Today's Teamster News 04.12.14

Teamster News
Teamsters, Greece Central Agree To New Contract  Democrat & Chronicle   ...The union representing Greece Central School District central office, food service, transportation and facility employees has inked a new contract with the district...
Teamsters endorse Pasco contract  Tampa Bay Tribune   ...The Teamsters Local 79 overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first contract with Pasco County. Union members voted 248-63 to endorse the contract, which took 3½ years to negotiate...
North Las Vegas Strikes Deals With 2 Unions  San Francisco Chronicle   ...North Las Vegas officials reached agreements with two of their public employee labor unions on Wednesday after talks involving Gov. Brian Sandoval and Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, putting the city closer to staving off a potential state takeover...
Trade
Mexico now exports more cars to the U.S. than Japan does  The Raw Story   ...Mexico’s booming auto industry has reached a major milestone, claiming to have overtaken Japan as the second biggest car exporter to the United States in the past three months...
TPP Foreign Policy Arguments Mimic False Claims Made for Past Pacts  Public Citizen   ...foreign policy arguments have consistently proven baseless when used to sell trade deals over the past two decades...
Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Pact Risks Splitting Asean, Manila Warns  South China Morning Post   ...A US-backed pacific free-trade pact could cause resentment in Southeast Asia, leaving some nations in the region better positioned to access the American market than others, a top Philippean official said...
State Battles
Missouri becomes latest Right to Work battleground  Washington Post   ...The national battle between conservative groups and big labor unions is moving to Missouri as outside groups on both sides gear up for a vote that could come as early as Monday on controversial legislation that would strip unions of the power to compel workers in union shops to join...
Editorial: Dark money vultures pick away at Missouri's legislative carcass  St. Louis Post-Dispatch   ...They direct big donors in the age of dark money. They are nothing but vultures, and they are winning...

War on Workers
Temp Workers Claim Unfair Treatment, File Lawsuits  5 NBC Chicago   ...Thousands of Chicagoans are being treated unfairly by local temporary staffing agencies that require them to work long hours without always getting full pay, according to several class-action lawsuits currently being litigated in U.S. District Court...
Newly started foreclosures head higher in 19 states  MarketWatch   ...While national trends for troubled properties are improving, there are 19 states where newly started foreclosures are heading higher...
Start saving now: Day care costs more than college in 31 states  Washington Post   ...the annual cost of day care for an infant exceeds the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges in 31 states...
Jamie Dimon got a raise that conveniently looks like a paycut  Salon   ...The bumbling JPMorgan chief is rewarded, a bit sneakily, for his disastrous 2013 performance...
Gentrification’s quiet tragedy: How sweetheart deals are brutalizing the public  The Salon   ...Private companies are tricking public officials into bonanzas that line the companies' pockets -- at a big expense...
Thousands losing tax refunds to parents’ decades-old debts  Washington Post   ...Some taxpayers are finding that because of a debt they never knew about — often due to a decades-old Social Security overpayment — the government has confiscated their refunds...
Miscellaneous
Crude oil is displacing other commodities on trains, critics charge  McClatchy   ...Grain producers, manufacturers and coal shippers told federal regulators Thursday that rail service has deteriorated drastically in the nation’s midsection in recent months, leaving crops in piles on the ground and fuel stocks low at electric power plants as resources go undelivered. Railroad representatives told the federal Surface Transportation Board that a brutal winter, combined with a record grain harvest, was to blame for the delays, but the industry’s critics charge that their shipments are taking a side track to crude oil...
Can You Buy A License to Speed?  Priceonomics   ...With a (license plate) frame announcing that the driver has contributed a substantial amount of money to a fund that benefits highway patrol officers, donors believe that cops won’t give them speeding tickets...
Bus Crash Investigator: Tracker On Fedex Truck Likely Destroyed  NBC News   ...Ten people, five of them teenage students en route to a college recruitment event, died when the truck swerved across the median of Interstate 5 and slammed head-on into the motor coach full of students from the Los Angeles area on Thursday...

Today's Teamster News 03.01.14

Teamster News
Listen to Teamster Nation News  teamster.org  ...Introducing the inaugural episode of Teamster Nation News, the Teamster's new podcast. Teamster Nation News is your weekly stop for key Teamster news for working families. Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe...
CEO's Lavish Pay Trimmed At McKesson, A Teamster Employer  TeamsterNation   ...McKesson CEO John Hammergren took a 'voluntary' $45 million cut to his pension after shareholders said 'no more' to his lavish wages at the company's annual meeting in August...
Teamsters, First Student in Seattle reach agreement  Seattle Times   ...After a daylong negotiation, Teamsters Local 174, which represents about 450 bus drivers for Seattle Public Schools, has reached a fully recommended tentative settlement with First Student, a private contractor that provides busing for the district. The agreement means that bus service will continue uninterrupted...
Teamsters back to work Sunday: Bay Valley strike ends  Sauk Valley Media   ...Dan Dring, vice president of human resources and operations for the Green Bay, Wis.-based company, said the workers of Teamsters Local 722 had voted earlier in the day to approve the contract...
Teamsters Airline Division Statement on GAO 2014 Aviation Workforce Report  teamster.org   ...Teamsters Airline Division Director Capt. David Bourne issued an official statement on the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) 2014 Aviation Workforce report, “Current and Future Availability of Airline Pilots”…
Teamsters Celebrate Women’s History  teamster.org   ...March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect upon and celebrate the contributions American women have made to society. Teamster women have made significant contributions to the work force over the years, bravely fighting for economic and social justice...
Teamsters: Single Mothers Struggling Even More To Support Families   teamster.org   ...Women trying to support a family on their own are having a harder time doing so, according to a new report that details the plight of the working poor. As this nation enters Women’s History Month, single mothers are disproportionately struggling to make ends meet, and the document shows conditions are getting worse for them, not better...
Trade
U.S. staring contest with Japan stretches out Pacific trade pact   Reuters  ...A standoff between the United States and Japan is holding up talks on a sweeping Pacific free trade pact and a lack of authority to push an eventual deal through the U.S. Congress without amendment may be undercutting Washington's hand...
How TPP Would Harm You at the Drug Store and on the Internet  Truthout   ...A law affecting content on the Internet that was rejected by Congress shows up in a trade agreement designed to bypass and override Congress. Small, innovative companies that manufacture low-cost, generic drugs find their products blocked...
EU-U.S. trade talks face growing hostility, ministers warn  Reuters   ...Free-trade talks between the United States and the European Union are in danger of being derailed by populist groups opposing everything from globalization to multinationals, EU ministers and business leaders said on Friday...
State Battles
Fifteen States Move to Curb Reckless Outsourcing  In the Public Interest   ...Lawmakers in Iowa, Kansas and Oregon join movement to improve transparency and accountability, keep taxpayer in control of their services...
State will lose if RTW passes (Opinion)  News-Leader   ...The Missouri House may pass “Right to Work” and may override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto, but Missouri will be the loser. An example is the new Boeing passenger aircraft plant. Billions in lucrative concessions were given, but Boeing needed the skilled union workers available. Building huge passenger aircraft is entirely too risky to hire low-wage, unskilled laborers and train them to standards...
No sign of expansion at plant where UAW dealt loss   Associated Press   ...Friday marks the end of the two-week period within which U.S. Sen. Bob Corker promised Volkswagen would announce another line at its factory in Tennessee if workers there rejected representation by the United Auto Workers union...
Walker Supporter Says Governor Needs To 'Tell The Truth' About Emails  Wisconsin Public Radio   ...Seymer calls it a serious violation of Wisconsin's open records law to have a campaign making these decisions...
War on Workers
Poultry workers, industry take fight to Capitol Hill over proposal to speed processing lines  Washington Post   ...Poultry workers, chicken industry lobbyists and food-safety advocates have been converging on Capitol Hill in recent weeks with dueling efforts to either boost or kill a proposal to overhaul the way the $60 billion-a-year poultry industry operates processing plants...
A Third Of America’s Most Successful Corporations Pay Less Than A 10 Percent Income Tax Rate   ThinkProgress   ...The average effective income tax rate for giant, profitable companies from 2008 to 2012 was just 19.4 percent...
Thousands More New York City Workers Will Now Get Paid Sick Days  ThinkProgress   ...The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed an expansion of paid sick days...
5 'Good' Jobs that Require Lots of Education and Training and Shockingly Pay Little More than Minimum Wage  AlterNet   ...You will never guess which highly skilled professions pay poverty wages...
Medical Marijuana Workers Have The Same Labor Rights As Everyone Else, Feds Say  Huffington Post   ...The next time a pot shop gets a visit from the feds, it won't necessarily be from drug enforcement agents looking to shut the operation down. It might just come from workplace regulators making sure that labor laws are being followed...
Miscellaneous
Bank Allegedly Neglects Foreclosed Houses In Black And Latino Neighborhoods  ThinkProgress   ...Housing discrimination advocates filed a complaint against a fourth major bank for failing to maintain foreclosed homes in non-white neighborhoods...
U.S. Retail Chains See First Profit Decline Since Recession  Bloomberg   ...The results paint a grim picture of an industry hit hard by the sluggish job recovery and slow wage growth, which have turned U.S. consumers into a nation of penny pinchers...
Gold Fix Study Shows Signs of Decade of Bank Manipulation  Bloomberg   ...The London gold fix, the benchmark used by miners, jewelers and central banks to value the metal, may have been manipulated for a decade by the banks setting it, researchers say...
Citigroup reports fraud in Mexico unit, lowers 2013 results  Reuters   ... Citigroup Inc (C.N) said on Friday that it has discovered at least $400 million in fraudulent loans in its Mexico subsidiary and said employees may have been in on the crime...
Poorly Regulated, High-Speed 'Bomb Trains' Are One Crash Away from Devastating Towns in NYC Suburbs  AlterNet   ...Few residents of the city's bucolic 'burbs know of the huge risks whirring by at top speeds...
NSA surveillance hurting tech firms' business  USA Today   ...The National Security Agency, and revelations about its extensive surveillance operations — sometimes with the cooperation of tech firms — have undermined the ability of many U.S. companies to sell products in key foreign countries, creating a fissure with the U.S. government and prompting some to scramble to create "NSA-resistant" products...
Swiss Bank That Facilitated U.S. Tax Evasion Continues To Avoid Prosecution  Real News   ...Although Credit Suisse helped ultra-wealthy Americans evade taxes, the bank will face no prosecution due to Swiss bank secrecy laws and a heedless U.S. Justice department...

Today's Teamster News 02.01.14

Teamsters, techies, tens of thousands take action against Fast Track in intercontinental day of action  TeamsterNation   ...More than 50 rallies, teach-ins and news conferences are being held on the North American continent, from Edmonton, Canada, to Mexico City. By mid-afternoon, social media drove more than 12,000 phone calls and hundreds of thousands of emails to the U.S. Congress...
Anti-TPP Rally in San Francisco Pressures Pelosi to Take Bolder Stance  IndyBay   ...Protester numbers swelled during a march down Market Street, eventually reaching an estimated 500...One arrested as Teamsters protest Highway 101 project  The Press Democrat   ...The picketers were protesting the delivery of the concrete by Superior Supplies Inc., a company whose drivers they said are not in the Teamsters union. They were striking to encourage the company to allow its employees to be represented by the union, Teamsters Local 665 President Ralph Miranda said... 
Black History Is Teamster History  teamster.org   ...The contributions of black members to the success of the Teamsters Union are numerous, varied and as old as the union itself. Black team drivers attended the first Convention in 1903 and were active in all aspects of the union from the beginning. That commitment remains strong today...
Teamsters Local 657 to Host Training for Pipeline Construction Workers  teamster.org  ...The Teamsters National Pipeline Training Fund in collaboration with Teamsters Local 657 will sponsor a Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) training program on Feb. 16 in Brownswood, Texas...
Report Opens Way to Approval for Oil Pipeline  New York Times   ...The State Department released a report on Friday concluding that the Keystone XL pipeline would not substantially worsen carbon pollution, leaving an opening for President Obama to approve the politically divisive project...
Hated on the Left, the TPP Draws Conservative Foes  Trade Reform   ...the American Jobs Alliance and the United States Business and Industry Council—pro-business groups wary of trade’s impact on America’s national interests—joined with Tea Party Nation and the socially conservative Eagle Forum to rail against the TPP...
Walmart warns: Food stamp cuts hurt our profits  Raw Story   ...Walmart Friday said bad weather and cuts in food stamp support for the poor weighed on US sales and would hit earnings for its November-January fourth quarter...
America's Shopping Malls Are Dying A Slow, Ugly Death  Business Insider   ...Traffic-driving anchors like Sears and JCPenney are shutting down stores, and mall owners are having a hard time finding retailers large enough to replace them...
Corporate welfare costs more than pension obligations  Washington Post ...states often spend more on tax breaks and subsidies for businesses than funding their ... pension plans...
Goldman Awards Blankfein $14.7 Million in Stock Bonus  New York Times   ...Goldman Sachs’s board granted its chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, restricted shares worth $14.7 million as part of his pay package for 2013, according to a filing made public on Thursday..,
The Greedy Leading the Greedy - Multimillionaire Former Johnson and Johnson CEO Approved Huge Compensation for JP Morgan Chase CEO After Company Paid $20 Billion in Legal Settlements  Health Care Renewal   ...The current compensation set by the board of directors of JP Morgan Chase for CEO Jamie Dimon, $20 million a year, has attracted some attention ... especially given the contrast between his raise and the $20 billion or so the company had to pay out last year in settlements of allegations of unethical practices...
NY Judge Approves $8.5 Billion Bank of America Mortgage Settlement  Money News   ...A New York judge on Friday approved most of the $8.5 billion Bank of America settlement over investor losses from mortgage-backed securities ... Critics of the settlement had argued that it represented only a fraction of the losses...
Billionaires Attempt To Convince Society That They Are The Good Guys  In These Times   ...America’s rich see themselves as victims of Nazi-like persecution...
Koch-Tied Groups Funded GOP Effort to Mess With Electoral College Rules  Mother Jones   ...Last election season, a shadowy nonprofit pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into a campaign to change how electoral votes are counted...
Amazon wants to send stuff before you order it. Are other retailers doomed?  Washington Post   ...A couple weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal happened upon a 27-page patent for what Amazon.com calls "anticipatory" or "speculative" shipping, which sounds insane. Here's how it works, in a nutshell...
Reinhart and Rogoff: Great Recession may "surpass in severity" the Great Depression in many Countries  Calculated Risk   ...The policies of austerity in Europe have failed miserably and many countries there are experiencing a worse slump than during the Depression (austerity in the US has held back the recovery too...
Illinois company fires woman hours after learning she has cancer  New York Daily News   ...A Chicago-area women is filing a disability discrimination lawsuit, claiming her boss gave her the boot after realizing she’d have to take significant time off for cancer treatments...

Screw U: How For-Profit Colleges Rip You Off  Mother Jones   ...The for-profit college industry makes a killing while handing out expensive degrees that fizzle in the real world...
Where are the jobs? Indiana job numbers still don't add up  WTHR.com   ... Indiana is keeping secrets about hundreds of projects, thousands of missing jobs and millions in taxpayer dollars used to pay for them...
Appeals court allows secret probe into recall elections to proceed  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The unanimous decision by the Madison-based 4th District Court of Appeals panel is a victory for prosecutors and comes just three weeks after they faced a separate setback by the judge overseeing the investigation. That earlier ruling quashed subpoenas to conservative groups supporting Gov. Scott Walker...
RI lawmakers want to stop banks from evicting tenants in foreclosed properties  Associated Press   ...Two Rhode Island lawmakers are sponsoring legislation to make it harder for banks to evict tenants from foreclosed properties...
Repeal of prevailing wage law would result in a weakened economy, University researchers say  The Daily Illini   ...Pressure from increasing state budget deficits, as well as debt from underfunded pensions, have caused critics to call for the repeal of Illinois’ prevailing wage law for government construction projects. However ... Illinois’ prevailing wage law creates many positive economic and social impacts, and repealing it would not result in any considerable savings for taxpayers or the state...
States Are Feeling the Pinch from Lost Unemployment Revenues  teamster.org   ...more than $1.76 billion has been stripped from state economies across the U.S. since the GOP denied the extension of unemployment insurance...

Today's Teamster News 01.22.14

Local Union Leaders Endorse YRCW Tentative Agreement  teamster.org   ...Yesterday, leaders from Teamster local unions that represent workers at YRC Worldwide Inc. overwhelmingly recommended to approve a tentative agreement and to send it out to the members for a vote...
Meet the New Kochs: The DeVos Clan's Plan to Defund the Left  Mother Jones   ...They beat Big Labor in its own backyard. Next up: your state?...
Labor Finds an Unlikely Savior in Scalia  In These Times...On Tuesday morning, something curious happened at the Supreme Court: Justice Antonin Scalia gave a full-throated defense of public-sector unions. The case, Harris v. Quinn, involves the narrow question of whether or not Illinois home healthcare workers are public employees and if they are permitted to join public-sector unions...
In Memphis, Locked-Out Kellogg Workers Evoke MLK’s Legacy   In These Times   ...Union workers picket outside Kellogg's Memphis plant after being locked out for refusing to accept lower pay and more part-time positions..
This Deep Red State Could Be Next To Have Paid Family Leave  ThinkProgress   ...On Thursday, a group of Nebraska state Senators introduced a package of legislation aimed at helping the state’s workers, including a measure that would create a paid family leave program…
Corporations Hoard Cash While Americans Go Without A Job  Economic Populist   ...The amount of cash multinational corporations are stashing is at an all time high and economists are wondering why...
Five big questions about the massive chemical spill in West Virginia  Washington Post   ...A closer look at what the Elk River spill says about America’s outdated chemical-safety laws...
What I Learned from a Week on Food Stamps: Paul Ryan Couldn’t Be Any More Wrong  The Salon   ...Republicans have their sights set on food-stamp cuts that would devastate lower-income Americans...
Surge In Homeless Deaths Expected Over Next Decade Unless We Act  ThinkProgress   ...Hundreds of thousands of homeless people could die over the next decade as the homeless population in the United States grows older but continues to lack access to proper housing, food, or medical care...
Foreclosure Settlement Still Failing 700,000 Families One Year Later  Huffington Post   ...One year after federal bank regulators pledged that a nearly $10 billion legal settlement would quickly deliver cash to foreclosure abuse victims, hundreds of thousands of people are still checking their mailboxes each day, only to find them empty...

Today's Teamster News 09.12.13

Teamsters at Sunsweet Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract  teamster.org   ...Teamsters who work at the world’s largest dried fruit processing plant are now at work, under a strong contract that resulted from their solidarity...
Teamsters General President: Is Michigan Next In Expressing Outrage Over Trade?   Teamster.org   ...Michigan in the last month has seen its fair share of low-wage workers walk off the job to protest pay and working conditions. But those demonstrations pale in comparison to what is going on a continent away in Colombia. And U.S. policymakers should take notice...
Township Council Talks Teamster Contract  Brick Patch   ...The Township Council of Brick, New Jersey, has introduced an ordinance related to Teamsters Local 469 salaries, after months of negotiations...
Rick Smith Show: NJ Governor Turns Back On Workers  Rick Smith Show   ...Labor radio host Rick Smith interviews Fred Potter, International Vice President and Director of the Teamsters Port Division, about New Jersey Governor Christie’s veto of pro-worker legislation...
Commercial Drivers: Pipeline CSA Training To Be Held In Atlanta, Sept. 29  teamster.org   ...The Teamsters National Pipeline Training Fund in collaboration with Teamsters Local 528 and 728 will sponsor a Compliance, Safety and Accountability training program on September 29 for all commercial drivers...
Detroit trash-hauling gets 10 bidders; city to review proposals  Detroit Free Press   ...Detroit city officials will begin reviewing proposals this week to privatize trash collection, an initiative emergency manager Kevyn Orr says will save about $15 million annually and improve services to residents...
Gleason to Lead Legal Team at Teamsters Local 1224  Teamsters Local 1224    …The Airline Professionals Association (APA), Teamsters Local 1224 announced the addition of a new member to lead its legal team at Teamsters Local 1224. Edward Gleason joins Teamsters Local 1224 as Chief Counsel...
Pay Gap Between 1 Percent And Everybody Else Reaches Widest Point Since 1920s  Associated Press   ...The gulf between the richest 1 percent and the rest of America is the widest it's been since the Roaring '20s...
Government Policy Gave Us Inequality, not the Market  Center for Economic and Policy Research   ... we have a totally corrupt system of corporate governance in which CEOs select and pay off directors to look the other way as they pilfer the company by taking outlandish pay packages. Governments write the rules of corporate governance, not markets...
How the 1 percent won the recovery, in one table  Washington Post   ...While only 49 percent of the decline in incomes during the recession was born by the top 1 percent (whose income share fell to 18.1 percent due to the recession), 95 percent of income gains since the recovery started have gone to them...
Exclusive: The Koch brothers' secret bank  Politico   ...It raised $256 million in the year after its creation in November 2011, the document shows. And it made grants of $236 million — meaning a totally unknown group was the largest sugar daddy for conservative groups in the last election, second in total spending only to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, which together spent about $300 million...
Polish unionists march to demand labor security  Associated Press   ...Thousands of Polish labor union members marched through Warsaw in the rain Wednesday, sounding sirens, throwing smoke grenades and blowing whistles in a protest against government labor policy and pension system reform and to demand higher pay...
How Cigarette Companies Use Free Trade Deals To Sell To Women And Kids  Quartz   ...Global trade negotiations in Washington this week will determine how cigarette companies will be able to market their products in developing nations—and potentially, overturn smoking restrictions around the world...
Walmart’s sales are down: What does that say about the economy?  Salon   ...For the first time in quite a long time, things may not be looking too great for our favorite mega retailer, Walmart. NBC News reports that Walmart has experienced a decrease in sales as well as a “cautious outlook for the rest of the year.” Wal-Mart blamed this drop on essentially everything under the sun except people not wanting to shop at their stores...
Sallie Mae Becomes 50th Corporation To Dump ALEC  Think Progress   ...After months of protests by student groups, SLM Corporation (the student loan company commonly known as Sallie Mae) acknowledged Saturday that it has dropped its membership in the conservative, corporate-backed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)...
Deval Patrick backtracks on tech tax  Boston Globe   ...Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick abruptly changed course Tuesday and said he no longer supports a controversial new tax on computer software services that has triggered a fierce backlash from the state’s technology community and spawned numerous attempts to repeal it...
Biz Journal Ranks Govs by Job Growth in Office: Walker 40th / Would Have 51K More Jobs if WI Kept Pace with US Average  Uppity Wisconsin   ...every Democratic governor in the country ranks ahead of Walker in job growth...
WI Senate Fast-Tracks Bill to Close Forest to Benefit Out-of-State  Mining Firm  Center for Media and Democracy   ...A controversial out-of-state mining company is closer to gaining control over a 3,600-acre swath of publicly available forest near where it is planning a massive open-pit iron ore mine in Northern Wisconsin...

Today's Teamster News 08.24.13

UPS Teamsters Not Impacted By Company Decision To Eliminate Spousal Coverage  IBT   ...UPS announced a change in its health care coverage for spouses of nonunion employees. Going forward, UPS will not cover spouses of nonunion employees who are eligible for employer coverage at their workplace. This decision does not impact the health care coverage of Teamsters at UPS...
Teamster school administrators ratify 3.1% hike in contract  The Montana Standard   ...The Butte school district’s 15 administrators, who are members of Teamsters Local 2, ratified a contract offer that provides a 3.1 percent wage hike in 2013-14, and a 1.5 percent increase in 2014-15...
Organizational Skills for Office Managers Scheduled for November 6-8  IBT   ...The IBT Training and Development Department will conduct a TLA for Teamster office managers and key administrative staff, November 6-8, 2013, at the International Headquarters in Washington, D.C...
Allied Bankruptcy Hearing Postponed By the Court to September 10   IBT   ...A hearing before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Allied Systems’ bankruptcy case that was scheduled for Thursday, August 22, has been postponed by the court to noon Tuesday, September 10...
March on Washington: Throngs to attend events, mark 'I Have a Dream' anniversary  CNN   ...Saturday's event begins with speeches before a march past the King Memorial, where an image of the slain civil rights leader now stands immortalized in granite...
Mass. Sen. Elizabeth Warren targets DOJ settlements with banks over forged documents and illegal practices  Global Dispatch   ...Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) calls the latest deal “settling cheap” in her letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, questioning whether a major government settlement with the nation’s largest mortgage companies is a “timid enforcement strategy.”...
Walmart's Latest Scheme to Replace the Middle Class With an Underclass Forced to Buy its Shoddy Goods  AlterNet    ...Almost 30 years ago, as the U.S. was bleeding jobs, Walmart launched a "Buy America" program and started hanging "Made in America" signs in its 750 stores. It was a marketing success, cementing the retailer's popularity in the country's struggling, blue-collar heartland. A few years later, NBC's Dateline revealed the program to be a sham...
Fired Walmart Workers Arrested at Rally Announcing Labor Day Deadline  The Nation   ...Nine fired workers and a current employee were arrested around 2:30 pm Thursday after locking arms and sitting in front of the entrance to a Washington, D.C. Walmart office...
Banks shed thousands of jobs as housing market improves  Los Angeles Times   ...Six years after the mortgage meltdown, delinquencies and foreclosures are way down. That's great for borrowers and bank balance sheets, but bad for bank workers — who are now being laid off by the thousands...
Boeing’s Wage-Slashing Move to SC Backfires as Company Can’t Meet 787 Production Demand  We Party Patriots   ...When Boeing left Washington for South Carolina in order to suppress the wages of its workers, it also left behind the quality work that had been provided by a highly skilled, union workforce. Now, that union-busting is backfiring as productivity has dropped immensely and Boeing is unable to meet their 787 Dreamliner production goals...
Keeping a Massive Trade Deal Out of the Fast Lane  The Nation   ...Congress itself hasn’t heard much about the TPP; the negotiating process has been characterized by extreme secrecy and the Obama administration has denied repeated calls from legislators to make the process more transparent, while pressing to finalize the agreement this year...
Louisiana businessman sentenced in Afghanistan kickback scheme  Associated Press   ...He kidnapped an Indian businessman in South Sudan, but got off. Now he’s been found guilty of demanding $60,000 in kickbacks for approving a $3.2m award to an American company for construction in Afghanistan. His sentence? 10 months in the federal slammer...
Fight Against ‘Right-to-Work’ Not Over in Michigan  In These Times   ...Last December, Gov. Rick Snyder outraged unions and progressives when he abruptly signed two bills into law making Michigan the 24th so-called "right-to-work" state. The laws allow workers to get union benefits without paying mandatory union membership dues. Organized labor has widely decried right-to-work laws as dangerous to unions and ultimately detrimental to all workers...
Sen. Jon Erpenbach goes to bat for Capitol protesters  The Cap Times   ..."I would suggest that you abandon the current permit policy, and stop the arrests of noon-time singers," Erpenbach writes. "Because if the goal was eliminating the singing — your policy is producing the direct opposite..."
Chicago Midway Airport Privatization Deal Could Negatively Affect Workers, residents  Progress Illinois   ...Privatization plans for Chicago Midway Airport could negatively affect both nearby residents as well as airport workers, according to Alderman Michael Zalewski (23rd), who is concerned about allegations that one of the two contenders for the privatization contract has a history of "union busting and black-listing."...
Quinn looking to boost minimum wage  Quad-City Times   ...Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's signing of the first of a series of increases in Illinois' minimum wage. And now, his former running mate and successor, Gov. Pat Quinn, says he wants to push the state's $8.25 per hour minimum wage higher...
Illinois receives more than $2 billion in relief from national foreclosure settlement  Rock River Times   ...Illinois Attorney General Madigan (D) reported that Illinois homeowners and assistance organizations have received more than $2 billion in total relief under the national foreclosure settlement...
Arizona and Kansas sue U.S. over voter registration law  Reuters   ...Kansas and Arizona filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government on Wednesday, seeking court approval for states to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote...
Maine group touts new plan to eliminate income tax  Associated Press   ...A conservative think tank in Maine is rolling out a new proposal to gradually phase out the state's income tax, one of the top priorities for Gov. Paul LePage's administration...

Today's Teamster News 07.15.13

Low-income U.S. students getting less college aid than better off ones: study  Reuters   ...Low-income students are increasingly bypassed when colleges offer applicants financial aid, as schools compete for wealthier students who can afford rising tuition and fees, according to a public policy institute's analysis of U.S. Department of Education data...
Prisoners Stage Hunger Strikes Worldwide  The Real News   ...30,000 California prisoners on hunger-strike find solidarity from Guantanamo Bay to the occupied territories of Palestine...
The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe (opinion)  The Telegraph   ...Europe’s debt-crisis strategy is near collapse. The long-awaited recovery has failed to take wing...
Brazil's Major Unions Join Movement for First Time, Strike in 150 Cities  Free Speech TV   ...After a month with plenty of demonstrations, when more than a million people reached the streets to protest and obtained important political and social achievements, such as the investment of a full 100 percent of oil revenue in education and health, today was the first day that workers paralyzed the country and joined the demonstrations...
Teachers' unions call further strikes in pay row  The Guardian   ...Teachers are to stage a one-day national walkout in the autumn in an ongoing row over pay, pensions and workload...
To Rescue Local Economies, Cities Seize Underwater Mortgages Through Eminent Domain  The Nation   ...In Richmond, California, home prices plummeted 58 percent since their peak. Now the city is trying out a new way to help homeowners refinance—and halt the slide into foreclosure...
'Moral Monday' crowd to rally for women's rights  WRAL.com   ...The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP says Monday's protest at the state legislative building will focus on the rights and leadership of women...
New right-to-work laws might cloud state contract talks  Lansing State Journal   ...Before negotiators even approach a bargaining table later this summer, state officials and the unions that represent 36,000 state workers are still at odds over one key issue: Do Michigan’s new right-to-work laws apply to civil service employees?...
Group Works To Get Enough Signatures To Put Right To Work On The Ballot  NBC4   ...Supporters of making Ohio a Right to Work state gathered for a discussion Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Columbus...
Retirees hit hard in Kasich’s budget  Plunderbund   ...Kasich’s budget shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto those who are lower income or on fixed incomes – especially retirees...

Today's Teamster News 07.03.13

Unemployment Rate Still Above 10% in 27 US Metro Areas  Wall Street Journal   ...Eleven of these areas were in California, the country’s most-populous state, which continues to grapple with fallout from the housing-market downturn...
Don't Blame Unemployment Insurance for Our Jobs Crisis  The Atlantic   ...there's no evidence that long-term unemployment benefits have discouraged the long-term unemployed from taking jobs -- because they can't get jobs to begin with...
Dutch pension group halts Wal-Mart investments over low wages and working conditions  Reuters   ...Wal-Mart “was not prepared” to take concerns about what PGGM called “tense” U.S. labor relations into consideration and its board was not willing to participate in “fruitful dialogues” with shareholders, PGGM said in a statement...
Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket  ABA Journal   ... John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree ... lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable ...But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket...
Big U.S. Companies Pay 12.6 Percent Average Tax Rate  Reuters   ...As corporate lobbyists seek to preserve business tax breaks and cut the corporate tax rate, the Government Accountability Office said big companies with earnings paid just 12.6 percent of their worldwide income in taxes in 2010...
To Restore the American Dream, Restore the Promise of American Labor Law (opinion)  Roll Call   ...Republican Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon recognized the important work of the NLRB and worked with union leaders and other representatives of organized labor as did Democratic Presidents Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy...
Banks Are Finding New Ways To Saddle Low-Wage Workers With Fees  Think Progress   ...Low-wage workers are increasingly getting their wages in prepaid cards that hit them with fees. According to the Times, the largest American companies have done away with direct deposit and paper paychecks in favor of prepaid cards that require employees to withdraw cash from ATM machines...
Playing politics with prison  Oklahoma Gazette   ...Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and Oklahoma’s governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take their money...
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China  Reuters   ...Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed two bills on Tuesday that would have would have cleared the way for foreign ownership of farmland and potentially eliminated obstacles to Smithfield Foods Inc.'s planned $4.7 billion purchase by a Chinese company...
Christie conditionally vetoes bill to create state program to buy foreclosed properties  Burlington County Times   ...A controversial housing bill intended to help reduce New Jersey’s glut of foreclosed homes was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for a third time...
Protesters: Keep Social Security Unchained  New Haven Independent ...Manny Gomez worked for Winchester Repeating Arms for 44 years, paying into social security with each paycheck. Now at 84 he can’t afford to live off his social security check, he said. And he can’t afford a proposed change to calculating the federal retirement benefit...
Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange  OHS Canada   ...Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed...
Rhode Island Senate passes minimum-wage increase  Providence Journal   ...A bill that raises Rhode Island's minimum wage by 25 cents, to $8 an hour, cleared the state Senate on Monday night and is headed for the governor's signature...
Hawaii gov signs domestic workers bill   Associated Press   ...Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights Monday, making Hawaii the second U.S. state to give nannies, housekeepers and others protections on wages and other labor issues...
North Carolina’s Deep Cut to Jobless Benefits Takes Effect Amid Protests  New York Times   ...North Carolina’s sharp cuts in benefits to the unemployed went into effect this week, amid a swelling public outcry...
Report: Property values dropped, taxes didn't  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Total property values in southeastern Wisconsin dropped 5% in 2012, but municipal and school district property tax levies did not follow suit...
Protesters want to strike a deal  Lake County Record-Bee   ...About 30 people were on strike and will continue in Lower Lake, Lakeport and Clearlake protesting lack of raises for Paratransit employees, said Mike Yates, Business Representative of Teamsters Local 665. The Teamsters are currently in negotiations … in hopes of signing a contract and preventing further strikes...
Upper Merion School Board extends services from Teamster maintenance workers  Mainline Media News   ...The Upper Merion Area School Board in Pennsylvania adopted a “status quo” resolution between the district and Teamsters Local 384, which represents the custodial, building, and turf maintenance employees. The contract expired on June 30, and because no new agreement has been reached, the resolution stated that services provided by the employees would continue...
ABF Vote Results By Local Union  IBT   ...View the ABF vote results by local union here...
Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago  TeamsterNation   ...The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes...

Today's Teamster News 06.07.13

Federal unemployment checks to shrink by $51 next week   Chicago-Tribune   ...Those collecting extended, federal unemployment benefits will see weekly checks shrink by $51 as of June 10 because of sequestration budget cuts...
Mexico's Drug War Claims 70, 000 Lives in 6 Years  The Real News   ...Mexico's government estimates 26,000 people have gone missing since 2007 and as many as 70,000 killed in drug-related violence...
Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal  Guardian   ...Project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key shipping route...
U.S. lawmakers air concerns about Smithfield-Shuanghui deal  Reuters   ...Chinese meat company Shuanghui International's plans to buy U.S.-based pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc has some lawmakers worried the deal could create food safety issues for U.S. consumers...
Walmart's War Against Unions -- and the U.S. Laws That Make It Possible  Huffington Post   ...As Walmart workers from across the country once again converge this week on the corporation's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, one startling fact stands out: none of them, or any of the retail giant's 1.4 million workers, are represented by a union...
Senate GOP Puts Corporate Tax Loopholes Over Student Loans  Think Progress   ...After their own proposal on student loan interest rates failed, Republican senators blocked a Democratic proposal to forestall the doubling of rates for the poorest students for two years. Republicans object to the way Democrats would pay for the extension – by closing tax loopholes for oil companies, wealthy pensioners, and multinational corporations...
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World  Bloomberg BusinessWeek   ...59-year-old Joe Carcello has an annual salary of $52,700, gets five weeks of vacation a year, and is looking forward to retiring on the sizable nest egg in his 401(k), which his employer augments with matching funds. After 26 years at his company, he’s not worried about layoffs. In 2009, as the recession deepened, his bosses handed out raises. This wouldn’t be remarkable except that Carcello works in retail, one of the stingiest industries in America, with some of the most dissatisfied workers. But Carcello works at Costco...
Bustos makes push to have U.S. government only purchase flags made in USA  Rock River Times   ...U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., continued her push for American jobs by fighting to ensure all American flags are made in America by offering an amendment, which passed by a bipartisan voice vote, to the FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2217)...
Unions fight Koch brothers' bid to buy the public square  AFT News   ...Union members are mobilizing against the potential sale of the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and other print, electronic and online media assets held by Tribune Co., to billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, two of the most virulent anti-worker voices in the nation...
Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge  Washington Post   ...The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets...
Verizon provides all call records to U.S. under court order   Washington Post   ...The National Security Agency appears to be collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of American customers of Verizon, one of the nation’s largest phone companies, under a top-secret court order issued in April...
Fed index ranks Wisconsin 49th in economic outlook  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ... the Leading Index is also the most recent report that suggests that Wisconsin is struggling in comparison with other states...
$1,480 checks going out to more than 72,000 foreclosed Floridians  Sun Sentinel   ...More than 72,000 eligible Floridians who lost their homes to foreclosure from 2008 to 2011 will receive $1,480 from the landmark mortgage settlement involving the nation's five largest mortgage lenders, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced...
MV Transportation Puts Paratransit Services, Public at Risk  Teamsters Local 727   ...Paratransit services in Cook County could be suspended starting next week because MV Transportation is on the cusp of forcing a work stoppage...
NMB Approves US Airways Election to Move Forward  IBT   ...On June 6, the National Mediation Board (NMB) announced that the Teamsters Union has a showing of interest (sufficient authorization cards) and will be scheduling an election soon. This is a huge step forward in our campaign to win a more secure future as Teamsters at the world’s largest airline...
First Transit Workers Join Teamsters  Teamsters Local 727   ... Dispatchers and call takers at First Transit have voted unanimously to join the Teamsters Union...

Today's Teamster News 06.05.13

Low-wage workers seek Obama’s help  Washington Post   ...This week the Obama administration plans to ask Congress to amend the law so the government will not have to reimburse companies almost $1 million for the salaries of individual executives who work on government projects...
The Latest Report On Medicare Shows The Program Is Getting Stronger  ThinkProgress   ...The Medicare Trustees had great news for American seniors on Friday: the program’s solvency has been extended for two full years past what the trustees predicted in 2012...
IMF says US cutting spending too much too fast  Associated Press   ...The International Monetary Fund chief criticized the U.S. on Tuesday for cutting back government spending too much too fast, saying it was taking a toll on growth in one of the world's main economic engines...
US proposes labeling some banks threats  Associated Press   ...Federal regulators have proposed that a group of firms that aren't banks be deemed potential threats to the financial system that need stricter government oversight. Big insurers American International Group Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc., and General Electric Co.'s finance arm GE Capital...
Protesters Hit Bentonville Ahead of Wal-Mart's Annual Meeting  Arkansas Business   ...The national organization "Our Walmart" staged its rally today in Bentonville. Reps tell us one of their goals is to encourage the world's largest retailer to raise minimum salaries for associates...
Locked doors a sign of China work-safety failings  Associated Press   ...A fire breaks out in a Chinese factory, and panicked workers discover one exit after another is locked. That describes not only the poultry plant fire that killed 119 people Monday, but a toy-factory blaze that left 87 workers dead 20 years earlier...
'Chained CPI' hurts senior citizens (opinion)  Journal News   ...Here we go again! We’re going to balance the budget on the backs of senior citizens who had little to do with the present national debt, while corporate America enjoys massive subsidies and tax loopholes...
Elizabeth Warren Calls for Grassroots Movement on Student Loan Debt  Mother Jones   ...Over the past decade, student loan debt has nearly quadrupled, and now stands close to $1 trillion. On July 1, rates for federal need-based student loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The deadline has lawmakers scrambling for a fix...
Union backers protest Ohio right-to-work bill  NewsNet5   ...Hundreds showed up Tuesday at the Ohio Statehouse, where the first -- and probably the last -- hearing was being held on right-to-work legislation proposed by Republican state Reps. Kristina Roegner and Ron Maag...
Protesters Crowd Legislature For Fifth 'Moral Monday'  WUNC 91.5 ...151 people were arrested at the General Assembly Monday night. It was the fifth “Moral Monday” demonstration at the legislature, and it was the largest yet...
Foreclosed NH homeowners to get settlement checks  Associated Press   ...More than 4,000 New Hampshire residents who lost their homes to foreclosure will receive checks this month as part of the $26 billion national mortgage settlement involving five of the nation’s largest lenders...
Enterprise zones under fire in Sacramento  KGO-TV   ...The financial perk designed to attract businesses to troubled neighborhoods is under fire in Sacramento. Under this program, even strip clubs qualify for tax breaks for hiring in economically depressed areas. As much as $37,400 per employee can be claimed even though many jobs are barely above minimum wage...
Cd'A board supports anti-union resolution  Coeur d'Alene Press ...School trustees in Coeur d'Alene on Monday voted unanimously to, as a board, support the Idaho School Boards Association's efforts to lobby state lawmakers for legislation that would tighten Idaho's right to work statute in the state's schools...
Connecticut Truck Safety Crackdown Underway  WTIC News Talk 1080   ...Once again, Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles is conducting a three-day truck safety enforcement campaign...
This Is What Killing Democracy Looks Like: Ryan Wherley on WI AB225  Monologues of Dissent   ...The bill introduced by Jeff Stone is straight out of the ALEC playbook and an all-out, full-frontal assault on democracy...
Unionized liquor store clerks cheer Ferlo opposition to Corbett privatization plan  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review   ...To cheers of union workers in the crowd, Democratic Sen. Jim Ferlo on Tuesday delivered a tongue-lashing to the Corbett administration for pushing liquor privatization...

Today's Teamster News 05.28.13

Cambodia: Protest at Factory for Nike  Reuters   ...At least 23 workers were hurt in Cambodia on Monday after the police clashed with workers protesting wages at a factory that makes clothing for Nike, a union representative said...
Fashion retailer issues recall after finding radioactive material in belts  The Verge   ..."the incident is quite a common occurrence. India and the far east are large consumers of scrap metal," and during the refining process "radioactive sources are sometimes accidentally melted at the same time."...
Groups Targeted by I.R.S. Tested Rules on Politics  New York Times   ...a close examination of these groups and others reveals an array of election activities that tax experts and former I.R.S. officials said would provide a legitimate basis for flagging them for closer review...
Canadian Federal Court confirms the country’s 2011 election was Fraudulent  The European Union Times   ...The court emphasized in a Thursday ruling that it has found in no uncertain terms that widespread election fraud took place during the vote...
 On Victory Drive, Soldiers Defeated by Debt  ProPublica   ...Seven years after Congress banned payday-loan companies from charging exorbitant interest rates to service members, many of the nation's military bases are surrounded by storefront lenders who charge high annual percentage rates, sometimes exceeding 400 percent...
Another Day, Another Walmart Class Action Employee Lawsuit  About.com   ...This month, Walmart (WMT) found itself on the defending end of another massive employee class action suit in California when a California judge certified a class of 10,000 employees who think Walmart broke the law when it refused to provide suitable seating for its cashiers who requested it...
Public Unions Need to Stop Poisonous Koch Brothers From Buying Tribune Papers  AlterNet   ...They are considering buying the Tribune papers, which comprise eight major publications, including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. This would allow the Kochs to spread their right-wing nuttery even more effectively than they do now. But public unions could put a stop to this...
SC Boeing exec sends workers anti-union e-mail  Associated Press   ...The general manager of Boeing’s new plant in South Carolina has sent out an e-mail telling his workers that Boeing wants to keep the plant union free...
Rick Perry Vetoes GOP-Backed Disclosure Bill  Huffington Post   ...Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) vetoed a Republican bill Saturday that would have required nonprofits that engage in politics to disclose their donors...
Union-backed pension plan saves more than thought, Democrats say  Gatehouse News Service   ...A union-backed pension reform plan will cut the state of Illinois’pension debt by more than $9 billion, Senate Democrats said...
Texas prohibits nearly 70 percent of its counties from having a fire code  Dallas Morning News   ...Despite the lessons from the West Fertilizer Co. fire and explosions about the value of fire prevention, site security and safe storage of dangerous goods, Texas prohibits nearly 70 percent of its counties from having a fire code...
Texas State Legislature approves drug tests for unemployment benefits  Daily Caller   ...The Texas State Legislature approved a bill that would require workers who lose their job to pass a drug screening in order to receive unemployment benefits Saturday, according to news reports...
The latest WEDC revelations help explain Wisconsin's poor performance  The Isthmus   ...How much evidence do we need that Gov. Scott Walker's pro-corporate, anti-government rhetoric adds up to a whole lot of freebies for his cronies and absolutely nothing in terms of actually creating jobs?...
Montana using mortgage settlement funds to battle foreclosure  Independent Record   ...When Montana received nearly $6 million from a $25 billion national settlement with the nation’s five largest banks — a result of their shady mortgage practices — the state tucked away its share of the funding to help homeowners address the threat of foreclosure...
Privatization review bill shelved by Louisiana Senate committee  Times-Picayune   ...A bill requiring a more thorough review of privatization plans was shot down by a Louisiana Senate committee Monday. The measure, opposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration, had already received unanimous approval of the state House...

Today's Teamster News 02.15.13

U.S. Grant Funded Workers' Play at LG Chem Factory  Wall Street Journal   ...The Obama administration's electric car efforts took another hit on Wednesday after a federal inspection found a South Korean advanced battery maker never scaled up U.S. production despite receiving $142 million in federal grants...
Wall Street wins again  Salon   ...The secret truth: There never was a “task force” dedicated to ferreting out mortgage fraud...
Euro-Area Economy Shrinks Most Since Depths of Recession  Bloomberg   ...The euro-area recession deepened more than economists forecast with the worst performance in almost four years as the region’s three biggest economies suffered slumping output....
New law credited with 'eye-popping' drop in California foreclosures  Ventura County Star   ...Foreclosure activity in California and Ventura County took a dramatic tumble in January as the state’s new Homeowner Bill of Rights kicked in...
Gas, Diesel Fuel Prices Continue to Rise  USAgNet   ...The U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline increased seven cents to $3.61 per gallon, up nine cents from last year at this time...The national average diesel fuel price increased eight cents to $4.10 per gallon, 16 cents higher than last year at this time...
Brewers of Corona and Budweiser revise buyout to appease US regulators  Associated Press   ...Anheuser-Busch InBev changed the terms of its proposed $20.1 billion acquisition of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo Thursday in an attempt to push through a deal...Regulators are leery of the tie-up because AB InBev and Modelo control about 46 percent of annual U.S. sales...
Fat-Cat Pay Makes Swiss So Mad Wages Face National Vote  Bloomberg   ...With more than 100,000 Swiss citizens having signed a petition to limit “fat-cat” pay, voters will decide at a March 3 referendum whether top executives should have their compensation set by shareholders...
Minimum Wage Would Be $21.72 If It Kept Pace With Productivity: Study  Huffington Post   ...While advancements in technology have increased the amount of goods and services that can be produced in a set amount of time, wages have remained relatively flat, the study points out...
How Labor Made US Airways, AMR Merger Happen  Forbes   ...the turning point in the merger effort may have come on April 20, 2012 when US Airways said it had gathered support from American’s three major unions for its effort to merge with American...
Ohio unions rally against outsiders doing pipeline construction  Akron Beacon Journal   ...Four building trades associated with pipeline construction will be holding a job action in Ohio's Carroll County early today where WillBros Inc., a company from over 1,300 miles away in Houston, TX is performing work...
Maine Lawmaker Proposes to Ban Union Campaign Contributions  Maine Public Broadcasting   ...a Republican lawmaker says it's a conflict of interest for public workers unions to contribute to candidates for state office, and has submitted legislation to prohibit the practice...
Kane rejects Pa. lottery contract, citing constitutional grounds  Philly.com   ...Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane rejected the Corbett administration's contract with a British firm to manage the $3.5 billion Pennsylvania Lottery, saying it "contravenes the Pennsylvania constitution."...
Scott aims to cut port regulations to spur economic growth Herald-Tribune ...(Florida Gov. Rick) Scott wants to increase the maximum gross vehicle weight for cargo containers by 5,000 pounds...
Obama trade proposal threatens more Minnesota jobs  Workday Minnesota   ...“The Trans-Pacific Partnership would accelerate job loss in Minnesota by forcing local employers to compete with companies that take advantage of sweatshop working conditions in places like Vietnam and Malaysia, which are undercutting even Chinese manufacturers,” said Josh Wise, director of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition...
Justice Details ‘History Of Abusive Behavior’ At Wisconsin Supreme Court  Talking Points Memo   ...Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley ... offered details about what she called “a history of abusive behavior in our workplace that has escalated from tantrums and rages, to threats, and now to physical contact.” As early as February 2010, Bradley wrote in the document, she had emailed other justices on the court about Prosser’s “abusive temper tantrums...”
Bloomberg: NYC school bus strike is 'lost cause;' union urges him to negotiate  Staten Island Advance   ...Mayor Michael Bloomberg struck a raw nerve with his statement Thursday that the ongoing school bus strike is a "lost cause." The president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, representing the striking workers, blasted Bloomberg over the remark...

Today's Teamster News 02.02.13

As U.S. Growth Lags, Some Press the Fed to Do Still More  New York Times   ...In the five months since the Federal Reserve started a campaign to increase growth and reduce unemployment, the economy has slowed and unemployment has increased...
BP tried to manipulate gas market, alleges trader  The Guardian   ...BP faces new embarrassment in America with a court case brought by one of its former traders, who claims the company was trying to manipulate the natural gas liquids market...
Jobs report: why the recovery has stalled  Christian Science Monitor  ...employers added only 157,000 jobs in January...More jobs and faster growth should be the most important objectives now. Yet we’re moving in the opposite direction — following Europe’s sorry example of failed austerity economics...
Groundhog Day in the labor market  Economic Policy Institute  ...The labor market started out 2013 in a lackluster fashion, adding 157,000 jobs...It’s like we’re in Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” – each month we wake up to the same report...
Foreclosures decline nationally in December Los Angeles Times  ...Foreclosures declined nationally in December...The sizable 19.5% decline in foreclosure inventory, accompanied by a similar drop in completed foreclosures, should help lay a path for a faster recovery in 2013...
Florida Governor Pushes Prison Work Release Privatization Plan  Forbes  ...Though Florida Governor Rick Scott has recently said he won’t privatize state prison operations...he recently recommended that 14 of the state’s publicly operated work release centers should also go to private contractors...
Eight plead guilty in Michigan right-to-work protest  Associated Press  ...Eight people have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors after being arrested inside the state Capitol building during a December protest against passage of Michigan’s right-to-work law...
Gov. Scott Walker transfers $40,000 to legal defense fund  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  ...Gov. Scott Walker transferred $40,000 in campaign funds late last year to his legal fund set up to pay two high-priced criminal defense lawyers to represent him in the lengthy John Doe investigation...
Justice Department sues to block Anheuser-Busch InBev merger with Grupo Modelo  Washington Post  ...The Justice Department moved Thursday to block beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev from merging with Mexico’s largest maker, Grupo Modelo, arguing the deal would threaten competition and raise prices for consumers. The $20.1 billion deal would have...added Grupo Modelo’s fast-growing Corona brand to AB InBev’s sizable portfolio...
Wal-Mart’s Union Complaint Shelved by U.S. Labor Board Bloomberg ...Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) won a 60-day hiatus from picketing at its U.S. stores in a settlement between a labor union and the world’s largest retailer...
Labor Board Refuses to Halt Strike by School Bus Drivers  New York Times  ...New York’s City’s two-week-old school bus strike will continue. On Friday, officials of the National Labor Relations Board...(rejected) a complaint brought by a coalition of 20 private bus companies, which argued that the strike was illegal...
Teamsters’ complaint accuses city of retaliation, harassment  Quad-City Times  ...The Teamsters union has filed a complaint against the city of Davenport, claiming its union steward in the Public Works Department was fired in retaliation for his union activities...It also claims the city and Public Works director Mike Clarke have harassed and retaliated against city employees for their union activity by refusing to accept grievances...