Sunday, April 15, 2012

Today's Teamster News 04.15.12

Why Are McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Intuit Fleeing ALEC?  Bloomberg Business Week   ...The council has designed its entire structure to disguise industry-backed legislation as grassroots work from state legislators. If this becomes clear to everyone, there’s no reason for corporations to use it. And that is exactly what has been happening...
Fix income inequality with $10 million loans for everyone!  (opinion)  Washington Post   ...For several years now, the Fed has been making money available to the financial sector at near-zero interest rates. Big banks and hedge funds, among others, have taken this cheap money and invested it in securities with high yields. This type of profit-making, called the “carry trade,” has been enormously profitable for them. So why not let everyone participate?...
Sidestepping Debate, Appeals Court Dismisses Airline Passenger, Pilot Lawsuit Over Scanners, Virtual Strip Searches & Full-Body ‘Rub-Downs’  The Rutherford Institute   ... “When civil liberties are tossed out the window—by government agents or by the courts—we all lose. No American should be forced to undergo a virtual strip search or be subjected to such excessive groping of the body as a matter of course in reporting to work or boarding an airplane when there is no suspicion of wrongdoing.”...
Rick Scott’s toxic legacy  Alternet   ...What residents are now learning is that the negative impact of the work of the Republican-dominated Legislature and Republican Gov. Rick Scott will haunt them for years to come...
Twinkies maker Hostess gives unions 'final' offer  Associated Press   ...Hostess Brands Inc. wants the Teamsters and bakers' unions to accept reduced pension benefits and changes in work rules to lower costs. It wants to outsource some delivery work.The company said Saturday that if the unions reject the offer, it will push ahead with efforts in bankruptcy court to throw out the unions' collective bargaining agreements. A union official warned that could lead to a strike...
Teamsters rally against ballot initiative in El Monte  San Gabriel Valley Tribune   ...Hundreds of Southland Teamsters and more than a dozen elected officials rallied in El Monte on Saturday to voice their opposition to a campaign finance initiative that will be on the November ballot. To supporters, it's the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act," but opponents, such as the Teamsters, refer to it as the "Corporate Power Grab."