Today's Teamster News 01.15.14

Teamsters Laud Rep. Miller's Dedication To Workers  teamster.org   ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters today issued its thanks to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., for the work he's done on behalf of working Americans throughout his 40-year career in the House. Miller announced Monday that he will retire after his current term ends early next year...
Teamsters Support Military Veterans  teamster.org   ...the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP) provides disability assistance for all military veterans and job placement opportunities for veterans in the construction industry...
Teamsters Applaud California Governor's High Speed Rail Support  teamster.org   ...The Teamsters Union is praising the significant commitment to continued funding for high speed and local commuter rail systems in California that are part of the state budget recently proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown...
City settles with Teamsters; one "no" vote  GazetteXtra   ...Councilman Matt Kealy was the sole “no” vote when the Janesville City Council on Monday OK'd a labor agreement with Teamsters Local Number 695...
The Koch Boys set their sights on Pennsylvania to Break Labor & Democrats  dailykos   ...Word has just leaked out of the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa that the Koch Boys are talking to severely wounded Republican Governor Corbett to move legislation this winter and spring to outlaw union dues deduction for all state and local public employees...
Has the developed world hit 'peak car use'?  Macrobusiness   ...at the height of the housing bubble, there were just over two registered cars on the road per household, whereas as at 2011, there were just under two...
In 15 states, deeply underwater foreclosures still reign  Washington Post   ...The states with the highest percentage of deeply underwater foreclosures were: Nevada (65 percent of foreclosures were deeply underwater), Florida (61 percent), Illinois (61 percent), Michigan (55 percent), and Ohio (48 percent)...
Five Housing Headwinds; Mortgage Originations Lowest Since 2010; Refinancible Loan Percentage Collapses; Payment Shock  MISH's Global Economic Trend Analysis   ...Mortgage originations are at the lowest levels in almost four years...
Burns Lake families support NDP's call for probe of 'bungled' mill blast investigation  Vancouver Sun   ...The union representing workers at the Burns Lake mill also said Monday the province needs to bring a criminal lens to fatality investigations...
Chicago Horse Carriage Operator Slams Proposed NYC Ban  CBS Local   ...He says his horses are well treated, better than in the wild and actually seem to enjoy what they’re doing. He says they have occasionally left to go to work without the driver...
Senate blocks jobless aid  Politico   ...The Senate blocked two separate proposals to revive emergency unemployment benefits that expired in December, all but killing the prospects of reviving jobless aid for now...
Judge Reinstates Some Federal Oversight of Voting Practices for an Alabama City  New York Times   ...A federal judge in Alabama on Monday reinstated federal oversight over the voting practices of a city there, in what election law specialists said was the first such move since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act in June...
The Coalition for a Prosperous America and Liberty Groups Petition Congress Against Fast Track  Coalition for a Prosperous America   ...The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) and fifty seven liberty organizations have notified Congress that they oppose Fast Track trade authority...
Fast Track to Poverty  Huffington Post   ...trade reduced wages for workers without college educations by 5.5 percent in 2011, costing the average worker $1,800...

Hoffa urges U.S. to drop TPP talks with Vietnam

If Vietnam were to join the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the U.S. would be turning a blind eye to what’s really going on there, according to a report by the Worker Rights Consortium.

Unsafe workplaces are tolerated in Vietnam. So are poverty wages, human trafficking, child labor and violent suppression of workers’ rights. These are unacceptable in the United States and should be globally. At the very least they are conditions that should not be encouraged.

On the eve of President Obama’s meeting with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in Washington to discuss the TPP, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa today demanded that U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman hold the Southeast Asian nation accountable for its violations of human rights. Hoffa said the U.S. should cut off talks and not enter any trade deal with Vietnam until it cleans up its act:

It is imperative that Mr. Froman ensure that Vietnam is in compliance with basic labor, environmental and human rights standards before the two sides move forward with Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. We have seen the tragedy that results due to lax enforcement of labor standards and human rights in Bangladesh – we cannot enter into a trade agreement with a country that shows the same disregard for workers safety and human rights.

Others condemn what is going on in Vietnam. Rep. George Miller sent a letter to Froman today questioning whether Vietnam is following existing labor standards given the findings detailed in the report. He said the U.S. must be a leader when it comes to enforcing labor obligations:

As the Administration moves aggressively to complete TPP negotiations this year, we would be interested in your assessment as to whether a country such as Vietnam would have the ability to comply with obligations under the labor chapter of the TPP on a future date after the agreement is signed.

We must suspend trade negotiations with Vietnam until it improves its international labor, human rights and environmental standards. Too many members of Congress and the Obama administration, however, are either uninformed or disinterested in fair trade and human rights. That’s why we are demanding action. Tell your elected officials and Froman the U.S. should be setting the standards for how to treat workers and create safe products and not sink to level of nations like Vietnam.