Teamsters
City and Teamsters to detail agreement in York ydr.com ...It's not clear what the agreement entails, but a city official said it will help the city financially…The Teamsters represent employees in the public works department as well as the parking bureau…
Trade
Growing Chorus of Diverse Voices Rejects TPP Huffington Post ...Those arguing to pass the TPP while bypassing Congress say that it is "inconvenient" for international negotiations to involve Congress. Any U.S. Official who openly is minimizing the process laid out in our Constitution deserves scrutiny...
Stopping the Biggest Corporate Power Grab in Years Alternet ...The TPP is a corporate power grab clearly worthy of Seattle-caliber mobilization. But the fight against this reprehensible deal requires different types of tactics. And the place to start is by derailing “Fast Track,” the mechanism that would allow TPP approval to rush through the U.S. Congress with little debate and no amendments...
State Battles
Right-to-Work Fate Appears Sealed in Kentucky General Assembly WKU ...All indications from Frankfort suggest Kentucky counties will continue to take the lead on right-to-work measures...
Governor: Right to work ‘common sense’ Albuquerque Journal ...Gov. Susana Martinez said she will push for so-called “right-to-work” legislation during the upcoming legislative session, calling a change to the state’s labor laws “common sense” and long overdue...
War on Workers
Unemployment Rate Drops Due to Almost Half a Million More Not in Labor Force Economic Populist ...The labor participation rate went back to 38 year record lows and is 62.7%. From a year ago, the number of people considered not in the labor force has increased by 1.2 million...
Family ties that bind: Having the right surname sets you up for life Springer ...If your surname reveals that you descended from the “in” crowd in the England of 1066—the Norman Conquerors—then even now you are more likely than the average Brit to be upper class. To a surprising degree, the social status of your ancestors many generations in the past still exerts an influence on your life chances, say Gregory Clark of the University of California...
Collective Bargaining’s Erosion Expanded the Productivity–Pay Gap Economic Policy Institute ...Over the last few decades, productivity has grown substantially, but the hourly compensation of the typical worker has grown much less, especially in the last 10 years or so...
NC agency ends solo status for Koch-funded history materials Associated Press ...North Carolina's education agency will encourage teachers to draw their American history course materials from nearly a dozen sources, not just those provided by a group backed by the politically influential, conservative Koch family...
Labor chief pushes White House on overtime The Hill ...AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said in an interview published Friday that he believed President Obama should take an executive action ensuring overtime pay for workers with an annual salary under $51,168. That would represent more than doubling the current threshold, which provides time-and-a-half pay for workers making $23,660 per year or less...
States adding more protections for pregnant workers Jacksonville.com ...As of Jan. 1, employers in Illinois must provide pregnant workers who request them more or longer bathroom breaks, rest periods, light duty, job transfers, leave time or other accommodations, unless doing so creates an undue hardship for the employer...Eleven other states have passed laws requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers. In 2014, laws took effect in Delaware, Minnesota, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Since 2011, Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey also have approved laws...
Maintenance Worker Killed in Concrete Crusher Accident Associated Press ...Authorities say a worker performing routine maintenance on a concrete crusher was killed when he somehow got entangled in the machinery...
Worker Dies, Crushed by Elevator in NYC Residential Tower Wall Street Journal ...“There was some movement in the elevator and the gentleman below got crushed by the elevator between the first floor and the basement,” said Roger Sakowich, FDNY deputy assistant chief, who was on scene. The elevator that crushed the man had been three floors above when it moved...
