Friday, July 18, 2014

Today's Teamster News 07.18.14

Teamster News
1934 Teamsters strike in Minneapolis remembered on 80th anniversary  Minneapolis Star Tribune   ...“This event hit national significance in terms of the American labor movement,” said David Riehle, an organizer for the Remember 1934 festivities and a former railroad engineer. “It really was one of the battles that ignited the struggle for unionization that unfolded throughout the ’30s....”
Teamsters On Set Of New Sci-Fi Netflix Series Being Filmed In Chicago  teamster.org   ..."Right out of the gate, our members know they’ll be working on 10 episodes of this new show..."
Teamster Drivers At GET Bus On Strike For Fair Contract  teamster.org   ...The local union has been negotiating a new contract with the employer since January. Union members are drivers, mechanics and support staff at the public transportation company...
Teamsters Local 337 Trash Transporters Ratify First Contract  teamster.org   ...“The contract addresses their concerns about fair wages, respect on the job and more affordable health insurance—they will be covered under the Michigan Conference of Teamsters health fund...”
Trade
#noTTIP: The Rising Global Movement against the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)  Centre For Research On Globalization   ...As the next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) take place in Brussels this week, civil society groups are continuing to mobilise against this ongoing free trade agreement between the U.S. and EU that poses a threat to our public services, environment, food, privacy and democracy...
The deadline is Monday to stop government trade deception  Trade Reform   ...Under a proposed federal rule, an iPhone made in China and sold to Europe could be falsely considered an American export!...
LA area Port Traffic: Imports increasing  Econbrowser   ...Imports were up 13% year-over-year in June,  exports were up 7% year-over-year. Imports were 4% below the all time high for June (set in June 2007), and it is possible that imports will be at a record high later this year...
Young Workers Deserve Opportunities, Not Exploitation  New York Times   ...Despite national and international laws, conventions and standards prohibiting child labor, businesses continue to stumble in their efforts to stop young workers from being exploited at manufacturing sites around the world...
State Battles
Progressive Groups Merge in Effort to Counter ALEC in State Capitols  Wall Street Journal   ...The Progressives States Network and the American Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange – ALICE, compared to the conservative ALEC – are merging in order to push state-level progressive legislation...
Firefighters union seeks to stop Detroit restructuring over bargaining rights  Detroit News   ...The city’s last remaining major labor union that hasn’t reached a contract deal in bankruptcy was in court Wednesday arguing Detroit’s changes to pensions for the next decade violates its members’ collective bargaining rights...
GOP Governor Implements GOP Economics, Disaster Ensues  Washington Post   ...At a time when most states are seeing higher revenues as the country recovers economically, Kansas’ revenues have plummeted. The result has been cuts to schools, cuts to higher education, cuts to libraries, and cuts to local health centers. Kansas’ job growth and income growth are lagging the nation’s. In response to the fiscal difficulties, Moody’s recently lowered the state’s bond rating...
If Congress Won’t Raise the Minimum Wage, These Cities Will  The Nation   ...cities around the country have begun doing end-runs around the gridlock. San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Fe and Washington, DC, have all passed their own minimum-wage boosts, while Seattle set the record this spring with its $15 an hour minimum-wage hike. Now, San Diego has joined the effort, recently passing an ordinance to lift the city minimum to $11.50 an hour, and Los Angeles may be heading in that direction. Will more cities follow? ...
Proposal To Raise Minimum Wage Clears Initial Hurdle  The Times Record   ...A ballot proposal to raise the minimum wage in Arkansas has met the initial signature requirement, Secretary of State Mark Martin’s office said Wednesday...
San Francisco Task Force Says Licenses Of Wage Theft Violators Should Be Revoked  Daily Labor Report   ...San Francisco must increase staffing, improve interdepartmental coordination and enact an ordinance allowing permit suspension and revocation for employers found to have committed wage theft, a task force recommended to the city's board of supervisors July 10...
Eric Holder May Step Into Wisconsin's Voter ID Lawsuits  Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel   ...Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans in the Legislature approved a law in 2011 that required voters to show photo ID at the polls. Four lawsuits — two in federal court and two in state court — quickly followed...
War On Workers
Koch High: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School Students  Huffington Post   ...With spending on public education under heavy assault -- in large part by Koch-funded organizations and politicians they support -- the nation's poorest school districts are in desperate need of resources, making the free Koch curriculum an attractive alternative to nothing...
Worker killed in construction accident at UofL  WAVE3 News   ...Warner was working on a dorm under construction at 2501 S. 4th Street. Carroll says it appears Warner had fallen...
Young adults drive record U.S. trend of multi-generational homes  Reuters   ...The number of Americans living in multi-generational households has doubled since 1980. The figure spiked during the 2007-2009 recession and has moved higher since then, the analysis by the Pew Research Center said...
Worker killed at Kings Mountain plant  WCNC   ...Officials are investigating a deadly accident at a printing plant...The Department of Labor says the worker died as a result of his skull being crushed...
Snowden: NSA employees routinely pass around intercepted nude photos  ars technica   ...Edward Snowden has revealed that he witnessed “numerous instances” of National Security Agency (NSA) employees passing around nude photos that were intercepted “in the course of their daily work.”...