NYC carriage horses are angst-free, report finds

Opponents of the iconic New York City horse-drawn carriage industry have repeatedly told anyone who would listen that the practice is inhumane to the animals used in such work. A new report, however, proves otherwise.

A study conducted by a California-based professor specializing in equine medicine found the horses to be stress-free, even after a full day of working in Central Park. Joe Bertone, who teaches at Western University of Health Sciences, said he and his team looked at the level of cortisol in 13 carriage horses over a three-day period in August. Cortisol is a hormone produced when animals and humans are stressed.

Horses were examined four times a day, including both before and after they went out on the job. Their body temperature was checked and saliva samples were taken. And he told the New York Daily News they showed no signs of distress:

I couldn't find more content animals. They were very relaxed.

But what about all the stories about mistreated horses? Those must be true, right? No. The only ones being mistreated are 300 Teamster workers who operate these carriages and bring happiness to thousands of riders each year.

It's time to end this failed campaign, Mayor Bill de Blasio!

Today's Teamster News 03.02.14

Teamster News
Liam Neeson  The Daily Show   ..."Non-Stop" star Liam Neeson questions the American appreciation for tea, and defends New York City's horse and carriage industry...
Trade
Popular sentiment is hardening against free trade  Financial Times   ...Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement 20 years ago, voters have come to understand them better and like them less...
Trade deals a closely held secret, shared by more than 500 advisers  Washington Post   ...The details of the Obama administration’s proposals for a massive 12-nation trade zone in the Asia-Pacific region are off limits to most Americans, held close by negotiators who worry that too much openness would make it impossible to reach a deal...
State Battles
Ash Spill Shows How Watchdog Was Defanged  New York Times   ...The spill, which coated the river bottom 70 miles downstream and threatened drinking water and aquatic life, drew attention to a deal that the (North Carolina) environmental department’s new leadership reached with Duke last year over pollution from coal ash ponds. It included a minimal fine but no order that Duke remove the ash — the waste from burning coal to generate electricity — from its leaky, unlined ponds...
Trampling on our First Amendment Rights  Michigan AFL-CIO   ...The State House is contemplating the passage of HB 4643, a bill sponsored by Representative Tom McMillin (R). HB 4643 will result in civil fines of up to $10,000 per day for picketing that is deemed illegal; creating a huge chilling effect on your First Amendment rights...
No Attacks on Mississippi Workers  Mississippi AFL-CIO   ...(three) bills would limit the free speech rights of Mississippians and would restrict local governments from being able to hire local, skilled workers for construction projects and let shady contractors take these projects and bring in out-of-state workers to do the job...
Stand up for Missouri's Middle Class: Rally at Missouri State Capitol 3/26/14  Facebook   ...All union members are invited to join The Missouri State Building & Construction Trades for lobby day & rally at Noon...
Casey urges Pa. legislature to sidestep union bill  Associated Press   ...Stepping into a heated political battle, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is urging Republican leaders of Pennsylvania's legislature not to move forward on a bill that would make it harder for labor unions to collect dues and political action contributions through payroll deductions...
Assembly pares back 'living wage' ordinance  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   ...Working into the night as they near the end of the legislative session, Assembly Republicans on Thursday passed bills to sell vacant Milwaukee Public Schools buildings, to pare back a "living wage" ordinance for contractors in Milwaukee County and to redraw the shoreline of Lake Michigan in an attempt to boost a development in Milwaukee...
Walker Violated Public Records Law: So say former AG and Milwaukee supervisor  The Progressive   ...A former Wisconsin attorney general and a Milwaukee county supervisor who was subpoenaed by the John Doe prosecutor are both wondering why Scott Walker wasn’t charged with violating the state’s public records law while he was Milwaukee county executive...
Scott Walker campaign is paying for attorney working to fight John Doe investigation  blue cheddar   ...The attorney for Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign is named in a court order as a lawyer in a case challenging the ongoing secret investigation into possible illegal campaigning...
Wisconsin income gap widening faster than nation as a whole  The Cap Times   ...The top 1 percent in Wisconsin — households with incomes over $283,000 — captured 15.7 percent of all the income generated in the state in 2011. That compares to a 7 percent slice for the top 1 percent four decades ago...
The War on Workers

The Political Underbelly of the Pensions Crisis: What Broke the System, and How Do We Fix It?  Next New Deal   ...Beyond the economic crisis, which put enormous pressure on state and municipal budgets, a range of factors including poor decision-making and the influence of big money interests has led to the underfunding of some state and city public pensions...

Big-Money Donors Demand Larger Say in Party Strategy  New York Times   ...some of the biggest contributors to Republican outside groups in 2012 are now gravitating toward the more donor-centric political and philanthropic network overseen by Charles and David Koch, who have wooed them in part by promising more accountability over how money is spent...

Today's Teamster News 02.28.14

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

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

Today's Teamster News 02.23.14

Teamster News
Horse and Carriage Controversy Threatens Small Carriage Owners  Small Business Trends   ...for the moment, city council seems to have stopped the mayor in his tracks and the issue has yet to even make it to the council’s agenda...
Mayor de Blasio Says He'll Visit NYC Stables Before Banning Horse Carriages  New York Daily News   ...Facing criticism for not visiting stables before banning the horse and carriage industry, Mayor de Blasio Thursday promised to go and see the animals in their home environment - but insisted it wouldn’t change his mind...
Georgia: Government Not by the People or for the People  AFL-CIO   ...The Georgia House Committee on Industry and Labor voted on a straight party line to move forward a bill that would make contract employees of private companies that work with schools ineligible for unemployment benefits...
State Battles
Scott Walker urged county staff, campaign aides to promote him online  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   ... In the heat of the 2010 governor's race, Scott Walker urged both county employees and campaign aides to go to news websites and post comments promoting him and his record, newly unsealed documents show. It was just such anonymous posts by a county worker on campaign issues that prompted prosecutors to expand a secret "John Doe" investigation — launched to probe into missing money in a veterans fund — to also examine whether taxpayer dollars were being used illegally to finance political operations...
Wis. Assembly ends government minimum wage  WMTV   ...Assembly Republicans have approved a bill ending minimum wage mandates for local government workers and contractors in Madison and Milwaukee...
Delaware considers banning the box  Newsworks   ...Delaware is considering a statewide "ban the box" bill that would remove the criminal history check-off box from state, county and city jobs, among other public agencies...
Ga. Senate OKs bill to privatize some state child welfare services; bill now heads to House  Associated Press   ...Democrats opposed the bill, arguing the reforms wouldn't address the underlying issues in those deaths, or improve the system...
Idaho gov orders police to investigate CCA prison  Associated Press   ...Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has ordered the state police to conduct a criminal investigation of understaffing and falsified documents at a private prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA)...
Legislative Update 2.21.14  Indiana AFL-CIO   ...House Bill 1126 was amended significantly on Wednesday. As amended the legislation no longer allows employers to charge employees for “use” of equipment. The bill now only allows employers the ability to garnish up to $2,500 per year from an employee’s paycheck for the “purchase” of equipment or uniforms. Measures were also adopted to limit the amount of wages that could be deducted per pay check; cap the interest rate employers can charge employees who purchase uniforms or equipment through the company; ban employers from requiring prospective employees to pay for training as a condition of employment and; restores some protections against wage theft...
Speak Up For Free Speech  Michigan AFL-CIO   ...The Michigan House of Representatives are taking up House Bill 4643 that creates civil fines of up to $10,000 per day for picketing...Labor Labor unions push back against Right to Work efforts in Missouri, Pennsylvania  Beverly Hills Courier   ...The efforts are from Republicans and, as they have in the past, they are ramping up the rhetoric while promoting new rounds of Right to Work bills, commonly referred to as “Paycheck Protection” legislation in those respective states...
Fighting wage theft is pro-business  Washington State Legislative Update   ...the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has passed four bills designed to discourage wage theft, level the playing field for honest employers, and recover state revenue lost due to the deliberate misclassification of workers as independent contractors...
Trade
Fast-track foes say they’re winning  Politico Pro   ...The anti-fast-track coalition includes many labor, environmental and consumer groups that are veterans of trade battles over the last 20 years...
Administration Desperate to Announce Deal at TPP Ministerial, But What Is a Real Deal?  Public Citizen   ...“There is a sense that whether or not any real deal is finalized, there may be an announcement of one, if only to portray the talks as not unraveling despite growing opposition to the TPP in some of the countries involved,”...
Zombies’ protest against TPPA  The Malaysian Insider   ...A group of “zombies” attracted the attention of passers-by outside a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur where they gathered today to protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) that Putrajaya is keen to sign...
The War on Workers
Change the Rules on Secret Money (opinion)  New York Times   ...Secret money has become the scourge of the political system and needs to be eliminated regardless of the inconvenience to nonprofit groups, whatever their ideology. Republicans have blocked Congress from dealing with the problem, so now it is up to the I.R.S. to do its job...
The Increasingly Unequal States of America  Economic Policy Institute   ...In four states (Nevada, Wyoming, Michigan, and Alaska), only the top 1 percent experienced rising incomes between 1979 and 2007, and the average income of the bottom 99 percent fell...
When Millennials Can't Move Out of Their Parents' Basements the Entire Economy Suffers  New Republic   ...The recent explosion in student debt—now held by one in five U.S. households—coincided with the Great Recession’s awful job market. Millennials have come of age amid stagnant wages, high unemployment, a lack of quality jobs (44 percent of recent graduates work in positions that don’t require a college degree), and, for those fortunate enough to attend college, an average of nearly $30,000 in debt...
Banks Fight Revised U.S. Plan to Monitor Checking Overdraft Fees  Bloomberg   ...U.S. banks are seeking to shield from scrutiny the $30 billion they collect annually in checking-account fees, saying a proposed requirement for periodic reports is unacceptable even if it exempts small institutions...

Today's Teamster News 02.21.14

Teamster News
Massachusetts Highway Workers Unanimously Ratify Contract  teamster.org   ...Workers with the Newbury Highway Department in Newbury, Mass., have voted unanimously to ratify a strong contract, securing wage increases and job protections. The highway workers, who are members of Teamsters Local 170 in Worcester, Mass., joined the union in December and quickly negotiated a solid agreement...
Baltimore City School Bus Workers Win $1.25 Million Wage Settlement  teamster.org   ...Baltimore school bus drivers and attendants have reached a $1.25 million wage settlement with their employer, Durham School Services, the transportation contractor for Baltimore City Public Schools...
Pleasanton-based Safeway in discussions to sell company  San Jose Mercury News   ...In a move poised to rattle the supermarket industry, one of the East Bay's largest employers, Safeway, announced Wednesday that it is in talks to sell the company...
Film tax credit bill goes live  Sacramento Business Journal   ...Democratic Assemblymembers Raul Bocanegra and Mike Gatto released a film tax credit bill Wednesday that supporters say will protect jobs by keeping film crews in California....
Why privatizing toll collection is a horrible idea  teamsternation   ...If the New Jersey Turnpike Commission privatizes toll collection, workers who have already taken enormous cuts to pay and benefits will suffer...
Eight lies ‘advocates’ told about carriage horses  New York Post   ...the carriage industry is well-regulated and safe. NYCLASS attacks us not with facts and well-reasoned arguments, but with emotional manipulation and outright lies...
Judge strikes down Nebraska law that allowed Keystone XL pipeline  Dallas Morning News   ...A Nebraska judge on Wednesday struck down a law that allowed the Keystone XL pipeline to proceed through the state, a victory for opponents who have tried to block the project that would carry oil from Canada to Texas refineries...
The War on Workers
GOP’s Social Security disaster: Conservatives just lost their chance to cut benefits  Salon   ...The president dropping Chained CPI from his budget is a reprieve for the left -- and a message to the right...
Federal Government Soon to Know Everywhere You've Driven  American Prospect   ...There are more license-plate cameras installed all the time. Now the government wants to put all the data together in one database...
Flu Deaths Rise Among Young and Middle-Aged U.S. Adults  Bloomberg   ...While influenza traditionally affects children and the elderly hardest, adults under age 65 accounted for 61 percent of hospitalizations so far this season, an increase from 35 percent last year, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report...
New Report Exposes America's Highest Paid Government Workers  truthout   ...America’s highest paid "government" workers are not your local teachers, nurses, or sanitation workers. Rather, they are corporate executives who sign lucrative contracts to take over public services and then pay themselves and other executives eye-popping salaries...
Victoria's anti-protest laws pass lower house by one vote  The Guardian   ...Controversial new laws giving police unprecedented powers to disperse protests have passed Victoria’s lower house...
New Report: Port Trucking Companies Steal More Than $1 Billion in Wages From Drivers  In These Times   ...The port brings in close to $16 billion per year, but the drivers only see a tiny bit of that money. This is in large part because they're “misclassified” as independent contractors...
State Battles
Concerned Missourians Deliver More than 6,850 Letters Calling on Speaker To Drop ALEC's 'Right-To-Work' Legislation Attacks  Progress Missouri   ...“We need to be building an economy that works for everyone, not political attacks and favors to special interest donors...”
Employers could pay less in lawsuits over unpaid wages  Indianapolis Star   ...Long-sought changes limiting employers’ liability when being sued by workers for unpaid wages may come to pass under a House bill backed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The bill also would set up a framework to allow employers to take money out of wages of employees — if they agree — to repay loans for work-related equipment and job training...
The Top Five Things You Need to Know about the John Doe Emails  Center for Media and Democracy   ... in 2010 while Walker was running for governor, he corresponded consistently with key campaign and county staff from a private account in the middle of the work day and apparently on the secret Wi-Fi system set up by top aide Tim Russell...
Scott Walker Ordered Doctor Fired Because She Was Once A Thong Model  Huffington Post   ... In April 2010, Scott Walker and his staff realized they had a potential problem on their hands that would require them to quietly fire a woman who appeared to be completely competent at her job. The issue was that she had what they perceived to be a "checkered" past: She used to be a thong model...
Chris Christie's Mansion Fund Collected Millions From Political Favor Seekers  Huffington Post   ...A review of IRS records and Drumthwacket donor lists, however, suggest that prospective donors saw the mansion as something more than just an altruistic investment. Contributions to Drumthwacket often coincided with the donors' attempts to win tax breaks, political appointments or other support from Christie and his appointees. In many cases, the donors, like the Strangfelds, got what they wanted...
SC guv says she wears heels to kick unions  teamsternation   ...South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley would rather let the people of her state go without jobs than let them get union jobs...
Trade
“Free Trade” Pacts Were Always About Weakening Nation-States to Promote Rule by Multinationals  naked capitalism   ...the idea behind getting rid of these barriers wasn’t about free trade, it was about reorganizing the world so that corporations could manage resources for “the benefit of mankind”...
Miscellaneous
Madoff said JPMorgan executives knew of his fraud: lawsuit  Reuters   ..."JPMorgan was uniquely positioned for 20 years to see Madoff's crimes and put a stop to them," the lawsuit said. "But faced with the prospect of shutting down Madoff's account and losing lucrative profits," it added, "JPMorgan - at its highest level - chose to turn a blind eye."...

Today's Teamster News 02.20.14

Teamster News
City of Santa Rosa's biggest labor group affiliates with Teamsters  The Press Democrat   ...The 410 members of the Santa Rosa City Employees Association last week voted overwhelmingly to join the Teamsters Local 856, which represents about 8,000 workers in the Northern California...
Mayor Wants To Drive Horse-Drawn Carriages Out Of NYC  WEKU   ...Stewart's studios are just around the corner from the largest of New York's four carriage horse stables, called Clinton Park. It looks like Cinderella's parking garage, with rows of fancy carriages lined up against whitewashed walls. The stalls appear clean and roomy, 8 by 10 feet — with freshly laid hay and clean water available...
Why truck drivers are getting dinged on pay  CNN Money   ...Many port trucker drivers across the country are making fast-food wages. These truck drivers haul goods from ports to warehouses, distribution centers and rail yards so that products can get to stores. They make an average of $28,700 per year, working an average of 59 hours per week, according to a report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), a labor rights advocacy group...
State Battles
VW workers may block southern U.S. deals if no unions: labor chief  Reuters   ...Volkswagen's top labor representative threatened on Wednesday to try to block further investments by the German carmaker in the southern United States if its workers there are not unionized...
‘I’m sorry’ bill gets Assembly approval  Wisconsin Law Journal   ...The state Assembly approved on a voice vote Tuesday on a bill that would let doctors and other medical providers apologize or express fault for botched medical procedures without having to worry their words would be used against them in court...
Walker asked for daily call between campaign and official aides, e-mails show  Washington Post   ...Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) instructed a top aide to organize a daily conference call that involved both official and campaign staffers when he was executive of Milwaukee County in 2010, according to documents released publicly for the first time Wednesday that could complicate Walker's future as he eyes another term and a possible run for president...
This Could Be the Start of Scott Walker’s Bridgegate  Salon   ... Walker's aides regularly exchanged emails about the campaign during business hours, but for the first time, one of those emails directly implicates Walker in breaking campaign law...
Trade
Poll: Voters Blame Trade Agreements For Job Losses  Campaign for America's Future   ...voters overwhelmingly see unfair trade agreements and outsourcing as a main cause of our job problem...
Politics to Shadow Obama’s Trade Talks in Mexico  New York Times   ...President Obama traveled to Mexico on Wednesday for a brief but politically fraught visit aimed at forging closer trade ties with America’s two closest neighbors even as his party’s leaders back home have vowed to undercut his efforts...
The War on Workers
Wal-Mart Says ‘Looking’ at Support of Federal Minimum Wage Rise  Bloomberg   ...Wal-Mart is weighing the impact of additional payroll costs against possibly attracting more consumer dollars at its stores, David Tovar, a company spokesman, said today in a telephone interview. Increasing the minimum wage means that some of the 140 million people who shop at the chain weekly would “now have additional income,” Tovar said...
Walmart denies reports saying it is considering minimum wage increase  The Guardian   ...Walmart, America’s largest private employer, denied reports Wednesday that it is looking at supporting an increase in the federal minimum wage...
Government drops plan to collect license tag data  Associated Press   ...The Homeland Security Department abruptly reversed course Wednesday and dropped plans to ask a private company to give the government access to a nationwide database of license plate tracking information...
How Dark Money Flows Through the Koch Network  Pro Publica   ...Fundraising by the libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch supports a tangle of nonprofits, sometimes referred to as the Kochtopus, all aimed at advancing conservative causes. Two groups, the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and TC4 Trust, handed out almost $264 million from mid-2011 to October 2012 to 30 other nonprofits...
A hopeful first day for players?  ESPN   ... an attorney for Northwestern ... conceded that the labor board could conclude that college athletes may be employees, something that Northwestern had steadfastly refused even to consider as a possibility since Colter and the College Athletes Players Association filed their petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 28...
NSA, DHS drop parody complaint  The Hill   ...It isn't illegal to print the National Security Agency's (NSA) official seal above the words “Spying On You Since 1952” on a novelty mug, the agency acknowledged on Tuesday...
Miscellaneous
Another Apparent Suicide Brings Financial World Death Toll to 6 in 2014  truthdig   ...A 33-year-old JPMorgan employee jumped to his death from the roof of the firm’s Hong Kong headquarters Tuesday, adding to a series of untimely deaths in the banking and big business arena in recent weeks...half from JPMorgan...

NYC mayor worries about horses, not humans, in traffic

We've been wondering why it's okay for New York's new 'progressive' mayor to destroy the jobs of 300 or so horse-carriage drivers who earn about $60,000 a year. After all, he claimed he was going to fight inequality as mayor. Eliminating working class jobs doesn't exactly accomplish that.

Now the New York Post is pointing out another hypocritical aspect of Bill de Blasio's crusade to replace New York's storied horse carriages with replica antique cars. He says the traffic is too dangerous for horses.

What the Post editors want to know is, What about the humans?

De Blasio recently appeared on The Daily Show, where he claimed the city's traffic is too dangerous for horses.

Wrote the Post editors:

“Since 2011, there have been seven reported incidents involving horses: two collapsing and one dying, two getting spooked, and two involved in accidents” with vehicles.” The last horse killed by a car was Spotty in 2006. 

In sharp contrast, police say for last year alone there were 4,091 accidents involving vehicles hitting bicyclists — 12 of which were fatal; vehicles hit pedicabs 37 times. 

If it’s not safe for a 1,500-pound horse to be exposed to traffic, surely it’s far more dangerous for the city to allow children to ride their bikes or grown men to haul pedicabs. So where’s the de Blasio promise to ban bikes and pedicabs because of the­ ­cruelty to humans?

Can't say we disagree...

Today's Teamster News 02.09.14

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

Today's Teamster News 01.29.14

Labor unions pack Pa. Capitol over paycheck bill  Associated Press   ...Labor unions packed the Pennsylvania Capitol for a raucous rally Tuesday as they widened their fight over legislation that aims to prevent the state, school districts and local governments from deducting union dues and political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers…"If you watched what happened in Wisconsin and Michigan, it was far too late when it got to the House," William Hamilton, president of the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, told the packed rally. "We're on time."...
Pennsylvania Think Tank Plans to 'Slay' Unions, Like in Wisconsin  The Nation   ...The Commonwealth Foundation is one of a fifty-nine-state network of similar think tanks that have vastly expanded since 2009. The letter makes clear that conservatives believe that right-wing political infrastructure—the organizing institutes, the partisan media outlets, the rapid response efforts—has helped turn the tide against labor unions...
YRC Says Pact With Teamsters Satisfies Refinancing Conditions  Wall Street Journal   ...YRC Worldwide Inc. YRCW +13.45%  on Tuesday said its new contract with the Teamsters satisfied conditions that enable the company to complete a refinancing agreement critical to stabilizing the company...
Sabreliner under new management  St. Louis Post-Dispatch .  ..Sabreliner Corp. is under new management, and its employees are left with a lot of questions. Seventy of the workers are represented by Teamsters Local 600...
Happy horses have jobs: Column  USA Today   ...the mayor is not only putting 300 or so New Yorkers out of work. He is also pushing a policy to which even the horses themselves might object...
NYC carriage drivers say electric cars not like horses  USA Today   ...Conor McHugh, 49, a father of three who lives in Congers, N.Y., stressed: "We're not in a position to experiment with how to make a living."...
The Techtopus: How Silicon Valley’s most celebrated CEOs conspired to drive down 100,000 tech engineers’ wages  Pando News   ...In early 2005, as demand for Silicon Valley engineers began booming, Apple’s Steve Jobs sealed a secret and illegal pact with Google’s Eric Schmidt to artificially push their workers wages lower by agreeing not to recruit each other’s employees, sharing wage scale information, and punishing violators...
Let Banks Fail Is Iceland Mantra as 2% Joblessness in Sight  Bloomberg   ...Iceland let its banks fail in 2008 because they proved too big to save. Now, the island is finding crisis-management decisions made half a decade ago have put it on a trajectory that’s turned 2 percent unemployment into a realistic goal...
One-Third of Americans Who Were Middle Class in 2008 Now Consider Themselves Lower or Lower Middle Class  Mother Jones   ...A third of the people who identified as middle class in 2008 now identify as lower middle or lower class. And that happened in a mere six years...
The cities where the American Dream goes to die  Salon ...The tale of two Americas: Upward mobility varies drastically if you grow up in Charlotte versus San Francisco...
“We’re gonna lose everything”: One family’s urgent unemployment insurance story  Salon   ...Kerstin, one of 1.6 million now without jobless benefits, opens up about skipping meals and canceling Christmas...
Almost Half The Country Wants To Boot Their Own Member Of Congress  Huffington Post ... Nearly half of Americans believe their own member of Congress unworthy of reelection, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll...
West Virginia’s Chemical Spill Was Larger Than Previously Reported, Company Reveals  ThinkProgress The West Virginia DEP says they still aren't certain how much chemical spilled into the Elk River...
Don’t be surprised if your TV soon seems to know everything about your politics  Washington Post   ...You're probably aware that much of your online behavior is tracked, logged and probably sold to third parties so that marketers can better target you with ads because Internet browsing generates a wealth of useful data that's easily studied. Television is a bit of a different story...
Grad Students Reunionize  In These Times   ...Graduate student employees at New York University have pulled off a first in the world of labor rights—for the second time, by voting to unionize, making NYU the only private university to recognize a graduate-employee union...
College football players want to join union  CNNMoney   ...Football players at Northwestern University are seeking to join a labor union, according to the National College Players Association, which wants to be the first union to represent college athletes...
Ill. labor unions sue over plan to cut pensions  Associated Press   ...Illinois labor unions have filed a lawsuit seeking a new plan to reduce the state’s $100 billion pension shortfall declared unconstitutional...

Today's Teamster News 01.21.14

Teamsters to review new agreement with YRC  RecordOnline   ...A committee of Teamsters local officials will meet Tuesday to decide whether workers will vote on a new proposed contract with YRC Worldwide...
Vogel: Galloping to ban NYC horse-drawn carriages (opinion)  AMNewYork   ...With so many urgent issues facing the city, why did Mayor Bill de Blasio make getting rid of New York's iconic horse-drawn carriages his first priority?...
People Pressure Is Making Fast Tracking the TPP Politically Toxic  TruthDig   ...After four years of secret negotiations with more than 600 corporate advisers, the once seemingly invincible largest trade bill in history, covering 40% of the world’s economy , looks very much like it can be defeated...
Supreme Court to hear 1st Amendment challenge to labor unions  Los Angeles Times   ...The Supreme Court will hear a 1st Amendment case this week involving Chicago-area in-home care providers that could end up dealing a major blow to public-sector labor unions...
Oxfam: 85 richest people as wealthy as poorest half of the world  The Guardian   ...The wealth of the 1% richest people in the world amounts to $110tn (£60.88tn), or 65 times as much as the poorest half of the world, added the development charity, which fears this concentration of economic resources is threatening political stability and driving up social tensions...
UN: More than 200 million jobless last year  Associated Press   ...an estimated 201.8 million people were unemployed in 2013. That's 4.9 million more than the previous year. An annual ILO report points to an uneven global economic recovery and says East and South Asia together accounted for more than 45 percent of last year's increase…
The Global Fight Against Corporate Rule  The Nation   ...Until three decades ago, governments could pass laws to protect consumers, workers, health, the environment and domestic firms with little threat of outside legal challenge from corporations. All that changed when corporations started acquiring the “right” to sue governments over actions—including public interest regulations—that reduce the value of their investments. These rights first appeared in little-known bilateral investment treaties...
Many Baby Boomers Reluctant to Retire  Gallup   ...While the average age at which U.S. retirees say they retired has risen steadily from 57 to 61 in the past two decades, boomers -- the youngest of whom will turn 50 this year -- will likely extend it even further. Nearly half (49%) of boomers still working say they don't expect to retire until they are 66 or older, including one in 10 who predict they will never retire...
2 dead, all others accounted for in Neb. explosion  Associated Press   ...Omaha officials say two people are dead and all other workers are accounted for in the animal feed plant that exploded. The explosion Monday morning brought down part of the International Nutrition plant. Two people were killed and 10 others seriously hurt…
Corporations Hoard Cash While Americans Go Without A Job  Economic Populist   ...corporate taxes are at a 60 year low...
New Accusations Against Freedom Industries in West Virginia Spill  Bloomberg   ... a local water utility has accused Freedom Industries, the chemical supplier blamed for the leak in Charleston, of trying to pull a fast one in its federal bankruptcy filing...
Real Supporters of the "Free Market" Do Not Believe that Companies Can Pollute Drinking Water With Impunity  Center for Economic and Policy Research   ...Freedom Industries, will largely escape responsibility for the damage it caused with its actions since it declared bankruptcy. This means that the victims of the spill were effectively forced to give money to Freedom Industries. This is antithetical to free market principles...
House bill an attack on unions (opinion)  Standard Speaker   ...There is a bill pending in the Pennsylvania Legislature that if passed, would destroy unions and the middle class as we know them. House Bill 1507 would prohibit unions from having dues collected by any public employer...

Today's Teamster News 01.19.14

Who Speaks for the Carriage Horses?  New York Times   ...“Ban them?” the mother, Lesley Fabri, 60, exclaimed after her ride. “That’s the whole reason we’re here!”...
Carriage rides have a certain magic (opinion)  Livingtson County News   ...I will decline to go down the rabbit hole of debating the issue more than to say that the carriage business in New York and other major cities is perfectly legal and well-regulated...
Industry powers with access to TPP plans lavish money on Congress  RT.com   ... current members of Congress received around US$24 million in the last ten years from organizations represented on an exclusive industry board, created and staffed by Congress. This board has inside access - such as not even granted to members of Congress, much less the public - to the highly-secretive negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which promises to give powerful industry players more clout over global trade rights...
Insight: Battle over police pensions in U.S. cities takes ugly turn  Reuters   ...A drive by some American cities to cut costly police retirement benefits has led to an extraordinary face-off between local politicians and the law enforcement officers who work for them...
Freedom Industries, Company Behind West Virginia Chemical Spill, Files For Bankruptcy  Huffington Post   ...The company behind the massive chemical spill that made tap water unsafe for more than 300,000 West Virginians has filed for bankruptcy...
South Korea pulled strings as Cambodia’s military cracked down on protesters  Global Post   ...As workers who stitch for Western brands demand a livable wage, South Korea urged Cambodian forces to protect corporate interests...
Hershey's to make 3-D chocolate printer  CNN Money   ...Because apparently Americans don't have easy enough access to junk food, soon getting a candy bar could be as easy as hitting "print."...
A nearly 17-year-old is reportedly author of malware that led to Target’s data breach  Wall Street Journal   ...The  Target Corp. data breach that has hurt its sales and has made many consumers skittish about using their cards has been traced to a Russian teenager who authored the malware used in the security breach, according to a cyber-intelligence firm...
@Work Advice: Homeless, not hopeless  Washington Post   ...A competent junior co-worker recently confided to me that he has been living out of his car since his lease ended a month ago. He has acquired credit card debt while being underpaid and working long hours for two years at our 50-person organization. His finances are reaching a breaking point...
Missouri at center of new GM, Ford pickup rollouts  St. Louis Post Dispatch   ...When production of these new pickups starts this year, Missouri will become an epicenter of pickup production in the U.S., with thousands of the vehicles rolling off assembly lines every week...

Whoa! New poll says New Yorkers overwhelmingly approve of horse-drawn carriages

New York voters by an overwhelming margin of 63 percent to 28 percent oppose a proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages, according to the well-respected Quinnipiac University poll:

Don't ban horse-drawn carriages from New York City, voters say 61 - 28 percent, with support for the horses from every group. There is almost no gender gap as women oppose a ban 60 - 28 percent while men support carriage horses 63 - 28 percent.

Our brother and sister Teamster carriage drivers are fighting to keep their jobs and their livelihoods as the city's new mayor, Bill de Blasio, says he wants to ban the beloved horse-drawn carriages. This poll should help them in a big way.

Keep on fighting!

Today's Teamster News 01.15.14

Teamsters Laud Rep. Miller's Dedication To Workers  teamster.org   ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters today issued its thanks to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., for the work he's done on behalf of working Americans throughout his 40-year career in the House. Miller announced Monday that he will retire after his current term ends early next year...
Teamsters Support Military Veterans  teamster.org   ...the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP) provides disability assistance for all military veterans and job placement opportunities for veterans in the construction industry...
Teamsters Applaud California Governor's High Speed Rail Support  teamster.org   ...The Teamsters Union is praising the significant commitment to continued funding for high speed and local commuter rail systems in California that are part of the state budget recently proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown...
City settles with Teamsters; one "no" vote  GazetteXtra   ...Councilman Matt Kealy was the sole “no” vote when the Janesville City Council on Monday OK'd a labor agreement with Teamsters Local Number 695...
The Koch Boys set their sights on Pennsylvania to Break Labor & Democrats  dailykos   ...Word has just leaked out of the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa that the Koch Boys are talking to severely wounded Republican Governor Corbett to move legislation this winter and spring to outlaw union dues deduction for all state and local public employees...
Has the developed world hit 'peak car use'?  Macrobusiness   ...at the height of the housing bubble, there were just over two registered cars on the road per household, whereas as at 2011, there were just under two...
In 15 states, deeply underwater foreclosures still reign  Washington Post   ...The states with the highest percentage of deeply underwater foreclosures were: Nevada (65 percent of foreclosures were deeply underwater), Florida (61 percent), Illinois (61 percent), Michigan (55 percent), and Ohio (48 percent)...
Five Housing Headwinds; Mortgage Originations Lowest Since 2010; Refinancible Loan Percentage Collapses; Payment Shock  MISH's Global Economic Trend Analysis   ...Mortgage originations are at the lowest levels in almost four years...
Burns Lake families support NDP's call for probe of 'bungled' mill blast investigation  Vancouver Sun   ...The union representing workers at the Burns Lake mill also said Monday the province needs to bring a criminal lens to fatality investigations...
Chicago Horse Carriage Operator Slams Proposed NYC Ban  CBS Local   ...He says his horses are well treated, better than in the wild and actually seem to enjoy what they’re doing. He says they have occasionally left to go to work without the driver...
Senate blocks jobless aid  Politico   ...The Senate blocked two separate proposals to revive emergency unemployment benefits that expired in December, all but killing the prospects of reviving jobless aid for now...
Judge Reinstates Some Federal Oversight of Voting Practices for an Alabama City  New York Times   ...A federal judge in Alabama on Monday reinstated federal oversight over the voting practices of a city there, in what election law specialists said was the first such move since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act in June...
The Coalition for a Prosperous America and Liberty Groups Petition Congress Against Fast Track  Coalition for a Prosperous America   ...The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) and fifty seven liberty organizations have notified Congress that they oppose Fast Track trade authority...
Fast Track to Poverty  Huffington Post   ...trade reduced wages for workers without college educations by 5.5 percent in 2011, costing the average worker $1,800...

Today's Teamster News 01.12.14

Ohio’s right-to-work sideshow can’t become main event (opinion)  Toledo Blade   ...The real discussion Ohio needs to conduct is about job creation and economic revival...
U.S. Politicians Want to Fast-Track the Super-Secret, Super-Controversial TPP  Slate   ... “Blindly approving or disapproving agreements that have largely been negotiated in secret would represent a derelict of duty for Congress. If there is nothing to hide in these agreements, we should be allowed to debate and amend these deals in the open...”
Why House Democrats Might Kill Obama's Big Trade Deal  Huffington Post   ...President Barack Obama's international trade agenda is dead in the water if he doesn't do a better job engaging with Democrats in Congress, and his administration appears to be getting that message, Democrats said Friday...
Camp-Baucus Bill Would Revive Controversial 2002 Fast Track Mechanism  Public Citizen   ... the Camp-Baucus bill would empower the president to sign a trade pact before Congress votes on it, with a guarantee that the executive branch could write legislation to implement the pact and obtain House and Senate votes within 90 days, with all amendments forbidden and a maximum of 20 hours of debate permitted...
We Must Stop Fast Track Trade Authority from Being Granted!  Trade Reform   ...TPP would subject the U.S. to the jurisdiction of foreign tribunals under the authority of the World Bank and United Nations. These unelected, unaccountable panels would constitute a judicial authority higher than the U.S. Supreme Court...
A National Strategy Funds State Political Monopolies  New York Times   ...a sophisticated political apparatus (is) designed to channel political money from around the country into states where conditions were ripe for Republican takeover...
Inside the $400-million political network backed by the Kochs  Washington Post   ...a coalition of nonprofit groups backed by a donor network organized by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch raised more than $400 million in the last election cycle...
Reid backs down in unemployment fight  The Hill   ...Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he is now open to considering Republican amendments to a bill extending emergency unemployment benefits through most of 2014...
Water Ban Continues in West Virginia  Wall Street Journal   ...Doctor Says Several Hundred Thousand Could Have Been Exposed to Contaminated Water for Seven Hours Thursday...
US doctors warn Congress cutting food stamps could mean higher medical bills  The Guardian   ...Among the health risks of hunger are spiked rates of diabetes and developmental problems for young children down the road...
December's Dismal Payrolls Mark Recession Six Year Anniversary  Economic Populist   ...over half, 54.6%, of December's jobs were temporary...
Career Advice for Central Park's Carriage Drivers  Wall Street Journal   ... Consider the plight of the many guys (and four gals) who drive carriages in Central Park. Some got into the business straight out of high school and did nothing else the past 30 or so years. Then along comes Mayor Bill de Blasio...
If firms like Target won't protect privacy, make 'em pay (opinion)  Los Angeles Times   ...The Target hack underlines the vulnerability of consumer data at a time when businesses large and small are doing their darnedest to amass as much of our info as possible...
U.S. pork producers move to reform factory farm abuses  Salon   ...Reform, for pigs destined to the dinner plate, means they’ll be given space to stand, turn around, lie down and even stretch their legs. Sick and injured animals, per Tyson’s new guidelines, will no longer be killed using “manual blunt force...”
Portuguese opposition party challenges country’s austerity measures in court  Agence France-Press   ...The constitutional court has made a series of rulings blocking austerity measures by the government, including plans to trim the civil service, causing a political crisis that nearly brought down the government which is implementing reforms and balancing public finances under Portugal’s 78-billion-euro EU-IMF bailout...
NAFTA Strengthened Canada's Corporate Class  The Real News   ... it's been bad for Canadian workers. It's undermined Canadian workers' bargaining power with companies...

Today's Teamster News 01.04.14

Mayor De Blasio’s Horse Policy Is a Pile of Manure (opinion) Daily Beast   ...Bill de Blasio’s first priority as New York City’s leader is to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. Are you kidding?...
US economy losing 'up to a $1bn a week' after jobless benefits cut  The Guardian   ...The US economy is losing up to a billion dollars a week because of the “fiscally irresponsible” decision to end long-term unemployment benefits, a Harvard economist said on Friday...
Worrisome Spike in Student Loan Write-Offs  American Banker   ...Between January and August of last year, lenders wrote off $13.6 billion in student loan debt, a 46 percent increase from the same period of 2012 and the highest amount for this period in any of the last eight years, according to the data from Equifax (See chart 2)...
Beanie Baby Billionaire Seeks to Avoid Jail for Tax Crime  Bloomberg   ...H. Ty Warner, the billionaire creator of Beanie Baby plush toys, asked a judge to give him probation, not prison, for evading taxes on secret Swiss accounts that held as much as $107 million...
Is the NSA Spying on Congress?  Sen. Bernie Sanders   ...U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today asked the National Security Agency director whether the agency has monitored the phone calls, emails and Internet traffic of members of Congress and other elected officials...
Secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership Revealed  Eugene Weekly   ...The TPP talks about a trade deal will govern 40 percent of U.S. imports and exports as well as affect copyrights, pharmaceuticals and more. They are being conducted in secret, and only a few portions of the agreement and memos about it have been leaked...
The secret trade deal that threatens Maine’s frail economy  Portland Phoenix   ...Dozens of shoe factories once employed 30,000 workers in Maine, making it the top shoe-producing state. What’s left of that workforce — several hundred New Balance employees — could soon be gone too, thanks to a massive free trade agreement that’s expected to eliminate a series of tariffs on imported footwear. And jobs may not be all the state has to lose...
Idaho to take over privately-run state prison  Associated Press   ...Idaho's governor says the corrections department will take over operation of the largest privately-run prison in the state after more than a decade of mismanagement and other problems at the facility. Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America has contracted with the state to run the prison since it was built in 1997...
Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin GOP Senator, Fights For A Seven-Day Workweek  Huffington Post   ...Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) is attempting to roll back one of the state's progressive labor laws, arguing that workers should be allowed to work without a day off if they so choose...
Video shows businesses lobbying Rebecca Kleefisch for more tax breaks in closed-door meeting  Wisconsin State Journal   ...A recently released video of the Dec. 9 session at Beloit College shows Kleefisch and state Revenue Department Secretary Rick Chandler extolling state efforts to reduce taxes since Republicans took over state government in 2011, and saying they wanted private-sector ideas for another round of cuts...
Pot sales exceed $1 million on first day  9News.com   ...Pot shops did record sales compared to the "medical marijuana days" on Wednesday when recreational marijuana opened. Pot shop owners across Colorado believe they collectively made more than $1 million statewide...
Fun with Numbers  Sheila Kennedy   ...the folks who opposed Right to Work were right when they characterized the measure as “Right to Work for Less.”...

Today's Teamster News 01.03.14

Teamsters Local 553 Fights to Protect NYC Horse-Drawn Carriages  CNN   ...Teamsters Local 553 leads the fight against a proposed ban of one of the city's most recognized and beloved attractions. See the video here...
Billionaires Worth $3.7 Trillion Surge as Gates Wins 2013  Bloomberg News   ...The richest people on the planet got even richer in 2013, adding $524 billion to their collective net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 300 wealthiest individuals...
Court Beefs Up Protections for Workers Injured By Chemicals  Mother Jones   ...Last week, a federal court issued a ruling strengthening protections for Americans injured by chemicals on the job...
Senate Democrats plan to reinstate lost unemployment benefits  The Guardian   ...Democratic leaders in the Senate are planning to fast-track legislation to extend unemployment insurance, a move that would provide a lifeline to more than a million Americans who lost their benefits last week...
Public service unions brace for coming showdown over sick leave  Ottawa Citizen   ...A big issue in the Conservative government’s upcoming showdown with federal unions over a plan to eliminate accumulated sick leave is what to do with the $5.2 billion in unused leave that public servants have already banked and rolled over...
Home, Sweet (Privatized Military) Home  Truthout   ...The goals of faster and cheaper military housing may have been achieved through privatization, but problems including unreliable builders and an unwillingness to fix persistent problems including mold has led to legal action by tenants...
The “middle class” myth: Here’s why wages are really so low today  The Salon   ...Want to understand the failures of the "free market" and the key to getting a decent wage? Here's the real story...
Home Depot Founder: Pope Francis’ Criticism Of Capitalism Will Scare Away Rich People  ThinkProgress   ...Ken Langone, the billionaire founder of Home Depot, is worried Pope Francis’ recent criticism of the wealthy and capitalism will be a “hurdle” for rich donors...
Retirement unlikely for some Americans  Associated Press   ...Whether they work on the farm or at a blue collar job, baby boomers worry that Social Security won't be enough to allow them to retire...
Loan Monitor Is Accused of Ruthless Tactics on Student Debt  New York Times   ...As the Educational Credit Management Corporation fights borrowers who file for bankruptcy on federal loans, there is growing concern over its collection practices...
Congress just let 55 tax breaks expire  The Washington Post   ...There are 55 tax breaks for individuals and businesses that expired at the end of 2013. Read up on the tax breaks so you don’t miss out when you file this year...
Walmart Recalls Donkey Meat In China Because It Contained Fox  Reuters   ...Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, has recalled donkey meat sold at some outlets in China after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals, the U.S. company said...
Fiat shares jump after deal to buy rest of Chrysler, but unions worry about jobs in Italy  Associated Press   ...Shares in Fiat soared on Thursday on the news the Italian automaker will take full ownership of Chrysler, but some Italian unions worried what the deal will mean for jobs and investments in the country...
In Cambodia, pressure from labor disputes mounts on a longtime leader  Reuters   ...Labor strikes in Cambodia have taken on a new significance and are presenting a rare challenge to one of the world's longest-serving leaders...
Bangladesh shipbuilder sets benchmark in health and safety standards  The Guardian   ...Chittagong shipyard partners with German firm to promote better workplace health and safety practices and reduce accidents...
Workers In A Third State Can Now Take Paid Family Leave  ThinkProgress   ...Rhode Island's new paid family leave law went into effect as the new year arrived, making it the third state (along with California and New Jersey) that has such a program...

Today's Teamsters News 12.30.13

Refinery news: Minnesota Northern Tier workers may strike Dec. 31 on wages, safety issues: Teamsters  Platts   ...Minnesota's Northern Tier refinery is facing a potential strike that could shut its refinery in Saint Paul Park, Minnesota, as soon as December 31, according to Teamsters Local 120, which represents about 200 workers at the plant...
Service Corporation International : Teamsters Local 727 Updates on Service Corp. International Refuses Interest Arbitration  Teamsters Local 727   ...Teamsters Local 727 announced Service Corp. International refused an interest arbitration offer made by the Teamsters to end a five- month lockout of Chicago funeral directors and drivers...
Antiques to replace NYC horse carriages  CNN   ...If activists have their way, horse-drawn carriages in New York City may soon be replaced by antique electric cars...
Charts: The Worst Long-Term Unemployment Crisis Since the Depression  Mother Jones   ...the economic downturn remains in full effect for millions of Americans, particularly the nearly 40 percent of the unemployed who have been looking for work for six months or more...
Where the 1.3 million people losing unemployment aid this week live  Washington Post   ...every state but one — North Dakota — has added more people than jobs since the recession began...
Elizabeth Warren: It's the Right of Every American to Retire with Dignity -- Why We Must Expand Social Security  Alternet   ...If we do nothing, Social Security will be safe for the next 20 years and even after that will continue to pay most benefits through the end of the century. With some modest adjustments, we can keep the system solvent for many more years, and could even increase benefits...
Wis. teachers refuses award from Paul Ryan during MLK ceremony: 'Lackey for the 1%'  The Blaze   ... A Wisconsin teacher refused to accept an award from Rep. Paul Ryan during a ceremony last week, saying he couldn’t do so “in good conscience” because of the Republican congressman’s politics...
As critics gain, ALEC gives ground  Politico   ...The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group of state lawmakers and corporations that, among other things, drafts model legislation, saw an exodus of members and a sharp decline in fundraising after it was tied to controversial “stand your ground laws” like the one made infamous following the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin...
“Honey, I Shrunk Killed the Middle Class”  naked capitalism   ... even as the stock market roars ahead, more investors are coming to recognize the shoddy foundations of this so-called recovery and perhaps more important, that the legitimacy of the ruling classes erodes quickly when ordinary citizens recognize how badly the deck is stacked against them...
'Military-Style' Raid on California Power Station Spooks U.S.  Foreign Policy   ...Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks -- or groups of transformers -- were hit in another...
Home Prices Back at Peaks in Some Areas  Wall Street Journal   ...Home prices have zipped back into record territory in a handful of American cities, a milestone that comes seven years after the housing bust ravaged the market and the broader economy. Values are up more than 13% from their 2007 high in Oklahoma City and by more than 6% in the Denver metro area. Prices are back to all-time highs in 10 of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas...
This Trade Fight Is Against ‘Global Apartheid’ (opinion)  Campaign for America's Future   ...organizations ... (should) step up against is what she calls “this global apartheid phenomenon” in which “international elites, some of whom don’t have a allegiance to any country,” are creating conditions that are worsening economic inequality and racial inequities around the world, including the United States...
Why China is stepping up its presence in Detroit auto industry  TradeReform   ...Encouraged by the low price of real estate and the high level of advanced engineering talent, dozens of Chinese auto companies and suppliers are opening plants and offices in and around the Motor City, where they hope to one day sell cars to US buyers...
‘Safe Harbor’ in Bankruptcy Is Upended in Detroit Case  New York Times   ...“When you’re in a municipal bankruptcy, where the debtor is a municipality, there are very strong public-interest considerations that ought to be balanced,” Mr. Schwarcz said. He and other specialists said there had not been any such discussion in Detroit’s case...
France’s Hollande Gets Court Approval for 75% Millionaire Tax  Bloomberg   ...French President Francois Hollande received approval from the country’s constitutional court to proceed with his plan to tax salaries above 1 million euros at 75 percent for this year and next....
Setback for Scalia in Attempt to Curtail Labor Rights  truthout   ...the Supreme Court decided against ruling on a legal decision from a lower court which, if broadly applied, could have undermined some of the few remaining effective union organizing techniques: neutrality and card check agreements...