Saturday, February 11, 2012

Today's Teamster News 02.11.12

Letter: Let me try to figure out why politicians want to privatize prisons  TCPalm   ...Employees earning $30,000 to $40,000 a year are not Florida's biggest problem yet the governor has put this on the front burner...
12 Indiana House Democrats call it quits  Associated Press   ...More than quarter of the Indiana House Democrats who unsuccessfully fought passage of the state’s new right-to-work law won’t try for re-election this year, further boosting the chances of Republicans strengthening their hold on the chamber...
Strike at the Seattle Port: Truckers Buck an Unfair System  Demos   ...The Port of Seattle has been shut down for more than a week. And it is the so-called independent contractor drivers who have stood together to stop the flow of goods. In doing so, the drivers are taking a powerful stand against the deregulated model of port trucking that takes a toll, not only on their own livelihoods and safety but on the environment and public as well...
Dayton's veto of four 'tort reform' bills comes with stinging GOP criticism  MinnPost.com   ...The changes, Dayton said, would not create a single job, would not help Minnesotans and would only "pad the bottom lines of mostly out-of-state insurance companies..."
Teamsters Oppose Court Approval of Hostess CEO's Contract  IBT   ...“We struggle to understand how Hostess’ management team, its board and its advisers think that filing this motion to guarantee CEO Brian Driscoll’s employment conditions, at a time when Hostess is seeking to dramatically modify the working conditions of its employees, is a good idea" (said Ken Hall, Teamsters International Vice President...
Anti-worker bills must be rejected  (LTE)  Concord Monitor   ...Currently the New Hampshire House has a long list of anti-public worker legislation filed. The goal is to weaken New Hampshire public worker rights and local influence. What is really troubling is that a national special interest group called ALEC (the American Leadership Exchange Council) has been giving our GOP legislators trips to its seminars where they are encouraged and coached on how to write and pursue anti-union legislation...
Missing Settlement Document Raises Doubts on $25B Deal  American Banker   ...a fully authorized, legally binding deal has not been inked yet...
The big banks win again  Salon   ...Foreclosure victims get little help in a mortgage-settlement plan that only benefits the banks' bottom line...
Red Cross Cancels Blood Drive In Anticipation Of Teamsters Strike  Mentor Patch   ...Albert Mixon, the chapter's Secretary-Treasurer (said) "We are operating blood drives at high schools, community centers and hospitals every day. But now Red Cross’ blood services division wants to cut staffing levels to the point where donors should be concerned for their safety..."