Today's Teamster News 01.23.14

Midwest Foods Warehouse Workers Choose Teamsters  teamstersjc25.com   ...Thirty distribution employees and drivers at Midwest Foods overwhelmingly voted to join Teamsters Local 703, which negotiated a strong, new five-year contract for their newest members... 
N.Y. Teamsters Join Anti-Fast Track Fight  teamster.org   ...The Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 553 in New York City, spoke out Tuesday against legislation that would force a quick up-or-down vote on bum trade deals like the TPP...
Unions coalesce against ‘paycheck protection’ legislation  Pennsylvania Independent   ...Unions across Pennsylvania are fighting a proposal that would end the practice of automatically deducting dues from public workers’ paychecks. The plan squelches the voice of organized labor, the labor groups say...
Thievery: How Congress Keeps Stealing From Our Retirement Benefits and Social Safety Net   AlterNet...Military pensions, unemployment, disability and Social Security are all targets...
Labor, business interests debate Missouri 'right to work' legislation  Colombia Missourian   ...Labor and business representatives turned out in large numbers Tuesday morning in the second public hearing for House Bills 1053 and 1143, popularly known as the "right to work" bills...
No, It’s About Profits, Not “Free Speech”  NH Labor News   ...Don’t be fooled. Tueday's Supreme Court hearing in Harris v. Quinn was about corporate profits – the cold, hard cash that employers can save when they break their workers’ union...
BP Employees, Outraged by Lack of Compensation, Warn Oil Spill Victims  Truthout   ...Long-term employees accuse oil giant BP of greed, exploitation and lying about their pensions...
Public Employees Are Transforming the Workplace  Jobs With Justice   ...As the 2014 state legislative sessions commence, an increasing number of elected officials have declared open season on public employees and their unions. Yet examples abound of productive labor-management relations in the public sector—even in the wake of government agencies reeling from the Great Recession...
NSA sets dangerous global trend for surveillance  The Raw Story   ...The U.S. is setting a dangerous example for the world with its sweeping surveillance programmes, giving governments an excuse for mass censorship of online communications, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report Tuesday...
Housing costs are killing the American Dream  Moyers & Company   ...Historically, economic and geographic mobility have been intertwined. Studies have shown that the number one reason that people pick up and move to another community is for work:. But something has happened. In the 1980s, we began to stay put...
West Virginia Governor On Safety Of Water Supply: ‘It’s Your Decision… I’m Not A Scientist’   ThinkProgress   ...Amid growing concern over whether or not West Virginia's water is actually safe, the state's governor said it was up to residents to decide whether they use it...
Company that contaminated WV water supply reaches bankruptcy deal, bemoans 'perception' problem
DailyKos   ...The spill is causing the spiller a "perception" problem...
The Myth of the Absent Black Father  ThinkProgress   ...CDC research dispels prevailing assumptions about black fathers, they're more involved with their children's lives than previously thought...
New study reveals major gaps in FDA’s ‘regulatory flexibility’  The Raw Story   ...Consumers may expect that medical treatments approved for the US market are safe and thoroughly tested, but a study out Tuesday said that is not always the case...
Ownership of WaPo by CIA Contractor Puts U.S. Journalism in Dangerous Terrain  The Real News   ...Norman Solomon: There is a major conflict of interest in the ownership of The Washington Post by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who holds a $600 million contract with the CIA...
Senator Warren: Let students refinance their loans  Associated Press   ...U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is planning to file a bill to let students refinance their old loans at a new lower rate...
Slumping Intel to cut more than 5,000 jobs in 2014  Associated Press   ...Intel plans to trim more than 5,000 jobs from its workforce this year in an effort to boost its earnings amid waning demand for its personal computer chips...
Texas Instruments cutting 1,100 jobs; 4Q profit up  Seattle Post-Intelligencer ...Chipmaker Texas Instruments Inc. said Tuesday that it will cut 1,100 jobs worldwide, about 3 percent of its workforce, to trim costs and will reduce its investments in certain markets...

Today's Teamster News 11.15.13

Teamsters Support Walmart Strikers   teamster.org   ...Teamsters are out front supporting Walmart worker protests in the run-up to the nationwide strike planned for Friday, Nov. 29, or Black Friday. Walmart workers want respect, a living wage and the right to form a union...
Teamsters Support 'SAFE SKIES ACT Of 2013  teamster.org   ...The Teamsters Union applauds today’s re-introduction of the ‘Safe Skies Act of 2013’ by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The bill would bring air cargo and supplemental pilots under the same safety regulations as air passenger pilots, standardizing rules within the industry...
Teamsters Condemn Cab Commission's Denying Driver Time To Speak At Public Meeting  DCist   ...At yesterday's extremely chaotic D.C. Taxicab Commission meeting, which was attended by over one hundred city cabbies, a driver without copies of his testimony for the commissioners was told he could not speak...
Maine Teamsters Endorse Michaud For Governor, Jackson For Congress  Teamsters Local 340   ...Teamsters Local 340 in South Portland, Maine announced that its executive board unanimously voted to endorse both Rep. Mike Michaud (D-2nd District) in his run for governor and State Senator Troy Jackson who is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by Michaud...
Hoffa: Lawmakers Increasingly Realize Fast Track Is a Fraud  Huffington Post   ...The Teamsters for years have been an outspoken critic of fast-track trade authorization which allows bad proposed trade agreements to move through Congress on just a quick up-or-down vote. And in the last week, we were joined by 185 House lawmakers who feel the same way...
The more you know about the odious Trans-Pacific Partnership, the less you’ll like it  The Guardian   ...That is why it's been negotiated in secret meetings dominated by governments and corporations...
US trade deficit widened 8% in September  Associated Press   ...imports increased to the highest level in 10 months while exports slipped. The wider gap suggests growth was somewhat slower over the summer than previously estimated...
US mobility for young adults falls to 50-year low  Associated Press   ...Among adults ages 25-29, just 4.9 million, or 23.3 percent, moved in the 12 months ending March 2013. That's down from 24.6 percent in the same period the year before. It was the lowest level since at least 1963. The peak of 36.7 percent came in 1965, during the nation's youth counterculture movement...
Facebook and Microsoft help fund rightwing lobby network, report finds  The Guardian   ...State Policy Network rejects climate change, opposes workers' rights – and is backed by some top US tech and telecoms firms...
Koch-backed nonprofit spent record cash in 2012  Center for Public Integrity   ...Americans for Prosperity — the main political arm of billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch — spent a staggering $122 million last year as it unsuccessfully attempted to defeat President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, according to a Center for Public Integrity review of documents filed in Colorado...
How McDonald's And Walmart Became Welfare Queens  Bloomberg   ...It seems that welfare queens are back in the news these days. This time, they are even bigger, richer and less deserving of taxpayer support...
An example of how the banking cartels control countries  the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens   ...The biggest private banks created a complex financial environment with complex financial destructive "tools" which governments are unable to manage. Governments are forced to turn to the same banks for "advising services" while they are flooded with former bank executives placed in key positions. This explains why the biggest private banks receive bailout packages of billions at the expense of taxpayers, loading governments with more debt...
Justices grill lawyers over neutrality agreements between employers and unions  Washington Post   ...Supreme Court justices seemed reluctant Wednesday to disallow a type of agreement between employers and unions that has become increasingly important to the labor movement as it tries to grow its ranks...
Poverty Is America's #1 Education Problem (opinion)  AlterNet   ...Teachers' unions are not the reason America's schools are in trouble...
Troubled Youth Prison Company Wins Even More Contracts  Huffington Post   ...Despite voluminous evidence that inmates have suffered violence, sexual abuse and neglect inside the facilities of a private juvenile prison operator, the state of Florida has in recent weeks awarded fresh contracts to the company...
Lockheed to cut 4,000 jobs as U.S. government spending wanes  Reuters   ...Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp said on Thursday it plans to cut 4,000 jobs, or more than 3 percent of its worldwide workforce, to cope with declines in U.S. spending...
Swiss voters likely to reject salary cap bill for executives  Raw Story   ...Swiss voters look set to reject a law to rein in executive pay in a looming referendum, with a poll released Wednesday showing only around a third back the plan...
German union's incoming boss warns VW about avoiding unions  Reuters   ...The incoming leader of an influential German union warned Volkswagen AG on Wednesday about trying to avoid unions in Tennessee, where the German automaker has an assembly plant...
Giant, Safeway workers authorize possible strike   Washington Post   ...Unionized employees at Washington area Safeway and Giant Food stores voted Wednesday to authorize a strike against the grocery chains if the two parties fail to agree on a new contract...
Any proposal to ban BART workers from striking is not a simple matter (opinion)  San Francisco Examiner   ...The California Supreme Court has gone back and forth on whether public-sector employees, such as these BART workers last month, are allowed to walk off the job...
Boeing machinists soundly reject labor deal Reuters   ...Boeing machinists soundly rejected an eight-year labor contract extension on Wednesday that would have let them build the company's newest jetliner in Washington, a historic decision that could forever alter the course of Boeing's 97-year presence in the state...

Today's Teamster News 10.07.13

US shutdown is starting to hit business, says Commerce Secretary  BBC News   ...On Friday, the US defence contractor Lockheed Martin said it would put 3,000 workers on unpaid leave...
Progressives and Working Families Rally Against 'Chained' CPI and Other Safety Net Cuts  AFL-CIO Now   ...progressive members of Congress and working families are looking ahead to fight against any proposed grand "bargain" that would include benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare...
Mount Rushmore blockage stirs anger in South Dakota  Argus Leader   ...The National Park Service placed cones along highway viewing areas outside Mount Rushmore this week, barring visitors from pulling over and taking pictures of the famed monument...
Truthdigger of the Week: Lori Wallach  Truthdig   ...The extreme want of coverage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in even the independent, alternative press is a testament to the near-complete domination of politics and the news media by transnational corporate interests...
Man sets self on fire on National Mall  Associated Press   ..."I heard from people around me that he was yelling something about voting rights...[He] poured the gas can on his head and lit himself on fire.," describes witness...
Mugged by a Mug Shot Online  New York Times   ...for-profit Web sites, with names like Mugshots, BustedMugshots and JustMugshots ... routinely show up high in Google searches ... The ostensible point of these sites is to give the public a quick way to glean the unsavory history of a neighbor, a potential date or anyone else. That sounds civic-minded, until you consider one way most of these sites make money: by charging a fee to remove the image. That fee can be anywhere from $30 to $400, or even higher...
Now Mastercard Wants Your Fingerprints  zero hedge   ...MasterCard is joining the FIDO Alliance, signaling that the payment network is getting interested in using fingerprints and other biometric data to identify people for online payments...
Home Care Workers Vote To Unionize  Vermont Public Radio   ...Organizers say a vote to unionize by home care workers marks the largest unionizing effort in Vermont. It’s estimated there are 7,000 home care workers in the state. Now, as part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, they will negotiate with the state over issues like pay, hours and benefits...
Bloomington GE workers protest job cuts  ABC News Channel 6   ...By the end of October, 160 workers at Bloomington's General Electric refrigerator plant will be out of jobs, and dozens of workers were outside the plant Saturday protesting the company's decision...

Global TPP fears are on the rise

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is raising concerns not only in the U.S., but increasingly abroad as well. The reason is a familiar one to working Americans who have sounded the alarm about the potential trade pact -- jobs.

At a public hearing held today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to discuss the TPP, attendees raised fears that the “free trade” agreement was just an attempt by the U.S. to dominate the economies of the 11 other nations currently negotiating the agreement.  They worried that smaller businesses would be stamped out and many jobs lost.

That message was not lost on the nation’s leaders. Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohammad, Malaysia’s international trade minister, said the negative mood was apparent:

I respect it because the reason we are doing this is to listen, and to be a good listener, we have to respect people’s views. I recognize that a lot more will have to be done to engage the public on TPPA.

It’s just the latest example of a growing movement against the Pacific Rim trade deal in that country. Last month, Tun Dr Mahathir,Malaysia’s former prime minister, voiced his opposition to the TPP, calling it:

A partnership of the unequal, of the strong to take advantage of the weak.

Malaysians are not alone in that belief. Earlier this year, Chile’s former chief TPP negotiator also called out the trade pact, describing it as a threat to all involved nations. He said it would limit options when it came to health and education developments, as well as biological and cultural diversity. He also said nations’ economic and policy decision-making would be curtailed as well.

Growing pessimism, however, doesn’t seem to be stalling efforts to move forward with finalizing the TPP. The 12 involved nations have set four deadlines for reaching a consensus on eliminating tariffs and want to have a basic agreement in place by the end of October. It is expected that bilateral negotiations will be wrapped up by Sept. 20. The next round of talks is set to begin Aug. 22 in Brunei.

The clock is ticking on this agreement. Workers across the globe are waking up to the reality that this deal is a loser for them but a major coup for corporations. Now it’s time to let elected officials know we are onto the game.

Here in the U.S., we’ve seen this before with such deals as NAFTA. No one is against trade, just unfair trade. It’s time to stop letting big corporations ship our jobs overseas and dump our wages and benefits overboard along the way.

The first step is to convince Congress that approving an up-or-down vote on the TPP with no chance to alter the deal and limited debate is a net loser. Lawmakers will likely take up the issue soon after returning to Washington next month.

Congress, the ball's in your court. Don't drop it.

Today's Teamster News 08.12.12

Paul Ryan Wants to Destroy Social Security & Medicare  Economic Populist   ...If you think the middle class has it too good, too much security, taxes aren't high enough, not enough fear of unemployment, too much help for education, and so on, while the wealthy haven't been coddled enough in recent years, not enough tax cuts, too little upward redistribution of income, not enough bank bailouts, etc., etc., then the Republican proposals should make you happy...
In Philly, organized labor rallies for workers  Associated Press   ...Labor leaders, politicians and some union members at the "Workers Stand for America" rally drew applause as they portrayed a middle class being squeezed and called for a second "Bill of Rights" that would guarantee full employment and a "living wage," quality education, health care and security in retirement as well as collective bargaining...
The Greatest Election-Stealing Conspiracy in US History  Guardian   ...We're looking at an election doomsday scenario that could eclipse any political scandal in American history...
U.S. Justice Department alleges violations of students' rights in Meridian, Miss., schools  Times-Picayune   ...Officials in east Mississippi operate a "school-to-prison pipeline" that incarcerates students for disciplinary infractions as minor as dress code violations with a policy that affects mostly black and disabled children, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday...
Owner knew what it was getting into with Deluxe  Statesman Journal ...Shame on you, Foster Farms. Teamsters Local 324 will continue to fight for a severance that is just for those affected employees and will continue to search for viable solutions and alternatives to a complete closure...
Hoffa Statement on Romney Choice of Paul Ryan  IBT   ..."By choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney is doubling down on his campaign to make the American middle class poorer so the rich can get richer...

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/11/4716836/hoffa-statement-on-romney-choice.html#storylink=cpy

Owner knew what it was getting into with Deluxe  Statesman Journal   ...Shame on you, Foster Farms. Teamsters Local 324 will continue to fight for a severance that is just for those affected employees and will continue to search for viable solutions and alternatives to a complete closure...

Today's Teamster News 09.21.11

Cautionary lessons from Michigan  New York Times   ...Jennifer M. Granholm, the former Democratic governor of the state, (said) ... “Laissez-faire, passivity, tax cuts, hands-off does not work. And, really, that’s the lesson from this laboratory of democracy which is Michigan...”
Kasich on public employees: "we are at war with these people"  Plunderbund   ...Right now we don’t have absolute proof that Kasich said “we are at war with these people (i.e. public employees)” or that he promised to bring back parts of SB5 after it’s defeated, or that he promised to use the legislature to “ram it through”, but these statements are consistent with things Kasich has said in the past and it seems highly likely that Kasich would say something like this again, especially in a room full of people he thought were friendly to his agenda...
Walker Latest Scheme: Public Can Pay $50 to Hear His Job Ideas  One Wisconsin Now   ...Gov. Scott Walker, facing a steadily-increasing state unemployment rate despite passing $2.3 billion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, has announced his latest scheme: charge the public $50 to attend a state-sponsored “jobs summit.” Walker’s fee will likely restrict public access, particularly the unemployed and those in need of jobs...
FBI Raid's Target Was Point Person for Scott Walker's Anti-Labor Program  The Nation   ...That person? Cynthia Archer, the subject of last week’s FBI raid, which removed a crate of documents from her Madison home, collected her computer’s hard drive and revealed to most Wisconsinites that a “Joe Doe” probe has targeted key aides to Walker during his service as county executive and governor....
NH State Rep: Right to Work Bill is "Absolute Hogwash"  We Party Patriots   ...Democrat Christopher Serlin...(said) Sponsors would have the public believe RTW laws are about “choice”, “freedom” and “equity”. That’s absolute hogwash....
Sikorsky's 'Worldwide' Cuts Will Mostly Hit Connecticut  Hartford Courant   ...The helicopter-maker will cut 567 jobs around the world, with 419 in Connecticut, and 384 of those are union workers ...The Teamsters union confirmed the proposed cuts that would affect its ranks...

Today's Teamster News 08.22.11

Verizon strike to end but talks to continue  Priyo.com   ...About 45,000 Verizon Communications employees are set to end a two-week strike and return to work by Tuesday after the telephone company and unions said they reached an agreement to resume bargaining...
Kasich: Obama needs to show ‘leadership’ to save the economy  The Hill   ... “There’s just no substitute for leadership from the President of the United States,” said Kasich as he delivered the Republican weekly address...
Private JobsOhio move will cost 211 state jobs  Associated Press   ...Gov. John Kasich said Thursday that his effort to privatize Ohio's job-creation functions will mean about 200 fewer state jobs as many parts of the state Department of Development are shut down and moved to the nonprofit JobsOhio...
Legal fees soar for Wisconsin taxpayers over bargaining, redistricting  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The Capitol battles over union bargaining and political redistricting proposals have paid off for one group: politically connected GOP lawyers...
Rick Scott's Emails Magically Go Missing  Broward-Palm Beach New Times   ...St. Petersburg Times' Capitol reporter Michael C. Bender ... says his paper requested the documents in January, and yesterday -- which was August 18 -- Scott's office decided to let him know that they're pretty sure all those emails they requested were deleted in January...
Snyder wants fast review of emergency manager law  Lansing State Journal   ...The revised law, signed by Snyder in March, lets emergency managers strip power from locally elected leaders and scrap union contracts...

Today's Teamster News 07.25.11

Republican tactics hurt democracy (opinion)  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...There is a trend under way throughout the country and in Wisconsin for the party in power to use its position to pass laws that have as their goal keeping that party in power...
State workers to rally today in Detroit over possible concessions  Detroit News   ...State employees are to rally outside Cadillac Place in Detroit at noon today amid talk of possible layoffs as negotiations begin Tuesday on $145 million in concessions sought by Gov. Rick Snyder's administration...
Right-to-work debate considered  Nashua Telegraph   ...Windham Republican Rep. David Bates is trying to bring together the warring factions for a debate on the right-to-work issue...
Think you have a tough job? Try being Rick Scott's lawyer  St. Petersburg Times   ...As a defendant in at least seven lawsuits since he took office in January, Scott could be the most sued governor in Florida history...
Miller is Tasteless, Says Sacramento Community at State Fair  Teamsters Joint Council 7   ...More than 100 members of Teamster Local Unions 150 and 439 converged on the California State Fair today to provide information to the public about the greedy business practices of DBI Beverage, the distributor of MillerCoors products in Northern California...
Is Indiana really as rosy as Gov. Daniels believes?  (opinion)  nwi.com   ...Median income is falling -- by 15 percent in the last decade. The real unemployment rate, which includes those too discouraged to look for work, stood at 17.4 percent last year...

Today's Teamster News 07.22.11

Plain Talk: 101-year-old disgusted with Walker's voter ID law  The Cap Times   ...“Are Scott Walker and his followers deliberately making it difficult for the elderly, disabled, poor and young to vote? My mother thinks so..."
SB 5 outlook looks grim in latest poll  Columbus Dispatch   ...Ohio's collective-bargaining law would be crushed out of existence if the vote were today, a new poll shows...
Ability to pay is top factor in labor disputes  Detroit Free Press   ...A local government's ability to pay will be the top factor an arbitrator considers when settling labor disputes involving police and fire departments under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder...
N.H. GOP struggles to stay afloat  Politico   ...At one point recently, the party had just $1,300 in its federal account, according to local reports, prompting its finance chairman, Bill Binnie, to hold a meeting of party leaders last week to discuss the situation...
N.J. unions halted donations for legislators before vote to overhaul pensions, benefits  NJ.com   ...Three major public worker unions’ committees stopped donating to state lawmakers while the legislators — who face elections in November — were preparing to vote on a landmark overhaul of pensions and health benefits...
Layoffs Deepen Gloom  Wall Street Journal   ...Companies are laying off employees at a level not seen in nearly a year, hobbling the job market and intensifying fears about the pace of the economic recovery...  

Today's Teamster News 07.14.11

Wisconsin Democrats say likely to recall governor in 2012  Reuters   ...Wisconsin Democrats are increasingly confident that efforts to recall the state's Republican governor in 2012 will succeed, a top official said on Wednesday...
Referendum Petition Drive To Overturn Parts Of HB 194 Begins  ProgressOhio   ...State Legislators, voting rights advocates, labor unions, progressive organizations, and concerned citizens across the State of Ohio have begun a referendum petition drive to overturn parts of a measure passed by the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature. HB 194 would limit access to voting...
Impacts from Minnesota shutdown piling up  USA Today   ...an ever-increasing number of state employees, businesses and non-profits are feeling the consequences of the stalemate over how to solve the state's $5 billion deficit...
Florida GOP effort to boost Scott's image not working according to Sunshine State poll  Palm Beach Post   ...A poll released Wednesday by the usually right-leaning Sunshine State News shows Republican Gov. Rick Scott's approval rating at 27 percent among Floridians...
Key component of YRC-Teamsters plan okayed   Today's Trucking   ...Embattled LTL carrier YRC got the green light from the Teamsters and lenders for an asset-based lending (ABL) agreement that would maintain operational funding to keep the company afloat...
Dunmore distributor closing in September; 200 jobs lost  (Local 229)  citizensvoice.com   ...Ocean Logistics notified state officials on Tuesday its warehouse will cease operations by Sept. 25 at the Keystone Industrial Park...

BMW trashes US workers after getting loans from Fed

BMW Rally from Alas Media on Vimeo.


Literally. The company is trying to treat these long-time employees like so much trash to be thrown into the street. Earlier this month, BMW told 65 Teamsters that on Aug. 31, the day their contract expires, their jobs will be outsourced to a third party (which probably uses misclassified independent contractors).

Teamsters held a rally next week. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported,

About 150 employees, Teamsters union representatives and their family members blocked a portion of Lowell Street across from the center.

Some supporters waved American flags.

Others held up signs that read "BMW declares war on workers" and "BMW destroys good American jobs."...

"This is an attack on American workers," said Rigo Tirado, president of the Teamsters Local Union 495, which represents the affected warehouse employees.

To add insult to injury, the German carmaker got low-interest loans from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Their corporate tool spokesperson artfully denies the company got TARP money, but that's not what the Teamsters allege. Randy Cammack, president of Teamsters Joint Council 42, got it exactly right when he said BMW got bailed out with secret low-interest loans from the Fed

...and in exchange, they mock America’s laws and try to destroy working families.

Local 495 in Los Angeles is committed to the long, hard fight to save their jobs. Watch the video.

Today's Teamster News 05.29.11

DOJ asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling invalidating collective bargaining changes  WisPolitics Budget Blog   ...The state Department of Justice today asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling invalidating the collective bargaining changes, charging a Dane County judge exceeded her authority in issuing the ruling....
Public officials, employees speak out against state budget, SB 5  Lancaster Eagle Gazette   ...The officials on Thursday said they are confident Senate Bill 5 will be overturned by voters in November, and they don’t see it as providing sufficient tools for local governments to balance their budgets....
Governor creates fake enthusiasm - but not jobs  (opinion) The Palm Beach Post   ...Scott's overall job approval rate is down to 29 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week...
Gov signs new Fla. budget but vetoes $615M first  Bloomberg   ... The austere spending plan is expected to result in layoffs for hundreds if not thousands of public employees, including teachers. A new retirement provision also will effectively cut the pay of those who still have jobs...
End of pension exemption is biggest change to tax code  Detroit News   ...Direct taxation on business activity will fall about $1.1 billion in 2012, and $1.6 billion in 2013, say legislative analysts...
Group collecting signatures to recall governor  WZZM   ...Critics are one step closer to recalling Governor Snyder...

Today's Teamster News 05.27.11

State Senate limits collective bargaining rights; approves $30.5b budget  Boston Globe   ...The Massachusetts Senate voted tonight to curb the collective bargaining rights of police officers, teachers, and other municipal employees, making it likely the overwhelming Democratic state will limit union power in an effort to ease budget woes...
Judge Voids Wisconsin Law Curbing Unions  New York Times  ...Some Democrats could flee the state again, and some Republican senators are facing recall elections...
Ohio schools cut jobs anticipating funding cuts  Associated Press   ...Ohio school districts already are cutting thousands of jobs in anticipation of losing funding in the upcoming state budget, as unions and other education groups lobby hard at the Statehouse to get some of it restored...
Collective bargaining bill revived for June 2 hearing  Portland Daily Sun  ...A Thursday, June 2 public hearing on a controversial "right-to-work" bill in Augusta could be a prelude to quick passage of a piece of Maine legislation that critics say is similar to what happened with collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin...
Bully House speaker shows his true colors  Seacoast Online   ... O'Brien retreated to wait for a time when the numbers in the House chamber are stacked in his favor. He and his leadership team are literally going to wait until enough Democrats or anti-Right to Work Republicans are away and then, when they think they have the numbers, they'll call the vote...
Massive corporate tax cut becomes law in Michigan  The American Independent   ...Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation which eliminates the state’s Michigan Business Tax and Surcharge, replacing it with a six percent tax on businesses...

Today's Teamster News 04.29.11

Benton Harbor protest against emergency manager  WZZM-13   ...Hundreds of people gathered in Benton Harbor Wednesday to protest Michigan's emergency financial manager law...
Black caucus plans federal case against Emergency Manager law  Michigan Messenger   ...The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus is working with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), and others on a lawsuit to challenge Michigan’s Emergency Manager law...
MU says video distorted labor professors’ meaning  Kansas City Star   ...Videos released on the Internet showing two University of Missouri instructors advocating union violence totally distorted their comments, a university official said this afternoon...
Afraid To Face Angry Voters, Rep. Paul Ryan Sneaks Out a Back Door  Crooks and Liars   ...Paul Ryan is flipping out that town hall attendees aren't going to follow his command to "play nice" in front of the media....
Shadow Right Wing Policy Group Holds Summit in Cincinnati  Progress Ohio   ...They meet in secret. They write our laws. And they want us silent...
Teachers union sues Otter, Luna over reform law  Idaho Statesman   ...Members of Idaho's statewide teachers union have filed a lawsuit against the state, the governor and Idaho's public schools chief over a new law that phases out teacher tenure and wipes out collective bargaining over salaries and benefits...
Oregon Unions Put Their Fists in the Air  Willamette Week   ...Raising their fists and chanting, “Good jobs for all, ” about 2,500 Oregon union members and their supporters packed Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square today to protest stagnant job growth and government budget cuts...
Philly schools may cut nearly 1,300 teachers jobs  Associated Press   ...The Philadelphia public schools will have to cut 3,800 jobs—including almost 1,300 teachers—if the governor's planned budget cuts are approved, the district's budget chief said Wednesday...