Trade
Lies, damned lies, and the arguments for Fast-Tracking the TPP trade deal
The Ecologist …When US Trade Representative Michael Froman testified before Congress last week, he made impressive claims for the benefits of Fast-Tracking the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, writes Ben Beachy. Just one problem - all those claims were either untrue, or profoundly misleading...
War on Workers
Steelworkers Union Expands Walk Outs to Two BP Refineries Wall Street Journal …The striking United Steelworkers expanded walkouts to two more refineries over the weekend as talks between the union and energy companies continued into a second week. The strike now encompasses more than 5,000 workers at 11 U.S. fuel-making plants…
Republicans roll out right-to-work bills The Washington Examiner …Both right-to-work bills would amend the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit contracts between labor unions and businesses that force all of a company's workers to join a union or at least pay it a fee as a condition of employment. The legislation is certain to meet fierce Democratic resistance…
Stock Buybacks Are Killing the American Economy The Atlantic …Profits once flowed to higher wages or increased investment. Now, they enrich a small number of shareholders...
HSBC files show how Swiss bank helped clients dodge taxes and hide millions The Guardian …HSBC’s Swiss banking arm helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets, doling out bundles of untraceable cash and advising clients on how to circumvent domestic tax authorities, according to a huge cache of leaked secret bank account files…
It’s cheaper and easier to rent an MBA than to hire one Quartz …The on-demand economy, where people work when they want and get paid by the task, has redefined the roles of taxi drivers and created new jobs such as professional grocery store shoppers who are paid by the hour to run other people’s errands. Less well known is how the 1099 economy (named for the US tax forms filed by independent contractors), is now bleeding into the upper echelon of the workforce: The nation’s top business school graduates...
Income Inequality Is Ravaging America’s Middle Class Economy In Crisis …The median wage in the U.S. is $28,031, or approximately $13.50 per hour. This means that half of working Americans make less than that. The cost of living for one person in the U.S. is $20,194. After taxes and living expenses, most Americans are just getting by...
