Today's Teamster News 04.24.13

Boston Teamsters to Westboro Hate Group: You Are Not Welcome Here  IBT   ...(Local 25 President Sean) O'Brien made it clear that Boston Teamsters will be at the funeral of officer Sean Collier on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 to ensure that the Westboro hate group is hidden from mourners - should they choose to show up...
Teamsters aim to shield Boston funeral from Westboro picketers  USA Today   ...Another memorial is planned (today) ... for Sean Collier, 26, the police officer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was shot and killed...
The deficit is falling fast. Can Washington accept victory?  Washington Post  ...the United States has made remarkable progress toward trimming its fiscal sails. We may not be doing austerity European-style (thankfully, if you’ve paid attention to recent economic numbers out of Europe), but American austerity, or at least steady deficit reduction, is well underway, as two new reports affirm...
Who Is Defending Austerity Now?  The Atlantic   ...It's not "just" that southern Europe is stuck in a depression and Britain is stuck in a no-growth trap. It's that the very intellectual foundations of austerity are unraveling. In other words, economists are finding out that austerity doesn't work in practice or in theory...
High Income Households Would Pay Most—But Not All—of the New Taxes in Obama’s 2014 Budget  Tax Policy Center   ...despite Obama’s long-standing pledge to protect individuals making below $200,000 (and couples making $250,000 or less) from any tax hikes, even many of those families would pay slightly more than under today’s tax law...
A Rise in Wealth for the Wealthy; Declines for the Lower 93%  Pew Research and Social Demographic Trends   ...During the first two years of the nation’s economic recovery, the mean net worth of households in the upper 7% of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28%, while the mean net worth of households in the lower 93% dropped by 4%, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly released Census Bureau data...
Federal employee furloughs begin  Washington Post   ...Labor Department employees have already begun taking their unpaid leave, part of the government’s cost-cutting hatchet known as the sequester...
Bangladeshi Activists Bring Fight to Wal-Mart’s Doorstep  Common Dreams   ...On top of the fire safety agreement to prevent future disasters, the International Labor Rights Forum has joined with Warehouse Workers United and other labor groups to push for stronger regulations at various links in the supply chain, from garment factories in Asia to warehouses in Illinois...
Death Trap Plants Win ‘Safe’ Certifications, New AFL-CIO Report Reveals  AFL-CIO   ...In the most recent fires, both factories had been certified as meeting working condition and safety standards by official-sounding groups financed by the very corporations profiting from the low-wage labor churning out the pants, sweaters, shirts and more destined for boutique stores and department store racks, according to Responsibility Outsourced: Social Audits, Workplace Certification and 20 Years of Failure to Protect Worker Rights...
Japanese Leaders Bring a Reality-Check to Washington about Japanese Participation in the TPP  The National Press Club   ...The reality: Japanese participation in TPP negotiations will delay their completion and require a reduction in the agreement’s “ambition.”...
Voting rights groups lambaste Florida GOP’s election law rewrite  The Miami Herald   ...The advocates said Republican lawmakers are trying to impose new barriers to voting and they aimed their opposition squarely at Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, architect of HB 7013, which requires anyone seeking to help a voter must previously be known to the voter and no one can help more than 10 voters in an election...
Wisconsin redistricting scandal deepens  Daily Kos  ...Republican staffers had deleted hundreds of thousands of files relating to the 2011 redistricting of Wisconsin...
Michigan Republicans introduce cut-and-pasted ALEC “forced privatization” legislation  eclectablog   ...The bill would prohibit public entities from competing against the private sector, and its definitions are so restrictive that it would allow corporations to take the state to court and force it to stop providing valuable public services...
Hearings set on bill to privatize liquor stores  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...The first of what will likely be three state Senate hearings on a controversial bill to privatize Pennsylvania's government-run wine and liquor stores has been scheduled for next Tuesday in the Capitol - and it is bound to be telling...
Teamsters sign off on YRC restructuring  Kansas City Business Journal   ...Leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters approved YRC Worldwide Inc.’s change of operations request, the Overland Park less-than-truckload company announced on Tuesday...
Virginia Teamsters Endorse Herring For Attorney General  IBT   ...(Mark) Herring has worked tirelessly for Virginia working families during his two terms in the Virginia State Senate...
Teamsters, ABF again extend ‘frustrating’ labor talks  The City Wire   ...The Teamsters issued a statement on April 19 suggesting that new proposals from Arkansas Best have put the negotiations “at risk.”...
Garbage trucks roll, but labor strife still roils  Youngstown Vindicator   ...Though all 106 workers, represented by Teamsters International Local 377, lifted picket lines over the weekend, headwinds still remain as both sides plan to meet today and Wednesday during a new round of bargaining to discuss disagreements ranging from unfair labor practices to wages and retirement benefits...

Today's Teamster News 04.23.13

The U.S. Corporate Tax Code Is a Giveaway  Economic Populist   ...The GAO issued a new report which shows use of corporate tax breaks cost the U.S. government $181.4 billion in 2011 alone...
Westboro Baptist Church No-Shows At Krystle Campbell Funeral As Teamsters Form Human Shield  The Inquistr   ...Westboro Baptist Church protesters apparently did not show up at yesterday's funeral for Krystle Campbell. But the local Teamsters Union wasn’t taking any chances...
Canada foils 'al-Qaeda linked' terror attack on train  BBC News   ...Two foreign men living in Canada have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack on a passenger train with support from al-Qaeda elements in Iran...
EU near austerity limit, says Barroso  The Guardian   ...The European Union's focus on austerity has hit the limits of public acceptance, according to the head of the EU's executive arm, as Brussels joined the International Monetary Fund in raising concerns over the impact of public spending cuts...
The Real Faces of the Minimum Wage  Common Dreams   ...Most minimum-wage workers are adults, the majority of them are women, and many are parents who are trying to raise their children on poverty wages...
White House: Federal agencies evaluating fertilizer plant inspections  The Hill Blog   ...That fertilizer plant in West, TX that exploded last week, killing at least 14 and injuring 100s more, had not been inspected by the Occupation Health and Safety Administration since 1985, though other federal and state officials were aware of the plant and its hazardous materials. Federal agencies are assessing “their inspection practices” now. That’s it?...
Restyled as Real Estate Trusts, Varied Businesses Avoid Taxes  The New York Times   ...“A small but growing number of American corporations . . . are declaring that they are not ordinary corporations at all.” They’re “special trusts that are typically exempt from paying taxes.” Congress will no doubt spring into action and fix this...
Former Nestle CEO: 'Water should be privatized, it's not a right'  Examiner.com   ...On April 20, Americans Against the Tea Party shared a video of the former CEO of Nestle, coincidentally also the largest seller of bottled water in the world, where he says that he feels that water is not a right and it should be privatized and sold. Really?...
Karl Rove, Koch brothers lead charge to control Republican data  Politico  ...The GOP didn’t have an answer for Big Democratic Data in 2012, costing them in close races from Congress to the White House. Now, they’ve got lots of answers — possibly too many...
Costs, number of deleted files pile up in redistricting case  Wisconsin State Journal   ...Names of two Republican legislative aides who deleted those “hundreds of thousands” of redistricting data files have now been revealed...
Michigan road funding: Americans For Prosperity launching 'Don't raise MI taxes' statewide tour Michigan Live   ...Americans For Prosperity-Michigan, the state chapter of the national conservative advocacy group, is fighting proposals by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican lawmakers to boost road funding through increased taxes or fees...
Detroit emergency manager eyes end to union bargaining  Reuters   ...Detroit's emergency manager indicated for the first time that he may end collective bargaining with city employees as part of his effort to shore up the city's sagging finances...
Prevailing wage challenged  News-Tribune   ...Both the federal and state governments require contractors to pay the “prevailing wage” on public construction projects, such as schools, municipal buildings and sewer systems. But some in the (Missouri) Legislature want to change that — to cancel the state law, which has been on the books since 1957...
Indiana suffers from bad tax system, bad tax cuts (opinion) The Indianapolis Star   ...Do Hoosiers even want Gov. Mike Pence’s income tax cut? And should they, considering that Indiana has one of the most regressive, elitist, tax systems in the nation, and what’s on the table will only make matters worse?...
Courtney Johnson commentary: Should Ohio voters support a right-to-work ballot issue? No  The Columbus Dispatch   ...The last time our state was confronted with an unsafe, unfair attack on workers — Senate Bill 5 — voters in Ohio emphatically rejected the flawed law...
Liquor privatization will change Pennsylvania (opinion)  The Quad   ...In March, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed House Bill 790. If the bill is voted into law, the liquor industry will be privatized. When introduced, the bill quickly gained support from many Republicans including Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. Supporters claim privatization will bring prosperity to the Commonwealth by instilling competition. Unfortunately, many people will be hurt by this bill...
Petition seeks repeal of Anchorage labor law  Associated Press   ...The Anchorage Assembly last month eliminated the right to strike by eight city unions and took away performance bonuses and incentives in future city contracts. The measure also limits annual pay hikes and creates a system for outsourcing certain city work...
Public employees deserve pensions (opinion)  Sun-Sentinel   ...it is not responsible or fair to cut further into the financial security of working Americans because they happen to be public employees...
LePage: “I am going to be the next Scott Walker”  Bangor Daily News   ...“I will guarantee you that you will see the most vicious education campaign ads that you’ve ever seen in your life next year, because I am going to be the next Scott Walker in this country, because I am challenging the status quo,” declared LePage...
Ohio Teamsters Suspend Strike Over Republic Services' Unfair Labor Practices  IBT   ...Today, 23 workers at Republic Services’ landfill in Youngstown, Ohio returned to work after an unfair labor practice strike that began on March 27, 2013...
Teamsters will decide soon on YRC network changes  Kansas City Business Journal   ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is expected to decide whether to adopt YRC Worldwide Inc.’s sweeping change of operations request by the end of the week after meeting with union leadership in Dallas on Friday...
ABF, Teamsters agree to another 30-day contract extension after union leaders spurn offer  DC Velocity   ...The Teamsters union and less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier ABF Freight System Inc. agreed late Friday to another 30-day extension of their current contract...

Republic, Teamsters continue talks as Youngstown, McDonough strikes suspended

Local 377 extended picket lines all over the country.

Teamsters are sitting down at the bargaining table with Republic Services/Allied Waste as 23 Youngstown workers return to the job after four weeks on strike at the Carbon Limestone Landfill. Forty more drivers, helpers and mechanics at Republic/Allied in McDonough, Ga., also suspended their strike.

The strikers had extended their picket lines across the U.S. over the past weeks. In an unprecedented show of solidarity, thousands of Teamsters honored picket lines in 25 cities across the Midwest and from Georgia to Washington and California.

While members of Local 377 in Youngstown and Local 728 in McDonough, Ga., are back to work, Republic/Allied workers in Memphis are still on strike.

Trash tycoon Bill Gates, who owns about 26 percent of Republic, continues to appear disinterested in his company's labor and environmental misdeeds. He was busy telling South Korean President Park Geun-Hye what to do. (Let's hope she doesn't listen.)

According to today's Teamster press release, John Overly, a worker at the Youngstown landfill, explained:

We never wanted to go on strike, but Republic’s behavior has been so abusive we had no choice. As we extended picket lines to other cities, the workers there told us of very similar patterns of intimidation and harassment at their facilities. 

We care about the communities we live and work in. We don’t like seeing the trash piling up and our neighbors being upset at the filth. That’s why we’re going back to work – for now – because we really want to clean up our neighborhoods. We are hoping Republic will be willing to make right all the wrongs they have done to us and to workers and communities all over the country.

Republic Services had established a pattern of behavior that went beyond Youngstown, said Robert Morales, director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division.

These strikes have been about this company breaking the law. Republic’s tactics of intimidation and law-breaking are not limited to Youngstown, Ohio – they are occurring in many other cities and that pattern of behavior goes back years. If the company won’t fix its illegal actions and continues to refuse to treat its workers with respect, then I can promise you the Teamsters will respond, and we will respond hard.

Ken Hall, Teamsters general secretary-treasurer, said there are many issues that need to be addressed:

I’ve urged the company to come back to the table over the next two to three weeks and resolve all outstanding issues, including the pension. If the company wants to back up its words that its true objective is looking out for the best interests of its employees, rather than slashing benefits, then the company must negotiate in good faith with Teamsters Local Unions. 

Out of respect for their communities and the customers they serve, our members chose to suspend the strike – I hope their act of good faith is matched by Republic’s good faith at the bargaining table.

VIDEO: Republic Teamsters Song of the Year

From our brothers and sisters at Local 728 in Atlanta. Enjoy.

Today's Teamster News 04.18.13

CEOs Earn 354 Times More Than Average Worker CNNMoney   ...Chief executives of the nation's largest companies earned an average of $12.3 million in total pay last year -- 354 times more than a typical American worker, according to the AFL-CIO...
Mortgage Relief Checks Go Out, Only to Bounce  New York Times   ...It is unclear how many of the 1.4 million homeowners who were mailed the first round of payments covered under the foreclosure settlement have had problems with their checks...
Europe faces threat of full-fledged depression  Market Watch   ...“Unemployment is at a record high, credit is going down, banks are failing…what do you call an economy like that?”...
Local unions offer $50,000 reward for tips  Boston Globe   ...A group of police and firefighter unions announced a $50,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for setting off two explosions at the Boston Marathon that took three lives and injured more than 170 people and have set up a fund for victims of the blast...
The Bank of America Lawsuits Continue  Associated Press   ...As soon as Bank of America puts one mortgage-related lawsuit behind it, another always seems to rear its head...
How Congress Undercuts the Postal Service (opinion)  The Sacramento Bee   ...The Postal Service gets no tax dollars, yet is constantly hammered as a money-wasting government agency. Every time it seeks to cut costs, Congress puts up roadblocks...
ALEC's best friend: The Indiana General Assembly  Journal Gazette   ...the American Legislative Exchange Council, the corporate-controlled group that writes model legislation, has an omnibus bill named in honor of the Indiana legislature's dubious achievement, "The Indiana Education Reform Package."...
Brownback Signs Bill That Requires Welfare, Unemployment Recipients to be Tested for Drugs  Kansas City Star   ...Calling drug addiction a “scourge in Kansas,” Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law Tuesday a bill to test welfare and unemployment recipients suspected of using illegal drugs...
Florida Republicans Target Foreign-Language Voting  The Miami Herald   ...Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old North Miami voter who became a symbol of Florida’s elections woes, could again find it tough to cast a ballot now that the state Senate voted Tuesday to keep a crackdown on foreign-language interpreters at the polls...
State Auditor General Finds $35 Million in Unpaid Corporate Taxes  The Daily Pennsylvanian   ...Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Tuesday that he found errors on more than 1,250 corporate tax returns, totaling a net gain of $35.4 million for the state...
Nevada Ups the Ante on Delaware's Tax Status  Deutsche Welle   ...The US state of Delaware is an incorporation mecca where registering a company is as easy as 1-2-3. It draws not just the top firms, but also many shady shell companies. That has caught the attention of Nevada...
Hoffa Visits Tulsa, Hears AA Mechanics’ Challenges and Hopes  IBT   ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa visited American Airlines mechanics and related workers in Tulsa last evening. Sitting in a room with a large group of mechanics, Hoffa heard from campaign leaders and learned about the specific problems mechanics and related are facing and their hope for strong Teamster representation at AA...
Workers At UPS Supply Chain Solutions Vote To Join Teamsters Local 769  IBT   ...On April 16, employees at a UPS Supply Chain Solutions facility in Doral, Fla., voted to join Teamsters Local 769 in Miami...
Second Day of Garbage Strike in Northeast Ohio: Some Get Trash Collected on Time, Others See Delays  The Plain Dealer   ...Trash collection went as usual for some communities Tuesday, but others saw delays in the second day of the Teamsters strike against a private hauler serving many Northeast Ohio suburbs...
Pickets Target Gates-Owned Garbage Company  Puget Sound Business Journal   ...Allied Waste/Republic Services garbage truck drivers are picketing Wednesday in Seattle, Lynnwood, and Kent/SeaTac, protesting and supporting striking workers in Ohio...
Allied Waste/Republic Pickets Spread to Three Puget Sound Locations, Sanitation Workers Honor Lines  IBT   ...Garbage, recycle, and yard waste drivers, employed by Allied Waste/Republic Services, honored picket lines early this morning that were established by striking Local 377 Teamsters from Youngstown, Ohio. Picket lines were set up at the company’s facilities in Seattle, Lynnwood, and Kent/SeaTac...
Republic Services Garbage Workers Strike in McDonough  Atlanta Journal-Constitution   ...Forty drivers, helpers and mechanics at Republic Services, a waste management company, began a strike in McDonough on Monday, citing what they call unfair labor practices. Efforts to reach Republic for comment were unsuccessful...
Durham Bus Drivers: 'Make Durham Be Accountable'  ABC News   ...Nearly 75 Bus drivers with Durham School Services filed into a conference room at the North Charleston Coliseum to say enough is enough...
Teamsters Local 77 Member Helps Deliver Baby  Fox Philly News   ...With so much sadness in Boston, we wanted to bring you some joy, and tell you about the birth of a beautiful baby girl. She arrived not at a hospital, but right outside a toll booth along the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
"City Hall Don't Frieze Out New Yorkers" Elected Officials And Labor Leaders Call Upon City Hall To Change Parks Permitting Because Of Rogue Art Show  IBT   ...Leaders of the City’s top labor organizations stood with members of the City Council to confront the organizers of the Frieze New York Art Show on their lack of support for union workers and their families...