Teamster News
Gov. Brown Signs Protections For Temp Workers Into Law teamster.org ...Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1897 into law Sunday. The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2015, will hold companies accountable for serious violations of the rights of workers on their premises that are committed by their own labor suppliers...
Teach-in this weekend about Bill Gates' burning, radioactive landfill in Missouri TeamsterNation ...There's only one place in the country where a landfill fire smolders hundreds of away a nuclear dump site, and there are hundreds of Teamsters families living near it...
Parents, Health Officials Search For Answers About Sick Kids St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...Kirbi Pemberton pulled her 7-year-old daughter out of Rose Acres Elementary School in Maryland Heights this year over her concerns about potential health risks from the nearby radioactive West Lake Landfill...
Woot! Local 117 Teamsters ratify Fred Meyer contract! TeamsterNation ...Great news from Washington State, where our brothers and sisters from Teamsters Local 117 voted on Saturday to ratify a contract with Fred Meyer, a subsidiary of Kroger, Inc. They stood together and bargained a contract that maintains affordable health care and protects members against subcontracting...
Teamsters win arbitration award giving Corrections’ employees 9.8% raises over two years The News Tribune ...The ruling in favor of the Teamsters provides pay raises of 5.5 percent in July 2015 and another 4.3 percent in 2016 — with additional raises of 2.5 percent for select positions. About 6,000 employees at the Department of Corrections are covered by the Teamsters contract...
Trade
History’s largest trade agreements are being negotiated in secret Aljazeera America ...For the past four years, Froman and Selig have headed the U.S. team of unelected representatives secretly negotiating history’s two biggest trade agreements. If both treaties — drafted on behalf of 1.6 billion people — are approved, they will regulate almost three-quarters of all trade and investment in the world. The deals would void national legislation on environmental policy, labor rights, financial regulation and intellectual property...
Voters Will Oppose Politicians Who Support “NAFTA-Style” Trade Deals Trade Reform ...the polling overwhelmingly shows that the public “gets it” that these “trade” agreements have been used to send jobs out of the country and force wages down...
China's Tech Factories Turn To Student Labor Wall Street Journal ...Schools send thousands of teenagers here to put together electronic devices for some of the world's largest brands. Many students say they are given no choice. "I was suddenly told I had to spend the summer making computers or I couldn't graduate," said a 16-year-old girl surnamed Xiao...
State Battles
Early voting in Ohio blocked (UPDATED) SCOTUS Blog ...With just sixteen hours before polling stations were to open in Ohio, the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon blocked voters from beginning tomorrow to cast their ballots in this year’s general election...
Large Oil Company Bolts From ALEC National Journal ...Occidental Petroleum sent a letter Friday to an investment-management company indicating its intention to sever ties with ALEC, a conservative coalition of state legislators and major corporations that actively opposes environmental regulations...
Expedia under fire over membership to rightwing lobby group Alec Guardian ...Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, has declined to follow the lead of other big internet firms, instead choosing to remain a member of a controversial rightwing lobby group that works against climate change legislation...
Silicon Valley's Done With American Legislative Exchange Council U.S. News ...ALEC takes a conservative, national political approach down to the state level through model bills that do the bidding of big, corporate interests which provide the funding. ALEC bills are generally promoted word for word at the state level by GOP legislators on issues ranging from information technology to renewable energy...
45 Million Americans Still Stuck Below Poverty Line: Census Huffington Post ...Median household income barely budged last year, edging up to $51,939 from $51,759 in 2012, the Census Bureau noted separately. Median income is still far from the $56,436 in 2007 and the all-time high of $56,895 in 1999...
Taxis In Washington DC Losing Their Identity With Modern Makeover As Drivers Compete With Car-Sharing App Uber ABC News ...The car-sharing service launched in San Francisco in 2010 has since gone global, invariably causing a chorus of complaint and sparking legal challenges from local cab industries...
Arguments Set This Week In Arkansas Voter ID Case Times Record ...Arkansas’ highest court is set to take up a case this week that could decide whether the state’s voters will be required to show photo identification at the polls in the November election...
War On Workers
FAA Approves Drone Use For Hollywood Productions, Sets Guidelines – Update Deadline Hollywood ...The FAA has approved the limited use of drones as camera platforms for film and TV productions, opening the skies to swarms of small, camera-mounted planes and mini-helicopters over film locations across the country. Unmanned aerial cameras are legal elsewhere in the world, but have been prohibited for commercial use in the U.S. until now...
Finally, the Truth About the A.I.G. Bailout (opinion) New York Times ...the government has never provided a plausible explanation for why the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which had enormous leverage over banks like Goldman thanks to its role as their regulator, didn’t lean on them to accept less than 100 cents on the dollar in their payouts from A.I.G...
Almost Three-Quarters Of Big Companies To Increase Outsourcing Computer Weekly ...Almost three quarters of global businesses will increase their investment in outsourced services, according to research by KPMG. The research also indicates that more firms are taking advantage of global delivery models including functions such as finance, procurement and HR delivered centrally, often offshore...
Philadelphia zoo worker killed after being pinned under golf cart, report says South Jersey Times ...The 57-year-old employee became trapped under the cart around 11 a.m. at the zoo, located on West Girdard Avenue. He was then taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he died, according to the report...
Trump Seeks Pact To End Union Pension To Save Atlantic City Casino Reuters ...Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc is seeking to impose a new contract on its unionized workers and end pension contributions as part of a plan backed by billionaire Carl Icahn to save the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
Miscellaneous
NTSB: Truck showed no signs of trying to avoid North Texas softball team's bus Dallas Morning News ...National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sunday that the truck drove through the median for 820 feet on a shallow angle before colliding with the bus. It did not brake or appear to take any action to avoid the crash. They found no apparent problems with the truck’s brakes...
Walmart Faults Tracy Morgan for Not Wearing Seatbelt During Car Accident (Exclusive) Hollywood Reporter ...Among nine affirmative defenses, Walmart says that injuries "were caused, in whole or in part, by plaintiffs' failure to properly wear an appropriate available seatbelt restraint device."...
Will More Coal, Oil Trains Rumble Through Northwest? Public News Service ...About two dozen projects have been proposed in the past two years to move the Northwest toward becoming a transportation hub for coal, oil and gas to Asia...
Showing posts with label Taxi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taxi. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Uber X gets a free ride while taxi drivers pay
They want the unfairness to end.
It did in Virginia. Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia recently ordered a halt to ride-sharing services like Uber X and Lyft. According to WTOP,
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles says that ride services Lyft and Uber are violating state law and must stop operating immediately...
The letters state that the department has levied penalties against both companies for operating without proper authority. For several months, the state notified both companies that they were not complying with Virginia law.Virginia's DMV also warned riders to ask about additional payments such as gratuities, fuel or mileage. So-called surge pricing can also run up the fare. A Los Angeles rider was charged a $357 fare late last year, and said the Better Business Bureau had fielded a number of similar issues.
Washington, D.C., residents are being cheated by Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar, which avoid paying the taxes the regulated taxi drivers pay. Among the burdens taxi drivers do not share with Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar:
- DC taxi drivers pay $125 every year for a picture ID. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not
- DC taxi drivers are required to be fingerprinted. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers are not
- DC taxi drivers are required to have FBI background checks. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers are not.
- DC taxi drivers are required to have cars inspected every 6 months. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not
- DC taxi drivers are required to have commercial license plates. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers are not
- DC taxi drivers pay $.25 to the taxi commission for every ride. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not
- DC taxi drivers are held to higher safety standards than are Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers
Last year, D.C. gave the unregulated ride-sharing services an extension to operate until regulations were put in place. The District failed to enact regulations and the extension ended. That means Uber X, Lyft and Sidcar are operating illegally.
The Teamsters have nothing against the drivers. Teamsters are organizing Uber drivers in Seattle and in Los Angeles -- just as they're organizing temp workers at Taylor Farms in California.
Today's Teamster News 06.24.14
Teamster News
Teamsters, Taylor Farms clash The Packer ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which hopes to represent Taylor Farms employees at two Tracy, Calif., facilities, claims many were denied benefits as a result of prolonged stays in temporary worker status...
With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize Southern California Public Radio ...Organizers are expecting up to 500 Uber drivers – supported by Teamsters Local 986 – to hold a demonstration Tuesday morning in front of the Uber offices in Santa Monica...
D.C. Taxicab Drivers Organize Against Ridesharing Services WAMU ...local labor groups are focusing on pressuring the D.C. Council to help cabbies stave off competition from the unregulated, on-demand “ridesharing” services UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar. The Teamsters Local 922 is planning to hold a cab driver rally Wednesday at Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington to call on District legislators to level a playing field where the city’s regulated taxi fleet currently feels at a disadvantage to the innovative newcomers...
Arbitration Ruling Renews CN, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Agreement Progressive Railroading ...CN on Friday announced it will immediately begin to implement an arbitrator's decision that set the terms and conditions of a new three-year agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY)...
Trade
Thanks to Wikileaks, public can debate alarming new trade deal Trade Reform ...The draft agreement Wikileaks released on June 19 is fresh, written in May. It is a model of secret law, blatant in its disregard for transparency, democratic process and history. Its opening page says the terms are to remain secret for five years after negotiations formally end or the proposed new rules take effect. Talks to refine that agreement were to resume Monday in Geneva...
LIVEBLOG: Minnesota State Reps Demand Washington Act On Unfair Steel Trade manufacture this ...Jason Metsa, Tom Anzelc and several others followed Governor Mark Dayton’s powerful demand for federal action on unfair trade in steel ... especially tubular products being produced in South Korea and dumped at below-market prices in the U.S. market...
State Battles
We have a proven formula for success’ (opinion) FortWayne.com ...I recently vetoed an ordinance passed by City Council that would end collective bargaining for non-public safety union employees...
Labor Law Repeal To Hit Assembly, Again, On Tuesday Anchorage Daily News ...The latest effort to defeat a controversial city labor law will hit the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night as members consider a complicated array of options from repealing the measure outright to replacing it with a watered-down version to leaving it as a referendum question on the state ballot in November's election...
The Supreme Court Ruled In Favor Of An Alabama Whistle Blower. What Does That Mean For Others Who Expose Corruption? Birmingham News ...Edward Lane was the director of a statewide program for Alabama's at-risk youth when he saw State Rep. Sue Schmitz was drawing pay, but doing no work, for the program. Lane fired Schmitz in 2006 and later testified at her public corruption trials regarding the "no-show" job....
Mayors Put Focus On How To Raise Wages For Lowest-Paid Workers In Cities New York Times ...Here at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, which convened over the weekend, the subject of income inequality seemed to be on almost everyone’s lips, and mayors wondered aloud how best to use their powers to help the lowest-paid workers...
War On Workers
Starbucks baristudents should beware the green mermaid bearing gifts (opinion) Guardian ...For the first two years of their education, Starbucks students will qualify for a small scholarship from ASU, but the balance of their tuition payments will have to come from loans and students' own financial resources (aka their take-home pay as baristas)...
The CEO Aristocracy: Big Bucks For The Big Boss Washington Post ...Any CEO of a major company is virtually guaranteed to become a multimillionaire. In the Equilar survey, the median holding of company stock was $83 million. CEO compensation has vastly outstripped average wage gains...
Miscellaneous
Justices Uphold Emission Limits on Big Industry New York Times ...In a big win for environmentalists, the Supreme Court on Monday effectively endorsed the Obama administration’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from sources like power plants, even as it criticized what it called the administration’s overreaching...
Teamsters, Taylor Farms clash The Packer ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which hopes to represent Taylor Farms employees at two Tracy, Calif., facilities, claims many were denied benefits as a result of prolonged stays in temporary worker status...
With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize Southern California Public Radio ...Organizers are expecting up to 500 Uber drivers – supported by Teamsters Local 986 – to hold a demonstration Tuesday morning in front of the Uber offices in Santa Monica...
D.C. Taxicab Drivers Organize Against Ridesharing Services WAMU ...local labor groups are focusing on pressuring the D.C. Council to help cabbies stave off competition from the unregulated, on-demand “ridesharing” services UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar. The Teamsters Local 922 is planning to hold a cab driver rally Wednesday at Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington to call on District legislators to level a playing field where the city’s regulated taxi fleet currently feels at a disadvantage to the innovative newcomers...
Arbitration Ruling Renews CN, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Agreement Progressive Railroading ...CN on Friday announced it will immediately begin to implement an arbitrator's decision that set the terms and conditions of a new three-year agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY)...
Trade
Thanks to Wikileaks, public can debate alarming new trade deal Trade Reform ...The draft agreement Wikileaks released on June 19 is fresh, written in May. It is a model of secret law, blatant in its disregard for transparency, democratic process and history. Its opening page says the terms are to remain secret for five years after negotiations formally end or the proposed new rules take effect. Talks to refine that agreement were to resume Monday in Geneva...
LIVEBLOG: Minnesota State Reps Demand Washington Act On Unfair Steel Trade manufacture this ...Jason Metsa, Tom Anzelc and several others followed Governor Mark Dayton’s powerful demand for federal action on unfair trade in steel ... especially tubular products being produced in South Korea and dumped at below-market prices in the U.S. market...
State Battles
We have a proven formula for success’ (opinion) FortWayne.com ...I recently vetoed an ordinance passed by City Council that would end collective bargaining for non-public safety union employees...
Labor Law Repeal To Hit Assembly, Again, On Tuesday Anchorage Daily News ...The latest effort to defeat a controversial city labor law will hit the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night as members consider a complicated array of options from repealing the measure outright to replacing it with a watered-down version to leaving it as a referendum question on the state ballot in November's election...
The Supreme Court Ruled In Favor Of An Alabama Whistle Blower. What Does That Mean For Others Who Expose Corruption? Birmingham News ...Edward Lane was the director of a statewide program for Alabama's at-risk youth when he saw State Rep. Sue Schmitz was drawing pay, but doing no work, for the program. Lane fired Schmitz in 2006 and later testified at her public corruption trials regarding the "no-show" job....
Mayors Put Focus On How To Raise Wages For Lowest-Paid Workers In Cities New York Times ...Here at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, which convened over the weekend, the subject of income inequality seemed to be on almost everyone’s lips, and mayors wondered aloud how best to use their powers to help the lowest-paid workers...
War On Workers
Starbucks baristudents should beware the green mermaid bearing gifts (opinion) Guardian ...For the first two years of their education, Starbucks students will qualify for a small scholarship from ASU, but the balance of their tuition payments will have to come from loans and students' own financial resources (aka their take-home pay as baristas)...
The CEO Aristocracy: Big Bucks For The Big Boss Washington Post ...Any CEO of a major company is virtually guaranteed to become a multimillionaire. In the Equilar survey, the median holding of company stock was $83 million. CEO compensation has vastly outstripped average wage gains...
Miscellaneous
Justices Uphold Emission Limits on Big Industry New York Times ...In a big win for environmentalists, the Supreme Court on Monday effectively endorsed the Obama administration’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from sources like power plants, even as it criticized what it called the administration’s overreaching...
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Today's Teamster News 05.20.14
Teamster News
Park Ridge Police Department Chooses Teamsters Representation teamster.org ...Teamsters Local 700’s law enforcement membership continues to expand as 40 members with the Park Ridge Police Department join the Teamsters...
Seattle Transportation Network Drivers Vote To Form Association With Teamsters teamster.org ...Uber and UberX drivers met in Tukwila, Wash., to begin the process of forming an association which will work with Teamsters Local 117 yesterday...
Trade
Dog Illnesses and Deaths Linked to Imported Pet Treats From China Alternet ...the USDA will soon allow U.S. chickens to be sent to China for processing before being shipped back to the states for human consumption...
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Another Trade Liberalization Scam Truthout ...The gathering pressure for Congress to "fast track" the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) demonstrates yet again that trade liberalization is one of the few aspects of economic policy about which there is agreement across the mainstream of the political spectrum...
Steelworkers to D.C.: Enforce our trade laws Trade Reform ...About 200 steel industry supporters and steel workers gathered at Civic Park Friday to protest the recent flood of imported steel from South Korea because it jeopardizes jobs within the city’s largest employer. The United Steelworkers Local 1899 in Granite City, which represents most of the 2,500 employees at U.S. Steel’s plant in Granite City, organized the rally because the South Korean steel imported into this country is sold below market value, making it difficult for U.S. steel mills to compete...
State Battles
More states, cities raising minimum wage USA Today ...The fast-food walkouts Thursday are part of a broader nationwide effort to raise the minimum wage for millions of low-income workers, a campaign that's notching growing success in states and cities across the USA...
Connecticut Public Retirement Plan Passes, More or Less The Baseline Scenario ...a proposal in Connecticut (would) create a new tax-preferred retirement plan that would, by default, include almost all workers who don’t currently have access to an employment-based plan (like a 401(k)). That proposal took some major steps forward when it was included in an end-of-session bill that was passed by the Connecticut legislature...the bill authorizes a feasibility study and implementation plan for the new retirement option...
War On Workers
Congratulations To The Class Of 2014, Most Indebted Ever Wall Street Journal ...As college graduates in the Class of 2014 prepare to shift their tassels and accept their diplomas, they leave school with one discouraging distinction: They're the most indebted class ever...
Credit Suisse pleads guilty to criminal charges in US tax evasion settlement The Guardian ...Credit Suisse Group has pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it helped Americans evade taxes, becoming the first bank in more than a decade to admit to a crime in the US. It will now pay a long-expected fine of $2.5bn (£1.5bn)...
It's Time to Break Up With Sallie Mae! Jobs With Justice ...Despite mounting evidence showing how Sallie Mae has been ripping off federal student loan borrowers for years, it's still possible the Department of Education will renew its multimillion-dollar contract with the shady company next month...
NSA Collects All Phone Calls from One of World’s Most Secretive Tax Havens, But Doesn’t Track That empty wheel ...NSA/DEA don’t appear to be using this facility to track money launderers...
Turkey Erupts Over Mining Tragedy; Many Blame Privatization In These Times ...Protesters, numbering in the thousands in some major cities, continued to spill into the streets throughout the week holding placards that read, "This is not an accident, it's a massacre.” In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, police intervened with tear gas and water cannons...
Occupy Wall Street Protester Cecily McMillan Sentenced To Three Months In Jail Huffington Post ...A New York City judge sentenced Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan on Monday to three months in jail and five years probation...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage US Department of Justice ...A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries...
Park Ridge Police Department Chooses Teamsters Representation teamster.org ...Teamsters Local 700’s law enforcement membership continues to expand as 40 members with the Park Ridge Police Department join the Teamsters...
Seattle Transportation Network Drivers Vote To Form Association With Teamsters teamster.org ...Uber and UberX drivers met in Tukwila, Wash., to begin the process of forming an association which will work with Teamsters Local 117 yesterday...
Trade
Dog Illnesses and Deaths Linked to Imported Pet Treats From China Alternet ...the USDA will soon allow U.S. chickens to be sent to China for processing before being shipped back to the states for human consumption...
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Another Trade Liberalization Scam Truthout ...The gathering pressure for Congress to "fast track" the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) demonstrates yet again that trade liberalization is one of the few aspects of economic policy about which there is agreement across the mainstream of the political spectrum...
Steelworkers to D.C.: Enforce our trade laws Trade Reform ...About 200 steel industry supporters and steel workers gathered at Civic Park Friday to protest the recent flood of imported steel from South Korea because it jeopardizes jobs within the city’s largest employer. The United Steelworkers Local 1899 in Granite City, which represents most of the 2,500 employees at U.S. Steel’s plant in Granite City, organized the rally because the South Korean steel imported into this country is sold below market value, making it difficult for U.S. steel mills to compete...
State Battles
More states, cities raising minimum wage USA Today ...The fast-food walkouts Thursday are part of a broader nationwide effort to raise the minimum wage for millions of low-income workers, a campaign that's notching growing success in states and cities across the USA...
Connecticut Public Retirement Plan Passes, More or Less The Baseline Scenario ...a proposal in Connecticut (would) create a new tax-preferred retirement plan that would, by default, include almost all workers who don’t currently have access to an employment-based plan (like a 401(k)). That proposal took some major steps forward when it was included in an end-of-session bill that was passed by the Connecticut legislature...the bill authorizes a feasibility study and implementation plan for the new retirement option...
War On Workers
Congratulations To The Class Of 2014, Most Indebted Ever Wall Street Journal ...As college graduates in the Class of 2014 prepare to shift their tassels and accept their diplomas, they leave school with one discouraging distinction: They're the most indebted class ever...
Credit Suisse pleads guilty to criminal charges in US tax evasion settlement The Guardian ...Credit Suisse Group has pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it helped Americans evade taxes, becoming the first bank in more than a decade to admit to a crime in the US. It will now pay a long-expected fine of $2.5bn (£1.5bn)...
It's Time to Break Up With Sallie Mae! Jobs With Justice ...Despite mounting evidence showing how Sallie Mae has been ripping off federal student loan borrowers for years, it's still possible the Department of Education will renew its multimillion-dollar contract with the shady company next month...
NSA Collects All Phone Calls from One of World’s Most Secretive Tax Havens, But Doesn’t Track That empty wheel ...NSA/DEA don’t appear to be using this facility to track money launderers...
Turkey Erupts Over Mining Tragedy; Many Blame Privatization In These Times ...Protesters, numbering in the thousands in some major cities, continued to spill into the streets throughout the week holding placards that read, "This is not an accident, it's a massacre.” In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, police intervened with tear gas and water cannons...
Occupy Wall Street Protester Cecily McMillan Sentenced To Three Months In Jail Huffington Post ...A New York City judge sentenced Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan on Monday to three months in jail and five years probation...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage US Department of Justice ...A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries...
Monday, May 19, 2014
Today's Teamster News 05.19.14
Teamster News
Uber drivers meet with Teamsters to form new association KING5.com ...Uber and Uber-X drivers on Sunday moved forward with plans to form their own association. Dozens of drivers met at the Teamster's Local 117 headquarters in Tukwila. The Teamsters are helping the group form their own association to deal with labor issues and safety concerns...
Trade
Russia halts rocket exports to US, hitting space and military programmes The Guardian ...Russia's deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, has announced it will halt the export of rocket engines crucial to the US military defence and space programmes...
US, Japan 'not too far apart' on trade: analyst ABC Australia ...Pacific region trade ministers have gathered in Singapore, to try to hammer out agreement on a multilateral trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...
State Battles
Digging into Scott Walker’s talk of 17,000 job-producing new businesses Politifact ...his impressive-sounding talking point -- that 17,000 new ready-to-hire businesses have sprung up on his watch -- crumbles upon examination….An analysis by PolitiFact Wisconsin found Walker’s count includes: Hundreds of nonprofit organizations, often volunteer-run, including Scout troops, condo associations, youth sports leagues, volunteer fire departments, historical societies, "friends" fundraising groups, scholarship funds and many more...
Portland Is First U.S. City to Divest Funds from Walmart Alternet ...On Thursday, May 15, the city of Portland, Oregon got rid of $9 million, or 25 percent of its investments in Walmart. This marks the beginning of a divestment program that will purge Portland's investment portfolio of $36 million in Walmart bonds by 2016...
War on Workers
Unionization Is Next Step For Fast Food Workers The Real News ...Organizing a union is the ultimate goal, and workers like Tanaisha say they won't stop until they have it their way...
Data mining your children Politico ...The NSA has nothing on the ed tech startup known as Knewton. The data analytics firm has peered into the brains of more than 4 million students across the country...
The NSA’s Mantra Counterpunch ...“collect it all, sniff it all, process it all, partner it all, exploit it all...”
Congratulations, class of 2014: You’re totally screwed Salon ...the average student-loan borrower among you is now $33,000 in debt, the largest of any graduating class ever...
Swiss Voters Just Rejected A $25 An Hour Minimum Wage Reuters ...Swiss voters on Sunday rejected proposals to introduce the world's highest minimum wage and spend $3.5 billion buying new Gripen fighter jets from Saab...
Anti-World Cup protests across Brazil The Guardian ...The events follow industrial action in Rio earlier in the week by teachers, bus drivers, museum employees and geologists, and underline longer term concerns about public safety and transport infrastructure...
Turkey mine disaster: 18 people held on suspicion of negligence The Guardian ...Turkish police have detained 18 people suspected of negligence in connection with this week's deadly mine disaster, including executives from the mine operator, local media reported. Rescue operations ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two trapped miners were recovered, following the country's worst industrial disaster, which killed 301 people...
Miscellaneous
Uber drivers meet with Teamsters to form new association KING5.com ...Uber and Uber-X drivers on Sunday moved forward with plans to form their own association. Dozens of drivers met at the Teamster's Local 117 headquarters in Tukwila. The Teamsters are helping the group form their own association to deal with labor issues and safety concerns...
Trade
Russia halts rocket exports to US, hitting space and military programmes The Guardian ...Russia's deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, has announced it will halt the export of rocket engines crucial to the US military defence and space programmes...
US, Japan 'not too far apart' on trade: analyst ABC Australia ...Pacific region trade ministers have gathered in Singapore, to try to hammer out agreement on a multilateral trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...
State Battles
Digging into Scott Walker’s talk of 17,000 job-producing new businesses Politifact ...his impressive-sounding talking point -- that 17,000 new ready-to-hire businesses have sprung up on his watch -- crumbles upon examination….An analysis by PolitiFact Wisconsin found Walker’s count includes: Hundreds of nonprofit organizations, often volunteer-run, including Scout troops, condo associations, youth sports leagues, volunteer fire departments, historical societies, "friends" fundraising groups, scholarship funds and many more...
Portland Is First U.S. City to Divest Funds from Walmart Alternet ...On Thursday, May 15, the city of Portland, Oregon got rid of $9 million, or 25 percent of its investments in Walmart. This marks the beginning of a divestment program that will purge Portland's investment portfolio of $36 million in Walmart bonds by 2016...
War on Workers
Unionization Is Next Step For Fast Food Workers The Real News ...Organizing a union is the ultimate goal, and workers like Tanaisha say they won't stop until they have it their way...
Data mining your children Politico ...The NSA has nothing on the ed tech startup known as Knewton. The data analytics firm has peered into the brains of more than 4 million students across the country...
The NSA’s Mantra Counterpunch ...“collect it all, sniff it all, process it all, partner it all, exploit it all...”
Congratulations, class of 2014: You’re totally screwed Salon ...the average student-loan borrower among you is now $33,000 in debt, the largest of any graduating class ever...
Swiss Voters Just Rejected A $25 An Hour Minimum Wage Reuters ...Swiss voters on Sunday rejected proposals to introduce the world's highest minimum wage and spend $3.5 billion buying new Gripen fighter jets from Saab...
Anti-World Cup protests across Brazil The Guardian ...The events follow industrial action in Rio earlier in the week by teachers, bus drivers, museum employees and geologists, and underline longer term concerns about public safety and transport infrastructure...
Turkey mine disaster: 18 people held on suspicion of negligence The Guardian ...Turkish police have detained 18 people suspected of negligence in connection with this week's deadly mine disaster, including executives from the mine operator, local media reported. Rescue operations ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two trapped miners were recovered, following the country's worst industrial disaster, which killed 301 people...
Miscellaneous
Monday, May 12, 2014
Today's Teamster News 05.12.14
Teamster News
Like father like son: Jimmy Hoffa Jr's union takes on UK bus giant National Express The Independent ...The president of America's Teamsters union, Jimmy Hoffa junior, last night urged National Express to open talks over labour practices at its Durham School Services business that runs some of the yellow US-style school buses...
Teamsters end strike at PepsiCo plant Indianapolis Star ...The agreement gives raises of $1.95 an hour over five years, boosting the average hourly wage to $21.50, said Jeff Combs, a representative for Teamsters Local 135. The contract covers drivers, mechanics and warehouse workers...
Trade
TPP negotiators begin talks in Vietnam in bid to conclude a deal Global Post ...Countries involved in negotiations for an ambitious Pacific free trade agreement began talks in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, aiming to strike a deal in time for a ministerial meeting set to be held in Singapore on May 19-20...
State Battles
Mich. unions cite safety as lawmakers consider more privatization Corrections One ...Unions are asking lawmakers to consider safety as more privatization is being considered…contracts acknowledged early problems with food privatization and nursing aides at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans…
War on Workers
Massive International Worker Strike Has the Food Industry Terrified Jezebel ...Fast food workers are planning the largest international worker strike to date, and a bevy of news stories from this week show just how scared the food industry actually is of the rising tide of worker organization...
‘Robin Hood’ wins: EU to levy Financial Transactions Tax from 2016 RT ...Eleven EU member states will be imposing a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on financial transactions, after it was proposed in 2011 to counter financial crises...
Report: The Big Money in Tax Breaks Continues truthout ...over a trillion dollars a year in lost revenue – more than 1.6 times the 2013 budget deficit – goes largely unnoticed...
UberX Drivers Protest Outside Uber Headquarters Time ...Nearly 100 disgruntled UberX drivers gathered outside Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco on Thursday to demand better pay and treatment from one of the sharing economy’s most visible companies...
How Finance Gutted Manufacturing Boston Review ...Since the 1980s, financial market pressures have driven companies to hive off activities that sustained manufacturing...
US failed to inspect thousands of at-risk oil and gas wells, report finds The Guardian ...The government has failed to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells it considers potentially high risks for water contamination and other environmental damage, congressional investigators say...
Making Ends Meet at Walmart New York Times ...While the company’s malaise is clearly laid out in financial tables — numbers don’t lie, after all — when it comes to figuring the performance pay of top executives, let’s just say the numbers can be made to fib...
Like father like son: Jimmy Hoffa Jr's union takes on UK bus giant National Express The Independent ...The president of America's Teamsters union, Jimmy Hoffa junior, last night urged National Express to open talks over labour practices at its Durham School Services business that runs some of the yellow US-style school buses...
Teamsters end strike at PepsiCo plant Indianapolis Star ...The agreement gives raises of $1.95 an hour over five years, boosting the average hourly wage to $21.50, said Jeff Combs, a representative for Teamsters Local 135. The contract covers drivers, mechanics and warehouse workers...
Trade
TPP negotiators begin talks in Vietnam in bid to conclude a deal Global Post ...Countries involved in negotiations for an ambitious Pacific free trade agreement began talks in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, aiming to strike a deal in time for a ministerial meeting set to be held in Singapore on May 19-20...
State Battles
Mich. unions cite safety as lawmakers consider more privatization Corrections One ...Unions are asking lawmakers to consider safety as more privatization is being considered…contracts acknowledged early problems with food privatization and nursing aides at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans…
War on Workers
Massive International Worker Strike Has the Food Industry Terrified Jezebel ...Fast food workers are planning the largest international worker strike to date, and a bevy of news stories from this week show just how scared the food industry actually is of the rising tide of worker organization...
‘Robin Hood’ wins: EU to levy Financial Transactions Tax from 2016 RT ...Eleven EU member states will be imposing a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on financial transactions, after it was proposed in 2011 to counter financial crises...
Report: The Big Money in Tax Breaks Continues truthout ...over a trillion dollars a year in lost revenue – more than 1.6 times the 2013 budget deficit – goes largely unnoticed...
UberX Drivers Protest Outside Uber Headquarters Time ...Nearly 100 disgruntled UberX drivers gathered outside Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco on Thursday to demand better pay and treatment from one of the sharing economy’s most visible companies...
How Finance Gutted Manufacturing Boston Review ...Since the 1980s, financial market pressures have driven companies to hive off activities that sustained manufacturing...
US failed to inspect thousands of at-risk oil and gas wells, report finds The Guardian ...The government has failed to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells it considers potentially high risks for water contamination and other environmental damage, congressional investigators say...
Making Ends Meet at Walmart New York Times ...While the company’s malaise is clearly laid out in financial tables — numbers don’t lie, after all — when it comes to figuring the performance pay of top executives, let’s just say the numbers can be made to fib...
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Today's Teamster News 04.13.14
Trade
Taiwan protesters end long occupation of parliament over trade deal Los Angeles Times ...Hundreds of protesters in Taiwan ended a nearly monthlong blockade of parliament Thursday, giving leaders a fragile reprieve to finish a disputed trade pact with China...
We are in danger of losing our country’s assets! Trade Reform ...How many are aware that the chain of AMC Theaters is now owned by Chinese Corporation? … This means that the Chinese will now be in a position to shape public opinion and mold the minds of our children through entertainment media...
State Battles
Scott Walker campaign asks Supreme Court to intervene in 'John Doe' investigation Wisconsin State Journal ...Another legal challenge has been filed in the ongoing investigation into possible illegal campaign activity during Wisconsin’s spate of recalls, this time by the attorney for Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign...
University of Southern Maine, Facing Organized Opposition from Students and Faculty, Rescinds Proposed Cuts naked capitalism ...University of Southern Maine President Theodora Kalikow on Friday rescinded the 12 faculty layoffs that had prompted weeks of protests, saying she’s open to alternative plans for finding up to $14 million in cuts...
The War on Workers
Soglin: Ride-sharing companies refuse to meet standards Channel 3000...Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said ride-sharing companies operating in the city refuse to meet standards, and to date, refuse to respect Madison ordinances. Lyft and Uber, which launched in Madison in recent months, allow customers to order a ride from drivers using a downloadable phone application...
Something To Keep An Eye On: College Enrollment Has Dropped Substantially Since 2012 Economic Policy Institute ...Enrollment was on a general upward trend since 1985, but peaked in 2012 and has since dropped in each of the last two years...
Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Vexed by Low Demand for Mortgages Bloomberg ...New York-based JPMorgan said jobs at its mortgage business declined 14,000, or 30 percent, since the start of last year. Wells Fargo set plans to cut 1,100 positions in the most recent three months, which ranked as its worst first quarter for mortgage revenue since 2008...
Spy planes: Millions of airline passengers using inflight WiFi are being tracked by the NSA… and it could be illegal Daily Mail ...Gogo, the main supplier of WiFi to airlines, gives data to U.S. authorities...
Thousands in Paris and Rome Protest Austerity Measures Al Jazeera America ...Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in central Paris and Rome, organized by hard-left parties opposed to government economic reform plans and austerity measures...
Why Won't Washington Take on Wall Street's Biggest Crimes? Atlantic ...The Justice Department has successfully convicted dozens of bankers for insider trading. But the big banks did something much worse and got away with it...
Taiwan protesters end long occupation of parliament over trade deal Los Angeles Times ...Hundreds of protesters in Taiwan ended a nearly monthlong blockade of parliament Thursday, giving leaders a fragile reprieve to finish a disputed trade pact with China...
We are in danger of losing our country’s assets! Trade Reform ...How many are aware that the chain of AMC Theaters is now owned by Chinese Corporation? … This means that the Chinese will now be in a position to shape public opinion and mold the minds of our children through entertainment media...
State Battles
Scott Walker campaign asks Supreme Court to intervene in 'John Doe' investigation Wisconsin State Journal ...Another legal challenge has been filed in the ongoing investigation into possible illegal campaign activity during Wisconsin’s spate of recalls, this time by the attorney for Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign...
University of Southern Maine, Facing Organized Opposition from Students and Faculty, Rescinds Proposed Cuts naked capitalism ...University of Southern Maine President Theodora Kalikow on Friday rescinded the 12 faculty layoffs that had prompted weeks of protests, saying she’s open to alternative plans for finding up to $14 million in cuts...
The War on Workers
Soglin: Ride-sharing companies refuse to meet standards Channel 3000...Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said ride-sharing companies operating in the city refuse to meet standards, and to date, refuse to respect Madison ordinances. Lyft and Uber, which launched in Madison in recent months, allow customers to order a ride from drivers using a downloadable phone application...
Something To Keep An Eye On: College Enrollment Has Dropped Substantially Since 2012 Economic Policy Institute ...Enrollment was on a general upward trend since 1985, but peaked in 2012 and has since dropped in each of the last two years...
Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Vexed by Low Demand for Mortgages Bloomberg ...New York-based JPMorgan said jobs at its mortgage business declined 14,000, or 30 percent, since the start of last year. Wells Fargo set plans to cut 1,100 positions in the most recent three months, which ranked as its worst first quarter for mortgage revenue since 2008...
Spy planes: Millions of airline passengers using inflight WiFi are being tracked by the NSA… and it could be illegal Daily Mail ...Gogo, the main supplier of WiFi to airlines, gives data to U.S. authorities...
Thousands in Paris and Rome Protest Austerity Measures Al Jazeera America ...Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in central Paris and Rome, organized by hard-left parties opposed to government economic reform plans and austerity measures...
Why Won't Washington Take on Wall Street's Biggest Crimes? Atlantic ...The Justice Department has successfully convicted dozens of bankers for insider trading. But the big banks did something much worse and got away with it...
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Today's Teamster News 03.29.14
Teamster News
Truckers at Pratt Logistics in Lower Macungie Unioninze The Morning Call ...Truck drivers at a Lower Macungie cardboard box-maker now are represented by the Teamsters after a union vote taken nearly two years ago was unsealed and certified earlier this month...
CCTA: Contract Proposal from Drivers is Next Step Toward Compromise Burlington Free Press ...A contract proposal was offered Wednesday evening by Teamster bus drivers to the Chittenden County Transportation Authority management as the next installment in the contract negotiation saga...
20 Teamsters jobs in the balance with possible new sanitation contract Cumberland Times-News ...Bids for a new three-year garbage collection contract with the city of Cumberland are under review with the future of 20 city sanitation workers with Teamsters Local 453 hanging in the balance...
NetJets Unions Form Coalition, Start Picketing Campaign AIN Online ...The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 284 executive boards launched the NetJets Union Coalition last week...
Trade
Hundreds protest against trade deal msn.nz ...Hundreds attended protest rallies across the country in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. About 15 rallies were held from 1pm on Saturday in cities and towns from Invercargill to Hokianga...
NZNO Joining Rally Against TPP Voxy ...The New Zealand Nurses Organization is joining the international rally against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement...
U.S. Trade Deficits Have Grown More Than 440% with FTA Countries, but Declined 16% with Non-FTA Countries Public Citizen ...The aggregate U.S. goods trade deficit with Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners is more than five times as high as before the deals went into effect...
Labor Crisis Begets Violence on Colombia’s Pacific Coast In These Times ...The Pacific port city of Buenaventura handles around two-thirds of the country’s maritime foreign trade and connects Colombia to 300 ports around the world. But Buenaventura is better known as an epicenter of narco-paramilitary activity, making it one of Colombia’s many sites of rampant poverty and violence, death and hopelessness...
State Battles
St. Louis Religious Leaders Declare Opposition To 'Right-To-Work' Law St. Louis Public Radio ...Top religious leaders in St. Louis — led by Catholic Archbishop Robert J. Carlson — announced Friday that they oppose legislative efforts to pass “right-to-work’’ measures that would restrict labor rights...
Missouri Senate endorses unemployment change Associated Press ...The amount of time Missourians can receive unemployment benefits would be tied to the state's jobless rate under legislation endorsed by the state Senate on Wednesday...
Leah Vukmir agrees to turn over ALEC documents to settle open records lawsuit Wisconsin State Journal ...The agreement comes as part of a lawsuit settlement between Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, and the Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal advocacy group, over documents it sought related to the American Legislative Exchange Council. It includes $15,000 in payments from the state on behalf of Vukmir...
Good news for Connecticut’s governor: He got the highest state minimum wage Washington Post ...Connecticut’s Gov. Dan Malloy can breathe a little easier: he just landed the minimum wage hike he’s been pushing so hard for. The new bill will raise the minimum wage by 2017 to $10.10, the highest among any state...
Illinois House gets millionaire tax plan moving Daily Herald ...Illinois lawmakers chose to advance an additional income tax on millionaires over a broader shift of taxes toward the wealthy Thursday, setting the tone for months of debate over how much people should pay to help the state stabilize its finances...
NY AG Settles Labor Violations with 6 Domino's Franchisees Blue MauMau ...New York's Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced settlements with six Domino’s franchisees over labor violations, requiring them to pay $448,000 in restitution to 750 employees...
FedEx loses another driver misclassification case, in Maine People's World ...FedEx, notorious for misclassifying its drivers as "independent contractors" - barring them from labor law protection and avoiding paying Social Security, Medicare and workers' comp taxes, lost another misclassification case, in Maine...
War on Workers
U.S. Government Charges Kellogg With Serious Violations of Federal Law bctgm.org ...The U.S. government charged the Kellogg Company with multiple and serious violations of federal law stemming from its October 22, 2013 lockout of more than 220 workers at the company's Memphis cereal production facility...
Class-action lawsuit seeks back pay for cabdrivers Chicago Sun-Times ...Chicago taxicab companies are “misclassifying” their drivers as independent contractors and should consider them employees eligible for overtime and the state’s $8.25-an-hour minimum wage, a federal class-action lawsuit claimed Wednesday...
Walmart Gets More Heat for Low Pay AOL Jobs ...The pressure on Walmart is growing from within, as workers tell behind-the-scenes tales of overwork and underpayment at America's largest employer. But there's another, potentially more damaging source of growing criticism: the media, including the financial media that covers events from the investor's perspective...
SEPTA union boss Willie Brown: We're not afraid to strike Philadelphia Inquirer ...The chances of a transit strike against SEPTA are "very good," union president Willie Brown said Wednesday...
The troubling reason Americans are so depressed AlterNet ...Our unhappiness can be traced to feelings of "learned helplessness" -- and corporations, in part, may be to blame...
Michigan State Univ. should end union organizing seminars, say anti-union lawmakers and builders Michigan Live ...The Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan is demanding that Michigan State University cancel its Building Trades Academy program on the grounds that it encourages "organizing in non-union construction companies"...
Greek unions to hold general strike on April 9 to protest latest austerity measures Associated Press ...Greece's largest public sector union says it will join a nationwide general strike April 9 to protest austerity measures. The move means that the walkout will affect all private and public sector services...
Miscellaneous
Social Security launches expedited process for Veterans’ disability claims Belvoir Eagle
Social Security claims from veterans with a Veterans Affairs Department disability compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total have a new process that will treat their applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions...
Truckers at Pratt Logistics in Lower Macungie Unioninze The Morning Call ...Truck drivers at a Lower Macungie cardboard box-maker now are represented by the Teamsters after a union vote taken nearly two years ago was unsealed and certified earlier this month...
CCTA: Contract Proposal from Drivers is Next Step Toward Compromise Burlington Free Press ...A contract proposal was offered Wednesday evening by Teamster bus drivers to the Chittenden County Transportation Authority management as the next installment in the contract negotiation saga...
20 Teamsters jobs in the balance with possible new sanitation contract Cumberland Times-News ...Bids for a new three-year garbage collection contract with the city of Cumberland are under review with the future of 20 city sanitation workers with Teamsters Local 453 hanging in the balance...
NetJets Unions Form Coalition, Start Picketing Campaign AIN Online ...The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 284 executive boards launched the NetJets Union Coalition last week...
Trade
Hundreds protest against trade deal msn.nz ...Hundreds attended protest rallies across the country in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. About 15 rallies were held from 1pm on Saturday in cities and towns from Invercargill to Hokianga...
NZNO Joining Rally Against TPP Voxy ...The New Zealand Nurses Organization is joining the international rally against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement...
U.S. Trade Deficits Have Grown More Than 440% with FTA Countries, but Declined 16% with Non-FTA Countries Public Citizen ...The aggregate U.S. goods trade deficit with Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners is more than five times as high as before the deals went into effect...
Labor Crisis Begets Violence on Colombia’s Pacific Coast In These Times ...The Pacific port city of Buenaventura handles around two-thirds of the country’s maritime foreign trade and connects Colombia to 300 ports around the world. But Buenaventura is better known as an epicenter of narco-paramilitary activity, making it one of Colombia’s many sites of rampant poverty and violence, death and hopelessness...
State Battles
St. Louis Religious Leaders Declare Opposition To 'Right-To-Work' Law St. Louis Public Radio ...Top religious leaders in St. Louis — led by Catholic Archbishop Robert J. Carlson — announced Friday that they oppose legislative efforts to pass “right-to-work’’ measures that would restrict labor rights...
Missouri Senate endorses unemployment change Associated Press ...The amount of time Missourians can receive unemployment benefits would be tied to the state's jobless rate under legislation endorsed by the state Senate on Wednesday...
Leah Vukmir agrees to turn over ALEC documents to settle open records lawsuit Wisconsin State Journal ...The agreement comes as part of a lawsuit settlement between Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, and the Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal advocacy group, over documents it sought related to the American Legislative Exchange Council. It includes $15,000 in payments from the state on behalf of Vukmir...
Good news for Connecticut’s governor: He got the highest state minimum wage Washington Post ...Connecticut’s Gov. Dan Malloy can breathe a little easier: he just landed the minimum wage hike he’s been pushing so hard for. The new bill will raise the minimum wage by 2017 to $10.10, the highest among any state...
Illinois House gets millionaire tax plan moving Daily Herald ...Illinois lawmakers chose to advance an additional income tax on millionaires over a broader shift of taxes toward the wealthy Thursday, setting the tone for months of debate over how much people should pay to help the state stabilize its finances...
NY AG Settles Labor Violations with 6 Domino's Franchisees Blue MauMau ...New York's Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced settlements with six Domino’s franchisees over labor violations, requiring them to pay $448,000 in restitution to 750 employees...
FedEx loses another driver misclassification case, in Maine People's World ...FedEx, notorious for misclassifying its drivers as "independent contractors" - barring them from labor law protection and avoiding paying Social Security, Medicare and workers' comp taxes, lost another misclassification case, in Maine...
War on Workers
U.S. Government Charges Kellogg With Serious Violations of Federal Law bctgm.org ...The U.S. government charged the Kellogg Company with multiple and serious violations of federal law stemming from its October 22, 2013 lockout of more than 220 workers at the company's Memphis cereal production facility...
Class-action lawsuit seeks back pay for cabdrivers Chicago Sun-Times ...Chicago taxicab companies are “misclassifying” their drivers as independent contractors and should consider them employees eligible for overtime and the state’s $8.25-an-hour minimum wage, a federal class-action lawsuit claimed Wednesday...
Walmart Gets More Heat for Low Pay AOL Jobs ...The pressure on Walmart is growing from within, as workers tell behind-the-scenes tales of overwork and underpayment at America's largest employer. But there's another, potentially more damaging source of growing criticism: the media, including the financial media that covers events from the investor's perspective...
SEPTA union boss Willie Brown: We're not afraid to strike Philadelphia Inquirer ...The chances of a transit strike against SEPTA are "very good," union president Willie Brown said Wednesday...
The troubling reason Americans are so depressed AlterNet ...Our unhappiness can be traced to feelings of "learned helplessness" -- and corporations, in part, may be to blame...
Michigan State Univ. should end union organizing seminars, say anti-union lawmakers and builders Michigan Live ...The Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan is demanding that Michigan State University cancel its Building Trades Academy program on the grounds that it encourages "organizing in non-union construction companies"...
Greek unions to hold general strike on April 9 to protest latest austerity measures Associated Press ...Greece's largest public sector union says it will join a nationwide general strike April 9 to protest austerity measures. The move means that the walkout will affect all private and public sector services...
Miscellaneous
Social Security launches expedited process for Veterans’ disability claims Belvoir Eagle
Social Security claims from veterans with a Veterans Affairs Department disability compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total have a new process that will treat their applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions...
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Washington, DC, cab drivers forming association with Teamsters
The Teamsters are using a new approach to give taxicab drivers a voice on the job: They're forming an association with independent drivers in Washington, D.C. A Teamster taxi driver association in Washington state that formed recently is working well.
The new methods and structures used by organized labor have a new name: alt-labor. When unions help improve conditions for low-wage workers through sudden one-day strikes at retail stores, fast-food restaurants, warehouses and the ports, that's alt-labor.
Today, the Teamsters announced the formation of the Washington, D.C., Taxi Operators Association. Here's what the press statement said:
The new methods and structures used by organized labor have a new name: alt-labor. When unions help improve conditions for low-wage workers through sudden one-day strikes at retail stores, fast-food restaurants, warehouses and the ports, that's alt-labor.
Today, the Teamsters announced the formation of the Washington, D.C., Taxi Operators Association. Here's what the press statement said:
Cab drivers in the nation’s capital are joining together with the Teamsters Union to announce the formation of the new Washington, D.C. Taxi Operators Association.
The association is being created to give the more than 6,000 taxi cab drivers in Washington, who are independent owner- or lease-operators, a united, collective voice for positive change in their industry. The association will be affiliated with Teamsters Local 922 in Washington. The first meeting will be held Oct. 29.
“For far too long, taxi drivers in Washington, D.C., have not had a strong voice to provide input about regulations and policies that affect their livelihoods,” said Ferline Buie, President of Teamsters Local 922. “Their new association with Teamsters Local 922 will give them the strong voice they need and deserve.”
The drivers approached the Teamsters because they need to have input on regulations before they take effect. They want a stronger voice and more representation on the D.C. Taxi Cab Commission.
“This is about fairness for more than 6,000 drivers and their families, and it’s about improving the taxi cab service in our nation’s capital,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa.You can follow what they're doing on the Washington DC Taxi Cab Association Facebook page.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Today's Teamster News 10.12.12
Teamsters' Contract With DHL Express Fully Ratified After Last Local Rider Approved teamster.org ...The remaining contract rider between the Teamsters Union and DHL Express was approved on Wednesday, October 9, paving the way for the national contract between the parties to take effect...
Teamsters Support SEC on Rule to Expose Gap Between Worker, CEO Pay teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters supports the SEC’s proposal to require corporations to reveal the difference between the pay of their CEO and their average workers...
Vote Results Announced For 7 UPS Local Supplements, Riders teamster.org ...Five of seven UPS Local supplements and riders were approved by UPS Teamsters covered under them. The supplements and riders that passed were the Central Region, Local 243, Local 804, Metro Philadelphia and Michigan. The Ohio Rider and Local 623 Supplement did not pass. Complete results can be viewed here...
SCI Funeral Directors Rally After 100 Days on Picket Line teamster.org ...After 100 days on the picket line, locked out funeral directors and drivers in Chicago aren’t giving up the fight for workers’ rights...
Donna LeMay: 'We All Deserve Respect' driveupstandards.org ...I am a driver with Local 633 out of Manchester, N.H. We have been Teamsters in Salem since 1998. It has not been easy to get where we are today, but it was well worth the wait. I am a steward who to this day still learns new things as I go along...
School bus strike avoided Ottumwa Courier ...Teamsters Local 238 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has reached a tentative agreement with Southern Iowa Transit, averting a strike by the school bus drivers for the Ottumwa school district...
Ballots Mailed in Tentative BLET, Terminal Railroad-Alabama State Docks Agreement BLET ...The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Terminal Railroad-Alabama State Docks (TR-ASD). Ballots were mailed October 10 to active members of the BLET employed by TR-ASD who are eligible to vote...
Who said phone banking for your favorite Teamster candidates isn't fun? Teamsters Local 117 ...Phone banking gets a bum rap, often for good reason. The term conjures up images of stressed telemarketers squeezed into cubicles selling Aruba timeshares to unsuspecting retirees. But phone banking can actually be a lot of fun, especially when you’re a Teamster...
Corporations Ask to Write their Own Regulations via "Trade" Deal Public Citizen ...European government officials have been taking pains to entertain corporations' deregulatory demands for theTrans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)...
43 Workers Win $664,000 Judgment Against Sacramento Landscaping Business JusticeNewsFlash ...43 workers of a Sacramento landscaping firm were recently awarded more than $664,000 when a California Labor Commissioner determined the company cheated them out of their wages by misclassifying them as independent contractors instead of employees...
Google: Doing Evil with ALEC Huffington Post ...Quietly, Google has joined ALEC -- the American Legislative Exchange Council -- the shadowy corporate alliance that pushes odious laws through state legislatures...
States can open National Parks — if they pay Associated Press ...The Obama administration has said it will allow states to use their own money to open some National Parks, but the states must pay to keep the parks open...
Financial Regulator Shutdown, Halts Investigations of Wall Street Crimes The Real News ...The main U.S. regulatory agency responsible for monitoring commodity markets has ceased most of its operations during the government shutdown...
JPMorgan’s Dimon Posts First Loss on $7.2 Billion Legal Cost Bloomberg ...JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported its first loss under Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon after taking a $7.2 billion charge to cover the cost of mounting litigation and regulatory probes...
Lawsuit claims NY Fed fired regulator who raised questions about Goldman Sachs Washington Post ...In a wrongful termination lawsuit, a senior examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says she was fired by the Fed after she refused to change a finding that Goldman Sachs had inadequate controls over conflicts of interest...
OUTRAGEOUS! Intern Can’t Bring Sexual Harassment Suit Because She's Not an ‘Employee,' Judge Says AlterNet ...Federal Court in NY rules that an intern doesn’t deserve human rights protection as an employee because she’s unpaid...
Judge nixes Nissan's $1B New York City taxi plan USA TODAY ...Plans to flood New York's streets with the Taxi of Tomorrow hit a roadblock Tuesday when a judge ruled that the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission went too far when it ordered operators to buy a only a single brand of vehicle...
Lost in Germany: Spanish Jobseekers Lured on False Pretenses Der Spiegel ...far worse for the Spanish jobseekers was finding out that there weren't jobs waiting for them after all. Hardly any of them received the job contracts they were promised...
Brown signs California immigration bills, wins activists’ kudos in pressing for reform Washington Post ...Brown (D) signed eight bills Saturday, including one prohibiting local law enforcement officials from detaining immigrants longer than necessary for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take custody of them...
Ohio senator introduces legislation to protect correctional officers CorrectionsOne ...New bill would provide safeguards for correctional officers who are assaulted in youth correctional facilities...
Michigan contract for cigarette stamps questioned Associated Press ...Michigan wants to award a $9.6 million contract to Xerox to help make sure taxes are paid on cigarettes, despite allegations of bias in the selection process and an offer from a competitor to do the work for at least $1.7 million less...
Teamsters Support SEC on Rule to Expose Gap Between Worker, CEO Pay teamster.org ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters supports the SEC’s proposal to require corporations to reveal the difference between the pay of their CEO and their average workers...
Vote Results Announced For 7 UPS Local Supplements, Riders teamster.org ...Five of seven UPS Local supplements and riders were approved by UPS Teamsters covered under them. The supplements and riders that passed were the Central Region, Local 243, Local 804, Metro Philadelphia and Michigan. The Ohio Rider and Local 623 Supplement did not pass. Complete results can be viewed here...
SCI Funeral Directors Rally After 100 Days on Picket Line teamster.org ...After 100 days on the picket line, locked out funeral directors and drivers in Chicago aren’t giving up the fight for workers’ rights...
Donna LeMay: 'We All Deserve Respect' driveupstandards.org ...I am a driver with Local 633 out of Manchester, N.H. We have been Teamsters in Salem since 1998. It has not been easy to get where we are today, but it was well worth the wait. I am a steward who to this day still learns new things as I go along...
School bus strike avoided Ottumwa Courier ...Teamsters Local 238 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has reached a tentative agreement with Southern Iowa Transit, averting a strike by the school bus drivers for the Ottumwa school district...
Ballots Mailed in Tentative BLET, Terminal Railroad-Alabama State Docks Agreement BLET ...The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Terminal Railroad-Alabama State Docks (TR-ASD). Ballots were mailed October 10 to active members of the BLET employed by TR-ASD who are eligible to vote...
Who said phone banking for your favorite Teamster candidates isn't fun? Teamsters Local 117 ...Phone banking gets a bum rap, often for good reason. The term conjures up images of stressed telemarketers squeezed into cubicles selling Aruba timeshares to unsuspecting retirees. But phone banking can actually be a lot of fun, especially when you’re a Teamster...
Corporations Ask to Write their Own Regulations via "Trade" Deal Public Citizen ...European government officials have been taking pains to entertain corporations' deregulatory demands for theTrans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)...
43 Workers Win $664,000 Judgment Against Sacramento Landscaping Business JusticeNewsFlash ...43 workers of a Sacramento landscaping firm were recently awarded more than $664,000 when a California Labor Commissioner determined the company cheated them out of their wages by misclassifying them as independent contractors instead of employees...
Google: Doing Evil with ALEC Huffington Post ...Quietly, Google has joined ALEC -- the American Legislative Exchange Council -- the shadowy corporate alliance that pushes odious laws through state legislatures...
States can open National Parks — if they pay Associated Press ...The Obama administration has said it will allow states to use their own money to open some National Parks, but the states must pay to keep the parks open...
Financial Regulator Shutdown, Halts Investigations of Wall Street Crimes The Real News ...The main U.S. regulatory agency responsible for monitoring commodity markets has ceased most of its operations during the government shutdown...
JPMorgan’s Dimon Posts First Loss on $7.2 Billion Legal Cost Bloomberg ...JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported its first loss under Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon after taking a $7.2 billion charge to cover the cost of mounting litigation and regulatory probes...
Lawsuit claims NY Fed fired regulator who raised questions about Goldman Sachs Washington Post ...In a wrongful termination lawsuit, a senior examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says she was fired by the Fed after she refused to change a finding that Goldman Sachs had inadequate controls over conflicts of interest...
OUTRAGEOUS! Intern Can’t Bring Sexual Harassment Suit Because She's Not an ‘Employee,' Judge Says AlterNet ...Federal Court in NY rules that an intern doesn’t deserve human rights protection as an employee because she’s unpaid...
Judge nixes Nissan's $1B New York City taxi plan USA TODAY ...Plans to flood New York's streets with the Taxi of Tomorrow hit a roadblock Tuesday when a judge ruled that the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission went too far when it ordered operators to buy a only a single brand of vehicle...
Lost in Germany: Spanish Jobseekers Lured on False Pretenses Der Spiegel ...far worse for the Spanish jobseekers was finding out that there weren't jobs waiting for them after all. Hardly any of them received the job contracts they were promised...
Brown signs California immigration bills, wins activists’ kudos in pressing for reform Washington Post ...Brown (D) signed eight bills Saturday, including one prohibiting local law enforcement officials from detaining immigrants longer than necessary for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take custody of them...
Ohio senator introduces legislation to protect correctional officers CorrectionsOne ...New bill would provide safeguards for correctional officers who are assaulted in youth correctional facilities...
Michigan contract for cigarette stamps questioned Associated Press ...Michigan wants to award a $9.6 million contract to Xerox to help make sure taxes are paid on cigarettes, despite allegations of bias in the selection process and an offer from a competitor to do the work for at least $1.7 million less...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Today's Teamster News 06.18.13
7-Eleven Stores Operated 'Modern Day Plantation System,' Feds Claim ABC News ...The owners of 7-Eleven franchises in New York and Virginia created a "modern day plantation system" in which undocumented workers were furnished with stolen identities and forced to work 100 hours a week for a fraction of their wages, according to a federal authorities...
McD's worker sues: Don't pay by debit card The Times Leader ...When she received her first paycheck, enclosed was a Chase Bank debit card with instructions on how to use it and the fees attached...
U.S. chief records officer details federal e-mail record-keeping programs Washington Post ...Cabinet officials have used (secret) alternative e-mail accounts in addition to government addresses to conduct federal business...
Apple releases information on data requests from NSA, other agencies Los Angeles Times ...Apple Inc., said it received 4,000 to 5,000 requests for customer data from U.S. officials during the six months ending in May, as it became the latest high-tech company to provide some details on its involvement in the National Security Agency's Internet surveillance program...
Trade Agreements, Privacy, and the Cloud MacLean’s ...What does privacy have to do with trade agreements? As Canada, the U.S., and nine other countries negotiate a multilateral trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP, U.S. negotiators are pushing to include a provision that would commit members to allowing free-flow of data over their borders...
More Bangladesh Factories Dangerous Associated Press ...A separate inspection, by the garment industry, of 200 risky factories found that 10 percent of them were so dangerous that they were ordered to shut. The textiles minister said a third inspection, conducted by the government, could show that as many as 300 factories were unsafe...
Turkey unrest: Unions call strike over crackdown BBC News ...Turkish unions have called a strike to protest against the police crackdown on demonstrators...
Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil Reuters ...As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption...
Bank Of America Paid Foreclosure Bonuses While Lying To Homeowners Think Progress ...One of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers intentionally, knowingly, and routinely falsifies paperwork and lies to homeowners in order to boot them from their homes, according to bank insiders...
Why Let a Bank Write U.S. Financial Reform Legislation? (opinion) Huffington Post ...Reasonable people would agree that a bank having a history of involvement with fraud and mismanagement (and a recipient of one of the largest bank bailouts) shouldn't be writing bank legislation. Unless, of course, you are the U.S. Congress doing business as usual...
Justices: Arizona voter registration rules go too far USA Today ...The Supreme Court ruled handily Monday that Arizona cannot add to federal voter registration requirements by demanding proof of citizenship...
California Gov. Brown targets enterprise zone tax credits Appeal Democrat ...A battle is raging over a California program that grants businesses tax breaks for creating jobs but prevents the public from knowing who got them and why…
Michigan foreclosure bills would give banks the upper hand (opinion) Detroit Free Press ...On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee passed a package of foreclosure bills that will set Michigan back decades in its efforts to prevent foreclosures and the damage they cause to families, neighborhoods, communities and our still fragile economy...
RI could be 3rd US state to OK paid leave for workers caring for children, spouses or parents Associated Press ...People ... who care for a new child or sick loved one could continue receiving pay for up to eight weeks under a proposal pending in Rhode Island's General Assembly...
Scott blocks paid sick-time vote in Orange, statewide Sun Sentinel ...Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures. Scott sided with Walt Disney World, Darden Restaurants, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and a broad array of powerful business interests that argued the ban was needed to avoid a patchwork of local employment rules for companies...
Iowa cities bypass state to halt payday lenders Associated Press ...Efforts to limit payday lenders in Iowa have repeatedly failed in the Legislature, but more cities are approving zoning changes that make it harder to open the businesses...
Christine Quinn Snags Teamsters Unions’ Endorsement Politicker ...City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has snagged the endorsement of the 120,000-member strong Teamsters Joint Council 16 in New York for mayor...
Seattle Teamsters Support Even Playing Field for Taxis Teamsters Local 117 ...Ride sharing and other flat rate taxis in Seattle are undercutting unionized taxi drivers...
McD's worker sues: Don't pay by debit card The Times Leader ...When she received her first paycheck, enclosed was a Chase Bank debit card with instructions on how to use it and the fees attached...
U.S. chief records officer details federal e-mail record-keeping programs Washington Post ...Cabinet officials have used (secret) alternative e-mail accounts in addition to government addresses to conduct federal business...
Apple releases information on data requests from NSA, other agencies Los Angeles Times ...Apple Inc., said it received 4,000 to 5,000 requests for customer data from U.S. officials during the six months ending in May, as it became the latest high-tech company to provide some details on its involvement in the National Security Agency's Internet surveillance program...
Trade Agreements, Privacy, and the Cloud MacLean’s ...What does privacy have to do with trade agreements? As Canada, the U.S., and nine other countries negotiate a multilateral trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP, U.S. negotiators are pushing to include a provision that would commit members to allowing free-flow of data over their borders...
More Bangladesh Factories Dangerous Associated Press ...A separate inspection, by the garment industry, of 200 risky factories found that 10 percent of them were so dangerous that they were ordered to shut. The textiles minister said a third inspection, conducted by the government, could show that as many as 300 factories were unsafe...
Turkey unrest: Unions call strike over crackdown BBC News ...Turkish unions have called a strike to protest against the police crackdown on demonstrators...
Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil Reuters ...As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption...
Bank Of America Paid Foreclosure Bonuses While Lying To Homeowners Think Progress ...One of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers intentionally, knowingly, and routinely falsifies paperwork and lies to homeowners in order to boot them from their homes, according to bank insiders...
Why Let a Bank Write U.S. Financial Reform Legislation? (opinion) Huffington Post ...Reasonable people would agree that a bank having a history of involvement with fraud and mismanagement (and a recipient of one of the largest bank bailouts) shouldn't be writing bank legislation. Unless, of course, you are the U.S. Congress doing business as usual...
Justices: Arizona voter registration rules go too far USA Today ...The Supreme Court ruled handily Monday that Arizona cannot add to federal voter registration requirements by demanding proof of citizenship...
California Gov. Brown targets enterprise zone tax credits Appeal Democrat ...A battle is raging over a California program that grants businesses tax breaks for creating jobs but prevents the public from knowing who got them and why…
Michigan foreclosure bills would give banks the upper hand (opinion) Detroit Free Press ...On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee passed a package of foreclosure bills that will set Michigan back decades in its efforts to prevent foreclosures and the damage they cause to families, neighborhoods, communities and our still fragile economy...
RI could be 3rd US state to OK paid leave for workers caring for children, spouses or parents Associated Press ...People ... who care for a new child or sick loved one could continue receiving pay for up to eight weeks under a proposal pending in Rhode Island's General Assembly...
Scott blocks paid sick-time vote in Orange, statewide Sun Sentinel ...Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures. Scott sided with Walt Disney World, Darden Restaurants, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and a broad array of powerful business interests that argued the ban was needed to avoid a patchwork of local employment rules for companies...
Iowa cities bypass state to halt payday lenders Associated Press ...Efforts to limit payday lenders in Iowa have repeatedly failed in the Legislature, but more cities are approving zoning changes that make it harder to open the businesses...
Christine Quinn Snags Teamsters Unions’ Endorsement Politicker ...City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has snagged the endorsement of the 120,000-member strong Teamsters Joint Council 16 in New York for mayor...
Seattle Teamsters Support Even Playing Field for Taxis Teamsters Local 117 ...Ride sharing and other flat rate taxis in Seattle are undercutting unionized taxi drivers...
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Today's Teamster News 05.26.13
Millions march against GM crops The Guardian ...Organisers say that two million people marched in protest against seed giant Monsanto in hundreds of rallies across the US and in more than 50 other countries on Saturday. "March Against Monsanto" protesters say they wanted to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food...
France seizes a million doses of fake Chinese aspirin Raw Story ...French customs officers have seized 1.2 million doses of counterfeit aspirin from China, the biggest haul of fake medicines ever in France and the EU, the economy ministry announced Saturday...
France seizes a million doses of fake Chinese aspirin Raw Story ...French customs officers have seized 1.2 million doses of counterfeit aspirin from China, the biggest haul of fake medicines ever in France and the EU, the economy ministry announced Saturday...
Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night The Local ...Nearly a week of unrest, which spread briefly Friday night to the medium-sized city of Örebro 160 kilometres west of Stockholm, have put Sweden's reputation as an oasis of peace and harmony at risk...
Unrest may spread across Europe, warns Red Cross chief The Independent ...Rocketing unemployment and poverty in some areas of Europe could lead to rising civil unrest, unless governments take measures to address the humanitarian consequences of austerity measures, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned...
Sequester guts wildfire prevention, sets up bigger blazes Grist ...the sequester took a 7.5 percent bite out of the Forest Service’s budget, nearly half of which is spent fighting wildfires. That means there will be 500 fewer pairs of boots on the ground and 200,000 fewer acres treated to prevent fires; the agency’s next proposed budget cuts preventative spending by a further 24 percent...
Why are our Bridges Falling? The Economics of the Infrastructure Deficit Economonitor ...We are not spending enough to stay even with our infrastructure deficit. Our bridges, roads, dams, electric grid, sewers, and water treatment plants are wearing out faster than we are replacing them. And that is happening, in large part, because of our misguided obsession with the federal fiscal deficit...
Banner Week for Politicians Trying to Keep Poor People Hungry and Sick Gawker ...Louisiana Senator David Vitter, sad little boy and lover of prostitutes, proposed an amendment to the long-delayed farm bill that would make certain ex-cons ineligible from food stamps for life...
The Corporate Dictatorship of PBS and NPR Truthout ...“Citizen Koch” is a documentary about money and politics, focusing heavily on the uprising that took place in Wisconsin in 2011 and 2012 ... the documentary was originally supposed to air on PBS stations nationwide, but its funding was abruptly cut off when, it appears, David Koch was offended...
Koch Media’s Megaphone and the IRS “Scandal” Wall Street ...For decades, billionaires Charles and David Koch had secretly owned shares giving them 50 percent ownership of the Cato Institute – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization subsidized by the taxpayer – while pushing a deregulatory agenda for big business. Today, Cato is functioning as a megaphone to spin the current flap over the IRS to advance its agenda...
How exactly would Mike Bloomberg “fucking destroy” the taxi industry? Quartz ...New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg told the head of a taxicab fleet that he plans to “fucking destroy” the city’s taxi industry when he leaves office on January 1...
Fear of art sale sparked by Detroit emergency manager asking for appraisal Reuters ...As part of his efforts to solve Detroit's financial crisis, the city's emergency manager Kevyn Orr has asked for an appraisal of the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts, sparking fears in artistic and philanthropic circles that he means to auction off the city's artistic jewels...
Wisconsin jobs agency names 4th CFO in 2 years Associated Press ...Gov. Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature created WEDC in 2011 to help the governor meet his campaign promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs. But the agency has been beset by problems, including persistent turnover...
Unrest may spread across Europe, warns Red Cross chief The Independent ...Rocketing unemployment and poverty in some areas of Europe could lead to rising civil unrest, unless governments take measures to address the humanitarian consequences of austerity measures, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned...
Sequester guts wildfire prevention, sets up bigger blazes Grist ...the sequester took a 7.5 percent bite out of the Forest Service’s budget, nearly half of which is spent fighting wildfires. That means there will be 500 fewer pairs of boots on the ground and 200,000 fewer acres treated to prevent fires; the agency’s next proposed budget cuts preventative spending by a further 24 percent...
Why are our Bridges Falling? The Economics of the Infrastructure Deficit Economonitor ...We are not spending enough to stay even with our infrastructure deficit. Our bridges, roads, dams, electric grid, sewers, and water treatment plants are wearing out faster than we are replacing them. And that is happening, in large part, because of our misguided obsession with the federal fiscal deficit...
Banner Week for Politicians Trying to Keep Poor People Hungry and Sick Gawker ...Louisiana Senator David Vitter, sad little boy and lover of prostitutes, proposed an amendment to the long-delayed farm bill that would make certain ex-cons ineligible from food stamps for life...
The Corporate Dictatorship of PBS and NPR Truthout ...“Citizen Koch” is a documentary about money and politics, focusing heavily on the uprising that took place in Wisconsin in 2011 and 2012 ... the documentary was originally supposed to air on PBS stations nationwide, but its funding was abruptly cut off when, it appears, David Koch was offended...
Koch Media’s Megaphone and the IRS “Scandal” Wall Street ...For decades, billionaires Charles and David Koch had secretly owned shares giving them 50 percent ownership of the Cato Institute – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization subsidized by the taxpayer – while pushing a deregulatory agenda for big business. Today, Cato is functioning as a megaphone to spin the current flap over the IRS to advance its agenda...
How exactly would Mike Bloomberg “fucking destroy” the taxi industry? Quartz ...New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg told the head of a taxicab fleet that he plans to “fucking destroy” the city’s taxi industry when he leaves office on January 1...
Fear of art sale sparked by Detroit emergency manager asking for appraisal Reuters ...As part of his efforts to solve Detroit's financial crisis, the city's emergency manager Kevyn Orr has asked for an appraisal of the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts, sparking fears in artistic and philanthropic circles that he means to auction off the city's artistic jewels...
Wisconsin jobs agency names 4th CFO in 2 years Associated Press ...Gov. Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature created WEDC in 2011 to help the governor meet his campaign promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs. But the agency has been beset by problems, including persistent turnover...
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Today's Teamster News 05.16.13
Upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership Looks Like Corporate Takeover Huffington Post ...TPP's negotiations are being held in secret with details kept secret even from our Congress. But giant corporations are in the loop...
Blame Citizens United for the IRS scandal Salon ...The real outrage is why these political groups have tax-exempt status in the first place...
Blame Citizens United for the IRS scandal Salon ...The real outrage is why these political groups have tax-exempt status in the first place...
Unions mobilize as labor board faces paralysis in Obama’s second term The Hill ...Labor is mounting an all-out push to fill the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the agency faces the prospect of being sidelined for the rest of President Obama’s second term...
Obama Student Loan Policy Reaping $51 Billion Profit Huffington Post ...The Obama administration is forecast to turn a record $51 billion profit this year from student loan borrowers, a sum greater than the earnings of the nation's most profitable companies and roughly equal to the combined net income of the four largest U.S. banks by assets...
U.S. Senate Passes Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) with Buy America Amendment Included. manufacture this ...The Merkley/Brown amendment #866 included in the legislation would ensure that American-made iron, steel, and manufactured goods are used in projects financed by a new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) program whenever they are available and competitively priced...
U.S. tax dollars promote Monsanto's GMO crops overseas: report Reuters ...U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for overseas lobbying that promotes controversial biotech crops developed by U.S.-based Monsanto Co and other seed makers, a report issued on Tuesday said...
U.S. Senate Passes Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) with Buy America Amendment Included. manufacture this ...The Merkley/Brown amendment #866 included in the legislation would ensure that American-made iron, steel, and manufactured goods are used in projects financed by a new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) program whenever they are available and competitively priced...
U.S. tax dollars promote Monsanto's GMO crops overseas: report Reuters ...U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for overseas lobbying that promotes controversial biotech crops developed by U.S.-based Monsanto Co and other seed makers, a report issued on Tuesday said...
The reason France has gone into double-dip recession The Guardian ...This isn't a uniquely French problem – EU nations of various political hues are in trouble because of a fixation on austerity...
Texas Fertilizer Explosion Victims in No Mood to Pay Property Taxes ABC News ...After a fertilizer plant explosion destroyed part of a small city last month, the leaders of West, Texas, find themselves in the difficult financial position of having to collect property taxes from residents whose homes were destroyed...
Missouri legislation could weaken public labor unions St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...The Missouri Legislature is sending a bill to Gov. Jay Nixon that would make public employee unions ask their members each year if they want to continue being members...
Michigan bill would impose fines on unions for illegal picketing Lansing State Journal ... Individuals and labor unions could face steep fines for engaging in illegal pickets if the Michigan Legislature takes up a bill that a Republican lawmaker recently reintroduced...
$483M tax windfall brightens Michigan's budget picture Detroit Free Press ...The state of Michigan will have more than $640 million in unanticipated revenues to work with as it finalizes the 2013-14 budget, John Nixon, the state budget director, said after yesterday’s revenue estimating conference at the state Capitol. But the bulk of that money will be “one-time money” that the state can’t build into ongoing budgets...
Health advocates oppose NC Senate smoking bill Associated Press ...Health advocates say a North Carolina Senate bill would repeal hundreds of local and community college rules restricting smoking outdoors...
Defense furloughs clobber Arizona employees Arizona Republic ...Thousands of civilian defense employees across Arizona will face sharp reductions in work and pay through the rest of the fiscal year as the Department of Defense implements furloughs…
New Jersey Property Taxes Rise to Record as Growth Slows Bloomberg News ...New Jersey’s average residential property-tax bill rose 1.6 percent to a record $7,885 last year as most towns abided by Governor Chris Christie’s 2 percent cap on the levies, slowing the growth rate, according to state data...
Why are women so absent from Georgia leadership? Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...None of Georgia’s eight statewide constitutional offices, from governor through agriculture commissioner, is held by a woman. None of the five members of the state Public Service Commission, elected statewide to regulate utilities, is a woman. Likewise, none of Georgia’s 16 seats in Congress — 14 in the House and two in the Senate — is held by a woman. For those keeping score at home, that’s zero for 29...
Illinois passes law to make Busch divest beer distributorship Chicago Tribune ...A bill that will require Anheuser-Busch to sell its minority stake in Chicago's City Beverage has passed the Illinois Senate. Anheuser and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission have been involved in a string of litigation on this issue since the commission blocked the world's largest brewer from acquiring City Beverage in 2010...
Pa. Dems line up to run vs. hobbled Corbett Politico ...Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett may be the most vulnerable incumbent governor in the country — and Keystone State Democrats are lining up to challenge him...
U.S. DOT Allowing Unsafe Mexico-Domiciled Truck Companies to Participate in NAFTA Pilot Program Threatening Safety of Motorists IBT ...The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation charged with overseeing the cross-border long-haul Pilot Program on North American Free Trade Agreement Trucking Provisions, has not taken definitive action to bar participation of unsafe Mexico-domiciled motor carriers...
Teamster Taxi Operator Shares His Experiences at Unity Conference Teamsters Local 117 …Local 117 is on the forefront of a new effort by the Teamsters Union to organize thousands of taxicab operators across the country...
Texas Fertilizer Explosion Victims in No Mood to Pay Property Taxes ABC News ...After a fertilizer plant explosion destroyed part of a small city last month, the leaders of West, Texas, find themselves in the difficult financial position of having to collect property taxes from residents whose homes were destroyed...
Missouri legislation could weaken public labor unions St. Louis Post-Dispatch ...The Missouri Legislature is sending a bill to Gov. Jay Nixon that would make public employee unions ask their members each year if they want to continue being members...
Michigan bill would impose fines on unions for illegal picketing Lansing State Journal ... Individuals and labor unions could face steep fines for engaging in illegal pickets if the Michigan Legislature takes up a bill that a Republican lawmaker recently reintroduced...
$483M tax windfall brightens Michigan's budget picture Detroit Free Press ...The state of Michigan will have more than $640 million in unanticipated revenues to work with as it finalizes the 2013-14 budget, John Nixon, the state budget director, said after yesterday’s revenue estimating conference at the state Capitol. But the bulk of that money will be “one-time money” that the state can’t build into ongoing budgets...
Health advocates oppose NC Senate smoking bill Associated Press ...Health advocates say a North Carolina Senate bill would repeal hundreds of local and community college rules restricting smoking outdoors...
Defense furloughs clobber Arizona employees Arizona Republic ...Thousands of civilian defense employees across Arizona will face sharp reductions in work and pay through the rest of the fiscal year as the Department of Defense implements furloughs…
New Jersey Property Taxes Rise to Record as Growth Slows Bloomberg News ...New Jersey’s average residential property-tax bill rose 1.6 percent to a record $7,885 last year as most towns abided by Governor Chris Christie’s 2 percent cap on the levies, slowing the growth rate, according to state data...
Why are women so absent from Georgia leadership? Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...None of Georgia’s eight statewide constitutional offices, from governor through agriculture commissioner, is held by a woman. None of the five members of the state Public Service Commission, elected statewide to regulate utilities, is a woman. Likewise, none of Georgia’s 16 seats in Congress — 14 in the House and two in the Senate — is held by a woman. For those keeping score at home, that’s zero for 29...
Illinois passes law to make Busch divest beer distributorship Chicago Tribune ...A bill that will require Anheuser-Busch to sell its minority stake in Chicago's City Beverage has passed the Illinois Senate. Anheuser and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission have been involved in a string of litigation on this issue since the commission blocked the world's largest brewer from acquiring City Beverage in 2010...
Pa. Dems line up to run vs. hobbled Corbett Politico ...Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett may be the most vulnerable incumbent governor in the country — and Keystone State Democrats are lining up to challenge him...
U.S. DOT Allowing Unsafe Mexico-Domiciled Truck Companies to Participate in NAFTA Pilot Program Threatening Safety of Motorists IBT ...The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation charged with overseeing the cross-border long-haul Pilot Program on North American Free Trade Agreement Trucking Provisions, has not taken definitive action to bar participation of unsafe Mexico-domiciled motor carriers...
Teamster Taxi Operator Shares His Experiences at Unity Conference Teamsters Local 117 …Local 117 is on the forefront of a new effort by the Teamsters Union to organize thousands of taxicab operators across the country...
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