Local 637 driver knows how to save a life

Steve Swonger, a bus operator and safety trainer in Licking County, Ohio, is an example of the type of excellence we celebrate in the Teamsters Union. The Local 637 member at National Express has had quite a year.

Steve Swonger

In March, Steve witnessed a pedestrian being attacked by a pit bull while on his morning route. He stopped his bus to aid the helpless pedestrian, preventing what could have been a serious, potentially life-threatening injury:

I did what anyone would have done. Some situations are beyond our control, but I've always done things for people. I was out on my route and I stopped and helped the guy.

Following the incident, Steve returned to his bus and proceeded with his route. He was featured in local media for his bravery and big heart.

Fast forward three months, to June 17, and Steve once again found himself a witness to a potentially life-threatening event – a serious auto accident involving an adult and child. Steve stopped his bus and rushed over to the driver who was not breathing:

Just like the incident with the pit bull, my first reaction was to get out of my bus and see if I can't help. I just kept telling him to breathe, to stay with me.

Thanks to Steve's quick actions, the injured driver began to breathe and Steve kept the driver conscious until the paramedics arrived. Again, Steve returned to his bus and continued on with his route. Even accounting for the time spent saving a life, he was on time with all of his pick-ups and drop-offs!:

I couldn’t believe it happened again – but then again, we are out in the community and out amongst the people. We're on the front lines. But like I said, I did what anyone else would have done.

A proud Teamster, Steve is less modest when it comes to the role of his union, boasting that thanks to the union he feels safe and secure while behind the wheel:

Having the union behind us gives us the power to secure great contracts and retain great drivers. That’s important for the entire community. I’m glad we have the Teamsters. It’s a great team and I’m lucky to be a part of it.

NLRB sides with Fla. bus driver in dispute with Durham

In the latest positive development for school bus workers in Santa Rosa County, Fla., a National Labor Relations (NLRB) administrative law judge has ruled in favor of Durham school bus driver Diane Bence, one of the leading voices for the 200-person unit who recently took her case to the board after years of anti-worker behavior and lack of union recognition from the company.

Diane Bence

After visiting the United Kingdom with Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa more than a year ago to protest Durham’s parent company National Express, Bence became a victim of constant harassment and intimidation from the company. That included its CEO, who during Bence’s visit made disparaging comments to her that the NLRB administrative law judge found to be in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.

According to the Florida school bus driver, the icing on the cake came in literal form, as Durham management tried to stop her and her co-workers from partaking in cake during the unit’s two-year election anniversary this spring:

The real tipping point came when we held an event to recognize the two years since voting to form our union with Local 991. We had a cake with Teamsters written in icing and management made us scrape off the icing. It was humiliating and illegal, so we filed another ULP.

The decision marks the 22nd ruling in favor of the Florida workers in the two-and-a-half years since the unit overwhelmingly voting to join the Teamsters Union in 2013, but Local 991 President Jim Gookins is still waiting for the company to meet at the bargaining table to negotiate the workers a contract:

The company has fought us every step of the way, appealing to the NLRB after every ruling. But we continue to be on the winning side of this fight. This victory is due to hard work and the perseverance of Diane and her co-workers. I applaud them for their commitment and determination.

Since voting overwhelmingly to become Teamsters, Bence has been on the front lines of the fight for union representation, leading her unit to stand strong and united in the face of aggressive anti-union tactics from management. She and her co-workers remain committed to put an end to the anti-worker assaults and win union recognition:

After more than two years waiting for a contract, it’s time for the company to quit playing games. This is just further incentive to stick together and see this thing through. I have total faith in this unit. My co-workers and I will remain vigilant and continue to urge management to meet with the Teamsters to begin the collective bargaining process.

London Calling: Teamsters lead UK symposium on National Express

Teamsters, former NLRB Chair support monitoring program at National Express.

Teamsters are in London this week calling on National Express Group, the U.K.-based parent company of Durham School Services, to honor the rights of their North American workers by voting on Resolution 22, a proposal that seeks to address serious labor relations concerns through the implementation of an independent monitoring program. 

At a symposium Tuesday night in London, a panel of academics, community and faith leaders discussed the benefits of having an independent review at National Express Group. On the panel was Stanford University Professor William Gould, former chair of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board under President Bill Clinton, who discussed his role monitoring the U.K.-based transportation company FirstGroup. From 2008-2011, Gould brought transparency to the U.S. school bus transport market, which resulted in a public recommendation to the company on issues of freedom of association. He told audience members of the benefits gained by having oversight:

What we did at FirstGroup was let employees know what their rights were and set up a procedure and system so they could avail themselves of these rights.

Also in attendance at last night's symposium was Dot Scott, president of the Charleston, S.C., chapter of the NAACP. Scott detailed her years of experience standing up for Durham school bus workers and Teamster members to work to improve conditions at Durham, concluding: 

What I’d like to see is the company value and respect its employees. There needs to be an independent party to address the issues at this company, and that is what Resolution 22 will accomplish.

The symposium comes just one week after 32 members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter urging the National Express Board of Directors to institute an independent review of Durham. 

Support in the U.K. has been overwhelming too, with more than 30 Members of Parliament recently putting forth an Early Day Motion, condemning the anti-trade union activities of National Express.

Today's Teamster News 04.22.15

Teamsters
Teamsters Protest Sysco At IFDA Lobbying Meeting   Market Watch   ...Teamsters protested Sysco Corporation [NYSE: SYY] outside the International Foodservice Distributors Association's (IFDA) Washington Insight Conference on Capitol Hill today. Sysco is a member of the IFDA and is the largest foodservice distributor in America. "We are here today because of Sysco's pattern of threatening workers, food producers and even its competitors," said Steve Vairma, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division...
Teamsters Decry Sysco’s Bullying at Rally in Washington, D.C.   Teamster.org   ...More than 70 Teamsters took part in a raucous rally Tuesday, April 21 to blast Sysco’s bullying of workers, its labor law violations and other misdeeds. The Teamsters Union is calling out Sysco as a corporate bully during this week’s International Food Distributors Association meeting. That’s where Sysco, US Foods and other Teamster broadline foodservice employers are holding their annual “Washington Insight” conference...
Court Victory Vindicates BLET Position On Two-Person Train Crews   Teamster.org   ...In a major legal victory to protect two-person train crews, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled in favor of Brotherhood Locomotive Engineer and Trainmen’s (BLET) position that the Wheeling & Lake Erie’s (WLE) use of managers in place of Union conductors is a major dispute under the Railway Labor Act. The ruling, which occurred yesterday, vindicates BLET’s decision to strike over the issue more than 18 months ago...
Teamsters Applaud Report By Members Of Parliament On Conditions At National Express Group PLC  Teamster.org   ...A report released today by two Members of United Kingdom’s Parliament reveals serious labor rights violations at National Express Group PLC operations in the United States. The report’s recommendations support a Teamster-sponsored shareholder resolution that will be voted on at the company’s annual general meeting of shareholders on May 6 in London...

Global Labor & Trade
Business, Labor Back In Trenches On Trade  The Hill   ...Trumka and Donohue will meet Tuesday at the Senate Finance Committee to discuss Obama’s push for “fast-track” trade promotion authority (TPA) at a crucial moment in the all-out battle for votes on legislation now before Congress. The bill would limit Congress to an up-or-down vote on major trade deals — including the sweeping 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership — being negotiated by the Obama administration...
Some Senate Democrats Look Ready to Buck Harry Reid on Trade   National Journal  ... Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's statement Tuesday that he is a "hell no" on legislation that would give the White House more leverage to negotiate trade deals is reflective of many Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee. But while it is likely that most of the committee's 12 Democrats will still be opposed to a new trade authority, there are signs that just enough Democrats might be open to the bill...
Low Wages, Trade Deals Luring Auto Plants and Jobs to Mexico   New York Times  ...Mexico has become the most attractive place in North America to build new automobile factories, a shift that has siphoned jobs from the U.S. and Canada, yet helped keep car and truck prices in check for consumers. Audi also sells the Q5 in the U.S., where tariffs on cars built in Mexico were dropped under the North American Free Trade Agreement...
San Francisco Opposes TPP Fast Track in New Resolution   EFF.org   ...The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted in favor of a resolution today urging the district's congressional representatives to oppose Fast Track legislation for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Supervisor John Avalos put forth the resolution, which expresses concerns about the secret trade agreement's provisions...
Why the Pittsburgh City Council may speak out against a Trans-Pacific trade deal  Pittsburgh Business Times  ...Pittsburgh elected officials are warning "fast track approval" of the Trans-Pacific Partnership may harm Pittsburgh's economy. On Tuesday, District 4 City Councilwoman NataliaRudiak introduced a Will of Council asking President Barack Obama to pursue a more fully transparent and inclusive legislative process surrounding TPP, which is being negotiated behind closed doors with the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations...
Rana Plaza 2 Years Later: Garment Workers Under Seige  Solidarity Center  ...In the initial months after the Rana Plaza collapse on April 24, 2013, a preventable catastrophe that killed more than 1,130 Bangladesh garment workers and injured thousands more, global outrage spurred much-needed changes. "After the Rana Plaza and Tazreen disasters, it had become easier to form unions," says Aleya Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF). But since November 2014, the government is more frequently rejecting registrations...
A Look At The Fast-Track Bill Shows It's The Wrong Thing To Do (opinion)  Huffington Post   ...We don't yet know what is in the TPP, because it is still secret and will remain so until shortly before the fast-track process requires Congress to vote. The president says to trust him, telling us that it will be great and "progressive" and create lots of jobs and expand the economy. Great. But the history on our trade deals -- especially those passed using fast track -- has been very bad...
Fast Tracking Democracy to Hell: Why the Trans-Pacific Partnership Is a Rotten Deal  (opinion) Alternet   ...Concealing potentially job-killing trade schemes from the American public thwarts democracy. Rushing unpopular legislation through Congress before American citizens have an opportunity to review it and tell their elected representatives how they feel about it obstructs democracy. No trade treaty, no matter how great free traders cross-their-hearts-and-hope-to-die it will be, is worth damning Americans’ cherished democracy...
Exporting Jobs, Importing Inequality (opinion)  U.S. News & World Report   ...America’s middle class is being ripped apart by failed trade policy. Look at what was once the proud heartland of our country’s manufacturing sector, and you’ll see the aftermath of terrible trade deals: lost jobs, stagnant wages, shuttered factories and devastated communities. It’s a tragedy, and after 20 years of a broken system, it’s time we tried something new...

State & Living Wage Battles
Supreme Court Revives Challenge To North Carolina Redistricting  Wall Street Journal   ...The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday revived a challenge to North Carolina’s election map, which civil rights groups complain illegally concentrates black voters in a handful of districts...
County Board Supports Right to Work Initiative  XFM  ...The Effingham County Board Monday voted 7-2 to endorse The Turnaround Agenda promoted by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, including a provision to create Right to Work zones. One of the largest crowds ever seen at a County Board was on hand for the vote, made up primarily of union workers, although there was a contingent of supporters of the initiative...
Birmingham City Council endorses campaign to increase minimum wage as legislators move to restrict local authority to do so   AL.com  ...The council this afternoon unanimously passed a resolution asking the Legislature to increase the state minimum wage to $10 an hour. The nonbinding resolution comes at the same time the state House of Representatives consider a bill to restrict the ability of local governments to set their own minimum wage rules...
LePage Seeks To Quash Local Efforts To Raise Minimum Wage  Bangor Daily News   ...Gov. Paul LePage is promoting a bill to thwart municipal officials in two of Maine’s largest communities from raising the minimum wage for employers within their city limits...
Obama aide takes Philly's side in sick-leave fight  Philly.com  ...Philadelphia's law, which requires businesses with 10 or more employees to provide at least an hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, takes effect next month. Last week the Republican-dominated state Senate passed legislation that would effectively preempt local governments from having mandatory sick-leave laws...

U.S. Labor
America’s “Flexible” Economy Is Making Workers’ Lives Hell  Salon.com   ...Employers assign workers tentative shifts, and then notify them a half-hour or ten minutes before the shift is scheduled to begin whether they’re actually needed. Some even require workers to check in by phone, email, or text shortly before the shift starts. Just-in-time scheduling is another part of America’s new “flexible” economy – along with the move to independent contractors and the growing reliance on “share economy” businesses, like Uber...
Wal-Mart closures draw NLRB filing  Arkansas Online  ...A complaint by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, acting on behalf of OUR Walmart, is seeking reinstatement of employees to their former stores or transfer to other locations without loss of pay until repairs are complete. The filing alleges the closings were a result of labor protests...
AFSCME Protests IDOC Accusations  WSIU.org  ...Governor Bruce Rauner pledged his support for the Illinois Department of Corrections when he was elected. But, members of AFSCME say they are waiting to see that support materialize. Union members held an informational picket Monday outside the Vienna Correctional Center...
Memphis reaches agreement with a portion of AFSCME, avoids impasse  Commercial Appeal   ...City of Memphis officials reached a two-year agreement on Tuesday with the main bargaining unit of AFSCME, making it the only labor group negotiating with the city that will not go into impasse. The agreement keeps in place current contract language but allows for a “wage reopening” after one year, said union president Janice Chalmers...
At Home And Abroad, The Labor Movement Comes Roaring Back (opinion)  Moyers & Company   ...At a time when multi-national corporations are 50 of the world’s largest 100 economies, this movement has had to be both intensely local and expansively global. Less than three years ago, the grassroots campaign for a living wage began in scattered Thanksgiving protests by New York City fast food workers and Los Angeles Wal-Mart associates. This year’s protests are the largest and most global labor actions ever mounted...

Miscellaneous
It's Time to Invest in the United States' Rail System   (opinion)  Truthout.org  ...It's time to make infrastructure sexy again, and we can start by fixing the United States' rail systems. Believe it or not, there was a time in the US when riding a train was luxurious. There were classy dining cars, moonlit rides across the countryside...
The richest 0.01 percent of Americans gave 42 percent of political donations in 2012  Daily Kos   ...Forget the top one percent, the top 0.01 percent of Americans gave nearly 42 percent of all political donation dollars in the 2012 election cycle. Just over 30,000 individuals contributed nearly half of all money. It should come as no surprise that policymakers look after the ultra-wealthy instead of the rest of us...
Caterpillar’s CEO Just Got A Big Raise, And It Explains What’s Wrong With American Capitalism   Think Progress   ...Heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar gave its CEO a 14 percent raise last year, in a $17.1 million package of cash, stock, and other compensation that is hard to justify in light of the famed brand’s actual performance. Caterpillar is hardly unique in finding creative ways to justify paying CEOs. The rules for performance pay are broken across all industries...

Today's Teamster News 09.19.14

Teamster News
Teamsters Call On FedEx To Stop Paying Personal Taxes For Executives  teamster.org   ...ISS, the country’s leading proxy voting advisor, has recommended that shareholders vote for a Teamsters-sponsored shareholder proposal at FedEx [NYSE: FDX] that calls on the board of directors to eliminate the practice of paying the personal taxes owed on restricted stock awards on behalf of CEO Fred Smith and other named executive officers...
Teamsters Call On Rush University Medical Center To Bargain In Good Faith  teamster.org   ...Teamsters Local Union 743 denounced management at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) today, for continued refusal to bargain with the more than 230 patient care technicians (PCTs) that overwhelmingly voted to become Teamsters on Aug. 29...
Teamsters: 20 years is too long to wait for a safety rule  TeamsterNation   ...The Teamsters and other public safety advocates sued the U.S. Department of Transportation today for failing to issue long-overdue truck safety requirements...
Hoffa: Georgia Official Must Stop Ignoring Voter Registration Requests  IBT   ...James P. Hoffa, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, issued a statement today addressing reports that Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is ignoring more than 50,000 voter registration requests as the deadline for new voters to sign up to participate in the upcoming Nov. 4 election looms near...
Trade
Corporate Courts — A Big Red Flag On “Trade” Agreements  Trade Reform   ...Corporations even sue governments for passing laws that might cause the investors in the corporations to make a bit less money — like raising the minimum wage. But wait, there’s more. The suits aren’t even heard in courts. They are settled by corporate-controlled tribunals set up by these trade agreements...  
State Battles
Oregon Minimum Wage Will Increase To $9.25 In 2015  The Oregonian   ...Oregon's minimum wage will increase 15 cents to $9.25 an hour in 2015, state labor officials announced Wednesday...
Missouri Governor releases additional funding for public education  ABC3   ...Missouri Governor Jay Nixon made a stop at Truman State University Wednesday afternoon to discuss new funding for public universities like Truman State...
More trouble from privatized food contracts  TeamsterNation   ...Aramark is once again proving in Michigan that outsourcing government services to for-profit corporations results in really, really bad service...
Wisconsin ranks 33rd in private-sector job growth, lagging behind the national average  Associated Press   ...the job-growth ranking and Walker's failure to meet his 2010 campaign promise to add 250,000 private-sector jobs are evidence that (Scott Walker's) policies have not worked...
Administration disputes projections of huge state deficit  WTAQ   ...Wisconsin’s non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau painted a bleak financial picture earlier this month, predicting a $1.8 billion dollar structural deficit in the 2015-2017 biennium...
Fox News Admits WI Voter ID Laws May Disenfranchise Voters  Media Matters   ...Fox News acknowledged that a voter ID law may prevent people from casting votes while discussing the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Wisconsin -- despite the network's sustained campaign to deny the negative repercussions these laws have on voting...
Six Years Later, La. Still Waiting For Keystone (opinion)  Shreveport Times   ...From a safety perspective, Keystone is a better option than the rail transport currently used in the American market. A recent study by the Manhattan Institute reaffirmed the longstanding fact that pipelines are a much safer way to transport oil...
War On Workers
Wal-Mart Truck Drivers Granted Class Action Status In California Minimum Wage Lawsuit  The Trucker   ...Truck drivers employed by Wal-Mart have been granted class action status in a lawsuit over the employer’s alleged failure to pay minimum wage in violation of the California Labor Code...
Even in Palin Country, Raising the Minimum Wage Is Wildly Popular  Mother Jones   ... Twenty-three states already have moved past the federal rate, and this November, voters in five more will have a chance to follow suit...
Which Industry's CEOs Are Ripping Off Workers Most?  Huffington Post   ...Today, CEOs at leading fast food companies pocket more than 1,200 times more than their average employees, according to a report by Demos, an economic policy think tank. In comparison, the average CEO at S&P 500 companies today makes about 200 times more than typical employees...
Poverty Unchanged By Wall Street Recovery  firedoglake   ...wealth inequality has actually gotten worse during the recovery. The overwhelming majority of assets are owned by the rich and super-rich so when government policy is used to push the Dow up, few Americans go with it...
School Bus Driver Sacrifices Life To Save 10-Year-Old Girl  Huffington Post   ...Zborowski worked for a private bus company, Cincinnati-based Petermann, a subsidiary of National Express Corp. Zborowski was pronounced dead at a hospital about two hours after the 8:10 a.m. accident...
Worker killed by wood press at Mill City lumber plant  Fox 12 Oregon   ...A lumber mill worker was killed when a wood press was activated as he was conducting repairs on the machine...
Worker killed on the job in Dalton  WRCB-TV   ..."An outside contractor, Spartan Industrial Contracting, was moving equipment and one of their employees was involved in an accident that resulted in a death of one of their employees," Marketing Alliance Group HR spokesperson Michael Arnold said in a statement...
Miscellaneous
Occupy Wall Street Buys, Then Cancels, Student Debt  Huffington Post   ...Strike Debt, a group of anti-debt activists born out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, said it purchased $3.9 million in delinquent private student debt and immediately canceled it...
Police Demilitarization Pits Police Union Against Top Labor Federation  BuzzFeed   ...The International Union of Police Associations, a member of the AFL-CIO, has been largely quiet on the issue of police militarization. But in a couple of open letters the union has shown support for the program that provides police with military-grade weaponry. The AFL-CIO meanwhile has been a vocal supporter of police demilitarization and better oversight...
Domestic Workers Advocate Wins MacArthur Genius Award  Moyers and Company   ...Ai-jen Poo, a labor organizer for America’s nannies, house cleaners and home care attendants, has been named a MacArthur “genius” for 2014...

London Calling

Teamsters are in London today standing up for the rights of school bus drivers. The members are at the company’s annual meeting  calling on National Express Group, a large multinational corporation, to honor and respect the rights of their North American workers. From the release:

The Teamster delegation traveled to the United Kingdom over serious concerns about the negative workers’ rights and labor relations record at the company’s North American subsidiaries, Durham School Services in the U.S. (“Durham”) and Stock Transportation in Canada. They were joined by colleagues from Unite the Union, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association.

 The Teamsters have been fighting on behalf of school bus drivers for several years now. In fact, the union’s Drive Up Standards campaign has organized more than 35,000 North American school bus and transit workers. Here’s what a couple of the Teamster drivers said about why they’re in London calling for fair treatment:

“I believe Durham shows disrespect and disregard for the drivers and monitors. Our job is to safely transport children to school, but we face poor conditions with some of the school buses we operate. I feel like my concerns are not listened to at all, which is why I came here today, to be heard,” said Latrisha Pringle, a 25-year school bus driver who works for Durham in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., and is a member of Teamsters Local 509 in West Columbia, S.C.

“It’s important that people realize that the problems we face in my bus yard in Navarre, Florida, are not just isolated incidences. I believe there is a pattern to the way Durham is treating people. We are here today because National Express’s subsidiaries cannot continue to behave this way in North America,” said Diane Bence, a Durham driver and member of Teamsters Local 991 in Mobile, Alabama, U.S.A. “In Florida, we voted overwhelmingly to form our union in February, and even though Durham said it would honor the election result, it has not done so and has appealed the results from the National Labor Relations Board secret ballot election.”

So what, exactly, are the Teamsters doing there?

A number of key stakeholders are calling on the National Express Board of Directors to improve the global oversight of the company’s human resource policies and practices.

Unite the Union’s OSSF and UASPS funds; the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Fund; and the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) are recommending National Express shareholders vote NO to Resolution 1 on the Director’s Annual Reports and Accounts. PIRC, a leading U.K.-based proxy voting advisor is also recommending to its clients a vote against Resolution 1.

The action is being taken to send a strong signal for the need for improved Board oversight and reporting to shareholders of the company’s global human resource policies and practices.

For more information, visit the campaign’s page here.

 

Today's Teamster News 05.01.13

CEO Pay 1,795-to-1 Multiple of Wages Skirts U.S. Law  Bloomberg News   ...Former fashion jewelry saleswoman Rebecca Gonzales and former Chief Executive Officer Ron Johnson have one thing in common: J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) no longer employs either. The similarity ends there...
Is the TPP a threat to U.S. auto makers?  Michigan Radio   ...On the surface, it sounds like easing trade restrictions with foreign nations could present new opportunities and more business for American companies like the Detroit Three automakers. But, is there a deeper danger to American jobs in these overseas trade agreements?...
Poll: 42 Percent Unaware That ‘Obamacare’ Is Law Of The Land  Talking Points Memo   ...While a majority is cognizant of the law's current status, a startling percentage of Americans is unaware that the Affordable Care Act — the sweeping new federal health care law widely known as "Obamacare" — remains the law of the land, according to findings in a poll released Tuesday...
Why American Airlines Employees Loathe Management  Forbes …The mistrust that labor harbors for American Airlines management is a feud with a history filled with a powerful vitriol that only duplicitous behavior engenders…
Colbert Busch aggressively challenges Sanford in only debate  Washington Post ...It was a tale of two debate strategies Monday night in South Carolina. A lively Elizabeth Colbert Busch struck early and often against Mark Sanford’s record in Congress and as governor while Sanford hit back with consistent attempts to tie his opponent to Democratic congressional leaders in the only debate in South Carolina’s special election campaign.
California may go forward without a financial reserve  Los Angeles Times   ...Arnold Schwarzenegger persuaded voters nine years ago that if they let him borrow money to cover the budget deficit, California's financial woes would end for good. A key part of his plan was a new rainy-day fund to insulate the state from further crisis. Today, the reserve is empty...
Prison food privatization would eliminate 370 state jobs  Detroit Free Press   ...In a reversal, officials said today they will privatize food service for Michigan's 45,000 state prisoners by awarding a nearly $50 million a year contract to catering giant Aramark...
California Fracking Moratorium Clears Key Committee in Assembly  Bloomberg News   ...A California Assembly panel approved a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing by oil and natural-gas producers until the most populous U.S. state assesses health and environmental concerns...
Scarnati frustrated by the fixation on liquor privatization instead of the Pennsylvania state budget   The Patriot-News   ...It’s a couple of months away from the June 30 deadline for getting an on-time state budget as so many lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett pledged to do. But all people seem to want to talk about is liquor privatization, said a frustrated Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati at the Pennsylvania Press Club...
Democrats, Republicans join forces to advocate for Florida ports  Sun Sentinel   ...A bipartisan team from the Florida congressional delegation is banding together to form a "ports caucus" to push the interests of the state's seaports in the nation's capital...
US school bus concerns loom for National Express AGM  International Transport Workers' Federation   ...Concerns over labour practices at its US school bus business subsidiary, Durham School Services, threaten to affect National Express’ Annual General Meeting on May 9 in London...
Interview: Tom Morello Talks to Teamsters, May Day 2013  IBT   ...Every year on May 1, workers around the world celebrate the trials and triumphs of working people. This year, May Day comes with a bold soundtrack thanks to Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman...
Teamsters Warn: Swift Transportation Board Lets CEO Pledge nearly 25 Percent of Outstanding Shares as Collateral for Personal Loans  IBT   ...ISS, the country’s largest proxy voting advisory firm, issued a report Monday recommending that shareholders withhold votes from all members of the Swift Transportation Company Board of Directors’ Audit Committee over concerns about the CEO’s extensive pledging of stock...
Casey Jones, Iconic Locomotive Engineer and American Hero  IBT   ...Next week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will celebrate its 150th anniversary at a May 8 event in Detroit. We've been counting down great moments in the history of North America’s oldest union, but April 30 marks a different kind of event—the anniversary of the death of John Luther "Casey" Jones...
Teamsters Local 320 sues Wadena County   Wadena (Minnesota) Pioneer Journal   ...Teamsters Union Local 320, which represents a substantial portion of Wadena County’s workforce, filed a civil lawsuit against the county in the Seventh Judicial District Court in Wadena...

Today's Teamster News 04.09.13

U.S. Border Patrol Uniforms Manufactured in Mexico  CNS News   ...U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has granted uniform contracts to VF Imagewear, Inc., an apparel company that relies on manufacturing sites in Mexico for a “significant percentage” of its occupational garments...
The Koch Brothers War On Renewable Energy Is Killing Jobs and Destroying Our Air  Politicususa   ...ALEC is at Koch’s beck and call to grind out templates for Republicans to fill in to kill renewable energy standards in 28 states, as well as keep the money flowing into their coffers from the Kochs...
Critics question investment fund's Sacramento rental venture  Sacramento Bee   ...The giant New York investment fund – with its global portfolio of shopping malls, the Weather Channel and Motel 6 – owns nearly 10 times as many rental homes in Sacramento as any other private landlord, along with thousands of other homes across the nation...
Some 30,000 households a month have power supply cut  Ekathimerini   ...About 1,000 electricity connections are cut every day in Greece as Public Power Corporation customers are increasingly unable to pay their power bills on time, while accumulated debts to the country’s electricity giant stood at more than 1.3 billion euros at the end of 2012. This is not only due to the economic crisis that has eaten into household incomes, but also to the special property tax paid via power bills...
UPS Appeals Decision Blocking TNT Express Takeover  NY Times   ...LONDON — United Parcel Service has appealed a recent decision by European antitrust authorities that blocked its $6.7 billion takeover bid for the Dutch shipping company TNT Express...
State Supreme Court limits union rights in Texas  Statesman   ...Unionized government workers in Texas — including firefighters, police and teachers — don’t have the right to be accompanied by a union representative while being questioned during internal investigations, a divided Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday...
‘Right’ and Wrong (opinion) Toledo Blade   ...if lawmakers didn’t violate the letter of the open-meetings act, they violated its spirit by shoving this highly controversial law through a lame-duck session without a committee hearing or anything that could pass for a real debate....
'Right-to-Work' Bills Die in Committee  Mainebiz   ...Two bills intended to reduce a union's ability to collect dues were defeated in a legislative committee's party-line vote Friday. The Bangor Daily News reported that the Legislature's Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee voted ...
Bobby Jindal Pulls Tax Plan After Outcry  Talking Points Memo   ...Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) is pulling a plan to replace the income and corporate tax with a new sales tax amid an outcry from groups ranging from clergy to business lobbyists...
Red Cross’ Teamsters ratify new contract  Boston Herald   ...The American Red Cross Massachusetts Blood Services Region received notification yesterday that employees represented by Teamsters Local 25 have voted to ratify a new three-year contract, officials said...
Teamsters Speak Out About National Express  Drive Up Standards   ...Teamster school bus drivers with Durham School Services and Teamster representatives recently traveled to the United Kingdom to call on National Express Group to honor the human rights of its workers in North America. Durham is a subsidiary of National Express, a multinational transportation company headquartered in Birmingham, England...
Teamsters to Observe Workers’ Memorial Day – April 28  IBT   ...The Teamsters Union, and trade unionists around the world, recognize April 28 as Workers' Memorial Day — a day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work. To help mark this important day, the Teamsters are providing resources to help with the planning of activities at local unions and workplaces...