Making public sector jobs RTW will gut wages

Public-sector employees have become a punching bag for anti-union forces who are trying to cripple the movement. But with the U.S. Supreme Court getting ready to consider a lawsuit that could allow workers to opt-out of paying union dues while still receiving representation, a new report shows just how much value union membership brings to workers' paychecks.

The Economic Policy Institute unveiled a document showing that if the court was to effectively institute so-called "right to work" for public sector jobs across the country, wages would likely fall far below what those in the private sector earn for the same work. Thus, if the court was to side with the plaintiffs in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, millions of workers would be hurt.

Jeffrey Keefe, a professor at Rutgers University who authored the report, says instituting a policy that would reduce wages makes no sense, taking a step that would worsen income inequality:

When states provide full collective-bargaining rights and permit the enforcement of provisions that allow unions to collect dues from all employees they represent, regardless of membership, unions can lessen and even eliminate this gap. This makes it possible for state and local governments to attract workers that might otherwise go to the private sector.

The Teamsters represent about 273,000 public sector workers, and other unions represent millions more. These government employees are everyday Americans just trying to earn a living and support their families. But that will be increasingly difficult if union rights are curtailed nationwide.

Sticking up for union jobs is essential because it paves the way to a middle-class lifestyle. The median union worker makes more than $200 more a week than non-union workers. That's why the Teamsters stressed the need for more union jobs in its "Let's Get America Working" campaign. Workers earning more doesn't just help their families, it helps the economy at large as well because they spend more.

Teamster Strong, America Stronger!

Teamsters make case against bad trade deals to top Democratic senators

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa discusses trade with Sen. Ron Wyden.

Teamsters told key senators today that secret 'trade' deals like TPP and TISA threaten government workers' jobs by opening them up to irreversible privatization by multinationals.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said health, education and law enforcement jobs are at risk because multinational corporations with a profit motive will lower wages and labor standards.

Hoffa and the Teamsters were joined by other affiliates of Public Services International during a lobbying day on Capitol Hill. They met with most Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee, including Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

According to Inside U.S. Trade,

Teamsters President James Hoffa said a big focus for his union is to stop fast-track legislation, formally known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) -- because if it fails to pass, it will stop all trade agreements currently under negotiation. 

Preventing fast-track renewal, he said, is the "silver bullet" that will kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). This is because trading partners would be unwilling to give the U.S. the concessions necessary to make a deal without assurance that it could not be changed by Congress, he argued. 

Hoffa signaled that it is difficult to make the case to members of Congress that fast-track abrogates their authority on trade by placing much of the authority on trade with the administration. He said members say they do not want to do that, but somehow do not connect that to the fact that this is what fast-track would accomplish. 

The lobbying day followed a press conference and a daylong summit on the devastating impact of so-called trade agreements on public service jobs. Public Services International issued a report (click on this link: http://ibt.io/gts14) describing, for example, FedEx lobbying for TISA to weaken protections for national post offices.

Politico reported on the press conference:

Teamsters President James Hoffa is becoming increasingly worried that Congress will pass a trade promotion authority bill during its upcoming lame duck session. “The danger is, once the elections are over then they go into a smoke-filled room and pass an agreement which gives the president fast track,” Hoffa said ... Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden ... is working on his own alternate “smart track” version of a TPA bill.

Tomio Ishihara, the President of the Japanese public sector union ZENNORIN offered words of wisdom for summit attendees:

I believe that in order to roll back mega-trade agreements like the TPP and TISA that threatens our societies, we need to return to the basics of citizens' participation in politics. Labor unions must work to reinvigorate themselves. Unions must join hands with people from all parts of society -- workers, students, academics, journalists, women, miniority groups, NGOs and non-profits to build a New Solidarity. Unless we do so and fight back against this threatening tide, we will be headed for a catastrophe. 

Today's Teamster News 07.07.14

Trade
TPP deal 'unlikely' without Japan  Radio New Zealand News   ...He said while Japan has been reluctant to open its market fully, New Zealand continues to push for open access to Japan's markets for farmers...
TPP talks in full gear as chief negotiators join working-level meeting  Mainichi   ...the chief negotiators discussed legal and institutional matters as well as labor, and made some progress on forging a framework for curbing serious labor problems...
State Battles
Students Joining Battle to Upend Laws on Voter ID  New York Times   ...Under the North Carolina law passed last year, the period for early voting was shortened and same-day registration was eliminated. Beginning in 2016, voters will need to show photo identification, and student ID cards, including those issued by state universities, will not be acceptable. In most instances, neither will an out-of-state driver’s license...
War on Workers
As Jobs Surge, Hurdles Linger  Wall Street Journal   ...Consumer spending remains weak, a consequence of a labor market delivering new jobs but skimpy wage growth. And the share of Americans working or looking for work—the so-called labor-force participation rate—is near its lowest levels since the late 1970s, despite steady hiring...
Face of U.S. unions shifting more to public-sector workers, women  Associated Press   ...Unions representing government workers are expanding while organized labor has been shedding private-sector members over the past half-century...
Investors Are Pushing Starter-Home Prices Up  New York Times   ...WALL STREET is driving up home prices again, but this time it is not by granting mortgages to customers who cannot afford houses. Instead, institutional investors have been buying up relatively inexpensive homes, particularly in areas hard hit by foreclosures during and after the Great Recession...
Miscellaneous
Rail Traffic Is Growing Like Crazy  Business Insider   ...Year-over-year monthly carload growth averaged 4.9 percent from March 2014 through June 2014, the highest average for any four-month period since December 2010 through March 2011...
Enhanced security measures at certain airports overseas  TSA   ...During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones. Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft. The traveler may also undergo additional screening...

Today's Teamster News 06.30.14

Trade
Talks on Pacific Trade Zone Set for Canada in Early July  Wall Street Journal   ...Chief negotiators from the dozen countries aiming to create a free-trade zone spanning the Pacific Ocean will gather in Ottawa early next month in a bid to advance the talks toward a deal...
Japan, US kick off TPP talks on deadlock issues  Ecns.cn   ...The three-day working level meeting will cover issues over tariffs on key farm products such as beef and pork and trade barriers on the auto sector, according to local media...
Australia to question Brunei over stoning laws before trade talks  Sydney Morning Herald   ...The Australian government will question Brunei over its new criminal law regime – whose punishments include limb amputation for theft and stoning to death for adultery or homosexuality – before deciding whether to proceed with trade negotiations with the tiny, but oil-rich, Sultanate...
State Battles
Federal prosecutors say Ben Suarez tried to buy influence from Josh Mandel, Jim Renacci  Cleveland Plain Dealer   ...In 2011, Suarez's company, Suarez Corporation, was facing ongoing litigation from a group of district attorneys in California over false advertising of one of its products. Lutzko said Suarez thought he could solve his problems with money, knowing it was illegal for his company to donate to political campaigns...
Local Taxes Up 34% Under Kasich  Innovation Ohio   ...$670 million in new school operating levies have been passed by Ohio taxpayers between May, 2011 and May, 2014.  The local tax hikes represent a 34% increase over the corresponding 3 year period prior to Kasich’s governorship...
War on Workers
Unions Fear This SCOTUS Case Could Bring Their 'Final Destruction'  Talking Points Memo   ...The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday, the last day of its term, in a landmark case that unions fear could deal a fatal blow to their movement. The case, Harris v. Quinn, is about the constitutionality of "agency fees" charged by public sector unions to all workers in a unionized setting, even non-union members…
Workplace secrecy agreements appear to violate federal whistleblower laws  Washington Post   ...Lawyers who represent whistleblowers like Busche say they are seeing a rise in the use of overly restrictive nondisclosure agreements, which prevent employees from reporting fraud, even to government investigators. The agreements incorporate language that goes beyond those that had traditionally protected proprietary information, the attorneys said. In recent months, agreements criticized as overly restrictive have surfaced at Kellogg, Brown and Root, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, and International Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization in Arlington County, Va...
Moaning Moguls  New Yorker   ...Although the Obama years have been boom times for America’s super-rich—recent work by the economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty showed that ninety-five per cent of income gains in the first three years of the recovery went to the top one per cent—a lot of them believe that they’re a persecuted minority...
With Teacher Tenure Threatened, Trouble in Every Direction for Public Education  truthout   ...The magic sauce for this reform recipe has three ingredients: replace the public schools with some sort of privately controlled administration, sort the winners relentlessly from the losers - test, test, TEST! (then punish), and destroy teachers' ability to speak with any sustained or unified voice...
David Cameron to allow ALL public land to be privatised – another devastating blow to democracy  4bitnews   ...The Infrastructure Bill has somehow managed to slip through to its Second Reading in the House of Lords from 1830 Wednesday 18th June 2014, with almost zero news coverage...
Miscellaneous
Demographics: Prime and Near-Prime Population and Labor Force  Calculated Risk   ...The good news is the prime working age group will start growing again by 2020, and this should boost economic activity...

Today's Teamster News 06.29.14

Teamsters
Teamsters contract with Washoe transit system expires Monday; extension possible  KRNV   ... "Contact talks between the company and the union have been making progress, although too much remains to finalize an agreement by midnight on Monday," Local 533 President Gary Watson, the union's lead negotiator said...
Trade
Anti-Fast Track/TPP Rallies And Events Next Week  Trade Reform   ...There will be a number of rallies and other events over the July 4 Congressional recess, focused on members of Congress in their home districts. These events will be to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the proposed “fast track” process that essentially bypasses Congress to get it signed into law...
State Battles
Tax cuts in Kansas have cost the state money — and job creation’s been terrible  Washington Post   ...job growth in Kansas has actually lagged behind the U.S. average, especially in the years following the first round of Brownback tax cuts in 2012...
War on Workers
Harris v. Quinn: Will the Supreme Court Abolish Public Sector Unions on Monday  naked capitalism   ...Joel Rogers, a professor of law and sociology at the University of Wisconsin, calls it “the most important labor law case the court has considered in decades...”
When a Health Plan Knows How You Shop  New York Times   ...The Pittsburgh health plan, for instance, has developed prediction models that analyze data like patient claims, prescriptions and census records to determine which members are likely to use the most emergency and urgent care … But the insurer recently bolstered its forecasting models with details on members’ household incomes, education levels, marital status, race or ethnicity, number of children at home, number of cars...
Housing Improving but Rental Crisis Looms  Mortgage News Daily   ...Tight credit, still elevated unemployment, and mounting student loan debt among young Americans are responsible for moderating growth and keeping millennials and other first-time homebuyers out of the market...
If Women Want Better Pay, They Should Support Unions  Huffington Post   ...Women in unions make 12.9 percent more, on average, than their non-union counterparts, according to the study. For women with just a high school diploma, that difference is 15 percent. Women in unions with a college degree make 13.4 percent more than their non-union colleagues, the study found...
Facebook Conducted Psychological Experiments On Unknowing Users  ThinkProgress   ...The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. was successful. It found that, indeed, manipulating the algorithm to show more “positive” posts in your news feed will actually inspire you to write more “positive” posts yourself...
Miscellaneous
The C.E.O. Is My Friend. So Back Off.  New York Times   ...when social relationships were disclosed as part of director-independence regulations, board members didn’t toughen their oversight of their chief-executive pals. Rather, the directors went easier on the C.E.O., perhaps believing that they had done their duty by disclosing the relationship...

Today's Teamster News June 15, 2014

Teamsters
Obama signs order; SEPTA Regional Rails to roll Sunday  Philly.com   ...President Obama signed an executive order Saturday evening, appointing an emergency board to mediate the SEPTA labor dispute, thus averting a lengthy strike. All 13 SEPTA Regional Rail lines should be back to normal operating schedules Sunday morning...
Trade
Obama’s Free Trade Strategy Falters in Asia  Inter Press Service  ...Obama’s latest trip to Asia, however, underlined the inability of Washington to balance its economic and geopolitical initiatives in the region. While Obama managed to strike new strategic agreements with leading Southeast Asian countries, namely Malaysia and the Philippines, and strengthen bilateral military alliances with Japan and South Korea, there was, in turn, no concrete development vis-à-vis the ongoing TPP negotiations...
State Battles
Mayor vetoes collective bargaining ordinance  WANE   ...(Fort Wayne) Mayor Tom Henry has vetoed the ordinance passed by the City Council that would have ended collective bargaining for non-public safety union employees...
International Human Rights Violations in Detroit  On the Commons   ...The water department has decreed that it will turn the water off to all 150,000 residences that are behind on their bills   by the end of the summer although it has made no such threat to the many corporations and other institutions that are in arrears on their bills as well...
War on Workers
Recession linked to more than 10,000 suicides  CBS News   ...New research suggests that the economic downturn could be linked with more than 10,000 suicides across North America and Europe. The study found that between 2008 and 2010, rates of suicide surged in the European Union, Canada and the United States…
A Three-Pronged Attack on Organized Labor  Huffington Post   ...The claim that companies leave the U.S. to avoid paying union wages is false. It's an outright lie disseminated by free market fundamentalists, and anyone who believes it is a dupe. The reason companies leave is to avoid paying an American wage...
Who actually earns the minimum wage?  CBS News   ...While more than a quarter of all low-wage workers were teenagers back in 1979, today only about one in 10 are teens ... almost 37 percent of these employees on low wages, defined as less than $10.10 per hour, are between 35 to 64 years old...
Senior NSA Executive: NSA Started Spying On Journalists in 2002 … In Order to Make Sure They Didn’t Report On Mass Surveillance  Washington's Blog   ...Senior NSA executive Thomas Drake tells Washington’s Blog that the spying on reporters started12 years ago – in 2002 – and has been fairly systematic...
Miscellaneous
As Iraq fighting rages, gas prices climb  CBS Money Watch   ...A rising tide of violence in Iraq is driving up prices at the pump...
Wait Times at the VA  Angry Bear   ...the VA is well beyond the typical private healthcare system in providing “evidence-based protocols of care — not inadvertently ordering up dangerous combinations of drugs, or performing unnecessary surgeries and tests just to make a buck and treating the whole patient and not just one part at a time...”

Scott Walker trashes government workers

Wisconsin's No. 1 government worker -- job-killer Gov. Scott Walker -- voluntarily recorded this nasty diatribe against teachers, nurses, sanitation workers, corrections officers and snowplow drivers.

For all his talk about the work ethic of public sector employees, Walker has been an absentee governor. In the first 10 months of 2012, he took 11 weeks off.

What went wrong with the US in one chart

Wall Street gorged on a bigger share of the U.S. economy at the expense of manufacturing over the past 20 years, according to the chart. It's an old story, and one familiar to any Teamster who worked for a company that got bought out by Wall Street. 

The Center for Economic Policy and Research explains what happened to manufacturing:

Manufacturing sheds about 20 percent of its job base during the recession of the early 2000s, and then nearly another 20 percent during the 2007-9 downturn. These losses reflect cyclical shocks, but also the relentless pressure of trade and currency manipulation.

Here's what happened to Wall Street: 

Financial employment, by contrast, shows fairly steady gains across this era—rising about 20 percent through 2007 before suffering some losses early in the recession. Employment alone understates the rise of finance, which has—over the same span—captured even greater relative shares of value-added and corporate profits.

The rise of Wall Street and the decline of manufacturing is no accident because Wall Street profits by preying on manufacturing. When money people buy a company that actually makes something or does something, they immediately plunder all the cash they can get out of it. Then they cut costs, kill it and kick it to the curb. Or as CEPR puts it:

...predatory, high-dollar, boom-and-bust finance guts real productive employment by design.

There's another part of the story: Hundreds of thousands of government workers lost their jobs in the past five years. Hundreds of thousands of people had less money to spend, so fewer businesses hired new employees. Again, CEPR explains:

Since the recovery began (June 2009), the public sector has shed 725,000 jobs—the vast majority (628,000) at the state and local level. This austerity, unprecedented in our recent history, is a drag on recovery and a direct contributor to slow job growth (or continued losses) across the economy.

You can see what happened in your state here.

Today's Teamster News 02.13.14

Teamsters
Washington Twp. cops might go union  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review   ...The Washington Township Police Department soon might become members of Teamsters Local 205, based in White Oak, Pennsylvania. The state's Labor Relations Board will schedule an election within the next month for township officers...
Union Negotiations Continue at Beverly's Armstrong Plant  12 WBOY News   ...Negotiations are still underway between Armstrong and the Teamsters to reach a new agreement at its plant in Randolph County, WV. The current contract expires Saturday...
Collective Bargaining: How to Negotiate Strong Teamster Contracts  teamster.org   ...The IBT Training and Development Department is conducting a Teamsters Leadership Academy (TLA) on collective bargaining, March 11-14. Get the details here...
Trade
Pelosi comes out against fast track bill  The Hill   ...Pelosi made clear on Wednesday night that she isn’t opposed to the concept of TPA, also known as fast-track authority, but she can’t support a bill introduced by Baucus, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)...
Hoffa: Voices Against Fast Track Are Growing Louder  teamster.org   ...Thousands of Teamsters have contacted Congress in recent weeks to let them know “fast track” trade authority is the wrong track for America. And the message is getting through...
Crowley Opposes Fast Track  New York Daily News   ...Rep. Joe Crowley’s far from shocking statement opposing the authority, which lets the president force trade bills, like a pending Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, to receive up or down votes in both congressional chambers...
State Battles
Tennessee Paper Pushes Koch-Connected Anti-Union Message Ahead Of UAW Vote  Media Matters   ...A misleading op-ed in Chattanooga's Times Free Press, co-written by a Koch and ALEC ally, falsely claimed creating a union in a local Volkswagen plant would negatively impact the state economy and plant relations, despite evidence to the contrary...
U.S. senator drops bombshell during VW plant union vote  Reuters   ...U.S. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said on Wednesday he has been "assured" that if workers at the Volkswagen AG plant in his hometown of Chattanooga reject United Auto Worker representation, the company will reward the plant with a new product to build. Corker's bombshell … runs counter to public statements by Volkswagen...
Tennessee Republicans Don't Believe in a Free Market  Center for Economic and Policy Research   ...these politicians believe they are better able to run a car company than the Volkswagen's managers. This is an interesting view coming from people who usually claim to be supporters of a free market and to believe that the government should not interfere in the running of a business...
Austerity in Maine has forced state troopers to go without heating and feed their families roadkill  Salon   ...Back in 2013, the lawmakers of the state of Maine decided to freeze state merit and longevity pay for its state troopers. According to a report in the Bangor Daily News, for at least some state troopers — and their families — the consequences have been dire...
Harsh words for CDOT at public meeting on 50-year U.S. 36 contract  Daily Camera   ...Colorado Department of Transportation officials took a verbal beating Wednesday night from a crowd of hundreds who blasted the agency for partnering with a private firm to maintain and operate U.S. 36 between Boulder and Denver for the next 50 years.
Assembly committee takes up bill tossing some "living wage" ordinances  WHBL   ...Wisconsin lawmakers were hearing testimony Wednesday on a bill to throw out local "living wage" ordinances...
Kentucky sinkhole opens up at Corvette museum, swallows vintage Corvettes dailykos   ...The museum issued a statement that said six of the damaged cars were owned by the museum and two — a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder and a 2009 ZR1 Blue Devil — were on loan from General Motors...
States, U.S. Forfeit Billions in Corporate Tax Revenue Annually  teamster.org   ...States could save more than $1 billion a year in tax revenue if they would make simple reforms that would crack down on shady corporate practices that funnel dollars away from their coffers. But only two states have put the brakes on such practices thus far...
How California’s Worsening Drought Could Make Your Grocery Bill Spike  ThinkProgress   ...If what the tree rings say is true, California hasn’t been this dry in more than 500 years. If what the leading climate scientists say is true, that dryness will only get worse in the coming years, which will adversely impact the agricultural industry...
This Is What It Looks Like When 100,000 Gallons Of Coal Waste Spill Into A West Virginia Stream  ThinkProgress   ...A pipe break at a Patriot Coal preparation site spewed more than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry into a waterway near Charleston, WV on Tuesday...
Pence wants state to replace some proposed local business tax cuts  Indianapolis Star   ...In the face of a growing outcry from mayors across the state, Gov. Mike Pence announced Tuesday that he supports replacing some of the revenue local governments would lose under proposals to cut Indiana's tax on business equipment...
The War on Workers
Lawsuit Calls Government’s Sweetheart Deal With JP Morgan ‘Unlawful’   ThinkProgress ...The Justice Department (DOJ) broke the law when it settled mortgage finance market fraud allegations against JP Morgan in a headline-grabbing legal settlement last year, according to a lawsuit filed Monday...
Former Enron Trader Funding PBS Series On Pensions  firedoglake   ... billionaire and Enron alum John Arnold has financed a new two-year news series entitled “Pension Peril.” A program that, not surprisingly, pushes an agenda that companies like Enron would love. The series, promoting cuts to public employee pensions, is airing on hundreds of PBS outlets all over the nation...
RealtyTrac: Monthly foreclosure filings reverse course, rise 8%  Housing Wire   ...Monthly foreclosure filings — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — reversed course and increased 8% to 124,419 in January from December...
AT&T Mobility, CWA reach tentative agreement  Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...AT&T Mobility has reached a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America on a contract covering more than 11,500 employees in Georgia and other parts of the Southeast...
What the jobless do when the benefits end  Washington Post   ...Many facing the end of benefits will turn to Social Security. Others will cobble together what they can...
Bob Costas is right: Going to work sick is a terrible idea  Washington Post   ..."Presenteeism" is actually a vexing problem for employers that could, by some estimates cost them as much as $150 billion per year...

Today's Teamster News 02.09.14

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

Today's Teamster News 07.21.13

Port truckers for Carteret firm vote to join the Teamsters  Newark Star Ledger   ...More than 100 port truck drivers who work in Carteret for an Australian-based global logistics firm have voted to join the Teamsters, the union said today...
Ohio ranked second in nation for most jobs lost in June: state's unemployment rate up to 7.2%  Cleveland Plain Dealer   ...Ohio lost the second highest number of jobs in the country in June, just a month after posting the largest job gains, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday...
Moral Monday critics blinded by their own propaganda (opinion)  The Durham News   ...Like old Soviet-era Stalinists and modern religious theocrats they find it impossible to acknowledge the simple truth that’s painted in living color right before their eyes – namely, that millions of North Carolinians are not buying the snake oil they and their allies are selling and do not want to see the clock of state turned back a half-century or more...
Detroit’s Creditors Eye Its Art Collection  New York Times   ...As Detroit files for bankruptcy — the largest American city ever to do so — the impressive collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts has become a political bargaining chip in a fight that could drag on for years between the city and its army of creditors, who have said in no uncertain terms that the artworks must be considered a salable asset...
Unfunded Pension Liabilities Are $1 Trillion, Not $3.8 Trillion: Never Take Anything In a Washington Post Editorial At Face Value  Center for Economic and Policy Research   ...the unfunded liabilities (for state and local public sector pensions) are 0.22 percent of projected GDP over the next 30 years. And ... most state and local governments are already funding at levels that are consistent with making up this shortfall so there will no required tax increases or spending cuts to meet these future obligations...
How Goldman Made $5 Billion By Manipulating Aluminum Inventories (and Copper Is Up Next)  naked capitalism   ...Goldman and its speculator allies manipulate prices … This is simply another form of looting...
'Is there no limit to what this Government will privatise?': UK plasma supplier sold to US private equity firm Bain Capital  The Independent   ...The Government was tonight accused of gambling with the UK’s blood supply by selling the state-owned NHS plasma supplier to a US private equity firm...
NSA Spokesman Accidentally Admits that the Government Is Spying On Virtually All Americans  Washington's Blog   ...Given that there are now approximately 875,000 people in the government’s database of suspected terrorists – including many thousands of Americans – every single American living on U.S. soil could easily be caught up in the dragnet...
Public Cops for Private Kochs  NSFWCORP   ...police and private security formed a better ring of defense around the ALEC conference than what the CIA compound had in Benghazi...
TAFTA: Corporations Express Fear of Democracy  Public Citizen   ...The Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) negotiations have only just begun, but already hundreds of corporations are weighing in to let negotiators know what they hope to get out of the agreement...

Today's Teamster News 01.26.13

Unions Gain Latino Members, Could Be Unions' Saving Grace  Huffington Post   ...Unions lost a record-breaking 547,000 white members in 2012. Meanwhile, membership increased among other races -- particularly Latino. In 2012, unions gained 156,000 new Latino members...

Statement by Chairman Pearce on recess appointment ruling  NLRB   ...The Board respectfully disagrees with today’s decision and believes that the President’s position in the matter will ultimately be upheld. It should be noted that this order applies to only one specific case, Noel Canning, and that similar questions have been raised in more than a dozen cases pending in other courts of appeals...
Senate Sets Vote on $60.2 Billion Hurricane Sandy Plan  Bloomberg  ...The Senate plans a Jan. 28 vote to complete congressional action on a $60.2 billion aid package for Hurricane Sandy victims...
JPMorgan Chase Trying To Block Shareholder Vote On Breaking Up Bank  Reuters   ...A federation of U.S. labor unions is looking to force JPMorgan Chase's board to consider breaking up the company after the disastrous "London Whale" affair...
Britain is experiencing 'worse slump than during Great Depression'  The Telegraph   ...Britain's recent economic performance is the worst since records began in the pre-Victorian era, experts said today, apart from the two immediate post-war slumps...

Armed with questions for Gov. Rick Snyder, protesters demonstrate outside press luncheon  Michigan Live  ...Organized by the We Are Michigan Coalition, protesters held signs denouncing right-to-work, fracking, restrictions on women's rights, Snyder's ties to business and attacks against families...

Outnumbered Michigan Democrats start longshot bid to repeal right-to-work laws in Legislature  Michigan Live   ...the bill introductions serve as a reminder that Democrats are starting the 2013-14 legislative session still upset about the right-to-work laws that were signed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder late last year...
Reluctant to Hire the Unemployed? Too Bad, Says NYC In These Times ...The City Council approved a groundbreaking measure to bar employers from using unemployment status as a factor in reviewing job applicants...
Construction unions enter into a Unity Coalition  Daily Commercial News   ...The Unity Coalition includes ... Teamsters Local 230 ... The unions have agreed to a peace and solidarity pact where no member will raid the other and all will support any member defending a raiding union...
Union asks Cedar Falls School District for 4% increase in wages  Orlando Sentinel   ...The contract covers about 40 full-time equivalent positions, varying from custodial to central services staff. The average employee wage is $14 per hour. The union is also asking the district to pick up the entire cost of any health insurance increases, which district officials said are estimated to be about 5 percent...
Pepsi will shut Salem warehouse next month  StatesmanJournal.com   ...Pepsi Beverages is consolidating its distribution operations in Portland and Corvallis, said Chris Muhs, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 324, which represents workers at the facility. Muhs said many of the (66) employees from Salem likely will be able to transfer to jobs in Portland or Corvallis...
Unions sue to block Marin pension reform  Marin Independent Journal   ...Five unions representing nearly 2,000 public workers at the Civic Center and in San Rafael are suing to block a move by county pension officials limiting the kinds of compensation used to determine pensions for current employees...
Strongsville, Firefighters Reach Contract Agreement  Strongsville Patch   ...It's the same 7 percent over three years that employees in two other bargaining groups -- the Service Department workers and building inspectors ... The two groups represented by the Teamsters are receiving increases of 2.25 percent this year, 2.5 percent next year and 2.25 the following year...
Durham School Services union releases statement  WCBD  ...The Teamsters Local 509, the union involved in the ongoing salary negotiations with Durham School Services released a statement to News 2 Friday morning."We are working diligently at the bargaining table to resolve this, and we appreciate all the public support. The phone calls of support from teachers, principals and parents have been overwhelming"...

Today's Teamster News 11.16.12

Unions Played Major Unsung Role in Obama Victory  In These Times   ...union members provided a critical margin of victory for Obama. Mitt Romney actually won among non-union voters by 4 percentage points, but Obama won union voters by 32 percent (65 to 33 percent), sealing the president's victory...
Walmart workers threaten to strike on 'Black Friday'  Seattle Post-Intelligencer   ...Hundreds of Walmart workers walked off the job on Thursday, and the employees are now threatening to strike on one of the biggest shopping days of the year...
BP settles criminal charges for $4 billion in spill; supervisors indicted on manslaughter  Washington Post   ...The Justice Department also sought to attach faces to the disaster, filing manslaughter charges against two BP rig supervisors and obstruction charges against a BP executive who allegedly lied to Congress. The three are not covered by the BP settlement...
Future of Ohio Turnpike troubles consumer group  Youngstown Vindicator   ...“We are very wary, because we have seen situations in other states [that have privatized their turnpikes] where it very much was not in the public interest at all,” said Tabitha Woodruff, an advocate for Ohio Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG...
State lost 7,500 jobs in October  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   ...Wisconsin lost 7,500 jobs in October ...the state lost an estimated 6,000 private-sector jobs and 1,500 jobs in the government sector, which includes federal, local and state-level employees...
YRC Worldwide Turnaround Gains Momentum  Seeking Alpha   ...CEO James Welch has targeted being profitable by the end of 2013 but it now looks like they might do that even sooner...
Teamsters: Bakery Workers Should Hold Secret Ballot Vote At Hostess  IBT   ...Today, the Teamsters Union announced its recommendation to the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that a vote of its Hostess members by secret ballot should be held to determine if the workers want to continue their strike of the company and force it into liquidation...
Latest round of UPS negotiations wraps up  IBT   ...The latest round of UPS negotiations wrapped up this week with the National Negotiating Committee pressing for more full-time jobs and addressing 9.5 concerns...
New Milford Finalizes Contract with Teamsters  Housatonic Times   ...The Town Council has approved a new three-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 677, which affects union employees in the highway and Parks & Recreation departments and the recycling center...

Today's Teamster News 06.14.12

Trans Pacific Partnership Document Leaked, Shows Corporations Could Violate National Sovereignty firedoglake   ...foreign corporations operating within the U.S. would be permitted to appeal key American legal or regulatory rulings to an international tribunal. That international tribunal would be granted the power to overrule American law and impose trade sanctions on the United States for failing to abide by its rulings...
Foreclosures up for first time in 27 months  Reuters   ...Foreclosure starts rose year-over-year in May for the first time in more than two years as banks resumed dealing with distressed properties after a mortgage abuse settlement earlier this year, data firm RealtyTrac said on Thursday...
Foreclosure Machinery Creaks Back to Life  The Big Picture   ... when some smart bank executive somewhere learned how rampant illegal foreclosures had become, they decided to halt the foreclosure machines altogether to clean up their own house... Fast forward to the national robo-signer giveaway settlement. With that now behind them, the voluntary foreclosure abatements have come to an end...
Yup: Romney’s plan would indeed cut billions from cops, firefighters and teachers  Washington Post   ...despite Romney's claim, the federal government does give billions of dollars to states and localities through programs like Title 1, the COPS program, FEMA and others — which pay for first responders and teachers...
Hostess faces expiration date  New York Post   ...With the clock ticking, creditors of bankrupt Hostess Brands and its unions remain far apart on a deal to save the company from liquidation...
Recycle Drivers To Raise Informational Pickets at 4 Waste Management Locations  Local 117   ...On Thursday, June 14, 150 recycle and yard waste drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 117, will raise informational pickets at four Waste Management locations to demand that the company bargain a fair and equitable contract in good faith...