Today's Teamster News 03.12.13

This New Puerto Rican Law Makes Wealthy People Want To Move There To Avoid Taxes  Business Insider   ...Billionaire hedge funder John Paulson, who famously bet against the subprime housing market, is reportedly weighing a move to Puerto Rico to take advantage of a new tax law there...
Illinois settles SEC fraud charges over pension fund disclosures  Reuters   ...Illinois failed to inform investors about the impact of problems with its pension funding schedule as the state offered and sold more than $2.2 billion worth of municipal bonds from 2005 to early 2009...
Ex-Detroit mayor Kilpatrick convicted of range of corruption charges  NBC News   ...Prosecutors said that Kilpatrick, 42, steered $83 million in city work to a friend and contractor, Bobby Ferguson, in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks...
After Watering Down Financial Reform, Ex-Senator Scott Brown Joins Goldman Sachs’ Lobbying Firm  ThinkProgress   ...During his nearly three years in the U.S. Senate, Scott Brown (R-MA) frequently came to the aid of the financial sector — watering down the Dodd-Frank bill and working to weaken it after its passage — and accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from the industry...
Congress wants role as Obama pushes trade agenda  Associated Press   ...A strong trade agenda, said Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah requires close cooperation and consultation with Congress. Members of Obama's Democratic Party tend to oppose "fast track," arguing that trade pacts negotiated by past administrations have resulted in job losses in America and given short shrift to environmental and labor and human rights issues...
Sequester scuttling Sandy shape-up?  Manufacture This  ...New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, are still repairing after Hurricane Sandy, five months later. But now there's a new complication: the sequester has taken a bite out of federal aid money...
Missouri Senate Backs Union Paycheck Bill  Associated Press   ...The Missouri Senate has given first-round approval to a measure that would require public employee unions to seek annual consent to automatically deduct dues from members' paychecks...
Judge Cans Soda Ban  Wall Street Journal   ...Mayor Michael Bloomberg was dealt a stinging blow on Monday when a state Supreme Court Judge quashed his plan to ban the sale of large sugary drinks in the city's restaurants and other venues...
Why liquor privatization still faces a long road  PennLive   ...While some legislators say a bill introduced this week to end the state's longtime monopoly is on the fast track, others say they aren't so sure such a swift timetable is in the cards...
Behind Closed Doors: Americans for Prosperity chapter leader is no stranger to Pence  Indianapolis Star   ...Americans for Prosperity is a national group launched by Charles and David Koch, billionaire brothers and influential conservative leaders who financially supported Pence’s campaign for governor...
Minnesota Poll: Majority supports raising state minumum wage  Minneapolis Star-Tribune   ...But Minnesotans are divided on how high to go, $7.50 an hour vs. $9.50...
Realtors asked for budget provision expanding foreign ownership of state land  The Cap Times   ...Wisconsin Realtors look to be next in line to benefit from Gov. Scott Walker’s “Wisconsin is open for business” vow...
Teamsters begin picket at Thorn Creek Basin facility  NWITimes.com  ... About a dozen Teamsters Local 705 members began pickets Monday at the Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District facility in frustration with the current negotiations for a new contract...
Teamsters rally in Memphis behind Republic Services workers  Commercial Appeal   ...The nation’s second-most powerful Teamster came to Memphis Sunday with Teamsters from across the nation to express their support to sanitation workers employed by Republic Services. About 180 employees are working under an expired contract to serve about 200,000 Memphis-area residents...
Teamsters Educate City Leaders About Republic Services' Poor Record  IBT  ...More than 2,000 mayors, city councilmembers, and local administrators at the conference were greeted by Teamsters holding a banner that stated "Republic Services Trashes American Cities." The League of Cities attendees also received leaflets that read, "Tell Republic: Do It Right or Pay the Penalty."...

Today's Teamster News 01.30.13

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

Today's Teamster News 01.26.13

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 01.17.13

Ranks of working poor increasing  Washington Post ...Nearly a third of the nation’s working families earn salaries so low that they struggle to pay for their necessities, according to a new report...
Goldman Sachs pay and bonuses rise to £250,000 each  Guardian  ...Goldman Sachs risked stoking the row over City pay on Wednesday by revealing its bankers were paid an average of $400,000 (£250,000) each last year, a rise of more than $30,000 a head on 2011...
Here's What Happened the Last Time the U.S. Defaulted on Its Debt  The Atlantic ...Once upon a time, Congress didn't want to raise the debt ceiling, and sent the country into default. It was bad, and we shouldn't do it again...
Trade that Hurts  (opinion) Campaign for America's Future  ...If America can’t manufacture No. 2 pencils, how long will it be before it can’t manufacture ballistic missiles? Maybe that’s the pitchfork manufacturing workers need to prod politicians to deal with middle-class job uncertainty...
Wealthy CEOs Want To Force Americans To Retire Later  ThinkProgress  ...The Business Roundtable, a group representing the CEOs of the largest corporations in the nation — including the biggest banks, retailers, and insurance companies — is calling to raise the retirement age to 70...
House approves $50B for Sandy relief  The Hill ...The House approved a $50 billion Sandy relief bill Tuesday evening, after several hours of contentious debate in which scores of Republicans tried unsuccessfully to cut the size of the bill and offset a portion of it with spending cuts...

Union supporters protest new right-to-work law outside Michigan Capitol before governor's speech  AP ...About 100 union members have gathered outside the Michigan Capitol to protest the passage of right-to-work legislation, two hours before Gov. Rick Snyder's State of the State address...

Rules overhall would make it harder to obtain unemployment benefits  Journal Sentinel  ...A sweeping overhaul of the state's rules being sought by Gov. Scott Walker would rewrite hundreds of regulations, eliminating dozens of them outright and doing everything from tightening the standards for receiving jobless benefits to changing rules to curb acid rain...

Rick Scott shirks the blame for disastrous voting law  MSNBC ...Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the controversial voting legislation that shortened early voting and led to long lines at the polls, but he says that doesn’t mean the law is his fault...

ALPA Asks Congress to Set One Standard of Safety for All Flights AFL-CIO  ...The Air Line Pilots (ALPA) union is asking Congress to pass the Safe Skies Act of 2013, which would set one standard of fatigue rules for all pilots...
Tension Mount as Some Strikers Block School Buses WSJ  ...On the first day of the New York City school bus strike, drivers protesting at some depots tried to stop buses operated by non-striking drivers from leaving the lots, authorities said Wednesday...
Million Air sued in fund dispute  TimesUnion.com  ...The Teamsters union is accusing the company that operates the Million Air hangar at Albany International Airport, Million Air Interlink, of not paying into the health insurance fund for union employees who work there...

Today's Teamster News 01.16.13

United States Shouldn't Hand Over Battery Technology to China (opinion) US News   ...a cautionary tale is being told in a U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware, where—unless the government acts quickly—over a decade of advanced American technology is about to be handed to the Chinese at a creditors' sale...
Goldman backs down on UK bonus delay  CNN   ...Goldman Sachs has backed down from a plan to delay UK bonus payments until after the new UK tax year, which would have allowed bankers to benefit from a cut in the top rate of tax from 50 to 45 per cent...
What Wal-Mart's Plan to Hire 100,000 Veterans Means For the Company and Economy: Nothing  The Atlantic   ...the average sales associate makes around $8 an hour. If that's the best we can for our veterans, we're not really doing very much...
House panel blocks most GOP attempts to trim Sandy disaster-relief bill  The Hill   ...The Republican-led House Rules Committee late Monday approved a rule for a massive Hurricane Sandy relief package that shuts out most GOP proposals to pare back the size of the bill...
Germany's economic growth slows sharply in 2012  BBC News   ...The German economy grew by 0.7% in 2012, a sharp slowdown on the previous year, preliminary figures show. The figure was well below the 3% growth seen in 2011 and suggests the economy contracted in the fourth quarter...
Japanese airlines ground Dreamliners after emergency landing  Reuters   ...All Nippon Airways Co said instruments aboard a domestic flight indicated a battery error, triggering emergency warnings to the pilots. Shigeru Takano, a senior safety official at the Civil Aviation Bureau, said a second warning light indicated smoke...
Priebus: Republicans in blue states ‘ought to be’ rigging Electoral College  Raw Story   ... Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus says that conservative lawmakers in blue states like Wisconsin “ought to be looking at” ways to rig the Electoral College system to tilt elections towards Republican candidates in a way that could have allowed presidential candidate Mitt Romney to win...
Scott Walker Uses Capitol Police to Go After First Amendment Rights  Politicususa   ...This weekend, three Capitol Police issued a citation to a 69-year-old retired woman for participating in a sing-a-long at the Capitol...
Louisiana Governor’s New Plan Would Raise Taxes On Bottom 80 Percent Of Residents  ThinkProgress   ...Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) recently rolled out a plan to replace his state’s personal income and corporate taxes with an increased sales tax. Such a move would shift taxes from the rich to the poor, who are disproportionately hit by the sales tax...
What happened to Gov. Rick Scott's dog, Reagan?  WTSP   ...Reagan was quietly given back to the shelter from which he was adopted, shortly after Scott's election...
NYC School Bus Drivers, Matrons Go on Strike  Associated Press   ...More than 8,000 New York City school bus drivers and matrons went on strike over job protection Wednesday morning, leaving some 152,000 students, many disabled, trying to find other ways to get to school...
Charleston school bus workers vote to authorize strike at Durham  IBT   ...The workers were unanimous in their decision to authorize a strike, after Teamsters Local 509 and Durham reached a standstill because of the company’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith over decent working conditions....
Teamsters Reject UNFI Offer  Supermarket News   ..."In spite of record profits, UNFI has committed multiple violations of federal law, including the unlawful replacement of workers at its distribution center in Seattle..."

Today's Teamster News 01.14.13

Tax Avoidance Saves Wealthiest Americans $3 Trillion Each Year  Huffington Post   ...Three trillion dollars a year. That's how much the wealthiest Americans avoid through the system of subsidies and schemes and sweet deals that deprive middle-class workers of their earned benefits. That's three times more than the deficit...
Taxation: Unsafe offshore  Financial Times   ...Galvanising co-ordinated action, Britain, Germany and France have thrown their weight behind an urgent review of the international tax standards, which they say, faces “difficulty keeping up with changes in global business practices, such as the development of ecommerce in commercial activities”. The potential reforms will start to take shape next month at a Group of 20 meeting in Russia...
Double trouble: House GOP eyes default, shutdown  Politico   ...The idea of allowing the country to default by refusing to increase the debt limit is getting more widespread and serious traction among House Republicans than people realize, though GOP leaders think shutting down the government is the much more likely outcome of the spending fights this winter...
House to Take Up Storm Relief Bill Amid Battle Over Spending  New York Times   ...Squeezed between the demands of Northeastern Republicans and conservatives, House Republican leaders have orchestrated a legislative approach that they say will allow $50 billion in aid to be approved on Tuesday...
Union leader warns of civil unrest in face of austerity programme  The Independent   ...Unite's Len McCluskey pledged to "fight all the way to the next election" as he said no form of protest, including the prospect of a general strike, should be ruled out. He said the Govern- ment's policies, designed to balance the nation's books, were leaving working people feeling "battered"...
China Export Surge Spurs Data Skepticism at Goldman, UBS  Bloomberg   ...The 14.1 percent jump from a year earlier was the biggest positive surprise since March 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The increase didn’t match goods movements through ports and imports by trading partners according to UBS, while Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. cited a divergence from overseas orders in a manufacturing index...
Michigan Gov Snyder to pick new Supreme Court justice – will he show moderation or ideological Republican extremism?  eclectablog   ...Snyder’s Supreme Court appointment will set the tone for the 2013 legislative session...

GOP in Congress lets Sandy victims freeze per David Koch's request

Northeasterners can blame David Koch if they freeze to death after Superstorm Sandy destroyed their homes. It's been 2 months since Sandy devastated the New York region -- and by the way it's pretty damn cold there. But Congress, bowing to the whims of Benedict Arnold David Koch, will let Sandy victims shiver and starve for another few weeks.

We told you last week how Koch's political machine, Americans for Prosperity, sent a letter to Senators asking them to vote against a bill to provide relief for suffering people in the New York area. Thirty-two senators did what David Koch told them to and voted against Sandy relief. (Find out if your senator did here.)

Sandy relief passed the Senate anyway. Then on Dec. 30, Koch lackey, Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips issued a statement urging Congress to reject the hurricane relief bill. House Speaker John Boehner dutifully followed Koch's orders and cancelled a vote on the legislation. When fellow Republicans lambasted him for, you know, not doing his job, he backed down. He promised a vote will be taken on the bill in mid-January. When it's still cold in the Northeast.

These Koch scoundrels claim they're against the bill because it isn't offset by spending cuts. Funny thing, we looked and looked and couldn't find any AFP statements opposing corporate giveaways that aren't offset by spending cuts. AFP was silent on boondoggles included in the budget deal that became law yesterday: a subsidy for Goldman Sachs' new headquarters, a tax break for new NASCAR tracks or a loophole letting U.S. multinationals avoid taxes on companies they own abroad.

And then there's this from Lee Fang at The Nation. He tells us the Koch scoundrels thinks Sandy victims should just suck it up.

Koch’s top deputy in New Jersey, a surly gentleman named Steve Lonegan, who heads the local AFP state chapter, called the aid package a “disgrace.” “This is not a federal government responsibility,” Lonegan told reporters. “We need to suck it up and be responsible for taking care of ourselves.”

This is a good place to remind our readers how truly un-American the Kochs are. Not only did they sell oil equipment to Iran, but they inherited a fortune their father created by doing business with Josef Stalin.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Today's Teamster News 01.02.13

House approves 'fiscal cliff' deal, rescinding broad tax hike  Los Angeles Times   ...It blocked income tax hikes for roughly 99% of households, but allowed rates to rise for those with incomes above $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. It also renewed tax credits aimed at low-income households and college students, extended unemployment benefits, delayed automatic spending cuts in defense and other government programs for two months...
Eight corporate subsidies in the fiscal cliff bill, from Goldman Sachs to Disney to NASCAR  naked capitalism   ...Sec. 306 provides tax credits to certain railroads for maintaining their tracks. It’s unclear why private businesses should be compensated for their costs of doing business...
Congress Averts 'Dairy Cliff'  Wall Street Journal   ...The fiscal-cliff bill that cleared Congress Tuesday includes a measure to avert the "dairy cliff," a sharp rise in consumer prices for milk that could have been triggered by the expiration of the 2008 farm bill...
House pulls plug on Sandy aid bill  Reuters   ...Absent a change of heart, the upshot now is that the Senate bill will die with this Congress on Thursday at noon. And the whole affair is sure to bring back memories of the famous Daily News headline in 1975—“Ford to City: Drop Dead...”
Minimum Wage Gap Grows Wider Between States  Associated Press   ...Automatic increases designed to compensate for inflation have steadily pushed up wages in some states, even through the recession, expanding the pay gap between areas that make annual adjustments and those that don't...
Lake-water infusion to delay Mississippi closing  Chicago Tribune   ...The drought-hit Mississippi River will stay open to commerce a few days longer than expected following the release of water from a lake in southern Illinois, a group of shippers said Friday...
Major banks close to big settlement on home loans  Reuters   ...U.S. regulators are close to securing another multibillion-dollar settlement with the largest banks to resolve allegations that they unlawfully cut corners when foreclosing on delinquent borrowers...
Why did a Train Carrying Biofuel Cross the Border 24 Times and Never Unload?  Oil Price   ...The cargo of the train was owned by Bioversal Trading Inc., or its US partner Verdero, depending on what stage of the trip it was at. The companies “made several million dollars importing and exporting the fuel to exploit a loophole in a U.S. green energy program.”...
Right to Work panned  Blackburn News   ...A labour studies professor at the University of Windsor fears Ontario may be next to contemplate Right to Work legislation. Michigan became the 24th U.S. state to pass Right to Work legislation earlier this month, and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives have publicly said they think it would be a good step forward for Ontario...
Court: Hutterites Must Pay Workers' Compensation  Associated Press   ...A sharply divided Montana Supreme Court has ruled that forcing a Hutterite religious colony to pay workers' compensation insurance for jobs outside the commune is not an unconstitutional intrusion into religion...
Scott Walker still hasn't issued a pardon  Wisconsin State Journal   ...Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said Walker is shirking his duties. "Maintaining an effective and fair pardon process is an important fail-safe to an imperfect judicial system..."
Nonprofit Pays Top Executive $1.2 Million  Miami Herald   ...A nonprofit company that holds two dozen state contracts to care for troubled juveniles in Florida pays its chief executive more than $1.2 million a year in salary and benefits, most of it courtesy of taxpayers...

Today's Teamster News 01.01.13

Obama, Senate Republicans reach agreement on ‘fiscal cliff’  Washington Post   ...The Senate approved a bipartisan agreement early Tuesday morning to let income taxes rise sharply for the first time in two decades...
Both sides get wins in tax deal  The Hill   ...Democrats will get key tax breaks for the middle class in the deal, though they failed to get an extension of a 2-percentage-point payroll tax holiday...
Ahead of "milk cliff," McConnell piecing together new farm bill  CBS News   ...To stop milk prices from climbing to $8 a gallon come January, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is scrambling to piece together what is essentially a new farm bill using select scraps of the bipartisan extension deal approved Sunday by both the Senate and House agriculture committees...
The middle class languishes as the super-rich thrive  Los Angeles Times   ...The policy positions on both sides presage smaller government, which is not the right prescription for an economy still struggling to recover. There will be lower federal spending at a time when the government participation in the economy is still crucial; there will be less take-home pay for the middle class and the working class, who pump almost everything they have into the marketplace...
The Human Toll of Europe’s Economic Statistics  New York Times   ...After three years of grinding austerity, the Greek gross domestic product has shrunk by 25 percent. The unemployment rate among young people is now at 50 percent, and over all about one fourth of Greeks are out of work...
Community Center Says It Has Been Told to Cease Its Storm Relief Program  New York Times   ...officials from the New York City Housing Authority, which owns the building, told her to stop the relief efforts before the end of the year so that the center could be cleaned, and turn over supplies to city-run relief operations...
Kasich remains mum on right-to-work initiatives  Youngstown Vindicator   ...Kasich still isn’t biting on questions related to efforts to ban mandatory union membership and dues payments, via right-to-work petitions being circulated in the state for the next general election...

Today's Teamster News 12.29.12

Promoting Made in U.S.A., but Very Carefully  Trade Reform   ...Perception Research Services International, in a September study, found that four out of five shoppers notice a “Made in the U.S.A.” label on packaging, and 76 percent of them said they would be more likely to buy a product because of the label...
The Mississippi River's Water Levels Are Dropping, And Could Shut Down Trade Next Week   Associated Press   ...The Coast Guard remains confident that the nation's largest waterway will remain open. But officials with two trade groups — the American Waterways Operators and Waterways Council Inc. — said in a joint news release that even if the river is open, further limits on barges will bring commercial traffic to a halt...
$60B Sandy aid package clears Senate  Politico   ...Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) flatly predicted the Senate package would die in the House given the little time left to this session of Congress...
Congress Almost Certain To Blow Unemployment Deadline  Huffington Post   ...According to the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group, more than 2 million Americans will stop receiving benefits after Dec. 29, when the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will cease to exist...
For Grieving Father Struggling With Dead Son’s Student Debt, Resolution Comes Four Years Late  ProPublica   ...Debt collectors harassed him. His son's federal student loan was forgiven upon his death, but because the bulk of the loans were private, Reynoso was left at the mercy of unfamiliar financial firms, Wall Street investors, and even the central bank of a foreign country...
BOMBSHELL! Florida Judge Finds US Bank in Contempt of Court! (US Bank v. Jansen)  Matt Weldner   ...A circuit court judge found one of the largest banks in the country in contempt of court on Friday over a foreclosure case that has dragged through the system for several years...
Number of Homeless Iraq, Afghan Veterans Doubles  firedoglake   ...Through the end of September, 26,531 of them were living on the streets, at risk of losing their homes, staying in temporary housing or receiving federal vouchers to pay rent, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports...
Teamsters Urge UNFI Product Boycott  Supermarket News   ...Teamsters Local 117, which is striking a United Natural Foods warehouse here, has called for a consumer boycott of the distributor’s products at Whole Foods Market...
Teamsters Strike At BlueLinx Expands To California  Teamsters Local 769   ... An unfair labor practice strike by Teamsters at Local 769 in Miami at BlueLinx Corp. has spread to Northern California, where members of Teamsters Local 853 are now honoring picket lines...

Today's Teamster News 12.22.12

Alan Grayson Explains Why He Opposes A Conservative Plan To Unravel Social Security That Starts With A Chained CPI  Down With Tyranny   ...I'm against the proposed "chained CPI" cut in Social Security because it substantially undermines the protection against inflation that Social Security recipients enjoy under current law...
American Dream Fades for Generation Y Professionals  Bloomberg   ...Generation Y professionals entering the workforce are finding careers that once were gateways to high pay and upwardly mobile lives turning into detours and dead ends. Average incomes for individuals ages 25 to 34 have fallen 8 percent, double the adult population’s total drop, since the recession began in December 2007...
Delta Air Gets 22,000 Applications for 300 Attendant Jobs   Bloomberg   ...The applications arrived at a rate of two per minute, Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told workers in a weekly recorded message. Applicants will be interviewed in January and those hired will begin flying in June, for the peak travel season...
The Great Walmart Walkout  The Nation   ...On the heels of a series of failed organizing campaigns, unions and their allies are mounting the strongest-ever North American challenge to Walmart...
Lawmakers press for trade response to Bangladesh factory fire  Reuters   ...A dozen U.S. lawmakers pressed President Barack Obama's administration on Thursday to complete a long-running review that could lead to suspension of trade benefits for Bangladesh after a deadly factory blaze there last month..
With Farm Bill Stalled, Consumers May Face Soaring Milk Prices  New York Times   ....Forget the fiscal crisis and the automatic budget cuts. Come Jan. 1, there is a threat that milk prices could rise to $6 to $8 a gallon if Congress does not pass a new farm bill that amends farm policy dating back to the Truman presidency...
Northeast senators confident Sandy relief bill will pass  The Hill   ...Next week, the bill will face a simple majority vote for final passage, but it could be gutted by amendments first...
Michigan labor vote was political payback (opinion)  Politico   ...no amount of spin can hide the real purpose of these laws: It is to weaken the infrastructure of organized labor and, with that, the backbone of the Democratic Party and progressive movement...
Iowa Court: Bosses Can Fire 'Irresistible' Workers  Associated Press   ...A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday...

Today's Teamster News 12.16.12

Unions Go On Offense Over MI Right-to-work Law  Hispanic Business   ...Unions and liberal groups (Friday) announced they are forming a nonprofit organization to fight right-to-work legislation and Gov. Rick Snyder's "attempt to tear Michigan apart..."
NYC Teacher Pension Fund Pledges $1 Billion to Investments in Post-Sandy Rebuilding  AFL-CIO Now   ...In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York City Teachers Retirement System today pledged $1 billion in new investments for infrastructure projects, including improvements to transportation, power, water, communications and housing in New York City and throughout the state that was hit hard by the massive November storm. In addition to repairing and upgrading facilities used by hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, the infrastructure fund could create thousands of jobs...
Teacher from Stratford Died 'Protecting Little Ones'  Stratford Patch   ...Soto died trying to save her students from the hands of a shooter whose unthinkable killing spree Friday morning left 20 children and six adults dead, before he turned the gun on himself...
Chinese purchase of Complete Genomics requires scrutiny  Silicon Valley Mercury News   ...China, with its enormous foreign currency reserves, is soon to launch a shopping spree for U.S. companies. A goal: Capture the most critical emerging technologies with potential military or security impact. As part of this effort, Beijing Genomics Institute, of Shenzhen, is trying to buy Mountain View-based Complete Genomics, a leading genome and biotechnology firm...
The Price Of “Collective Trauma”: Greece At The Brink Of Civil War  Testoserone Pit   ...Greece is on the brink of civil war, he went on, and it seems only a question of time before the collective desperation of the people erupts into violence and spreads across the country. A ricocheting indictment of the euro bailout policies...
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Shout outs to the Teamsters for Sandy relief and clean-up work

Unloading supplies on Long Island.

CNBNews posted a story we like about our Teamster brothers and sisters in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who worked long hours with the Red Cross on helping Superstorm Sandy victims. It starts out:

Weekends on the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy relief effort call for an extra push – food and water to stock, comfort and clean-up kits to load, and trucks of all shapes and sizes to drive from the warehouses to the Red Cross staging sites. 

Someone’s got to do it, even if it causes a little trouble at home. 

“Some of our guys get only one day off, and their wives already had jobs lined up for them,” said Rich Caldwell, a Teamster from Milford, PA and one of the dozens of Teamsters helping out on the Red Cross Sandy mission. “My wife said go on, get out of here!” 

Hurricane Sandy has fomented a unique partnership between the Tri-State Teamsters and the American Red Cross combing the union’s logistics expertise with the agency’s resources. Teamsters, a group of unionized drivers living and working across the region, prepositioned goods, operated the forklifts, and drove 16-foot box trucks loaded with urgently needed supplies from the New Jersey warehouse to the far-reaching areas devastated by the worst hurricane to hit New York in years.

The story goes on to describe how Teamsters also identify stricken communities that hadn't been served and brought order to the warehouses. Read the whole thing here.

Our sanitation brothers also got a shout out from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer in the New York Daily News. The story announced a FEMA grant of $26.3 million to cover overtime costs for cleaning up Sandy:

The storm left New York City’s roads debris ridden and our amazing sanitation workers worked around the clock in this massive cleanup effort. They are the best and they deserve our heartfelt thanks and support,” said Schumer... 

Said Gillibrand: "Our city roads and infrastructure suffered enormous damage while our city sanitation workers were on the front lines tirelessly removing debris in the aftermath of the storm. These necessary reimbursements are an important step as we continue the effort in Washington to fully fund New York's needs for recovery and rebuilding.”

Way to go, brothers and sisters!

URGENT: Red Cross needs 400 Teamster drivers tonight, tomorrow for Sandy relief

The call just went out: The Red Cross desperately needs 400 drivers tonight, tomorrow and Sunday to bring relief supplies to hurricane victims in the New York region.

Teamsters Joint Council 16 President George Miranda just sent out a memo:

The Red Cross is in URGENT need of help. This weekend there will be a huge push to get important supplies from Red Cross warehouses to the communities that have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Tonight they need 200 drivers at 6 pm to meet at five staging areas (below). They'll be picked up by bus and taken to Jersey City, where they will pick up 200 box trucks and deliver them to the staging areas. They can return home from the staging area.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning they need 200 drivers to report to the staging areas at 8 a.m.-5 pm, where they will be told where to drive the trucks to the various distribution sites.

The five staging areas are:

Floyd Field
50 Aviation Rd.
NY, NY 

Aqueduct Race Track
110-00 Rockaway Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 

Miller Field
National Park Service
New Dorp Lane
Staten Island, NY 

MacArthur Airport
City of Islet, Parking Lot 10
100 Arrival Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 

Nassau Community College
Nassau Coliseum
1 Education Dr.
Garden City, NY

They need laborers, forklift drivers and CDL drivers today, tomorrow and Sunday at the following locations:

Red Cross Warehouse/for New York
100 Industrial Drive
Jersey City, NJ  07305
For Jersey City: Call Donna at 573-690-0745 

Red Cross Warehouse/for New Jersey
#1 Heller Park Lane
Somerset, NJ  08873
For Somerset: Call Carlos Velez-Garcia at 571-439-0548  

Brothers and sisters, we know you can do it!