Today's Teamster News 10.16.15

TEAMSTERS
Pasadena Unified, Teamsters Reach Salary Agreement  Pasadena News Now  ...The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education and Teamsters Local 911 entered into a Salary Increase Agreement on Sept. 24, 2015. This collaborative agreement is in keeping with the district’s priority of working to retain and fairly compensate staff. “I am pleased to see this agreement reached with the Teamsters,” said Superintendent Brian McDonald, Ed.D...
House to hold transportation bill hearing   Fleet Owner  ...California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation covering ready-mix concrete workers under Assembly Bill 219 wage laws. According to the Teamsters, the bill was introduced by Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), and union members throughout the state have participated in the legislative process before the bill was signed. According to Teamsters, president Rome Aloise said: “We are pleased that the governor chose to recognize the important role that these drivers play in the execution of publicly funded projects...
Teamsters Canada Launches Web Series on Mental Health  Market Wired  ...Teamsters Canada is launching a documentary web series on mental health issues facing young workers. The seven episodes will be released weekly at www.makeitmandatory.ca. They feature stories from courageous young workers who faced or are facing mental health issues. "Mental health issues take a devastating toll on our members" said Francois Laporte, President of Teamsters Canada...
Teamsters join to fight autism in Mansfield  Sun Chronicle  ...Union Teamsters and volunteers will be taking to the road Sunday in the fight against autism. Local 25 is sponsoring its annual fundraising walk for Autism Speaks at 10:30 a.m. beginning at the Xfinity Center. The event, now in its 15th year, usually attracts 200 or more walkers to raise funds for autism education and research...
Union rep has concerns after sanitation director admits to wrecking county vehicles  CBS ...Disturbing details emerged Wednesday regarding the director of the DeKalb County Sanitation Department. nion representative Eric Robertson, with Teamsters Local 728, identified serious concerns involving Director Billy Malone. “I’ve seen county employees be terminated for incidents much more minor than that one right there,” Robertson said...

GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
White House wants trade vote before lame duck  The Hill  ...The White House wants Congress to take up President Obama’s Pacific Rim trade deal long before next year’s lame-duck session, when some congressional aides say a vote is likely to take place. “The timeline that we envision is shorter than that,” press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Thursday.  Earnest did not specify when the White House would like a vote to occur...
House Democrats: Enough With the “Fratricide” on Trade Deal  National Journal  ...The AFL-CIO has been among the most vo­cal op­pon­ents of the deal, run­ning ads against Demo­crat­ic sup­port­ers like Rep. Ami Be­ra and hold­ing protests in the dis­tricts of oth­ers. The group also cut off cam­paign fund­ing for Demo­crats dur­ing the TPA fight, a move os­tens­ibly aimed at fo­cus­ing re­sources on the trade battle but one that was perceived as an implicit threat to would-be supporters...
Lessons from NAFTA for the TPP  Common Dreams  ...There are many lessons from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that are relevant to the current debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). First, like the TPP, NAFTA was never mostly about trade and even less about free trade. In 1994, the U.S. already had low tariff barriers to Mexican goods. The agreement was much more about creating and expanding new rights and privileges for investors...
TTIP protesters warn of Trojan Horse  EU Observer  ...To the protesters, the treaty could become a trojan horse watering down EU rules on issues like food safety and health, hence the blow-up figure at the entrance of the Parc du Cinquantenaire at the end of the Rue de la Loi in Brussels' EU neighbourhood. Cruls and Voltuan do not trust the people negotiating on their behalf, including European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker...
Trade in services deal: MEPs to hammer out their demands  Euro Parl  ...As talks on the plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) advance between 25 parties, including the EU, international trade MEPs will hold their first debate on Parliament’s draft recommendations to the Commission negotiators on Thursday morning. The aim is to ensure that the views of European citizens, represented by Parliament, can be taken on board before the deal is concluded...
Deprived of Right to Work, Refugees Struggle to Subsist Outside Syria  Truthout  ...As masses of Syrian refugees continue to flood Europe, paranoia is running high. One of the most common objections is that refugees and migrants rob already established citizens of jobs and income. in countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, on the receiving end of the true brunt of the Syrian mass exit, refugees are not allowed to work at all, forcing them to find jobs "under the table" in the informal labor market...

STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
Mich. Supreme Court hears prevailing wage challenge  Michigan Radio  ...The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments for and against local laws that require contractors on public projects to pay union-scale wages.  The challenge to Lansing’s ordinance was filed by non-union contractors. They say local governments aren’t allowed to adopt local wage laws...
Here's what Arizona's minimum wage will be in 2016  Business Journal  ...Arizona businesses won't have to adjust their budgets for workers on the lowest end of the pay scale next year. The Industrial Commission of Arizona, in accordance with the voter-approved Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act, calculated this week that the state's minimum wage of $8.05 will remain the same in 2016...
Paid sick leave becomes focus in Mpls after 'fair scheduling' effort stumbles  MPR News  ...Minneapolis leaders are vowing to push for a proposal that will require employers in the city to provide all workers with paid sick time off. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges announced earlier this week that she was tabling another effort that would have required employers to give employees advance notice of work schedules. That proposal hit a snag after it encountered strong opposition from the business community...
Papa John's Stores To Dish Up Half A Million Dollars In Wage Theft Case  Huffington Post  ...Four current and former Papa John's franchisees have agreed to pay out nearly $500,000 to New York workers in order to settle a wage theft investigation, New York's attorney general and the U.S. Labor Department announced on Thursday. The settlement resolves allegations from workers that they were shorted on pay at nine Papa John's restaurants in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx...

U.S. LABOR
UAW leaders push for OK of Fiat Chrysler deal  The Detroit News   ...The UAW International has released two new videos featuring local UAW leaders and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV hourly members who seem supportive of the second tentative deal, as informational meetings for members proceed ahead of next week’s contract vote. In one video posted Thursday to the union’s Facebook page, several local UAW leaders talk about how the “no” vote on the initial tentative agreement reached by the union and company has strengthened the union...
State Board to Hold Hearing on County Workers' Strike  Patch.com  ...The Public Employment Relations Board will hold a settlement conference in Oakland next week on alleged unfair labor practice allegations that Solano County and the 1,800-member employees of SEIU Local 1021 union have made against each other in an ongoing labor dispute. The union began what was intended to be a one-day unfair labor practices strike on Wednesday...
With hour to spare, custodian union & office building owners reach contract  Business Journal  ...Sixty minutes before the contract was set to expire, a tentative agreement was made and a strike averted. The union representing 2,800 custodians and the managers of 168 Philly-area office properties reached a new 4-year contract. The members of 32BJ Service Employees International Union were prepared to walk off the job if a deal was not made before the current contract expired...
Austerity 101: The Three Reasons Republican Deficit Hawks Are Wrong  (opinion) Huffington Post  ...Congress is heading into another big brawl over the federal budget deficit, the national debt, and the debt ceiling. Republicans are already talking about holding Social Security and Medicare "hostage" during negotiations -- hell-bent on getting cuts in exchange for a debt limit hike...

SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
Donald Trump Supporters Spit on Immigration Activist as Rally Turns Violent  Alternet  ...As inflammatory language tends to do, Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric incited a scuffle between his supporters and immigration activists during a rally last night, leading to at least one Trump supporter spitting on a protester. Trump made his first campaign stop in Virginia and held a rally in Richmond, where he went after “maniac” Bernie Sanders before delving into his usual anti-immigrant tirade...
Note to Dems: Simply Not Being Racist Isn’t Enough on Immigration Reform  (opinion) The Nation  ... Trump’s made the immigration conversation easy for Democrats. But candidates have a responsibility to be more than just not-racist; not showing their fear-mongering backsides doesn’t automatically make them good on immigration. The tonal differences matter, but so do the policy conversations...
Feds Arrest Fox News Commentator, Allege He Lied About CIA Past  Huffington Post   ...A regular guest commentator on Fox News who has been lying for years about working for the Central Intelligence Agency was arrested on Thursday and is being charged in connection with falsely claiming he worked as an “Outside Paramilitary Special Operations Officer” for the CIA for nearly three decades...

Rich People Scared to Move into High Rent Apartments Because of Homeless Displaced by High Rents   Alternet   ...In what could lightly be called an ironic twist, it now looks as if wealthy residents are getting turned off from renting in parts of the city with visible homeless people -- and apartment brokers are not happy about it. DNA Info reports: Brokers have noticed that many of their clients are increasingly reluctant to rent or buy an apartment when they spot a homeless person nearby...

Today's Teamster News 08.14.15

Teamsters
Public Employees To San Bernardino: Keep Your Promises  Teamster.org   ...At this week’s San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors public meeting, more than 60 county employees, who are members of Teamsters Local 1932, attended in order to testify in front of the Board about how wage theft is directly impacting not only the cost of living, but their basic needs, many holding signs that read, “San Bernardino: Keep Your Promises.”...
Contract Between EVSC, Teamsters Still Up In The Air  WFIE   ...President of Teamsters Local 215 Chuck Whobrey says the EVSC never had any intention of reaching an agreement with the union...
Sun Tran Union Workers Contact Federal Mediator  KTTU   ...The Teamsters Local Union 104 released a press release on Thursday evening, stating they have contacted a federal mediator and presented a "comprehensive proposal addressing all open items."...
Burnco Ends Labour Dispute  660 News   ...A labour dispute at the Burnco Rock Products plant in Calgary is over. The company and the Teamsters Local Union 362 reached an agreement Thursday evening, but no specific details have been released...

Global Labor & Trade
Greece Crisis: Eurogroup Agrees To Third Bailout  BBC News   ...Eurozone finance ministers have agreed on a new bailout deal for Greece after Athens backed the plan. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the deal sent a message "loud and clear" - Greece will stay in the eurozone...
Sen. Sherrod Brown Blocks Trade Nominee To Protest TPP Secrecy  Cleveland Plain Dealer   ...U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has decided to block a cabinet-level trade nominee from being confirmed, saying he will relent if President Barack Obama drops a secrecy requirement that has made it hard for Congress to review a pending trade deal with Pacific Rim nations...
TTIP Controversy: Secret Trade Deal Can Only Be Read In Secure 'Reading Room' In Brussels  The Independent   ...The European Commission is making the secret Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal even more secret, introducing a new rule that means politicians can only view the text in a secure 'reading room' in Brussels...

State & Living Wage Battles
Court Rejects Suit Over Obama Immigration Moves  Politico   ...A federal appeals court Friday upheld the dismissal of an Arizona sheriff's lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration, but one judge on the panel expressed strong doubts about the constitutionality of Obama's moves — now largely on hold as a result of other litigation...
Workers Score Paid Sick Leave Victory In Pittsburgh  Next City   ...The bill, which passed 7-1 with one abstention, requires employers with 15 employees or more to provide as much as 40 hours of paid sick time per year, while employers of fewer than 15 people will be required to provide up to 24 hours per year. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who ran for office on a progressive track record and platform, is expected to sign the bill, in the face of assurances from business groups that a legal challenge is on its way...
Florida: Disputed Plan For Voting Map Advances  New York Times   ...A House panel on Thursday approved changes to Florida’s 27 congressional districts, despite criticism that the move would disenfranchise black voters. The new map would make several changes, including shifting the district now held by Representative Corrine Brown, a Democrat who is suing to stop the Legislature and says the proposal would dilute the voting strength of blacks...
City Begins Minimum Wage Outreach  Santa Monica Daily Press   ...Santa Monica is considering local rules that would raise the minimum wage in a way similar to a recently passed law in Los Angeles. As of July 1, 2016 Los Angeles will begin raising the minimum wage annually to $10.50, $12, $13.25, $14.25 and $15 by 2020. The rules allow small companies to delay implementation for a year and have an additional year exemption for nonprofits that help the disadvantage or receive a majority of funding from government grants. The increases are indexed to inflation and an enforcement office will be established...
How Corporate Farmers Are Waging War On Our 1st Amendment  AlterNet   ...The First Amendment may be inconvenient to some people at times, but it’s still the law of the land. Case in point: so-called “ag-gag laws.” These are laws in Idaho, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa that prohibit people from taking photos or videos of farms without permission. They’re designed to prevent the exposure of cruelty to animals on factory farms...
$15 Minimum Wage Proposal Could Go On November Ballot In Kansas City  Kansas City Star   ...The Kansas City Council has taken the first step toward putting a $15 minimum wage question on the November ballot. In a procedural move Thursday, an ordinance was introduced on the council docket to submit a petition initiative to voters in the Nov. 3 election. The council must discuss and vote on the measure by next Thursday to meet election authorities’ deadline for the November ballot...

U.S. Labor
Pilots Are Spotting More Drones, Prompting Worries About Collisions  Wall Street Journal   ...Pilots are spotting drones in flight at a far higher rate than last year, U.S. regulators said, triggering authorities to step up efforts to prevent a midair collision as drones proliferate in U.S. skies...
The Many Ways You Can Be Screwed Out Of Unemployment Benefits  The Nation   ...Unemployment insurance provides a critical income support to workers who lose their jobs “through no fault of their own.” But this compensation, which states generally award on the basis of past earnings, don’t quite work for the millions who are forced to work irregular part-time shifts or stuck in unstable “casual” service work. For these “irregular” workers—filling our retail stores, restaurants and warehouses—being forced to quit because of unsustainable hours is routine. But the standard unemployment check is often out of reach...
Retirement Isn't What It Used To Be  The Atlantic   ...As the idea of retirement continues to evolve for Americans, the hope is that seniors still be able to afford the leisure they seek—whether it’s through social-security reforms or companies taking greater responsibility in their workers’ retirement plans—and that they’re healthy enough to work if they’d like...

Social Justice & Other News
Citizens United Means Wealthy, White Donors Dominate 2016 Presidential Fundraising  The Intercept   ...Though the American population is becoming more and more diverse, the presidential candidates are being bankrolled by a pool of very wealthy donors, the vast majority of whom are white...
John Kerry Raises U.S. Flag At American Embassy In Cuba  Huffington Post   ...Watched over by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Marines raised the American flag at the embassy in Cuba for the first time in 54 years on Friday, symbolically ushering in an era of renewed diplomatic relations between the two Cold War-era foes...
Let's Expand Social Security On Its Birthday  Huffington Post   ...Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, creating a national plan to provide economic security for American workers. Since then, Social Security has proven to be the most successful anti-poverty program in our history. Each year, Social Security lifts more than 20 million Americans - including a million children - out of poverty...
Student Loan Delinquencies Jump As Crisis Spreads  Huffington Post   ...About 11.5 percent of outstanding student debt was at least 90 days late or in default as of June 30, up from around 10.9 percent at the same time last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The New York Fed estimates that nearly one in four borrowers whose loans have come due are severely delinquent, or double the published rate, because nearly half of student debt doesn't presently require a monthly payment...

Today's Teamster News 06.11.14

Teamster News
Teamsters’ salaries set  Tri-Town News   ...The Howell, (N.J.,) Township Council has adopted an ordinance that will provide retroactive salary ranges and raises for employees who are members of Teamsters Union Local 469...
Teamsters Union Joins Steel Industry Call for Trade Enforcement.  Trade Reform   ...America’s steel manufacturers and workers have joined forces to fight back against dumped imports of steel pipe used in the extraction of America’s oil and natural gas reserves. Now, another major American union is adding its support...
Job-killer Scott Walker goes to New York City, and Teamsters are there to greet him  TeamsterNation   ...Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took a break from stifling jobs in his home state and flew to New York City for a fundraiser, where he was greeted by none other than Teamsters Local 553 President Demos Demopoulos -- and quite a few LOUD union members...
About 100 Cumberland County Employees Seek Unionization Through Teamsters  The Patriot News   ...Cumberland County has received notice that several employees are taking the initial steps of forming a union, which will be the fourth in the county. Chief Clerk Larry Thomas confirmed Monday that the county's court-related employees filed notice in May, indicating they are going through the process of unionizing through the Teamsters...
Trucker in Tracy Morgan crash hadn’t slept for more than 24 hours  Washington Post   ...Teamsters Union President James P. Hoffa wrote in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday... “Drivers feel pressure from their employers to drive more than 60-70 hours a week with insufficient rest.”...
SEPTA To Impose Terms On Regional Rail Workers; Union Says Strike Likely  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...SEPTA moved Monday to impose management's terms in a long-running labor dispute with Regional Rail workers, which union leaders said could prompt a strike that would halt all commuter rail service at 12:01 a.m. Saturday...
Trade
New hacking allegations surface against China's military  manufacturethis   ...If we want to see China curtail its hacking activity, maybe we should consider revisiting the favorable trade terms that we grant the world’s largest police state...
War On Workers
Trafficked into slavery on Thai trawlers to catch food for prawns  Guardian   ...The Thai fishing industry is built on slavery, with men often beaten, tortured and sometimes killed - all to catch 'trash fish' to feed the cheap farmed prawns sold in the west...
These Waiters Don't Make Tips. Instead They Make $15 An Hour  Think Progress   ...Packhouse Meats, a restaurant that opened in Newport, Kentucky in January, doesn’t allow tipping. Instead, it pays its employees a decent wage. Servers at the restaurant make a minimum wage of $10 an hour. But they can also make 20 percent of their sales in commission — which is based on sales volume, the quality of service, and a few other factors — if it’s higher than that wage. This means that, on average, the servers are making $15 an hour...
Will Loan Forgiveness Offer Long-Term Student Debt Solution?  PBS   ...The average student who graduated last year had nearly $30,000 in student loan debt. Today, in the White House East Room, President Obama signed an executive order that would allow borrowers who took out federal loans prior to 2007 to tie their repayments to their incomes...
Number Of Unemployed Without A Safety Net Hits 3 Million  Think Progress   ...The number of long-term unemployed workers who would be getting benefits if the program hadn’t been allowed to lapse hit 3 million on Monday, according to the House Ways and Means Committee...
Miscellaneous
Union-Made Father's Day Shopping Ideas  AFL-CIO Now   ...If you're thinking of splurging, spring for some game-day tickets so you can watch your favorite baseball players, who are members of the Major League Baseball Players Association, and make sure dear old dad gets a heaping cup of Budweiser beer, made by the Teamsters and IAM...
Finding A Job Opening Has Gotten Easier, But Getting A Job Hasn't  FiveThirtyEight   ...The good news for the unemployed is that more openings means more chances to land a job. There were 2.2 jobseekers for every available position in April, the best ratio since before the recession began. But those openings don’t mean much if companies won’t fill them...
NSA: Our Systems Are So Complex We Can't Stop Them From Deleting Data Wanted For Lawsuit  Washington Post   ...The National Security Agency recently used a novel argument for not holding onto information it collects about users online activity: it's too complex...
Big Three Automakers Pledge $26 Million To Help Save Detroit's Art  Wall Street Journal   ...Top U.S. auto makers pledged $26 million to help protect Detroit's art collection from being broken up or sold during the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy case...
Union-Made Father's Day Shopping Ideas

California Teamsters ride for immigration reform

Teamsters today, part of the Caravan for Citizenship in Bakersfield, Calif.

Hundreds of California Teamsters rode to Bakersfield on their bikes and in their big rigs today to rally for immigration reform. 

KABC News reports:

Hundreds of immigration reform activists from Los Angeles and thousands from across the state traveled by car, bus and motorcycle to Bakersfield Wednesday, hoping to get their message out to a key lawmaker. 

Organizers are calling it the largest caravan in California history. 

Activists held a rally at the office of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. They say he along with the top Republican leaders have been dragging their feet when it comes to immigration reform, and they need him to act now. 

"The message to Congressman McCarthy, the third-ranking GOP member in the House, our representative, is we want a vote on immigration reform with a path to citizenship now," said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). 

Thousands of labor workers from across the state also made the journey. Since the Senate passed an immigration bill in June, activists have been out in force trying to convince House Republicans to do the same.

Stacy Hendler Ross of the South Bay Labor Council reported on the kick-off event at the Labor's Edge blog:

In the working class East San Jose neighborhood where Cesar Chavez’s family first landed upon moving to San Jose when he was a child, a small but passionate group gathered. In front of the home of Cesar’s younger brother, Librado Chavez, a carpenter and member of Local 405 for 60 years, they chanted the motto that Cesar transformed from “Sal, si puede” (Get out if you can) to “Si se puede” (Yes you can). 

After songs like “Picket Line”, harkening back to the days of demonstrations led by Cesar Chavez, Librado urged Americans to join the critical effort to push the U.S. Congress toward commonsense immigration reform... 

The event launched the San Jose part of a statewide caravan to Bakersfield to pressure Republican Congressman and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy to use his influence to pass commonsense immigration reform. Groups from throughout California will also gather at McCarthy’s home office on September 2nd, Labor Day, for a united demonstration.

We're proud of our brothers and sisters who went to Bakersfield today!

Today's Teamster News 01.31.13

Libor Lies Revealed in Rigging of $300 Trillion Benchmark   Bloomberg  ...the manipulation of Libor stands out for its breadth and audacity. Details are only now revealing just how far-reaching the scam was...
Activists shine a light on secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership talks  The Straight  ...“We are talking about allowing, basically, a parallel system that would undermine national sovereignty...It would allow conglomerates to sue citizens, threaten citizens, and remove [Internet] content that they disagree with or that they think is infringing on their intellectual property.”...
GOP's Electoral Vote Scheme Already on Life Support  Talking Points Memo  ...Key Republican officials in Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and Michigan are coming out against a RNC-backed scheme to rig the electoral vote in Democratic-leaning states in order to boost Republican presidential candidates. That leaves just Pennsylvania and Wisconsin ...
States Tax The Richest 1 Percent At Half The Rate Of The Poor  Think Progress  ...The poorest Americans are subject to a tax rate at the state and local level that is twice as high as the tax rate paid by the wealthiest earners... Middle-class taxpayers also pay higher effective rates than the wealthy....
Right-to-work bill back before N.H. Legislators  Associated Press  ...Legislation that would excuse nonunion employees from contract-negotiation fees is up for discussion once again before lawmakers, after two recent failed attempts...
UAW, salaried Chrysler workers receiving bonuses or profit sharing checks  Michigan Live  ...All eligible Chrysler Group LLC’s salaried and hourly workers will receive either a performance bonus or a profit-sharing check ... the Auburn Hills-based automaker’s turnaround ... included a $1.7 billion profit, up from $183 million in 2011...
Hoffa Statement On The Decline In U.S. Gross Domestic Product  IBT   ...the U.S. economy is shrinking due to a fall in government spending. That should tell us that government austerity is not just wrong, it's bad economic policy...
Hoffa Statement On President Obama's Immigration Reform Proposal  IBT ...We're especially concerned that the final result truly protects all workers and isn't reminiscent of guest worker programs of the past...
Nowak Sworn In As New President of Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43  IBT ...Determined to chart a new course for Michigan Teamsters during the challenging months and years ahead, Teamsters Local 1038 President Greg Nowak was sworn in today...
Durham, Teamsters Negotiate on School Bus Driver Salaries  Mount Pleasant Patch   ...A Durham School Services spokesman said Wednesday the company is offering school bus drivers a 3 percent raise in response to their request for a 12 percent raise, ABC News 4 reported...In response to Durham's press conference Wednesday, Teamsters 509 released this statement: Durham School Services initially told us they did not want to negotiate this contract through the media. We have honored their request despite the fact that they have not done the same...
Sanitation workers end strike against Republic Services  The Commercial Appeal  ...The 180 members of Teamsters Local 984 still don't have a contract with Republic Services; it expired last fall. But they decided to end a three-day strike after learning the company is handing over bonus checks that were two weeks late...
Workers at Avis Budget Group in Florida Join Teamsters Local 385  IBT  ...by a 15-7 vote, workers at the Avis Budget Group chose to join Local 385 in Orlando, Florida. There are 27 workers in the bargaining unit, located at Orlando International Airport...
Arkansas Best Corp. Reports Loss, Seeks End to Teamsters Talk  Arkansas Business Online  ...ABF Freight System Inc. expects contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to be resolved by a March 31 deadline, but the CEO of its parent company said Wednesday that the firm is exploring options in case a new agreement can't be reached...
Union: We offered to suspend NYC school bus strike, but Bloomberg said 'no'  Staten Island Advance ...The striking workers of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 say they've offered a two-to-three-month "cooling off" period where they would return to their school bus routes...

Today's Teamster News 01.30.13

Wall Street Banks Seize Opportunity to Profit from Nation's Unemployed  Common Dreams  ...'Too Big to Fail' banks including JP Morgan Chase, U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America have seized on an opportunity to profit off the nation's jobless by siphoning millions of dollars in fees from state unemployment programs...
Case-Shiller Index Shows Home Prices Increased 5.5% From a Year Ago in November 2012  Economic Populist   ...home prices are now comparable to September 2003...
Ray LaHood to step down as U.S. transportation secretary  Washington Post  ...Ray LaHood, the Illinois Republican who turned distracted driving into a national crusade while serving a Democratic president, will step down after four years as transportation secretary in the Obama administration... 
Obama Urges Speed on Immigration Plan, but Exposes Conflicts  New York Times ...President Obama challenged Congress on Tuesday to act swiftly to put 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States on a clear path to citizenship... 
31 Senate Republicans Opposed Sandy Relief After Supporting Disaster Aid For Home States  Think Progress  ...When the Senate passed the long-delayed $50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy relief package Monday, 36 Republicans voted against the bill. But of the 32 no-votes from Senators who are not brand-new members, at least 31 came from Republicans who had previously supported emergency aid efforts following disasters in their own states... 
Viewpoint: The Decline of Unions Is Your Problem Too  TIME  ...If we want a better economy, then, we need a better story about how the economy works, in which a union worker is not a cost but a customer... 
Right-to-work legislation returns to Augusta  Bangor Daily News  ...Two controversial proposals that would make Maine a “right-to-work” state are back on the table in Augusta... 
Michigan asks for state high court ruling on 'right-to-work' law  Reuters ...Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has asked the state Supreme Court to rule whether a law passed last month making payment of union dues voluntary is constitutional, a move critics said was designed to circumvent legal challenges by labor unions... 
Gov. Rick Snyder Backs Off ‘Unfair’ Electoral Rigging Plan  Think Progress  ...Gov. Rick Snyder (R) came out against the plan this year... 
Republicans say Electoral College changes not in store for Ohio  Plain Dealer ...Ohio's Republican leaders...told The Plain Dealer this week that they are not pursuing plans to award electoral votes proportionally by congressional district...
Bill Gates: nice charity work, shame about the business practices  The Guardian  ...Perhaps the Republic Services dispute indicates that relying upon the generosity of billionaires is not a model upon which we can build a just and equal society – especially since the road to billionaire-dom oft seems paved with exploitation of workers, tax avoidance (hello Microsoft), and ever-decreasing wages...
Republic Services replacement worker fires shot in air at picket line  MENAFN.com  ...a replacement worker fired shots into the air at a picket line at the company's North Shelby Landfill in Millington...About 180 Teamsters went on strike early Monday morning over what they charge is the company's unfair labor practices...
‘Conciliators’ will decide on raise for sheriff’s staff  Columbus Dispatch ...Pickaway County is pleading poverty, but unionized sheriff’s-office employees contend that the county can afford to award them their first pay raises since 2009...Teamsters Local 285, which represents 30 corrections and communications employees, sought a 4 percent raise each of the next three years...

Today's Teamster News 01.29.13

Apple shelters almost $1bn a week from US tax man  The Telegraph   ...Apple's completely legal tax avoidance strategies bring the total the company has sheltered from the US tax authorities to $94bn...
Senators Reach Bipartisan Immigration Reform Deal  Talking Points Memo   ...the package would include an e-verify program to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers in the future, an expanded visa and guest worker program to manage future immigration, and a seperate streamlined path towards citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were bought to America as children...
Report: Treasury approved excessive pay for executives at bailed-out AIG, GM and Ally  Associated Press   ...Treasury also allowed pay packages totaling $5 million or more for nearly a quarter of the executives at those firms...
The Rise of the Permanent Temp Economy  New York Times   ...one-third of adults who live in poverty are working but do not earn enough to support themselves and their families. A quarter of jobs in America pay below the federal poverty line for a family of four ($23,050)...
Study: Nearly half are overqualified for their jobs  USA Today   ...Nearly half of working Americans with college degrees are in jobs for which they're overqualified, a new study out Monday suggests...
Sen. Colbeck Tells Koch-Funded Group RTW Passed Because of DeVos Funding  Progress Michigan ...“This just confirms what we’ve long suspected, that Gov. Snyder’s so-called Right to Work billwas bought-and-paid for by billionaire CEO Dick DeVos. It’s time for politicians likeSnyder and Colbeck to start protecting middle class families, not the special interests..."
Va right-to-work measure dies on 20-20 Senate tie  Associated Press   ... On a party line vote, the Virginia Senate has killed a measure that would write the state's longstanding right-to-work law into its constitution...
Chris Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike That 82 Percent Of New Jerseyans Support  Bold Progressives   ...This minimum wage increase would’ve brought the wage to $8.50 and then tie it to the consumer price index for the future. ..
Roxanne Rubin, Nevada Republican, Accepts Plea Deal After Committing Voter Fraud  Huffington Post   ...Roxanne Rubin, 56, a casino worker on the Las Vegas Strip, was arrested on Nov. 3, 2012 after trying to vote twice, once at her poling site in Henderson and then at a second site in Las Vegas...
Negotiations Continue Between Teamsters, Durham  WestAshleyPatch   ...“We had to take a strike vote to get Durham to get serious in negotiations. We’ve met over 39 times with the contractor and they hadn’t moved on the key issues of concern to the drivers and monitors,” President of Local 509 L.D. Fletcher said in a statement...