Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Today's Teamster News 12.18.12

Obama makes a substantial counteroffer on fiscal deadline  Los Angeles Times   ...Obama is now offering twice as much in cuts as he initially put on the table. His proposal includes shaving $400 billion from healthcare programs and  ... would trim the annual cost-of-living adjustment for those receiving government assistance, probably including Social Security...
The media discover the 'chained CPI' - And the more they dig, the rougher it looks  Columbia Journalism Revew   ...Social Security Works estimates that a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit that’s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on...
Millions live on $2 a day in America. The problem isn't just the safety net, it's the whole economy.  DailyKos   ...nearly 1 in 5 low-income American households has been living in extreme povery; since 1996, the number of households in that category had increased by about 130 percent...
The racist roots of 'right to work' laws  Facing South   ...As Dartmouth sociologist Marc Dixon notes in his fascinating history of the period [pdf], "The Christian American Association was the first in the nation to champion the 'Right-to-Work' as a full-blown political slogan..."
Right-to-work's race to poverty (opinion)  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...it is also a blow against fairness and common sense...
Senate Filibuster Reform Closing In On Majority  Huffington Post   ...Advocates of what's come to be called the "talking filibuster" are closing in on the majority needed to reform the rules, according to a whip count compiled by The Huffington Post, based on interviews with Democratic senators and with reform advocates who have spoken with senators...
Walmart vs. Union-Backed OUR Walmart  Bloomberg Businessweek   ...These days, “we have human resources teams all over the country who are available to talk to associates, and we will get questions about joining a union,” says David Tovar, a spokesman for the company. “We would say: ‘Let us remind you of all that Walmart offers, and of what might go away. Quarterly bonuses might go away, vacation time might go away...’ ”
Teamsters forced out on strike at Blue Linx Trucking  Teamsters Local 769   ...Due to mistreatment by executives at Blue Linx Trucking, Teamsters Local 769 in Miami has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company...
Minister Raitt Commends Garda Security Screening Inc. and the Teamsters on Entering Into an Agreement at Regina International Airport  MarketWire   ...Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada's Labour Minister, congratulated Garda Security Screening Inc. and Teamsters Local Union No. 395 on entering into their first collective agreement...