Today's Teamster News 02.26.13

Eric Cantor will propose Federal Law that Ends Overtime Pay for hourly workers  Democratic Underground   ...Eric Cantor wants to end the Federal law that mandates certain workers get paid overtime for the extra hours they labor. ..
Italian Voters Stage 'Rebellion', Markets Plunge  Business Insider   ...The markets were hoping for the liberal leader Pier Luigi Bersani to win easily, allowing him to form a coalition government with technocrat leader Mario Monti. This would have paved the way for more unpopular austerity and reforms...But the voters had a different idea...
Nary a positive word heard on liquor privatization during PA budget talks  PhillyBurbs.com    ...The Senate Appropriations Committee met with Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board officials to talk about its 2013-14 line item, but they only talked about keeping the PLCB around...The sight of some two dozen members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 dressed in bright yellow T-shirts may have kept Republicans from publicly pushing Corbett’s plan...
How Much Support Does "Smart Justice" Bill Really Have?  WFSU   ...A Republican-backed proposal to reduce the number of former inmates going back into Florida’s prisons is now taking shape in the form of a bill. But, some unions and even some Republicans may not be on board with the “Smart Justice” idea...
Snyder defends right-to-work, urges GOP to stay unified in surprise appearance  Detroit Free Press   ...In 2014, all state and legislative offices will be on the ballot. Snyder hasn’t publicly declared his intention to seek a second term as governor, but political observers say it’s all but certain he will, especially given public remarks like his 7-minute address before the GOP faithful on Saturday...
Unions shouldn't have to protect 'squatters' who don't want to pay for services (Letter)  Michigan Live   ...A person shouldn’t have to join a union to be employed, but they also shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy benefits they’re not willing to pay for them, from a union they don’t believe in...
Republicans in Missouri Legislature are out to destroy unions (Letter)  St. Louis Post-Dispatch   ...the Republicans are not interested in jobs or workers rights. Their initiative is a scam. They are interested in destroying unions in order to cut off funding to the Democratic Party so Republicans can gain complete control with little opposition...
Montana Bill Would Give Corporations The Right To Vote  ThinkProgress   ...Provision for vote by corporate property owner.... if a firm, partnership, company, or corporation owns real property within the municipality, the president, vice president, secretary, or other designee of the entity is eligible to vote in a municipal election...
Christie Fails to Pull Off New Jersey 'Comeback'  Newsmax   ...New Jersey, the 11th most populous state, is still in need of a comeback. It has the fourth highest unemployment rate of any U.S. state, at 9.6 percent, nearly 2 percentage points above the national rate. It was one of three states to report late in 2012 that revenues were lagging expectations...
Scott Walker’s job-free austerity  The Cap Times   ...When Walker assumed the governorship two years ago, Wisconsin was holding its own economically. Job growth was competitive with neighboring states and the nation. No more. Since Walker began implementing his austerity agenda, growth has stalled...
American, US Airways unions still have lots to settle  Fort Worth Star-Telegram   ..."American Airlines mechanics came to us and said, 'We want new representation,' and they have been working very hard since June of last year to make that a reality," Teamsters spokesman Chris Moore said...   
Drivers and Monitors Unite for Better Safety, Working Conditions  IBT   ...School bus drivers and monitors with Durham School Services in Jay, Pace, Navarre and Milton, Fla., have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 991 in Mobile, Ala. The 204 workers are seeking improved safety and working conditions...

Today's Teamster News 12.10.12

Editorial: A failure of leadership: Snyder's about-face on right-to-work betrays voters  Detroit Free Press   ...The argument that right-to-work status makes states more competitive or prosperous is refuted by a mountain of evidence that shows right-to-work states trailing their union-friendly counterparts in key metrics like per capita wealth, poverty rates and health insurance coverage...
Obama Expected To Weigh In On Michigan Right-To-Work Battle In Detroit Speech  Huffington Post   ...When President Barack Obama arrives in Michigan on Monday to sell his vision for addressing the so-called fiscal cliff, he will be stepping into a state that is currently witnessing a massive battle between its governor and labor community. And according to union officials, Obama will weigh in on the controversy and speak out against "right-to-work" laws...
Top Michigan Newspaper Turns On Snyder: Slams Governor For Sneaking Through Anti-Union ‘Right-To-Work’ Legislation  ThinkProgress   ...The Detroit Free-Press, which endorsed Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) in his 2010 campaign and has generally supported him since, blasted his decision to ram through a union-busting “right-to-work” law in a lame-duck legislative session...
Protesters deck mall with right-to-work carols  Detroit Free Press   ...They looked jolly in red scarves and reindeer antler headbands, but the carolers outside of Oakland Mall in Troy on Sunday were actually protesters conveying a serious message: No to right-to-work legislation in Michigan...
Chinese company buys battery maker that got recovery funds  Washington Post   ...Wanxiang America, the U.S. arm of a Chinese automotive parts giant, won the bidding for a bankrupt Massachusetts-based lithium battery manufacturer that was once hailed as a cornerstone of President Obama’s quest for American dominance in electric vehicles and battery technology...
How Corruption Is Strangling U.S. Innovation  Harvard Business Review   ...The corruption  ...  is the phenomenon of money in politics...One of the prime drivers of economic growth inside America over the past century has been disruptive innovation; yet the phenomenon ... is increasingly being used by large incumbent firms as a mechanism to stave off the process. Given how hard it can be to survive a disruptive challenge, and how effective lobbying has proven in stopping it, it's no wonder that incumbent firms take this route so often...
Europe clings to scorched-earth ideology as depression deepens  The Telegraph   ...Like the generals of the First World War, Europe’s leaders seem determined to send wave after wave of their youth into the barbed wire of tight money, bank deleveraging, and fiscal austerity...
Einhorns' contribution to Walker could trigger 'pay-to-play' rule  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Conservative Milwaukee financier Stephen Einhorn and his wife, Nancy, donated $25,000 to Gov. Scott Walker a month before Einhorn's firm won a contract to manage $1 million of taxpayer money, potentially triggering federal "pay-to-play" conflict of interest rules...
Chamber of Commerce wants to ban teachers' unions dues deducted from paychecks  Indianapolis Star Tribune   ...After two years of labor battles that roiled the Indiana Statehouse, lawmakers are gearing up for a new fight, this time over paycheck deduction of union dues...

Today's Teamster News 09.17.12

Obama to launch auto trade case against China: official  Reuters   ...President Barack Obama will launch a trade complaint against China over what his administration says is Beijing's unfair government backing of its auto industry, a White House official said on Sunday...
Wis. AG Aims to Enforce Union Law During Appeals  Associated Press   ...Wisconsin's attorney general said Saturday he would seek court permission to keep enforcing a state law that effectively ended collective bargaining for public employees while his office appeals a judge's ruling striking it down...
Walmart Warehouse Workers Pilgrimage For 50 Miles Over 6 Days To Protest Working Conditions  Huffington Post   ...Sleeping each night along the way on church floors and relying on supporters for meals (see photos below), the marchers will deliver a letter outlining the alleged abuses they have suffered...
Chicago Teachers Strike Enters 2nd Week  Associated Press   ...Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is turning to the courts to try to put an end to a teachers strike that's entering its second week and has left parents scrambling to make alternative child care arrangements for at least two more days...
Don’t Tell Anyone, but the Stimulus Worked (opinion)  New York Times   ...On the most basic level, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is responsible for saving and creating 2.5 million jobs...
Is QE3 Yet Another Stealth Bank Bailout?  naked capitalism   ...there has not been a peep out of the Fed on the failure of the banks to lower borrower rates to reflect their cheaper funding costs...

Anti-stimulus lawmakers love the stimulus

The same deficit hawks in Congress who railed against Obama’s Recovery Act in 2009 continue to promote and take credit for the benefits of the stimulus back in their home states.

Today, Think Progress reports that Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent, who voted against Obama’s stimulus bill because it added to America’s debt and “failed” to create jobs, will be hosting a job fair showcasing the success of the stimulus:

In February of 2009, Dent explained his opposition to the stimulus by claiming that the law “raises America’s debt by a record amount” and by October of that year pronounced that “stimulus funding has failed its original purpose — to stimulate the economy and create jobs.” However, that didn’t stop Dent from urging the Obama administration to use education stimulus dollars for four Pennsylvania state-related universities or relying on employers who benefited from the stimulus to employ his constituents.

On Saturday, July 14, Dent is hosting a Job Fair “open to anyone seeking a change in employment.” “This event aims to bring job seekers together with representatives from a wide range of employers from a variety of fields, seeking talented and capable workers for a diverse range of positions,” his website claims and lists 33 “employers and organizations that will be in attendance.” Six of those companies benefited from the stimulus, a ThinkProgress search of Recovery.gov revealed, receiving a combined total of $6,252,576 from the Recovery Act.

Dent’s double-speak on the stimulus may seem schizophrenic, but this is really the same-old, same-old for anti-worker politicians. They can’t stand the idea that the government can and should create jobs, but they can’t get enough of the jobs it creates:

Publicly, the GOP claims that the policy has “failed” and “made things worse,” but privately even Republicans have tried to take credit for some of its success. A 2010 report from ThinkProgress found that over half of the GOP caucus, 110 lawmakers — from the House and Senate — returned to their home states to claim credit for popular stimulus programs, attended “ribbon cuttings for the same projects that you voted against,” and even sought more stimulus funds for their states.

At least we know politicians like Dent aren't completely against job growth – they're just against leaders that make it happen.

-- Union Thug

Today's Teamster News 10/18/10

China Escalates Fight With U.S. on Energy Aid New York Times ...Zhang Guobao, sharply rebuked the Obama administration for opening an inquiry on Friday into the subsidies...

Republicans, Democrats who criticized stimulus wrote letters seeking funds Washington Post ...They include tea party favorites such as freshman Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), as well as Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)...

GOP cash threatens to swamp Dems Politico ...the widening cash flow to Republican challengers is a disturbing development for Democrats who are struggling to stem the incoming GOP tide...

Iowa workers feel pay theft pinch DesMoines Register ...the federal government has investigated an increasing number of wage theft cases in an effort to prevent billions in lost worker pay and tax revenue...

Union-Backed Critic of U.S. Chamber Asks IRS to Probe Political Funding Bloomberg ... the chamber may have misstated financial transactions and given improper compensation to Chamber President Thomas Donohue...

Links 08/06/10

Another Obama economic advisor steps down Los Angeles Times ...Romer...had called for a larger economic stimulus than the $787-billion package that Obama ultimately embraced.

Jobless claims rise 19,000 to 479,000 Marketwatch ...the July average of 458,000 is consistent with a labor market under a significant amount of stress," economist Neil Dutta of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch wrote.

Ford Receives Export Loan Guarantee Wall Street Journal ...Ford plans to invest $450 million to produce a new hybrid and plug-in hybrid at its Michigan Assembly Plant beginning in 2012, creating 1,000 jobs. In Chicago, the company is investing $400 million and adding 1,200 jobs amid plans to begin production of its fuel-efficient 2011 Ford Explorer later this year.

Senate Votes $26 Billion for States and Schools New York Times ...The Senate on Thursday approved $26 billion in aid to states and school districts to prevent the layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers and government workers.


$16 Million Fine for Conn. Power Plant Associated Press ... The nation's top workplace safety agency imposed $16.6 million in fines Thursday against companies involved in a power plant blast that killed six workers and injured 50 others.

Links 07/15/10

Obama Courts Stimulus Doubters Wall Street Journal
Small biz owners uneasy with Obama Politico
Health Plans Must Provide Some Tests at No Cost New York Times
Americans in 73% Majority Oppose Ban on Deepwater Drilling Bloomberg
Watchdog: Small banks struggling despite bailout Associated Press

Links 7/2/10

U.S. Economy Shed 125,000 Jobs in June New York Times
Economies in Latin America Race Ahead New York Times
Two Competing Visions of a European Economy New York Times
Bad News Back Home New York Times
UBS analyst upgrades FedEx, UPS to 'buy' Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The Little, but Real, Effects of Unemployment Mike Konczal
Habitat for Humanity Among Nation's Top Homebuilders Wall Street Journal