Thursday, July 4, 2013

Today's Teamster News 07.04.13

Privacy issue hinders U.S-E.U. trade talks  Washington Post   ...European leaders tell citizens not to patronize U.S. companies due to concerns over privacy...
New Study: The Wealthy are more Unethical  Economic Populist   ...Seven studies using experimental and naturalistic methods, reveal that upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals...
U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement  New York Times   ...postal mail is subject to the same kind of scrutiny that the National Security Agency has given to telephone calls and e-mail...
Arizona firefighters lacked a proper escape route  Los Angeles Times   ...The 19 wildland firefighters killed in Arizona appeared not to have established an escape route to a safe site large enough for the entire group, a forestry official said. Safety protocols require crews to have a place to go in case fire overtakes them. That did not happen in the Yarnell Hill fire...
Truckers Are Losing Sleep Over 70-Hour Work Limit  Wall Street Journal   ...The changes—the most significant overhaul of rules governing truck-driver hours in a decade—shorten the workweek, restrict how many nights truckers can be on the road and require rest breaks during the day...
Critics sue to block American-US Airways merger  Associated Press   ...Opponents of the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways filed a lawsuit Tuesday to block the deal, claiming it would hurt consumers by driving up airfares...
Supreme Court Rejects Cablevision Request To Block NLRB Trial In Union Dispute  Deadline New York   ...The National Labor Relations Board can go ahead with its administrative trial this month on charges that Cablevision resorted to intimidation, bribery and harassment to stop some of its workers in the Bronx from joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA)...
Eurozone crisis: Portugal sends stock markets tumbling  The Guardian   ...Stock markets were spooked by Portugal's descent into political chaos on Wednesday as the threat of a government collapse sent the country's borrowing costs into critical territory and threatened a new phase in the eurozone crisis...
West Virginia’s food sales tax eliminated this week  Morgan Messenger   ...The West Virginia sales tax on food was completely eliminated Monday, July 1, in the final step of a food tax reduction plan that went into effect in 2005...
Rhode Island to Become Third State With Paid Family Leave  Opposing Views   ...The Rhode Island House voted on Tuesday to provide paid time off to care for a new child or sick family member, a bill activists believe will be signed by Gov. Lincoln Chafee and make Rhode Island the third state to provide paid family leave...
Progress made in SF Bay Area transit talks  Associated Press   ...Negotiators for Bay Area Rapid Transit and its striking train workers made progress during overnight contract talks, officials said Wednesday, raising hope that a deal might be struck when talks resume later in the day...
Teamsters File Challenge Against State of Florida  IBT   ...Teamsters Local 2011, which represents 17,000 officers of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), filed a formal complaint against the state with the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC), alleging that the state committed an unfair labor practice by trying to force illegal working conditions on corrections officers – taking away officers’ earned, paid time off...
Corrections workers ratify collective bargaining contract with New Hampshire  Associated Press   ...Teamsters Local 633, which represents more than 300 Department of Corrections' employees, has ratified a new two-year contract that provides workers with their first pay increase in five years...
Strike ends at Austintown beverage distributor  WFMJ News   ...Union members vote to end their strike of beverage distributor R.L. Lipton. The members of Teamsters Local 377 accepted a modified wage agreement during voting yesterday afternoon. They'll return to work on Monday...