate fell to 5 percent, and the economy added 271,000 jobs in October—beating expectations of 180,000. That’s the strongest showing in 2015 thus far...
GM and UAW Come to Agreement US News & World Report ...United Auto Workers union members at General Motors appear poised to approve a new four-year contract with the company. Workers at two union locals at a huge factory in Lordstown, Ohio, east of Cleveland, and at an SUV assembly plant near Lansing, Michigan, voted overwhelmingly for the deal on Friday. Glenn Johnson, president of one of two locals at the sprawling Lordstown complex that makes the Chevrolet Cruze, said 72 percent of 3,000 workers at the assembly plant voted yes...
Kaiser mental health workers set to strike Nov. 16 SF Gate ...Nearly 1,400 Kaiser mental health workers in Northern California will walk off their jobs Nov. 16 to protest what union officials say are too few mental health care employees to meet patient demand. The workers — psychologists, social workers and therapists — criticize Kaiser’s management, which they say understaffs mental health services...
ATI to terminate health insurance for 2,200 USW workers at end of November Ellwood City Ledger ...The United Steelworkers have claimed in a posting on their website that Allegheny Technologies will terminate healthcare coverage for all of the 2,200 locked out union workers at the end of November. USW representatives said ATI recently mailed a letter to the homes of all locked out union workers detailing its intent to cut insurance benefits on Nov. 30...
3 Depressing Findings From A Huge New Study Of The Gender Pay Gap Think Progress ...On the whole, the average woman with a year-round full-time job can expect to make just 79 percent of what a man doing the same makes in a year. There are many factors that go into the disparity. But new data released from PayScale on Thursday tells a different story. Even with all of the variables taken into consideration, women in the survey made 2.7 percent less than men...
Now White People Are Dying From Our Terrible Economic Policies, Too The Nation ... A demographic analysis of public health trends in recent years shows that middle-aged whites are living more miserable and sicker lives—and also appear to be dying at a higher rate. From 1999 to 2013, Princeton University researchers observed a disturbing jump in deaths among whites aged 45 to 54...
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
Austerity’s Grim Legacy New York Times ...The Obama administration and its counterparts realized that in a slumping economy budget deficits were helpful, not harmful. And the money-printing and borrowing worked: A repeat of the Great Depression, which seemed all too possible at the time, was avoided. Then it all went wrong. And the consequences of the wrong turn we took look worse now than the harshest critics of conventional wisdom ever imagined....
With the "Robin Hood Tax," a Grassroots Movement Seeks to Bring Wall Street to Heel Truthout ...Across the country, movements are rising up to challenge politicians who balance public budgets on the backs of working people instead of taxing corporations. "Municipal frugality" and "shared sacrifice" are examples of the political doublespeak and hypocrisy that governments employ while the 1% hoards its record levels of wealth...
Obama to reject Keystone XL pipeline in victory for environmental activists The Guardian ...Barack Obama is expected on Friday to reject a proposal from TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline through the American heartland, the Guardian has learned. The decision, to be announced with US secretary of state John Kerry from the White House, ends years of review and debate about the project...
Locked Up & Neglected After Fleeing Danger, Immigrant Women Detainees Launch Hunger Strike in Texas Democracy Now ...Last week, 27 immigrant women detained at the for-profit T. Don Hutto facility in Austin began refusing meals, demanding an end to mistreatment and their immediate release. Most are asylum seekers from Central America, which has seen a surge in migrants fleeing violence and abuse. The detainees said they’ve faced threats and unjustified surveillance as they languish in custody without hope of freedom...
Showing posts with label Local 700. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Local 700. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Today's Teamsters News 07.02.15
Teamsters
Hoffa: A Blueprint for Getting America Back on Track Huffington Post ...The American economy is not working. As the Teamsters have stated repeatedly, there needs to be a commitment to boost and expand America's middle class. The Roosevelt Institute, of which I am a board member, recently released a detailed blueprint called "Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy" authored by its renowned chief economist Joseph Stiglitz in an effort to tame income inequality...
Teamsters Joined By Community, Labor Allies to Denounce EVSC Union Busting Teamster.org ...Teamsters, community leaders and labor allies are joining together to denounce union-busting efforts by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC). Just under 700 workers represented by Teamsters Local 215 are seeking a fair contract from EVSC, while the EVSC Board is threatening to withdraw union recognition if the union does not comply with its overreaching demands...
Teamsters, state reach agreement News Tribune ..."After several productive rounds of good faith negotiations, the Illinois Governor’s Office and Teamsters Local 700 have agreed to terms on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement expired June 30, 2015," the office of Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Wednesday. The new contract covers nearly 350 workers at IDOT, CMS, IDES, and DHS in Cook County. The employees work as highway maintainers, heavy equipment operators, and building service and maintenance workers...
Global Labor & Trade
Trade chief: Congress could get Pacific deal by year's end The Hill ...U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said Wednesday he is confident Congress will approve a massive trans-Pacific trade agreement, possibly by year’s end. Froman said the “likelihood is very high that Congress will pass” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), because it will be a strong agreement reflecting the “enormous input by Congress”...
U.S. Trade Representative Sees Pacific Trade Pact Before Congress by Year -End New York Times ...U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said he hopes to wrap up a trade deal with 11 other Pacific Rim nations soon and send it to the U.S. Congress for approval before the end of the year. Lawmakers last week granted the White House authority to close the TransPacific Partnership and other trade deals and speed them through Congress, opening the door to a phase of intense negotiations to finalize the pact...
Leaked: What’s in Obama’s trade deal Politico ...A recent draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal would give U.S. pharmaceutical firms unprecedented protections against competition from cheaper generic drugs, possibly transcending the patent protections in U.S. law. Politico has obtained a draft copy of TPP’s intellectual property chapter as it stood on May 11, at the start of the latest negotiating round in Guam...
Parliament to vote on TTIP next week Politico ...After months of internal strife, the European Parliament is set to vote next week on a disputed trade court that has emerged as the most delicate part of the EU-U.S. free trade agreement. MEPs will debate proposed changes to the Investor State Dispute Settlement provision at the plenary session on Tuesday, and will vote on Wednesday...
TISA Exposed: 'Holy Grail' of Leaks Reveals Detailed Plot for Corporate Takeover Common Dreams ...WikiLeaks on Wednesday released what it described as "a modern journalistic holy grail: the secret Core Text for the largest 'trade deal' in history." That deal is the Trade in Services Agreement, or TISA, currently being negotiated by 52 nations that together account for two-thirds of global GDP. TISA "is the largest component of the United States' strategic neoliberal 'trade' treaty triumvirate," which also includes the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Pact (TTIP)...
The Undercurrent: Forget the TPP, does a secret global court spell the end of democracy? The Guardian ...With a series of murky international trade agreements like the TPP being negotiated, will a secret court give corporations the power to erode the rights of nation states? The TPP includes an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause that allows a secret court with global reach to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in...
TPP Could Actually Make Working Conditions Worse in Vietnam The Nation ...The mega trade pact is alleged to help equalize these trading “partners,” supposedly bringing Vietnamese labor protections in line with international standards. But actually, the reason businesses tend to relish free-trade agreements, and unions loathe them, is precisely that trade liberalization allows multinational brands to exploit the absence of those labor protections in poorer countries...
Trade unions hijacked Greece's Finance Ministry with a huge anti-austerity banner Business Insider ...Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is calling for the nation to vote "No" in Sunday's bailout referendum and there's a huge banner on a key public building saying the same thing. Unions may have been spurred to hang the banner following the release of Tsipras' latest letter to Greece's creditors, dated June 30, which leaked earlier today. The letter show Tsipras caving in to most of the Eurogroup's demands...
Chomsky: Greece Faces "Savage Response" For Taking on Austerity "Class War" Democracy Now ...As Greece defaults and faces a referendum this Sunday on a new bailout package, Noam Chomsky explains Europe’s "savage response" to the pushback against austerity demands: "What’s going on with the austerity is really class war. As an economic program, austerity, under recession, makes no sense. It just makes the situation worse. So the Greek debt, relative to GDP, has actually gone up during the period"...
Unions may take MTN strike abroad BDLIve ...Strike action at the country’s second-biggest mobile operator, MTN, continues, with some Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) affiliates on Wednesday threatening to escalate the industrial action into an international boycott. The boycott hinges on whether MTN accedes to the demands made by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
Strike Hits 9 Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstores In Ontario Huffington Post ...A strike is under way at nine stores in southwestern Ontario owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. Workers walked out at midnight at three Zehrs Great Foods outlets in Windsor and another in nearby Kingsville, and at two Real Canadian Superstore outlets in Windsor and at stores in Chatham, Leamingston and Sarnia. The United Food and Commercial Workers union says 1,600 workers represented by Locals 175 and 633 are involved in the legal strike...
State & Living Wage Battles
Voter ID Education Efforts Begin in Earnest in Wisconsin WUWM ...Presidential campaigns won’t be the only ones vying for voters’ attention as next year’s elections grow near. The other campaign that will gain steam is the race to prepare people for Wisconsin’s photo ID law. This past spring, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the legal challenges to the law. That’s caused groups that fought the requirement to shift gears...
U.S. Supreme Court Accepts Case to Give 'Right-to-Work' to All Public Employees Michigan Capitol Confidential ...On the final day of its most recent session, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will consider a labor law case that experts say could dramatically limit the power of government employee unions. Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association was brought on behalf of 10 California public school teachers who sued for the right to leave their union and not still pay "agency fees." If the Supreme Court rules in their favor, it could have the same effect as extending right-to-work law protections to all public employees...
Chicago implements $10 minimum wage. Other cities aim for $15 by 2020. Christian Science Monitor ...Minimum wage workers in Chicago will receive $10 an hour starting Wednesday, as a part of a long-term plan to increase pay to $13 an hour by 2019. At the same time, Washington, D.C. will implement a $10.50 an hour wage, making it the first of the states to pass the $10 threshold. And Chicago and Washington are not alone...
California Moves To Pay Professional Cheerleaders Minimum Wage Think Progress ...Thanks to what is believed to be first of its kind legislation, legal minimum wages and worker protections may be on the horizon for California’s professional cheerleaders. A bill proposed by State Rep. Lorena Gonzalez (D) in January, and approved by the Senate on Monday, requires California sports teams to adhere to state and federal minimum wage requirements and to provide overtime pay and sick leave to professional cheerleaders...
Law creates alternatives to photo ID for voting Daily Tar Heel ...As lawsuits challenging North Carolina’s 2013 voter-ID requirement continue, a recent North Carolina law will provide an alternative for voters without photo identification in future elections. The law, which Gov. Pat McCrory signed June 22, will allow for voters without a valid form of government photo identification to cast a provisional ballot after signing a reasonable impediment declaration as to why they do not have an acceptable photo ID...
Paid Sick Leave Law Takes Effect, Valley Businesses Reluctantly Comply ABC ...Working Californians not entitled to paid sick leave before are now eligible for it under state law. The right to accrue and take sick leave starts today, and while that's good news for working Californians, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce says local businesses are reluctantly beginning to implement it...
Prevailing Wage Expires in West Virginia WSAZ ...July 1 marked the end of prevailing wage in West Virginia, at least temporarily. For contractors like Jeffries, the wages his workers receive can vary -- at least for now. "At Cornerstone Interiors, we've had four people already quit," said Jeffries, "and have left to find a stable market somewhere." Those four are part of the roughly 10,000 employees the state's labor department says could be affected...
U.S. Labor
U.S. Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs; Unemployment at 5.3% New York Times ...The American economy entered the summer powered by a decent head of steam, as employers added 223,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent. After bottoming out in March as the overall economy stalled, hiring has rebounded in recent months along with other indicators like home sales and consumer spending...
Wages Are Stagnant Even As The Unemployment Rate Keeps Falling Think Progress ...While analysts had expected strong wage growth, there was no change over the month before and wages have grown just 2 percent year over year. June job growth was led by professional and business services (64,000), health care (40,000), retail (33,000), food and drinking places (30,000) and financial activities (20,000). Food and drinking places in particular have added 355,000 jobs over the last year, while retail has added 300,000...
Construction stops at about 30 sites as union concrete workers strike Crains New York ...Construction partially ground to a halt at an estimated 30 major sites across the city Wednesday morning after a group of concrete workers went on strike. Among the stalled sites are the Related Companies' massive Hudson Yards project and Time Equities' 50 West St. condo tower. The workers belong to a union umbrella group called the New York City District Council of Carpenters...
USW employees at ATI still working under contract extension Observer-Reporter ...Unionized members at Allegheny Technologies Inc. plants in Pennsylvania – including its Allegheny Ludlum plant in Canton Township – and in three other states, went to work Wednesday under a contract extension as negotiations on a new agreement continued. Late Tuesday, the United Steelworkers offered to continue working following the expiration of the previous labor agreement...
Teachers Say 17 Firings at Urban Prep Charter Schools Were Retaliation for Unionization In These Times ...On June 19, during their biannual semester-end interviews, 17 teachers were informed by school staff that they would not be returning to Chicago’s Urban Prep Academy come fall. The terminations came just weeks after 61 percent of Urban Prep’s teachers voted to form a union; activists say the firings were a blatant act of anti-union retaliation...
Denouncing 'Corporate Democrats,' Labor Leader Joins Sanders Campaign Common Dreams ...Larry Cohen, the labor leader and outgoing president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), is officially backing Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign—at least in part thanks to Hillary Clinton. Cohen told the Huffington Post on Wednesday that he made his choice after Clinton, who is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, continued to evade questions from the media and consumer watchdogs over her stance on Trade Promotion Authority...
Miscellaneous
Donald Trump's comments on immigration complicate GOP's 'Latino problem' LA Times ...When Donald Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug-runners during his presidential announcement, the slurs were initially dismissed as just another outrageous pronouncement from the blustery billionaire. But as Latinos reel in anger and celebrities and corporate sponsors drop their associations with Trump, the Republican Party's other presidential hopefuls face an increasingly uncomfortable choice...
Why We Still Need Affirmative Action Policies In College Admissions Think Progress ...In the past few years, there has been more criticism of affirmative action policies in admissions programs. The idea is that colleges should only consider class because income inequality is becoming worse. But sociologists point out that there are plenty of reasons why affirmative action policies should continue and not be focused only on class differences. There are also many misconceptions about how affirmative action policies work...
"A New Chapter": After Half a Century, U.S. and Cuba Unveil Reopening of Embassies & Restored Ties Democracy Now ...The United States and Cuba have announced they will reopen embassies in each other’s capitals and formally re-establish diplomatic relations. Secretary of State John Kerry said he will travel to Havana to open the U.S. Embassy there. In a statement, the Cuban government said relations with the United States cannot be considered normalized until trade sanctions are lifted, the naval base at Guantánamo Bay is returned, and U.S.-backed programs aimed at "subversion and internal destabilization" are halted...
Black Churches Are Burning Again in America The Atlantic ...These fires join the murder of nine people at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church as major acts of violence perpetrated against predominantly black churches in the last fortnight. Churches are burning again in the United States, and the symbolism of that is powerful. Even though many instances of arson have happened at white churches, the crime is often association with racial violence...
Hoffa: A Blueprint for Getting America Back on Track Huffington Post ...The American economy is not working. As the Teamsters have stated repeatedly, there needs to be a commitment to boost and expand America's middle class. The Roosevelt Institute, of which I am a board member, recently released a detailed blueprint called "Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy" authored by its renowned chief economist Joseph Stiglitz in an effort to tame income inequality...
Teamsters Joined By Community, Labor Allies to Denounce EVSC Union Busting Teamster.org ...Teamsters, community leaders and labor allies are joining together to denounce union-busting efforts by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC). Just under 700 workers represented by Teamsters Local 215 are seeking a fair contract from EVSC, while the EVSC Board is threatening to withdraw union recognition if the union does not comply with its overreaching demands...
Teamsters, state reach agreement News Tribune ..."After several productive rounds of good faith negotiations, the Illinois Governor’s Office and Teamsters Local 700 have agreed to terms on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement expired June 30, 2015," the office of Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Wednesday. The new contract covers nearly 350 workers at IDOT, CMS, IDES, and DHS in Cook County. The employees work as highway maintainers, heavy equipment operators, and building service and maintenance workers...
Global Labor & Trade
Trade chief: Congress could get Pacific deal by year's end The Hill ...U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said Wednesday he is confident Congress will approve a massive trans-Pacific trade agreement, possibly by year’s end. Froman said the “likelihood is very high that Congress will pass” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), because it will be a strong agreement reflecting the “enormous input by Congress”...
U.S. Trade Representative Sees Pacific Trade Pact Before Congress by Year -End New York Times ...U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said he hopes to wrap up a trade deal with 11 other Pacific Rim nations soon and send it to the U.S. Congress for approval before the end of the year. Lawmakers last week granted the White House authority to close the TransPacific Partnership and other trade deals and speed them through Congress, opening the door to a phase of intense negotiations to finalize the pact...
Leaked: What’s in Obama’s trade deal Politico ...A recent draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal would give U.S. pharmaceutical firms unprecedented protections against competition from cheaper generic drugs, possibly transcending the patent protections in U.S. law. Politico has obtained a draft copy of TPP’s intellectual property chapter as it stood on May 11, at the start of the latest negotiating round in Guam...
Parliament to vote on TTIP next week Politico ...After months of internal strife, the European Parliament is set to vote next week on a disputed trade court that has emerged as the most delicate part of the EU-U.S. free trade agreement. MEPs will debate proposed changes to the Investor State Dispute Settlement provision at the plenary session on Tuesday, and will vote on Wednesday...
TISA Exposed: 'Holy Grail' of Leaks Reveals Detailed Plot for Corporate Takeover Common Dreams ...WikiLeaks on Wednesday released what it described as "a modern journalistic holy grail: the secret Core Text for the largest 'trade deal' in history." That deal is the Trade in Services Agreement, or TISA, currently being negotiated by 52 nations that together account for two-thirds of global GDP. TISA "is the largest component of the United States' strategic neoliberal 'trade' treaty triumvirate," which also includes the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Pact (TTIP)...
The Undercurrent: Forget the TPP, does a secret global court spell the end of democracy? The Guardian ...With a series of murky international trade agreements like the TPP being negotiated, will a secret court give corporations the power to erode the rights of nation states? The TPP includes an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause that allows a secret court with global reach to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in...
TPP Could Actually Make Working Conditions Worse in Vietnam The Nation ...The mega trade pact is alleged to help equalize these trading “partners,” supposedly bringing Vietnamese labor protections in line with international standards. But actually, the reason businesses tend to relish free-trade agreements, and unions loathe them, is precisely that trade liberalization allows multinational brands to exploit the absence of those labor protections in poorer countries...
Trade unions hijacked Greece's Finance Ministry with a huge anti-austerity banner Business Insider ...Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is calling for the nation to vote "No" in Sunday's bailout referendum and there's a huge banner on a key public building saying the same thing. Unions may have been spurred to hang the banner following the release of Tsipras' latest letter to Greece's creditors, dated June 30, which leaked earlier today. The letter show Tsipras caving in to most of the Eurogroup's demands...
Chomsky: Greece Faces "Savage Response" For Taking on Austerity "Class War" Democracy Now ...As Greece defaults and faces a referendum this Sunday on a new bailout package, Noam Chomsky explains Europe’s "savage response" to the pushback against austerity demands: "What’s going on with the austerity is really class war. As an economic program, austerity, under recession, makes no sense. It just makes the situation worse. So the Greek debt, relative to GDP, has actually gone up during the period"...
Unions may take MTN strike abroad BDLIve ...Strike action at the country’s second-biggest mobile operator, MTN, continues, with some Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) affiliates on Wednesday threatening to escalate the industrial action into an international boycott. The boycott hinges on whether MTN accedes to the demands made by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
Strike Hits 9 Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstores In Ontario Huffington Post ...A strike is under way at nine stores in southwestern Ontario owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. Workers walked out at midnight at three Zehrs Great Foods outlets in Windsor and another in nearby Kingsville, and at two Real Canadian Superstore outlets in Windsor and at stores in Chatham, Leamingston and Sarnia. The United Food and Commercial Workers union says 1,600 workers represented by Locals 175 and 633 are involved in the legal strike...
State & Living Wage Battles
Voter ID Education Efforts Begin in Earnest in Wisconsin WUWM ...Presidential campaigns won’t be the only ones vying for voters’ attention as next year’s elections grow near. The other campaign that will gain steam is the race to prepare people for Wisconsin’s photo ID law. This past spring, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the legal challenges to the law. That’s caused groups that fought the requirement to shift gears...
U.S. Supreme Court Accepts Case to Give 'Right-to-Work' to All Public Employees Michigan Capitol Confidential ...On the final day of its most recent session, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will consider a labor law case that experts say could dramatically limit the power of government employee unions. Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association was brought on behalf of 10 California public school teachers who sued for the right to leave their union and not still pay "agency fees." If the Supreme Court rules in their favor, it could have the same effect as extending right-to-work law protections to all public employees...
Chicago implements $10 minimum wage. Other cities aim for $15 by 2020. Christian Science Monitor ...Minimum wage workers in Chicago will receive $10 an hour starting Wednesday, as a part of a long-term plan to increase pay to $13 an hour by 2019. At the same time, Washington, D.C. will implement a $10.50 an hour wage, making it the first of the states to pass the $10 threshold. And Chicago and Washington are not alone...
California Moves To Pay Professional Cheerleaders Minimum Wage Think Progress ...Thanks to what is believed to be first of its kind legislation, legal minimum wages and worker protections may be on the horizon for California’s professional cheerleaders. A bill proposed by State Rep. Lorena Gonzalez (D) in January, and approved by the Senate on Monday, requires California sports teams to adhere to state and federal minimum wage requirements and to provide overtime pay and sick leave to professional cheerleaders...
Law creates alternatives to photo ID for voting Daily Tar Heel ...As lawsuits challenging North Carolina’s 2013 voter-ID requirement continue, a recent North Carolina law will provide an alternative for voters without photo identification in future elections. The law, which Gov. Pat McCrory signed June 22, will allow for voters without a valid form of government photo identification to cast a provisional ballot after signing a reasonable impediment declaration as to why they do not have an acceptable photo ID...
Paid Sick Leave Law Takes Effect, Valley Businesses Reluctantly Comply ABC ...Working Californians not entitled to paid sick leave before are now eligible for it under state law. The right to accrue and take sick leave starts today, and while that's good news for working Californians, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce says local businesses are reluctantly beginning to implement it...
Prevailing Wage Expires in West Virginia WSAZ ...July 1 marked the end of prevailing wage in West Virginia, at least temporarily. For contractors like Jeffries, the wages his workers receive can vary -- at least for now. "At Cornerstone Interiors, we've had four people already quit," said Jeffries, "and have left to find a stable market somewhere." Those four are part of the roughly 10,000 employees the state's labor department says could be affected...
U.S. Labor
U.S. Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs; Unemployment at 5.3% New York Times ...The American economy entered the summer powered by a decent head of steam, as employers added 223,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent. After bottoming out in March as the overall economy stalled, hiring has rebounded in recent months along with other indicators like home sales and consumer spending...
Wages Are Stagnant Even As The Unemployment Rate Keeps Falling Think Progress ...While analysts had expected strong wage growth, there was no change over the month before and wages have grown just 2 percent year over year. June job growth was led by professional and business services (64,000), health care (40,000), retail (33,000), food and drinking places (30,000) and financial activities (20,000). Food and drinking places in particular have added 355,000 jobs over the last year, while retail has added 300,000...
Construction stops at about 30 sites as union concrete workers strike Crains New York ...Construction partially ground to a halt at an estimated 30 major sites across the city Wednesday morning after a group of concrete workers went on strike. Among the stalled sites are the Related Companies' massive Hudson Yards project and Time Equities' 50 West St. condo tower. The workers belong to a union umbrella group called the New York City District Council of Carpenters...
USW employees at ATI still working under contract extension Observer-Reporter ...Unionized members at Allegheny Technologies Inc. plants in Pennsylvania – including its Allegheny Ludlum plant in Canton Township – and in three other states, went to work Wednesday under a contract extension as negotiations on a new agreement continued. Late Tuesday, the United Steelworkers offered to continue working following the expiration of the previous labor agreement...
Teachers Say 17 Firings at Urban Prep Charter Schools Were Retaliation for Unionization In These Times ...On June 19, during their biannual semester-end interviews, 17 teachers were informed by school staff that they would not be returning to Chicago’s Urban Prep Academy come fall. The terminations came just weeks after 61 percent of Urban Prep’s teachers voted to form a union; activists say the firings were a blatant act of anti-union retaliation...
Denouncing 'Corporate Democrats,' Labor Leader Joins Sanders Campaign Common Dreams ...Larry Cohen, the labor leader and outgoing president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), is officially backing Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign—at least in part thanks to Hillary Clinton. Cohen told the Huffington Post on Wednesday that he made his choice after Clinton, who is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, continued to evade questions from the media and consumer watchdogs over her stance on Trade Promotion Authority...
Miscellaneous
Donald Trump's comments on immigration complicate GOP's 'Latino problem' LA Times ...When Donald Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug-runners during his presidential announcement, the slurs were initially dismissed as just another outrageous pronouncement from the blustery billionaire. But as Latinos reel in anger and celebrities and corporate sponsors drop their associations with Trump, the Republican Party's other presidential hopefuls face an increasingly uncomfortable choice...
Why We Still Need Affirmative Action Policies In College Admissions Think Progress ...In the past few years, there has been more criticism of affirmative action policies in admissions programs. The idea is that colleges should only consider class because income inequality is becoming worse. But sociologists point out that there are plenty of reasons why affirmative action policies should continue and not be focused only on class differences. There are also many misconceptions about how affirmative action policies work...
"A New Chapter": After Half a Century, U.S. and Cuba Unveil Reopening of Embassies & Restored Ties Democracy Now ...The United States and Cuba have announced they will reopen embassies in each other’s capitals and formally re-establish diplomatic relations. Secretary of State John Kerry said he will travel to Havana to open the U.S. Embassy there. In a statement, the Cuban government said relations with the United States cannot be considered normalized until trade sanctions are lifted, the naval base at Guantánamo Bay is returned, and U.S.-backed programs aimed at "subversion and internal destabilization" are halted...
Black Churches Are Burning Again in America The Atlantic ...These fires join the murder of nine people at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church as major acts of violence perpetrated against predominantly black churches in the last fortnight. Churches are burning again in the United States, and the symbolism of that is powerful. Even though many instances of arson have happened at white churches, the crime is often association with racial violence...
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Today's Teamster News 11.11.14
Teamster News
Teamsters To Cytec: Stop This Dangerous Lockout teamster.org ...Since August 24, Cytec has locked out more than 200 skilled local workers without pay after the workers protested Cytec’s plans to freeze their pensions, significantly increase their health care costs, and cut retiree health care for new hires. Cytec also stopped paying workers’ family health care premiums...
Teamsters Local 700 President Becky Strzechowski Comments On Sun-Times Ad teamster.org ..."What is unfortunate is that the Sheriff's Department fails to acknowledge
problems like understaffing, lack of training and lack of safety equipment for officers in the jail
unless they read an ad in the paper.”...
Teamster Locals Gather For 2014 Dairy Conference & Food Processing Division Seminar teamster.org ...Dozens of principal officers and business agents from Teamster locals around the country are meeting this week in San Diego for the annual conference and seminar of the Teamsters Dairy Conference and Food Processing Division...
NLRB Judge Orders McKesson To Reinstate Fired Teamster Employees teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters applauds last week’s decision issued by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judge Keltner W. Locke ordering McKesson to immediately reinstate fired workers and to stop soliciting employees to decertify their union...
First Student Bus Service Breakthrough May Be Imminent Savannah Morning News ...Wednesday, Mayo told the school board he will be negotiating with the Teamsters this week and believes he has a plan that will resolve the threat of a strike...
Newly Unionized Lackawanna County Public Defenders Looking For First Contract Scranton Times Tribune ...The attorneys first became Teamsters in spring 2013, when nine of 10 assistant public defenders voted in favor of organizing, said Craig Pawlik, secretary/treasurer for Teamsters Local 229...
Port Of L.A. Truck Drivers Say They Are Ready To Strike Again CalNews ...Port truck drivers urged the Harbor Commission Friday to take steps against companies they allege have been misclassifying them as independent contractors, stealing wages and firing dozens of workers in retaliation, while the Port of Los Angeles’s top official promised solutions are on the way. Truck drivers told Harbor Commissioners they were ready to begin striking again, saying they have been retaliated against by their employers even after they stopped picketing this summer at the request of Mayor Eric Garcetti...
CN, Teamsters Rail Conference Continue To Negotiate New Locomotive Engineer Contract Progressive Railroading ...Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) negotiators are trying to establish a new negotiating process with CN officials that would prevent a work stoppage or service interruption if the parties fail to reach a new agreement, union leaders announced last week...
Trade
European Commission Served With Lawsuit Over TTIP And Ceta Negotiations International Business Times ...A group of anti-free trade groups have filed a lawsuit against the European Commission over its failure to publically review its policy over two wide-reaching trade deals...
Najib: TPP negotiations to enter final phase early next year The Rakyat Post ...Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says that all 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have agreed for the final round of negotiations to be held early next year...
State Battles
UAW says recognition near at Tennessee VW plant Associated Press ...The United Auto Workers union is hailing a new Volkswagen policy as a vehicle to soon gain representation of workers at its first foreign auto plant in the South. Not so fast, says a group of workers who orchestrated a narrow defeat of the UAW...
Study: 37 percent of Hoosier families struggle to meet basic needs NWI Times ...Nearly 4 in 10 Hoosiers, including some 70,000 Lake County households and 17,000 in Porter County, are struggling to afford their basic needs due in large part to inadequate job earnings...
AOL Becomes Latest Tech Giant to Flee From ALEC National Journal ...The departure makes AOL the latest in a remarkable wave of tech giants to recently separate from the conservative nonprofit...
War on Workers
Food costs eating into consumers' saving at the pump as holidays near Reuters ...higher food costs are eating into or eclipsing savings from gasoline, and a $2 billion jump in spending could be a much smaller bump after food inflation is taken into account....
Forget the 1% The Economist ...The 16,000 families making up the richest 0.01%, with an average net worth of $371m, now control 11.2% of total wealth—back to the 1916 share, which is the highest on record...
As Coal Jobs Vanish, Laid-Off Workers Struggle To Find Comparable Wages Associated Press ...Thousands have lost their jobs in the coal industry, and free classes funded by federal money help only a fraction of them...
Younger Generation Faces A Savings Deficit Wall Street Journal ...Adults under age 35—the so-called millennial generation—currently have a savings rate of negative 2%, meaning they are burning through their assets or going into debt....
Protesters In Teaneck Call For Safer Rail Cars To Transport Oil NorthJersey.com ...Three dozen protesters rallied Sunday on a bridge over CSX rail tracks that carry an estimated 30 million gallons of highly explosive North Dakota crude oil each week through Bergen County towns, demanding an end to the use of rusted-out tanker cars and calling for full disclosure of the cargo and its risks...
New Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts memorial honors worker killed during construction Fox4KC ...Friends, family, and other union workers attended the memorial on behalf of Ryan Goodman, who passed away during the construction of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts five years ago...
Ebola and Inequality (opinion) Project Syndicate ...We do not turn to the private sector to control the spread of a disease like Ebola...
Miscellaneous
Union Membership: Very Sexy The Atlantic ...Who knew that a union card was a turn-on? Well, that might not be literally the case, but a new study finds that for men, union membership can boost their chances of getting hitched...
Teamsters To Cytec: Stop This Dangerous Lockout teamster.org ...Since August 24, Cytec has locked out more than 200 skilled local workers without pay after the workers protested Cytec’s plans to freeze their pensions, significantly increase their health care costs, and cut retiree health care for new hires. Cytec also stopped paying workers’ family health care premiums...
Teamsters Local 700 President Becky Strzechowski Comments On Sun-Times Ad teamster.org ..."What is unfortunate is that the Sheriff's Department fails to acknowledge
problems like understaffing, lack of training and lack of safety equipment for officers in the jail
unless they read an ad in the paper.”...
Teamster Locals Gather For 2014 Dairy Conference & Food Processing Division Seminar teamster.org ...Dozens of principal officers and business agents from Teamster locals around the country are meeting this week in San Diego for the annual conference and seminar of the Teamsters Dairy Conference and Food Processing Division...
NLRB Judge Orders McKesson To Reinstate Fired Teamster Employees teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters applauds last week’s decision issued by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judge Keltner W. Locke ordering McKesson to immediately reinstate fired workers and to stop soliciting employees to decertify their union...
First Student Bus Service Breakthrough May Be Imminent Savannah Morning News ...Wednesday, Mayo told the school board he will be negotiating with the Teamsters this week and believes he has a plan that will resolve the threat of a strike...
Newly Unionized Lackawanna County Public Defenders Looking For First Contract Scranton Times Tribune ...The attorneys first became Teamsters in spring 2013, when nine of 10 assistant public defenders voted in favor of organizing, said Craig Pawlik, secretary/treasurer for Teamsters Local 229...
Port Of L.A. Truck Drivers Say They Are Ready To Strike Again CalNews ...Port truck drivers urged the Harbor Commission Friday to take steps against companies they allege have been misclassifying them as independent contractors, stealing wages and firing dozens of workers in retaliation, while the Port of Los Angeles’s top official promised solutions are on the way. Truck drivers told Harbor Commissioners they were ready to begin striking again, saying they have been retaliated against by their employers even after they stopped picketing this summer at the request of Mayor Eric Garcetti...
CN, Teamsters Rail Conference Continue To Negotiate New Locomotive Engineer Contract Progressive Railroading ...Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) negotiators are trying to establish a new negotiating process with CN officials that would prevent a work stoppage or service interruption if the parties fail to reach a new agreement, union leaders announced last week...
Trade
European Commission Served With Lawsuit Over TTIP And Ceta Negotiations International Business Times ...A group of anti-free trade groups have filed a lawsuit against the European Commission over its failure to publically review its policy over two wide-reaching trade deals...
Najib: TPP negotiations to enter final phase early next year The Rakyat Post ...Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says that all 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have agreed for the final round of negotiations to be held early next year...
State Battles
UAW says recognition near at Tennessee VW plant Associated Press ...The United Auto Workers union is hailing a new Volkswagen policy as a vehicle to soon gain representation of workers at its first foreign auto plant in the South. Not so fast, says a group of workers who orchestrated a narrow defeat of the UAW...
Study: 37 percent of Hoosier families struggle to meet basic needs NWI Times ...Nearly 4 in 10 Hoosiers, including some 70,000 Lake County households and 17,000 in Porter County, are struggling to afford their basic needs due in large part to inadequate job earnings...
AOL Becomes Latest Tech Giant to Flee From ALEC National Journal ...The departure makes AOL the latest in a remarkable wave of tech giants to recently separate from the conservative nonprofit...
War on Workers
Food costs eating into consumers' saving at the pump as holidays near Reuters ...higher food costs are eating into or eclipsing savings from gasoline, and a $2 billion jump in spending could be a much smaller bump after food inflation is taken into account....
Forget the 1% The Economist ...The 16,000 families making up the richest 0.01%, with an average net worth of $371m, now control 11.2% of total wealth—back to the 1916 share, which is the highest on record...
As Coal Jobs Vanish, Laid-Off Workers Struggle To Find Comparable Wages Associated Press ...Thousands have lost their jobs in the coal industry, and free classes funded by federal money help only a fraction of them...
Younger Generation Faces A Savings Deficit Wall Street Journal ...Adults under age 35—the so-called millennial generation—currently have a savings rate of negative 2%, meaning they are burning through their assets or going into debt....
Protesters In Teaneck Call For Safer Rail Cars To Transport Oil NorthJersey.com ...Three dozen protesters rallied Sunday on a bridge over CSX rail tracks that carry an estimated 30 million gallons of highly explosive North Dakota crude oil each week through Bergen County towns, demanding an end to the use of rusted-out tanker cars and calling for full disclosure of the cargo and its risks...
New Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts memorial honors worker killed during construction Fox4KC ...Friends, family, and other union workers attended the memorial on behalf of Ryan Goodman, who passed away during the construction of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts five years ago...
Ebola and Inequality (opinion) Project Syndicate ...We do not turn to the private sector to control the spread of a disease like Ebola...
Miscellaneous
Union Membership: Very Sexy The Atlantic ...Who knew that a union card was a turn-on? Well, that might not be literally the case, but a new study finds that for men, union membership can boost their chances of getting hitched...
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Today's Teamster News 05.20.14
Teamster News
Park Ridge Police Department Chooses Teamsters Representation teamster.org ...Teamsters Local 700’s law enforcement membership continues to expand as 40 members with the Park Ridge Police Department join the Teamsters...
Seattle Transportation Network Drivers Vote To Form Association With Teamsters teamster.org ...Uber and UberX drivers met in Tukwila, Wash., to begin the process of forming an association which will work with Teamsters Local 117 yesterday...
Trade
Dog Illnesses and Deaths Linked to Imported Pet Treats From China Alternet ...the USDA will soon allow U.S. chickens to be sent to China for processing before being shipped back to the states for human consumption...
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Another Trade Liberalization Scam Truthout ...The gathering pressure for Congress to "fast track" the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) demonstrates yet again that trade liberalization is one of the few aspects of economic policy about which there is agreement across the mainstream of the political spectrum...
Steelworkers to D.C.: Enforce our trade laws Trade Reform ...About 200 steel industry supporters and steel workers gathered at Civic Park Friday to protest the recent flood of imported steel from South Korea because it jeopardizes jobs within the city’s largest employer. The United Steelworkers Local 1899 in Granite City, which represents most of the 2,500 employees at U.S. Steel’s plant in Granite City, organized the rally because the South Korean steel imported into this country is sold below market value, making it difficult for U.S. steel mills to compete...
State Battles
More states, cities raising minimum wage USA Today ...The fast-food walkouts Thursday are part of a broader nationwide effort to raise the minimum wage for millions of low-income workers, a campaign that's notching growing success in states and cities across the USA...
Connecticut Public Retirement Plan Passes, More or Less The Baseline Scenario ...a proposal in Connecticut (would) create a new tax-preferred retirement plan that would, by default, include almost all workers who don’t currently have access to an employment-based plan (like a 401(k)). That proposal took some major steps forward when it was included in an end-of-session bill that was passed by the Connecticut legislature...the bill authorizes a feasibility study and implementation plan for the new retirement option...
War On Workers
Congratulations To The Class Of 2014, Most Indebted Ever Wall Street Journal ...As college graduates in the Class of 2014 prepare to shift their tassels and accept their diplomas, they leave school with one discouraging distinction: They're the most indebted class ever...
Credit Suisse pleads guilty to criminal charges in US tax evasion settlement The Guardian ...Credit Suisse Group has pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it helped Americans evade taxes, becoming the first bank in more than a decade to admit to a crime in the US. It will now pay a long-expected fine of $2.5bn (£1.5bn)...
It's Time to Break Up With Sallie Mae! Jobs With Justice ...Despite mounting evidence showing how Sallie Mae has been ripping off federal student loan borrowers for years, it's still possible the Department of Education will renew its multimillion-dollar contract with the shady company next month...
NSA Collects All Phone Calls from One of World’s Most Secretive Tax Havens, But Doesn’t Track That empty wheel ...NSA/DEA don’t appear to be using this facility to track money launderers...
Turkey Erupts Over Mining Tragedy; Many Blame Privatization In These Times ...Protesters, numbering in the thousands in some major cities, continued to spill into the streets throughout the week holding placards that read, "This is not an accident, it's a massacre.” In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, police intervened with tear gas and water cannons...
Occupy Wall Street Protester Cecily McMillan Sentenced To Three Months In Jail Huffington Post ...A New York City judge sentenced Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan on Monday to three months in jail and five years probation...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage US Department of Justice ...A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries...
Park Ridge Police Department Chooses Teamsters Representation teamster.org ...Teamsters Local 700’s law enforcement membership continues to expand as 40 members with the Park Ridge Police Department join the Teamsters...
Seattle Transportation Network Drivers Vote To Form Association With Teamsters teamster.org ...Uber and UberX drivers met in Tukwila, Wash., to begin the process of forming an association which will work with Teamsters Local 117 yesterday...
Trade
Dog Illnesses and Deaths Linked to Imported Pet Treats From China Alternet ...the USDA will soon allow U.S. chickens to be sent to China for processing before being shipped back to the states for human consumption...
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Another Trade Liberalization Scam Truthout ...The gathering pressure for Congress to "fast track" the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) demonstrates yet again that trade liberalization is one of the few aspects of economic policy about which there is agreement across the mainstream of the political spectrum...
Steelworkers to D.C.: Enforce our trade laws Trade Reform ...About 200 steel industry supporters and steel workers gathered at Civic Park Friday to protest the recent flood of imported steel from South Korea because it jeopardizes jobs within the city’s largest employer. The United Steelworkers Local 1899 in Granite City, which represents most of the 2,500 employees at U.S. Steel’s plant in Granite City, organized the rally because the South Korean steel imported into this country is sold below market value, making it difficult for U.S. steel mills to compete...
State Battles
More states, cities raising minimum wage USA Today ...The fast-food walkouts Thursday are part of a broader nationwide effort to raise the minimum wage for millions of low-income workers, a campaign that's notching growing success in states and cities across the USA...
Connecticut Public Retirement Plan Passes, More or Less The Baseline Scenario ...a proposal in Connecticut (would) create a new tax-preferred retirement plan that would, by default, include almost all workers who don’t currently have access to an employment-based plan (like a 401(k)). That proposal took some major steps forward when it was included in an end-of-session bill that was passed by the Connecticut legislature...the bill authorizes a feasibility study and implementation plan for the new retirement option...
War On Workers
Congratulations To The Class Of 2014, Most Indebted Ever Wall Street Journal ...As college graduates in the Class of 2014 prepare to shift their tassels and accept their diplomas, they leave school with one discouraging distinction: They're the most indebted class ever...
Credit Suisse pleads guilty to criminal charges in US tax evasion settlement The Guardian ...Credit Suisse Group has pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it helped Americans evade taxes, becoming the first bank in more than a decade to admit to a crime in the US. It will now pay a long-expected fine of $2.5bn (£1.5bn)...
It's Time to Break Up With Sallie Mae! Jobs With Justice ...Despite mounting evidence showing how Sallie Mae has been ripping off federal student loan borrowers for years, it's still possible the Department of Education will renew its multimillion-dollar contract with the shady company next month...
NSA Collects All Phone Calls from One of World’s Most Secretive Tax Havens, But Doesn’t Track That empty wheel ...NSA/DEA don’t appear to be using this facility to track money launderers...
Turkey Erupts Over Mining Tragedy; Many Blame Privatization In These Times ...Protesters, numbering in the thousands in some major cities, continued to spill into the streets throughout the week holding placards that read, "This is not an accident, it's a massacre.” In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, police intervened with tear gas and water cannons...
Occupy Wall Street Protester Cecily McMillan Sentenced To Three Months In Jail Huffington Post ...A New York City judge sentenced Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan on Monday to three months in jail and five years probation...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage US Department of Justice ...A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries...
Monday, May 19, 2014
Another Teamster organizing victory in Illinois!
They were formerly represented by the Fraternal Order of Police, but voted on May 9 to join the Teamsters.
Becky Strzechowski, president of Teamsters Local 700, said she is extremely proud to welcome the Park Ridge police officers to the union:
These hardworking men and women will now have a Union that is dedicated to protecting the rights and improving the livelihoods of our Teamsters brothers and sisters.Local 700 thanked the members of the Niles Police Department and organizers with Teamsters Joint Council 25 for their help with the organizing campaign.
Teamsters Local 700 represents more than 11,000 members, including more than 5,200 law enforcement members.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Woo-hoo! Another Teamster organizing victory in IL
Labriola is a growing company whose red-and-black delivery trucks have become a ubiquitous in Chicago. Said Local 734 President Brian Meidel,
Keep an eye out for those familiar red and black Labriola trucks driving around Chicago. The next time you see one, you’ll be passing a Teamster.Meidel said the delivery drivers at Labriola fought hard for representation, but
...by standing together, they’ve stayed the course toward a powerful Teamster contract. Local 734 has represented bakeries and bakery drivers for more than a century, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Labriola to our proud tradition.According to Joint Council 25, of which Local 734 is an affiliate,
Just days before the successful election, Teamster representatives from around Illinois rallied behind the drivers in Alsip. Teamsters Local 458M, Local 700, Local 703, Local 727, Local 731, Local 786 and other affiliates showed their solidarity for hours on the city’s south side, shaking hands and speaking with workers.Joint Council 25 President John Coli said the Labriola drivers should be incredibly proud of themselves.
As a growing Chicago company, Labriola has seen record profits in its industry. It’s gratifying to see workers claim their stake in its success and its future.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Today's Teamster News 04.03.11
Why Did the Fed Bail Out the Bank of Libya? Sen. Bernie Sanders ...“It is incomprehensible to me that while creditworthy small businesses in Vermont and throughout the country could not receive affordable loans, the Federal Reserve was providing tens of billions of dollars in credit to a bank that is substantially owned by the Central Bank of Libya,” Sanders said.
Dem Party of Wisconsin: Expect at Least Six Recall Elections firedoglake ...The chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is confident that at least six of the eight recall elections of state Senators that the party is seeking will be successful...
Wisconsin Union Law Could Be on Hold for Months Wall Street Journal ...Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's contentious union-rights law will likely be on hold for two more months under a timeline spelled out by a Dane County Circuit Court Judge on Friday—unless the state Supreme Court intervenes...
A long, hard fight awaits Ohio over Senate Bill 5: editorial Cleveland Plain Dealer ...Democrats and unions, to have any clout in Ohio, must win. Kasich, to have a future, cannot lose...
Fed. lawsuit filed over Maine labor mural removal Associated Press ...The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six plaintiffs: One organized labor representative, one workplace safety official, three artists and an attorney...
Gov. Rick Scott's policies could benefit his family's $62M investment Miami Herald ...Scott has aggressively pursued policies like testing state workers and welfare recipients for drugs, switching Medicaid patients to private HMOs and shrinking public health clinics. All these changes could benefit that $62 million investment...
The Big March Job Report Celebration Beat the Press ...As noted above, 216,000 jobs is not especially impressive, especially given the depth of the hole that our economic policymakers put us in...
City of Chicago Grossly Overestimates Absentee Rate by Roughly 900 Percent IBT ...The actual number of Teamsters Local 700-represented City of Chicago employees who call in sick every day is roughly 3 percent...
Dem Party of Wisconsin: Expect at Least Six Recall Elections firedoglake ...The chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is confident that at least six of the eight recall elections of state Senators that the party is seeking will be successful...
Wisconsin Union Law Could Be on Hold for Months Wall Street Journal ...Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's contentious union-rights law will likely be on hold for two more months under a timeline spelled out by a Dane County Circuit Court Judge on Friday—unless the state Supreme Court intervenes...
A long, hard fight awaits Ohio over Senate Bill 5: editorial Cleveland Plain Dealer ...Democrats and unions, to have any clout in Ohio, must win. Kasich, to have a future, cannot lose...
Fed. lawsuit filed over Maine labor mural removal Associated Press ...The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six plaintiffs: One organized labor representative, one workplace safety official, three artists and an attorney...
Gov. Rick Scott's policies could benefit his family's $62M investment Miami Herald ...Scott has aggressively pursued policies like testing state workers and welfare recipients for drugs, switching Medicaid patients to private HMOs and shrinking public health clinics. All these changes could benefit that $62 million investment...
The Big March Job Report Celebration Beat the Press ...As noted above, 216,000 jobs is not especially impressive, especially given the depth of the hole that our economic policymakers put us in...
City of Chicago Grossly Overestimates Absentee Rate by Roughly 900 Percent IBT ...The actual number of Teamsters Local 700-represented City of Chicago employees who call in sick every day is roughly 3 percent...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Teamsters take the battle to CT, OH, CA, GA
More from Rally Girl, as she continues to collect stories from the front lines.
Cleveland, Ohio: For our brother Fred Crow, a Ready-Mix Driver and member of Local 436 in Cleveland, the attack on labor is, in his words, the last stand. That’s why he joined his Teamster brothers and sisters and fellow labor activists at a rally in Cleveland today. Carrying signs and belting chants of unity, the group let their voice be heard in Public Square. Said Crow
Sacramento, Calif.: Teamsters from Local 439 kicked ass for the working class by bringing a Teamster truck to a rally in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Local 439 was joined by members of locals 150, 70, and 853—all in California—who met with nearly 1,000 labor activists and concerned citizens at the capital. They were protesting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal that would end collective bargaining for state workers.
Said brother Marty Frates, secretary-treasurer of Local 70:
Richards and five van loads of members from his local—nearly 50 in all—showed support for Wisconsin workers at a solidarity rally in Atlanta on Wednesday. Shouting pro-union slogans, hundreds of union members from across the state converged on the steps of Georgia’s capitol to protest Walker’s proposal to end collective bargaining for state employees. Richards was also showing support for his own son, who is a public school teacher. Richards said:
Hartford, Conn.: Teamsters throughout Connecticut rallied in Hartford today to fight for collective bargaining rights and show solidarity with Wisconsin’s workers. Our brothers and sisters from Locals 671, 1035, 559, 443 and 1150 joined with other labor activists and trade unionists at the state’s capitol building to denounce Walker's anti-union plan to strip state workers of their rights to bargain collectively.
Brother Roger Fenlason, business agent for Local 671,
What’s happening in Wisconsin, in Ohio and now in other states is atrocious. This is an attack on unions, plain and simple. Collectively bargaining is something we believe in fully and I hate to see it be infringed upon by Tea Party Republicans or any other group.
Fenlason encourages Teamsters everywhere to stand up and join the revival of the workers' movement that is sweeping across the country like wildfire. Said Fenlason:
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| Our Teamster brothers rally in Cleveland. |
This is ground zero for the labor movement. What’s happening is an assault on working families. The good side of it is it’s causing unions to come together in a way that I haven’t seen for years. We need to keep it up.
Sacramento, Calif.: Teamsters from Local 439 kicked ass for the working class by bringing a Teamster truck to a rally in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Local 439 was joined by members of locals 150, 70, and 853—all in California—who met with nearly 1,000 labor activists and concerned citizens at the capital. They were protesting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal that would end collective bargaining for state workers.
Said brother Marty Frates, secretary-treasurer of Local 70:
We support all working people. Whatever action is being taken against public employees is action taken against us.Atlanta, Ga.: “An injury to one of us in an injury to all of us,” said our brother Jimi Richards, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 728 in Atlanta.
Richards and five van loads of members from his local—nearly 50 in all—showed support for Wisconsin workers at a solidarity rally in Atlanta on Wednesday. Shouting pro-union slogans, hundreds of union members from across the state converged on the steps of Georgia’s capitol to protest Walker’s proposal to end collective bargaining for state employees. Richards was also showing support for his own son, who is a public school teacher. Richards said:
Unlike Georgia, Wisconsin has some of the strongest union sentiment in the country. If they can go after Wisconsin and be successful, they’re going to come after us all. We’re here to speak up not only for Wisconsin, but for every worker and every working family in this country.”
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| Teamsters in Atlanta |
Hartford, Conn.: Teamsters throughout Connecticut rallied in Hartford today to fight for collective bargaining rights and show solidarity with Wisconsin’s workers. Our brothers and sisters from Locals 671, 1035, 559, 443 and 1150 joined with other labor activists and trade unionists at the state’s capitol building to denounce Walker's anti-union plan to strip state workers of their rights to bargain collectively.
Brother Roger Fenlason, business agent for Local 671,
What’s happening in Wisconsin, in Ohio and now in other states is atrocious. This is an attack on unions, plain and simple. Collectively bargaining is something we believe in fully and I hate to see it be infringed upon by Tea Party Republicans or any other group.
Fenlason encourages Teamsters everywhere to stand up and join the revival of the workers' movement that is sweeping across the country like wildfire. Said Fenlason:
This is about our rights and our way of life. Everyone should get on this and be involved.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Today's Teamster News 02.15.11
Union heads try to get studio chiefs to keep working in Massachusetts Boston Globe ...Boston union chiefs traveled to Hollywood this week to deliver a message to film studio honchos: We’re good guys. Really....
Analysts: ABF doing better, but lowering 2011 expectations The City Wire ...the company “is headed in the right direction in its quest to return to profitability...”
UPS arranges $22.5 million for franchisee lending Associated Press ...The program allows the company to expand its network of stores...
FedEx slashes earning forecast Financial Times ...blaming the move on bad weather and volatile fuel prices that have increased expenses and reduced revenues...
YRC: Zollars' omission from internal memo "not significant" DC Velocity ...Absence from recent YRC communiqués has fueled speculation of CEO's imminent departure...
Minnesota Teamsters Local 320 Public Employees Enter Budget Battle Local 320 ...Teamsters Local 320 launched a statewide print and radio campaign on Sunday ... urging citizens to tell their legislators to stop the proposed 15% slash to public employee rolls...
Workers Question Emanuel's Visit to Secured Airport Warehouse Fox Chicago News ...Emanuel was apparently escorted in by leaders of Teamsters Local 700...
Hacked e-mails reveal plans for dirty-tricks campaign against U.S. Chamber foes The Washington Post ..."While many questions remain in the unfolding ChamberLeaks controversy, what's clear is that this multitude of emails clearly contradicts the Chamber's claim that they were 'not aware of these proposals until HBGary's e-mails leaked,' "...
Workers rally against proposed cuts to state workers Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...A rally of more than 300 people at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee...
Analysts: ABF doing better, but lowering 2011 expectations The City Wire ...the company “is headed in the right direction in its quest to return to profitability...”
UPS arranges $22.5 million for franchisee lending Associated Press ...The program allows the company to expand its network of stores...
FedEx slashes earning forecast Financial Times ...blaming the move on bad weather and volatile fuel prices that have increased expenses and reduced revenues...
YRC: Zollars' omission from internal memo "not significant" DC Velocity ...Absence from recent YRC communiqués has fueled speculation of CEO's imminent departure...
Minnesota Teamsters Local 320 Public Employees Enter Budget Battle Local 320 ...Teamsters Local 320 launched a statewide print and radio campaign on Sunday ... urging citizens to tell their legislators to stop the proposed 15% slash to public employee rolls...
Workers Question Emanuel's Visit to Secured Airport Warehouse Fox Chicago News ...Emanuel was apparently escorted in by leaders of Teamsters Local 700...
Hacked e-mails reveal plans for dirty-tricks campaign against U.S. Chamber foes The Washington Post ..."While many questions remain in the unfolding ChamberLeaks controversy, what's clear is that this multitude of emails clearly contradicts the Chamber's claim that they were 'not aware of these proposals until HBGary's e-mails leaked,' "...
Workers rally against proposed cuts to state workers Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...A rally of more than 300 people at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee...
Friday, February 4, 2011
Today's Teamster News 02.04.11
Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment Up Slightly in January to 9.8% Gallup ...Underemployment at 18.9%, compared with 19.0% at the end of December...
Learning To Walk: Fear, Shame And Your Underwater Mortgage Huffington Post ...Nearly one in every four homeowners across the country owe more on their home than it's worth...
JP Morgan Hid Doubts on Madoff, Documents Suggest New York Times ...but continued to do business with him, according to internal bank documents made public in a lawsuit on Thursday...
Crowd debates right-to-work bill Manchester Union-Leader ...A right-to-work bill that would end the days when non-union workers in union shops have to pay a share of union expenses is making its way through the New Hampshire House...
Union leaders, officials ask A&P distributor to extend deadline on 1,200 layoffs (Local 863) Newark Star-Ledger ...Union leaders and state and local officials today made an 11th-hour plea for a grocer store distributor to stay in Middlesex County instead of laying off its 1,200 workers..
Unions campaign for members at merged carrier Houston Chronicle ...Hoffa began a push Thursday to convert thousands of United Airlines workers now represented by another union...
YRC Worldwide, ABF Freight System Appeal Gets Expedited Review Kansas City Business Journal ...the company warned that drawing out the process could harm its effort to restructure its finances...
Analysts: YRC Worldwide will report lower revenue, more losses Kansas City Business Journal ...Analysts...predict that the company will report a loss of $1.37 a share for the three months ending Dec. 31...
UPS Increases Dividend 11%, Projecting Strong 2011 Cash Flow Bloomberg ...“We believe that 2011 is going to be a great year for UPS ...
ABF Freight Posts $58 Million Loss for 2010 Journal of Commerce ...TruckingHigher rates help LTL trucker cut losses 42 percent from 2009...
Oilsands crude will flow regardless of Keystone XL, says new report Alaska Dispatch ... the study found that regardless of whether or not the line is built, the U.S. will still import oil from Western Canada...
2 big sections of high-speed rail line face delays Associated Press ...The state agency...has recommended delaying the environmental impact report on segments running through two densely populated areas until at least next year...
Workers angered about changes in Florida pension plan Examiner ...Unions have circulated a video of Scott during his campaign in which he promised not to support a reduction in state pension benefits...
Local 700 Wins Overtime Grievance IBT ...Bureau of Rodent Control Must Post Overtime Lists...
House, Senate toss labor provision Memphis Commercial Appeal ...The Senate began debating a Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill Wednesday that does not contain a controversial labor provision, objected to by FedEx...
City Hall Docks Pay For Workers' Snow Day (Local 237) NY1News ...Some city workers are criticizing Mayor Bloomberg for a mixup in messaging during last week's snowstorm...
USA 3000 Pilots Withdraw from Voluntary ASAP PR Newswire
Learning To Walk: Fear, Shame And Your Underwater Mortgage Huffington Post ...Nearly one in every four homeowners across the country owe more on their home than it's worth...
JP Morgan Hid Doubts on Madoff, Documents Suggest New York Times ...but continued to do business with him, according to internal bank documents made public in a lawsuit on Thursday...
Crowd debates right-to-work bill Manchester Union-Leader ...A right-to-work bill that would end the days when non-union workers in union shops have to pay a share of union expenses is making its way through the New Hampshire House...
Union leaders, officials ask A&P distributor to extend deadline on 1,200 layoffs (Local 863) Newark Star-Ledger ...Union leaders and state and local officials today made an 11th-hour plea for a grocer store distributor to stay in Middlesex County instead of laying off its 1,200 workers..
Unions campaign for members at merged carrier Houston Chronicle ...Hoffa began a push Thursday to convert thousands of United Airlines workers now represented by another union...
YRC Worldwide, ABF Freight System Appeal Gets Expedited Review Kansas City Business Journal ...the company warned that drawing out the process could harm its effort to restructure its finances...
Analysts: YRC Worldwide will report lower revenue, more losses Kansas City Business Journal ...Analysts...predict that the company will report a loss of $1.37 a share for the three months ending Dec. 31...
UPS Increases Dividend 11%, Projecting Strong 2011 Cash Flow Bloomberg ...“We believe that 2011 is going to be a great year for UPS ...
ABF Freight Posts $58 Million Loss for 2010 Journal of Commerce ...TruckingHigher rates help LTL trucker cut losses 42 percent from 2009...
Oilsands crude will flow regardless of Keystone XL, says new report Alaska Dispatch ... the study found that regardless of whether or not the line is built, the U.S. will still import oil from Western Canada...
2 big sections of high-speed rail line face delays Associated Press ...The state agency...has recommended delaying the environmental impact report on segments running through two densely populated areas until at least next year...
Workers angered about changes in Florida pension plan Examiner ...Unions have circulated a video of Scott during his campaign in which he promised not to support a reduction in state pension benefits...
Local 700 Wins Overtime Grievance IBT ...Bureau of Rodent Control Must Post Overtime Lists...
House, Senate toss labor provision Memphis Commercial Appeal ...The Senate began debating a Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill Wednesday that does not contain a controversial labor provision, objected to by FedEx...
City Hall Docks Pay For Workers' Snow Day (Local 237) NY1News ...Some city workers are criticizing Mayor Bloomberg for a mixup in messaging during last week's snowstorm...
USA 3000 Pilots Withdraw from Voluntary ASAP PR Newswire
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