Detroit's creditors won't view their mess

Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, invited 25 of the city's creditors on a bus tour to actually see the disaster they created. He's hoping they'll forgive some of the debt.

The bankers canceled. You can guess why -- they didn't want to have their pictures taken.

Michigan Live reports,

Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's office announced Tuesday afternoon that a bus tour of Detroit planned for 25 bankers who are being asked to forgive the city's debt has been cancelled. 

“Unfortunately, the Office of the Emergency Manager will not be sponsoring a city tour for creditors Wednesday,” Orr spokesman Bill Nowling said in a prepared statement. “The city's creditors informed our office that they would like to spend more time conducting due diligence research into the city's financial state while they are in Detroit. It became apparent Tuesday that postponing the tour was necessary."
Orr has been trying to get city creditors, who are owed billions, to accept massive concessions in order to prevent bankruptcy and steer city funds away from debt service and instead toward public safety and redevelopment.

Chris Savage at eclectablog wasn't impressed:

Although Orr’s office says they are hoping to reschedule the tour, it’s obviously not going to happen. You can just about guarantee that, as soon as the folks back at the corporate office heard about the tour, they pulled the plug immediately. These creditors, mainly bankers who do not live in Detroit, have no interest in the visuals of wealthy mostly-white, mostly-men in front of the desperation that Orr wanted them to see. 

Yup.

Today's Teamster News 04.01.13

As OSHA emphasizes safety, long-term health risks fester  Herald Tribune   ...OSHA devotes most of its budget and attention to responding to here-and-now dangers rather than preventing the silent, slow killers that, in the end, take far more lives...
Pay for Boards at Banks Soars Amid Cutbacks  New York Times   ...Since the financial crisis, compensation for the directors of the nation’s biggest banks has continued to rise even as the banks themselves, facing difficult markets and regulatory pressures, are reining in bonuses and pay...
Bank of Cyprus depositors to face up to 60 percent losses  McClatchy   ...Depositors in Cyprus with savings of more than 100,000 euros ($128,000) could face losses of up to 60 percent, under tough conditions attached to an international bailout, Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said Saturday...
Foreclosed 'Zombie' Homes Exceed 300,000 Properties: Study  Reuters   ...A national survey found 301,874 "zombie" properties dotting the U.S. landscape in which homeowners in foreclosure have moved out, leaving vacant property susceptible to vandalism and degradation. Florida tops the list of zombie properties with 90,556 vacant homes in foreclosure...
North Dakota, socialist haven?  Salon   ...North Dakota ... fully supports its state-owned Bank of North Dakota (BND), a socialist relic that exists nowhere else in America. ... it works...
Minnesota Brown: Asia expands influence over Iron Range economy  MinnPost   ...Whether it's iron, grain or now airplanes, it's interesting to see how China, India and other emerging nations are shaping the future of northern Minnesota's economy...
Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts boldly lies on national television about his “success”  eclectablog   ...The first Emergency Financial Manager, Robert Bobb, actually left the school district in a bigger financial hole than when he arrived...
Odor Problems Elsewhere for Owners of Bridgeton Landfill  CBS News   ...Republic Services Inc., owners of the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill, ranked near the bottom of a 2009 Newsweek list of 500 major corportions for their track record on enviornmental issues — and 46th of 50 in their industry...
Teamsters shine in autism fund-raiser  Boston Globe   ...Teamsters Local 25 held its annual Light Up the Night Gala on Saturday to raise money for autism research. Angela Peri’s Boston Casting helped with the night by donating items from local films for auction...

Today's Teamster News 03.24.13

Bye, Bye American Dream! U.S. Economic Inequality Is Permanent, Study Finds  Alternet   ... But this study suggests that there are irreconcilable gaps in income, lifetime wealth, consumption and the resulting health between the haves and have-nots in America. It also suggests progressive taxation can buffer those inequalities a bit, but not make up for the gaps...
Budget Deal Opens ‘Age of Austerity’ for Federal Agencies  Bloomberg   ...Lawmakers approved the so-called continuing resolution March 21 averting a government shutdown while giving a handful of agencies more flexibility to meet the mandated reductions under sequestration...
Thousands Sign Petition Opposing Potential Koch Brothers L.A. Times Bid  Hollywood Weekly   ..."It would be a travesty to the fourth estate if the Koch brothers are allowed to purchase one of the most respected newspapers in the country in order to peddle their discredited ideas and right-wing propaganda"...
Protect personal accounts from confiscation for bank bailouts  White House Petition   ...during recent events in Cyprus, the European Union sought to confiscate personal accounts, including insured accounts, for a bank bailout...
Referendum reform awaits one signature  Toledo Blade   ...A bill that critics contend would weaken the people’s power to use the ballot box to directly confront actions of their government is headed for Gov. John Kasich’s desk...
Scores of critics denounce emergency financial manager for Detroit  Detroit Free Press   ...Plans were announced to have protesters possibly line Orr's travel route to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center his first day Monday. A rally is planned near the "Spirit of Detroit" for 11 a.m. that day, and busloads of protesters are expected to leave from Eastern Market on Monday to travel to Cleveland, where Orr's former law firm, Jones Day, has an office...
Pa. liquor bill likely to be pulled over in Senate  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...the Republican chairman of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, Sen. Charles McIlhinney, and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Jim Ferlo, have competing proposals that would keep the state stores open and preserve thousands of union-represented jobs...

Today's Teamster News 03.23.13

Fed's Raskin Bemoans Low-Wage Nature of Jobs Recovery  Reuters   ...Too much of the recent growth in employment has been concentrated in low-wage and temporary jobs, leaving the recovery on shaky ground, a top Federal Reserve official said Friday...
While Cyprus Sinks, France and Slovenia Start to Founder  naked capitalism   ...As the Cyprus restructuring drama has moved into high gear, it’s obscured news of a serious deterioration in the French economy and the weakened condition of Slovenia, which has a population and GDP roughly 1.5 times as large as that of Cyprus...
Friends of Wells Fargo Typo Victim Larry Delassus Suing For Wrongful Death  LA Weekly   ...A disabled Navy veteran who was in and out of the hospital, Delassus began receiving notices in March of 2009 stating that he was delinquent on Los Angeles County property taxes on his home … The bank was wrong -- Delassus was paid ahead by nearly six months...
Illinois gets $808 million train business Walker destroyed here  The Political Environment   ...When Scott Walker and his legislative supplicants killed high-speed train development and expansion for Wisconsin in 2011, they also broke a contract to build train equipment for several states at a developing Milwaukee factory in the economically-depressed 30th. St. corridor...
Pension overhaul hurts middle class (LTE)  Tampa Bay Times   ...about 800,000 Floridians benefit from the Florida Retirement System pension plan. Rational businessmen should be wary of a proposal that undercuts the spending power of 800,000 Floridians...
LePage: Gas project excludes workers  Portland Press Herald   ...Gov. Paul Le-Page on Thursday criticized a natural gas company that plans to invest $350 million to bring a natural gas pipeline through central Maine, saying a labor agreement the company adopted will favor unions and discriminate against most Maine construction workers...
The Prevailing Wage is now on Snyder's menu  Detroit News   ...With the ink barely dry on Michigan’s new right to work law, Mitten State media seem hungry for another knock-down, drag out fight between the state’s Republican Majority of Everything and Big Labor – this time over the state’s prevailing wage law...
Citizens Gather to Oppose ‘Anti-Worker’ Legislation  KSMU   ...A small group of Springfield citizens gathered in front of the Chamber of Commerce Thursday to discuss what they call anti-worker legislation...
House Passes Liquor Bill  PoliticsPA   ...Following seven hours of debate on Thursday, the Pennsylvania House approved HB 790 105-90.  This is the furthest that any legislation has made it through the Pennsylvania General Assembly since the end of Prohibition eighty years ago...
Reverend Jesse Jackson and two Michigan congressmen challenge emergency financial manager law  ABC News   ...Democrats John Conyers and Gary Peters sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office asking for an audit. The letter suggests emergency managers mismanaged other cities in Michigan and perhaps, federal funds...

Today's Teamster News 03.20.13

Citigroup agrees $730m legal settlement with investors  BBC News   ...The suit alleged Citi misled buyers of its bonds over its exposure to subprime mortgages and other high-risk securities between 2006 and 2008...
Cyprus Stands Up and Rejects Savings Account Seizure  Economic Populist   ...The Cyprus Parliament rejected a bail out plan that would have seized almost 10% of private savings deposits and used the money to bail out Cyprus banks...
Japan wants to join TPP; North American trade activists look ahead to possible Canadian round  rabble.ca   ...Earlier this week, an estimated 4,000 Japanese farmers staged a protest against the country's entry to the TPP, calling it "a drastic agreement that will change the way the nation deals with food"...
Forty Years Behind on Sick-Leave Policy, But Catching Up  American Prospect   ...The United States stands almost alone in not guaranteeing workers paid time-off when they are sick, but momentum is building around the country to change that...
What’s Behind the Emergency Management of Detroit? Michigan Governor Imposes Corporate Rule   Global Research   ...Orr, who was involved in the Chrysler bankruptcy re-structuring in 2009, immediately warned the city unions that they would be a target of his efforts...
Ohio House panel OKs elections bill  Columbus Dispatch   ...Despite pleas to slow down and reconsider portions of a bill that would limit how long signatures can be collected for ballot initiatives, the House will vote this week on the measure that already has Senate approval...
Miami's Voter Fraud Is Only the Beginning of Election Hacking  Atlantic Wire   ...hackers attempted and almost succeeded at rigging a Miami primary vote, uncovering underlying security issues with the online voting systems of the future...

Today's Teamster News 03.19.13

"Everyone But China" Agreement Prevents Regulation of Hot Money and Speculation  The Real News   ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership ... will weaken the sovereignty of many of the countries that sign on to that agreement...
Commentary: Little knives and cellphones on planes? This won't end well  McClatchy   ...At the same time the FCC is requesting that airlines ease up on restricting the use of cell phones, the TSA is fixing to relax rules so we can carry knives onto planes...
Rush to ATMs in Cyprus on EU bailout tax  CNN Money   ...A planned tax on Cyprus bank depositors as part of a European Union bailout is sending people rushing to ATMs to withdraw cash...
There are winners in Detroit’s financial crisis: the banks – and they are shielded from any risk by the new Emergency Manager law  eclectablog   ...not only have the big banks reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and avoided taxes by walking away from foreclosed properties, they are first in line to get paid when Detroit’s debt problem is resolved...
Bill to limit referendum process could pass this week  Plunderbund   ...(Ohio) Republicans, safely in the majority in both chambers of the legislature, are fast-tracking legislation that would dramatically weaken efforts to overturn the laws that they pass...
House set to debate privatizing Pennsylvania stores  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   ...A liquor privatization plan that would allow wine in groceries and make liquor licenses first available to beer distributors -- while closing state stores by county -- is headed to the House floor after a Republican-driven committee vote Monday...
Legislation moving ahead to revamp Florida worker retirement system  Naples Daily News   ...The proposal — House Bill 7011 — would close the traditional pension plan to future employees and require them to join an investment plan similar to a 401(k)...
Getting rich off of schoolchildren  Salon   ...Stop pretending wealthy CEOs pushing for charter schools are altruistic "reformers." They're raking in billions...
Teamsters, ABF labor talks continue  Kansas City Business Journal   ...Negotiations between the union and ABF Freight System Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters continue as the two parties creep closer to the March 31 expiration date of their current labor agreement...
Hoffa Lauds Nomination Of Thomas Perez As Labor Secretary  IBT   ..."Thomas Perez is the right choice for Labor Secretary because he has shown throughout his career that he is a strong advocate for working families," Hoffa said...
Hoffa denounces TSA decision to allow knives in aircraft cabin  IBT  ..."This proposal is pure lunacy and flies in the face of common sense."

Today's Teamster News 03.16.13

JP Morgan accused of hiding losses by Senate report  BBC News   ...The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations found that the bank misled investors and ignored risks...
Yin Wong, Disabled San Francisco Resident, Says She Was Foreclosed On But Never Missed A Payment  Huffington Post   ..."It's a very extreme situation if you're someone who doesn't speak English very well and suddenly, through no fault of your own, someone tells you that you no longer own your home..."
EU summit: Austerity push challenged amid mass protests  BBC News   ...Thousands of protesters rallied outside the summit venue, saying government spending cuts were hitting jobs...
Koch Brothers vs. Rupert Murdoch: The Fight for Tribune Newspapers Is On  Atlantic Wire   ...The Koch brothers are reportedly considering a bid for the Tribune Company newspapers — focusing on the crown jewels of the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune, or at least what jewels of power are left in the flailing newspaper industry  — but they may face stiff competition in the form of a debt-free, full pocketed media power player named Rupert Murdoch...
House Republicans Unanimously Vote Down Minimum Wage Hike  Talking Points Memo   ...House Republicans unanimously voted down a measure Friday that would have raised the federal minimum wage, from its current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 by 2015. Six Democrats joined 227 Republicans in voting it down; 184 Democrats voted yes...
Missouri Senate passes union paycheck deduction bill  Associated Press   ...The Senate voted 24-10 along party lines Thursday to send the measure to the House. Republicans supported the bill, while Democrats voted against it. The House on Wednesday passed a similar measure that would only require consent to spend dues on political contributions...
Detroit Is 'Olympics Of Restructuring,' New Emergency Manager Says  NPR   ...Kevyn Orr, "a high-powered Washington, D.C., lawyer and University of Michigan graduate who worked on Chrysler's 2009 bankruptcy restructuring," has been given the job of straightening out the city of Detroit's desperate financial mess...
Affidavit: State GOP got rid of redistricting files  Associated Press   ...An affidavit filed in federal court this week said documents were deleted from state redistricting computers last year even after lawmakers' aides were told to preserve all records. The filing raises the possibility that Republican officials or their lawyers could face sanctions from the panel of three federal judges overseeing the case...
Attorney general won't seek Supreme Court review of collective bargaining case ruling  Madison.com   ...Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will not seek a state Supreme Court review of a decision by the Court of Appeals not to stay a Dane County Circuit Court order declaring part of the collective bargaining law to be unconstitutional...
Kasich’s budget plan lowers aid to public schools, boosts privately run charter schools  Akron Beacon Journal   ...The majority of Ohio and area school districts would get less state funding, while charter schools would get more, in Gov. John Kasich’s proposed changes to the state funding formula, according to an independent analysis by the Legislative Service Commission...
Gov. Dayton Lashes Out At Chamber Of Commerce  CBS Minnesota   ...Gov. Mark Dayton told hundreds of state business leaders on Wednesday he’s not backing down from a plan to raise taxes on high income Minnesotans...The governor unloaded on his Chamber of Commerce hosts and accused the business group of not telling the truth about the state of the state...
Teamsters confront Thorn Creek Basin officials over labor dispute  NWI Times   ...Officials with the Teamsters union local that represents 13 employees of the Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District will meet Monday with Mayor David Gonzalez, who they perceive as a supporter of their ongoing labor dispute...
LABOR: Teamsters talking contract with ABF  The Press-Enterprise   ...Negotiators for the Teamsters are continuing their contract talks with trucking operator ABF Freight Systems, and these talks are getting close to what now constitutes a deadline...

Today's Teamster News 03.11.13

How H-1B Visas Are Screwing Tech Workers  Mother Jones   ..."The H-1B worker learns the job and then rotates back to the home country and takes the work with him,"...
Hill Poll: Voters see economy getting worse after sequester cuts  The Hill   ...A strong plurality of voters believe economic conditions in the United States are getting worse, not better, according to a new poll for The Hill — and believe the $85 billion package of cuts known as the sequester will only make things worse...
Lessons of the Sequester  Baseline Scenario   ... The sequester was supposed to be so painful to both sides that they would compromise, but it’s actually not so painful to politicians who only need to listen to their base...
Greek Prime Minister says no more austerity  Raw Story   ...Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Saturday promised his recession-weary nation that there would be “no more austerity measures” as international creditors prolonged an audit of crisis reforms...
Foreclosure crew clears wrong Texas building  Associated Press   ...Workers tasked with emptying a Central Texas home set for foreclosure instead dragged away a 16-foot boat, a backhoe, wedding dress and love letters from a neighbor's barn...
Wealthy investors keep buying metro Phoenix homes to rent  Arizona Republic   ...At the end of 2012, almost 25 percent of all the region’s homes were owned by investors, according to an Arizona Republic analysis...
GOP union bill expected to pass in Senate this week  MissouriNet   ...The bill requires government employees to give permission for public employee unions to withhold fees from their paychecks...
Local union protests possible Emergency Financial Manager for Detroit  WXYZ.com   ...Members of AFSCME Council 25 are spending their Sunday marching in protest against the possibility of an Emergency Financial Manager for Detroit...

Today's Teamster News 08.15.12

Worker Wage-And-Hour Suits Rise In Difficult Labor Market  Bloomberg   ...Lawsuits by U.S. workers contesting wages and hours, including demands for overtime pay, reached a 20-year high this year as unemployment remained above 8 percent...
Angus King: Put trade talks on hold, keep athletic footwear tariff that helps New Balance  Bangor Daily News   ...Independent former Gov. Angus King said Tuesday negotiations surrounding a trade agreement that could lead to the elimination of a tariff on athletic footwear should be put on hold until the economy improves and that the tariff shouldn’t be removed at all...
Paul Ryan didn't build that!  Salon   ...His family built its fortune on the public-works projects that Romney's "You didn't build that" campaign mocks...
Pontiac city council votes to reclaim power over emergency manager  Detroit Free Presss   ...A showdown is brewing in Pontiac over who controls city government after the city council voted Monday night to reclaim the power it lost when an emergency manager was appointed to run the financially-struggling community...
Pennsylvania Gained Manufacturing Jobs Over The Past Year  Manufacturers' News, Inc.   ...Following several years of losses, industrial employment in Pennsylvania increased by a half percent over the past twelve months...
Incumbents hit hard in Florida primary  Politico   ...Florida Rep. John Mica, the powerful House committee chairman, notched a decisive win over fellow GOP Rep. Sandy Adams on Tuesday evening in the latest primary clash pitting tea party and establishment forces.,,

Today's Teamster News 08.10.12

U.S. scores dead last again in healthcare study  Reuters   ...Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday...
Just 14% Think Today’s Children Will Be Better Off Than Their Parents  Business Insider   ...Confidence in the U.S. job market has fallen again, with the highest number of Americans in 10 months describing the employment situation as worse than it was a year ago...
Justice Dept. says it won’t prosecute Goldman Sachs or its employees in financial fraud probe  Associated Press   ...“The department and investigative agencies ultimately concluded that the burden of proof to bring a criminal case could not be met based on the law and facts as they exist at this time,” the department said...
Watchdog Offers Mortgage Rules  Wall Street Journal   ... Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal, loan servicers would be required to evaluate homeowners’ applications for loan-assistance within 30 days of receiving an application and would be barred from going ahead with a foreclosure until a final decision has been reached on a borrower’s application for help...
Michigan Board of State Canvassers puts Emergency Manager Law repeal on November ballot  eclectablog   ...Although PA 4 is now officially suspended until the election to determine if it’s repealed or upheld, there is now certain to be a court battle over what happens in the interim...
DOJ subpoenas Miami-Dade, 8 other counties in noncitizen voter purge  Miami Herald   ...The U.S. Department of Justice sent subpoenas to nine of Florida's county election supervisors, demanding extensive information as to how the counties may have sought to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls...

Today's Teamster News 06.10.12

Did Republicans deliberately crash the US economy?  The Guardian   ...Be it ideology or stratagem, the GOP has blocked pro-growth policy and backed job-killing austerity – all while blaming Obama...
Zippo makes its 500 millionth lighter in the USA  Manufacture This   ...Zippo manufactures 12 million lighters a year, but it's estimated that Chinese factories manufacture 12 million counterfeits annually.  These cheap knockoffs do not have Zippo's famous durability, and the company finds itself being asked to repair them...
North Las Vegas Crisis Shows Fragility Of Nevada Economy  Bloomberg   ... Nevada’s third-largest city, whose population more than doubled to 217,482 in 2010 from 1999, is on the verge of insolvency. Facing a $33 million budget gap, elected leaders last week declared a state of emergency and gave the city manager unprecedented powers to suspend union contracts...
Spain Seeks $125 Billion Bailout As Bank Crisis Worsens  Bloomberg   ... A statement by euro region finance ministers said the loan amount will “cover estimated capital requirements with an additional safety margin.” Just seven months after winning a landslide victory, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was forced to abandon his bid to recapitalize Spanish banks without recourse to external help as a deepening recession forced lenders to recognize spiraling losses...
Michigan Court of Appeals delays ruling on Emergency Manager repeal petition signatures, weighs forming a 7-judge panel to review  eclectablog   ...This all smacks of an intentional effort to thwart the repeal without having to actually rule against the petitions...
School Bus Drivers, Teamsters Rally At Napa Valley Vineyard  IBT   ...School bus drivers with Cook-Illinois Corporation and Teamsters Joint Council 7 held a rally today at Benessere Vineyards in Napa Valley to call on its owner, John Benish Sr., to stop squashing Illinois school bus workers' rights...

Today's Teamster News 03.02.12

Group submits petition to repeal Michigan's emergency manager law  Detroit Free Press   ...If a state elections panel verifies that 161,305 of the signatures are those of registered voters, the controversial statute enacted last year would be suspended until the vote...
GOP weighs cost of union battle  Minneapolis Star Tribune   ...Passage by voters would make Minnesota the 24th state in the nation to allow employees who opt out of unions to avoid paying dues or fees. But a full debate could lead to the kinds of protests and energized union voters that have made Wisconsin ground zero for labor activism...
Georgia bill to limit picketing sparks protest  Atlanta Journal Constitution   ...Senate Bill 469 would fine individuals $1,000 a day -- and organizations as much as $10,000 as day -- if they ignore court orders to stop their protests...
Making the United States More Like Greece  The Baseline Scenario   ... One of the big problems in Greece over the past decade or so is that the people running the country decided to conceal the true nature of their budget and their debt. This deception ended up costing the country dearly – completely undermining its credibility under pressure and making it much harder to turn the fiscal and economic situation around. House Republicans are now proposing something similar for the United States...
Silicon Valley Homeless Feel The Grip Of Recession's Long Reach  Huffington Post   ...The first time Michele arrived at the Maple Street homeless shelter three years ago, she was still driving her BMW 325xi, the final remnant of her Silicon Valley affluence...
Probation officers alarmed by policy reversal on oversight of offenders Miami Herald ...Christina Bullins, a Teamsters Union member who is also a probation supervisor in Miami, said fewer field visits make it less likely that an officer will discover a technical violation of probation that could prevent more serious crimes later...

Today's Teamster News 02.17.12

Deal reached on unemployment, payroll tax cut  CBS News   ...The bill would assure a continued tax cut for 160 million workers and jobless benefits for several million others...
Collection and Credit Firms Facing Broad New Oversight  New York Times   ...Debt collectors and credit reporting companies are bracing for intense scrutiny after the government’s consumer finance watchdog unveiled a broad plan to regulate financial firms that have largely evaded federal oversight...
New Bill to Weaken Protections, Incentives for Whistleblowers Sneaks Through Committee  truthout   ...Thanks to a lobbying effort from the US Chamber of Commerce, New York Rep. Michael Grimm's attempt to eviscerate hard-fought whistleblower reforms included in the Dodd-Frank Act is gaining steam. This news should be seriously troubling to anyone hoping to stop wrongdoing on Wall Street - the kind that led to the 2008 financial meltdown...
Kazakhstan massacre death toll may rise to 200  the moscow news   ...over 70 people were killed and 400 injured when police shot at striking oil workers in the central square of the Caspian port city of Zhanaozen on Dec. 16...
Detroit Finance Study Team Closed Sessions Barred by Judge  Bloomberg   ...A Michigan judge permanently barred a review team studying Detroit’s finances from holding closed- door sessions, handing a legal victory to city employees...
Teamsters: Florida Doesn't Want Prison Privatization  Local 2011   ..."Floridians do not want the rules changed so private companies can get secret contracts with no cost-benefit analysis and no public review," (said Ken Wood, Acting President of Teamsters Local 2011).

Today's Teamster News 01.16.12

JPM Chase Quietly Halts Suits Over Consumer Debts  American Banker   ...Chase's halt does, however, follow scattered defeats in state courts and a whistle-blower's allegation that it falsely overstated the balances of thousands of delinquent accounts it sold to a third party...
The Occupations in winter  naked capitalism   ...This is what makes Oakland’s Occupy great. We are upper middle class business owners, homeless vets, web developers, teachers, working poor, students, people of color, angry white males and everything in between...
Troubled RI city in receivership loses democracy  Associated Press   ...former state Supreme Court Justice Robert G. Flanders Jr., is often criticized for sweeping like a dictator into a city he doesn't know, where he doesn't live and where, with the state's blessing, he unilaterally decides matters that go far beyond the fiscal...
Wisconsin, Minnesota ponder expanding Amtrak service  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Wisconsin, Minnesota and Amtrak officials have started talks that could lead to expanding the current passenger train service between Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis-St. Paul...
Right to work fight may hit Mich.  Detroit News   ...Supporters and opponents of making Michigan a right-to-work state are closely watching Indiana's lawmakers debate the issue and gearing up for a possible battle in Lansing this year...
Senate Has New Plan To Privatize Numerous Florida Prisons  NorthEscambria.com   ...The head of the Teamsters Union local that represents corrections officers said Friday that the state is rushing into a wholesale privatization effort without thinking it through or hearing from everyone who has an interest in the issue...

Today's Teamster News 01.04.12

JPMorgan Chase Sued For $95 Million Over Allegedly Misrepresenting Mortgage Loans  Reuters   ...It is one of many lawsuits seeking to hold banks responsible for investor losses over mortgages that may have been toxic, defective or improperly underwritten...
Hungary’s New Constitution Sparks Protest by Opposition  Bloomberg   ...Hungarian opposition groups rallied against the country’s new constitution ... (which) the European Union and U.S. criticized for curbing democracy. It was the first time disparate groups, including two opposition parties, protested together...
New California Law Penalizes Employers for Willful Misclassification of Independent Contractors in 2012  Employment Screening Resources   ...Effective January 1, 2012, a new California law – Senate Bill 459 (SB 459) – imposes stiff penalties that range between $5,000 to $25,000 for the “willful misclassification” of independent contractors by employers “avoiding employee status for an individual by voluntarily and knowingly misclassifying that individual as an independent contractor...”
The Peltzman Effect: Why Economic Growth Has Slowed in the US Over Time  Angry Bear   ...The land of opportunity, we will find in the long run, is the one with a safety net...
When will media demand that Mitt Romney back up his claims about jobs?  Washington Post   ...only two lonely fact checking operations — one at the Post, the other at FactCheck.org — have scrutinized (Romney's claim that he created 100,000 jobs). They have found that the assertion is at best unsubstantiated and that there may have been more layoffs than jobs created by Bain; there’s no way to tell for sure...
Access to Indiana Statehouse will be restricted  WNDU   ...“It’s ridiculous, it’s unfair, there’s no sound reason for doing it,” said Robert Warnock III, President of Teamsters local 364...
Federal judge overturns both of last session’s new anti-union laws  The Spokesman-Review   ...A federal judge has invalidated both the new anti-union laws pushed through by Idaho GOP lawmakers last session, saying they violate federal law. The two measures, SB 1007 and 1006, both expansions of Idaho's Right-to-Work law, sought to ban “job targeting programs” and “project labor agreements”...
Citizens' referendum to repeal Emergency Manager law has enough signatures  Eclectablog   ...At a Detroit rally yesterday to protest the imposition of an Emergency Manager on the city, Brandon Jessup of Michigan Forward announced that Michigan Forward has gathered over 170,000 petition signatures for their effort to put the repeal of Public Act 4, the Emergency Manager law, on the November 2012 ballot. Only 161,305 are needed...

Today's Teamster News 12.05.11

GOP Supercommittee Member Admits Bush Tax Cuts Didn’t Create Jobs, Can’t Explain Why  ThinkProgress   ... To justify their objection to taxing the wealthy, Republicans have revived their false claim that taxing the rich amounts to taxing small business owners and job creators...
A Secret Scandal  Slate   ...The government and the big banks deceived the public about their $7 trillion secret loan program. They should be punished...
Prosecuting Wall Street  60 Minutes   ...It's been three years since the financial crisis crippled the American economy, and much to the consternation of the general public and the demonstrators on Wall Street, there has not been a single prosecution of a high-ranking Wall Street executive or major financial firm even though fraud and financial misrepresentations played a significant role in the meltdown...
Detroit in a hostile takeover bid?  Associated Press   ...The idea is extreme, even in a city accustomed to fighting for survival: Should the state of Michigan step in to run Detroit?...
Occupy Our Homes: Shining a Light on Our Great Failure  New Deal 2.0   ...The financial crisis effectively started with the housing crisis, and it will not end until we find a way to resolve the housing crisis...
'Right to work' debate shaping up in Indiana  Associated Press   ... Indiana lawmakers squaring off on a "right to work" proposal in the coming legislative session will be talking jobless numbers -- but it's not clear which measurement they'll use...

Today's Teamster News 10.01.11

'Occupy Wall Street' Protests Spread Across Country  ABC News   ...The Occupy Wall Street movement, growing to more than 1,500 people in its second week, called for a march in lower Manhattan today at 3 p.m. to “show that it is time that the 99% are heard..."
24 Arrested As Protesters Pack Financial District  WCVB   ...Take Back Boston lead hundreds of people marching from Boston Common to the Financial District...the protesters gathered at both entrances to the Bank of America building shouting "We got sold out." The crowd included dozens of families facing foreclosure ... Some 24 protesters were arrested taken from the building in plastic handcuffs as the crowd cheered them on...
Lawyers fought corruption, then lost their jobs  Orlando Sentinel   ...When last we checked on Attorney General Pam Bondi, she was being investigated for forcing out two of her top-producing investigators, and legislators had asked her to produce records to justify her actions...
Scores of Wis. school unions to try to recertify  Associated Press   ...More than 200 school unions in Wisconsin have met the deadline to seek recertification, but it's unclear how many let it pass and gave up the little bargaining powers they had left under a contentious new law...
Michigan Emergency Powers Challenge by Pension Boards Dismissed by Judge  Bloomberg News   ...A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a Michigan statute giving emergency powers to state-appointed financial managers, saying the law wasn’t ready for a legal challenge...
Fake Police Officer Endorses Issue 2  Plunderbund   ...If you watch WeAreOhio‘s ads or check out their YouTube channel or talk to any of their supporters you’ll see real fire fighters and real police officers and real teachers talking about the negative impacts of SB5/Issue 2. Better Ohio? Not so much...

Today's Teamster News 09.23.11

Private Prison Plan Headed to Court  Capitol News Service   ...A plan to let a private company operate a dozen state prisons in South west Florida will get a crucial hearing next week. the plan has been controversial because of the size of the privatization and because of the way it was done...
Largest state unions won't seek recertification by Thursday deadline  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The legislation also requires that unions go through yearly recertification votes to keep their official status...To win..., unions must get 51% of the vote of all the members of their bargaining unit...
SB 5 debate prompts both sides to talk of fairness  Columbus Dispatch   ... State Rep. Connie Pillich said there would be no real collective bargaining if Issue 2 is passed, creating a “patently unfair” system for workers...
Malloy targets hedge funds as key players in state's economy  newstimes.com   ...Malloy ... told more than 200 (hedge fund professionals) ... that he wants Connecticut to be seen as a state that welcomes hedge fund operators...
US Constitution Week is Vetoed by Republican-Appointed Benton Harbor, Michigan, Czar  Buzzflash   ...the state-appointed manager of Benton Harbor declared the city council resolution honoring the US Constitution as null and void...
Imported melons cause illness  Trade Reform   ...Central American produce can be grown, for example, using chemicals that are banned in the U.S. Del Monte now is upset that their racket can’t continue unabated...

Today's Teamster News 09.18.11

Protesters invade NYC Financial District   msnbc.com   ...More than 1,000 demonstrators descended on New York City's Financial District on Saturday for what could be a days-long protest of what they said was corporate greed favoring the rich at the expense of ordinary people...
When’s John Kasich’s job creators going to live up to that name  Plunderbund   ...Ohio’s unemployment ranks are growing, the ranks of the employed is shrinking, and the number of people either working or looking for work in Ohio has nosedived since, well, right around the time John Kasich’s “Jobs Budget” was being passed...
Fighting Bob Fest attendees say it's up to the people to recall Scott Walker  The Capital TImes   ...To pull off a recall of Walker -- a task that involves collecting roughly half a million signatures within 60 days -- many on Saturday said they're putting their faith in the power of the people until a state Democratic Party with a bit more drive and determination steps in to beat back Republican gains made during the November 2010 elections in Wisconsin...
Flint City Council supports referendum on emergency financial manager law  mlive.com   ...The council on Monday passed a resolution in favor of putting the newly amended law on the ballot for possible repeal, even as the city undergoes the financial review process spelled out in the law...
GM-UAW agree on new contract  Associated Press   ...the union said the contract will ensure that laid-off workers will be hired back. The union said the contract also will improve health care benefits and profit-sharing plans...
Slave empire uncovered in major police raid  The Guardian   ...Twenty-four modern day slaves were released from bondage on Sunday after a pre-dawn police raid found them emaciated, hungry and living in "filthy and cramped" conditions on a caravan site...

Today's Teamster News 09.13.11

Ticketed for honking at Wisconsin gov every day  Chicago Sun Times   ...A Wisconsin state employee says his daily horn honking outside Gov. Scott Walker’s house in Wauwatosa is a matter of free speech...
Urgent : AB196 on Tuesday Calendar to remove Corporate reporting requirements, limit GAB oversight of Corporate spending in elections  Badger Democracy   ...The Bill has received no public hearings, and will completely limit the GAB authority to require Campaign Finance Contributions...
Statehouse Reporter Looks At SB5 Issue  WOUB Public Media   ...An OU professor and statehouse news columnist says Gov. John Kasich has an uphill battle when it comes to stopping the repeal of Senate Bill 5...
Fla. governor may reject money from jobs plan  South Florida Times   ...Gov. Rick Scott and top Florida Republicans are sending early signals they could reject the billions in federal aid that could flow to the state under President Barack Obama's jobs proposal...
Pontiac gets a new Emergency Mgr, privatization "expert" & former Mackinac Center staffer Louis Schimmel   eclectablog   ...The former emergency financial manager of Hamtramck and Ecorse is known as an expert at privatizing public services and comes highly recommended by the far-right conservative Mackinac Center think tank...
Hoffa Calls on U.S. Dept. of Commerce to Rescind Job-Killing Grant  IBT   ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa called on Dr. Rebecca Blank, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce to rescind a $2 million grant to Visalia, Calif., that is being used to destroy good jobs in the State of California rather than create them...