2014: The year the states began to de-privatize

In 2014, taxpayers began to halt runaway privatization of government services. Maryland's Legislature passed a law banning private contractors from contracting with the state if they broke the law. In Oregon, Nebraska and Connecticut, legislatures passed laws requiring more supervision of private contracts.

Today, dozens of cities, counties and school districts are set to impose more control over private contractors, according to a new report by In The Public Interest.  And a total of 19 states had legislation introduced that would let taxpayers reclaim control of public services.

The rush to privatize government services began in the 1970s with claims the private sector could do it 'better, faster and cheaper,' than the government. But by now citizens are finding out 'privatization' often means private contractors looting the public treasury.

In, Chicago, residents rebelled against the privatization of the city's 36,000 parking meters. According to the Atlantic Monthly,

Parking-meter rates had suddenly gone up as much as fourfold. Some meters jammed and overflowed when they couldn't hold enough change for the new prices. In other areas, new electronic meters had been installed, but many of them didn't give receipts or failed to work entirely. And free parking on Sundays was a thing of the past. 

The new meter regime sparked mass outrage. People held protests and threatened to boycott. But there was little recourse: The city had leased its 36,000 meters to a private Morgan Stanley-led consortium in exchange for $1.2 billion in up-front revenue. The length of the lease: 75 years.

It got worse: an inspector general's report found the city's taxpayers overpaid the Morgan Stanley consortium by $974 million.

Here's another example: 65 percent of state contracts with private prison company CCA guarantee 90 percent of the prison beds will be filled, or the state will pay CCA for the difference.

Teamsters have successfully fought privatization of public services when it will replace Teamsters with low-paid, poorly trained contract workers and higher costs to taxpayers. The Teamsters represent several hundred thousand public sector workers.

The In the Public Interest report describes some sensible proposals to let taxpayers take more control of government spending on private contracts:

• In California, a resolution passed the Assembly that said lawmakers opposed any outsourcing of public services and assets that did not meet standards of transparency, accountability, shared prosperity and competition. 
• In Georgia, a bill was introduced requiring contracts to demonstrate a 10 percent cost savings to taxpayers. Minnesota lawmakers considered a bill to require a 15 percent savings from a private contractor.
• A Tennessee proposal would ban contract language that guarantees corporate profits at taxpayers' expense, including 'lockup quotas.'
• A Vermont will would make it easier for taxpayers to cancel a contract if the company doesn't deliver quality services and cost savings. 
• A West Virginia lawmaker proposed a bill that would ban companies that evade taxes or broke the law from receiving state contracts. It would also require fair pay and reasonable benefits. 

Today's Teamster News 04.17.14

Teamster News
Chicago Art Handlers Vote To Become Teamsters, 4/25  Art World News   ...Art handlers with Mana-Terry Dowd LLC may set an industry precedent by being the first employees of a major art transportation company in Chicago to unionize...
Teamsters drop grievance against inmates doing pothole patching  Youngstown Vindicator   ...Sheriff Jerry Greene said today that county Engineer Patrick Ginnetti received a letter from the Teamsters’ union on Tuesday, saying the union was withdrawing the grievance because of the extreme winter weather the county has recently experienced and in the interest of public safety...
Trade
U.S. Allows Japan To Exclude Rice In Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations  Oryza   ...The U.S. has allowed Japan to exclude rice in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, but has asked the Japanese government to increase imports of U.S. rice, according to local sources...
State Battles
State GAB vote approved probe into Scott Walker recall  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Former judges on the state Government Accountability Board voted unanimously last year to authorize the investigation of fundraising and spending by Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and his allies during the recent recall elections, according to a Tuesday court filing...
U.S. States Revive Debtors’ Prisons  firedoglake   ...More and more states have revived the debtors prison, albeit in a specific form, locking people up for failure to pay court costs and fees...
Missouri Supreme Court Expands Legal Rights For Injured Workers  Kansas City Star   ...The Missouri Supreme Court overturned 30 years of precedent with a ruling Tuesday that gives greater legal protections to injured workers who are fired from their jobs...
One Democratic Congressman Escalates The Fight Over ALEC  Washington Post   ...A federal lawmaker from Arizona wants the Interior Department to investigate an active conservative group for what he alleges is unregistered lobbying...
Koch Brothers Are Killing Rapid Bus Transit In Tennessee  Auto Blog Green   ...Last week, the Tennessee Senate voted 27-4 against the very idea of rapid bus transit in the state. The vote, which is oddly specific about its target--the Amp Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Nashville--was supported by the wealthy Koch brothers, Charles and David, and their group Americans for Prosperity...
War on Workers
When Did Men's Income Peak?  Demo Memo   ...The median income of men aged 25 to 34 has plunged since 1973, falling from $46,598 to $34,113 after adjusting for inflation—a loss of $12,485...
Income Inequality Institute Will Pay Paul Krugman $25,000 Per Month  Gawker   ...According to a formal offer letter obtained under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, CUNY intends to pay Krugman $225,000, or $25,000 per month (over two semesters), to “play a modest role in our public events” and “contribute to the build-up” of a new “inequality initiative...”
Gap Between Executive Pay And Worker Wages Continues To Grow  Al-Jazeera America   ...In 2013 the average American CEO was paid 331 times what the average worker in the United States earned and 774 times what full-time minimum wage workers made, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the AFL-CIO...
Clemson Studying Impact Of Sports Labor Ruling  Greenville News   ...Clemson University President James P. Clements said Tuesday he and other major college presidents are examining a stunning labor ruling that could revolutionize college sports...

Today's Teamster News 02.13.14

Teamsters
Washington Twp. cops might go union  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review   ...The Washington Township Police Department soon might become members of Teamsters Local 205, based in White Oak, Pennsylvania. The state's Labor Relations Board will schedule an election within the next month for township officers...
Union Negotiations Continue at Beverly's Armstrong Plant  12 WBOY News   ...Negotiations are still underway between Armstrong and the Teamsters to reach a new agreement at its plant in Randolph County, WV. The current contract expires Saturday...
Collective Bargaining: How to Negotiate Strong Teamster Contracts  teamster.org   ...The IBT Training and Development Department is conducting a Teamsters Leadership Academy (TLA) on collective bargaining, March 11-14. Get the details here...
Trade
Pelosi comes out against fast track bill  The Hill   ...Pelosi made clear on Wednesday night that she isn’t opposed to the concept of TPA, also known as fast-track authority, but she can’t support a bill introduced by Baucus, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)...
Hoffa: Voices Against Fast Track Are Growing Louder  teamster.org   ...Thousands of Teamsters have contacted Congress in recent weeks to let them know “fast track” trade authority is the wrong track for America. And the message is getting through...
Crowley Opposes Fast Track  New York Daily News   ...Rep. Joe Crowley’s far from shocking statement opposing the authority, which lets the president force trade bills, like a pending Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, to receive up or down votes in both congressional chambers...
State Battles
Tennessee Paper Pushes Koch-Connected Anti-Union Message Ahead Of UAW Vote  Media Matters   ...A misleading op-ed in Chattanooga's Times Free Press, co-written by a Koch and ALEC ally, falsely claimed creating a union in a local Volkswagen plant would negatively impact the state economy and plant relations, despite evidence to the contrary...
U.S. senator drops bombshell during VW plant union vote  Reuters   ...U.S. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said on Wednesday he has been "assured" that if workers at the Volkswagen AG plant in his hometown of Chattanooga reject United Auto Worker representation, the company will reward the plant with a new product to build. Corker's bombshell … runs counter to public statements by Volkswagen...
Tennessee Republicans Don't Believe in a Free Market  Center for Economic and Policy Research   ...these politicians believe they are better able to run a car company than the Volkswagen's managers. This is an interesting view coming from people who usually claim to be supporters of a free market and to believe that the government should not interfere in the running of a business...
Austerity in Maine has forced state troopers to go without heating and feed their families roadkill  Salon   ...Back in 2013, the lawmakers of the state of Maine decided to freeze state merit and longevity pay for its state troopers. According to a report in the Bangor Daily News, for at least some state troopers — and their families — the consequences have been dire...
Harsh words for CDOT at public meeting on 50-year U.S. 36 contract  Daily Camera   ...Colorado Department of Transportation officials took a verbal beating Wednesday night from a crowd of hundreds who blasted the agency for partnering with a private firm to maintain and operate U.S. 36 between Boulder and Denver for the next 50 years.
Assembly committee takes up bill tossing some "living wage" ordinances  WHBL   ...Wisconsin lawmakers were hearing testimony Wednesday on a bill to throw out local "living wage" ordinances...
Kentucky sinkhole opens up at Corvette museum, swallows vintage Corvettes dailykos   ...The museum issued a statement that said six of the damaged cars were owned by the museum and two — a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder and a 2009 ZR1 Blue Devil — were on loan from General Motors...
States, U.S. Forfeit Billions in Corporate Tax Revenue Annually  teamster.org   ...States could save more than $1 billion a year in tax revenue if they would make simple reforms that would crack down on shady corporate practices that funnel dollars away from their coffers. But only two states have put the brakes on such practices thus far...
How California’s Worsening Drought Could Make Your Grocery Bill Spike  ThinkProgress   ...If what the tree rings say is true, California hasn’t been this dry in more than 500 years. If what the leading climate scientists say is true, that dryness will only get worse in the coming years, which will adversely impact the agricultural industry...
This Is What It Looks Like When 100,000 Gallons Of Coal Waste Spill Into A West Virginia Stream  ThinkProgress   ...A pipe break at a Patriot Coal preparation site spewed more than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry into a waterway near Charleston, WV on Tuesday...
Pence wants state to replace some proposed local business tax cuts  Indianapolis Star   ...In the face of a growing outcry from mayors across the state, Gov. Mike Pence announced Tuesday that he supports replacing some of the revenue local governments would lose under proposals to cut Indiana's tax on business equipment...
The War on Workers
Lawsuit Calls Government’s Sweetheart Deal With JP Morgan ‘Unlawful’   ThinkProgress ...The Justice Department (DOJ) broke the law when it settled mortgage finance market fraud allegations against JP Morgan in a headline-grabbing legal settlement last year, according to a lawsuit filed Monday...
Former Enron Trader Funding PBS Series On Pensions  firedoglake   ... billionaire and Enron alum John Arnold has financed a new two-year news series entitled “Pension Peril.” A program that, not surprisingly, pushes an agenda that companies like Enron would love. The series, promoting cuts to public employee pensions, is airing on hundreds of PBS outlets all over the nation...
RealtyTrac: Monthly foreclosure filings reverse course, rise 8%  Housing Wire   ...Monthly foreclosure filings — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — reversed course and increased 8% to 124,419 in January from December...
AT&T Mobility, CWA reach tentative agreement  Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...AT&T Mobility has reached a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America on a contract covering more than 11,500 employees in Georgia and other parts of the Southeast...
What the jobless do when the benefits end  Washington Post   ...Many facing the end of benefits will turn to Social Security. Others will cobble together what they can...
Bob Costas is right: Going to work sick is a terrible idea  Washington Post   ..."Presenteeism" is actually a vexing problem for employers that could, by some estimates cost them as much as $150 billion per year...

Tennessee outrage: Hypocritical elected officials interfere with Volkswagen

Union members are outraged over the hypocritical attacks by so-called 'conservatives' over the UAW's probable success in organizing autoworkers at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The three-day vote of 1,500 eligible workers begins today, and the UAW thinks it will win. Anti-worker hypocrites are freaked out at the possibility that a strong union can gain a foothold in the plantation-loving South. (Oh and by the way, 'anti-worker' is not the same as 'pro-business.')

Grover Norquist says he wants a government so small it can be drowned in a bathtub, but he's paying for a government big enough to interfere with a private company's relations with its workers. Not to mention workers' freedom to organize into a union.

Politico reports

...one of Washington’s most powerful conservative groups, the Grover Norquist-led Americans for Tax Reform, is spending money to warn Chattanoogans that a vote for the UAW would help Barack Obama — and maybe take away their guns.

Tennessee officials are threatening VW with a loss of tax subsidies. Reports Mike Elk at In These Times:

In the run-up to a union election, workers typically run a gauntlet of threats from management, including claims that a vote to unionize will jeopardize their jobs by hurting the company’s bottom line. 

But in the case of an upcoming union election for Volkswagen’s 1,600-worker auto plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., set to run from February 12–14, the company has pledged to remain neutral during the union drive. Last week, Volkswagen even invited the United Auto Workers (UAW), which is vying to represent the workers, to come and make a pre-election presentation at the plant. 

While Volkswagen has vowed not to interfere, however, outside forces have picked up the anti-union playbook and are telling workers that choosing union representation could endanger their jobs. At a press conference on Monday, Tennessee Republican State Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Bo Watson and Republican House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick implied that state subsidies to Volkswagen could be blocked if the plant unionizes.

We've complained before about the 'small-government' politicians who interfere with private organizations. For example, in right-to-work-for-less states, the government forces unions -- which do not get government handouts -- to pay for representing workers who don't belong.

We call that big government interference.

Today's Teamster News 04.21.13

Conservative Koch Brothers Turning Focus to Newspapers  New York Times   ...Koch Industries, the sprawling private company of which Charles G. Koch serves as chairman and chief executive, is exploring a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant...
Obama's Pacific Trade Deal Is No Deal At All (opinion)  U.S. News   ...Question: When is a Trade Pact not a Trade Pact? Answer: When it protects legacy industries from competition and strips from governments the means to manage their own economies...
Maine trucking companies in quandary over new hours-of-service rules  Bangor Daily News   ...Legal challenges over federal regulations governing hours-of-service for long-haul truck drivers have put Maine trucking companies in a bind: Do they wait for a favorable court ruling on their national trade group’s challenge of those rules before the July 1 compliance date? Or, do they take on training and implementation costs that could be negated if the regulations are overturned?...
Arizona set to OK gold, silver currency  The Arizona Republic   ...Arizona is on track to become the second state in the nation to recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender. It would join Utah as part of a conservative movement arising out of a lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve and a fear that paper money could become virtually worthless as U.S. debt deflates the value of the dollar...
Jack McElroy: Bill sneers at the First Amendment (opinion)  KnoxNews.com   ...Ag Gag bills are being promoted all across the country by the American Legislative Exchange Council, which pushes corporation-friendly legislation at the state level...
Plain Talk: How to help real farmers, not JP Morgan  The Cap Times   ...other provisions that worry Farmers Union members. The lifting of the cap on land ownership by foreigners, for instance. Current law limits ownership by foreigners to 640 acres. Von Ruden fears that if outside interests can gobble up land, it will drive land prices so high that family farmers won’t be able to buy a neighbor’s farm should it come up for sale...
Court turns down lawsuits against Mexican trucks  Associated Press   ...The three-judge panel Friday denied challenges by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association...
Teamsters approves new contract  Hernando Today   ...Teamsters Local 79 members Thursday night ratified a new contract which now goes to county commissioners for approval...

Today's Teamster News 03.15.13

Pelosi open to looking at Obama proposal to cut Social Security  The Hill   ...House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she'll consider Social Security cuts as part of a sweeping deficit-reduction package...
MSNBC ending Ed Schultz's weekday show  Politico   ...Sources at MSNBC told POLITICO that that was a very generous interpretation of events. Schultz was pushed out to make way for new talent, they said...
Companies Are Putting Sensors on Employees To Track Their Every Move  Business Insider   ...Sociometric Solutions has created tracking devices for Bank of America, Steelcase, and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., and is in talks with General Motors...
Census: Record 1 in 3 US counties are now dying  Associated Press   ...A record number of U.S. counties — more than 1 in 3 — are now dying off, hit by an aging population and weakened local economies that are spurring young adults to seek jobs and build families elsewhere...
Cities Weigh Taking Over From Private Utilities  New York Times   ...Across the country, cities are showing a renewed interest in taking over the electricity business from private utilities, reflecting intensifying concerns about climate change, responses to power disruptions and a desire to pump more renewable energy into the grid...
Could gold be the next Libor scandal?  Guardian   ...London's financial sector was last night bracing itself for another official investigation into alleged price-fixing following reports that a US regulator is considering launching an inquiry into the City's gold and silver markets...
New Poultry Plant Rule Would Give Food Inspectors 1/3 Of A Second To Examine A Chicken  ThinkProgress   ...A new food inspection rule proposed by the US Department of Agriculture would let poultry plants conduct their own inspections, removing federal food inspectors from the assembly line...
Corporate-Approved State Bills Kick Low-Wage Workers While They're Down  In These Times   ...Most of the anti-worker bills were proposed by lawmakers directly linked to ALEC and include language that echoes that of "model legislation" developed by ALEC. Among the proposals are measures to undercut minimum wages for teenage workers, restrict overtime pay and repeal or ban local laws to improve working conditions...
GOP lawmakers criticize unions for move to rush pacts into place before right-to-work laws start  Michigan Live   ...Push back against local schools and universities for approving lengthy contracts prior to Michigan’s right-to-work taking effect has caught the attention of administrators at Grand Rapids Public Schools, according to the president of the district’s teachers union...
Teamsters Oppose Legislation That Will Damage Florida Retirement System  IBT   ...Public employees in Florida converged on the state Capitol today to protest proposed legislation that would harm the Florida Retirement System (FRS). More than 20,000 Teamsters who work as police officers, correctional officers, and public school employees would be affected by the drastic changes in the legislation, HB 7011...
Kasich’s Development Director Departs Amid JobsOhio Financing Scandal  Plunderbund   ...a spokesperson for the Development Services Agency refused to answer questions from reporters about $5.6 million in development grants to JobsOhio that circumvented the Ohio Legislature and the Controlling Board...
Montana Legislature: Bill seeks tax increase for wealthy, cut for rest  Associated Press   ...A Helena Democrat is waging a longshot bid to persuade the Republican-led Legislature to accept a tax hike for those earning more than $150,000 in taxable income...
Committee OKs new restrictions on state workers' union  KnoxNews   ...A bill putting new restrictions on the Tennessee State Employees Union — enough to disable or eliminate many of the organization’s functions, according to a TSEA official — won approval of the House State Government Committee on Wednesday...
General Cable Threatens Workers' Jobs During Contract Negotiations  Local 727   ...Teamsters Local 727 representatives are fighting to stop global giant General Cable from closing its Des Plaines, Ill., plant, where 70 workers voted last August to join the Teamsters...
Sacramento Coca-Cola plant to close  Sacramento Business Journal   ...Coca-Cola Co. said Wednesday it plans to close its Stockton Boulevard production plant, costing 60 jobs. The world’s largest beverage company (NYSE: KO) must negotiate with Teamsters Local 150, but expects to shutter the plant at 2200 Stockton Blvd. by mid-summer...
Concord reaches contract with largest union eliminating furlough days  Contra Costa Times   ...the tug-of-war between the city and its largest union has ended with a deal eliminating a controversial furlough program and restoring pay for city workers for the first time since the economy plummeted. The city council unanimously approved the contract with 150 city workers represented by Teamsters Local 856...
Teamsters declare impasse with Hernando County  Tampa Bay Times   ...The Hernando County administration and the Teamsters Union representatives tried on Thursday to reach an agreement about how much weight seniority should carry when making hiring decisions. They couldn't...