Dispatch & Photos from WV Mountaineer Workers Rising Rally, March 7

More than 6,000 workers rallied today in front of the West Virginia Capitol, including 1,000 Teamsters and Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall who gave a stirring speech to the packed crowd. Workers vowed to fight state legislators' anti-worker agenda.

Here's more from the press release on Teamster.org:

Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall delivered a rousing speech to thousands of rallying protesters in his home state of West Virginia on Saturday, urging workers to continue their fight against the legislature’s anti-worker agenda currently being pushed by state lawmakers. 

More than 1,000 Teamsters came out to show their support and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in the labor movement. 

“The working people of West Virginia deserve better from our politicians, and we won’t sit back as out-of-state interests try to strip us of our bargaining rights, drive down our wages and weaken job protections,” Hall said to the packed crowd. “All workers deserve dignity and respect, and that’s why Teamsters across the country will be standing with West Virginians to stop this horrible assault on workers.” 

Hall was joined by other national labor leaders including: National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia. 

Union leaders thanked West Virginia workers for their efforts to form a united voice in opposition to lawmakers seeking to establish right to work legislation, roll back coal mine safety protections, lower the prevailing wage and diminish public education. 

“I’ve always believed what’s bad for one union is bad for all unions. Fortunately, workers were ready for this fight months in advance throughout the legislative session,” said Gary Legg, a member of South Charleston, W.Va.-based Teamsters Local 175, noting that Teamsters joined with miners, teachers and building trades members throughout the session as part of a shared fight to stop this harmful legislation. 

“We have fought too hard and too long in the struggle for workers’ rights to become a right to work state. It's time for delegates to realize that West Virginians don't support this agenda. The assault on workers this session is bad for working-class families and it's bad for our economy. It's an assault on the entire state,” Hall said.

We'll have another dispatch from our Teamster on the Ground later this weekend. In the meantime, check out some more scenes from today's powerful rally:

2014: The year the states began to de-privatize

In 2014, taxpayers began to halt runaway privatization of government services. Maryland's Legislature passed a law banning private contractors from contracting with the state if they broke the law. In Oregon, Nebraska and Connecticut, legislatures passed laws requiring more supervision of private contracts.

Today, dozens of cities, counties and school districts are set to impose more control over private contractors, according to a new report by In The Public Interest.  And a total of 19 states had legislation introduced that would let taxpayers reclaim control of public services.

The rush to privatize government services began in the 1970s with claims the private sector could do it 'better, faster and cheaper,' than the government. But by now citizens are finding out 'privatization' often means private contractors looting the public treasury.

In, Chicago, residents rebelled against the privatization of the city's 36,000 parking meters. According to the Atlantic Monthly,

Parking-meter rates had suddenly gone up as much as fourfold. Some meters jammed and overflowed when they couldn't hold enough change for the new prices. In other areas, new electronic meters had been installed, but many of them didn't give receipts or failed to work entirely. And free parking on Sundays was a thing of the past. 

The new meter regime sparked mass outrage. People held protests and threatened to boycott. But there was little recourse: The city had leased its 36,000 meters to a private Morgan Stanley-led consortium in exchange for $1.2 billion in up-front revenue. The length of the lease: 75 years.

It got worse: an inspector general's report found the city's taxpayers overpaid the Morgan Stanley consortium by $974 million.

Here's another example: 65 percent of state contracts with private prison company CCA guarantee 90 percent of the prison beds will be filled, or the state will pay CCA for the difference.

Teamsters have successfully fought privatization of public services when it will replace Teamsters with low-paid, poorly trained contract workers and higher costs to taxpayers. The Teamsters represent several hundred thousand public sector workers.

The In the Public Interest report describes some sensible proposals to let taxpayers take more control of government spending on private contracts:

• In California, a resolution passed the Assembly that said lawmakers opposed any outsourcing of public services and assets that did not meet standards of transparency, accountability, shared prosperity and competition. 
• In Georgia, a bill was introduced requiring contracts to demonstrate a 10 percent cost savings to taxpayers. Minnesota lawmakers considered a bill to require a 15 percent savings from a private contractor.
• A Tennessee proposal would ban contract language that guarantees corporate profits at taxpayers' expense, including 'lockup quotas.'
• A Vermont will would make it easier for taxpayers to cancel a contract if the company doesn't deliver quality services and cost savings. 
• A West Virginia lawmaker proposed a bill that would ban companies that evade taxes or broke the law from receiving state contracts. It would also require fair pay and reasonable benefits. 

Today's Teamster News 02.09.14

Horse Hockey  New York Post   ...If Mayor de Blasio insists on destroying a world-renowned tourist attraction that provides livelihoods for a few hundred workers, the least he can do is act openly and through the law...
Privately employed seasonal workers fight to keep unemployment benefits  CBS Atlanta   ...A Georgia House committee, however, approved a bill that would eliminate benefits for Brooks and about 60,000 other seasonal workers...
The Prosecution That Isn’t Happening  Baseline Scenario   ...So why isn’t anyone going after Lloyd Blankfein, Angelo Mozilo (for something other than dumping his own Countrywide stock), Jamie Dimon, or any of the other CEOs who, at best, were unaware that their lieutenants and foot soldiers were ripping off their clients?...
Another Drag on the Post-Recession Economy: Public-Sector Wages  Economic Policy Institute   ...public-sector wages have fallen by about 1.3 percent in inflation-adjusted terms since 2007, where private-sector wages have been essentially flat (an increase of 0.3 percent)...state and local government austerity has been a major drag on job growth and the broader economy...
FLUSH THE TPP! Or, How I Came To Hate The Trans Pacific Partnership Deal  IndyBay   ...Want to eat poisoned food or triple your medication costs? TPP will do that...
STUDY: Media Leave Viewers In The Dark About Trans-Pacific Partnership  Media Matters   ...Over The Past Six Months, Network Evening News Shows Have Completely Ignored The TPP...
The lawless 'end of the land' (opinion)  CNN   ...There are many reasons Alaska's rates of violence against women are thought to be so high -- from the long, dark winters to the culture of silence and the history of colonization. But the most tangible reason is this: Much of Alaska is basically lawless...
Malloy Wants Highest-In-Land Minimum Wage For CT  Hartford Courant   ...now the Democratic governor is leading the charge to raise the hourly rate...
Scott unveils $74.2 billion budget  Tallahassee.com   ...He also proposed privatizing custodial services in state buildings, overhauling health-insurance benefits for state workers, and paying bonuses to high-performing employees in state government...
Indiana Legislative Update 2.7.14  AFL-CIO   ...Of major concern is House Bill 1126, which will be heard by the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee on Wednesday morning. If this legislation becomes law it will bring back company stores by allowing employers to charge employees up to $2,500 a year for “purchase” or “use” of uniforms or equipment necessary to do their jobs...
Maine Unions Pan Gov's "Open for Business Zones" Plan  Maine Public Radio   ...Gov. Paul LePage surprised Democrats and Republicans alike in his State of the State address Tuesday night with a plan to attract large employers to Maine. … Successful firms would be entitled to discounted electricity rates, tax breaks and a union-free work force...
Working Families United for New Jersey, Inc. Launches Statewide Campaign in Support of Earned Sick Time  Working Families United for New Jersey   ...The campaign will seek to educate the public and elected officials about the importance of establishing an earned sick time policy for workers - a policy that brings social and economic justice to the workplace...
Push to increase minimum wage gains momentum  West Virginia Gazette   ...As more and more states vote to increase the minimum wage, some say the time is right for West Virginia to do so, as well...
W. Va. House Passes Bill to Prevent Discrimination Against Pregnant Women In The Workforce  West Virginia Public Broadcasting   ...On Wednesday the House passed bill 4284, also known as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The bill’s purpose would be to prevent discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace…
Snowden Used Low-Cost Tool to Best N.S.A.  New York Times   ... Intelligence officials investigating how Edward J. Snowden gained access to a huge trove of the country’s most highly classified documents say they have determined that he used inexpensive and widely available software to “scrape” the National Security Agency’s networks, and kept at it even after he was briefly challenged by agency officials...
More than 4,000 groups sign up to protest the NSA  PC World   ...More than 4,000 groups and websites have signed on to support a day of protest against U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, scheduled for Tuesday...
Fake-food scandal revealed as tests show third of products mislabelled  The Guardian   ...(British) Consumers are being sold food including mozzarella that is less than half real cheese, ham on pizzas that is either poultry or "meat emulsion", and frozen prawns that are 50% water, according to tests by a public laboratory.

Today's Teamster News 05.15.13

Fast-food workers stage protests for higher wages  USA Today   ...A recent wave of strikes by fast-food employees in four cities is expected to spread to Milwaukee Wednesday as demands for higher pay shake up an industry previously insulated from worker unrest...
Tougher drunken driving threshold weighed  Associated Press  ...Federal accident investigators were weighing a recommendation Tuesday that states reduce their threshold for drunken driving from the current .08 blood alcohol content to .05, a standard that has been shown to substantially reduce highway deaths in other countries...
Walmart Sues Labor Organizations Over 'Disorderly Conduct' That Helped Spark National Protests  Huffington Post ...Walmart is accusing two labor organizations of "disorderly conduct" during a protest at a Los Angeles-area Walmart last year that helped set off a chain of demonstrations nationwide against the retail giant...
Gap, Walmart Fail To Endorse Bangladesh Safety Accord Backed By Europe's Biggest Retailers  Reuters   ...Major U.S. retailers, including Gap Inc, declined to endorse an accord on Bangladesh building and fire safety backed by Europe's two biggest fashion chains, a trans-Atlantic divide that may dilute garment industry reform efforts...

Eight top fashion retailers fail to sign Bangladesh safety accord  The Guardian   ..."Are 1,200 dead workers not enough to make them realise something needs to be done?"...
DOD poised to trim furlough days, add exemptions  Associated Press   ...The Defense Department is poised to trim the number of civilian furlough days from 14 to 11 and will allow the military to exempt thousands of additional workers from the unpaid day off requirements, according to defense officials...
CBO Update: Deficit Shrinking Rapidly  Calculated Risk   ...The rapidly declining deficit might provide policymakers some room to alter the ill-conceived sequestration budget cuts. But at the least, this takes all short term (next 2 to 3 years) deficit reduction proposals off the table... 
Elizabeth Warren Pushes Feds For Answer On Big Bank Enforcement  Huffington Post   ...Sen. Elizabeth Warren raised the stakes of her quest to find out why a single Wall Street bank has not been prosecuted in the aftermath of the financial crisis Tuesday, sending a letter to the heads of three federal agencies...
New Amtrak Engines Unveiled for Northeast  New York Times   ...Amtrak rolled out three new locomotives on Monday, the first step in the railroad’s plan to modernize its aging fleet of trains...
Former Florida GOP Hispanic outreach director switches to Democrat  Miami Herald   ...Pablo Pantoja, who was at one time employed as the RNC's Hispanic outreach director in Florida but has switched to Democrat, citing "the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party…
Officials mark new W.Va. pipeline safety law  Associated Press   ...State and local officials are marking West Virginia's new pipeline safety law. The legislation raises state penalties for safety violations to federal levels...
NJ Governor Vetoes Early Voting Bill  FMF News   ...New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have created 14 days of in-person early voting in New Jersey...
Workers strike at IKEA Richmond store  CBC News   ...IKEA's Richmond store is behind picket lines after the Teamsters union served the company with a strike notice last week. Teamsters Local 213 in Vancouver, BC — which represents 350 store employees — takes issue with the company's contract offers, rejected twice by members, which proposed a return to a tiered-wage system...

Today's Teamster News 04.28.13

Lawmakers Weigh How to Curb Mortgage Interest Tax Break Bloomberg News ...While pledging a “careful, thoughtful review,” House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp asked witnesses at a hearing yesterday for ideas on how to transition to a new, still- unspecified system...

Loans Borrowed Against Pensions Squeeze Retirees New York Times ...In lean economic times, people with public pensions — military veterans, teachers, firefighters, police officers and others — are being courted particularly aggressively by pension-advance companies, which operate largely outside of state and federal banking regulations, but are now drawing scrutiny from Congress and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...
Another mediocre GDP report: is this the new normal? Econbrowser ...Strong growth in consumption spending was offset by declines from the public sector, with lower defense spending subtracting 0.6% from the growth rate by itself, and declines in other categories of federal, state, and local spending subtracting an additional 0.2%...
Senate Finance Committee Holding Hearing On Trans Pacific Partnership WNAX ...The United States Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing ... looking at the ongoing negotiations over the Trans Pacific Partnership...
Paul Begala: Government to the Rescue in Boston (opinion)  Newsweek   ...don’t denigrate government workers. Along with some heroic civilians, it was government workers who ran toward the blast zone. And they were unionized government workers...
Big clothing brands, retailers reject union safety plan as Bangladesh factory deaths mount Associated Press ...As Bangladesh reels from the deaths of hundreds of garment workers in a building collapse, the refusal of global retailers to pay for strict nationwide factory inspections is bringing renewed scrutiny to an industry that has profited from a country notorious for its hazardous workplaces and subsistence level wages...
The Corrections Corporation of America's Latest Shady Business? Tax Evasion Alternet ...To save millions in money they would have to pay to taxes, the CCA is now claiming to be a "Real Estate Investment Trust."...
Rising Costs Have Sandy Victims Contemplating Walking Away Ocean City Patch ...Elevate, pay thousands more in flood insurance premiums or simply walk away from homes? That is the question on the minds of some Hurricane Sandy victims...
West Virginia Republican Proposes Making Kids Work For Food  Huffington Post   ...A West Virginia lawmaker floated the idea during floor debate in the state's House of Delegates of having school children work as janitors...