Today's Teamster News 03.13.15

Teamsters
Teamsters Praise Lt. Governor Stack For Supporting Working Families  IBT   ...Teamsters across the state are praising Lt. Governor Mike Stack for standing strong and striking down an attempt by some lawmakers to place a stranglehold on unions...
Could The Gogama Derailment Have Been Prevented?  NewsWire   ...The Teamsters Union once again raises concerns following the third train derailment in Northern Ontario in less than a month. For years, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC)—which represents more than 12,000 railway workers—have continually stressed the need for more inspectors to be hired to see to the optimal operation of the equipment and the integrity of the tracks...
Facebook approves shuttle drivers contract  USA Today   ...Facebook and the contractor that supplies the shuttle drivers who transport the social networking giant's employees have agreed to a union-negotiated contract...
Google Shuttle Drivers To See Pay Hike, Better Benefits  San Jose Mercury News   ...The overtures come amid a growing Silicon Valley labor movement that has unionized some companies' shuttle drivers and also sought to lift up janitors, cooks, security guards and other service workers who buttress the high-tech economy. Shuttle drivers for Yahoo, Apple, Genentech, eBay and Zynga voted to join the Teamsters last month, following the lead of Facebook drivers, who joined the union in November...
Ryder Drivers In California Unionize  Materials Management and Distribution   ...Drivers with Ryder Integrated Logistics at three California locations have voted to join the Teamsters Union, gaining representation for 105 workers in one week. Eight-four drivers in Riverside and nine drivers in Fontana are now members of Teamsters Local 166 in Bloomington, California, and 12 drivers in Orange, have joined Teamsters Local 952, also located in Orange...
Time to Celebrate with Some Union Wine  Beeson Tayer & Bodine   ...Nearly 50 workers at the Constellation Brands Woodbridge Winery have joined the ranks of Teamsters Local 601. Constellation Brands is one of the largest wineries in the United States and produces some of the finest wines in California, including Ravens Wood, Toasted Head and Robert Mondavi wines...
Trade
AFL-CIO head on Obama’s trade push: ‘We are going all out to oppose it’  Washington Post   ...The head of the nation's largest labor organization on Tuesday slammed President Obama's trade push and vowed to block efforts in Congress to help the administration finalize a major free trade pact in the Asia Pacific...
Saving Obama from a Bad Trade Deal  American Prospect   ...lans to rush fast-track authority for two trade deals for a quick House and Senate vote abruptly broke down on Tuesday. The White House was hoping to put the vote to Congress as early as this week...
Elizabeth Warren Says Trade Deal May Force U.S. Payouts to Overseas Firms  Bloomberg   ...A nearly completed trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations may require U.S. taxpayers to finance settlements to multinational corporations that say U.S. regulations hurt their companies, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday...
Major U.S. Unions Step Up Battle Against TPP  Japan Times   ...The largest American labor federation says it and its affiliated unions are freezing political contributions to federal candidates “until further notice” to channel funds into labor’s intensifying battle to stop or at least help shape a proposed free trade agreement being negotiated by the U.S. and other nations that border the Pacific Ocean...
State Battles
Bill would curtail bargaining power of public sector unions in Kansas  Wichita Eagle   ...Senate Bill 179, which had a hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, would define “conditions of employment” to exclusively mean salaries and wages in future contract negotiations between state and local governments and employees. That would mean that sick leave, insurance benefits and retirement benefits, for example, would no longer be included in negotiations between municipalities and police and firefighters’ unions...
Wages Are Lower in States With These Laws  New York Times   ...Where unions are strong, compensation increases even for workers not covered by any union contract, as nonunion employers face competitive pressure to match union standards...
House Narrowly Approves Right-To-Work Bill  New Hampshire Union Leader   ...A measure prohibiting labor unions from collecting agency fees to pay for negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements was approved by the House on a 149-146 vote Wednesday. However, the bill faces a near-certain death in the Senate, which is evenly split 12-12 on the issue...
NY Assembly Democrats Propose State Budget Increasing Minimum Wage, School Aid  Syracuse Post Standard   ...Assembly Democrats on Tuesday proposed a $150.7 billion state budget they say will put families first, proposing larger increases in the minimum wage and public school aid than Gov. Andrew Cuomo did...
War on Workers
Wall Street's Yearly Bonuses Could Double the Pay for All of America's Minimum Wage Workers  New Republic   ...So how much are the wolves of Wall Street cashing in? Collectively, the report found, the employees received $28.5 billion in bonuses last year, a 3 percent jump, despite a decline in industry profits...
Union signals possible proposal coming to end U.S. refinery strike  Reuters  ...The United Steelworkers union signaled that lead refinery owner representative Shell Oil Co. may offer a possible settlement in the coming days that could end the largest refinery strike in 35 years...
Juries To Decide Landmark Cases Against Uber and Lyft  Forbes   ...Two landmark lawsuits that claim that drivers for ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft should be considered employees rather than contractors will both go to jury trial, two U.S. judges ruled Wednesday. The decisions could have a ripple effect on the business models of the burgeoning on-demand and sharing economies...
1 Worker Killed, 1 Hurt in New Mexico Oil Field Explosion  Associated Press   ...
An explosion at a New Mexico oil field site has killed one worker and injured another. Authorities say preliminary information indicates the workers were loading material into perforated pipe being installed into a drilling pipe in southern Lea County when the blast occurred Wednesday...
Why Salaries Don’t Rise (opinion)  Washington Post   ...At the root of our great pay stagnation is the appropriation by major investors of the funds that used to go to businesses’ research, modernization, expansion and workers. Full employment will certainly boost workers’ wages, but unless the power shift from workers to investors is reversed, the stagnant middle class we will always have with us...

Today's Teamster News 02.07.13

401Ks are a disaster (opinion)  USA Today   ...Recent and near-retirees, the first major cohort of the 401(k) era, do not have nearly enough in retirement savings to even come close to maintaining their current lifestyles...
RBS fined $612 million for rate rigging  Reuters ...Royal Bank of Scotland will pay $612 million to U.S. and British authorities to settle allegations it manipulated benchmark interest rates, and regulators warned there is more to come in the global investigation. RBS became the third bank to pay fines in the Libor scandal...
China made 1.2B mobile phones in 2012  ZDNet   ...China produced 1.18 billion mobile phones in 2012, accounting for more than 50 percent of mobile phone sales worldwide...
China unveils major tax reforms to make rich pay more  The Guardian  ...China has unveiled sweeping tax reforms to make wealthy state-owned firms, property speculators and the rich pay more to narrow the gap between the urban elite and hundreds of millions of rural poor...
Greece orders seamen back to work on 6th day of strike  BBC  ...Workers manning ferry services to Greece's numerous islands have been demanding the payment of wages more than six months in arrears and the signing of collective work contracts with ferry companies...
Thanks To Congressional Incompetence, Saturday Mail Delivery Is History  ThinkProgress   ...Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, Congress has for years forced the USPS to pre-fund 75 years’ worth of pensions for its employees, a requirement not made of any other public or private institution...
Pointless attacks on unions in Kansas, Missouri (opinion)  Kansas City Star   ...The unnecessary attacks on unions demonstrate how susceptible state legislatures are to outside forces...
Hearing on Missouri 'right to work' bill attracts crowd  Associated Press  ...A standing room only crowd spilled into the Capitol hallway Wednesday to watch a Missouri House committee hearing on a bill barring payment of union dues as a condition of employment...
Senate approves constitutional amendment on union elections  Northwest Indiana Times   ...All union organizing elections would have to be conducted by secret ballot under an amendment to the Indiana Constitution approved 33-16 by the Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday...
Local 150 will appeal judge’s dismissal of its challenge to right-to-work law  Post-Tribune   ...Attorneys for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 filed the notice to appeal Monday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond...
Maine Voter ID Law Not Recommended By Independent Elections Panel  Huffington Post   ..."The Commission, by a 4 to 1 vote, finds that the negative aspects of a Voter ID law outweigh its potential benefits and recommends that a Voter ID system not be pursued in Maine," read the report from the five-member panel...
Rich DeVos family gave $1.75 million to fight Michigan's Proposal 2 on union collective bargaining  Michigan Live  ...Betsy DeVos, Dan DeVos, Dick DeVos, Doug DeVos, Elisabeth DeVos, Helen DeVos, Maria DeVos, Pamella DeVos and Richard DeVos altogether gave $2.8 million to the Republican party, political candidates and conservative causes in Michigan last year, a MIRS report calculates...
Right-to-work bill finding little support in NH House  Nashua Telegraph   ...The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee dealt a blow to the latest attempt to pass right-to-work legislation in New Hampshire. The committee voted 13-5 to recommend House Bill 322 be killed when the full House takes up the measure...
Sprucing Up Suppression: Pennsylvania GOP Proposes New Election-Rigging Scheme  Center for Media and Democracy  ...Pennsylvania's Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi intends to introduce legislation that would award that state's electoral votes proportionally according to the popular vote, rather than according to the winner in each Congressional district. If the plan had been in place for last November's election Romney would have received 8 of Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes...
Labor lawyer: Kansas union bill will silence workers  Associated Press   ...The payroll bill is one of several proposed measures that Democrats and union representatives see as eroding the rights of public employees to participate in the political process, whether it be supporting candidates with political action committees or advocating public policy changes...
Talks of Bus Strikes Still Alive  The Coastal Source  ...Talks of a possible bus strike for Beaufort County Schools are still up in the air...The Teamsters Union and Durham Services are trying to reach a compromise about possible pay raises for current bus drivers and better benefits, but Tuesday afternoon, rumors spread that Durham Bus Services walked out of the meeting...
Cecil supervisors approve police, public works contracts  Observer-Reporter  ...Public works employees, members of Teamsters Local 205, will receive a 3 percent salary increase over the course of their four-year contract...

ALEC pushing No Rights At Work in Penn.

The Benedict Arnold Koch brothers' campaign to impoverish the middle class is moving to Pennsylvania even as working families fight them off in Missouri. 

Bruce Vail at Talking Union reports:

Backed by powerful national business interests, conservative legislators in Pennsylvania announced last week a new push to bring so-called “right-to-work” laws to the Keystone state. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said January 22 that he and five other Republican legislators would introduce a package of bills aimed at crippling the ability of labor unions to collect dues from members. 

Pennsylvania labor leaders say the package is part of a broad assault on labor that began in 2010 when the GOP won control of the governor’s office and both houses of the legislature. 

It’s no coincidence that the proposal comes hard on the heels of similar legislation in Michigan ...  the Pennsylvania effort is part of a nationwide campaign against unions by rightwing business groups such as the David Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity and the Tea Party organization FreedomWorks... (A) January fundraising appeal by FreedomWorks asking donors to finance a 2013 campaign to de-fund unions specifically named Pennsylvania.

All of these attacks can be linked back to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, he says, a business-funded group supporting anti-worker initiatives nationwide. Legislative language in the Michigan and Pennsylvania anti-union bills are strikingly similar to ALEC’s own model right-to-work bill, he notes, and Metcalfe has well-documented ties to the group.

The good news, reports Vail, is that Pennsylvania labor leaders don't think it will pass because there are enough union-friendly Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature.

Let's hope.

Today's Teamster News 02.06.13

Obama seeks $5T European trade deal  The Hill  ...The Obama administration is poised to launch trade talks with the European Union that would form a $5 trillion trans-Atlantic free-trade zone...
No Evidence of U.S. Manufacturing Revival  Wall Street Journal   ...For the past 13 years, the rate of factory closings in the U.S. has been declining. The bad news is that over that time the rate of ribbon cuttings on new operations have consistently fallen even more...
Homes Sell in Two Weeks With Low Supply for Spring Buyers  Bloomberg   ...A plunge in U.S. home listings to a 12-year low is driving up prices and preventing transactions from returning to historically normal levels. Many potential sellers are holding off until values rise more, while investors are snatching up distressed properties before they reach the market. Builders, reporting their best orders in years, can’t increase production fast enough...
Banks No Match for Trucks Where Rigs Pay Twice as Much  Bloomberg   ...(There is) a wave of job growth at trucking companies as they post payroll increases at more than double the pace of the nation’s workforce since the end of 2010. Demand is being driven by the economic expansion, new regulations that cap driver hours and rising turnover caused by long days and time away from home...
Study Says States Lose Billions in Offshore Tax Avoidance  Bloomberg   ...State governments in the U.S. lost $39.8 billion in 2011 because of offshore tax avoidance...
E-mails show plotting by lawmakers, GOP on Florida redistricting  Tampa Bay Times   ...The emails show that a month after voters in 2010 approved an amendment banning coordination between the party and lawmakers, GOP consultant and Gaetz adviser Rich Heffley called a redistricting "brainstorming" meeting at the chairman's conference room at party headquarters in Tallahassee...
Virginia GOP no longer even trying to hide true purpose of voter ID laws  Salon   ...Concealed carry permits, but not utility bills, now accepted at Virginia polling places...
Unions protest ahead of governor's budget  Herald-Standard   ...John Rzodkiewicz, business representative for the UFWU, said the governor’s plan to privatize state-owned liquor stores will destroy 5,000 jobs...
Colorado Senate gives first OK to bill making it easier for firefighters to unionize  Denver Post   ...The Colorado Senate gave initial approval Monday to a Democratic bill expanding unionization rights for firefighters – legislation virtually the same as a bill vetoed four years earlier under a Democratic governor...
Negotiations Between Teamsters, Durham Falter  Summerville Patch  ...Negotiations between a school bus contractor and its union employees have deteriorated, putting school transportation for three Lowcountry school districts into question...The contractor's representatives allegedly walked out of a meeting with its employees during negotiations Tuesday morning...
Teamsters Local 332 president is named health care adviser for union's Michigan council  Michigan Live  ...The president of Teamsters Local 332 in Flint has been named health care adviser for Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43...

Today's Teamster News 02.05.13

U.S. Accuses S.&P. of Fraud in Suit on Loan Bundles  New York Times   ...The Justice Department filed civil fraud charges late on Monday against the nation’s largest credit-ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, accusing the firm of inflating the ratings of mortgage investments and setting them up for a crash when the financial crisis struck...
Land Battles Rise as U.S. Eyes 450,000 Miles of New Pipe  Bloomberg   ...With the natural gas industry estimating that 450,000 miles (724,000 kilometers) of pipelines need to be built in the next 25 years, a distance to the moon and almost back to earth, conflicts will multiply over eminent domain, or the legal power to condemn private property...
30,000 Golden Dawn Supporters March in Athens Under Neo-Nazi Banners  International Business Times   ...The party has been able to capitalise on the harsh austerity that has been imposed as a condition of Greece maintaining its Eurozone membership. As Greece's economic fortunes have plummeted, so Golden Dawn's fortunes have soared...
UK Declares New Powers to Break Up Banks  TIME  ...Britain’s treasury chief warned the country’s banks on Monday that they face being broken up if they fail to protect their retail operations from their riskier investment arms...
Google CEO Warns about China's hacking  manufacture this   ...In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, the willingness of China’s government and state companies to use cyber crime gives the country an economic and political edge, they say...
Everybody’s working for the…health care benefits Washington Post ...Three-quarters of retirees said they worked longer than they would have otherwise to maintain access to their health plan...
Koch-Funded Rand Paul Introduces National ‘Right To Work’ Bill To Senate  Bold Progressives  ...Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) just introduced a federal so-called “right to work” law that would undermine labor organizing nationwide...
Beltway-aired Super Bowl ad goes after union card check  MSNBC  ...Football fans in the Washington, D.C. area were treated to an anti-card check ad from the conservative Center for Union Facts (CUF) right before kickoff...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich's budget would slash income taxes, lower and broaden the sales tax and revamp oil and gas tax  The Plain Dealer  ...Kasich's sweeping tax reform plan calls for a 50 percent income tax reduction for almost every small business over the next two years, and a 20 percent cut for individuals. The 5.5 percent sales tax rate would drop to 5 percent, but more services would be subjected to the tax, helping to make up for the lost revenue...
Wisconsin: State pension board rejects request for $200M for economic development initiatives  Pioneer Press  ...The board that oversees Wisconsin's pension program for public employees has rejected a request by the head of Gov. Scott Walker's semi-private economic development agency to tap $200 million from the fund to invest in risky startup businesses...
Voter Advocacy Groups Say Mo. ID Bills Unfair, Unconstitutional  KBIA   ...This week lawmakers in Jefferson City are taking another crack at requiring Missouri voters to show a photo ID when they go to the polls...
Unions promise legal battle if pension benefits touched, leading lawmakers wary  WITF   ...The two largest public sector unions in Pennsylvania said Friday that they’ll sue the state if their members’ pension benefits are changed...
Fighting continues over anti-union bill  Lawrence Journal World   ...House Bill 2023 would prohibit the ability of teachers and public union members to have automatic payroll deduction that would go to a political action committee...
LePage again warns schoolchildren off newspapers  Bangor Daily News   ...“My greatest fear in the state of Maine: newspapers,” LePage told children at the St. John Catholic School...
Walmart Workers Get Organized—Just Don't Say the U-Word  Mother Jones  ... UFCW pledged to the NLRB that it would not try to unionize Walmart workers and would ease up on picketing for 60 days... OUR Walmart wants the same things a real union wants, but it is not a union. It can't bargain with management or bring grievances on behalf of workers. But it is a new toehold for the union...
Talks to resume between Durham, school bus drivers' union  WCSC  ...Negotiations between Durham School Services and the Teamsters Local 509 union representing many of the company's drivers were set to resume on Monday...

Today's Teamster News 01.27.13

Sen. Tom Harkin won't seek re-election in 2014  DesMoines Register   ...Harkin shoulders an important assignment in the Senate: He’s chairman of the HELP committee, which stands for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, a huge jurisdiction...
Not Everyone is Living Longer  Mother Jones   ...the life expectancy of white working class men (who dropped out of high school) fell by three years from 1990 to 2008, and that of white working class women by five years...
A handy guide to Davos-speak  Reuters   ...Ray Dalio, who runs Bridgewater, the world’s biggest hedge fund ... said... the big conversation in politics and economics, he said, will be about how to get more out of workers – growth won’t come  from the next Internet, the next real estate boom or any new asset, in other words. This means, he said, hard choices about questions like “How long is a vacation?” or “What is a good life?”...
ALEC Has Opposed "Popular Vote" Efforts Which Would Protect Against Partisan Rigging of Electoral College  Center for Media and Democracy   ...The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has actively lobbied against state plans to implement a national popular vote for president, urging state legislators to preserve the Electoral College -- which GOP legislators are now trying to rig to ensure the the next president is a Republican...
Morsi sends army to Suez after deadly clashes  Aljazeera   ...The protesters have demanded the establishment of an official minimum wage and a suspension of the new constitution, which opponents of the president say was rushed through...
New Walmart store to open in Chinatown despite protests  PressTV   ...A new Walmart store planned for a historical Los Angeles neighborhood is moving forward, despite protests from labor groups...But labor groups say they remain committed to preventing that opening from ever occurring...
Snyder admits making Michigan a Right to Work state was never about creating jobs  Eclectablog   ...“Over 90 percent of the jobs that you’re looking at aren’t going to be in a situation where right to work is even relevant,” Snyder said...
Pa. Right-to-Work Fight Battle Lines Drawn  Upper Macungie Patch   ...Gov. Tom Corbett already has said that he Pennsylvania “lacks the political will” to pass right-to-work laws, though he would sign them if they came across his desk. But that sentiment seems to fuel right-to-work supporters...

Ruh-roh: No Rights at Work coming to Pennsylvania?

This just in: Anti-worker extremist politicians in Pennsylvania held a news conference this morning to introduce a package of bills that would weaken workers' rights.

Of course, that's not what they say it does.

The Patriot-News reports,

Sponsors of what's called the "Pennsylvania Open Workforce Initiative" -- a package of Right to Work bills -- along with leading Right to Work advocates, are hosting a press conference this morning to introduce what they bill as "zero-cost legislative measures to create jobs and restore basic freedoms to Pennsylvania workers." 

Today's announcement could signal the commencement of a bruising political debate over workers' rights and the status and power of labor unions vs. Pennsylvania employers. It would echo pitched battles in other Rust Belt states... 

However, Pennsylvania is one of only four states having a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled legislature that does not have a right-to-work law. And recently, Gov. Tom Corbett said Pennsylvania “lacks the will” to pass a right-to-work bill. His spokesman has said that the governor supports the legislation and would sign it, but that a bill is unlikely to pass the Legislature. Previously-introduced right-to-work bills have languished in Pennsylvania’s Legislature.

They languished in Michigan, too. Look what happened there.

Teamsters rock the vote all over the USA

Teamsters heading out to hear President Obama in Denver on Oct. 24 

Teamster boots are walking all over the country for pro-worker candidates. It's never been more important to elect people who will make sure that the benefits of our economy go to working and middle-income families.

Our Colorado brothers and sisters saw President Obama in Denver earlier this week. The Denver Post reported,

President Barack Obama asked huddling supporters in a chilly City Park on Wednesday to stick with him for another four years, calling his GOP opponent out of touch on America's problems and arguing that the presidential election is about trust. 

Obama stood with sleeves rolled up beneath overcast skies and boasted about his frenetic schedule with nine swing state stops in a no-sleep 38-hour stretch, 13 days before the election. 

Polls say Romney and Obama are in a statistical tie in Colorado.

Teamsters from Local 30 in Pennsylvania were phone banking for President Obama in Greensburg -- with none other than former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. In the photo above are Roger Foley, Carl "Hands" Paullet from Teamsters Joint Council 40, Gov. Dean and Jan Foley.

Nevada is another battleground state where polls show the two presidential candidates very close.

To the left is a picture of Local 993 President Mike Magnani speaking with his members at the general membership meeting on Wednesday. Mike asked his members to vote for President Obama to protect their jobs. He reminded his members that they have until Nov 2 to vote early.

Nevada is the home of billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is trying to buy the election for Mitt Romney. Adelson, who owns casinos overseas, wants to break the unions responsible for Las Vegas' middle class and reduce gaming and hotel wages so they match those in India and Macao. He told the Times of India,

• In India, the manpower is abundant and very cheap, and that makes investment very enticing. 
• Manpower here (in Macao) is cheap.
• Tax rates in Macau are much higher than in Vegas, but we intend to balance that with the much cheaper manpower here.

Our brothers and sisters in Ohio are working hard for President Obama and Sen. Sherrod Brown, one of the staunches opponents of job-killing trade deals you'll meet. Below is a photo of Sen. Brown  talking at Teamsters Local 413 and 284 in Columbus earlier this week.

And finally, we bring you this photo of Carl A. "Hands" Paulette, retiree; Jim McClalland and Mark Hilderbrand from Local 249. They's standing in front of the Teamster Temple in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. We love to see that Teamster power!

Teamsters mobilizing for August 10-11 Philly rally

Pennsylvania Teamsters will join thousands of workers and labor advocates as they converge on Philadelphia next month for the “Workers Stand for America” mobilization. And at least two tractor-trailers from Locals 107 and 776 will be on hand to demonstrate Teamster power at the demonstrations.

The rallies, which we blogged about yesterday, will bring tens of thousands of workers from around the country together to demand a Second Bill of Rights for workers in America. Included among these rights are the right to full employment, a living wage and a voice at work.

There will be two protests as part of the Workers Stand for America action. A rally on Friday August 10 will feature speakers from the Philadelphia AFL-CIO and Building Trades and John Dougherty from IBEW 89. A reception will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel later in the evening. The main rally kicks off at 11 am on Saturday August 11 and will take place at Eakins Oval by the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Teamster locals in Pennsylvania, along with Joint Council 53 and the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, are encouraging members to participate in this historic mobilization to push back against corporate greed and win economic justice for workers.

As the war on workers continues to undermine the livelihoods of middle class families around the country, a demonstration like this couldn’t be more urgent.

We've got to stand and fight. Otherwise, corporate America and their politician servants will not end the war on workers.

Click here to sign the Second Bill of Rights. And for more information on the Workers Stand for America action, contact Teamsters Joint Council 53 at teamstersc53@yahoo.com or the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters at pateamsters@verizon.net

Let’s bring Teamster Power to the streets of Philly!

-- Union Thug

Made in PA underwear co. expects to grow

Remember when we told you about that new company that's selling men's underwear made in America? ABC News liked the story and did a feature on it, adding information about the Pennsylvania company that manufactures the boxers and briefs. It's called Fessler USA, in Orwigsburg, and it expects to add jobs this year.

The manufacturer told ABC that they were impressed with the energy and vision of Jake Bronstein, the New York designer who wanted to sell underwear made in the USA.

Reports ABC:

“He didn’t just come to us with a product and a desire to make money. This guy wants to be a business partner of ours and wants to make this company better,” Brian Meck, vice president of sales and marketing for FesslerUSA, said. “That has really resonated with everybody and creates a passion, a belief and a desire with everyone at the company to make it succeed. It’s unprecedented for any start-up we’ve ever worked with in the fashion industry.”

With manufacturing secured, Bronstein turned to Kickstarter, a website where people are able to support a variety of projects, to raise funding and create demand. Within days the response exceeded his expectations.

Bronstein’s initial goal was to raise $30,000; to date he has raised more than $190,000 and in the process has became the most highly-funded fashion project in Kickstarter’s history.

“If this builds up and grows the way that it should, we will hire ten to 40 employees over a 12 to 18 month period,” Meck told ABC News. FesslerUSA currently employs 110 people... 

As the company attempts to scale up, Bronstein said he believes the key to attracting customers is quality.“I’d like to say Made in America is better, but it will only be better if we make it better,” Bronstein said. ”I think I’ve convinced a lot of people to buy an American brand of underwear, but we’re really fighting to send them something else instead, which is their favorite pair of underwear that happens to have been made in America.”

The video above is a little dated; since then Flint and Tinder raised $190,000.

Today's Teamster News 04.26.12

Orders for U.S. Goods Decrease by the Most in Three Years  Bloomberg   ...Slowdowns in Europe and China may limit exports, while business investment cools after the strongest 10-quarter performance in a decade, leading to a slowdown in manufacturing...
Greek anger keeps German tourists away  Reuters   ...German tourists are in short supply in Greece these days, frightened away by reports of visceral anti-German sentiment in some places, fears of being stranded by strikes and television images of fiery anti-austerity riots...
Shareholders Revolt: Are Wall Street's CEOs Worth Their Pay?  Forbes   ...The CEOs of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley had a total compensation of more than $80 million in 2011–a year where the last thing you wanted to touch was a financial stock...
Reprehensible Behavior a Cornerstone of its Business Model  Financial Armageddon   ...Although I (and many others) have long been critics of Wall Street's incredibly sleazy, recklessly psychopathic, and relentlessly self-destructive underbelly, there is another corner of the financial services industry that seems to have made reprehensible behavior a cornerstone of its business model...the insurance industry seems intent on making Congress look like a bastion of honesty and ethical behavior...
Investigative Report: Koch Industries and the Wisconsin Judiciary  Badger Democracy   ...With the help of methodical and systematic co-opting of academicians and institutions, Koch influence came to Wisconsin, still under the radar in 2009 – with a little help from a “non-partisan” judge…from Waukesha County...
Pennsylvania Primary: Blue Dog Democrats Lose Seats  Huffington Post   ...(Loser Jason) Altmire was a "huge favorite" based on the geography of the new district, but "boots on the ground and the energy of working families upset that paradigm..."

Today's Teamster News 03.27.12

Iowans Win Victory Over Gov. Branstad’s Abuse of Power  AFSCME   ...A unanimous Iowa Supreme Court ruling declares that Gov. Terry Branstad ... cannot unilaterally shut down the unemployment offices...
Judge Sides with Maine Governor in Labor Mural Dispute  Maine Public Radio   ...U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock found that Gov. Paul LePage was within his rights to order the mural removed last year...
Minnesota’s War on Voting  The Nation   ... the legislature is bypassing the governor by approving a constitutional amendment for voter ID that will go on the November ballot... 11 percent of US citizens lack government-issued ID, including 18 percent of young voters and 25 percent of African-Americans...
Runaway Spending: Private Contractors Increase the Cost of School Transportation Services in Pennsylvania  Keystone Research   ...We estimate that if all districts switched to the self-supply of transportation services, total spending on student transportation services would fall by $78.3 million, with all of the cost savings accruing to the state...
Your morning jolt: ‘Right to quiet enjoyment’ bill passes House committee  Atlanta Journal Constitution   ...State Rep. Bill Hembree, chairman of the House Industrial Relations, confirmed that his committee this morning passed out SB 469, which would ban union pickets at private residents and require union members to confirm the dues check-off on their paychecks on an annual basis...
Wisconsin One Year Later  Economic Policy Institute   ...overall non-farm employment since Jan. 2011 has rebounded in the Midwestern states surrounding Wisconsin, with Michigan leading the region with Jan. 2012 employment 1.6 percent higher than in Jan. 2011. Wisconsin stands out in the region, lagging with employment significantly lower — by 0.5 percent — in Jan. 2012 than a year earlier...
Nazareth Area School District custodians union agrees to salary reduction to help balance budget proposal  The Express-Times   ...the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union, representing custodians and other maintenance personnel, has agreed to give back an undisclosed percentage of next school year's pay raise...

Today's Teamster News 03.16.12

The richest get richer  Reuters   ...The 1934 economic rebound was widely shared, with strong income gains for the vast majority, the bottom 90 percent. In 2010, we saw the opposite as the vast majority lost ground...
This Is Your Defense of Goldman Sachs and Wall Street? (analysis)  firedoglake   ...This Bloomberg editorial suggests it is incredibly stupid to ever expect a Wall Street company to actually try to provide you with the service that you pay them for...
Michigan Working Families Push for Constitutional Amendment to Protect Their Rights  crooks and liars   ...Michigan's working families, fed up with an assault that has more than 80 bills currently before the legislature that would strip their rights, will soon start collecting signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would protect those rights from legislative overreach...
Indiana company denies Daniels' claim it is adding jobs because of new right-to-work law  Associated Press   ...The lone company being held out as an example of how Indiana's right-to-work law is bringing more business to the state says the new labor law had nothing to do with its decision to expand its Indiana operations...
Voter ID becomes law in Pennsylvania, opponents vow legal fight  Reuters   ...Opponents, who say the measure seeks to suppress voter turnout, vowed to challenge it in court. Pennsylvania joined several Republican-governed states, including Texas, Kansas and Wisconsin, that have adopted stricter voter identification laws, arguing they were needed to prevent ballot box fraud...
Teamsters continue to picket American Red Cross blood drives  The News-Herald   ...Members of the Teamsters Local 507 union picketed an American Red Cross blood drive Thursday at Edison Elementary school as part of the now month-long strike for a new contract...

Today's Teamster News 03.13.12

Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Voter ID Law Violates Constitution, Judge Rules  Bloomberg   ...Texas and Wisconsin officials were barred from enforcing laws requiring voters to produce a government-issued photo identification before casting ballots...
Fla. Legal Bill: $475 per Hour per Lawyer (opinion)  The Ledger   ...Here's what is simply wrong: The state paid the Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird $500,000 to defend against the state workers' (pension) lawsuit in circuit court...
Pennsylvania's voter ID bill faces final vote  Republican Herald   ...The Republican-controlled House Rules Committee voted for the bill Monday along party lines after defeating amendments by Democratic lawmakers to address concerns about senior citizens not bringing proper ID to the polls...
Foes of Ohio right-to-work effort target new proposal  Associated Press   ...We Are Ohio, the organization behind a 2011 campaign against Ohio's law limiting collective bargaining, says it's ready to unleash volunteers and hundreds of thousands of email and social media followers against an emerging right-to-work initiative in the state...
Late Night FDL: Pensions Are Good for You   firedoglake   ...Good for business, good for the economy, even good for the 1 percent...
Government asks judge to approve landmark settlement over banks’ foreclosure practices  Bloomberg   ...as many as 750,000 borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure since 2008 would be eligible for payouts of about $2,000 each...

Today's Teamster News 10.16.11

Protesters arrested nationwide as Occupy Wall Street rallies rage on  CNN   ...Police hauled away protesters in various cities early Sunday as Occupy Wall Street rallies raged on for the 30th day...
Occupy Wall Street Live  The Guardian  ...More than 950 demonstrations against the global financial system and corporate greed are being held in more than 80 countries around the world today...
Alaska pension hearing planned  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner   ...Senate Bill 121 would give state employees the choice of opting into a defined-benefit program that has guaranteed payouts and benefits upon retirement. The Alaska Legislature did away with the defined-benefit program in 2006 by replacing it with a defined-contribution program, similar to a 401(k), that shifts risk from the state to the employee. The 2006 decision has been met with stiff opposition from employees...
Unions win round over Arizona law  Phoenix Business Journal   ...The National Labor Relations Board, labor unions and the Obama administration don’t like a measure passed by Arizona voters in 2010 that reaffirms rules saying union organizing can only be done via secret ballot...
CA has new law to stop intimidation of farmworkers  Associated Press   ...California has a new law that will allow state regulators to automatically certify union elections by farmworkers if they determine growers used threats or intimidation toward workers in the election process...
Corbett School Reform Plan Calls For Vouchers, Charter School Fixes  The Morning Call   ...Gov. Tom Corbett introduced his long-awaited school reform plan today, calling for vouchers for students in the state’s worst-performing schools, tougher evaluation standards for public school teachers and changes in the way the Pennsylvania regulates charter schools...

Today's Teamster News 10.05.11

Occupy Wall Street protest drawing thousands of dollars in donations as sit-in enters third week  New York Daily News   ...Approximately $35,000 has been sent to the masses, camped in lower Manhattan since the protest started Sept. 17, protesters say...
Unions endorse, will join Occupy Wall Street protests  CNN   ...In New York City, several unions endorsed the Occupy Wall Street movement and plan to join the protesters' street theater on Wednesday, labor leaders said...
Privatization of Michigan public schools called 'very real' possibility  Kalamazoo Gazette   ...Privatization of Michigan's public education system is a "very real" threat, and a change that could make education about the bottom line versus what's best for students, a state lawmaker said Monday at town-hall forum held in Kalamazoo...
'Payback' is motivation for Senate Bill 5 (Opinion)  Crescent-Gazette   ...The motivation for the Republican-backed Senate Bill 5 is simply political revenge. The Republican Party does not receive anything close to the financial contributions the public unions pass along to the Democratic Party...
GOP bills aim at Pa. wage law  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   ...Six measures voted out of committee seek to undercut law requiring the prevailing wage...
Illinois Arbitrator Stops Quinn’s Plan to Dismiss 1,900 Workers  Bloomberg   ...An arbitrator ruled that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s budget-cutting proposal to dismiss more than 1,900 state workers and close seven facilities violates a collective-bargaining agreement with unions...

Today's Teamster News 09.19.11

SB5 sides organize saturation campaigns  Youngston Vindicator   ...As the multimillion dollar Senate Bill 5 campaigns ramp up, Ohioans will be bombarded with claims and counterclaims, pleas and appeals, images and sound bites...
After Gutting Their Wages, Michigan GOP Senate Leader Says He Wants To Help Teachers With Right-To-Work Law  truthout   ...Teachers should not fall for his rhetoric and support his attack on union rights...
Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collectors' contract expires Sept. 30  pennlive.com   ...At a time when the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is studying a move toward an all-electronic toll collection system that could make the jobs of more than 700 toll collectors obsolete, the union representing those workers has a labor contract that expires Sept. 30...
Overreach doesn't fly  Times-Tribune   ...Now House Republicans plan to pass a bill that would strip the NLRB of its authority to bring the sort of case it has brought against Boeing. That's a bad idea...
Editorial: The GOP is using a Boeing case to antagonize organized labor  stlouistoday.com   ...the bill actually would put jobs at risk and leave workers exposed to punitive actions by corporations trying to avoid their legal obligations...
Nikki Haley Doubles Down On Drug Claim  FitsNews.com   ...S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is standing by her bizarre claim that fifty percent of recent job applicants at the Savannah River Site (SRS) failed drug tests while the other half “couldn’t read and write properly...”

Today's Teamster News 09.07.11

Unapologetic Hoffa: Call to 'take ... out' tea party means with votes, not violence'  Detroit Free Press   ..."We're fighting back. That's what Teamsters do -- we stand up for what is right," Hoffa said...
The Tea Party’s ridiculous hissy fit over Jimmy Hoffa  Washington Post   ...(Michelle) Bachmann used precisely the same “take out” phrase in calling on supporters to target her political opponents — and amusingly enough, she used the phrase at a Tea Party rally...
Kasich backers join SB 5 TV ad war  Columbus Dispatch   ...A spokesman for the Republican Governors Association, which contributed more than $9 million on behalf of Kasich’s successful election bid last fall, confirmed that it will begin running TV commercials this week in support of Kasich...
Janvrin wins House seat  Seacoast Online   ...(Kevin) Janvrin (a Seabrook, N.H., firefighter) faced an uphill battle early on in the race, as he did not receive support from a certain segment of tea party Republicans, who were not happy with his opposition to Right to Work legislation and other policy decisions made by the Republican supermajority...
Families Feel Sharp Edge of State Budget Cuts  New York Times   ...By 2009, about 2.4 million more children’s families lived below the poverty line than in 2000, an increase of 18 percent...
Sunoco to sell or close its refineries in Philadelphia, Marcus Hook  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...Sunoco Inc., an iconic Philadelphia company and a manufacturing mainstay along the Delaware River for more than a century, is getting out of the refining business...
Ind. lawmakers will weigh labor contracts  Associated Press   ...The General Assembly's Interim Committee on Employment will meet Wednesday morning to examine project labor agreements...

PA guv, sen., not invited to Labor Day parade

Wow. Pennsylvania really has its protest on these days.

Palmyra, Pa., is where the foreign students who paid to be in a cultural exchange program ended up in a Hershey's sweatshop packaging Kit-Kats. Some of them walked off the job, with the support of local unions and the National Guestworker Alliance.

In Williamsport, workers staged a mock funeral for jobs (like they did in Texas) outside of the office of Rep. Lou Barletta, an anti-worker extremist.

Another anti-worker extremist, Sen. Pat Toomey, has been followed by "Toomey Trackers" -- two unemployed workers -- in a Toomeymobile. They've been trying to get a meeting with him to talk about jobs (like they did in Wisconsin and New York). When Toomey finally held town hall meetings, they showed up to tell him to stop destroying America. In Jim Thorpe, workers held "Where are the Jobs?" signs.

Now we're learning that unions in Pittsburgh did not invite two anti-union politicians, Gov. Tom Corbett and Sen. Pat Toomey, to its Labor Day March for Jobs. Reports Amanda Terkel at The Huffington Post:

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO spokesman Marty Marks said that only friends of the labor movement, regardless of political party, are invited to march in the Pittsburgh Labor Day parade. The local labor council reimburses the city for parade-related expenses.

About six Republican politicians were invited to march this year, along with a larger number of Democratic officials. Invited guests include U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R), U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D) and state Sen. John Pippe (R-Allegheny).

Unfortunately, Toomey is on the congressional supercommittee to reduce the deficit. He's a staunch advocate of cutting government spending and refuses to consider raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy. Yesterday, Think Progress reported that Toomey believes hurricane relief should be offset by budget cuts. Reports Think Progress,

Thousands of Pennsylvania residents are still without power from the storm, while 13 counties in the state have been approved for federal aid. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said that it’s “far too early to know” an exact damage figure.

Today's Teamster News 08.31.11

USW Local 6787 asks Chamber to oppose right to work legislation  Chesterton Tribune   ...Local 6787 President Paul Gipson states in a letter to the Chamber dated Aug. 26, “Without the benefits of our union, the purchases we make at your establishments may not be possible...”
Ohio Referendum on Union Restrictions Is a Go After Kasich’s Gambit Fails  Bloomberg   ...Ohio voters will decide whether to keep a law limiting collective bargaining for public employees after efforts by Ohio Governor John Kasich to strike a deal to get the measure off the ballot failed...
Top union official blasts Gov. Christie for requiring state employees to report to work  Newark Star Ledger   ...Employees trying to make their way into Trenton today found some of the main arteries into the city closed from flooding, backing up traffic for miles...
Anti-union laws reach Pennsylvania  DailyKos   ...there are 4 bills stuck in committee, 3 in the house, 1 in the senate. These bills, if they pass will strike at the very heart of labor rights in Pennsylvania...
Walker policies will force providers out of business (opinion)  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...On Aug. 19, thousands of small businesses in Wisconsin received a letter from Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Children and Families informing them of new state regulations that will threaten their fiscal stability...
Thousands of public employees laid off in 2010  Reuters   ...Local and state governments axed more than 200,000 jobs in 2010, according to U.S. Census data released on Tuesday that showed the growing threat of public employee layoffs to the economic recovery...