Teamsters National Black Caucus Celebrates Its Fifth Annual Women’s Day IBT ...At the beginning of the TNBC’s fifth annual Women’s Day, a special tribute to the late Coretta Scott King, a Freedom Fighter and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was the highlight of the morning. In Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Civil Rights movement, a sea of red shirts filled the hotel ballroom as TNBC delegates observed Women’s Day with inspiring speeches, recognitions and a special luncheon...
Teamsters Mourn the Deaths of UPS Flight Crew in Recent Crash IBT ...The Teamsters Union extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the pilots lost in the crash of UPS Flight 1354 on Aug. 14...
The Union Edge Reports on Teamsters Paratransit Organizing Union Edge ...Teamsters are driving up standards in the school bus and transit industry, with a notable win for workers at Keolis, a global transit company. The Union Edge radio program interviews Patrick Kelly, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 952 in Orange, Calif., and Kizza Doby, a paratransit driver with Keolis. Doby and his Keolis coworkers recently came together to join Local 952. Listen here...
Transit restoration plan presented, citizens vocal about impact of Teamsters strike Lake County Record-Bee ...Dana Spahn sat in her wheelchair across from the Lake Transit Board of Directors with the adjustable microphone as low as it went and talked about the difficulties of getting around the county without a bus running near her Lakeport home. Spahn, like many people, have been impacted by the labor dispute between Paratransit Services and Teamsters Local 665...
Whitaker expands police force while Teamster negotiations continue Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ...The Whitaker council in Pennsylvania hired three new part-time police officers on Wednesday, but some residents remain skeptical that the move will make a difference in combatting crime. Meanwhile, the borough's police contract negotiations with Teamsters Local 205 are still underway…
No E-ZPass? You could pay more under new plan Telegram & Gazette ...A proposed $100 million electronic tolling system would charge a higher rate for drivers who don't use a transponder when traveling on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Teamsters Local 127 represents the turnpike's toll collectors...
The Free-Trade Job-Loss Express Is Coming Straight At Us TradeReform ...The giant multinationals are pushing a trade deal that will literally let them bypass our laws. ..
MBAs Without Borders In These Times ...Critics of the TPP, which is shaping up to be the most business-friendly trade agreement in American history, have taken to calling it “NAFTA on steroids...
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds Washington Post ...The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents...
Congressman Doesn’t Believe White Collar Crime On Wall Street Exists ThinkProgress ...There’s no such thing as financial crime, according to Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)...
Food Stamps Avoided By Millions Of Eligible Americans Huffington Post ...Republicans say too many Americans that receive food stamps fraudulently could just get jobs instead. But roughly a quarter of Americans eligible for federal nutrition assistance don't sign up for it. The Department of Agriculture says that in 2010, nearly 51 million Americans were poor enough to qualify but only 38 million received benefits. So why don't the rest enroll?...
To Preserve Social Security, Protect Voting Rights (opinion) Huffington Post ...It's no coincidence that the same folks out to restrict voting rights are busy trying to privatize Social Security. The Koch and corporate funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been promoting politicians who practice voter suppression and Safety Net shredding for years now...
Study finds that student loan debt reduces lifetime wealth
Bay State Banner ...A new research report on America’s still-growing student loan debt found that its financial effects can last a lifetime. According to the report, 39 million Americans have used student loans to fund college education. An education debt of $53,000 will lead to a $208,000 lifetime loss of wealth...
Corporate welfare, alive and well Los Angeles Times ...Big, wealthy mall developer Westfield Group is typical of businesses that get tax breaks by the boatload from L.A. County. That means millions in foregone revenue that could pay for schools and parks...
Wal-Mart Air Fleet Gets Taxpayer Support for Controllers Bloomberg News ...U.S. taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab for the control tower at an airport that’s home to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)’s corporate fleet, at a time lawmakers say they want to ban perks for hometown interests...
Court strikes down required Michigan worker pay contribution to pensions Detroit News ... The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled the Legislature’s attempt to require 17,800 state employees to contribute 4 percent of their earnings to the state’s pension plan is unconstitutional…
China cheats, Indiana loses (opinion) NWI Times ...We’re five years past the onset of the Great Recession. Right now, the stock market is booming, and unemployment has inched down to its lowest level since the crisis began. So why, despite gaudy Dow Jones data and assurances that an 8.4 percent jobless rate in Indiana isn’t a real concern, does this economic recovery feel like such a drag?...
Scott Walker Has 3 Grannies and a 14 Year Old Girl Arrested for Singing In Wisconsin Politicususa ...Gov. Scott Walker is now arresting the elderly and children for singing protest songs about him in Wisconsin...
North Carolina Hates the Legislature It's Stuck With Atlantic Wire ...When Republicans assumed control of the North Carolina legislature in 2010 and the governorship last year, few predicted the result: a sharply conservative turn on key policies and an attempt to entrench the party's advantage. A story in The New York Times and a recent poll show that voters are largely unhappy with the moves...
Two banks' payday-advance lending draws scrutiny Sun Sentinel ...A move by two of Florida's largest banks into the payday-advance-loan business is drawing fire from consumer groups worried about "predatory" lending by offering customers the kinds of short-term, high-cost loans historically associated with storefront payday-lending businesses...
Connecticut city council passes resolution opposing Koch buy of newspaper Wichita Business Journal ...The city council in Hartford, Conn., passed a resolution this week opposing the idea of a Koch brothers' takeover of their local newspaper, the Hartford Courant...
Showing posts with label paratransit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paratransit. Show all posts
Friday, August 16, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Today's Teamster News 08.07.13
Keolis Paratransit Workers Choose Teamsters Union IBT ...Paratransit drivers and mechanics with Keolis, a global transportation group in Long Beach, Calif., have voted overwhelmingly, 74-2, in favor of Teamster representation...
SCI Regressively Bargains With Striking Funeral Directors As Negotiations Continue IBT ...More than a month after Chicagoland funeral directors and drivers were forced to strike over unfair labor practices, Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) resumed negotiations with Teamsters Local 727 only to regressively bargain...
Teamster Nurses Voting on New Contract WKBN News ...Nurses at Northside Hospital, who are members of Teamsters Local 377 in Youngstown, Ohio, began voting on a new contract Tuesday...
Hernando commissioners, Teamsters set to meet on CBA Bay News 9 ...A collective bargaining session will be held later this month between Hernando Commissioners (Florida) and Teamsters Local 79...
L.A. Story The American Prospect ...The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy: a new model for American liberalism?..
FBI Pressuring Internet Providers To Allow Government Surveillance Software Fire Dog Lake ...The FBI is pressuring Internet service providers to install software inside their networks to allow real-time government spying on users. The FBI claims real-time collection of information is suddenly necessary for the agency to do its job...
TEN THOUSAND turn out to protest GOP in Asheville, NC DailyKos ...There are plans for future protests in other cities (Charlotte is tentatively August 19) and it appears some smaller satellite protests are happening around the country...
Walmart retaliates against striking workers (opinion) Digital Journal ...In June, Walmart workers around the country walked off the job in a coordinated strike to protest working conditions at the nation's number one private employer. In a fit of revenge wreaking of a Hollywood sequel, Walmart has begun terminating employees...
SEIU backs $15 an hour minimum wage MSNBC ...“We support the workers demand for $15 an hour and want to hear from the most profitable multinational companies in the world, why not?” said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry...
The Magical World Where McDonald's Pays $15 an Hour? It's Australia The Atlantic ...Even in countries with a high minimum wage, the golden arches manage to turn a profit. Here's how...
What it costs to replace a twenty-something Washington Post ...Oh, those pesky millennials. They’re been called entitled, lazy and over-confident. They seem to put social media right up there with food, water and shelter. They have–gasp–tattoos and piercings and sleep with their cell phones. Oh my! And now, it turns out, they’re also quite costly to replace on the job...
How cheap 'Made in China' products hurt the US economy in multiple ways New York Times ...Here is a symbol of China's assault on the US economy: the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. This landmark, which opened in 1964, is North America's longest suspension bridge. It's also in urgent need of renovation. Unfortunately, $34 million in steel production and fabrication work has been outsourced to China...
How predatory payday lenders pop back up even after states crack down Pro Publica ...In 2008, payday lenders suffered a major defeat when the Ohio legislature banned high-cost loans. That same year, they lost again when they dumped more than $20 million into an effort to roll back the law: But five years later, hundreds of payday loan stores still operate in Ohio, charging annual rates that can approach 700 percent...
US gov’t accuses Bank of America of civil fraud in sale of $850M of mortgage bonds in 2008 Associated Press ...The U.S. government has accused Bank of America Corp. of civil fraud, saying the company failed to disclose risks and misled investors in its sale of $850 million of mortgage bonds during 2008...
Stat of the Day: US Has Enough Empty Houses to Hold All of Britain treehugger ...According to the latest data, the number of vacant U.S. homes touched 18.7-million in the second quarter...
Chevron to pay $2 million for refinery violations Contra Costa Times ...Chevron Corp. will pay $2 million in fines and restitution after pleading no contest Monday to six misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from a fire at its Richmond refinery last year...
Groups Charge ALEC with Tax Fraud over Secretive "Scholarship" Fund PRWatch ...The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is running a secretive, multi-million dollar slush fund that finances lavish trips for state legislators and has misled the Internal Revenue Service about the fund’s activity, two government watchdog groups charged...
State employees get some protections in bill, but grievance procedures shortened News & Observer ...North Carolina’s Gov. Pat McCrory is expected to sign a bill that speeds up the employee grievance process for state workers but backs away from earlier efforts to sharply curtail their civil service protections...
Judge Strikes Down City Council's Prevailing Wage Bill NY1 ...The mayor had vetoed the legislation that requires businesses which receive at least $1 million from the city to pay workers at a rate higher than the state's minimum wage...
SCI Regressively Bargains With Striking Funeral Directors As Negotiations Continue IBT ...More than a month after Chicagoland funeral directors and drivers were forced to strike over unfair labor practices, Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) resumed negotiations with Teamsters Local 727 only to regressively bargain...
Teamster Nurses Voting on New Contract WKBN News ...Nurses at Northside Hospital, who are members of Teamsters Local 377 in Youngstown, Ohio, began voting on a new contract Tuesday...
Hernando commissioners, Teamsters set to meet on CBA Bay News 9 ...A collective bargaining session will be held later this month between Hernando Commissioners (Florida) and Teamsters Local 79...
L.A. Story The American Prospect ...The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy: a new model for American liberalism?..
FBI Pressuring Internet Providers To Allow Government Surveillance Software Fire Dog Lake ...The FBI is pressuring Internet service providers to install software inside their networks to allow real-time government spying on users. The FBI claims real-time collection of information is suddenly necessary for the agency to do its job...
TEN THOUSAND turn out to protest GOP in Asheville, NC DailyKos ...There are plans for future protests in other cities (Charlotte is tentatively August 19) and it appears some smaller satellite protests are happening around the country...
Walmart retaliates against striking workers (opinion) Digital Journal ...In June, Walmart workers around the country walked off the job in a coordinated strike to protest working conditions at the nation's number one private employer. In a fit of revenge wreaking of a Hollywood sequel, Walmart has begun terminating employees...
SEIU backs $15 an hour minimum wage MSNBC ...“We support the workers demand for $15 an hour and want to hear from the most profitable multinational companies in the world, why not?” said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry...
The Magical World Where McDonald's Pays $15 an Hour? It's Australia The Atlantic ...Even in countries with a high minimum wage, the golden arches manage to turn a profit. Here's how...
What it costs to replace a twenty-something Washington Post ...Oh, those pesky millennials. They’re been called entitled, lazy and over-confident. They seem to put social media right up there with food, water and shelter. They have–gasp–tattoos and piercings and sleep with their cell phones. Oh my! And now, it turns out, they’re also quite costly to replace on the job...
How cheap 'Made in China' products hurt the US economy in multiple ways New York Times ...Here is a symbol of China's assault on the US economy: the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. This landmark, which opened in 1964, is North America's longest suspension bridge. It's also in urgent need of renovation. Unfortunately, $34 million in steel production and fabrication work has been outsourced to China...
How predatory payday lenders pop back up even after states crack down Pro Publica ...In 2008, payday lenders suffered a major defeat when the Ohio legislature banned high-cost loans. That same year, they lost again when they dumped more than $20 million into an effort to roll back the law: But five years later, hundreds of payday loan stores still operate in Ohio, charging annual rates that can approach 700 percent...
US gov’t accuses Bank of America of civil fraud in sale of $850M of mortgage bonds in 2008 Associated Press ...The U.S. government has accused Bank of America Corp. of civil fraud, saying the company failed to disclose risks and misled investors in its sale of $850 million of mortgage bonds during 2008...
Stat of the Day: US Has Enough Empty Houses to Hold All of Britain treehugger ...According to the latest data, the number of vacant U.S. homes touched 18.7-million in the second quarter...
Chevron to pay $2 million for refinery violations Contra Costa Times ...Chevron Corp. will pay $2 million in fines and restitution after pleading no contest Monday to six misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from a fire at its Richmond refinery last year...
Groups Charge ALEC with Tax Fraud over Secretive "Scholarship" Fund PRWatch ...The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is running a secretive, multi-million dollar slush fund that finances lavish trips for state legislators and has misled the Internal Revenue Service about the fund’s activity, two government watchdog groups charged...
State employees get some protections in bill, but grievance procedures shortened News & Observer ...North Carolina’s Gov. Pat McCrory is expected to sign a bill that speeds up the employee grievance process for state workers but backs away from earlier efforts to sharply curtail their civil service protections...
Judge Strikes Down City Council's Prevailing Wage Bill NY1 ...The mayor had vetoed the legislation that requires businesses which receive at least $1 million from the city to pay workers at a rate higher than the state's minimum wage...
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Today's Teamster News 08.03.13
Teamsters, other unions strike deal with Pennsylvania Convention Center Daily News ...Trade union members who went on strike early yesterday morning at the Pennsylvania Convention Center over proposed changes to work rules reached an agreement with the center's officials last night that put them back on the job...
Support for Teamsters Local 542 Strikers Grows as Families Joint Picket Line CBS/El Centro, CA ... Despite the 106 degree heat, 60 paramedics and EMTs in Imperial County continue to walk the picket line 24/7 as they fight for a pay raise and better health benefits...
Members of Congress Join Mayor Emanuel, Gov. Quinn to Support Striking Teamster Funeral Directors IBT ...Three members of Congress have joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and more than a dozen state legislators in support of striking Teamster-represented funeral directors...
BLET, SMART Advance Rail Crew Size Legislation BLET ...The Transportation Division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation International Association (SMART) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET/IBT) have jointly announced that legislation requiring at least two crew members on all freight trains in the U.S. has been filed in Congress...
Paratransit to hire new personnel to replace striking Teamsters Lake County Record-Bee ...Paratransit Services personnel confirmed that they are hiring new permanent employees to replace workers who are currently on strike. About 25 Paratransit Services employees and Teamsters began the strike on Monday and has forced Lake Transit to reduce its services...
Study: Record Number 21 Million Young Adults Living With Parents CBSDC ...A new study from Pew Research finds that 36 percent of Millennials – young adults ages 18 to 31 – are living at their parents’ homes, the highest number in four decades. A record 21.6 million young adults were still living at home last year...
Flawed FBI Records Threaten Work Opportunities For Hundreds of Thousands of Job Seekers National Employment Law Project ...—A record 16.9 million FBI criminal background checks were run for employment or licensing purposes in 2012, a six-fold increase since 9/11. But serious flaws in the FBI records are jeopardizing work opportunities for hundreds of thousands of job seekers every year...
Swaps Probe Finds Banks Rigged Rate at Expense of Retirees Bloomberg ...U.S. investigators uncovered evidence that banks reaped millions of dollars in trading profits at the expense of companies and pension funds by manipulating a benchmark for interest-rate derivatives...
Banks Replacing Enron in Energy Incite Congress as Abuses Abound Bloomberg ...The U.S. government permitted Wall Street firms to expand in the energy industry a decade ago, when the collapse of Enron Corp. and its army of traders left a void in the market. The results aren’t pretty...
The Rule of Law in the Financial System (opinion) Credit Slips ...we cannot and will not see sufficient and durable financial regulatory reform without political reform...
Michigan Leads Nation in Massive Corporate Tax Breaks (The Untold Story of Detroit's Decline) The Real News ...Michigan leads the country with 29 mega corporate tax breaks, costing the state more than $7 billion and accounting for 12 percent of the megadeals nationwide...
Detroit automakers have right to object to Japan's currency manipulation (opinion) Detroit Free Press ...Last week, on the same day Japan finally jostled its way into the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks with the U.S. and 10 other nations, petitions signed by more than 80,000 autoworkers were sent to U.S. Congress members, urging that Japan be forced to stop rigging its currency to subsidize exports and keep out imports...
New labor movement emerges in Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Salon ...The legal protections that Walker took away were the fruits of decades of rank-and-file organizing, community partnership and direct action. What started in Wisconsin — which became the first state to recognize public sector unions in 1959 — is, after 2011, starting again...
What We Don’t Know about Foreclosure Practices May Still Hurt Us The Gilmer Mirror ...We already know that federal regulators have undermined accountability for the abuses by mortgage servicing companies. In another disturbing development, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) are refusing to turn over information to members of Congress that could help them prevent such abuses from happening again...
IMF pressures Spain to weaken labor laws CBS News ...Currently, 26.3 percent of the nation's workforce is unemployed, down from an all-time high of 27.2 in the first quarter of 2013.The IMF called on Madrid to give more flexibility to employers when it comes to hiring and firing by reducing the legal requirements for temporary and permanent workers...
Greece: Anti-austerity protesters take campaign to Acropolis site in Athens Associated Press ...Greek civil servants protesting mass staff cuts took their campaign to the gates of the ancient Acropolis on Friday, after the government announced that 500 workers at the culture ministry would be suspended next month...
DOT Proposes to Cut ‘Burdensome’ Trucking Paperwork Journal of Commerce ...U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced a proposal to eliminate a “burdensome” daily paperwork requirement for professional truck drivers, in order to reduce costs to the industry by an estimated $1.7 billion...
Is Oregon's mileage tax the future for the rest of us? San Gabriel Valley Tribune ...Two years from now, thousands of Oregon drivers could get a taste of what the future may hold for the rest of us: They will pay taxes not on the amount of gasoline their cars burn, but on the number of miles they drive...
Study: Wal-Mart Could Cost Taxpayers Millions Per Year in Employee Subsidies CBS D.C. ...While the fate of six Wal-Mart stores planned for D.C. remains unclear, a 2013 study says the company could cost taxpayers millions of dollars per year because of publicly funded benefit programs many of its 1.3 million U.S. employees are eligible for...
Michigan tells South Dakota Internet lender of cease-and-desist move over high interest rates Associated Press ...Michigan regulators say that Western Sky Financial charges interest rates of more than 340 percent. Michigan’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services said that it has given notice of its intention to issue a cease-and-desist order to the company that also charges loan fees of as much as 70 percent of the loan amount, 14 times the legal limit...
North Carolina’s Moral Mondays Keep Up Morale for the Long Haul In These Times ...On July 29, North Carolinians kicked off Raleigh’s last "Moral Monday" protest of 2013 before going on tour to organize other regions of the state. Despite reports that the movement had ended, organizers stressed the fight was far from over...
7-Eleven Sued for Representing Itself as Franchisor Blue MauMau ...Amid the other negative press, including litigation against franchisee and human trafficking, a lawsuit filed in the New Jersey federal court on Wednesday against 7-Eleven, Inc. and its Japanese entities accuses the franchisor of fraudulent business practices and abuses, related to misclassifying employees as independent contractors...
Motorola's New Smartphone: Made in the U.S.A., but Not for Much Pay The Atlantic ...Factory workers assembling the Moto X will make as little as $9-an-hour, if the help wanted ads are to be believed...
California to get America's fastest high-speed rail line Gizmag ...When people grumble about how they think the US isn’t as technologically advanced as it should be, they like to bring up bullet trains – Europe and Asia have them, so why doesn’t America? Well, it’s getting one...
Pennsylvania Will Extend Voter-ID Ban Through Next Election Bloomberg News ...Pennsylvania agreed to let a court order barring enforcement of the state’s voter-identification law continue through the November elections...
Illinois legislative leaders sue governor over pay veto Reuters ...The leaders of the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate filed a lawsuit challenging Governor Pat Quinn's veto of lawmakers' pay during a legislative impasse over pension reform...
Support for Teamsters Local 542 Strikers Grows as Families Joint Picket Line CBS/El Centro, CA ... Despite the 106 degree heat, 60 paramedics and EMTs in Imperial County continue to walk the picket line 24/7 as they fight for a pay raise and better health benefits...
Members of Congress Join Mayor Emanuel, Gov. Quinn to Support Striking Teamster Funeral Directors IBT ...Three members of Congress have joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and more than a dozen state legislators in support of striking Teamster-represented funeral directors...
BLET, SMART Advance Rail Crew Size Legislation BLET ...The Transportation Division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation International Association (SMART) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET/IBT) have jointly announced that legislation requiring at least two crew members on all freight trains in the U.S. has been filed in Congress...
Paratransit to hire new personnel to replace striking Teamsters Lake County Record-Bee ...Paratransit Services personnel confirmed that they are hiring new permanent employees to replace workers who are currently on strike. About 25 Paratransit Services employees and Teamsters began the strike on Monday and has forced Lake Transit to reduce its services...
Study: Record Number 21 Million Young Adults Living With Parents CBSDC ...A new study from Pew Research finds that 36 percent of Millennials – young adults ages 18 to 31 – are living at their parents’ homes, the highest number in four decades. A record 21.6 million young adults were still living at home last year...
Flawed FBI Records Threaten Work Opportunities For Hundreds of Thousands of Job Seekers National Employment Law Project ...—A record 16.9 million FBI criminal background checks were run for employment or licensing purposes in 2012, a six-fold increase since 9/11. But serious flaws in the FBI records are jeopardizing work opportunities for hundreds of thousands of job seekers every year...
Swaps Probe Finds Banks Rigged Rate at Expense of Retirees Bloomberg ...U.S. investigators uncovered evidence that banks reaped millions of dollars in trading profits at the expense of companies and pension funds by manipulating a benchmark for interest-rate derivatives...
Banks Replacing Enron in Energy Incite Congress as Abuses Abound Bloomberg ...The U.S. government permitted Wall Street firms to expand in the energy industry a decade ago, when the collapse of Enron Corp. and its army of traders left a void in the market. The results aren’t pretty...
The Rule of Law in the Financial System (opinion) Credit Slips ...we cannot and will not see sufficient and durable financial regulatory reform without political reform...
Michigan Leads Nation in Massive Corporate Tax Breaks (The Untold Story of Detroit's Decline) The Real News ...Michigan leads the country with 29 mega corporate tax breaks, costing the state more than $7 billion and accounting for 12 percent of the megadeals nationwide...
Detroit automakers have right to object to Japan's currency manipulation (opinion) Detroit Free Press ...Last week, on the same day Japan finally jostled its way into the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks with the U.S. and 10 other nations, petitions signed by more than 80,000 autoworkers were sent to U.S. Congress members, urging that Japan be forced to stop rigging its currency to subsidize exports and keep out imports...
New labor movement emerges in Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Salon ...The legal protections that Walker took away were the fruits of decades of rank-and-file organizing, community partnership and direct action. What started in Wisconsin — which became the first state to recognize public sector unions in 1959 — is, after 2011, starting again...
What We Don’t Know about Foreclosure Practices May Still Hurt Us The Gilmer Mirror ...We already know that federal regulators have undermined accountability for the abuses by mortgage servicing companies. In another disturbing development, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) are refusing to turn over information to members of Congress that could help them prevent such abuses from happening again...
IMF pressures Spain to weaken labor laws CBS News ...Currently, 26.3 percent of the nation's workforce is unemployed, down from an all-time high of 27.2 in the first quarter of 2013.The IMF called on Madrid to give more flexibility to employers when it comes to hiring and firing by reducing the legal requirements for temporary and permanent workers...
Greece: Anti-austerity protesters take campaign to Acropolis site in Athens Associated Press ...Greek civil servants protesting mass staff cuts took their campaign to the gates of the ancient Acropolis on Friday, after the government announced that 500 workers at the culture ministry would be suspended next month...
DOT Proposes to Cut ‘Burdensome’ Trucking Paperwork Journal of Commerce ...U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced a proposal to eliminate a “burdensome” daily paperwork requirement for professional truck drivers, in order to reduce costs to the industry by an estimated $1.7 billion...
Is Oregon's mileage tax the future for the rest of us? San Gabriel Valley Tribune ...Two years from now, thousands of Oregon drivers could get a taste of what the future may hold for the rest of us: They will pay taxes not on the amount of gasoline their cars burn, but on the number of miles they drive...
Study: Wal-Mart Could Cost Taxpayers Millions Per Year in Employee Subsidies CBS D.C. ...While the fate of six Wal-Mart stores planned for D.C. remains unclear, a 2013 study says the company could cost taxpayers millions of dollars per year because of publicly funded benefit programs many of its 1.3 million U.S. employees are eligible for...
Michigan tells South Dakota Internet lender of cease-and-desist move over high interest rates Associated Press ...Michigan regulators say that Western Sky Financial charges interest rates of more than 340 percent. Michigan’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services said that it has given notice of its intention to issue a cease-and-desist order to the company that also charges loan fees of as much as 70 percent of the loan amount, 14 times the legal limit...
North Carolina’s Moral Mondays Keep Up Morale for the Long Haul In These Times ...On July 29, North Carolinians kicked off Raleigh’s last "Moral Monday" protest of 2013 before going on tour to organize other regions of the state. Despite reports that the movement had ended, organizers stressed the fight was far from over...
7-Eleven Sued for Representing Itself as Franchisor Blue MauMau ...Amid the other negative press, including litigation against franchisee and human trafficking, a lawsuit filed in the New Jersey federal court on Wednesday against 7-Eleven, Inc. and its Japanese entities accuses the franchisor of fraudulent business practices and abuses, related to misclassifying employees as independent contractors...
Motorola's New Smartphone: Made in the U.S.A., but Not for Much Pay The Atlantic ...Factory workers assembling the Moto X will make as little as $9-an-hour, if the help wanted ads are to be believed...
California to get America's fastest high-speed rail line Gizmag ...When people grumble about how they think the US isn’t as technologically advanced as it should be, they like to bring up bullet trains – Europe and Asia have them, so why doesn’t America? Well, it’s getting one...
Pennsylvania Will Extend Voter-ID Ban Through Next Election Bloomberg News ...Pennsylvania agreed to let a court order barring enforcement of the state’s voter-identification law continue through the November elections...
Illinois legislative leaders sue governor over pay veto Reuters ...The leaders of the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate filed a lawsuit challenging Governor Pat Quinn's veto of lawmakers' pay during a legislative impasse over pension reform...
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.31.13
Teamsters, Paratransit employees strike Lake County Record-Bee ...The Teamsters and 35 employees of Lake County transit went on strike Monday after negotiations with Paratransit management failed to end in an agreement for a new contract...
UNITE HERE/Teamsters: Gate Gourmet faces labor trouble in North America Enquirer Herald ...Facing crucial votes by workers in the US and Canada, Gate Gourmet, the world's largest independent airline caterer, finds itself headed toward two separate labor disputes that could impact the majority of its unionized North American workforce...
Teamsters, Long Beach Area Trucking Companies in Labor Struggle Long Beach Business Journal ...Having secured its first contract for truck drivers working at the Port of Los Angeles, local Teamster organizers are stepping up their efforts to secure contracts for drivers who work for or with other short-haul drayage companies at the twin ports...
Sign Up While There’s Still Time for the Teamster Women's Conference IBT ...Don’t forget to register for the Teamster Women’s Conference that will be held September 19-21, 2013 in The Big Easy. Join your Teamster Sisters and Brothers for this dynamic gathering of great speakers, educational workshops and networking. The hotel registration deadline is August 20...
Senate Confirms NLRB Nominees; Board at Full Strength AFL-CIO Now ...The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is now fully staffed and able to continue to function to protect workers’ rights after the U.S. Senate today confirmed five members...
More than 200 fast-food workers strike in St Louis, Kansas City Associated Press ...at least 150 workers walked off the job Tuesday at about 60 restaurants in the St. Louis area, including some in Illinois. She says at least 70 workers in the Kansas City area walked picket lines outside of dozens of restaurants...
Fourth round of arrests made at Wisconsin Capitol Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Police made a new round of arrests Tuesday at the state Capitol, as opponents of Gov. Scott Walker resumed their singalong protest in the rotunda...
Bloomberg's ban on big sodas is unconstitutional: appeals court Reuters ...New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial plan to keep large sugary drinks out of restaurants and other eateries was rejected by a state appeals court on Tuesday, which said he had overstepped his authority in trying to impose the ban...
Food Stamp Cuts Set To Kick In, Congress Not Paying Attention Huffington Post ... Regardless of whether Republicans succeed in cutting food stamps this year, the 22 million American households relying on the program will see their benefits drop in November...
Where Did The Good Jobs Go? Globalization, Free Trade And The Demise Of America’s Middle Class MintPress News ...U.S.-based multinational corporations decreased their number of U.S. workers by 3.3 million from 1989-2011. Helping to accelerate this shift has been the proliferation of trade pacts like NAFTA, which eliminated nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs since it was first enacted in 1994...
Massive damage but no deaths in blast at central Florida propane plant CNN ...Equipment failure and human error likely caused the propane tank cylinders to explode at a central Florida refilling plant late Monday. The blasts at the Blue Rhino plant in Tavares injured eight plant workers...
The Force Behind Bills To Lower Wages and Suppress Workers’ Rights? In These Times ...You Guessed It: ALEC. The right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has modeled legislation to strip workers of their rights nationwide...
Georgia AG sues over online payday loans from SD The Daily Republic ...State Attorney General Sam Olens has filed a lawsuit against two companies saying they’ve been using the Internet to provide illegal payday loans to Georgia consumers...
Minnesota's child-care union fight is heating up StarTribune ...Judge ruled lawsuits to halt unionization effort were premature. Now opposing camps will try to get their messages out to about 12,700 family child-care providers...
Apple Supplier Accused Of Labor Abuses By China Watchdog (VIDEO) Associated Press ...A labor rights group Monday accused a Chinese company that makes iPhones for Apple Inc. of abuses including withholding employees' pay and excessive working hours...
FedEx Reaches $21.5 Million Settlement in Overcharging Suit Bloomberg News ...FedEx Corp. will pay $21.5 million to settle a lawsuit over claims that it overcharged customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and governments at higher residential rates...
Gov. Scott Walker wants to now limit bargaining powers for police and fire unions Fox6 News ...The Act 10 law currently limits most collective bargaining powers for most public employees, except for police and fire unions. Now, Gov. Scott Walker has suggested expanding Act 10 to include those unions...
The Outrageous Truth About A $12 Minimum Wage And Your Grocery Bill NH Labor News ...Opponents imagine that inflation will skyrocket; some have even claimed that ‘milk will be $10.00 a gallon’ if we raise the minimum wage. Oh, the hysteria. Milk is currently around $3.50 a gallon and that is up 25% from just ten years ago. Is that 25% due to rising wages? Sadly, no – wages in America have declined during that time. Let’s look at a few facts about minimum wage...
UNITE HERE/Teamsters: Gate Gourmet faces labor trouble in North America Enquirer Herald ...Facing crucial votes by workers in the US and Canada, Gate Gourmet, the world's largest independent airline caterer, finds itself headed toward two separate labor disputes that could impact the majority of its unionized North American workforce...
Teamsters, Long Beach Area Trucking Companies in Labor Struggle Long Beach Business Journal ...Having secured its first contract for truck drivers working at the Port of Los Angeles, local Teamster organizers are stepping up their efforts to secure contracts for drivers who work for or with other short-haul drayage companies at the twin ports...
Sign Up While There’s Still Time for the Teamster Women's Conference IBT ...Don’t forget to register for the Teamster Women’s Conference that will be held September 19-21, 2013 in The Big Easy. Join your Teamster Sisters and Brothers for this dynamic gathering of great speakers, educational workshops and networking. The hotel registration deadline is August 20...
Senate Confirms NLRB Nominees; Board at Full Strength AFL-CIO Now ...The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is now fully staffed and able to continue to function to protect workers’ rights after the U.S. Senate today confirmed five members...
More than 200 fast-food workers strike in St Louis, Kansas City Associated Press ...at least 150 workers walked off the job Tuesday at about 60 restaurants in the St. Louis area, including some in Illinois. She says at least 70 workers in the Kansas City area walked picket lines outside of dozens of restaurants...
Fourth round of arrests made at Wisconsin Capitol Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Police made a new round of arrests Tuesday at the state Capitol, as opponents of Gov. Scott Walker resumed their singalong protest in the rotunda...
Bloomberg's ban on big sodas is unconstitutional: appeals court Reuters ...New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial plan to keep large sugary drinks out of restaurants and other eateries was rejected by a state appeals court on Tuesday, which said he had overstepped his authority in trying to impose the ban...
Food Stamp Cuts Set To Kick In, Congress Not Paying Attention Huffington Post ... Regardless of whether Republicans succeed in cutting food stamps this year, the 22 million American households relying on the program will see their benefits drop in November...
Where Did The Good Jobs Go? Globalization, Free Trade And The Demise Of America’s Middle Class MintPress News ...U.S.-based multinational corporations decreased their number of U.S. workers by 3.3 million from 1989-2011. Helping to accelerate this shift has been the proliferation of trade pacts like NAFTA, which eliminated nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs since it was first enacted in 1994...
Massive damage but no deaths in blast at central Florida propane plant CNN ...Equipment failure and human error likely caused the propane tank cylinders to explode at a central Florida refilling plant late Monday. The blasts at the Blue Rhino plant in Tavares injured eight plant workers...
The Force Behind Bills To Lower Wages and Suppress Workers’ Rights? In These Times ...You Guessed It: ALEC. The right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has modeled legislation to strip workers of their rights nationwide...
Georgia AG sues over online payday loans from SD The Daily Republic ...State Attorney General Sam Olens has filed a lawsuit against two companies saying they’ve been using the Internet to provide illegal payday loans to Georgia consumers...
Minnesota's child-care union fight is heating up StarTribune ...Judge ruled lawsuits to halt unionization effort were premature. Now opposing camps will try to get their messages out to about 12,700 family child-care providers...
Apple Supplier Accused Of Labor Abuses By China Watchdog (VIDEO) Associated Press ...A labor rights group Monday accused a Chinese company that makes iPhones for Apple Inc. of abuses including withholding employees' pay and excessive working hours...
FedEx Reaches $21.5 Million Settlement in Overcharging Suit Bloomberg News ...FedEx Corp. will pay $21.5 million to settle a lawsuit over claims that it overcharged customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and governments at higher residential rates...
Gov. Scott Walker wants to now limit bargaining powers for police and fire unions Fox6 News ...The Act 10 law currently limits most collective bargaining powers for most public employees, except for police and fire unions. Now, Gov. Scott Walker has suggested expanding Act 10 to include those unions...
The Outrageous Truth About A $12 Minimum Wage And Your Grocery Bill NH Labor News ...Opponents imagine that inflation will skyrocket; some have even claimed that ‘milk will be $10.00 a gallon’ if we raise the minimum wage. Oh, the hysteria. Milk is currently around $3.50 a gallon and that is up 25% from just ten years ago. Is that 25% due to rising wages? Sadly, no – wages in America have declined during that time. Let’s look at a few facts about minimum wage...
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Today's Teamster News 07.03.13
Unemployment Rate Still Above 10% in 27 US Metro Areas Wall Street Journal ...Eleven of these areas were in California, the country’s most-populous state, which continues to grapple with fallout from the housing-market downturn...
Don't Blame Unemployment Insurance for Our Jobs Crisis The Atlantic ...there's no evidence that long-term unemployment benefits have discouraged the long-term unemployed from taking jobs -- because they can't get jobs to begin with...
Dutch pension group halts Wal-Mart investments over low wages and working conditions Reuters ...Wal-Mart “was not prepared” to take concerns about what PGGM called “tense” U.S. labor relations into consideration and its board was not willing to participate in “fruitful dialogues” with shareholders, PGGM said in a statement...
Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket ABA Journal ... John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree ... lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable ...But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket...
Big U.S. Companies Pay 12.6 Percent Average Tax Rate Reuters ...As corporate lobbyists seek to preserve business tax breaks and cut the corporate tax rate, the Government Accountability Office said big companies with earnings paid just 12.6 percent of their worldwide income in taxes in 2010...
To Restore the American Dream, Restore the Promise of American Labor Law (opinion) Roll Call ...Republican Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon recognized the important work of the NLRB and worked with union leaders and other representatives of organized labor as did Democratic Presidents Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy...
Banks Are Finding New Ways To Saddle Low-Wage Workers With Fees Think Progress ...Low-wage workers are increasingly getting their wages in prepaid cards that hit them with fees. According to the Times, the largest American companies have done away with direct deposit and paper paychecks in favor of prepaid cards that require employees to withdraw cash from ATM machines...
Playing politics with prison Oklahoma Gazette ...Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and Oklahoma’s governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take their money...
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China Reuters ...Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed two bills on Tuesday that would have would have cleared the way for foreign ownership of farmland and potentially eliminated obstacles to Smithfield Foods Inc.'s planned $4.7 billion purchase by a Chinese company...
Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create state program to buy foreclosed properties Burlington County Times ...A controversial housing bill intended to help reduce New Jersey’s glut of foreclosed homes was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for a third time...
Protesters: Keep Social Security Unchained New Haven Independent ...Manny Gomez worked for Winchester Repeating Arms for 44 years, paying into social security with each paycheck. Now at 84 he can’t afford to live off his social security check, he said. And he can’t afford a proposed change to calculating the federal retirement benefit...
Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange OHS Canada ...Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed...
Rhode Island Senate passes minimum-wage increase Providence Journal ...A bill that raises Rhode Island's minimum wage by 25 cents, to $8 an hour, cleared the state Senate on Monday night and is headed for the governor's signature...
Hawaii gov signs domestic workers bill Associated Press ...Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights Monday, making Hawaii the second U.S. state to give nannies, housekeepers and others protections on wages and other labor issues...
North Carolina’s Deep Cut to Jobless Benefits Takes Effect Amid Protests New York Times ...North Carolina’s sharp cuts in benefits to the unemployed went into effect this week, amid a swelling public outcry...
Report: Property values dropped, taxes didn't Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Total property values in southeastern Wisconsin dropped 5% in 2012, but municipal and school district property tax levies did not follow suit...
Protesters want to strike a deal Lake County Record-Bee ...About 30 people were on strike and will continue in Lower Lake, Lakeport and Clearlake protesting lack of raises for Paratransit employees, said Mike Yates, Business Representative of Teamsters Local 665. The Teamsters are currently in negotiations … in hopes of signing a contract and preventing further strikes...
Upper Merion School Board extends services from Teamster maintenance workers Mainline Media News ...The Upper Merion Area School Board in Pennsylvania adopted a “status quo” resolution between the district and Teamsters Local 384, which represents the custodial, building, and turf maintenance employees. The contract expired on June 30, and because no new agreement has been reached, the resolution stated that services provided by the employees would continue...
ABF Vote Results By Local Union IBT ...View the ABF vote results by local union here...
Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago TeamsterNation ...The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes...
Don't Blame Unemployment Insurance for Our Jobs Crisis The Atlantic ...there's no evidence that long-term unemployment benefits have discouraged the long-term unemployed from taking jobs -- because they can't get jobs to begin with...
Dutch pension group halts Wal-Mart investments over low wages and working conditions Reuters ...Wal-Mart “was not prepared” to take concerns about what PGGM called “tense” U.S. labor relations into consideration and its board was not willing to participate in “fruitful dialogues” with shareholders, PGGM said in a statement...
Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket ABA Journal ... John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree ... lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable ...But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket...
Big U.S. Companies Pay 12.6 Percent Average Tax Rate Reuters ...As corporate lobbyists seek to preserve business tax breaks and cut the corporate tax rate, the Government Accountability Office said big companies with earnings paid just 12.6 percent of their worldwide income in taxes in 2010...
To Restore the American Dream, Restore the Promise of American Labor Law (opinion) Roll Call ...Republican Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon recognized the important work of the NLRB and worked with union leaders and other representatives of organized labor as did Democratic Presidents Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy...
Banks Are Finding New Ways To Saddle Low-Wage Workers With Fees Think Progress ...Low-wage workers are increasingly getting their wages in prepaid cards that hit them with fees. According to the Times, the largest American companies have done away with direct deposit and paper paychecks in favor of prepaid cards that require employees to withdraw cash from ATM machines...
Playing politics with prison Oklahoma Gazette ...Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and Oklahoma’s governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take their money...
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China Reuters ...Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed two bills on Tuesday that would have would have cleared the way for foreign ownership of farmland and potentially eliminated obstacles to Smithfield Foods Inc.'s planned $4.7 billion purchase by a Chinese company...
Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create state program to buy foreclosed properties Burlington County Times ...A controversial housing bill intended to help reduce New Jersey’s glut of foreclosed homes was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for a third time...
Protesters: Keep Social Security Unchained New Haven Independent ...Manny Gomez worked for Winchester Repeating Arms for 44 years, paying into social security with each paycheck. Now at 84 he can’t afford to live off his social security check, he said. And he can’t afford a proposed change to calculating the federal retirement benefit...
Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange OHS Canada ...Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed...
Rhode Island Senate passes minimum-wage increase Providence Journal ...A bill that raises Rhode Island's minimum wage by 25 cents, to $8 an hour, cleared the state Senate on Monday night and is headed for the governor's signature...
Hawaii gov signs domestic workers bill Associated Press ...Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights Monday, making Hawaii the second U.S. state to give nannies, housekeepers and others protections on wages and other labor issues...
North Carolina’s Deep Cut to Jobless Benefits Takes Effect Amid Protests New York Times ...North Carolina’s sharp cuts in benefits to the unemployed went into effect this week, amid a swelling public outcry...
Report: Property values dropped, taxes didn't Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Total property values in southeastern Wisconsin dropped 5% in 2012, but municipal and school district property tax levies did not follow suit...
Protesters want to strike a deal Lake County Record-Bee ...About 30 people were on strike and will continue in Lower Lake, Lakeport and Clearlake protesting lack of raises for Paratransit employees, said Mike Yates, Business Representative of Teamsters Local 665. The Teamsters are currently in negotiations … in hopes of signing a contract and preventing further strikes...
Upper Merion School Board extends services from Teamster maintenance workers Mainline Media News ...The Upper Merion Area School Board in Pennsylvania adopted a “status quo” resolution between the district and Teamsters Local 384, which represents the custodial, building, and turf maintenance employees. The contract expired on June 30, and because no new agreement has been reached, the resolution stated that services provided by the employees would continue...
ABF Vote Results By Local Union IBT ...View the ABF vote results by local union here...
Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago TeamsterNation ...The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes...
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