Chicago Teamsters Hispanic Caucus Awards Scholarships Teamsters Joint Council 25 … The Chicago Teamsters Hispanic Caucus awarded $6,000 in academic scholarships on Oct. 16 to a dozen Illinois Teamsters and the sons and daughters of active Teamster members...
Chester Upland approves deal with Teamsters Delaware County Daily Times ...Chester Upland School District (Pennsylvania) approved a one-month contract extension with the district’s custodial and maintenance employees, who represented by Teamsters Local 312...
BART Strike Has Commuters Facing Gridlock Associated Press …San Francisco Bay Area commuters started the new work week on Monday with gridlocked roadways and long lines for buses and ferries as a major transit strike entered its fourth day, while investigators are searching for
clues to a train crash that killed two workers...
ILA Halts Strike at Baltimore Journal of Commerce ...International Longshoremen’s Association workers agreed Friday to return to work for 90 days while negotiators work on a local contract that triggered a three-day strike at the Port of Baltimore. An arbitrator ruled that ILA Local 333’s walkout over a local contract violated the no-strike clause in the union’s coastwide master contract…
AFL-CIO To Democrats: We'll Work To End Your Career If You Cut Social Security Or Medicare Huffington Post ..."We will never forget. We will never forgive. And we will never stop working to end your career..."
McDowell County, USA Has Close to Haiti's Life Expectancy: Welcome to Third World America Alternet ...Many Americans, especially in the South, can look forward to dying far younger than their counterparts in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe...
Suicide Rate Climbs by 30 Percent in Kansas as Government Slashes Mental Health Budgets The Nation ...the recession may have pushed already troubled people over the edge. Being unable to find a job or settling for one with lower pay or prestige could add “that final weight to a whole chain of events...”
JP Morgan to Pay $13 Billion in Fines, NYT Says, but Still No Criminal Charges Against Top Wall Street Execs Buzzflash ...Neither has there been any serious DOJ attempt -- as BuzzFlash has repeatedly written commentaries about over the past few years -- to hold the Wall Street execs criminally accountable for acts of fraud with a devastating financial impact that almost crashed the US economy. Our prisons are filled with burglars, check kiters, income tax evaders and others who are pikers compared to the masters of the universe who run Wall Street...
BofA Said to Face Three More U.S. Probes of Mortgage-Bond Sales Bloomberg ...Bank of America Corp., sued by U.S. attorneys in August over an $850 million mortgage bond, faces three additional Justice Department civil probes over mortgage-backed securities, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation...
SEC Files Charges in Magnetar Deal Pro Publica ...Magnetar worked with investment banks to build CDOs that the hedge fund also bet against. Magnetar would buy the riskiest part of the CDO, which gave it influence in picking which bonds would be included in the CDO. In turn, the hedge fund pushed riskier bonds that would make the investment more likely to fail...
Nissan under mounting pressure as United Auto Workers union targets Mississippi plant Raw Story ...The United Auto Workers is ratcheting up pressure on Nissan in the hopes it may finally succeed at organizing the Japanese automaker’s plant in the typically anti-union southern US state of Mississippi...
Privatization Benefits the 1%: Public Services Benefit Everyone Truth-Out ...Private systems are focused on making profits for a few well-positioned people. Public systems, when sufficiently supported by taxes, work for everyone in a generally equitable manner. The following are six specific reasons why privatization simply doesn't work...
How Taxpayers Get Punished by Private Prison “Lockup Quotas" Demos ...In the Public Interest (ITPI) recently released a shocking study on the alarming frequency of state private prison contracts that contain “occupancy quotas” that guarantee for-profit prison companies a steady stream of revenue even if prison populations decline...
More U.S. students borrowing for college CBS News ...The number of U.S. students who borrow money for college continues to climb, while the number of graduates who are paying off these loans is slipping...
Smithfield Foods Acquisition: A Lot of Bacon for China Journal of Commerce ...Chinese consumers soon could be in line for a lot more U.S. pork in mainland grocery stores. Shareholders in Smithfield Foods voted Sept. 24 to approve the company’s $4.7 billion purchase by Shuanghui International Holdings, the largest acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese business...
How dare you filthy peasants know… Fire Dog Lake ...Pretty much, oh 99 percent, of the country knows that the pay ratio of corporate CEOs to their workers is obscene. But to the CEOs the real obscenity is that people know just how obscene...
Secret probe spreads to five Wisconsin counties Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Sources familiar with the probe told the Journal Sentinel that it was scrutinizing a wide variety of state-related issues, including the recall races. Sources suggested the probe is looking at a current legislative leader and the governor's contest...
Judge holds employment commissioners in contempt in Act 10 ruling Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Monday's ruling by Circuit Judge Juan Colás will give teachers and local government workers the ability to immediately enter labor negotiations with their bosses; likely result in the cancellation of union recertification elections set for November; and grant official state recognition of a Kenosha teachers union that had been decertified...
Pennsylvania inmates on work detail declared public workers Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ...A jail inmate on a work detail can be considered a public employee, Commonwealth Court has ruled in a decision that could open the door to liability against a government entity for injuries that may stem from such work assignments...
Showing posts with label Smithfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smithfield. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Today's Teamster News 09.25.13
Teamsters, Horizon Air Reach Tentative Agreement Wall Street Journal ...Horizon Air and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters today jointly announced a tentative agreement on a proposed five-year contract extension covering the airline's 280 aircraft technicians, fleet service agents and other fleet support positions...
CN Rail contract talks with Teamsters snagged on health, safety Reuters ...Contract negotiations between Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Union appear to have stalled as CN demands changes that union officials say could jeopardize the health and safety of workers...
U.S. Income Inequality Higher Than Roman Empire's Levels: Study Huffington Post ...the top one percent of earners in Ancient Rome controlled 16 percent of the society's wealth. By comparison, the top one percent of American earners control 40 percent of the country's wealth...
Banks find appalling new way to cheat homeowners Salon ...servicers like Nationstar often failed to inform homeowners about the change in servicing rights when they are transferred, meaning that the homeowner kept paying the wrong servicer. This is a clever way to facilitate late fees; just don’t tell the customer where to send their money...
Workers Set Factories Ablaze in Call for Decent Wage for Producing Globe's 'Cheap' Clothing Common Dreams ...Bangladesh swept by a third day of protests that leaves nearly 150 injured...
Bangladesh Garment Protests Enter Fourth Day Bloomberg ...Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan met last night with factory owners and labor leaders in an effort to end demonstrations that forced about 400 of the country’s 5,000 garment factories to close yesterday...
Greeks public sector workers strike as lenders check reform progress Reuters ...Greek public sector workers went on strike for the second time in a week on Tuesday, shutting schools and leaving hospitals with skeleton staff, as inspectors from Greece's foreign lenders checked if the country was meeting its bailout targets...
U.S. Trade Body Urges India to Play Fair Time ...An American manufacturing representative body is protesting against perceived discriminatory trade practices initiated by New Delhi ahead of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the U.S on Friday...
Unifor Talking Right To Work Blackburn News ...The president of Unifor Local 444 in Ontario, Canada says his union is ready to fight Right To Work legislation. Dino Chiodo calls it “work for less” legislation, because that’s what he believes it will leave his members doing if it’s ever imposed on a provincial or federal level...
Walmart Cut Employee Hours So Drastically They Can't Keep Shelves Stocked, Losing Customers Think Progress ...Amid plunging sales and massive strikes, even Walmart has conceded it can’t run a business on a skeleton crew...
Government Shutdown Deadline In One Week Associated Press ...With a week left to hammer out a deal to avoid a government shutdown, some lawmakers seem resigned – if not rushing – to that end...
Robert Reich: We Can Save the Economy If We Get Serious About Taxing the Rich AlterNet ...New documentary "Inequality for All," starring Reich explains how to fix America's income inequality...
Nowhere to Hide: The Government's Massive Intrusion Into Our Lives Tom Dispatch ...The NSA isn’t the only government agency exploiting technology to make privacy obsolete...
Smithfield shareholders approve Shuanghui deal Associated Press ...Shareholders of Smithfield Foods Inc. on Tuesday approved a plan to sell the world’s largest pork producer and processor to a Chinese company...
Bank Of America To Pay $2.18 Million In Racial Discrimination Case Reuters ...Bank of America Corp was ordered to pay $2.18 million to 1,147 black job applicants over racial discrimination in hiring that kept qualified candidates from getting jobs, said the U.S. Department of Labor...
How America’s 401(k) Revolution Rewarded the Rich and Turned the Rest of Us Into Big Losers AlterNet ...It was a bad idea from the get-go, but new research shows that America’s 401(k) revolution has left us even worse off than we thought. Here’s a look at how we got into this mess, and where it will take us if we don’t wise up...
N.J. bank fined $8.2 million over federal money-laundering violations Star-Ledger ...Saddle River Valley Bank, a former community bank in Bergen County that once was controlled by private equity magnate J. Christopher Flowers, has agreed to pay $8.2 million to settle federal claims that it broke U.S. anti-money laundering laws...
Union Push for I.P.O. Forces Filing at Chrysler New York Times ...Chrysler filed for a public stock offering on Monday, acting only under pressure from its second-largest shareholder, a trust set up to provide medical coverage for 115,000 retired autoworkers and their relatives...
CN Rail contract talks with Teamsters snagged on health, safety Reuters ...Contract negotiations between Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Union appear to have stalled as CN demands changes that union officials say could jeopardize the health and safety of workers...
U.S. Income Inequality Higher Than Roman Empire's Levels: Study Huffington Post ...the top one percent of earners in Ancient Rome controlled 16 percent of the society's wealth. By comparison, the top one percent of American earners control 40 percent of the country's wealth...
Banks find appalling new way to cheat homeowners Salon ...servicers like Nationstar often failed to inform homeowners about the change in servicing rights when they are transferred, meaning that the homeowner kept paying the wrong servicer. This is a clever way to facilitate late fees; just don’t tell the customer where to send their money...
Workers Set Factories Ablaze in Call for Decent Wage for Producing Globe's 'Cheap' Clothing Common Dreams ...Bangladesh swept by a third day of protests that leaves nearly 150 injured...
Bangladesh Garment Protests Enter Fourth Day Bloomberg ...Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan met last night with factory owners and labor leaders in an effort to end demonstrations that forced about 400 of the country’s 5,000 garment factories to close yesterday...
Greeks public sector workers strike as lenders check reform progress Reuters ...Greek public sector workers went on strike for the second time in a week on Tuesday, shutting schools and leaving hospitals with skeleton staff, as inspectors from Greece's foreign lenders checked if the country was meeting its bailout targets...
U.S. Trade Body Urges India to Play Fair Time ...An American manufacturing representative body is protesting against perceived discriminatory trade practices initiated by New Delhi ahead of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the U.S on Friday...
Unifor Talking Right To Work Blackburn News ...The president of Unifor Local 444 in Ontario, Canada says his union is ready to fight Right To Work legislation. Dino Chiodo calls it “work for less” legislation, because that’s what he believes it will leave his members doing if it’s ever imposed on a provincial or federal level...
Walmart Cut Employee Hours So Drastically They Can't Keep Shelves Stocked, Losing Customers Think Progress ...Amid plunging sales and massive strikes, even Walmart has conceded it can’t run a business on a skeleton crew...
Government Shutdown Deadline In One Week Associated Press ...With a week left to hammer out a deal to avoid a government shutdown, some lawmakers seem resigned – if not rushing – to that end...
Robert Reich: We Can Save the Economy If We Get Serious About Taxing the Rich AlterNet ...New documentary "Inequality for All," starring Reich explains how to fix America's income inequality...
Nowhere to Hide: The Government's Massive Intrusion Into Our Lives Tom Dispatch ...The NSA isn’t the only government agency exploiting technology to make privacy obsolete...
Smithfield shareholders approve Shuanghui deal Associated Press ...Shareholders of Smithfield Foods Inc. on Tuesday approved a plan to sell the world’s largest pork producer and processor to a Chinese company...
Bank Of America To Pay $2.18 Million In Racial Discrimination Case Reuters ...Bank of America Corp was ordered to pay $2.18 million to 1,147 black job applicants over racial discrimination in hiring that kept qualified candidates from getting jobs, said the U.S. Department of Labor...
How America’s 401(k) Revolution Rewarded the Rich and Turned the Rest of Us Into Big Losers AlterNet ...It was a bad idea from the get-go, but new research shows that America’s 401(k) revolution has left us even worse off than we thought. Here’s a look at how we got into this mess, and where it will take us if we don’t wise up...
N.J. bank fined $8.2 million over federal money-laundering violations Star-Ledger ...Saddle River Valley Bank, a former community bank in Bergen County that once was controlled by private equity magnate J. Christopher Flowers, has agreed to pay $8.2 million to settle federal claims that it broke U.S. anti-money laundering laws...
Union Push for I.P.O. Forces Filing at Chrysler New York Times ...Chrysler filed for a public stock offering on Monday, acting only under pressure from its second-largest shareholder, a trust set up to provide medical coverage for 115,000 retired autoworkers and their relatives...
Friday, September 6, 2013
Today's Teamster News 09.06.13
Teamster Mailers Union Respond to Star-Ledger Publisher Threats teamster.org ...This is the official statement from Steve Grant, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 1100 in Fairfield, N.J. which represents 195 mailer employees at the Star-Ledger newspaper...
Teamsters among grocery workers picket to raise regional awareness Auburn Reporter ...Members of three unions representing grocery store workers in the Puget Sound region, including members of Teamsters Local 38, took to the streets on Aug. 28, picketing to raise awareness about ongoing contract negotiations with several local grocery stores, including the Auburn Safeway and Fred Meyer stores...
BMWED’s Western Region Association Holds Annual Meeting teamster.org ...Representatives from the Unified System Division; Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe, Frisco System Federation; Allied Federation; and Burlington System Division, all part of the Western Region Association, met to conduct an educational conference this week...
Allied Waste drops lawsuit filed against Youngstown Teamsters Union WFMJ 21 News ...Allied Waste has dropped a federal lawsuit that was filed against the Teamsters Union during this past spring's walkout against the trash hauler...
Union contract talks continue Dyersville Commercial ...The Delaware County (Iowa) board met again with representatives of the sheriff’s department deputies and jailers to further iron out details of a proposed switch over from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union membership to the Teamsters Union...
JPMorgan Will Stop Making Student Loans firedoglake ...Competition from the government may be a factor, another might also be that student loans are in a massive trillion dollar bubble...
Failed Policy — The 401(k) Shrinks In A Growing Economy The National Memo ...even though the economy is improving, the number of workers saving out of their paychecks for old age is shrinking. So is the amount they save, down 6 percent in real terms from 2008 to 2010...
Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds Kaiser Health News ...About half the births in the United States are paid for by Medicaid — a figure higher than previous estimates – and the numbers could increase as the state-federal health insurance program expands under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released Tuesday...
Demonstrators protest against low wages at Walmart store in Lakewood Denver Post ...The protest outside the store at West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard was one of about 15 demonstrations held nationwide Thursday against the retailer...
24 Walmart Protesters Arrested At Demonstrations In New York And Los Angeles (UPDATED) Huffington Post ...The New York Police Department arrested three Walmart protesters in New York City on Thursday during demonstrations against the company's wages and worker conditions...Also on Thursday, 21 protesters were arrested in Los Angeles during a similar demonstration downtown...
New York Unions Might Find a Friend in City Hall Wall Street Journal ...Private-sector labor unions could have a strong ally in the next mayor as they embark on new efforts to organize workers in New York City...
Fast-food condemnation The Economist ...What do you say to a teenager with a job? Answer: “A Big Mac, fries and a Coke, please.” At least, that was the joke in happier times. Today’s question might be: “What do you say to a single parent with two jobs and no health insurance?...”
Gov. Brown plan exempts thousands of transportation workers from pension limits Los Angeles Times ...Brown's proposal comes in response to a federal threat to withhold transit money from California...
Organized labor readies for Kentucky right-to-work battle Louisville Morning Call ...Kentucky legislators seeking to curb the power of unions could face major hurdles if a Labor Day event was any indication. About a dozen unions participated in a Louisville picnic for organized labor members, and thousands of people showed up...
Hart Schaffner Marx, Apparel Union Workers Stand In Solidarity Against Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Progress Illinois ...The Chicago-based apparel firm Hart Schaffner Marx, its factory workers and their union say they will collectively fight against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement that is currently under negotiations...
U.S. likely to approve Chinese purchase of Smithfield Reuters ...The U.S. government is unlikely to block Chinese meat company Shuanghui International's $4.7 billion deal to buy Smithfield Foods, Inc. on national security grounds, according to one person familiar with the matter...
Female doctors make $56,000 less than male MDs MSN Money ...The Journal of the American Medical Association points out the wage gap, which has been getting wider over the years...
Detroit Billionaires Get Arena Help as Bankrupt City Suffers Bloomberg News ...In the wake of Detroit becoming the biggest U.S. municipality to declare bankruptcy and raid pensions, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder approved a plan to put public money toward a $450 million downtown arena on behalf of the NHL’s Red Wings and their billionaire owners...
Alabama's job creation struggle: Growth is not only slow, but also low-quality The Huntsville Times ...A comparison of job growth in Alabama and Utah published last week looked at changes in unemployment rates and job growth overall. This story goes a level deeper, and looks at the quality of jobs being created in each state...
Signatures collected for Alaska wage initiative The State ...Sponsors of an initiative to raise the minimum wage in Alaska said they have collected more than a third of the signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot...
Teamsters among grocery workers picket to raise regional awareness Auburn Reporter ...Members of three unions representing grocery store workers in the Puget Sound region, including members of Teamsters Local 38, took to the streets on Aug. 28, picketing to raise awareness about ongoing contract negotiations with several local grocery stores, including the Auburn Safeway and Fred Meyer stores...
BMWED’s Western Region Association Holds Annual Meeting teamster.org ...Representatives from the Unified System Division; Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe, Frisco System Federation; Allied Federation; and Burlington System Division, all part of the Western Region Association, met to conduct an educational conference this week...
Allied Waste drops lawsuit filed against Youngstown Teamsters Union WFMJ 21 News ...Allied Waste has dropped a federal lawsuit that was filed against the Teamsters Union during this past spring's walkout against the trash hauler...
Union contract talks continue Dyersville Commercial ...The Delaware County (Iowa) board met again with representatives of the sheriff’s department deputies and jailers to further iron out details of a proposed switch over from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union membership to the Teamsters Union...
JPMorgan Will Stop Making Student Loans firedoglake ...Competition from the government may be a factor, another might also be that student loans are in a massive trillion dollar bubble...
Failed Policy — The 401(k) Shrinks In A Growing Economy The National Memo ...even though the economy is improving, the number of workers saving out of their paychecks for old age is shrinking. So is the amount they save, down 6 percent in real terms from 2008 to 2010...
Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds Kaiser Health News ...About half the births in the United States are paid for by Medicaid — a figure higher than previous estimates – and the numbers could increase as the state-federal health insurance program expands under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released Tuesday...
Demonstrators protest against low wages at Walmart store in Lakewood Denver Post ...The protest outside the store at West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard was one of about 15 demonstrations held nationwide Thursday against the retailer...
24 Walmart Protesters Arrested At Demonstrations In New York And Los Angeles (UPDATED) Huffington Post ...The New York Police Department arrested three Walmart protesters in New York City on Thursday during demonstrations against the company's wages and worker conditions...Also on Thursday, 21 protesters were arrested in Los Angeles during a similar demonstration downtown...
New York Unions Might Find a Friend in City Hall Wall Street Journal ...Private-sector labor unions could have a strong ally in the next mayor as they embark on new efforts to organize workers in New York City...
Fast-food condemnation The Economist ...What do you say to a teenager with a job? Answer: “A Big Mac, fries and a Coke, please.” At least, that was the joke in happier times. Today’s question might be: “What do you say to a single parent with two jobs and no health insurance?...”
Gov. Brown plan exempts thousands of transportation workers from pension limits Los Angeles Times ...Brown's proposal comes in response to a federal threat to withhold transit money from California...
Organized labor readies for Kentucky right-to-work battle Louisville Morning Call ...Kentucky legislators seeking to curb the power of unions could face major hurdles if a Labor Day event was any indication. About a dozen unions participated in a Louisville picnic for organized labor members, and thousands of people showed up...
Hart Schaffner Marx, Apparel Union Workers Stand In Solidarity Against Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Progress Illinois ...The Chicago-based apparel firm Hart Schaffner Marx, its factory workers and their union say they will collectively fight against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement that is currently under negotiations...
U.S. likely to approve Chinese purchase of Smithfield Reuters ...The U.S. government is unlikely to block Chinese meat company Shuanghui International's $4.7 billion deal to buy Smithfield Foods, Inc. on national security grounds, according to one person familiar with the matter...
Female doctors make $56,000 less than male MDs MSN Money ...The Journal of the American Medical Association points out the wage gap, which has been getting wider over the years...
Detroit Billionaires Get Arena Help as Bankrupt City Suffers Bloomberg News ...In the wake of Detroit becoming the biggest U.S. municipality to declare bankruptcy and raid pensions, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder approved a plan to put public money toward a $450 million downtown arena on behalf of the NHL’s Red Wings and their billionaire owners...
Alabama's job creation struggle: Growth is not only slow, but also low-quality The Huntsville Times ...A comparison of job growth in Alabama and Utah published last week looked at changes in unemployment rates and job growth overall. This story goes a level deeper, and looks at the quality of jobs being created in each state...
Signatures collected for Alaska wage initiative The State ...Sponsors of an initiative to raise the minimum wage in Alaska said they have collected more than a third of the signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot...
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.13.13
Iowa Supreme Court: It’s OK To Fire A Woman For Being Too Attractive ThinkProgress ...Standing by a December decision, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a male dentist who fired a female assistant because she was too attractive and threatened his marriage did not commit sex discrimination...
Brazil protests: Tens of thousands in union-led strikes BBC News ...Ports and motorways were blocked, banks and schools stayed closed, and crowds marched through Rio de Janeiro, where riot police deployed tear gas. The unions want improved working conditions and better public services...
US Treasury delays offshore tax-dodging law by six months Economic Times ...The US Treasury Department said on Friday it will postpone enforcement of a new law that cracks down on offshore tax avoidance by Americans by six months to give foreign banks more time to figure out how to comply...
Sen. Brown urges Obama administration to press China on trade, currency issues BankCreditNews ...Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) urged the Obama administration on Monday to press China on a number of issues that affect American jobs and businesses, including currency manipulation, illegal trade practices, cyber-attacks, human rights abuses and intellectual property theft...
Changing Wal-Mart? Respect our rights, workers say Sacramento Press ...As of July 8, nine Wal-Mart workers in California have been fired for standing up and speaking out publicly to improve labor conditions at the large retailer. The company is saying the employees were let go due to violating attendance policy or for other reasons, and not because of any “specific protest.”...
Smithfield workers conflicted over Chinese buyout Virginian-Pilot ...What’ll happen to workers at Smithfield Foods Inc. if the pork company is taken over by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.? The workers feel mixed about the buyout...
Union head threatens 'bloodiest' BART strike in years KTVU News ...Rhetoric remained fiery as BART negotiators and union heads returned to the bargaining table Thursday, with one union head threatening the "bloodiest, longest strike" in decades if a permanent deal isn't reached in less than a month...
Silicon Valley’s Anti-Unionism, Now With a Side of Class Warfare Daily Intelligencer ...Since BART workers went on strike last week, shutting down the Bay Area's primary mass transit system and interrupting millions of commutes, the relationship between the Silicon Valley tech community and labor unions has come under the microscope...
NH's Hassan signs jobless benefits bill Associated Press ...Gov. Maggie Hassan signed a bill Thursday creating a new program that will allow a small percentage of jobless workers to continue to get unemployment benefits while they start their own businesses. Under the new law, which took effect immediately, only 2.5 percent of unemployed workers can participate in the program at any given time...
Christie Vetoes Bill That Would Check His Power to Privatize Teaneck Patch ...The Christie administration made privatizing dozens of state programs and services a priority shortly after taking office, announcing it was a way to save millions of dollars during economically tough times. But recently, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill whose purpose was to ensure that government privatization actually saved money...
New Jersey approves incentives for firm that oversaw 1,100 New Jersey layoffs Star-Ledger ...The state Economic Development Authority yesterday approved nearly $530,000 in two incentive packages to a New Hampshire-based distributor for supermarket chains whose New Jersey subsidiary laid off its entire work force and shuttered all six New Jersey locations in 2011...
Challenge to union contract that goes around 'right-to-work' dismissed Michigan Radio ...A judge in Wayne County has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a school union contract designed to skirt the Michigan’s new right-to-work law...
California Governor Eliminates Enterprise Tax Zones KPBS Radio News ...A swipe of the governor's pen wiped away California's enterprise tax zones and created a new job strategy focused on sales tax exemptions for companies that buy manufacturing as well as research and development equipment...
Minnesota sues online lender, alleging illegally high payback rates Pioneer Press ...Minnesota is suing Internet lender CashCall Inc., which offers personal loans with annual interest rates as high as 342 percent. The lender claims the loans are OK because the company is governed by tribal law, not state law...
Chicago Funeral Director Speaks Out Against SCI The Bill Press Show ...Funeral director and Teamsters Local 727 member Angela Anello joined Bill Press yesterday to discuss the ongoing strike against Service Corporation International (SCI). Fifty-nine funeral directors have been on strike since July 2 to fight for a fair contract. Visit www.integrityinillinois.com for more information...
Midwest Teamsters Detail Good Works of Union Rick Smith Show ...Rick and the gang spoke with several Teamsters during stops in St. Louis and Detroit about how the union is working to help workers and the local community. Listen here. Visit the People's Tour of America section to get the highlights....
Brazil protests: Tens of thousands in union-led strikes BBC News ...Ports and motorways were blocked, banks and schools stayed closed, and crowds marched through Rio de Janeiro, where riot police deployed tear gas. The unions want improved working conditions and better public services...
US Treasury delays offshore tax-dodging law by six months Economic Times ...The US Treasury Department said on Friday it will postpone enforcement of a new law that cracks down on offshore tax avoidance by Americans by six months to give foreign banks more time to figure out how to comply...
Sen. Brown urges Obama administration to press China on trade, currency issues BankCreditNews ...Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) urged the Obama administration on Monday to press China on a number of issues that affect American jobs and businesses, including currency manipulation, illegal trade practices, cyber-attacks, human rights abuses and intellectual property theft...
Changing Wal-Mart? Respect our rights, workers say Sacramento Press ...As of July 8, nine Wal-Mart workers in California have been fired for standing up and speaking out publicly to improve labor conditions at the large retailer. The company is saying the employees were let go due to violating attendance policy or for other reasons, and not because of any “specific protest.”...
Smithfield workers conflicted over Chinese buyout Virginian-Pilot ...What’ll happen to workers at Smithfield Foods Inc. if the pork company is taken over by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.? The workers feel mixed about the buyout...
Union head threatens 'bloodiest' BART strike in years KTVU News ...Rhetoric remained fiery as BART negotiators and union heads returned to the bargaining table Thursday, with one union head threatening the "bloodiest, longest strike" in decades if a permanent deal isn't reached in less than a month...
Silicon Valley’s Anti-Unionism, Now With a Side of Class Warfare Daily Intelligencer ...Since BART workers went on strike last week, shutting down the Bay Area's primary mass transit system and interrupting millions of commutes, the relationship between the Silicon Valley tech community and labor unions has come under the microscope...
NH's Hassan signs jobless benefits bill Associated Press ...Gov. Maggie Hassan signed a bill Thursday creating a new program that will allow a small percentage of jobless workers to continue to get unemployment benefits while they start their own businesses. Under the new law, which took effect immediately, only 2.5 percent of unemployed workers can participate in the program at any given time...
Christie Vetoes Bill That Would Check His Power to Privatize Teaneck Patch ...The Christie administration made privatizing dozens of state programs and services a priority shortly after taking office, announcing it was a way to save millions of dollars during economically tough times. But recently, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill whose purpose was to ensure that government privatization actually saved money...
New Jersey approves incentives for firm that oversaw 1,100 New Jersey layoffs Star-Ledger ...The state Economic Development Authority yesterday approved nearly $530,000 in two incentive packages to a New Hampshire-based distributor for supermarket chains whose New Jersey subsidiary laid off its entire work force and shuttered all six New Jersey locations in 2011...
Challenge to union contract that goes around 'right-to-work' dismissed Michigan Radio ...A judge in Wayne County has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a school union contract designed to skirt the Michigan’s new right-to-work law...
California Governor Eliminates Enterprise Tax Zones KPBS Radio News ...A swipe of the governor's pen wiped away California's enterprise tax zones and created a new job strategy focused on sales tax exemptions for companies that buy manufacturing as well as research and development equipment...
Minnesota sues online lender, alleging illegally high payback rates Pioneer Press ...Minnesota is suing Internet lender CashCall Inc., which offers personal loans with annual interest rates as high as 342 percent. The lender claims the loans are OK because the company is governed by tribal law, not state law...
Chicago Funeral Director Speaks Out Against SCI The Bill Press Show ...Funeral director and Teamsters Local 727 member Angela Anello joined Bill Press yesterday to discuss the ongoing strike against Service Corporation International (SCI). Fifty-nine funeral directors have been on strike since July 2 to fight for a fair contract. Visit www.integrityinillinois.com for more information...
Midwest Teamsters Detail Good Works of Union Rick Smith Show ...Rick and the gang spoke with several Teamsters during stops in St. Louis and Detroit about how the union is working to help workers and the local community. Listen here. Visit the People's Tour of America section to get the highlights....
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.11.13
Low-Wage Workers Hit Hardest In The Recovery: Study Huffington Post ...Workers in low-wage industries have lost a greater share of their inflation-adjusted income during the economic recovery than better-paid workers have, according to a new analysis from the National Employment Law Project...
Billionaire Koch Brother Says Eliminating The Minimum Wage Will Help The Poor ThinkProgress ...On Wednesday, the Charles Koch Foundation launched a $200,000 media campaign in Wichita, Kansas, with a hint of expanding it elsewhere...
The Big Problems in Obama's Big Trade Deals (opinion) US News ...The U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) make up the majority of the world's global domestic product and are already plagued by oversight and accountability issues. The vulnerable communities that will be impacted are wide-ranging, spanning the environmental, labor and health sectors...
The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe Telegraph ...Europe’s debt-crisis strategy is near collapse. The long-awaited recovery has failed to take wing. Debt ratios across southern Europe are rising at an accelerating pace. Political consent for extreme austerity is breaking down in almost every EMU crisis state...
Smithfield CEO Faces Grilling in Senate on Food Safety Reuters ...Chinese plans to buy America's Smithfield Foods—the world's biggest pork producer—faces scrutiny Wednesday when U.S. senators question Smithfield's chief executive about food safety and foreign ownership...
FAA Ups Requirements for Co-Pilots on Passenger Planes NBC News ...The federal government is toughening the qualifications for co-pilots on American passenger planes — days after a crash landing in San Francisco in which pilot experience has become a question...
Two Supreme Court Cases That Could Hurt Organized Labor The Atlantic ...Amid the ruckus over its voting rights and gay marriage rulings, the justices quietly accepted a pair of cases that could make it nearly impossible for private sector unions to organize new members...
FedEx Settles Lawsuit Over Claims It Overcharged Customers Bloomberg News ...FedEx Corp. agreed to settle a lawsuit over claims the company was “systematically overcharging” customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and government offices at higher residential rates...
Judge blocks portion of Michigan state Capitol access policy Sheboygan Press ...Groups of up to 20 people can gather in the state Capitol without a permit, a federal judge ruled, striking down portions of the current policy requiring permits for all activities as an unconstitutional infringement on free speech rights...
D.C. Council approves ‘living wage’ bill over Wal-Mart ultimatum Washington Post ...D.C. lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill requiring certain large retailers to pay their employees a 50 percent premium over the city’s minimum wage, a day after Wal-Mart warned the law would jeopardize their plans in the city...
Teamsters ratify new OTS contract with 6.4 percent raise Honolulu Star Adviser ...Honolulu’s bus drivers ratified a new five-year labor contract Tuesday with Oahu Transit Services, Inc. The new pact covers 1,400 bus drivers, clerical and maintenance members of Teamsters Local 996...
Mass. Teamsters back Clark in run Wicked Local Winchester ...Teamsters Local 25, representing more than 11,000 workers in Massachusetts, this week announced its support for state Sen. Katherine Clark in the race for U.S. Congress to represent the fifth district...
City lawmakers delay approving contract with Rural/Metro as ambulance strike looms Buffalo News ...For Buffalo residents, this might not be the best time to have a medical emergency. The Common Council on Tuesday put off renewing a contract with Rural/Metro Medical Services, which handles as many as 34,000 emergency calls a year in the City of Buffalo...
Rural/Metro Putting Profits Ahead Of People Tony Trupiano Show ...Labor radio host Tony Trupiano interviews Local 375 members in Buffalo about their fight to win a fair contract with Rural/Metro medical service. Download the audio here...
Hoffa: Congress Must Vet the Pacific Rim Trade Proposal IBT ...Workers across Michigan and the U.S. are working harder today for less pay than they received just a few years ago. Jobs that once allowed wage earners to support their families disappeared during the last recession, replaced by jobs that pay poverty wages. But more importantly, millions of good jobs have been exported over the past 20 years because of bad trade deals...
30 arrested during UMWA protest in W.Va. WHTM ...United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard told the crowd that every union is threatened if Patriot gets away with shedding legacy costs and breaking promises...
Billionaire Koch Brother Says Eliminating The Minimum Wage Will Help The Poor ThinkProgress ...On Wednesday, the Charles Koch Foundation launched a $200,000 media campaign in Wichita, Kansas, with a hint of expanding it elsewhere...
The Big Problems in Obama's Big Trade Deals (opinion) US News ...The U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) make up the majority of the world's global domestic product and are already plagued by oversight and accountability issues. The vulnerable communities that will be impacted are wide-ranging, spanning the environmental, labor and health sectors...
The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe Telegraph ...Europe’s debt-crisis strategy is near collapse. The long-awaited recovery has failed to take wing. Debt ratios across southern Europe are rising at an accelerating pace. Political consent for extreme austerity is breaking down in almost every EMU crisis state...
Smithfield CEO Faces Grilling in Senate on Food Safety Reuters ...Chinese plans to buy America's Smithfield Foods—the world's biggest pork producer—faces scrutiny Wednesday when U.S. senators question Smithfield's chief executive about food safety and foreign ownership...
FAA Ups Requirements for Co-Pilots on Passenger Planes NBC News ...The federal government is toughening the qualifications for co-pilots on American passenger planes — days after a crash landing in San Francisco in which pilot experience has become a question...
Two Supreme Court Cases That Could Hurt Organized Labor The Atlantic ...Amid the ruckus over its voting rights and gay marriage rulings, the justices quietly accepted a pair of cases that could make it nearly impossible for private sector unions to organize new members...
FedEx Settles Lawsuit Over Claims It Overcharged Customers Bloomberg News ...FedEx Corp. agreed to settle a lawsuit over claims the company was “systematically overcharging” customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and government offices at higher residential rates...
Judge blocks portion of Michigan state Capitol access policy Sheboygan Press ...Groups of up to 20 people can gather in the state Capitol without a permit, a federal judge ruled, striking down portions of the current policy requiring permits for all activities as an unconstitutional infringement on free speech rights...
D.C. Council approves ‘living wage’ bill over Wal-Mart ultimatum Washington Post ...D.C. lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill requiring certain large retailers to pay their employees a 50 percent premium over the city’s minimum wage, a day after Wal-Mart warned the law would jeopardize their plans in the city...
Teamsters ratify new OTS contract with 6.4 percent raise Honolulu Star Adviser ...Honolulu’s bus drivers ratified a new five-year labor contract Tuesday with Oahu Transit Services, Inc. The new pact covers 1,400 bus drivers, clerical and maintenance members of Teamsters Local 996...
Mass. Teamsters back Clark in run Wicked Local Winchester ...Teamsters Local 25, representing more than 11,000 workers in Massachusetts, this week announced its support for state Sen. Katherine Clark in the race for U.S. Congress to represent the fifth district...
City lawmakers delay approving contract with Rural/Metro as ambulance strike looms Buffalo News ...For Buffalo residents, this might not be the best time to have a medical emergency. The Common Council on Tuesday put off renewing a contract with Rural/Metro Medical Services, which handles as many as 34,000 emergency calls a year in the City of Buffalo...
Rural/Metro Putting Profits Ahead Of People Tony Trupiano Show ...Labor radio host Tony Trupiano interviews Local 375 members in Buffalo about their fight to win a fair contract with Rural/Metro medical service. Download the audio here...
Hoffa: Congress Must Vet the Pacific Rim Trade Proposal IBT ...Workers across Michigan and the U.S. are working harder today for less pay than they received just a few years ago. Jobs that once allowed wage earners to support their families disappeared during the last recession, replaced by jobs that pay poverty wages. But more importantly, millions of good jobs have been exported over the past 20 years because of bad trade deals...
30 arrested during UMWA protest in W.Va. WHTM ...United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard told the crowd that every union is threatened if Patriot gets away with shedding legacy costs and breaking promises...
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.03.13
Unemployment Rate Still Above 10% in 27 US Metro Areas Wall Street Journal ...Eleven of these areas were in California, the country’s most-populous state, which continues to grapple with fallout from the housing-market downturn...
Don't Blame Unemployment Insurance for Our Jobs Crisis The Atlantic ...there's no evidence that long-term unemployment benefits have discouraged the long-term unemployed from taking jobs -- because they can't get jobs to begin with...
Dutch pension group halts Wal-Mart investments over low wages and working conditions Reuters ...Wal-Mart “was not prepared” to take concerns about what PGGM called “tense” U.S. labor relations into consideration and its board was not willing to participate in “fruitful dialogues” with shareholders, PGGM said in a statement...
Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket ABA Journal ... John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree ... lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable ...But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket...
Big U.S. Companies Pay 12.6 Percent Average Tax Rate Reuters ...As corporate lobbyists seek to preserve business tax breaks and cut the corporate tax rate, the Government Accountability Office said big companies with earnings paid just 12.6 percent of their worldwide income in taxes in 2010...
To Restore the American Dream, Restore the Promise of American Labor Law (opinion) Roll Call ...Republican Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon recognized the important work of the NLRB and worked with union leaders and other representatives of organized labor as did Democratic Presidents Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy...
Banks Are Finding New Ways To Saddle Low-Wage Workers With Fees Think Progress ...Low-wage workers are increasingly getting their wages in prepaid cards that hit them with fees. According to the Times, the largest American companies have done away with direct deposit and paper paychecks in favor of prepaid cards that require employees to withdraw cash from ATM machines...
Playing politics with prison Oklahoma Gazette ...Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and Oklahoma’s governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take their money...
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China Reuters ...Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed two bills on Tuesday that would have would have cleared the way for foreign ownership of farmland and potentially eliminated obstacles to Smithfield Foods Inc.'s planned $4.7 billion purchase by a Chinese company...
Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create state program to buy foreclosed properties Burlington County Times ...A controversial housing bill intended to help reduce New Jersey’s glut of foreclosed homes was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for a third time...
Protesters: Keep Social Security Unchained New Haven Independent ...Manny Gomez worked for Winchester Repeating Arms for 44 years, paying into social security with each paycheck. Now at 84 he can’t afford to live off his social security check, he said. And he can’t afford a proposed change to calculating the federal retirement benefit...
Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange OHS Canada ...Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed...
Rhode Island Senate passes minimum-wage increase Providence Journal ...A bill that raises Rhode Island's minimum wage by 25 cents, to $8 an hour, cleared the state Senate on Monday night and is headed for the governor's signature...
Hawaii gov signs domestic workers bill Associated Press ...Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights Monday, making Hawaii the second U.S. state to give nannies, housekeepers and others protections on wages and other labor issues...
North Carolina’s Deep Cut to Jobless Benefits Takes Effect Amid Protests New York Times ...North Carolina’s sharp cuts in benefits to the unemployed went into effect this week, amid a swelling public outcry...
Report: Property values dropped, taxes didn't Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Total property values in southeastern Wisconsin dropped 5% in 2012, but municipal and school district property tax levies did not follow suit...
Protesters want to strike a deal Lake County Record-Bee ...About 30 people were on strike and will continue in Lower Lake, Lakeport and Clearlake protesting lack of raises for Paratransit employees, said Mike Yates, Business Representative of Teamsters Local 665. The Teamsters are currently in negotiations … in hopes of signing a contract and preventing further strikes...
Upper Merion School Board extends services from Teamster maintenance workers Mainline Media News ...The Upper Merion Area School Board in Pennsylvania adopted a “status quo” resolution between the district and Teamsters Local 384, which represents the custodial, building, and turf maintenance employees. The contract expired on June 30, and because no new agreement has been reached, the resolution stated that services provided by the employees would continue...
ABF Vote Results By Local Union IBT ...View the ABF vote results by local union here...
Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago TeamsterNation ...The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes...
Don't Blame Unemployment Insurance for Our Jobs Crisis The Atlantic ...there's no evidence that long-term unemployment benefits have discouraged the long-term unemployed from taking jobs -- because they can't get jobs to begin with...
Dutch pension group halts Wal-Mart investments over low wages and working conditions Reuters ...Wal-Mart “was not prepared” to take concerns about what PGGM called “tense” U.S. labor relations into consideration and its board was not willing to participate in “fruitful dialogues” with shareholders, PGGM said in a statement...
Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket ABA Journal ... John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree ... lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable ...But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket...
Big U.S. Companies Pay 12.6 Percent Average Tax Rate Reuters ...As corporate lobbyists seek to preserve business tax breaks and cut the corporate tax rate, the Government Accountability Office said big companies with earnings paid just 12.6 percent of their worldwide income in taxes in 2010...
To Restore the American Dream, Restore the Promise of American Labor Law (opinion) Roll Call ...Republican Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon recognized the important work of the NLRB and worked with union leaders and other representatives of organized labor as did Democratic Presidents Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy...
Banks Are Finding New Ways To Saddle Low-Wage Workers With Fees Think Progress ...Low-wage workers are increasingly getting their wages in prepaid cards that hit them with fees. According to the Times, the largest American companies have done away with direct deposit and paper paychecks in favor of prepaid cards that require employees to withdraw cash from ATM machines...
Playing politics with prison Oklahoma Gazette ...Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and Oklahoma’s governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take their money...
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China Reuters ...Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed two bills on Tuesday that would have would have cleared the way for foreign ownership of farmland and potentially eliminated obstacles to Smithfield Foods Inc.'s planned $4.7 billion purchase by a Chinese company...
Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create state program to buy foreclosed properties Burlington County Times ...A controversial housing bill intended to help reduce New Jersey’s glut of foreclosed homes was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for a third time...
Protesters: Keep Social Security Unchained New Haven Independent ...Manny Gomez worked for Winchester Repeating Arms for 44 years, paying into social security with each paycheck. Now at 84 he can’t afford to live off his social security check, he said. And he can’t afford a proposed change to calculating the federal retirement benefit...
Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange OHS Canada ...Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed...
Rhode Island Senate passes minimum-wage increase Providence Journal ...A bill that raises Rhode Island's minimum wage by 25 cents, to $8 an hour, cleared the state Senate on Monday night and is headed for the governor's signature...
Hawaii gov signs domestic workers bill Associated Press ...Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights Monday, making Hawaii the second U.S. state to give nannies, housekeepers and others protections on wages and other labor issues...
North Carolina’s Deep Cut to Jobless Benefits Takes Effect Amid Protests New York Times ...North Carolina’s sharp cuts in benefits to the unemployed went into effect this week, amid a swelling public outcry...
Report: Property values dropped, taxes didn't Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Total property values in southeastern Wisconsin dropped 5% in 2012, but municipal and school district property tax levies did not follow suit...
Protesters want to strike a deal Lake County Record-Bee ...About 30 people were on strike and will continue in Lower Lake, Lakeport and Clearlake protesting lack of raises for Paratransit employees, said Mike Yates, Business Representative of Teamsters Local 665. The Teamsters are currently in negotiations … in hopes of signing a contract and preventing further strikes...
Upper Merion School Board extends services from Teamster maintenance workers Mainline Media News ...The Upper Merion Area School Board in Pennsylvania adopted a “status quo” resolution between the district and Teamsters Local 384, which represents the custodial, building, and turf maintenance employees. The contract expired on June 30, and because no new agreement has been reached, the resolution stated that services provided by the employees would continue...
ABF Vote Results By Local Union IBT ...View the ABF vote results by local union here...
Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago TeamsterNation ...The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes...
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
How the sale of Smithfield offers a view of the future under TPP
An overwhelming majority of voters in the Smithfield Foods district in Virginia are deeply concerned about the sale of the pork producer to Chinese firm Shuanghui International. They take a dismal view of their community's future if a Chinese company buys the major employer.
The potential future of that Virginia district is a microcosm of what life would be like for U.S. workers if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is ultimately approved.
A poll conducted last week on the website of Rep. Randy Forbes, who represents the Smithfield district, asked constituents what they thought of the deal. More than 90 percent said a CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.) review of the acquisition should examine its impact on food safety, the environment and U.S. economic interests.
Food Safety News reported that 15 senators have asked the CFIUS committee to include U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration representatives to review the deal's effect on food safety.
We reported last year on mercury in Chinese baby food and kebabs made out of cat meat. Here's more from USA Today:
American workers are worried about workplace safety as well. The Food and Commercial Workers Union points out that Chinese processing plants have been plagued by accidents.
Concerns like these will only grow if Congress approves the TPP corporate-empowerment deal. Why? Because U.S. companies will engage in a race to the bottom with those in many developing nations. American workers will be undercut as jobs will either be shifted overseas or wages will be cut. The quality of life for working Americans will continue to fall. Communities will be hollowed out by shuttered factories. The government will be forced to accept food from other countries that doesn't meet our standards.
No one is against trade, just unfair trade. When the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. It is time to rebuild the middle class, not tear it down, and that means trade deals that benefit working Americans.
Stay tuned...
The potential future of that Virginia district is a microcosm of what life would be like for U.S. workers if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is ultimately approved.
A poll conducted last week on the website of Rep. Randy Forbes, who represents the Smithfield district, asked constituents what they thought of the deal. More than 90 percent said a CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.) review of the acquisition should examine its impact on food safety, the environment and U.S. economic interests.
Food Safety News reported that 15 senators have asked the CFIUS committee to include U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration representatives to review the deal's effect on food safety.
We reported last year on mercury in Chinese baby food and kebabs made out of cat meat. Here's more from USA Today:
Food-safety worries are rife across China after multiple scandals in recent years. Shuanghui apologized to consumers and withdrew products after a 2011 television exposé revealed use of an illegal additive to produce leaner pork. Like all pork producers in China, Shuanghui does not breed most of its own pigs. Thousands of dead pigs floating in a river near Shanghai this March offered a stark reminder of widespread lax practices.Voters are also concerned about jobs that continue to support middle-class families. A USA Today report says the average Shuanghui worker only makes $500 a month, while the 1,600 workers at Smithfield's Denison, Iowa, pork-processing plant typically make about $700 a week.
American workers are worried about workplace safety as well. The Food and Commercial Workers Union points out that Chinese processing plants have been plagued by accidents.
Concerns like these will only grow if Congress approves the TPP corporate-empowerment deal. Why? Because U.S. companies will engage in a race to the bottom with those in many developing nations. American workers will be undercut as jobs will either be shifted overseas or wages will be cut. The quality of life for working Americans will continue to fall. Communities will be hollowed out by shuttered factories. The government will be forced to accept food from other countries that doesn't meet our standards.
No one is against trade, just unfair trade. When the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. It is time to rebuild the middle class, not tear it down, and that means trade deals that benefit working Americans.
Stay tuned...
Friday, June 7, 2013
Today's Teamster News 06.07.13
Federal unemployment checks to shrink by $51 next week Chicago-Tribune ...Those collecting extended, federal unemployment benefits will see weekly checks shrink by $51 as of June 10 because of sequestration budget cuts...
Mexico's Drug War Claims 70, 000 Lives in 6 Years The Real News ...Mexico's government estimates 26,000 people have gone missing since 2007 and as many as 70,000 killed in drug-related violence...
Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal Guardian ...Project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key shipping route...
U.S. lawmakers air concerns about Smithfield-Shuanghui deal Reuters ...Chinese meat company Shuanghui International's plans to buy U.S.-based pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc has some lawmakers worried the deal could create food safety issues for U.S. consumers...
Walmart's War Against Unions -- and the U.S. Laws That Make It Possible Huffington Post ...As Walmart workers from across the country once again converge this week on the corporation's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, one startling fact stands out: none of them, or any of the retail giant's 1.4 million workers, are represented by a union...
Senate GOP Puts Corporate Tax Loopholes Over Student Loans Think Progress ...After their own proposal on student loan interest rates failed, Republican senators blocked a Democratic proposal to forestall the doubling of rates for the poorest students for two years. Republicans object to the way Democrats would pay for the extension – by closing tax loopholes for oil companies, wealthy pensioners, and multinational corporations...
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World Bloomberg BusinessWeek ...59-year-old Joe Carcello has an annual salary of $52,700, gets five weeks of vacation a year, and is looking forward to retiring on the sizable nest egg in his 401(k), which his employer augments with matching funds. After 26 years at his company, he’s not worried about layoffs. In 2009, as the recession deepened, his bosses handed out raises. This wouldn’t be remarkable except that Carcello works in retail, one of the stingiest industries in America, with some of the most dissatisfied workers. But Carcello works at Costco...
Bustos makes push to have U.S. government only purchase flags made in USA Rock River Times ...U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., continued her push for American jobs by fighting to ensure all American flags are made in America by offering an amendment, which passed by a bipartisan voice vote, to the FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2217)...
Unions fight Koch brothers' bid to buy the public square AFT News ...Union members are mobilizing against the potential sale of the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and other print, electronic and online media assets held by Tribune Co., to billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, two of the most virulent anti-worker voices in the nation...
Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge Washington Post ...The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets...
Verizon provides all call records to U.S. under court order Washington Post ...The National Security Agency appears to be collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of American customers of Verizon, one of the nation’s largest phone companies, under a top-secret court order issued in April...
Fed index ranks Wisconsin 49th in economic outlook Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ... the Leading Index is also the most recent report that suggests that Wisconsin is struggling in comparison with other states...
$1,480 checks going out to more than 72,000 foreclosed Floridians Sun Sentinel ...More than 72,000 eligible Floridians who lost their homes to foreclosure from 2008 to 2011 will receive $1,480 from the landmark mortgage settlement involving the nation's five largest mortgage lenders, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced...
MV Transportation Puts Paratransit Services, Public at Risk Teamsters Local 727 ...Paratransit services in Cook County could be suspended starting next week because MV Transportation is on the cusp of forcing a work stoppage...
NMB Approves US Airways Election to Move Forward IBT ...On June 6, the National Mediation Board (NMB) announced that the Teamsters Union has a showing of interest (sufficient authorization cards) and will be scheduling an election soon. This is a huge step forward in our campaign to win a more secure future as Teamsters at the world’s largest airline...
First Transit Workers Join Teamsters Teamsters Local 727 ... Dispatchers and call takers at First Transit have voted unanimously to join the Teamsters Union...
Mexico's Drug War Claims 70, 000 Lives in 6 Years The Real News ...Mexico's government estimates 26,000 people have gone missing since 2007 and as many as 70,000 killed in drug-related violence...
Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal Guardian ...Project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key shipping route...
U.S. lawmakers air concerns about Smithfield-Shuanghui deal Reuters ...Chinese meat company Shuanghui International's plans to buy U.S.-based pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc has some lawmakers worried the deal could create food safety issues for U.S. consumers...
Walmart's War Against Unions -- and the U.S. Laws That Make It Possible Huffington Post ...As Walmart workers from across the country once again converge this week on the corporation's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, one startling fact stands out: none of them, or any of the retail giant's 1.4 million workers, are represented by a union...
Senate GOP Puts Corporate Tax Loopholes Over Student Loans Think Progress ...After their own proposal on student loan interest rates failed, Republican senators blocked a Democratic proposal to forestall the doubling of rates for the poorest students for two years. Republicans object to the way Democrats would pay for the extension – by closing tax loopholes for oil companies, wealthy pensioners, and multinational corporations...
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World Bloomberg BusinessWeek ...59-year-old Joe Carcello has an annual salary of $52,700, gets five weeks of vacation a year, and is looking forward to retiring on the sizable nest egg in his 401(k), which his employer augments with matching funds. After 26 years at his company, he’s not worried about layoffs. In 2009, as the recession deepened, his bosses handed out raises. This wouldn’t be remarkable except that Carcello works in retail, one of the stingiest industries in America, with some of the most dissatisfied workers. But Carcello works at Costco...
Bustos makes push to have U.S. government only purchase flags made in USA Rock River Times ...U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., continued her push for American jobs by fighting to ensure all American flags are made in America by offering an amendment, which passed by a bipartisan voice vote, to the FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2217)...
Unions fight Koch brothers' bid to buy the public square AFT News ...Union members are mobilizing against the potential sale of the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and other print, electronic and online media assets held by Tribune Co., to billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, two of the most virulent anti-worker voices in the nation...
Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge Washington Post ...The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets...
Verizon provides all call records to U.S. under court order Washington Post ...The National Security Agency appears to be collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of American customers of Verizon, one of the nation’s largest phone companies, under a top-secret court order issued in April...
Fed index ranks Wisconsin 49th in economic outlook Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ... the Leading Index is also the most recent report that suggests that Wisconsin is struggling in comparison with other states...
$1,480 checks going out to more than 72,000 foreclosed Floridians Sun Sentinel ...More than 72,000 eligible Floridians who lost their homes to foreclosure from 2008 to 2011 will receive $1,480 from the landmark mortgage settlement involving the nation's five largest mortgage lenders, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced...
MV Transportation Puts Paratransit Services, Public at Risk Teamsters Local 727 ...Paratransit services in Cook County could be suspended starting next week because MV Transportation is on the cusp of forcing a work stoppage...
NMB Approves US Airways Election to Move Forward IBT ...On June 6, the National Mediation Board (NMB) announced that the Teamsters Union has a showing of interest (sufficient authorization cards) and will be scheduling an election soon. This is a huge step forward in our campaign to win a more secure future as Teamsters at the world’s largest airline...
First Transit Workers Join Teamsters Teamsters Local 727 ... Dispatchers and call takers at First Transit have voted unanimously to join the Teamsters Union...
Monday, June 3, 2013
Today's Teamster News, 06.03.13
Obama’s Covert Trade Deal (opinion) New York Times ...THE Obama administration has often stated its commitment to open government. So why is it keeping such tight wraps on the contents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most significant international commercial agreement since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995?...
China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom New York Times ... “The Chinese had nothing to do with the war, but from an economic standpoint they are benefiting from it, and our Fifth Fleet and air forces are helping to assure their supply.”...
Virginians uneasy over Chinese purchase of Smithfield Reuters ...Smithfield Foods has received a $4.7 billion buyout offer from a Chinese food company. News that an agreement had been reached and was awaiting U.S. government approval sent a shiver through the community, where it is the largest employer with a payroll of nearly 4,000 people...
NM High Court Says State Violated Union Contracts Santa Fe Reporter ... In a victory for two state public employee unions, the New Mexico Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the State Personnel Office violated a 2007 collective bargaining agreement involving thousands of state employees...
TSA chief defends allowing knives on planes LA Times …Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole has delayed a plan to let passengers carry small pocketknives on planes for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But it is clear from a recent speech he gave that he still supports allowing knives on planes...
California Looks To Close A Loophole That Will Hit Corporations Where It Hurts, Their Profits NH Labor News ...California legislators introduced a bill that would fine an employer up to $6000 per full-time employee who ends up on Medi-Cal...
Chicago Closes 50 Public Schools, Spends $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds on Private College Stadium The Real News ...critics note that Chicago is simultaneously transferring hundreds of millions in tax dollars meant for public education to the private sector, including $100 million for De Paul University, a private institution, to build a new sports stadium...
An illustrated history of payday lending in Ohio Plain Dealer ...How did payday lenders get into Ohio? And why won't they leave, even though Ohio voters asked nicely? This illustrated history will give you the highlights of how an industry whose product is designed to push customers into repeat, high-cost borrowing has managed to dig in and thrive, despite numerous attempts by state or federal governments to rein it in...
Maine House OKs "E-Fairness' bill Associated Press ...A bill that would close a tax loophole used by large online retailers faces only a final Senate vote after being overwhelmingly approved by the Maine House. It would close a loophole that allows large online retailers that use affiliates to avoid paying sales tax...
Michigan bill could cut foreclosure redemption period Associated Press ...Michigan lawmakers are considering changes to the state's foreclosure law, including a measure that would significantly shorten the period homeowners have to sell or save their foreclosed property...
Vermont passes law on unclaimed life insurance Associated Press…Retired bus driver Rodger Brassard says he didn’t know he had more than $5,000 coming from his late mother’s life insurance policy, but found plenty of uses for the money. Brassard, 67, of Burlington, was one of the beneficiaries of an audit of insurance companies done by a Connecticut company at the request of several states...
Port of Savannah truck drivers fight for fair working conditions WTOC News ...Truck drivers gathered together Saturday to show their struggle to the Savannah community. Port of Savannah drivers and their families fought for fair working conditions during a community driver forum held at Savannah's Coastal Georgia Center...
Union rejects Marquez contract offer Hanford (Calif.) Sentinel ...Locked in a battle with Hanford cheese plant Marquez Brothers International, Teamsters Local Union 517 officials said Friday that employees overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest contract offer...
China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom New York Times ... “The Chinese had nothing to do with the war, but from an economic standpoint they are benefiting from it, and our Fifth Fleet and air forces are helping to assure their supply.”...
Virginians uneasy over Chinese purchase of Smithfield Reuters ...Smithfield Foods has received a $4.7 billion buyout offer from a Chinese food company. News that an agreement had been reached and was awaiting U.S. government approval sent a shiver through the community, where it is the largest employer with a payroll of nearly 4,000 people...
NM High Court Says State Violated Union Contracts Santa Fe Reporter ... In a victory for two state public employee unions, the New Mexico Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the State Personnel Office violated a 2007 collective bargaining agreement involving thousands of state employees...
TSA chief defends allowing knives on planes LA Times …Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole has delayed a plan to let passengers carry small pocketknives on planes for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But it is clear from a recent speech he gave that he still supports allowing knives on planes...
California Looks To Close A Loophole That Will Hit Corporations Where It Hurts, Their Profits NH Labor News ...California legislators introduced a bill that would fine an employer up to $6000 per full-time employee who ends up on Medi-Cal...
Chicago Closes 50 Public Schools, Spends $100 Million in Taxpayer Funds on Private College Stadium The Real News ...critics note that Chicago is simultaneously transferring hundreds of millions in tax dollars meant for public education to the private sector, including $100 million for De Paul University, a private institution, to build a new sports stadium...
An illustrated history of payday lending in Ohio Plain Dealer ...How did payday lenders get into Ohio? And why won't they leave, even though Ohio voters asked nicely? This illustrated history will give you the highlights of how an industry whose product is designed to push customers into repeat, high-cost borrowing has managed to dig in and thrive, despite numerous attempts by state or federal governments to rein it in...
Maine House OKs "E-Fairness' bill Associated Press ...A bill that would close a tax loophole used by large online retailers faces only a final Senate vote after being overwhelmingly approved by the Maine House. It would close a loophole that allows large online retailers that use affiliates to avoid paying sales tax...
Michigan bill could cut foreclosure redemption period Associated Press ...Michigan lawmakers are considering changes to the state's foreclosure law, including a measure that would significantly shorten the period homeowners have to sell or save their foreclosed property...
Vermont passes law on unclaimed life insurance Associated Press…Retired bus driver Rodger Brassard says he didn’t know he had more than $5,000 coming from his late mother’s life insurance policy, but found plenty of uses for the money. Brassard, 67, of Burlington, was one of the beneficiaries of an audit of insurance companies done by a Connecticut company at the request of several states...
Port of Savannah truck drivers fight for fair working conditions WTOC News ...Truck drivers gathered together Saturday to show their struggle to the Savannah community. Port of Savannah drivers and their families fought for fair working conditions during a community driver forum held at Savannah's Coastal Georgia Center...
Union rejects Marquez contract offer Hanford (Calif.) Sentinel ...Locked in a battle with Hanford cheese plant Marquez Brothers International, Teamsters Local Union 517 officials said Friday that employees overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest contract offer...
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Today's Teamster News 05.30.13
Smithfield Foods to be bought by Chinese firm The Washington Post ...Smithfield Foods, whose signature hams helped make it the world’s largest pork producer, is being taken over by a Chinese firm in a deal is the biggest takeover that might raise sensitive issues about Chinese involvement in the U.S. food supply...
Shell Admits Real Reason Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme ThinkProgress ...The main reason an offshore oil rig ran aground off the coast of Alaska late last year was because oil company Royal Dutch Shell was trying to depart state waters to avoid paying millions in taxes...
Americans Now Know More About Often Pathetic Personal Finances mni ...Fewer than half, 41%, of Americans spend less than they make...
Case-Shiller Shows Home Prices Are Skyrocketing Back to the Bubble Years Economic Populist ...The March 2013 S&P Case Shiller home price index shows a 10.9% price increase from a year ago for over 20 metropolitan housing markets and a 10.3% change for the top 10 housing markets from March 2012...
16 Countries Where People Work the Longest Hours The Fiscal Times ...When it comes to annual hours worked in 2010, the U.S. tied with Italy for 13th place among the OECD countries...
ALEC: Shining Sunlight on a Secretive Lobby Group The Pilot ...the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly is getting many of its worst ideas for how to change our state from the Washington, D.C.-based American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Every citizen needs to know more about ALEC and its stealth efforts to undermine our modern-day democracy...
House Democrats gear up for Affordable Care Act outreach Politico ...Democrats on Capitol Hill are beginning a significant outreach effort to get lawmakers prepared for Obamacare enrollment, which will begin Oct. 1...
The World's Richest 8% Earn Half of All Planetary Income AlterNet ...The top 1 per cent has seen its real income rise by more than 60 per cent over those two decades...
Income Inequality Gets Worse When You Slash Taxes On The Rich: Study Huffington Post ...The rich just keep getting richer -- not only by gobbling up more income, but also by paying less in taxes. That means less support for the poor, who are getting increasingly poorer relative to the top one percent...
Apple’s U.S. revenue should be taxed (opinion) Washington Post …The open secret of many global corporations’ success — and occasionally, downfall — is to fall between the cracks. Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., created an Irish subsidiary with no employees, into which it funneled roughly $30 billion between 2009 and 2012 on which neither Ireland nor the United States levied taxes...
Switzerland Weighs Deal in Tax Cases Deal Book ...The Swiss government is considering a proposal to disclose bank client names and pay a multibillion-dollar fine to the United States to help resolve a long-running dispute between the two countries over the handling of tax-evasion cases...
Proposed law would allow state to check, freeze private bank accounts to recover overpayments to jobless Wisconsin State Journal ...A bill that is speeding through the state Legislature would require jobless people to provide more proof that they are seeking work, and make it easier for the state to recover overpayments — including those made because of government errors — by allowing officials to peek into unemployed people’s bank accounts...
County-by-county details: How badly Wisconsin trails the nation in job-creation Institute for Wisconsin's Future ...private-sector wages in Wisconsin falling at 2% a year, twice the national rate. Wisconsin ranked 44th out of 50 in wage growth...
Giants Fans Bring Their Own Lunches To Support Concessions Workers’ Strike In These Times ...After three years without a contract, and on one of the busiest weekends of the season, hundreds of concessions workers at the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark staged a one-day strike. As baseball fans arrived on Saturday afternoon to watch the Giants take on the Colorado Rockies, strikers asked them not to buy food and drink inside the stadium...
After going nowhere in 2013, supporters hope to bring “right to work” back next year The Missouri Times ...Though prevailing wage and “paycheck protection” bills passed both chambers, another labor-related topic that saw minimal action this session was the “right to work” issue...
No mere luxury: Liquor privatization is about much more Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ...Concern is rising in the General Assembly, particularly among Democrats, that House Republicans may be linking a bill to end the government's liquor monopoly with a measure to increase transportation funding...
Teamsters Power Consumer Electronics Show IBT ...Every year, Las Vegas is visited by an average of nearly 5 million conventioneers as the city plays host to more than 21,000 shows. Local 631 in Las Vegas represents more than 3,000 trade show and convention workers that help to keep shows on track and on time...
Teamsters Offer Free Disability Services to Military Veterans Teamsters Joint Council 25 ...An offshoot of the national Helmets to Hardhats program, the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP) provides disability assistance for all military veterans and job placement opportunities for veterans in the construction industry...
Stop Cuts To Public Safety And Economic Growth IBT ...Sequestration is more than a confusing term being debated in Washington. There is immediate and future impact that many Americans will feel based on significant reductions in funding numerous government programs that touch the lives of all segments of our society...
Shell Admits Real Reason Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme ThinkProgress ...The main reason an offshore oil rig ran aground off the coast of Alaska late last year was because oil company Royal Dutch Shell was trying to depart state waters to avoid paying millions in taxes...
Americans Now Know More About Often Pathetic Personal Finances mni ...Fewer than half, 41%, of Americans spend less than they make...
Case-Shiller Shows Home Prices Are Skyrocketing Back to the Bubble Years Economic Populist ...The March 2013 S&P Case Shiller home price index shows a 10.9% price increase from a year ago for over 20 metropolitan housing markets and a 10.3% change for the top 10 housing markets from March 2012...
16 Countries Where People Work the Longest Hours The Fiscal Times ...When it comes to annual hours worked in 2010, the U.S. tied with Italy for 13th place among the OECD countries...
ALEC: Shining Sunlight on a Secretive Lobby Group The Pilot ...the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly is getting many of its worst ideas for how to change our state from the Washington, D.C.-based American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Every citizen needs to know more about ALEC and its stealth efforts to undermine our modern-day democracy...
House Democrats gear up for Affordable Care Act outreach Politico ...Democrats on Capitol Hill are beginning a significant outreach effort to get lawmakers prepared for Obamacare enrollment, which will begin Oct. 1...
The World's Richest 8% Earn Half of All Planetary Income AlterNet ...The top 1 per cent has seen its real income rise by more than 60 per cent over those two decades...
Income Inequality Gets Worse When You Slash Taxes On The Rich: Study Huffington Post ...The rich just keep getting richer -- not only by gobbling up more income, but also by paying less in taxes. That means less support for the poor, who are getting increasingly poorer relative to the top one percent...
Apple’s U.S. revenue should be taxed (opinion) Washington Post …The open secret of many global corporations’ success — and occasionally, downfall — is to fall between the cracks. Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., created an Irish subsidiary with no employees, into which it funneled roughly $30 billion between 2009 and 2012 on which neither Ireland nor the United States levied taxes...
Switzerland Weighs Deal in Tax Cases Deal Book ...The Swiss government is considering a proposal to disclose bank client names and pay a multibillion-dollar fine to the United States to help resolve a long-running dispute between the two countries over the handling of tax-evasion cases...
Proposed law would allow state to check, freeze private bank accounts to recover overpayments to jobless Wisconsin State Journal ...A bill that is speeding through the state Legislature would require jobless people to provide more proof that they are seeking work, and make it easier for the state to recover overpayments — including those made because of government errors — by allowing officials to peek into unemployed people’s bank accounts...
County-by-county details: How badly Wisconsin trails the nation in job-creation Institute for Wisconsin's Future ...private-sector wages in Wisconsin falling at 2% a year, twice the national rate. Wisconsin ranked 44th out of 50 in wage growth...
Giants Fans Bring Their Own Lunches To Support Concessions Workers’ Strike In These Times ...After three years without a contract, and on one of the busiest weekends of the season, hundreds of concessions workers at the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark staged a one-day strike. As baseball fans arrived on Saturday afternoon to watch the Giants take on the Colorado Rockies, strikers asked them not to buy food and drink inside the stadium...
After going nowhere in 2013, supporters hope to bring “right to work” back next year The Missouri Times ...Though prevailing wage and “paycheck protection” bills passed both chambers, another labor-related topic that saw minimal action this session was the “right to work” issue...
No mere luxury: Liquor privatization is about much more Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ...Concern is rising in the General Assembly, particularly among Democrats, that House Republicans may be linking a bill to end the government's liquor monopoly with a measure to increase transportation funding...
Teamsters Power Consumer Electronics Show IBT ...Every year, Las Vegas is visited by an average of nearly 5 million conventioneers as the city plays host to more than 21,000 shows. Local 631 in Las Vegas represents more than 3,000 trade show and convention workers that help to keep shows on track and on time...
Teamsters Offer Free Disability Services to Military Veterans Teamsters Joint Council 25 ...An offshoot of the national Helmets to Hardhats program, the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP) provides disability assistance for all military veterans and job placement opportunities for veterans in the construction industry...
Stop Cuts To Public Safety And Economic Growth IBT ...Sequestration is more than a confusing term being debated in Washington. There is immediate and future impact that many Americans will feel based on significant reductions in funding numerous government programs that touch the lives of all segments of our society...
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