Teamsters
Teamsters Statement on Presidential Endorsement Process Teamster.org ...On Tuesday, Sept. 29 the Teamsters Union General Executive Board decided to not endorse a presidential candidate at this time. The Teamsters look forward to meeting with Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and any other candidate, regardless of party affiliation, who is committed to improving the lives of America’s working families...
Teamsters Call on UPS CEO to Get Company Out of ALEC During Protest in Detroit Teamster.org ...Detroit Teamsters were joined by representatives from labor, environmental, community, and religious groups at a protest today outside a Detroit Economic Club luncheon where UPS CEO David Abney was the keynote speaker. The group staged the protest to call on UPS to cease all affiliation with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)...
Seabury Connector drivers & attendants join Teamsters 639 UnionCity ...Bus drivers and attendants at Seabury Connector have organized with Teamsters Local 639. "These drivers work hard every day transporting seniors around the nation’s capital and now have the opportunity to get the justice they deserve with a Teamster contract," reports Local 639. The organizing win is the seventh consecutive victory for Local 639, which notes that "Expanding our membership brings greater power to all our members"...
Brockton custodians ratify Teamsters contract with city The Enterprise ...More than 120 custodians, craftsmen and truck drivers employed by the Brockton Public Schools have ratified their first-ever collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 653 in Easton. That includes members of the Brockton Public School Custodians Association, which agreed last fall during a controversial series of collective bargaining discussions to accept lower pay rates for school crossing-guard duty...
Homeless tech bus driver finds new home SF Chronicle ...Roughly 180 bus drivers organized by the Teamsters continue to fight for higher wages and a more comprehensive benefits package. Compass has not yet agreed to what the drivers have asked for. Among the points of disagreement: the number of paid holidays for drivers and the amount Compass should pay for drivers’ health care and 401(k) plans, union members said...
Global Labor & Trade
Japan, U.S. agree to aim for conclusion of TPP talks this week Japan Times ...Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden agreed Tuesday that the two countries will cooperate in an effort to conclude talks on a Pacific free trade initiative this week, according to statements by both governments. Biden and Abe agreed that their negotiating teams for the Trans-Pacific Partnership would work closely together “with the goal of resolving the limited number of outstanding issues at the upcoming ministers meeting in Atlanta”...
House Dems want investigation of Malaysia's raised trafficking status The Hill ...Six House Democrats have asked the State Department’s watchdog to investigate the process that led to an upgrade of Malaysia’s human trafficking status. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Alan Grayson (Fla.), Louise Slaughter (N.Y.), Brad Sherman (Calif.) and Barbara Lee (Calif.) are questioning whether the administration promoted Malaysia to preserve fast-track authority for a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade deal...
Thousands of Ontario jobs at stake in Pacific Rim trade talks The Star ...The livelihoods of thousands of Ontario autoworkers and farmers are on the negotiating table as Canada heads into a round of high-stakes trade bargaining this week with the United States and 10 other Pacific Rim countries. Concluding the talks, which would create a massive free-trade zone touching four continents, hinges on the participants’ ability to overcome deep divisions...
Ottawa area farmers hold tractor protest against the Trans Pacific Partnership Canadians.org ...Ottawa area farmers brought a long convoy of tractors into downtown Ottawa this morning for a protest against the concessions the Harper government is poised to make at the Trans Pacific Partnership talks in Atlanta this week. CBC has reported, "Canada is preparing to open the border to more American milk, without getting reciprocal access for Canadian dairy farmers in the United States"...
EU ambassador: TTIP conclusion next year ‘feasible’ Politico ...EU Ambassador the the U.S. David O’Sullivan said Tuesday that he believes Brussels and Washington could complete their bilateral trade pact by next year, but emphasized that the talks aren’t happening in a vacuum. “We are negotiating very seriously, and we have a common objective to try to conclude this agreement with this administration”...
NWC workers strike over health insurance coverage Jamaica Observer ...Over 1200 National Water Commission (NWC) workers stopped working islandwide this morning, further threatening the poor water supply caused by months of drought. They are protesting against a decision by the NWC’s management to transfer their health insurance coverage from Medecus to Sagicor. The workers are represented by four trade unions...
Kerala’s plantation workers’ strike: Poor pay and strong union Indian Express ...Kerala’s plantation sector has come to a standstill following the agitation of three lakh estate workers demanding that the daily wage be increased from Rs 232 to Rs 500. The demand has suddenly arisen as a fall-out of the historic agitation of women workers at the Munnar Kannan Devan Hills Plantations Limited (KDHPL), earlier this month...
State & Living Wage Battles
7 Disastrous Effects Of The Illinois Budget Crisis Think Progress ...First term Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) has been in office for eight months and the state has not had a budget for nearly half that time. The governor is trying to tie passage of the new budget to changes in labor laws — including creating “right-to-work zones” — that would hurt state workers and to changes in the tax code, but the legislature refuses to sign the package...
Immigration bill heads to Gov. Pat McCrory News & Observer ...The [NC] state House voted 70-43 Tuesday night to restrict forms of ID for non-citizens and ban counties and municipalities from having “sanctuary city” policies that limit enforcement of immigration laws. The bill will be sent to the governor. Supporters of the measure say local governments shouldn’t get to opt out of federal laws...
Right-to-work vote opens rift in Missouri’s GOP Kansas City Star ...Kidd was one of 20 GOP lawmakers who voted against overriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a so-called “right-to-work” bill. The bill would have made it a misdemeanor for anyone to be required to become a union member or to pay dues to a labor organization as a condition of employment. And Republican opposition killed it. That vote earned Kidd and his colleagues some powerful enemies...
W.Va. officials to reveal new prevailing wage Wednesday Associated Press ...West Virginia workforce officials say they are releasing the state’s new prevailing wage, which relied on a survey that received high participation marks from contractors. WorkForce West Virginia will release new minimum wages for public construction projects Wednesday. Agency spokeswoman Chelsea Ruby says 74 percent of contractors surveyed responded, with surveys sent to more than 5,000 businesses...
Minimum Wage Fight For $15: Oregon Ballot Measure Planned If Lawmakers Don't Pass Increase, Activists Say IB Times ...Oregon voters may get to raise the state’s minimum wage next fall if a group of labor unions and social activists gets its way. Unless state lawmakers pass a bill to increase the wages early next year, the Raise the Wage coalition will gather enough signatures to put the measure on the November ballot in 2016, the group's leaders announced this week...
Group launches ballot initiative to mandate paid sick leave in Michigan MLive ...A group of activists on Tuesday announced a statewide ballot initiative aimed at enacting a law that would require Michigan employers to offer all workers one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The law would allow workers to take paid time off for personal or family health needs...
Protesters call for $15 minimum wage at Oak Park rally Chicago Tribune ...Dozens of fast food workers and supporters gathered inside Oak Park Village Hall Sept. 28 to call for the village to raise its minimum wage. Oak Park voters backed a "living wage" for village employees and contractors hired by the village in a 2009 referendum. The Oak Park Village Board has discussed the issue in the years since, but stalled on voting on any measure...
U.S. Labor
At the ‘Big 3’ grocers, bargaining begins with UFCW NW Labor Press ...Bargaining has begun over new union contracts for 10,000 workers at Fred Meyer, Safeway and Albertsons stores in Portland and Bend, Oregon. And for the first time, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 will be bargaining with all grocery, meat, central checkout, and non-food contracts at a single table...
Ford UAW workers threaten strike; FCA-UAW contract hangs in balance MLive ..Workers at Ford Motor Co.'s Kansas City, Mo. truck plant are on a five-day strike notice over disagreements with the Dearborn company. The Kansas City plant employs about 7,500 workers, who build the Ford F-150. The announcement Tuesday from Settles comes as Fiat Chrysler workers continue to vote on a tentative contract between the UAW and FCA...
UAW-FCA deal appears headed for defeat Detroit News ...The tentative four-year contract between the United Auto Workers and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles appears headed for defeat, after a majority of members at both the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant and Toledo Assembly Complex voted it down, The Detroit News has learned. A UAW spokesman Wednesday said he the UAW was not commenting while voting is ongoing, and a FCA spokeswoman declined comment...
Labor talks ongoing for USW, U.S. Steel Business Times ...The United Steelworkers and United States Steel Corp. continue to meet in Pittsburgh over efforts to reach a new contract, but a final deal has yet to be reached, according to an update posted to the union's website Monday. "Our bargaining team met among themselves and with company representatives for several hours on Monday, discussing a wide range of issues"...
Rank-and-File Teachers Object As Nation's Biggest Union Weighs Early Clinton Endorsement Common Dreams ...A rumored presidential endorsement by the nation's largest union is exposing a rift between rank-and-file members who are "feeling the Bern" and leadership who appear more willing to err on the Clinton side of caution. Various news reports have indicated that an announcement by the 3-million strong National Education Association is expected sometime this week...
Income Inequality Would Be Much Worse If Women Hadn’t Entered The Workforce Think Progress ...A new analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP), which houses ThinkProgress, finds that between 1963 and 2013, income inequality among the bottom 95 percent of married couples increased by nearly 25 percent. Yet without a concurrent increase in women’s earnings, which rose fivefold over the same period, inequality would have grown more than 50 percent faster, rising instead by 38 percent...
Social Justice & Other News
The Data Are Damning: How Race Influences School Funding The Atlantic ...In America, schools with a lot of minority students are chronically underfunded. Is that the case because these students are poor, and poor communities have fewer resources for funding their schools? Or, is it because of the color of these students’ skin?Unsettlingly, recent research from data scientist David Mosenkis finds that poverty alone does not explain the underfunding...
Robert Reich: Donald Trump & Jeb Bush Plans Would Slash Taxes for the 1 Percent Democracy Now ...On the campaign trail, Republican candidates are proposing massive new tax cuts for the rich despite growing economic inequality across the country. On Monday, Donald Trump unveiled a plan to lower the income tax rate to the lowest level since 1931, cut corporate taxes and abolish the estate tax. Meanwhile, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has proposed broad tax cuts for individuals and corporations as part of his economic plan...
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Today's Teamster News 06.12.15
Teamsters
Hoffa Calls on House to Vote Down Flawed Trade Adjustment Assistance Bill Teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa challenged House representatives to vote down a severely flawed Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill in a letter delivered this morning. Hoffa questioned the lack of funding and protection for public service workers in the TAA bill...
Teamsters Corrections Employees Picket, Protest Threat Of Washington State Government Shutdown Teamster.org ...Teamster corrections employees picketed at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe and the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on Thursday to demand that the legislature pass a budget that funds their contract and prevents a costly government shutdown. Picketers at both facilities held signs that read: DOC Corrections Employees – Keeping our Communities Safe – and they urged the public to support them...
Teamsters get back into Convention Center Philly.com ...In yet another complicated twist to the Pennsylvania Convention Center saga, members of the Teamsters local that had lost the right to work in the building are back in the building working. In May 2014, two of the six unions that worked in the building setting up trade shows lost jurisdiction when their leaders failed to sign a new customer satisfaction agreement by a management-imposed deadline.
Global Labor & Trade
Obama’s Trade Bills Face Tough Battle Against House Democrats New York Times ...President Obama’s ambitious push to expand his trade negotiating powers faces a final congressional showdown on Friday, but lawmakers in his own party — pressed hard by organized labor, environmental groups and liberal activists — are threatening to bring down the entire package of trade bills...
Could liberals bring down Obama’s big trade agenda? Washington Post ...President Obama’s trade agenda is really hanging in the balance right now, as the bill giving him Fast Track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal appears balanced on the edge of a knife in the House of Representatives...
Backlash Against TPP Grows as Leaked Text Reveals Increased Corporate Control of Public Health Democracy Now ...As the Obama administration praises the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backlash continues to grow against the deal. WikiLeaks has just published another section of the secret text — this one about public healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Newly revealed details of the draft show the TPP would give major pharmaceutical companies more power...
Trade Bill in Jeopardy as Democrats Hold Back National Journal ...The fate of President Obama's fast-track trade bill remained uncertain Thursday afternoon even after clearing a key hurdle, as Democrats expressed growing concern with the slice of the package that helps train workers who lose their jobs as a result of a future trade deal. The Trade Adjustment Assistance bill—a key provision for Democrats—is vital to passing Trade Promotion Authority, legislation that gives Congress and up-or-down vote on trade deals negotiated by the president...
Republicans Tie Their Favorite Causes to the Trade Agreement New York Times ...For Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, there is language promising that no trade deals can compel the United States to address climate change. For anti-immigrant firebrand Steve King, Republican of Iowa, another provision would prohibit future trade deals from loosening immigration laws or expanding visa access...
Why the Founding Fathers Would Oppose Fast Track Eyes on Trade ...Morrison warns in a letter to Congress that the TPP’s proposed expansion of a controversial parallel legal system for foreign corporations, known as “investor-state dispute settlement” (ISDS), “improperly removes a core judicial function from the federal courts and therefore violates Article III of the Constitution.” TPP’s expansion of ISDS would newly empower thousands of foreign corporations to bypass the entire U.S. legal system...
Obama’s trade deal is a Trojan horse (opinion) MSNBC ...President Barack Obama has ditched his renowned cool to go on the warpath against Democratic senators, small business leaders, American unions, and faith, environmental and health organizations that oppose the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement he wants to enact. Improbably, Obama is united with the Wall Street titans, big business interests and Republican congressional leaders who tried to keep him out of office to revive a Nixon-era procedure called “fast track” that could railroad the TPP through Congress...
Child Labor Stems from Lack of Good Jobs for Adults Solidarity Center ...Some 168 million children remain trapped in child labor—11 percent of the world’s child population—even as 200 million youth in 2012 were working but earning less than $2 per day, according to an International Labor Organization (ILO) report released this week. “Both child labor and the youth decent work deficit are symptomatic of the general lack of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the global economy and in developing economies in particular,” according to the report.
State & Living Wage Battles
Virginia Democrats sue over voter ID law Associated Press ...Virginia Democrats are trying to strike down the state’s voter ID law, joining efforts in two other swing states to challenge voting laws ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The Democratic Party of Virginia said it filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the State Board of Elections seeking to undo the state’s voter photo ID provision...
There Is No Budget Surplus in Wisconsin PR Watch ...Walker does not have a surplus. He has a $2.2 billion deficit and a big problem. With his budget committee now caught up in a hot debate over how to fund the Bucks’ new arena and bankroll new road-building, Joint Finance is stuck, with no new meetings scheduled. The standoff could delay Walker’s much-anticipated announcement as a candidate for president...
“Something is rotten in Michigan”: Poisoned water supplies, dissolved school districts and a massive unraveling of American democracy Salon ...If you’re thinking, “Who cares?” since what happens in Michigan stays in Michigan, think again. The state’s aggressive balance-the-books style of governance has already spread beyond its borders. In January, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appointed bankruptcy lawyer and former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr to be a “legal adviser” to Atlantic City...
The Koch Brothers Usually Have Scott Walker's Back. Not This Time. Mother Jones ...The Koch brothers and their political machine have long been key allies of Wisconsin governor and presumptive 2016 hopeful Scott Walker. With the GOP presidential field getting more crowded by the day and political observers wondering who will win the Koch Primary—and the financial backing of these billionaires and their donor network—Walker has sparked a controversy in his home state in which and he and Team Koch are on opposite sides...
Why Scott Walker is Even More of a Menace Than He Seems Counterpunch ...Having gutted public sector unions in Wisconsin, attacking organized labor in one of its proudest strongholds, Governor Scott Walker now has his sights set on another of his state’s glories, the University of Wisconsin. His target is the entire university and college system, but what sets him off most is Wisconsin’s “flagship” campus in Madison...
Emanuel to rely on worker complaints to enforce higher minimum wage Chicago Tribune ...en the minimum wage in Chicago increases to $10 an hour July 1, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will rely mainly on workers filing complaints against their bosses to make sure thousands of businesses big and small comply with the new standards. Emanuel was out Wednesday reminding people about the $1.75-an-hour wage hike, casting the bump in pay for about 200,000 workers in human terms for struggling families...
Chris Christie Suggests College Students Should Sell Themselves To Investors To Pay Tuition Think Progress ...Christie also mentioned income share agreements, which allow students to essentially issue stock in themselves. It allows people to invest in college students, or to “own human capital contracts,” which means that an investor could pay a portion of the student’s tuition to attend college in exchange for that student giving the investor a certain percentage of their income for so many years...
U.S. Labor
USW Ratifies New Contract at Hawesville, Kentucky Smelter MarketWatch ...Century Aluminum of Kentucky General Partnership (the "Company"), a subsidiary of Century Aluminum Company, announced today that a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the United Steelworkers Local 9423 on June 11, 2015 for the Company's Hawesville, Kentucky smelter. The new contract is effective today through April 1, 2020...
Hayward, SEIU Local 1021 reach tentative contract agreement Contra Costa Times ...The city reached a tentative contract agreement with the union representing its clerical and maintenance, ending a lengthy labor dispute. The agreement with SEIU Local 1021 was announced Thursday following a 12-hour negotiating session Wednesday. Details of the agreement were not available pending a vote by union members...
Better Enforcement of Farmworker Heat Rules as UFW and Brown Administration Settle Lawsuit Huffington Post ...Timelier, more effective, and more consistent inspections of farm and other outdoor worksites under California's recently improved heat-illness-prevention regulations will follow the settlement of two lawsuits between the Jerry Brown administration's work-safety agency and farmworkers partnering with the United Farm Workers (UFW)...
AFSCME members continue to voice displeasure with contract negotiations at rally State Journal-Register ...Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees continued their string of protests against Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday at the Old State Capitol. An AFSCME bulletin obtained by The State Journal-Register in May states the governor wants a salary freeze, reduced vacation time and cuts to health insurance...
New DC JWJ Report Reveals Unfair Scheduling Practices in DC DC Jobs with Justice ...In line with previous research, it finds that “just in time” approaches to scheduling negatively impact many D.C. employees’ lives, often resulting in erratic and unpredictable hours for the women and men who serve our food, stock our shelves and sweep our floors. Employees are granted too few hours on too short notice, resulting in unpredictable incomes and work schedules that make it hard to budget, arrange childcare, continue with education or hold down a second job to try to make ends meet...
National labor board says tribal sovereignty trumps NLRB protection in Chickasaw casino case Tulsa World ...Tribal sovereignty trumps federal protection by a national labor board in a case of union-organizing complaints at the state’s largest casino, the board found this month.
The June 4 opinion by the National Labor Relations Board contradicts a recent appeals court decision regarding a similar dispute with another tribe and its casino...
Miscellaneous
Iceland Jailed Bankers and Rejected Austerity—and It’s Been a Success TruthDig ...When the global economic crisis hit in 2008, Iceland suffered terribly—perhaps more than any other country. Now, less than a decade later, the nation’s economy is booming. That’s because it took a different approach. Instead of imposing devastating austerity measures and bailing out its banks, Iceland let its banks go bust and focused on social welfare policies...
Big Pharma's Hidden Hand In Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Common Dreams ...From the World Health Organization to the National Academy of Sciences, scientists are warning that rising antibiotic resistance poses a public health threat across the world. Now, a new report from consumer advocacy group Sum Of Us examines an often-overlooked factor behind this crisis: the complicity of pharmaceutical giants in the dangerous dumping of drug waste throughout the supply chain...
Hoffa Calls on House to Vote Down Flawed Trade Adjustment Assistance Bill Teamster.org ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa challenged House representatives to vote down a severely flawed Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill in a letter delivered this morning. Hoffa questioned the lack of funding and protection for public service workers in the TAA bill...
Teamsters Corrections Employees Picket, Protest Threat Of Washington State Government Shutdown Teamster.org ...Teamster corrections employees picketed at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe and the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on Thursday to demand that the legislature pass a budget that funds their contract and prevents a costly government shutdown. Picketers at both facilities held signs that read: DOC Corrections Employees – Keeping our Communities Safe – and they urged the public to support them...
Teamsters get back into Convention Center Philly.com ...In yet another complicated twist to the Pennsylvania Convention Center saga, members of the Teamsters local that had lost the right to work in the building are back in the building working. In May 2014, two of the six unions that worked in the building setting up trade shows lost jurisdiction when their leaders failed to sign a new customer satisfaction agreement by a management-imposed deadline.
Global Labor & Trade
Obama’s Trade Bills Face Tough Battle Against House Democrats New York Times ...President Obama’s ambitious push to expand his trade negotiating powers faces a final congressional showdown on Friday, but lawmakers in his own party — pressed hard by organized labor, environmental groups and liberal activists — are threatening to bring down the entire package of trade bills...
Could liberals bring down Obama’s big trade agenda? Washington Post ...President Obama’s trade agenda is really hanging in the balance right now, as the bill giving him Fast Track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal appears balanced on the edge of a knife in the House of Representatives...
Backlash Against TPP Grows as Leaked Text Reveals Increased Corporate Control of Public Health Democracy Now ...As the Obama administration praises the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backlash continues to grow against the deal. WikiLeaks has just published another section of the secret text — this one about public healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Newly revealed details of the draft show the TPP would give major pharmaceutical companies more power...
Trade Bill in Jeopardy as Democrats Hold Back National Journal ...The fate of President Obama's fast-track trade bill remained uncertain Thursday afternoon even after clearing a key hurdle, as Democrats expressed growing concern with the slice of the package that helps train workers who lose their jobs as a result of a future trade deal. The Trade Adjustment Assistance bill—a key provision for Democrats—is vital to passing Trade Promotion Authority, legislation that gives Congress and up-or-down vote on trade deals negotiated by the president...
Republicans Tie Their Favorite Causes to the Trade Agreement New York Times ...For Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, there is language promising that no trade deals can compel the United States to address climate change. For anti-immigrant firebrand Steve King, Republican of Iowa, another provision would prohibit future trade deals from loosening immigration laws or expanding visa access...
Why the Founding Fathers Would Oppose Fast Track Eyes on Trade ...Morrison warns in a letter to Congress that the TPP’s proposed expansion of a controversial parallel legal system for foreign corporations, known as “investor-state dispute settlement” (ISDS), “improperly removes a core judicial function from the federal courts and therefore violates Article III of the Constitution.” TPP’s expansion of ISDS would newly empower thousands of foreign corporations to bypass the entire U.S. legal system...
Obama’s trade deal is a Trojan horse (opinion) MSNBC ...President Barack Obama has ditched his renowned cool to go on the warpath against Democratic senators, small business leaders, American unions, and faith, environmental and health organizations that oppose the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement he wants to enact. Improbably, Obama is united with the Wall Street titans, big business interests and Republican congressional leaders who tried to keep him out of office to revive a Nixon-era procedure called “fast track” that could railroad the TPP through Congress...
Child Labor Stems from Lack of Good Jobs for Adults Solidarity Center ...Some 168 million children remain trapped in child labor—11 percent of the world’s child population—even as 200 million youth in 2012 were working but earning less than $2 per day, according to an International Labor Organization (ILO) report released this week. “Both child labor and the youth decent work deficit are symptomatic of the general lack of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the global economy and in developing economies in particular,” according to the report.
State & Living Wage Battles
Virginia Democrats sue over voter ID law Associated Press ...Virginia Democrats are trying to strike down the state’s voter ID law, joining efforts in two other swing states to challenge voting laws ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The Democratic Party of Virginia said it filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the State Board of Elections seeking to undo the state’s voter photo ID provision...
There Is No Budget Surplus in Wisconsin PR Watch ...Walker does not have a surplus. He has a $2.2 billion deficit and a big problem. With his budget committee now caught up in a hot debate over how to fund the Bucks’ new arena and bankroll new road-building, Joint Finance is stuck, with no new meetings scheduled. The standoff could delay Walker’s much-anticipated announcement as a candidate for president...
“Something is rotten in Michigan”: Poisoned water supplies, dissolved school districts and a massive unraveling of American democracy Salon ...If you’re thinking, “Who cares?” since what happens in Michigan stays in Michigan, think again. The state’s aggressive balance-the-books style of governance has already spread beyond its borders. In January, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appointed bankruptcy lawyer and former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr to be a “legal adviser” to Atlantic City...
The Koch Brothers Usually Have Scott Walker's Back. Not This Time. Mother Jones ...The Koch brothers and their political machine have long been key allies of Wisconsin governor and presumptive 2016 hopeful Scott Walker. With the GOP presidential field getting more crowded by the day and political observers wondering who will win the Koch Primary—and the financial backing of these billionaires and their donor network—Walker has sparked a controversy in his home state in which and he and Team Koch are on opposite sides...
Why Scott Walker is Even More of a Menace Than He Seems Counterpunch ...Having gutted public sector unions in Wisconsin, attacking organized labor in one of its proudest strongholds, Governor Scott Walker now has his sights set on another of his state’s glories, the University of Wisconsin. His target is the entire university and college system, but what sets him off most is Wisconsin’s “flagship” campus in Madison...
Emanuel to rely on worker complaints to enforce higher minimum wage Chicago Tribune ...en the minimum wage in Chicago increases to $10 an hour July 1, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will rely mainly on workers filing complaints against their bosses to make sure thousands of businesses big and small comply with the new standards. Emanuel was out Wednesday reminding people about the $1.75-an-hour wage hike, casting the bump in pay for about 200,000 workers in human terms for struggling families...
Chris Christie Suggests College Students Should Sell Themselves To Investors To Pay Tuition Think Progress ...Christie also mentioned income share agreements, which allow students to essentially issue stock in themselves. It allows people to invest in college students, or to “own human capital contracts,” which means that an investor could pay a portion of the student’s tuition to attend college in exchange for that student giving the investor a certain percentage of their income for so many years...
U.S. Labor
USW Ratifies New Contract at Hawesville, Kentucky Smelter MarketWatch ...Century Aluminum of Kentucky General Partnership (the "Company"), a subsidiary of Century Aluminum Company, announced today that a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the United Steelworkers Local 9423 on June 11, 2015 for the Company's Hawesville, Kentucky smelter. The new contract is effective today through April 1, 2020...
Hayward, SEIU Local 1021 reach tentative contract agreement Contra Costa Times ...The city reached a tentative contract agreement with the union representing its clerical and maintenance, ending a lengthy labor dispute. The agreement with SEIU Local 1021 was announced Thursday following a 12-hour negotiating session Wednesday. Details of the agreement were not available pending a vote by union members...
Better Enforcement of Farmworker Heat Rules as UFW and Brown Administration Settle Lawsuit Huffington Post ...Timelier, more effective, and more consistent inspections of farm and other outdoor worksites under California's recently improved heat-illness-prevention regulations will follow the settlement of two lawsuits between the Jerry Brown administration's work-safety agency and farmworkers partnering with the United Farm Workers (UFW)...
AFSCME members continue to voice displeasure with contract negotiations at rally State Journal-Register ...Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees continued their string of protests against Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday at the Old State Capitol. An AFSCME bulletin obtained by The State Journal-Register in May states the governor wants a salary freeze, reduced vacation time and cuts to health insurance...
New DC JWJ Report Reveals Unfair Scheduling Practices in DC DC Jobs with Justice ...In line with previous research, it finds that “just in time” approaches to scheduling negatively impact many D.C. employees’ lives, often resulting in erratic and unpredictable hours for the women and men who serve our food, stock our shelves and sweep our floors. Employees are granted too few hours on too short notice, resulting in unpredictable incomes and work schedules that make it hard to budget, arrange childcare, continue with education or hold down a second job to try to make ends meet...
National labor board says tribal sovereignty trumps NLRB protection in Chickasaw casino case Tulsa World ...Tribal sovereignty trumps federal protection by a national labor board in a case of union-organizing complaints at the state’s largest casino, the board found this month.
The June 4 opinion by the National Labor Relations Board contradicts a recent appeals court decision regarding a similar dispute with another tribe and its casino...
Miscellaneous
Iceland Jailed Bankers and Rejected Austerity—and It’s Been a Success TruthDig ...When the global economic crisis hit in 2008, Iceland suffered terribly—perhaps more than any other country. Now, less than a decade later, the nation’s economy is booming. That’s because it took a different approach. Instead of imposing devastating austerity measures and bailing out its banks, Iceland let its banks go bust and focused on social welfare policies...
Big Pharma's Hidden Hand In Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Common Dreams ...From the World Health Organization to the National Academy of Sciences, scientists are warning that rising antibiotic resistance poses a public health threat across the world. Now, a new report from consumer advocacy group Sum Of Us examines an often-overlooked factor behind this crisis: the complicity of pharmaceutical giants in the dangerous dumping of drug waste throughout the supply chain...
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Today's Teamster News 06.09.15
Teamsters
Local 200 Welcomes Super Aggregate Drivers Teamster.org ...On Saturday May 30, 2015 truck drivers from Super Aggregate voted to become members of Teamsters Local 200 in Milwaukee.
“In an environment of a right to work state there are still employers that see the benefit of a Unionized workforce and employees that know the benefits of being a Teamster,” said Teamsters Local 200 Secretary-Treasurer Tom Millonzi...
In Memoriam: Walter Shea Teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is saddened to announce the passing of Walter Shea, a longtime Teamster leader and former International Vice President. Shea had a rich life within the union and kept busy with political appointments. He was not only an International Vice President from 1982 to 1992, he served as an Executive Assistant to four General Presidents of the Teamsters Union...
Teamsters, US car-haulers start national contract talks JOC ...The Teamsters union and U.S. car-hauling trucking companies are preparing to negotiate a new multi-year contract at a time when the automotive business, and car-hauling, is booming. The union and management group exchanged proposals last week and will start negotiations on the National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement June 10, the Teamsters said...
L.A.-Based Location Managers Reach 3-Year Deal With Producers Variety ...The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and Teamsters Local 399 have reached a tentative agreement on a successor contract covering location managers. The tentative deal — which covers several hundred members in the Los Angeles area — was reached two weeks after Hollywood Teamsters and four other Basic Crafts Unions reached a tentative agreement with producers on a three-year successor deal...
Disney World characters complain after park warns not to reveal identities The Guardian ...The union representing actors who portray Mickey, Goofy and other characters at Walt Disney World filed a complaint on Friday with a national labor board, challenging a policy that it says prevents the performers from revealing which animated figures they portray. Teamsters Local 385 filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Disney was committing an unfair labor practice...
NLRB Says Federal Labor Law Doesn't Apply To Indian-Owned Casino Protected by Treaty Bloomberg ...The National Labor Relations Board ruled June 4 that the Chickasaw Nation's tribal sovereignty blocks the board from asserting jurisdiction over unfair labor practice charges against a tribe-controlled casino. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 886 alleged that the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., violated the National Labor Relations Act by telling workers they weren't protected by the federal labor law...
Global Labor & Trade
Week ahead: House trade fight heats up The Hill ...The fight over fast-track trade authority is coming to a head, with a House vote possible as early as Thursday. President Obama and Republican leaders are edging closer to securing the votes needed to pass trade promotion authority. The legislation would help Obama close the deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation economic pact...
Obama's Trade Quest In Congress Trails Him Across Atlantic Associated Press ...President Barack Obama's politically fraught trade quest in Washington trailed him across the Atlantic Sunday, as he met with world leaders anxiously watching a debate on Capitol Hill that could impact the status of economic pacts with the Asia-Pacific and Europe. The leaders spent more than an hour privately discussing trade issues as they opened a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations...
Labor runs ads slamming Rep. Kathleen Rice for backing trade bill Politico ...Big Labor is taking aim at another Democrat for supporting a contentious trade bill. The AFL-CIO has made a six-figure ad buy in New York against Rep. Kathleen Rice, slamming the freshman lawmaker for pledging to vote for legislation giving President Barack Obama the power to “fast track” trade deals through Congress. Rice initially said she opposed the controversial measure, but over the weekend, she announced she would support the bill...
Will TPP Kill the Post Office? Huffington Post ...As if we needed yet another reason for the public to see the text of TPP before Congress pre approves it with fast track, here is a question: Does the TPP contain provisions that corporations can use to force us to privatize "public" things like our Post Office, public schools, public roads etc., so they can replace them with profit-making enterprises that provide a return only to the wealthy few?...
Peru’s story haunts the TPP The Hill ...From the tragic massacre on “Devil’s Curve” six years ago to the surge in illegal logging to growing violence and threats against environmental defenders to the recent rollback of environmental and labor protections to the ISDS attacks on our environmental policies, Peru’s story suggests that it is time to rethink how we approach trade agreements before “Fast Tracking” more of the same via the TPP...
10 Reasons the TPP Is Not a 'Progressive' Trade Agreement (opinion) Huffington Post ...One must seriously question what President Obama and his corporate allies believe to be the definition of "progressive." History shows the very opposite of progress when it comes to these democratic sovereignty-shredding and job-exporting corporate-driven trade treaties -- unless progress is referring to fulfilling the deepest wishes of runaway global corporations...
Local 200 Welcomes Super Aggregate Drivers Teamster.org ...On Saturday May 30, 2015 truck drivers from Super Aggregate voted to become members of Teamsters Local 200 in Milwaukee.
“In an environment of a right to work state there are still employers that see the benefit of a Unionized workforce and employees that know the benefits of being a Teamster,” said Teamsters Local 200 Secretary-Treasurer Tom Millonzi...
In Memoriam: Walter Shea Teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is saddened to announce the passing of Walter Shea, a longtime Teamster leader and former International Vice President. Shea had a rich life within the union and kept busy with political appointments. He was not only an International Vice President from 1982 to 1992, he served as an Executive Assistant to four General Presidents of the Teamsters Union...
Teamsters, US car-haulers start national contract talks JOC ...The Teamsters union and U.S. car-hauling trucking companies are preparing to negotiate a new multi-year contract at a time when the automotive business, and car-hauling, is booming. The union and management group exchanged proposals last week and will start negotiations on the National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement June 10, the Teamsters said...
L.A.-Based Location Managers Reach 3-Year Deal With Producers Variety ...The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and Teamsters Local 399 have reached a tentative agreement on a successor contract covering location managers. The tentative deal — which covers several hundred members in the Los Angeles area — was reached two weeks after Hollywood Teamsters and four other Basic Crafts Unions reached a tentative agreement with producers on a three-year successor deal...
Disney World characters complain after park warns not to reveal identities The Guardian ...The union representing actors who portray Mickey, Goofy and other characters at Walt Disney World filed a complaint on Friday with a national labor board, challenging a policy that it says prevents the performers from revealing which animated figures they portray. Teamsters Local 385 filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Disney was committing an unfair labor practice...
NLRB Says Federal Labor Law Doesn't Apply To Indian-Owned Casino Protected by Treaty Bloomberg ...The National Labor Relations Board ruled June 4 that the Chickasaw Nation's tribal sovereignty blocks the board from asserting jurisdiction over unfair labor practice charges against a tribe-controlled casino. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 886 alleged that the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., violated the National Labor Relations Act by telling workers they weren't protected by the federal labor law...
Global Labor & Trade
Week ahead: House trade fight heats up The Hill ...The fight over fast-track trade authority is coming to a head, with a House vote possible as early as Thursday. President Obama and Republican leaders are edging closer to securing the votes needed to pass trade promotion authority. The legislation would help Obama close the deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation economic pact...
Obama's Trade Quest In Congress Trails Him Across Atlantic Associated Press ...President Barack Obama's politically fraught trade quest in Washington trailed him across the Atlantic Sunday, as he met with world leaders anxiously watching a debate on Capitol Hill that could impact the status of economic pacts with the Asia-Pacific and Europe. The leaders spent more than an hour privately discussing trade issues as they opened a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations...
Labor runs ads slamming Rep. Kathleen Rice for backing trade bill Politico ...Big Labor is taking aim at another Democrat for supporting a contentious trade bill. The AFL-CIO has made a six-figure ad buy in New York against Rep. Kathleen Rice, slamming the freshman lawmaker for pledging to vote for legislation giving President Barack Obama the power to “fast track” trade deals through Congress. Rice initially said she opposed the controversial measure, but over the weekend, she announced she would support the bill...
Will TPP Kill the Post Office? Huffington Post ...As if we needed yet another reason for the public to see the text of TPP before Congress pre approves it with fast track, here is a question: Does the TPP contain provisions that corporations can use to force us to privatize "public" things like our Post Office, public schools, public roads etc., so they can replace them with profit-making enterprises that provide a return only to the wealthy few?...
Peru’s story haunts the TPP The Hill ...From the tragic massacre on “Devil’s Curve” six years ago to the surge in illegal logging to growing violence and threats against environmental defenders to the recent rollback of environmental and labor protections to the ISDS attacks on our environmental policies, Peru’s story suggests that it is time to rethink how we approach trade agreements before “Fast Tracking” more of the same via the TPP...
10 Reasons the TPP Is Not a 'Progressive' Trade Agreement (opinion) Huffington Post ...One must seriously question what President Obama and his corporate allies believe to be the definition of "progressive." History shows the very opposite of progress when it comes to these democratic sovereignty-shredding and job-exporting corporate-driven trade treaties -- unless progress is referring to fulfilling the deepest wishes of runaway global corporations...
Sherritt Workers in Madagascar Mull Strike Action Over Job Cuts Bloomberg ...Workers at Sherritt International Corp.’s Ambatovy nickel project in Madagascar may go on strike after job cuts at the mine, a labor-union official said. The company, based in Toronto, said on June 4 the joint venture cut about 12 percent of its workforce, resulting in about 1,100 employees and contractors having their employment contracts suspended or being demobilized...
German Child Care Workers’ Strike Brings Debate on Priorities New York Times ...The strike by child care workers is the latest in a series of work actions that is putting Germany on track to have the most days lost to labor action in nearly a decade. By economists’ calculations, 350,000 work days have been lost in 2015 — a record that would seem more likely in France than in Germany. The number of days missed because of walkouts is already more than twice the number for all of 2014, according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research...
State & Living Wage Battles
Lawmakers kill bill requiring predictable work hours Sacramento Business Journal ...Legislation that would have penalized large food and retail employers for making late changes to employee work schedules was held in the Assembly on Thursday and is finished for the year. Assemblyman David Chiu said in a statement that he would bring back Assembly Bill 357 next year...
Kentucky Governor Raises Minimum Wage With Executive Order New York Times ...Gov. Steven L. Beshear of Kentucky signed an executive order on Monday raising the hourly minimum wage for certain state employees to $10.10. The change, which angered state Republicans and drew praise from the governor’s fellow Democrats, affects almost 800 employees, including those making the current hourly minimum of $7.25...
Oregon Democrats to propose minimum wage increase this week Oregon Live ...emocrats will put forth a long-anticipated proposal this week to raise Oregon's minimum wage, House Speaker Tina Kotek said Monday. Kotek, D-Portland, told reporters she plans to introduce a bill that would incrementally raise the minimum wage over the next few years. She declined to provide specifics, including how high the new minimum wage would be under the proposal...
Prevailing wage calculation riles lawmakers Bluefield Daily Telegraph ...Prevailing wage once again raised lawmakers’ hackles, on Monday, as the method to calculate the wage developed by Workforce West Virginia was roundly criticized by Republicans on the Joint Committee on Government and Finance. Democrats on the committee said it was a matter of sour grapes since the method may not give Republicans the result they wanted - lower prevailing wages on public projects...
Barack Obama poised to hike wages for millions Politico ...The Obama administration is on the verge of possibly doubling the salary levels that would require employers to pay overtime in the most ambitious government intervention on wages in a decade. And it doesn’t need Congress’s permission. As early as this week, the Labor Department could propose a rule that would raise the current overtime threshold — $23,660 – to as much as $52,000...
Proposal for $15 minimum wage qualifies for Tacoma ballot Seattle Times ...An initiative to raise Tacoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour has qualified for the November ballot. The Pierce County auditor’s staff has verified that petitions submitted by the 15 Now group contained 3,231 valid signatures of registered Tacoma voters, The News Tribune newspaper reported...
U.S. Labor
Federal contract workers strike outside U.S. courthouse in downtown Dallas Dallas Morning News ...A group of federal contract workers who handle security inside the Earle Cabell courthouse in downtown Dallas are on strike, complaining of unfair labor practices that have led to inflexible work schedules. The strike by the Local 293 branch of the United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) union began with a picket line outside the federal courthouse on May 26...
Verizon’s Biggest Union Claims Carrier Isn’t Fixing Broken Landlines Wall Street Journal ...Verizon Communications Inc.’s largest union says the company is refusing to fix broken landlines. The Communications Workers of America, which represents about 35,000 Verizon employees, says Verizon isn’t repairing copper lines in some areas in the Northeast. Instead, the union says, the carrier is steering customers to buy a wireless home phone service called Voice Link...
Black-White Unemployment Gap Widens In U.S. Chicago Defender ...he Black unemployment rate last month was nearly twice the national average and more than double the unemployment rate for Whites, according to jobs figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The statistics show the unemployment rate for Blacks at 10.2 percent in May, up from 9.6 percent in April. The unemployment rate for Whites has been at 4.7 percent since February...
Miscellaneous
Obama administration stops work on immigrant program Washington Post ...A series of legal setbacks have halted the government’s intensive preparations to move forward with President Obama’s executive actions shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, even as community organizations continue a rapid push to get ready for the programs, according to U.S. officials and immigrant advocacy groups...
Community Condemns Pool Prejudice in McKinney, Texas Common Dreams ...More than a thousand outraged community members took to the streets of McKinney, Texas on Monday night, two days after a local police officer assaulted a number of black and brown teenagers attending a pool party. Unlike other recent acts of police violence in Baltimore and Ferguson, this occurred at a private pool, in a gated community within an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas—raising particular questions about wealth and race...
GM Has Not Paid for Its Crimes Truthout ...Last year, GM officials reluctantly estimated that faulty ignition switches could be linked to some 13 deaths from crashes involving several of their smaller car models. A year later, that number has reached 104, according to an announcement by the company compensation fund on May 18 - leaving family members of those killed and injured in crashes involving GM cars to ask just how many more deaths were the result of corporate negligence...
Student Debt Strikers Call Fed's Loan Forgiveness Plan a Bureaucratic Sham Common Dreams ...Despite a new announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it will begin a process of debt-forgiveness for students cheated into high-priced loans by predatory for-profit colleges, one of the groups most responsible for lobbying to have the debts erased is reacting bitterly, saying the plan is more complicated than it needs to be and that those already victimized by one government-backed scheme should not be put through the ringer for a second time...
German Child Care Workers’ Strike Brings Debate on Priorities New York Times ...The strike by child care workers is the latest in a series of work actions that is putting Germany on track to have the most days lost to labor action in nearly a decade. By economists’ calculations, 350,000 work days have been lost in 2015 — a record that would seem more likely in France than in Germany. The number of days missed because of walkouts is already more than twice the number for all of 2014, according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research...
State & Living Wage Battles
Lawmakers kill bill requiring predictable work hours Sacramento Business Journal ...Legislation that would have penalized large food and retail employers for making late changes to employee work schedules was held in the Assembly on Thursday and is finished for the year. Assemblyman David Chiu said in a statement that he would bring back Assembly Bill 357 next year...
Kentucky Governor Raises Minimum Wage With Executive Order New York Times ...Gov. Steven L. Beshear of Kentucky signed an executive order on Monday raising the hourly minimum wage for certain state employees to $10.10. The change, which angered state Republicans and drew praise from the governor’s fellow Democrats, affects almost 800 employees, including those making the current hourly minimum of $7.25...
Oregon Democrats to propose minimum wage increase this week Oregon Live ...emocrats will put forth a long-anticipated proposal this week to raise Oregon's minimum wage, House Speaker Tina Kotek said Monday. Kotek, D-Portland, told reporters she plans to introduce a bill that would incrementally raise the minimum wage over the next few years. She declined to provide specifics, including how high the new minimum wage would be under the proposal...
Prevailing wage calculation riles lawmakers Bluefield Daily Telegraph ...Prevailing wage once again raised lawmakers’ hackles, on Monday, as the method to calculate the wage developed by Workforce West Virginia was roundly criticized by Republicans on the Joint Committee on Government and Finance. Democrats on the committee said it was a matter of sour grapes since the method may not give Republicans the result they wanted - lower prevailing wages on public projects...
Barack Obama poised to hike wages for millions Politico ...The Obama administration is on the verge of possibly doubling the salary levels that would require employers to pay overtime in the most ambitious government intervention on wages in a decade. And it doesn’t need Congress’s permission. As early as this week, the Labor Department could propose a rule that would raise the current overtime threshold — $23,660 – to as much as $52,000...
Proposal for $15 minimum wage qualifies for Tacoma ballot Seattle Times ...An initiative to raise Tacoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour has qualified for the November ballot. The Pierce County auditor’s staff has verified that petitions submitted by the 15 Now group contained 3,231 valid signatures of registered Tacoma voters, The News Tribune newspaper reported...
States Confront Wide Budget Gaps Even After Years of Recovery New York Times ...Though the national economy is in its sixth year of recovery from the recession, many states are still facing major funding gaps that have locked legislatures in protracted battles with governors. In some states, lawmakers have gone into overtime with unresolved budgets...
Speakers cite burdens of new voter ID law Charlotte Observer ...The N.C. General Assembly in 2013 passed the law, requiring voters to present certain types of photo ID issued by the government or by a federally recognized tribe in order to vote. It takes effect in January 2016 and has been challenged in state and federal courts. One speaker, Mary Riordan, said her last name has changed three times since she’s been eligible to vote, and she didn’t always submit proof of the change to the Board of Elections in a timely manner...
Speakers cite burdens of new voter ID law Charlotte Observer ...The N.C. General Assembly in 2013 passed the law, requiring voters to present certain types of photo ID issued by the government or by a federally recognized tribe in order to vote. It takes effect in January 2016 and has been challenged in state and federal courts. One speaker, Mary Riordan, said her last name has changed three times since she’s been eligible to vote, and she didn’t always submit proof of the change to the Board of Elections in a timely manner...
U.S. Labor
Federal contract workers strike outside U.S. courthouse in downtown Dallas Dallas Morning News ...A group of federal contract workers who handle security inside the Earle Cabell courthouse in downtown Dallas are on strike, complaining of unfair labor practices that have led to inflexible work schedules. The strike by the Local 293 branch of the United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) union began with a picket line outside the federal courthouse on May 26...
Verizon’s Biggest Union Claims Carrier Isn’t Fixing Broken Landlines Wall Street Journal ...Verizon Communications Inc.’s largest union says the company is refusing to fix broken landlines. The Communications Workers of America, which represents about 35,000 Verizon employees, says Verizon isn’t repairing copper lines in some areas in the Northeast. Instead, the union says, the carrier is steering customers to buy a wireless home phone service called Voice Link...
Black-White Unemployment Gap Widens In U.S. Chicago Defender ...he Black unemployment rate last month was nearly twice the national average and more than double the unemployment rate for Whites, according to jobs figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The statistics show the unemployment rate for Blacks at 10.2 percent in May, up from 9.6 percent in April. The unemployment rate for Whites has been at 4.7 percent since February...
Miscellaneous
Obama administration stops work on immigrant program Washington Post ...A series of legal setbacks have halted the government’s intensive preparations to move forward with President Obama’s executive actions shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, even as community organizations continue a rapid push to get ready for the programs, according to U.S. officials and immigrant advocacy groups...
Community Condemns Pool Prejudice in McKinney, Texas Common Dreams ...More than a thousand outraged community members took to the streets of McKinney, Texas on Monday night, two days after a local police officer assaulted a number of black and brown teenagers attending a pool party. Unlike other recent acts of police violence in Baltimore and Ferguson, this occurred at a private pool, in a gated community within an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas—raising particular questions about wealth and race...
GM Has Not Paid for Its Crimes Truthout ...Last year, GM officials reluctantly estimated that faulty ignition switches could be linked to some 13 deaths from crashes involving several of their smaller car models. A year later, that number has reached 104, according to an announcement by the company compensation fund on May 18 - leaving family members of those killed and injured in crashes involving GM cars to ask just how many more deaths were the result of corporate negligence...
Student Debt Strikers Call Fed's Loan Forgiveness Plan a Bureaucratic Sham Common Dreams ...Despite a new announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it will begin a process of debt-forgiveness for students cheated into high-priced loans by predatory for-profit colleges, one of the groups most responsible for lobbying to have the debts erased is reacting bitterly, saying the plan is more complicated than it needs to be and that those already victimized by one government-backed scheme should not be put through the ringer for a second time...
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Anti-worker agenda advances in North Carolina
Extremists in North Carolina, ignoring the turmoil caused by
their anti-worker agenda, pushed forward yesterday with bills to empower corporations and savage the middle class. The House and Senate approved a budget
that raises taxes on middle-class families and slashes public education
funding, while the Senate approved a voter suppression bill that targets
minorities, low-income residents, senior citizens and the disabled.
Benedict
Arnold Koch brothers buddy who got himself appointed state budget director
after financing a number of radical politicians’ campaigns.
 |
| Protesters gather in Speaker Tillis' office. |
The Legislature is set to adjourn today with its anti-worker
agenda likely to pass. The voter suppression bill and the budget will head to
Gov. Pat McCrory’s desk, and he is expected to sign both.
They are fulfilling the anti-worker agenda pushed by greedy
billionaire Art Pope, an ALEC disciple and
The Legislature’s ALEC-inspired attacks on workers inspired
a popular uprising that takes the form of weekly Moral Monday protests at the
Statehouse. The demonstrations have resulted in 925 arrests for civil
disobedience over the last 12 weeks. Organizers of the Moral Monday rallies are already promising to make their voices
heard on Monday, during the next planned protest of the Legislature’s extreme
anti-worker agenda.
The budget bill cuts $260 million from North Carolina’s
public education budget, hampering teachers who are already among the nation’s
lowest paid. It also ends tenure and will lead to more crowded classrooms. The Raleigh News-Observer took the GOP to task for the cuts in an editorial, saying its own leaders don’t
even understand the implications:Take Phil Berger, Republican senator from Eden and that chamber’s president pro-tem. When pressed for the reasons he has crusaded for ending teacher tenure in North Carolina’s public schools, Berger just says he heard about a lot of incompetent teachers hanging on thanks to tenure.
… Teachers are the heart of the most noble thing this state and this nation do: provide an education to all. And yet Berger and other Republicans speak of public schools as if they were more a nuisance than a monument to enlightenment. They also seem to believe they can continue to make teachers a target of petty criticism, pay them poorly, offer them few benefits and still maintain a quality school system.
Six opponents of a voter suppression bill were arrested after entering
the office of House Speaker Thom Tillis last night. They refused to leave until
they spoke with him and he agreed to halt the legislation. They may have hope:
The U.S. Justice Department could challenge North Carolina’s voter law, as it announced
today it will take new restrictive state measures to court.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Whoa! WI GOP sen likes porn, strip clubs, swinger sites
Cowardly Rob Cowles, another of the "family values" Republican senators with a dirty secret (can you say "randy Randy Hopper"?) is up for recall. Like the other six Wisconsin Republicans being recalled, he voted for
The amendment is so brazen that Scott Walker said he might veto it (proof's in the pudding, though...).
We Are Wisconsin released a press statement reminding us all of a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story three years ago that reported
...Cowles had more than $50,000 invested in two companies — Rick’s Cabaret International and VCG Holding — that operate numerous upscale strip clubs throughout the United States. Under state law, Wisconsin officials have to disclose only whether their investments are above or below $50,000.
Along with owning 15 strip clubs, Rick’s Cabaret also runs an extensive number of erotic Web sites, holds an annual Gentleman’s Club Owners Expo and publishes several magazines, including TEEZE and Exotic Dancer.
The firm’s Web sites include names such as “coupletouch,” a site for swingers to meet one another; “naughtybids,” an online auction site for all things porn, such as one-on-one stripping shows and props used by porn stars in their films; and “xxxpassword,” which gives subscribers entry to unlimited porn sites for $39.95 a month.Kelly Steele, We Are Wisconsin spokesperson, can be excused for a little self-righteousness. She said
The voters in Rob Cowles’ district can decide whether or not they approve of a politician who talks about ‘family values’ while investing heavily in strip clubs, XXX movie peddlers, and online hardcore pornography – but Cowles’ attempt to hide that data from the public is truly disgraceful.Now if you live in Wisconsin, and especially if you live in Cowles' district (Green Bay and environs), remember this name: Nancy Nusbaum. She's the real Democrat challenging Cowles. A fake Democrat is running, too, Otto Junkerman, an 82-year-old Republican who's trying to cause trouble for the Democrats at taxpayers' expense. Do what you can to help out Nancy! We're pretty sure she doesn't have $100,000 invested in pornographic enterprises.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Today's Teamster News 05.24.11
Apologies for the light posting -- been under the weather. Blogging will resume today.
Right-to-work veto targeted Manchester Union-Leader ...There may be other bills pending, but right-to-work is the biggest piece of business on the agenda this week...
Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators Think Progress ...Today, the non-partisan state election officials announced the success of their efforts by ordering a recall election for state GOP Sens. Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, and Luther Olsen on July 12...
Another GOP candidate in Holperin recall means 3 Republican primaries Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...A second candidate has announced that he'll run against Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) if a recall election is declared in that northern Wisconsin Senate district...
Wisconsin elections board certifies Supreme Court recount win for Prosser Associated Press ...The Wisconsin board that certifies elections declared Monday that a recount had confirmed state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in the hard-fought April 5 election many saw as a referendum on polarizing union rights legislation...
Kasich doesn't expect rising state revenue to ease budget cuts The Columbus Dispatch ...Even if revenue improves, local governments and schools should not expect much relief from the cuts proposed in the two-year state budget, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday as he again stressed the need for governments to become more efficient...
Road builders turn up pressure on Scott Post on Politics ...Road builders are upping the pressure on Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Legislature’s decision to pull $150 million out of the state’s transportation trust fund and scatter it across the budget, filling holes...
Petitions for Snyder recall to circulate Detroit News ...A group seeking the recall of Gov. Rick Snyder is to begin collecting signatures today as the Michigan Republican Party begins a fundraising campaign to fight the effort....
Right-to-work veto targeted Manchester Union-Leader ...There may be other bills pending, but right-to-work is the biggest piece of business on the agenda this week...
Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators Think Progress ...Today, the non-partisan state election officials announced the success of their efforts by ordering a recall election for state GOP Sens. Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, and Luther Olsen on July 12...
Another GOP candidate in Holperin recall means 3 Republican primaries Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...A second candidate has announced that he'll run against Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) if a recall election is declared in that northern Wisconsin Senate district...
Wisconsin elections board certifies Supreme Court recount win for Prosser Associated Press ...The Wisconsin board that certifies elections declared Monday that a recount had confirmed state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in the hard-fought April 5 election many saw as a referendum on polarizing union rights legislation...
Kasich doesn't expect rising state revenue to ease budget cuts The Columbus Dispatch ...Even if revenue improves, local governments and schools should not expect much relief from the cuts proposed in the two-year state budget, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday as he again stressed the need for governments to become more efficient...
Road builders turn up pressure on Scott Post on Politics ...Road builders are upping the pressure on Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Legislature’s decision to pull $150 million out of the state’s transportation trust fund and scatter it across the budget, filling holes...
Petitions for Snyder recall to circulate Detroit News ...A group seeking the recall of Gov. Rick Snyder is to begin collecting signatures today as the Michigan Republican Party begins a fundraising campaign to fight the effort....
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