Today's Teamster News 02.28.13

Scalia: Renewing Voting Rights Act a ‘perpetuation of racial entitlement’  MSNBC   ...Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia referred to Congress’s renewal of the Voting Rights Act as the “perpetuation of racial entitlement,” during Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on the law—a comment that one voting-rights advocate denounced as “shocking"....
Austerity Is Already Here  New York Times   ...Combined with cuts by state and local governments, the drop in government’s contribution to economic growth is the largest in more than 50 years...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Would Destroy our National Sovereignty  TradeReform   ...U.S. multinational corporations have the goal of imposing on more countries a set of extreme foreign investor privileges and rights and their private enforcement through the notorious “investor-state” system...
Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short  The Guardian   ...Greece is facing a serious shortage of medicines amid claims that pharmaceutical multinationals have halted shipments to the country because of the economic crisis and concerns that the drugs will be exported by middlemen because prices are higher in other European countries...
New Quebec tuition hike draws 10,000 back into the streets  rabble.ca   ...The ... government is still pretending that indexation will calm students, while over ten thousand are marching in the streets for free education and against the PQ tuition hike...
"Paycheck Protection" Bill Remains Stalled In Mo. Senate  St. Louis Public Radio   ...It was laid aside Wednesday night without a vote, and may sit idle until Democrats and Republicans can reach an agreement...
When the Salvation Army is your probation officer  Tampa Bay Times   ...In an unusual mix of religion and justice, of church and court, the Salvation Army has for decades had a lock on handling misdemeanor probation in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, with the blessing of judges on both sides of the bay...
FAU president agrees to discussion of naming stadium for GEO Group  Palm Beach Post   ...The announcement came Monday after 40 students conducted a two-hour sit-in at Saunders’ office, demanding that the university rescind the agreement...
Budget would allow easier foreign purchase of Wisconsin farmland  WPR News   ...For decades, foreign investors and corporations couldn't purchase more than 640 acres of land in the state. The provision was originally put in place over concern Canada was trying to buy up land in Minnesota and other states. Now, Governor Walker says he wants those restrictions lifted because it conflicts with international trade treaties...
State reverses decision on suspending federal jobless benefits  Indianapolis Star   ...After a torrent of criticism, Gov. Mike Pence’s administration reversed its decision to suspend extended federal unemployment benefits for about 32,000 jobless Hoosiers...
Inspection of Kasich’s private prison shows staff assaults up over 300%  Plunderbund   ...Privatization of the facility under Corrections Corporation of America has lead to serious violations, safety issues for inmates and employees, an increase in drug use and crime in and around the prison and a dramatic increase in calls to local law enforcement...
Teamsters file complaint against Thruway Authority  Albany Times-Union   ...The Teamsters local that represents state Thruway Authority workers has filed an unfair labor complaint alleging its members were improperly threatened with layoffs if they failed to make concessions during contract talks...
Teamsters At Republic Services Unanimously Vote To Authorize Strike  Teamsters Local 728   ...members of Local 728 in Atlanta employed as drivers and mechanics at Republic Services in McDonough voted unanimously to authorize a strike if the company continues to delay negotiations for the workers' first contract...

Striking Wal-Mart workers crash annual meeting

* Everyday Low Wages

Hundreds of Wal-Mart workers, some striking, converged today on the retailers' headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., as supporters picketed outside stores across the U.S.

The company is holding its annual investors meeting this week as labor unrest spreads throughout its supply chain.

The workers in Bentonville are delivering a message from their brothers and sisters who work at Wal-Mart stores and warehouses across the country. Strikes and their supporters are continuing to protest the poverty wages and unfair labor practices at the heart of Walmart's enterprise.

Democracy Now reported this morning:

Picketing today in Chicago

Wal-Mart workers have now launched historic labor protests and strikes across 28 stores in 12 states, the first retail worker strike in the company’s 50-year history. According to organizers, employees are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job."

As we reported yesterday, the strike has spread this week to more states as store workers walked off the job in Dallas, Miami, Seattle, Maryland and throughout California.

The new worker offensive against Walmart has already scored some victories. Over the weekend, warehouse workers in Elwood, Ill., returned to work after 21 days on strike. According to the press release,

In an historic victory, striking warehouse workers at a Walmart facility in Elwood, Illinois won their principle demand for an end to illegal retaliation against workers protesting poor conditions. They will return to work Saturday with full pay for the time they were on strike. Once back at work, they continue the fight for safe working conditions, fair pay for all hours worked and an end to discrimination.

Each button represents 100 signatures of support.

Warehouse workers in Southern California also declared victory last month after forcing the company to make their workplace safer following a 15-day walkout.

Sometimes if you fight, you win.

This week, that message is spreading to other workers throughout Walmart's supply chain.

There have been similar efforts in the past to organize and pressure Walmart to change. What's different about this is the use of strikes. Josh Eidelson at Salon.com explains:

Both Thursday’s strike and today’s were spearheaded by OUR Walmart, a year-old organization of Walmart workers backed by UFCW. ... Though closely tied to the UFCW, OUR Walmart isn’t identifying itself as a union or calling for union recognition from the famously anti-labor company. UFCW, SEIU, the service employees union, and ACORN supported a different non-union Walmart workers association in 2005, so the concept isn’t new. But the strikes are.

And it ain't over yet. Store employees are getting ready to show what they're capable of when they take collective action on a day that is very special to retail profits: Black Friday. Eidelson reports,

One day after Walmart employees in twelve states launched a major strike, today workers issued an ultimatum to the retail giant: Stop retaliating against workers trying to organize, or the year’s most important shopping day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, will see the biggest disruptions yet. 

In the meantime, these brave workers have given us a new Walmart slogan: Fight back. Live better.

- Union Thug

Unfair Labor Practice charges filed against Coke by Local 117

Local 117 in Washington state filed three unfair labor practice charges against Coca-Cola for failing to bargain in good faith, refusing to process grievances, reducing an employee's wages without bargaining, and removing bargaining unit work without negotiating the effects.


Read the whole thing here.