Teamsters
Hoffa: Nike's TPP Job Projections Will Be Just Another Round of Corporate Broken Promises Teamster.org ...Hoffa in response to Nike Inc.’s announcement today that the passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership will create thousands of new jobs in the U.S.: “Nike’s announcement that the Trans Pacific Partnership would lead to 10,000 new U.S. jobs at the company and up to 40,000 new jobs throughout the supply chain is nothing more than the same empty trade rhetoric we have heard over and over again since the passage of NAFTA"...
Albion College Workers Choose Teamsters Union Teamster.org ...Workers at Albion College in Albion, Mich., voted overwhelmingly in two separate elections Tuesday to join Teamsters Local 1038 in Detroit. Facility operators voted 26-9, while secretarial-clerical workers voted 24-3, in favor of the Teamsters Union over their prior representative, the Michigan Education Association (MEA). The more than 70 new Teamsters are seeking bargaining power, fair wages and the security of their first Teamster contract...
At Unity, Teamsters look ahead to a bright future Teamster Nation ...Some 1,600 Teamster brothers and sisters from across North America gathered together today as part of the 12th annual Unity Conference to share their success stories and speak truth to power about the increasingly perilous state of workers across the continent. Rank-and-file union members joined with Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa as well as other Teamster leaders to let attendees know they all have a role in ensuring that Teamster Power will not flourish if they don't continue to contribute and speak out...
Trucking Company Shows Facebook Road to Future New York Times ...More than three-quarters of the lesser-powered shares voted in 2014 to eradicate the fief, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has put the matter on the ballot again. Swift is urging against the idea, pointing to dual-class structures at Zynga, Groupon and LinkedIn as “some of the most successful I.P.O.s in recent years”...
Global Labor & Trade
Trade bill fate in doubt as debate kicks off Politico ...A controversial trade bill is well shy of the votes needed to pass the House and faces a difficult vote in the Senate as the debate in Congress kicks off in earnest this week. Congressional sources say that fewer than 20 House Democrats currently back giving President Barack Obama increased powers to cut trade deals...
Crunch time for TPPA talks The Star ...If the TPPA negotiations conclude, the texts will at some stage be made public, and the debate can be expected to intensify. But there are many hurdles to cross before that happens, and whether the political deadline can be met is still a big question. This will be answered in the next few weeks...
Obama’s Pacific Trade Push Faces a Senate Vote This Week New York Times ...President Obama’s most aggressive and sustained legislative push since the Affordable Care Act faces a crucial first test this week when a divided Senate considers a bill that would grant him accelerated power to complete a massive trade accord with 11 nations across the Pacific Rim...
Obama says 'dearest friends are wrong' when it comes to trade The Hill ...Several groups on the left ripped Obama for speaking about trade at the headquarters of Nike, which has been accused in the past of exploiting foreign workers. “It is sad to see how detached from reality President Obama is when it comes to TPP,” said Murshed Zaheed, deputy political director at the left-leaning CREDO...
Elizabeth Warren fires back at Obama: Here’s what they’re really fighting about (interview) Washington Post ...The president said in his Nike speech that he’s confident that when people read the agreement for themselves, that they’ll see it’s a great deal. But the president won’t actually let people read the agreement for themselves. It’s classified. The president has committed only to letting the public see this deal after Congress votes to authorize fast track. At that point it will be impossible for us to amend the agreement or to block any part of it without tanking the whole TPP...
Why Obama Wants To Torpedo A Plan To Fight Human Trafficking Huff Post ...The Senate is gearing up to vote on a bill granting Obama so-called “fast track” powers to streamline the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But a seemingly uncontroversial human rights provision authored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is giving the administration serious headaches as it attempts to win over skeptical members of its own party...
Will the TPP really protect workers? (opinion) Washington Post ...To date, the United States has never had a trade agreement that protects basic rights and raises wages and living standards for working people. Previous agreements have failed to ensure the integrity of the democratic process and preserve consumer and environmental protections. Comparing this pact to previous agreements sets a pretty low bar...
The arguments for the TPP are transparently weak (opinion) Aljazeera America ...President Barack Obama must be having difficulty rounding up the necessary votes in Congress to pass fast-track authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Otherwise we would not be seeing President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff Thomas McClarty, Secretary of State John Kerry and many other prominent people saying such silly things about the trade deal. If anyone is arguing that we should be happy about TPP because it will increase exports, they either do not understand basic economics or are trying to play games. Either way, this argument deserves to be ignored...
Eggs and insults fly as Uber battles for the streets of Milan Alternet ...Uber faces regulatory opposition in many places – authorities in the Chinese city of Chengdu paid a visit to Uber’s offices last week as part of an ongoing investigation; and the service has been banned in the US state of Kansas – but in Italy, the battle has become personal...
State & Living Wage Battles
Sen. Richard: Showdown on right-to-work looms The Joplin Globe ...As members of the Missouri General Assembly prepare to return to the Capitol for the final week of this year’s session, Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard is readying for a showdown over what’s known as "right-to-work," a controversial policy that aims to restrict labor union activity. Richard, a Joplin Republican who backs the policy, told reporters Friday that he planned to force a vote on the measure...
Missouri Senate will press right-to-work, Voter ID Kansas City Biz Journal ...The head of the Missouri Senate said he’ll push right-to-work and voter ID legislation before anything else in the Legislature’s final week, The Jefferson City News Tribune reports. Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard acknowledged that there are a number of important bills still waiting for action. But he said if his priorities “don’t make it, nobody else’s will either”...
Lawmakers will hold hearings on repealing prevailing wage laws this week Michigan Radio ...Unions are expected to push back this week against bills that would repeal prevailing wage laws in Michigan. A state Senate panel is expected to hold hearings on Senate Bills 1, 2, and 3. The legislation would ban laws requiring union-level compensation for workers on publicly-funded construction projects...
Where do the presidential candidates stand on paid sick leave? Daily Kos ...Paid sick leave is gaining ground as a national issue. It's now the law in three states and a growing number of cities, but the momentum behind it just means Republicans are gearing up to fight harder. Republicans in the Pennsylvania state legislature, for instance, are still working away at their ALEC-inspired goal of overriding Philadelphia's paid sick leave law...
Business allies cool to Garcetti's minimum wage plan Los Angeles Times ...With the City Council expected to vote on the minimum wage plan later this month, some of the small-business owners who backed Garcetti's first mayoral bid are having misgivings. Garcetti defended his handling of business issues, saying in a statement that he had cut red tape at City Hall, rolled back the size of the business tax and fought for an expansion of the state's film tax credit...
Protesters March For Living Wage Newsplex ...Cars and vans honked as protesters made their way down West Main Street screaming chants about living wage. In the summer of 2012 Charlottesville City council voted to increase the living wage from $11.67 an hour to 13.00 an hour but some say that's still not enough...
U.S. Labor
Oakland Teachers Vote to Authorize Strike, Stage ‘Work-to-Rule’ Actions in Protest of Low Pay In These Times ...Public school teachers with the Oakland Education Association (OEA) voted last week to authorize strike action if the union’s executive board cannot come to an agreement with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in its year-long bargaining for a new contract. A central sticking point in the negotiations is over salary increases...
UAW, Car Makers Weigh New Class of Hires Wall Street Journal ...United Auto Workers officials are considering a plan to encourage the Detroit Three auto makers to add thousands of jobs traditionally belonging to auto-parts suppliers, hoping to fuel the union’s recent string of modest membership increases...
Kellogg to appeal NLRB's Memphis ruling BattleCreek Enquirer ...Kellogg Co. said it will appeal the National Labor Relations Board finding that the company's lockout of employees at its Memphis cereal plant was unlawful. Kevin Bradshaw, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union's Memphis local, said "we're just glad to see the law is on our side"...
For the First Time, Guestworkers Get Crucial Legal Protections Under New Rules In These Times After nearly two months of suspense, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued two new rules for the H-2B guestworker program. Worker advocates are praising the rules for establishing badly-needed protections for guestworkers and U.S. workers alike, while industries that rely on H-2B workers call the new rules “flawed”...
Miscellaneous
America’s Richest Congressman, Worth Almost $500 Million, Says Poor Americans Are Doing Great Think Progress ...Congressman Darrell Issa, America’s richest Congressman with a net worth of nearly $500 million, says the nation’s poor are actually doing very well, suggesting that if wages for lower-income Americans grow too high, American products would not be able to compete on the global marketplace...
Paul Krugman Exposes Wall Street Vampires' Latest Ploy Alternet ..."Last year the vampires of finance bought themselves a Congress," Paul Krugman begins his colum Monday. He then spends the rest of the piece explaining why what might seem like a pretty harsh metaphor is actually apt. But first there's the fact that the bought and paid for Congressional Republicans are trying their darndest to repay their masters by killing the financial reform bill enacted in 2010...
DOJ to Investigate Pattern of Racist Policing in Baltimore Common Dreams ...The United States Department of Justice announced Friday that after weeks of uproar and protest it would open an official investigation into the Baltimore Police Department to determine whether the discrimination and events that led to the brutal death of Freddie Gray were part of systemic pattern of abuse...
Showing posts with label Unity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unity. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
At Unity, Teamsters look ahead to a bright future
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| Building Teamster Power at Unity Conference. |
Rank-and-file union members joined with Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa as well as other Teamster leaders to let attendees know they all have a role in ensuring that Teamster Power will not flourish if they don't continue to contribute and speak out.
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| Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa |
These people are crazy. They want to roll the clock back to 1890. We need to make sure we stand together. They are not going to get rid of us.One of those fights is against fast track trade authority, which would allow lousy trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to move forward. Hoffa said the government shouldn't sacrifice good U.S. jobs for even bigger corporate profits:
We are not sending any more jobs out of America. Leave the damn jobs at home!Hoffa greeted new Teamsters likes the 13,500 San Bernardino County, Calif. public workers who joined the union earlier this year. And he also gave a shout out to more than 11,000 Clark County, Nev. school district employees who won a battle against the state that nearly ensures those same workers will be joining the Teamsters after a planned union election this fall.
Elena Rodriguez, a clerical worker at the school district, said she and her fellow workers will be empowered once they can join the union:
With the Teamsters, we will have real power. This time next year, we will be your brother and sisters.
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| Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall |
We have the money and the resources to take on the fights. That's what we're supposed to be doing.
That said, it was clear there have been plenty of victories for the Teamsters in the past year. Whether it was Facebook contract bus drivers, workers at several hubs of Fed Ex Freight and Con-way, port truck drivers in Los Angeles and Long Beach or Selland car haul workers, the victories kept coming.
For many, the union plays an important role in their life. A waste worker at Universal Waste in Los Angeles who recently joined Local 396 talked about how his life has improved for himself and his family since becoming a member.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Ceja Morones, a driver with new drayage trucking firm Eco Flow Transportation that will hire all its Southern California drivers as employees, said he is already winning by having a more stable job:
The Teamster have taught us how to fight our fights. With the support of the Teamsters, we will earn a good wage, good benefits, and respect on the job.
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| Clark County worker Elena Rodriguez |
Beyond all the important talk of organizing and politics, the Unity Conference also provides an opportunity for leaders and members to get back in touch with what it means to be a Teamster. Preach Haynes, a trustee for Local 41 in Kansas City, said:
When you talk about Unity, it means you've got come out of your comfort zone and be willing to help under any circumstances and lend your ear to your members because their concerns are your concerns.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Today's Teamster News 05.14.13
The 182 Percent Loan: How Installment Lenders Put Borrowers in a World of Hurt ProPublica ...Katrina Sutton stood at a gas pump and swiped her debit card. Insufficient funds. But that couldn't be. She'd been careful to wait until her $270 paycheck from Walmart had hit her account. The money wasn't there? It was all she had. And without gas, she couldn't get to work. She tried not to panic, but after she called her card company, she couldn't help it. Her funds had been frozen, she was told, by World Finance. Here’s how and why...
Bangladesh Garment Factories Shut Down Amid Worker Unrest, Minimum Wage Change Huffington Post ...Following worker protests and a decision by the Bangladeshi government to reevaluate the minimum wage, the lone national association of garment manufacturers on Monday shut down all factories in Ashulia, one of the country's major garment industry hubs...
Moms Working At Walmart Earn Less Than They Need To Feed Their Kids Huffington Post ...As Mother's Day approached, Charlene Fletcher, mother of two, found herself occupied with the needs of other families, attending to the crush of shoppers last week at the Walmart in Pasadena, Calif., where she works. But like many employees at Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, she earns so little that she has to rely on government assistance to feed her kids...
IRS Set To Close Next Week Forbes ...A number of taxpayers will be taking next Friday off by choice. It is, after all, the day before the Memorial Day weekend begins – the perfect time to grab an extra day. But what if you were forced to take the day off as an unpaid furlough day?...
White House orders look at pay equity inside government Washington Post ...President Obama has called for creation of a government-wide strategy “to address any gender pay gap in the Federal workforce,” focusing on how salaries are set when employees are first hired and when they are promoted...
Early campaigns for Virginia governor toil on both the national and local stage Washington Post
If Virginians weren’t foggy-headed enough from last year’s barrage of political ads and robo-calls, now comes a race that’s producing double vision — the two men running for governor this year are each running two campaigns featuring different issues, calendars and strategies...
Landmark $240M EEOC verdict to be slashed to $1.6M Associated Press ...A landmark $240 million verdict awarded to 32 mentally disabled Iowa plant workers who were subjected to years of abuse by their handlers will be reduced to just $1.6 million because of a federal cap, attorneys in the case agree...
Florida lawmakers pay peanuts for health insurance Miami Herald ...Florida House Republicans last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians. Quietly, they kept their own health insurance premiums staggeringly low...
Rand Paul's Iowa visit triggers talk of 2016 White House bid Mankato Free Press ...Sen. Rand Paul brought his national ambitions to Iowa on Friday, ripping potential Democratic rival Hillary Clinton while urging his own Republican Party to broaden its appeal as he campaigned like it was already 2016...
N.J.'s plan to seize $142M in unspent COAH money from towns is 'a real slap in the face to property taxpayers' Times of Trenton ...Municipal officials are angrily criticizing the state’s plan to seize money from their unused affordable housing trust funds, saying the Christie administration is trying to balance the state budget by grabbing resources meant for those who need it the most...
Minnesota budget deal: Tax hikes on high earners, tobacco Star Tribune ...New revenue would boost school spending and fund a property tax relief plan. GOP responded with scorn...
Inspiring Stories Captivate Unity Conference Attendees IBT …The war on workers and what the Teamsters Union is doing to fight back took center stage today at the 2013 Unity Conference, and the attendees were uplifted by powerful speeches by leaders, members and soon-to-be members...
Bangladesh Garment Factories Shut Down Amid Worker Unrest, Minimum Wage Change Huffington Post ...Following worker protests and a decision by the Bangladeshi government to reevaluate the minimum wage, the lone national association of garment manufacturers on Monday shut down all factories in Ashulia, one of the country's major garment industry hubs...
Moms Working At Walmart Earn Less Than They Need To Feed Their Kids Huffington Post ...As Mother's Day approached, Charlene Fletcher, mother of two, found herself occupied with the needs of other families, attending to the crush of shoppers last week at the Walmart in Pasadena, Calif., where she works. But like many employees at Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, she earns so little that she has to rely on government assistance to feed her kids...
IRS Set To Close Next Week Forbes ...A number of taxpayers will be taking next Friday off by choice. It is, after all, the day before the Memorial Day weekend begins – the perfect time to grab an extra day. But what if you were forced to take the day off as an unpaid furlough day?...
White House orders look at pay equity inside government Washington Post ...President Obama has called for creation of a government-wide strategy “to address any gender pay gap in the Federal workforce,” focusing on how salaries are set when employees are first hired and when they are promoted...
Early campaigns for Virginia governor toil on both the national and local stage Washington Post
If Virginians weren’t foggy-headed enough from last year’s barrage of political ads and robo-calls, now comes a race that’s producing double vision — the two men running for governor this year are each running two campaigns featuring different issues, calendars and strategies...
Landmark $240M EEOC verdict to be slashed to $1.6M Associated Press ...A landmark $240 million verdict awarded to 32 mentally disabled Iowa plant workers who were subjected to years of abuse by their handlers will be reduced to just $1.6 million because of a federal cap, attorneys in the case agree...
Florida lawmakers pay peanuts for health insurance Miami Herald ...Florida House Republicans last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians. Quietly, they kept their own health insurance premiums staggeringly low...
Rand Paul's Iowa visit triggers talk of 2016 White House bid Mankato Free Press ...Sen. Rand Paul brought his national ambitions to Iowa on Friday, ripping potential Democratic rival Hillary Clinton while urging his own Republican Party to broaden its appeal as he campaigned like it was already 2016...
N.J.'s plan to seize $142M in unspent COAH money from towns is 'a real slap in the face to property taxpayers' Times of Trenton ...Municipal officials are angrily criticizing the state’s plan to seize money from their unused affordable housing trust funds, saying the Christie administration is trying to balance the state budget by grabbing resources meant for those who need it the most...
Minnesota budget deal: Tax hikes on high earners, tobacco Star Tribune ...New revenue would boost school spending and fund a property tax relief plan. GOP responded with scorn...
Inspiring Stories Captivate Unity Conference Attendees IBT …The war on workers and what the Teamsters Union is doing to fight back took center stage today at the 2013 Unity Conference, and the attendees were uplifted by powerful speeches by leaders, members and soon-to-be members...
Monday, May 13, 2013
Today's Teamster News 05.13.13
Garment Workers Gather To Demand More Wages, Better Conditions Voice of America ...Thousands of garment workers gathered in a demonstration to demand better salaries and improved working conditions for the hundreds of thousands of workers in Cambodia’s factories. Workers say a government increase of the minimum wage, to $80 per month, is not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living in the country...
Mark Weisbrot: Proposed international trade pacts no aid to workers Appeal-Democrat ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a very special trade agreement. It is so special that our government officials who are negotiating it want to keep it completely secret from us...
Furlough Watch: Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Sequestration Government Executive ...Across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration are having have serious implications for federal workers, as mandatory unpaid furloughs planned for hundreds of thousands of employees begin to take effect. Check out the list of possible agency-by-agency plans and effects...
Large Corporations Seek U.S.–European 'Free Trade Agreement' to Further Global Dominance AlterNet ...The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is the latest plan of conglomerates to strengthen their grip over the planet...
Obama, in Texas, presses middle-class jobs agenda Associated Press ...Offering a more upbeat view of the economy, President Barack Obama resurrected his jobs proposals Thursday, advancing modest initiatives as he pushed for action on more ambitious efforts that face resistance from congressional Republicans...
Detroit Fast Food Workers Join Strike Wave Labor Notes ...“Want to know what all the fuss is? “We are standing up for justice!” At a busy intersection dotted with fast food brands, that is what 80 fast food workers and supporters chanted outside a Detroit Popeye’s Friday morning...
Demand more from Walmart (opinion) Boulder Weekly ...Walmarts have been popping up all over the country in the last five years. For several years, Walmart has placed or tied for last among department and discount stores in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The situation for the workers is even less satisfying...
In Ga. and NC, Republican legislators reach into local governments controlled by Democrats Associated Press ...Even with Republicans holding unprecedented political power across the South, Democrats remain mostly in charge of urban centers in otherwise conservative states. Yet increasingly that control is threatened, not at the ballot box, but by Republican-led legislatures...
Missouri lawmakers OK state income tax cut Associated Press ...Battling back against tax cuts in neighboring Kansas, Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to an income tax cut for businesses and individuals that could reduce state revenues by about $700 million annually when fully phased in...
Florida prepares for massive insurance signup Sun Sentinel ...Facing the next big health-care challenge in Florida, Uncle Sam plans to enlist hundreds of consumer "navigators" over the next several months to help enroll up to 3.5 million uninsured state residents by January, when everyone is required to have health insurance...
After Plant Explosion, Texas Remains Wary of Regulation New York Times ...Five days after an explosion at a fertilizer plant leveled a wide swath of West, Texas, Gov. Rick Perry tried to woo Illinois business officials by trumpeting his state’s low taxes and limited regulations. Asked about the disaster, Mr. Perry responded that more government intervention and increased spending on safety inspections would not have prevented one of the nation’s worst industrial accidents in decades...
Michigan health centers get $3.8M to boost staff Associated Press ...Michigan’s community health centers can receive about $3.8 million from the federal government to help uninsured Americans enroll in health insurance coverage under the Federal Affordable Health Care Act...
Workers complete spire on New York's One World Trade Center Reuters ...Workers cheered and whistled as they completed the spire on New York's One World Trade Center on Friday, raising the building to its full height of 1,776 feet and helping fill a void in the skyline left by the September 11, 2001 attacks...
Illinois Senate passes pension bill, sets up showdown with House Chicago Tribune ...Senate President John Cullerton sent his version of pension reform to the House, setting up a high-profile clash with the rival plan Speaker Michael Madigan already pushed through the House...
Liquor store union ad campaign raises questions in Harrisburg The Sentinel ...There’s a good chance you’ve heard a commercial running on Harrisburg radio stations, but it’s mostly intended for the ears of lawmakers who are mulling liquor privatization...
Tax breaks, lawsuit liability left for Missouri Legislature in final week Kansas City Star ...With next year's budget plan finalized and an income tax cut passed, Missouri lawmakers now will turn their attention to resolving differences over tax credits and liability lawsuits before their mandatory adjournment on Friday...
NC Senate plan expands sales tax base far and wide Associated Press ...Senate Republicans argue that exponentially expanding the number of transactions subject to the sales tax would promote fairness in a North Carolina tax system now packed with exemptions and loopholes...
Washington state courts hacked; potentially up to 160,000 Social Security numbers accessed Associated Press ...The Washington state Administrative Office of the Courts was hacked sometime between last fall and February, and up to 160,000 Social Security numbers and 1 million driver’s license numbers may have been accessed during the data breach of its public website, officials said...
Teamsters Energized at 2013 Unity Conference IBT …The 2013 Teamsters Unity Conference convened Sunday, May 12, welcoming thousands of Teamsters from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to share their accomplishments, their challenges and the work they are doing to advance the lives of workers…
Hoffa Statement On YRCW Efforts To Acquire Frieght Division Of ABF IBT ...Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa issued a statement regarding recent reports that YRC Worldwide Inc. attempted to acquire ABF Freight Systems...
Slippery slope? NYC threatens to fire school cafeteria workers for buying butter Washington Times ...The butter police are on the job. New York City school kitchen managers said they’re being targeted and “bullied” by bureaucrats who have threatened “disciplinary action” for buying butter, in violation of a five-year-old policy against using or offering the spread in cafeterias...
Advanced Business Agents’ Seminar Scheduled July 29-31 IBT ...The IBT Training and Development Department will conduct an Advanced Business Agents seminar July 29-31, 2013 at Teamsters Joint Council 25 in Chicago...
Mark Weisbrot: Proposed international trade pacts no aid to workers Appeal-Democrat ...The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a very special trade agreement. It is so special that our government officials who are negotiating it want to keep it completely secret from us...
Furlough Watch: Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Sequestration Government Executive ...Across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration are having have serious implications for federal workers, as mandatory unpaid furloughs planned for hundreds of thousands of employees begin to take effect. Check out the list of possible agency-by-agency plans and effects...
Large Corporations Seek U.S.–European 'Free Trade Agreement' to Further Global Dominance AlterNet ...The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is the latest plan of conglomerates to strengthen their grip over the planet...
Obama, in Texas, presses middle-class jobs agenda Associated Press ...Offering a more upbeat view of the economy, President Barack Obama resurrected his jobs proposals Thursday, advancing modest initiatives as he pushed for action on more ambitious efforts that face resistance from congressional Republicans...
Detroit Fast Food Workers Join Strike Wave Labor Notes ...“Want to know what all the fuss is? “We are standing up for justice!” At a busy intersection dotted with fast food brands, that is what 80 fast food workers and supporters chanted outside a Detroit Popeye’s Friday morning...
Demand more from Walmart (opinion) Boulder Weekly ...Walmarts have been popping up all over the country in the last five years. For several years, Walmart has placed or tied for last among department and discount stores in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The situation for the workers is even less satisfying...
In Ga. and NC, Republican legislators reach into local governments controlled by Democrats Associated Press ...Even with Republicans holding unprecedented political power across the South, Democrats remain mostly in charge of urban centers in otherwise conservative states. Yet increasingly that control is threatened, not at the ballot box, but by Republican-led legislatures...
Missouri lawmakers OK state income tax cut Associated Press ...Battling back against tax cuts in neighboring Kansas, Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to an income tax cut for businesses and individuals that could reduce state revenues by about $700 million annually when fully phased in...
Florida prepares for massive insurance signup Sun Sentinel ...Facing the next big health-care challenge in Florida, Uncle Sam plans to enlist hundreds of consumer "navigators" over the next several months to help enroll up to 3.5 million uninsured state residents by January, when everyone is required to have health insurance...
After Plant Explosion, Texas Remains Wary of Regulation New York Times ...Five days after an explosion at a fertilizer plant leveled a wide swath of West, Texas, Gov. Rick Perry tried to woo Illinois business officials by trumpeting his state’s low taxes and limited regulations. Asked about the disaster, Mr. Perry responded that more government intervention and increased spending on safety inspections would not have prevented one of the nation’s worst industrial accidents in decades...
Michigan health centers get $3.8M to boost staff Associated Press ...Michigan’s community health centers can receive about $3.8 million from the federal government to help uninsured Americans enroll in health insurance coverage under the Federal Affordable Health Care Act...
Workers complete spire on New York's One World Trade Center Reuters ...Workers cheered and whistled as they completed the spire on New York's One World Trade Center on Friday, raising the building to its full height of 1,776 feet and helping fill a void in the skyline left by the September 11, 2001 attacks...
Illinois Senate passes pension bill, sets up showdown with House Chicago Tribune ...Senate President John Cullerton sent his version of pension reform to the House, setting up a high-profile clash with the rival plan Speaker Michael Madigan already pushed through the House...
Liquor store union ad campaign raises questions in Harrisburg The Sentinel ...There’s a good chance you’ve heard a commercial running on Harrisburg radio stations, but it’s mostly intended for the ears of lawmakers who are mulling liquor privatization...
Tax breaks, lawsuit liability left for Missouri Legislature in final week Kansas City Star ...With next year's budget plan finalized and an income tax cut passed, Missouri lawmakers now will turn their attention to resolving differences over tax credits and liability lawsuits before their mandatory adjournment on Friday...
NC Senate plan expands sales tax base far and wide Associated Press ...Senate Republicans argue that exponentially expanding the number of transactions subject to the sales tax would promote fairness in a North Carolina tax system now packed with exemptions and loopholes...
Washington state courts hacked; potentially up to 160,000 Social Security numbers accessed Associated Press ...The Washington state Administrative Office of the Courts was hacked sometime between last fall and February, and up to 160,000 Social Security numbers and 1 million driver’s license numbers may have been accessed during the data breach of its public website, officials said...
Teamsters Energized at 2013 Unity Conference IBT …The 2013 Teamsters Unity Conference convened Sunday, May 12, welcoming thousands of Teamsters from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to share their accomplishments, their challenges and the work they are doing to advance the lives of workers…
Hoffa Statement On YRCW Efforts To Acquire Frieght Division Of ABF IBT ...Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa issued a statement regarding recent reports that YRC Worldwide Inc. attempted to acquire ABF Freight Systems...
Slippery slope? NYC threatens to fire school cafeteria workers for buying butter Washington Times ...The butter police are on the job. New York City school kitchen managers said they’re being targeted and “bullied” by bureaucrats who have threatened “disciplinary action” for buying butter, in violation of a five-year-old policy against using or offering the spread in cafeterias...
Advanced Business Agents’ Seminar Scheduled July 29-31 IBT ...The IBT Training and Development Department will conduct an Advanced Business Agents seminar July 29-31, 2013 at Teamsters Joint Council 25 in Chicago...
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