Today's Teamster News 02.28.14

Teamster News
Teamsters not happy with inmates filling potholes  WFMJ.com   ...The Teamsters union, representing employees with the Mahoning County engineer's office, is considering filing a grievance after seeing inmates filling potholes...

Teamster School Bus News  teamster.org   ...Baltimore school bus workers win $1.25 million wage settlement; Teamsters Local 445 drivers and monitors in New York win fight for fair contract at Durham; what to do when your bus equipment is defective – all these stories and more are in the latest issue of the Drive Up Standards newsletter...
Nashville Chapter of TNBC Honors Leaders  teamster.org   ...The Nashville Middle TN Valley Chapter of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) held its second annual awards banquet titled “Education and Accountability” on February 22, 2014 in Nashville...
Liam Neeson: NYC Mayor Is a Horse Nazi  TMZ   ...Liam Neeson is PISSED OFF at New York City's new mayor for trying to kill the Central Park horse industry...
Will Academy Award nominees speak up for the workers who make the Oscars?  Pando Daily   ...The Teamsters Local 743 in Chicago has been unable to reach an agreement with R.S. Owens & Company, the local awards shop that has exclusively manufactured the familiar gold statuettes for the last three decades...
D.C. Taxi Drivers' Voices Are Being Heard  teamster.org   ...Over the past few months, Washington, D.C. taxi drivers have joined together with the Washington, D.C. Taxi Operators Association, affiliated with Teamsters Local 922, for one strong voice...
Teamster Tells Lawmakers How TPP Will Damage Workers  teamster.org   ..."this is about American families and these trade deals have brutalized the American economy,” he said. “A trade agreement is not an agreement. It is a gun to the head of the American worker...”
BLET tells House: Don’t extend deadline for Positive Train Control  BLET News   ...BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman made a strong case for the timely implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) and other measures to boost rail safety and improve the quality of life for BLET members during testimony delivered at a House subcommittee hearing on February 26...
Trade
NPPC: Japan's Offer On TPP Unacceptable to U.S. Agriculture  National Hog Farmer   ...The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says U.S. acceptance of the recent Japanese offer, made as part of the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks,  would be a radical departure from previous U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) and could potentially set an unacceptable precedent for future trade deals...
Japanese activist: TPP will affect food security  FMT News   ...The TPP will not only widen the economic disparity between the rich and the poor, but also deny poor nations the power to secure food import, says a Japanese activist...
Ending currency manipulation would create jobs  ABC, Sioux Falls   ...Policy change could bring 20,000 jobs to South Dakota...
State Battles
Protestors gather as Republicans unveil Right to Work legislation  WAVE News   ...Protesters gathered in Frankfort on Thursday as Kentucky Republicans introduced right to work legislation, even though the legislation has dim chances of success this year...
Vermont Citizens Push to Form a State Bank, But Will Ratings Agencies Kill the Idea?  naked capitalism   ...The objective is not to set up a retail bank (say along the lines of a Post Office bank) but to save the fees that are now paid to large financial institutions and to fund public projects...
The War on Workers
Household wealth still down 14 percent since recession  EurekAlert   ...the mean net worth of American households in mid-2013 was still about 14 percent below the pre-recession peak in 2006. Their analysis suggested that middle-aged people took the biggest hit...
Wal-Mart Ad Celebrates American Workers With A Canadian Band's Song About A Guy Who Hates His Job  Business Insider   ...Wal-Mart has been running a high-profile advertising campaign to promote its recent pledge to purchase $250 billion of American-made products over the next 10 years...Rush was strange choice of soundtrack for an ad celebrating American manufacturing given that the band is not just Canadian, but famously Canadian...
Underemployment Piles On Problems For Low-Wage Workers  CBS   ...The state Labor Department says there are about 276,000 Pennsylvanians in the category “working part time for economic reasons.” They include 47,900 people who usually work full-time but are working part-time, and 228,000 people who usually work part-time but are working less than they normally would...
GOP blocks veterans bill  The Hill   ...Senate Republicans stopped Democrats from advancing a bill that would have expanded healthcare and education programs for veterans...
Miscellaneous
Federal Budget Deficit Falls to Smallest Level Since 2008  New York Times   ...Closing the books on a fiscal year in which the federal budget deficit fell more sharply than in any year since the end of World War II, the Treasury Department reported on Thursday that the deficit for 2013 dropped to $680 billion, from about $1.1 trillion the previous year...

Today's Teamster News 11.20.13

Teamsters File Suit Against Allegiant Air   Teamsters Local 1224   ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division and Teamsters Local 1224 filed a lawsuit against Allegiant Air Friday afternoon, November 15, in the federal district court in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  The lawsuit alleges that Allegiant Air is violating the Railway Labor Act by disregarding many of the provisions and protections contained in the Work Rules Agreement negotiated by Allegiant Air and AAPAG, the former independent union representing the pilots of Allegiant Air...
Teamsters, church distribute free dinners  Troy Messenger   ...This Thanksgiving, the Teamsters National Black Caucus and the youth department of Dunn’s Chapel AME Church are teaming up for their sixth annual distribution of Thanksgiving meals for the elderly, handicapped and disabled veterans on November 23...
36-Hour Strike Targets Trucking Companies at LA and Long Beach Ports  89.3 KPCC   ...Dozens of truck drivers for companies that move cargo in and out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are walking picket lines on Monday, as part of a long-running campaign by the Teamsters Union to organize truck drivers at ports nationwide...
Port Truck Drivers On Strike in Long Beach  teamster.org   ...Port truck drivers employed by Green Fleet, Pac9 and American Logistics were joined on picket lines by Teamster port drivers from New Jersey along with drivers from Savannah and Seattle during the 36-hour strike in Long Beach. See the video...
Revealed: McDonalds tells workers to “sing away stress,” “chew away cares,” and go to church  Salon   ...“Stress hormone levels rise by 15% after ten minutes of complaining" the giant corporation warns employees online...
Wal-Mart could pay every U.S. employee $14.89 just by not buying its own stock  The Salon   ...Rather than buying stock to enrich Waltons, says new report, Wal-Mart could use the same cash to give $5.83 raises...
Meet The Lawmaker Trying To Protect Workers' Thanksgivings  Huffington Post   ...(Mike) Foley, a Democrat representing Cleveland in the Ohio House of Representatives, plans to introduce a bill in the next several weeks requiring that stores open on Thanksgiving pay their workers triple time. The bill would also protect workers from retaliation if they opt out of working the holiday...
Congress May Have Just Killed The Trans-Pacific Partnership   The Diplomat   ...The increasingly beleaguered Trans-Pacific Partnership might have been delivered a mortal blow last week when a large bipartisan group of Congress members came out against giving President Obama Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority...
JPMorgan finalizes $13 billion settlement with U.S. over toxic mortgages  Washington Post   ...This marks the largest penalty ever levied against a single company...
Capital gains: Spending on contracts and lobbying propels a wave of new wealth in D .C.  Washington Post   ...The winners in the new Washington are not just the former senators, party consiglieri and four-star generals who have always profited from their connections. Now they are also the former bureaucrats, accountants and staff officers for whom unimagined riches are suddenly possible...
OSHA Levies $1 Million Fine Against Carrier for Firing Whistleblowers   Trucking Info   ...The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Gaines Motor Lines of N.C. along with company officials to compensate four former truck drivers who were fired in violation of federal whistleblower laws and pay more than $1 million in back pay wages, interest and damages...
Kids to Skip Meals After Food Stamp Cuts  AlterNet   ...A map published by Stateline highlights the impact of $5 billion in food stamp cuts across the country...
Right-wing pension-cutters get humiliated by their own survey data  Salon   ...Though the anti-pension coalition has spent millions of dollars on ads and public campaigns to portray public employees as greedy parasites, the pollsters found that “voters have generally favorable views of public employees” and that those favorable views are found among voters of both political parties. Poll respondents gave teachers, police officers and state public employees net favorability ratings of 88, 86 and 60 percent, respectively....
How Austerity Kills Innovation  Alternet   ... the most important background condition for any seller of things is the ability of other people to buy the things you want to sell. Thus, a years-long spell of mass unemployment will be absolute poison to the entrepreneur class as a whole...
A ‘Historic Moment’ for Campus Solidarity  In These Times   ...In a labor action rarely seen on university campuses, graduate student employees in the University of California system announced on Wednesday that they plan to strike alongside university service workers walking off the job next week due to allegations of illegal retaliation against members of their union...
State Rep. Uses Sledgehammer To Destroy Homeless People’s Possessions  ThinkProgress   ...five-term State Rep. Tom Brower (D) ... told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about his own personal brand of “justice”: “If I see shopping carts that I can’t identify, I will destroy them so they can’t be pushed on the streets.” Brower has waged this campaign for two weeks, estimating that he’s smashed about 30 shopping carts in the process....
Google to pay Massachusetts $357k to settle allegations that it improperly tracked some consumers’ Web habits  Boston Globe   ...Google Inc. has agreed to pay the Commonwealth $357,000 as part of a $17 million settlement with nearly 40 states to settle allegations that it placed tracking cookies on the computers of some consumers using the Safari browser without their knowledge or consent, the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said Monday...

Today's Teamster News 08.19.13

A Night To Remember As the 38th Annual TNBC Comes to an End  IBT   ...members and leaders were recognized and rewarded for their dedication to the Teamsters National Black Caucus, locally and nationally...
Man Arrested for Attempting to Drive Over Union Demonstrators on a Picket Line  NH Labor News   ...On Thursday 08/15/13 the day on the line started out like any other, until an unnamed worker that is said to have been doing woodwork at this site decided to cross the line and get in the demonstrators faces…with his VAN...
Moral Monday, now in Charlotte, employs the language of faith  Charlotte Observer   ...The protests, which have received national attention, are not only grounded in religion but expanding their reach into churches. Organizers say they seek to reclaim the language of political morality...
Report: Rules skirted to give police chief raise  Associated Press   ...Gov. Scott Walker's administration gave the Capitol Police chief and his top deputy double-digit pay raises after moving them on paper to fake jobs and then back to their real posts...
Dems Defy Obama on Mortgage Protections  Mother Jones   ...President Barack Obama laid out his new housing plan, emphasizing the importance of safe, simple, affordable mortgages. But lawmakers in his own party are working against him, trying to gut historic new safeguards on home loans...
5 Companies That Make Money By Keeping Americans Terrified of Terror Attacks  Alternet   ...The drive to privatize America's national security apparatus accelerated in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and it’s gotten to the point where 70 percent of the national intelligence budget is now spent on private contractors...
America's Growing Income Inequality Problem  Economic Populist   ...While the Great Recession might be relabeled the great wealth transfer from the middle classes to the super rich, it is not the actual cause for such American economic injustice.  The primary cause is Congress and their never ending giving to the rich through the U.S. tax code...
Greece privatisation boss Stelios Stavridis dismissed  BBC News   ...Mr Stavridis had only been in the job for four months but had faced criticism for the slow pace of privatisations...
Hiring in China by JPMorgan Under Scrutiny  New York Times   ...Federal authorities have opened a bribery investigation into whether JPMorgan Chase hired the children of powerful Chinese officials to help the bank win lucrative business in the booming nation...
“We’re Building a Domestic Army” – Marine Corps Colonel Peter Martino Before Concord, NH Town Council  naked capitalism   ...What’s happening here is that we’re building a domestic military because it’s unlawful or unconstitutional to use American troops on American soil...

Today's Teamster News 08.18.13

Teamsters strike at Fontana truck facility  Press-Enterprise   ...Unionized truck drivers and dock workers walked off their jobs in Fontana today in a dispute that was said to be a union recognition issue. Some 250 people disrupted activities at Oregon-based U.S. Reddaway’s depot, Local 63 business manager Randy Korgan said. The labor action is regional, he added; a U.S. Reddaway depot in Compton also drew picket lines...
Teamsters wait to return to work at Lake Transit; both sides in labor dispute ask to resume negotiations  Lake County News   ...On Friday, the day that striking Lake Transit workers had intended to return to the job, curtailed bus services remained in place as the transit operator said it was taking its legally afforded time to process the return of workers. At the same time, both Teamsters Local 665 and Paratransit Services have indicated their willingness to return to negotiations in order to arrive at a new contract...
Republic Waste Workers From Local 377 in Ohio Ratify Contracts  IBT   ...On August 9 and 10, workers with Republic Services/Allied Waste in the Youngstown, Ohio area overwhelmingly ratified new contracts that keep them in a Teamster pension fund, provide pay increases and other improvements...
Teamsters General Executive Board Joins the TNBC Conference on T-Shirt Day  IBT   ...At the TNBC Conference on Friday, the day started with greetings from members of the Teamsters General Executive Board, including General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall...
Once Again, American Manufacturing Suffers from Lots of Things, but Excess Blue-Collar Pay Isn’t One of Them  Economic Policy Institute   ...Inflation-adjusted hourly wages for production workers in U.S. manufacturing peaked in 1978 and were about 8 percent lower in 2007, while manufacturing productivity rose by well over 100 percent in that period...
JPMorgan And Goldman Sachs Are Playing Whack-A-Mole With Everyone Suing Them Over Their Metal Warehousing Businesses  Business Insider   ...around the country individuals and companies have started filing lawsuits against JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs for allegedly delaying deliveries of aluminum stored in their metals warehouses, thus manipulating the price of the commodity...
Why Are Walmart Stores Underperforming? Blame Their Terrible Wages  The Daily Beast   ...By screwing its workers with low wages, the nation’s largest private-sector employer is preventing a huge chunk of the American workforce from shopping at its stores...
The NSA’s Alarming Misbehavior (opinion)  Bloomberg   ...the current system of oversight is failing...
A Scandal That's Exposing Ugly Truths About the School Privatization Agenda  Alternet   ...the best way to see that profit is the motive of the education “reform” movement is to note that no matter how many kids they harm or how many scandals they create, Bennett, Bush, Rhee and other privatizers continue getting jobs, continue being touted as education “experts” and continue raising huge money for their cause...
Women and the Minimum Wage, State by State  National Women's Law Center   ...The minimum wage is falling short for millions of Americans — especially for women, who represent nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers across the country, and at least half of minimum wage workers in every state...
On Martha’s Vineyard, a stark look at income inequality  Washington Post   ...the island is actually a place where the wealth gap is starker than almost anywhere else in the United States, year-round residents say, and middle-class hopes and dreams are drifting out of reach...

Today's Teamster News 08.16.13

Teamsters National Black Caucus Celebrates Its Fifth Annual Women’s Day  IBT   ...At the beginning of the TNBC’s fifth annual Women’s Day, a special tribute to the late Coretta Scott King, a Freedom Fighter and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was the highlight of the morning. In Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Civil Rights movement, a sea of red shirts filled the hotel ballroom as TNBC delegates observed Women’s Day with inspiring speeches, recognitions and a special luncheon...
Teamsters Mourn the Deaths of UPS Flight Crew in Recent Crash  IBT   ...The Teamsters Union extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the pilots lost in the crash of UPS Flight 1354 on Aug. 14...
The Union Edge Reports on Teamsters Paratransit Organizing  Union Edge   ...Teamsters are driving up standards in the school bus and transit industry, with a notable win for workers at Keolis, a global transit company. The Union Edge radio program interviews Patrick Kelly, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 952 in Orange, Calif., and Kizza Doby, a paratransit driver with Keolis. Doby and his Keolis coworkers recently came together to join Local 952. Listen here...
Transit restoration plan presented, citizens vocal about impact of Teamsters strike  Lake County Record-Bee   ...Dana Spahn sat in her wheelchair across from the Lake Transit Board of Directors with the adjustable microphone as low as it went and talked about the difficulties of getting around the county without a bus running near her Lakeport home. Spahn, like many people, have been impacted by the labor dispute between Paratransit Services and Teamsters Local 665...
Whitaker expands police force while Teamster negotiations continue  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ...The Whitaker council in Pennsylvania hired three new part-time police officers on Wednesday, but some residents remain skeptical that the move will make a difference in combatting crime. Meanwhile, the borough's police contract negotiations with Teamsters Local 205 are still underway…
No E-ZPass? You could pay more under new plan  Telegram & Gazette   ...A proposed $100 million electronic tolling system would charge a higher rate for drivers who don't use a transponder when traveling on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Teamsters Local 127 represents the turnpike's toll collectors...
The Free-Trade Job-Loss Express Is Coming Straight At Us  TradeReform   ...The giant multinationals are pushing a trade deal that will literally let them bypass our laws. ..
MBAs Without Borders  In These Times   ...Critics of the TPP, which is shaping up to be the most business-friendly trade agreement in American history, have taken to calling it “NAFTA on steroids...
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds  Washington Post   ...The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents...
Congressman Doesn’t Believe White Collar Crime On Wall Street Exists  ThinkProgress   ...There’s no such thing as financial crime, according to Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)...
Food Stamps Avoided By Millions Of Eligible Americans  Huffington Post   ...Republicans say too many Americans that receive food stamps fraudulently could just get jobs instead. But roughly a quarter of Americans eligible for federal nutrition assistance don't sign up for it. The Department of Agriculture says that in 2010, nearly 51 million Americans were poor enough to qualify but only 38 million received benefits. So why don't the rest enroll?...
To Preserve Social Security, Protect Voting Rights (opinion)  Huffington Post   ...It's no coincidence that the same folks out to restrict voting rights are busy trying to privatize Social Security. The Koch and corporate funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been promoting politicians who practice voter suppression and Safety Net shredding for years now...
Study finds that student loan debt reduces lifetime wealth  Bay State Banner   ...A new research report on America’s still-growing student loan debt found that its financial effects can last a lifetime. According to the report, 39 million Americans have used student loans to fund college education. An education debt of $53,000 will lead to a $208,000 lifetime loss of wealth...
Corporate welfare, alive and well  Los Angeles Times   ...Big, wealthy mall developer Westfield Group is typical of businesses that get tax breaks by the boatload from L.A. County. That means millions in foregone revenue that could pay for schools and parks...
Wal-Mart Air Fleet Gets Taxpayer Support for Controllers  Bloomberg News   ...U.S. taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab for the control tower at an airport that’s home to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)’s corporate fleet, at a time lawmakers say they want to ban perks for hometown interests...
Court strikes down required Michigan worker pay contribution to pensions  Detroit News ... The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled the Legislature’s attempt to require 17,800 state employees to contribute 4 percent of their earnings to the state’s pension plan is unconstitutional…
China cheats, Indiana loses (opinion)   NWI Times   ...We’re five years past the onset of the Great Recession. Right now, the stock market is booming, and unemployment has inched down to its lowest level since the crisis began. So why, despite gaudy Dow Jones data and assurances that an 8.4 percent jobless rate in Indiana isn’t a real concern, does this economic recovery feel like such a drag?...
Scott Walker Has 3 Grannies and a 14 Year Old Girl Arrested for Singing In Wisconsin  Politicususa   ...Gov. Scott Walker is now arresting the elderly and children for singing protest songs about him in Wisconsin...
North Carolina Hates the Legislature It's Stuck With  Atlantic Wire   ...When Republicans assumed control of the North Carolina legislature in 2010 and the governorship last year, few predicted the result: a sharply conservative turn on key policies and an attempt to entrench the party's advantage. A story in The New York Times and a recent poll show that voters are largely unhappy with the moves...
Two banks' payday-advance lending draws scrutiny  Sun Sentinel   ...A move by two of Florida's largest banks into the payday-advance-loan business is drawing fire from consumer groups worried about "predatory" lending by offering customers the kinds of short-term, high-cost loans historically associated with storefront payday-lending businesses...
Connecticut city council passes resolution opposing Koch buy of newspaper  Wichita Business Journal   ...The city council in Hartford, Conn., passed a resolution this week opposing the idea of a Koch brothers' takeover of their local newspaper, the Hartford Courant...

Today's Teamster News 08.15.13

38th TNBC Conference Kicks Off in Atlanta  IBT   ...Hundreds of African-American Teamster leaders and members have gathered together in the heart of downtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street at the 38th Annual Educational Conference and Banquet of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC), which runs August 14-18. Stay tuned for daily highlights and photos from the conference...
Striking Gold Cross Teamsters Ask IC Board of Supervisors to Help Resolve Negotiations  KYMA-TV   ...El Centro, Calif., EMTs and paramedics who are members of Local 542 on strike against Gold Cross Ambulance faced the board of supervisors yesterday to request that the board pressure Gold Cross to come to an agreement...
Hoffa: A Global Revolution Against Poverty  IBT   ...Corporations are squeezing workers across the globe to maximize profits and minimize wages. But workers are standing up and fighting back. Whether it’s fast-food workers in Detroit and Flint walking off the job or mass protests across Europe, one thing is clear – workers are no longer keeping quiet while being abused by big business...
Labor Day picnic blood drive called off due to labor dispute  NW Labor Press   ...A contract dispute between Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) and the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross has resulted in the cancellation of this year’s Labor Day blood drive at Oaks Park. The Teamsters local that represents 150 workers there pledges support in solidarity with the ONA members…
UPS jet crashes near Birmingham airport, killing 2 and scattering wreckage over neighborhood  Associated Press   ...A UPS cargo plane crashed and burned Wednesday morning on the outskirts of an Alabama airport, killing two crew members and scattering boxes and charred debris across the grassy field, officials said...
Teamsters at Clean Harbors ratify first collective agreement  Canadian HR Reporter ...After allegations of bullying and harassment, 600 workers at an Albertan hazardous waste management company, who are members of Teamsters Local 362, have ratified their first collective agreement. New deal puts an end to bullying, harassment, union says...
Sheriff’s department employees advocate union switch  Dyersville (Iowa) Commercial   ...Sheriff’s deputies’ consideration of a switch from the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees union (AFSCME) to the Teamsters union, brought two of those deputies before the Delaware County Board of Supervisors’ Aug. 12 meeting...
Forget Student Loans…Introducing Day Care Loans  A Lightning War for Liberty   ...Now that enough college age Americans have been stuffed with over a trillion dollars in student debt only to get a job a McDonalds and live with their parents, folks in New York City have come up with a brilliant new concept to ensure the production of an entirely new generation of debt slaves. Introducing day care loans...
Eleventh day of mass arrests in the Wisconsin Capitol. Celebrities take notice.  blue cheddar   ...Department of Administration spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says police issued 20 citations on Tuesday for gathering in the rotunda without a permit.”...
With So Many Job Openings, Why So Little Hiring?  Bloomberg   ...A second explanation is that employers are offering jobs at wages that are too low to attract good applicants...
Uneven trade with China = 56,000 jobs lost in Indiana  manufacturethis   ...Since we granted normalized trade relations to Beijing over a decade ago, we’ve traded production capacity, and about 2.7 million middle-class jobs (including more than 56,000 in Indiana) to China …
Research suggests working-class job instability is leading to decrease in marriage and families  manufacturethis   ...fewer working-class Americans, without college degrees, are getting married, staying in marriages, and having families...
Pennsylvania joins lawsuit against US Airways-American merger  WITF   ...Pennsylvania is joining five states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways...
Likely Labor regs would aid vets, disabled, unions  Associated Press   ...With Thomas Perez now confirmed as head of the Labor Department, the agency is expected to unleash a flurry of new regulations that have been bottled up for months — a prospect that has business leaders worried and labor advocates cheering...
The Corporate Tax Shell Game  U.S. News & World Report   ...The Financial Times reports on a new/old trend in tax avoidance by U.S. corporations: so-called "tax inversions" or "expatriations." In an inversion, a U.S. company reorganizes to make a foreign subsidiary the parent company, with the goal of taking advantage of lower tax rates and non-taxation of foreign profits...
Workers Shorted On Pay Under New Albuquerque Minimum Wage Law Told To Find Private Attorneys  Huffington Post   ...Workers still shorted on pay seven months after the city of Albuquerque, N.M., raised its minimum wage are being told to find their own lawyers and duke it out with their employers in court, advocates say...
Walmart workers group happy about deal imposed on retail giant  People’s World   ...Though the fine is small, the leading independent Walmart workers' group, Our Walmart, hailed the monster retailer's settlement with the federal government, which forces job safety measures involving trash compactors and handling hazardous materials at all 2,857 Walmart and Sam's Club stores nationwide...
North Carolina Sued Over Early Voting Law by Women’s Group   Bloomberg News   ...North Carolina was sued by the League of Women Voters over claims that changes in the state’s election laws restrict early voting, and eliminate same-day voter registration and some provisional ballots...
Malloy Signs Foreclosure Law To Add Protections For Homeowners  Fairfield Daily Voice   ...Gov. Dannel Malloy was joined by state legislators and bankers Tuesday in Stamford to sign a housing bill into law that is designed to increase protections for homeowners from foreclosure and to streamline the foreclosure process...
Texas struggles to defend discriminatory voting policies  MSNBC  ...It's been about three weeks since the Justice Department, relying on what's left of the Voting Rights Act, went after voter-discrimination policies in Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court may have severely damaged the VRA, but the Justice Department nevertheless argued that when "intentional voting discrimination" is found, changes to voting rights cannot be permitted to continue...

Today's Teamster News 07.09.13

Temporary jobs becoming a permanent fixture in US  Associated Press   ...companies are increasingly turning to temps and to a much larger universe of freelancers, contract workers and consultants. Combined, these workers number nearly 17 million people...
The State of the Unions  American Prospect   ...While 51 percent of all Americans have favorable views of unions, 61 percent of Americans under 30 hold that view...
European Trade Deal Could Undermine Important Regulations Here At Home  ThinkProgress   ...Forthcoming trade negotiations between the U.S. and the European Commission threaten to undermine environmental, workplace, and financial regulations, according to a July 8 letter from a slew of American and European public interest groups sent to President Barack Obama and his European counterparts...
Clothiers Act to Inspect Bangladeshi Factories  New York Times   ...A mostly European consortium of 70 retailers and apparel brands has agreed to inspect within nine months all Bangladeshi garment factories that supply the companies in the wake of 1,300 factory workers who have lost their lives since November…
40 still missing in deadly Canada rail crash, fire  Associated Press   ...About 40 people were still missing a day after a runaway train derailed in Quebec, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed a busy downtown district and killed five people...
Eight injured in West Virginia gas well explosion  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   ...A natural gas well in West Virginia exploded early Sunday, injuring eight people. The well, about an hour southwest of Morgantown in New Milton, ignited about 4 a.m...
Civilians on unpaid leave in Pentagon austerity move  Reuters   ...Civilian defense workers across the United States began taking unpaid leave on Monday in a Pentagon-imposed austerity move expected to save $1.8 billion through September 30 by effectively cutting the pay of about 650,000 workers by nearly 20 percent...
Letter: Women Unite (opinion)  Salt Lake City Tribune   ...There has been a lot of talk recently about the minimum wage and the fact that 40 percent of heads of households are women. Some want to move the minimum wage to $15 an hour. There is a solution to this problem…
Feds: FedEx may face charges on illegal drug shipments  Long Island Newsday   ...Federal authorities are considering filing criminal charges against FedEx, which is under investigation for shipping powerful prescription pills for illegal online pharmacies -- including some packages sent to Long Island, according to federal law enforcement sources...
Pennsylvania 4th in U.S. for breaking hotel wage-and-hour laws  Erie Times-News   ...If you've stayed at the Heritage Hills Resort in York while touring Amish country, toasted newlyweds at the Avalon Hotel in Erie, or settled in for a weekend of pampering at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in the Laurel Highlands, chances are the person who made your bed, poured your champagne or washed your towels wasn't being paid minimum wage...
Iowa court to reconsider ruling on woman's firing  Associated Press   ...The Iowa Supreme Court will reconsider a controversial ruling in which the court said it was legal for a dentist to fire his assistant for being too attractive. A new decision could come as early as Friday...
OK Tax Commission asks state high court to overturn ruling that could cost state $450 million  Tulsa World   ...The state of Oklahoma stands to lose as much as $450 million if a Court of Civil Appeals ruling on how a capital-gains tax deduction is figured is allowed to stand…
NJ employers scaling back the most on health insurance contributions: ADP study  Star-Ledger   ...Large companies across the country have been scaling back on what they contribute to their workers’ health care plans, and the sharpest decline has been in New Jersey, according to new data from the ADP Research Institute...
Newborn died because of mother’s labor-intensive job during pregnancy: suit   NY Daily News   ...Reyna Garcia, of Atascadero, Calif., alleges that despite three doctor's notes showing she had a high-risk pregnancy, her employer, Albertsons, refused her requests for work that didn't involve heavy lifting. She gave birth to a baby girl in November who died 10 minutes after being born...
Union Secures First Contract For Marriott O'Hare Shuttle Drivers  Teamsters Local 727   ...Shuttle bus drivers at Marriott Chicago O’Hare on June 21 ratified their first Teamster contract, which yields annual raises and job protections...
Finding the Perfect Spot to Shoot  New York Times   ...A member of the Teamsters Union and the Directors Guild of America, Kevin Breslin is a filmmaker and a location scout for commercials. Over 20 years, he has maneuvered crews through the city and arranged thousands of shoots, including the New York Lottery’s “If I Had a Million Dollars” and Verizon’s “Can You Hear Me Now?” spots. Read the interview...
Union says Florida is taking away workers’ holidays  Pensacola News Journal   ...The state of Florida is trying to illegally take away time off from corrections officers, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the Teamsters Union...
CSA Training Offered at Local 541  IBT ...The Teamsters National Pipeline Training Fund will conduct training for drivers on Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) on July 28, 2013 at 9:00 am at Local 541 in Kansas City. CSA is the new FMCSA’s regulation to reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes...
TNBC Annual Conference Slated for August 14-18  TNBC   ...The Teamsters National Black Caucus will hold its 38tth annual educational conference and banquet in Atlanta on August 14-18. Click here for hotel and conference information...

Today's Teamster News 08.18.12

US election: Mitt Romney may have breached ethics laws through company linked to Paul Ryan's brother  Telegraph   ...Mitt Romney may have breached state ethics laws as Governor of Massachusetts by holding a stake in a company that did lucrative work for his administration and was linked to the family of Paul Ryan, a Daily Telegraph investigation has found...
Analysis: Paul Ryan Voted to Add $6.8 Trillion to the Federal Debt  ThinkProgress   ...Ryan’s votes in Congress show that he is as guilty as anyone of running up the nation’s debt...
Why the prolonged economic slump? One word: Housing.  Bubble Meter   ...There is no easy way to replace the massive loss in demand associated with the collapse of the housing sector...
Long-Term Jobless Regroup to Fight the Odds  New York Times   ...With a state unemployment rate of 10.7 percent, California officials struggle to find ways to get people back to work. In the sprawling suburbs east of Los Angeles that make up the Inland Empire, the job market seems more upbeat than it has been for months, but unemployment remains at 12.6 percent...
Teamsters: Rejecting Hostess contract could end jobs  Kennebec Journal   ...The Teamsters said it cannot endorse the "final" contract proposal from bankrupt Hostess Brands, but warned members that rejecting it would likely result in the loss of their jobs...
Teamsters National Black Caucus Holds Annual Conference In Charlotte  IBT   ...More than 400 members of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) are meeting this week in Charlotte for the group's 37th annual education conference. The theme of this year's event is "Mobilizing the Movement and Making a Difference."...

Take action -- don't just talk about it!

Note: This is a first-person account of Jerome Singletary, a member of Teamsters Local 396 in Los Angeles. He is attending the Teamsters National Black Caucus conference in Charlotte, N.C.

Today was another phenomenal day. It started off with International Vice President George Miranda talking about the importance of voting for President Obama. Brother Miranda’s message was very clear and strong, similar to his message at the Hispanic Caucus banquet, which I attended earlier this month in Los Angles. You have to get the people out to vote in this election.

Next was James Andrews, president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, who followed with a very powerful message about the need to vote. The message was similar but they each said it in different ways and offered techniques and tips on reaching the same goal—to take back to our locals and communities ways we can take action vs. just talking about taking action.

W.C. Smith, executive assistant to General President Hoffa, reiterated the need to vote. Like the others, the message was the same, but they brought different stories and gave different scenarios.

To me, it was powerful because it means a lot. So much is at stake with the election and the states trying to suppress the vote. This overall message is something I will take back to my local and to my community.

Yesterday afternoon, we saw a great performance by Mzuri Moyo, who portrayed civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. It was very touching. It brought tears to my eyes to see the struggle she went through as a human being to win the right to vote. She stood for something. Hamer said, “I am sick and tired about being sick and tired.”

Read more about the conference (and check out the photos) here.

Teamsters mobilize the movement

Note: This is a first-person account of Safeyyah Edwards, a member of Teamsters Local 507 in Cleveland. She is attending the Teamsters National Black Caucus conference in Charlotte, N.C.

Today was T-shirt day. The shirts have the conference’s theme on them: Mobilizing the Movement and Making a Difference, which was basically all of today’s speakers’ messages. They talked about the importance of getting out and voting. One speaker not only discussed the importance of the presidential election, but to also be proactive in the governor races, Senate races, etc., because if the people elected to these positions are anti-union, it will hurt workers.

W.C. Smith also gave information related to the James R. Hoffa Scholarship Fund, which was informative. Mr. Smith also talked about his history with the TNBC and the importance of forming more chapters. The TNBC is all about educating members. He would really like to see more banners in the ballroom each year representing more chapters.

The TNBC Choir performed last night. They were phenomenal. The goal is to get 100 people in the choir, so we need to build on that each year.

This afternoon we are attending regional meetings, which will focus on the chapters in each region, what our goals will be moving forward to build each chapter, activities we will pursue, and programs within the TNBC.

Read more about the conference (and check out the photos) here.

How Teamsters help the working class

Note: This is a first-person account of Safeyyah Edwards, a member of Teamsters Local 507 in Cleveland. She is attending the Teamsters National Black Caucus conference in Charlotte, N.C.

This day at the conference is very important to me because it’s Women’s Day. It is based on women that have led the way for me and others so that we can achieve, reach for and obtain our goals and meet the expectations we have for ourselves. I think it’s very inspiring. The speakers recounted a little history that has paved the way for us, which allows us to be where we are today.

The keynote speaker we had today, the Rev. Fredrica Johnson-Paige, was phenomenal. The one message that I particularly liked is when she talked about the responsibilities the older generation carried out and how the younger generations need to do the same. She touched on how a village raises a child and how we kind of lost sight of that. Her message about putting God first is something we need to get back to.

The main thing about being a Teamster is unity. Teamster has the word “team” in it. To me, the entire conference, including today, focuses on sharing ideas, building relationships and mobilizing and organizing. This is what being in a union is all about. This is how it thrives and how it continues to help the working class.

To read more about the TNBC conference and see photo galleries, click here.

Song and prayers for Teamsters in Charlotte, N.C.

Note: this is a first-person account of Jerome Singletary, a member of Teamsters Local 396, who is attending the Teamsters National Black Conference in Charlotte, N.C.

Today was another great start as we honored the women of the Teamsters at TNBC’s Fourth Women’s Day. It started off with singing and prayers, including Miss Ruby Jackson singing the Negro National Anthem.

From there on we had phenomenal speakers. One common message from most of the speakers was this is an election year and voting is very important.

They honored Ferline Buie with a special recognition as the first African-American Vice President At Large at the IBT. The keynote speaker was the Rev. Fredrica Johnson-Paige, who delivered a powerful message about the need for all of us to take a stand. She highlighted four points: vision, integrity, self awareness and great relationships.

The room was filled with a lot of energy with most people dressed in red. Not to forget, this program was dedicated to the late Eula Cleveland and Lisa Mack. Next is today’s Clara Day’s luncheon.

To see the most recent photos of the TNBC, go here.

Teamsters National Black Caucus mobilizes the movement

Never has it been more important to elect candidates who stand with us in the war on workers.

That message was delivered today at the 37th Annual Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) Education Conference in Charlotte, N.C.

More than 400 Teamsters and their families came to this year's conference. The theme: "Mobilizing the Movement and Making a Difference."

Al Mixon,  international vice president and TNBC chairman, said,

This is a pivotal election year because the well-being of working families is at stake. We all need to get out and educate our co-workers about the importance of electing worker-friendly candidates.

Harvey Jackson, TNBC vice chairman and president of Local 1150 in Stratford, Ct., said they're preparing for next year's 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement in Atlanta.

People sometimes forget that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last trip, to Memphis, was to protect the labor rights of the sanitation workers. The two movements are related and we all need to step up the fight so that the gains that have been made over the past 50 years are not lost.

 Delegate Jerome Singletary is attending his first TNBC conference. He's a member of Local 396 in Los Angeles and a steward at Republic Services, where he drives a bin delivery truck.

I'm just blown away from the information I'm learning. From the opening remark to the young guys who did the Step Show from the Iota Phi Theta fraternity, to the workshops, it's been great.