VIDEO: NYC carriage drivers thank public for support

For two years, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has tried to outlaw the beloved Central Park horse carriages that have become part of the fabric of the nation's largest city. And for two years, he has failed.

In fact, he has gone as far to admit he doesn't have the votes to get it done. That is simply amazing, given how much of a priority he made putting 300 horse-carriage drivers out of work once taking office. But it a testament to the resolve of those workers and Teamsters Local 553 who have stood side-by-side to stall the effort.

That said, the success of keeping New York City's iconic carriages going couldn't have been accomplished without the public and advocates like The New York Daily News. The drivers and the union are aware of that, so they made the video above to thank supporters, city residents and others from around the world for rallying to their side.

Today's Teamster News 05.15.14

Teamsters
Hoffa: Vote Down Fast Track  Teamster.org  ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on today’s Senate vote for cloture on the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill: “By voting to move forward on the fast track legislation today, the Senate has started us down a road that may lead to the passage of a trade deal that could result in American jobs being sent overseas"...
Swift Transportation Shareholders Give Board Mandate for Second Year in a Row  Teamster.org   ...A Teamster-sponsored shareholder proposal at Swift Transportation won majority support by public shareholders at the company’s 2015 annual meeting Fri., May 8, 2015. The proposal, which calls on the board to develop a recapitalization plan to replace the current dual class stock structure with a one-share, one-vote system, received 82 percent support...
Horse Carriage Drivers Question Impartiality of Consultant Tasked to Review Effects of Ban NY1.com   ...Horse carriages still trot in Central Park, but what would the city be like if they are outlawed? That's the question City Hall hired a consultant to figure out. Its conclusions will play a key role in what promises to be a contentious floor fight in the City Council. It has the final word on the ban. But even before the report is done, horse carriage drivers are already calling foul. "It just smells bad, that's all," said Demos Demopoulos of Teamsters Local 553...
Jacksonville community gathers for D'angelo Stallworth, killed by police  Fight Back News  ...Stallworth worked at the United Parcel Service hub in Jacksonville, which is one of the three largest ground hubs for the company in the U.S. He was on medical leave from UPS when he was killed and was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Stallworth was due to return to work the following week. More than a dozen of his coworkers at UPS attended the vigil, many wearing UPS and Teamsters shirts...

Global Labor & Trade
Dems look to start Senate trade war next week  Politico  ...A coalition of Senate Democrats who’ve long opposed new trade agreements, led by Sherrod Brown of Ohio, say they are planning to throw up procedural roadblocks and offer amendments that would expand worker protections and undermine GOP support for the fast-track measure...
Senate, in Reversal, Begins Debate on Trade Authority  New York Times  ...Two days after Democratic senators blocked it, the Senate voted on Thursday to take up legislation that would grant the president negotiating freedom to complete an expansive trade accord with 11 nations on the Pacific Rim, setting off a contentious congressional debate on one of President Obama’s top priorities for his remaining time in office...
The Democratic Party Would Triangulate Its Own Mother  Rolling Stone  ...Triangulating – beating up on the ideologues within your own party in order to shore up your centrist cred and reassure your money sources – is an especially brilliant solution for Democrats targeting national office. That's surely what happened here with the TPP, a monster deal with the potential to reshape not just our trade profile but our domestic financial regulatory structure...
Senate reversal opens debate on key trade bill  Politico   ...The Senate voted Thursday to start debate on key trade legislation to “fast-track” a landmark Asia-Pacific free trade deal, reversing an embarrassing setback for President Barack Obama earlier this week and setting the stage for approval of the bill as soon as Memorial Day...
AFL-CIO chief: White House trade bill argument is ‘unadulterated horse waste’  Washington Post  ...The head of the nation's largest labor union is ramping up his rhetoric to fight President Obama's Pacific trade pact, calling a key part of the White House argument "horse waste." AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka has been speaking out against Obama's bid to win approval for a 12-nation free trade deal in the Asia Pacific region for months...
Human rights abuses in Vietnam make TPP unacceptable  (opinion) The Hill  ...Among the potential partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Vietnam is the only country that bans independent labor unions and religious groups. It’s the only country considered one of the world’s worst violators of Internet freedom. It harbors severe child labor and forced labor violators. These reasons alone should give members of Congress pause before waiving their power to amend and critically analyze trade pacts like the TPP through regular order...
Defend Workers and the Environment Before Voting Fast Track  (opinion) Huff Post  ...Fast track puts the politics exactly backward. Workers foresee that service jobs will join manufacturing jobs in the next wave of offshoring. They see a Republican Congress uninterested in supporting those who would be displaced or protecting the environment. In short, Obama and the Republicans in Congress have not made the case to American workers that trade policies under TPP and TTIP will be part of a fair, middle-class, and environmentally sustainable economy...
Major Argentine labor group calls national strike  Turkish Weekly   ...The General Labor Confederation, a leading faction of the biggest union umbrella group in Argentina, vowed Thursday to join transport workers in a national strike planned for next month. Labor tension is on the rise in Argentina as a stagnating economy and high inflation make it harder for workers to get by...

State & Living Wage Battles
Illinois House votes down right-to-work proposal  State Journal-Register  ...As expected, the Illinois House on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected Gov. Bruce Rauner's idea to allow local right-to-work zones that would let workers to opt out of paying union dues at jobs covered by unions. The House voted 0-72, with another 37 lawmakers voting "present." All 71 Democrats voted against the bill. They were joined by one Republican: Rep. Raymond Poe of Springfield...
Missouri Lawmakers Push for Right to Work Measure  FourStatesHomepage.com   ...House Bill 116 has been approved by both the House and Senate, leaving its future in the hands of the governor. There's no word when that may happen. State law allows for up to 15 days before a bill passed in session becomes law without the governor taking action...
Senate votes 22-15 to repeal prevailing wage laws  Detroit Free Press   ...The vote was derided by Democrats and some Republicans, who said the issue merely takes money out of the pockets of hardworking construction employees. Gov. Rick Snyder has expressed concern about it depressing wages at the same time he has been encouraging those looking for jobs to explore skilled trades...
Public hearings starting over minimum wage hike  WKBW.com   ...Governor Andrew Cuomo's Wage Board will soon be holding public hearing across the state. The Wage Board will hold four public hearings, where testimony will be taken. The board is looking into a possible increase in the minimum wage in the fast food industry...

U.S. Labor
Nail Salon Workers Sue Employer Over Allegedly Paying $60 A Day  Think Progress  ...Employees of a chain of nail salons in New York City filed a class-action lawsuit against the owners for allegedly paying them $60 or less a day. The suit says the salons, Nailsway, Naulo Nails, Nailsmetic and Nailscure, required plaintiffs Blanca Fernandez and Gloria Marca to work 10-hour shifts and also often denied them breaks...
NLRB says Crozer acted unfairly during September strike  Philly.com   ...The National Labor Relations Board said that Crozer Chester Medical Center management acted unfairly before, during and after a two-day strike in September involving 550 nurses in the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals. The NLRB said Wednesday that the hospital improperly interfered with informational leafletting and threatened other employees with retaliation...
Crew of nonunion ironworkers goes on unfair labor practice strike at Instafab  NW Labor Press  ...A group of young nonunion ironworkers has launched an unfair labor practice strike against their employer, Instafab Company, a steel fabrication and erection company based in Vancouver, Wash. The workers decided to take a stand against their employer after years of feeling ignored and disrespected...
UAW joins protest of Lear's pay, working conditions  Detroit Free Press  ...Hundreds of UAW members joined some workers from Lear's plant in Selma, Ala., this morning outside the supplier's Southfield headquarters to protest low wages and working conditions at the southern plant. The protest was timed to coincide with Lear's annual meeting and allow workers to directly pressure the company's CEO and its board of directors...
The Legacy of Labor Pioneer Walter Reuther  In These Times   ...At the time of his death, Reuther was not only one of the nation’s most powerful labor union leaders—especially of the progressive wing of the labor movement—but also a key figure in nearly every liberal movement, including the Civil Rights movement, and an influential member of the Democratic party’s power elite, often surpassing the influence of his labor rival, George Meany...

Miscellaneous
'We Will Not Surrender Our Voices': British Teens Lead Thousands-Strong Protest Against Austerity  Common Dreams  ...A spirited protest against austerity reportedly led by teenagers swept Bristol, England on Wednesday, drawing thousands to the streets and garnering widespread media attention just days after the country's electoral lurch to the right. The group Bristol Against Austerity put a call-out for the mobilization...
As Train Crash Death Toll Reaches 7, GOP Votes to Cut Amtrak Budget by $250M & Delay Safety Upgrades  Democracy Now  ...Just hours after the crash, the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee rejected a Democratic amendment to offer $825 million to speed up positive train control implementation. In addition, the committee voted to cut Amtrak’s budget by $250 million...

NYC carriage horses are angst-free, report finds

Opponents of the iconic New York City horse-drawn carriage industry have repeatedly told anyone who would listen that the practice is inhumane to the animals used in such work. A new report, however, proves otherwise.

A study conducted by a California-based professor specializing in equine medicine found the horses to be stress-free, even after a full day of working in Central Park. Joe Bertone, who teaches at Western University of Health Sciences, said he and his team looked at the level of cortisol in 13 carriage horses over a three-day period in August. Cortisol is a hormone produced when animals and humans are stressed.

Horses were examined four times a day, including both before and after they went out on the job. Their body temperature was checked and saliva samples were taken. And he told the New York Daily News they showed no signs of distress:

I couldn't find more content animals. They were very relaxed.

But what about all the stories about mistreated horses? Those must be true, right? No. The only ones being mistreated are 300 Teamster workers who operate these carriages and bring happiness to thousands of riders each year.

It's time to end this failed campaign, Mayor Bill de Blasio!

Today's Teamster News 02.19.15

Teamsters
Teamsters to help L.A., Long Beach truckers seek unemployment benefits if ports shut down  Press-Telegram   …The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced a plan Wednesday to aid thousands of nonunion truckers who may lose out on pay if labor strife at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach results in a work stoppage at the harbor...
Truckers To Speak About Effects Of Potential Long Beach, Los Angeles Port Shutdown  Long Beach Press Telegram   ...Officials with the Teamsters Local 848 said in a statement that 10,000 truck drivers — who are not classified as employees, but independent contractors — would be idled without pay nor benefits if the port complex shutters...
Teamsters vote to authorize a strike at Rhode Island Hospital  turnto10.com   …Hundreds of teamsters who work at Rhode Island Hospital voted Wednesday to authorize a strike. The vote by Teamsters Local 251 gives Rhode Island Hospital 10 days warning…
Cass County Board: Contract settled with Teamsters union  Brainerd Dispatch   …Cass County Board approved a two-year contract Tuesday with Teamsters General Local Union 346 representing dispatch and records personnel in the sheriff's department...
CP, Teamsters Turn To Binding Arbitration To End Strike; CN, Teamsters Reach Tentative Pact  Progressive Railroading   ...Over the three-day holiday weekend, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) launched and ended a brief strike against Canadian Pacific, while CP reached a tentative labor agreement with Unifor and CN negotiated a tentative pact with the TCRC...
Queens Councilman Eric Ulrich Says No To NYC Horse-Carriage Ban  New York Daily News   ...Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) has come off the fence on Mayor de Blasio's mission to get rid of the iconic conveyances, writing in his constituent newsletter that "after listening to all sides, and taking into account the views of my constituents, I have decided to oppose the ban." Ulrich says he "cannot, in good conscience, vote for any legislation that would deny hardworking people a chance to earn a decent living."...
Sysco Wants To Control More Than A Quarter Of Our Food Supply  KCET   ...They brought in a revenue of $44 billion in 2013. (To compare, McDonald's brought in $28 billion.) They're huge, in other words. And they don't want to stop there. They're trying to merge with their number one competitor, US Foods, which would make them even more dominant in the food industry...
Providence School Bus Strike Averted  Providence Journal   ...A potential strike by Providence school bus drivers on Monday has been averted. Patrick MacDonald, legislative director for Teamsters union Local 251, said First Student invoked a clause in its contract with the national Teamsters that calls for a 21-day cooling-off period...
Charleston County School Bus Drivers Raise Issues Of Bus Safety  Charleston Post and Courier   ...Bus driver Kathy Richardson said there are ongoing problems with buses with broken windows, broken heaters and mechanical issues....Richardson was among several bus drivers who spoke out Monday at a community forum sponsored by Rep. Wendell Gilliard and the Teamsters Local 509 of West Columbia. Many of the issues raised were regarding Durham School Services, which provides school bus transportation for Charleston County schools...
Rory D. Potter  Asbury Park Press   ...Rory was born in Pt Pleasant and was a lifelong resident. He was a Teamster Driver working out of Teamsters Local 469 as the Track Foreman at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ. Rory loved his family and his friends and was a friend to anyone he met...
Trade
OR-Sen: DFA Goes After Ron Wyden (D) On The TPP  Daily Kos   …Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is reportedly working with Republicans like Paul Ryan and Orrin Hatch to pass the TPP. Their goal: to grease the wheels to get the TPP through Congress without proper review or a chance to make any changes to the deal itself...
US lawmakers tell Japan key deal on trade promotion authority likely this spring  U.S. News   … A delegation of U.S. lawmakers say a bipartisan congressional agreement on granting President Barack Obama trade promotion authority for a pan-Pacific trade deal is likely this spring...
Trade Group Accelerates Push for a ‘Fast Track’ Deal  New York Times   …The Trade Benefits America Coalition has started a digital advertising campaign that argues in favor of a more ambitious trade agenda and pushes for legislation granting President Obama “fast track” trade negotiating authority...
Trade deal would hurt Indiana (opinion)  Indianapolis Star   …If you think those manufacturing jobs were zapped by robots or simply the victims of a globalized world, I have some magic beans for sale. There's a big reason these jobs were lost, and it's called unfair trade policies...
Press Release: Interfaith Coalition Sends Letter to All Members of Congress Opposing Trade Injustice / Fast Track  Network Lobby   …Major religious groups including Quaker, Jewish, Protestant and Catholic organizations, Catholic sisters, and clergy, today sent a letter to all Members of Congress to express strong opposition to fast track trade promotion authority for trade agreements being negotiated…
State Battles
Missouri Senate leader on the fence about 'right to work'  St. Louis Public Radio   ...Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, says he has yet to take a position on the “right-to-work’’ bill that is headed to his chamber after passing the House last week...
Senate Dems unveil jobs package; vow to block right-to-work legislation  Albuquerque Journal   …With the New Mexico House poised to act soon on a high-profile right-to-work bill, Senate Democrats said today the measure could be in for a crash landing if it reaches their chamber...
Koch brothers' group allowed to keep California donors' names secret  Bloomberg News   …A Koch brothers advocacy group can keep its donor list secret for now, with a federal judge ruling that revealing the identities would chill free speech. The ruling comes as billionaires Charles and David Koch seek to raise almost $1 billion in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election…
War on Workers
US ports shutdown: millions of dollars in lost exports as labor secretary flies in  The Guardian   ...Tom Perez heads to San Francisco to meet with shipping companies and dock workers to help settle dispute that has led to a partial shutdown of ports...
Safety tops strike demands for oil workers at BP refinery  People's World   …With the 1,100 members at the Whiting refinery and 340 at Toledo's, the total number of striking workers rose to more than 4,900, who process 13 percent of the country's oil. A full strike could stop 64 percent of oil production. The workers' demands center on health and safety issues, contracting jobs out to non-union workers and health care…
The Cost of a Decline in Unions  New York Times   … A study in the American Sociological Review, using the broadest methodology, estimates that the decline of unions may account for one-third of the rise of inequality among men...
Did the GOP Just Give Away $130 Billion of Public Property?  The Nation   …In December, two Republican senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, pushed Congress and the president into giving away what could amount to over $130 billion in public property. That’s enough to provide every single unemployed American a minimum-wage job for an entire year. That’s enough to pay for a year of tuition at a public institution for every college student in the US…
Construction Worker Killed In Portland  KOIN   ...Shortly after 5:30 p.m., an Axis Crane contractor died after a steel high beam collapsed and fell onto the cab of a piece of equipment being used in Portland, officials said...
Illinois Worker Dies Cleaning Rail Car  Law Firm News   … An industrial cleaning company has been fined after a worker collapsed while working to clean a rail car and later died due to the untreated cardiac arrhythmia he suffered...
Miscellaneous
NSA Has Ability To Hide Spying Software Deep Within Hard Drives: Cyber Researchers  Huffington Post   ...The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers, according to cyber researchers and former operatives...

Today's Teamster News 02.10.15

Teamsters
Los Angeles, Long Beach port truckers at Carson firm OK first labor contract  Press-Telegram   …After three days of bargaining, Shippers Transport Express drivers voted Sunday on a one-year contract that increased hourly wages from $18 per hour to $21 per hour retroactive to Jan. 9 when drivers voted to unionize. The deal also offers full medical insurance with 100 percent of premiums paid by the employer. The drivers, who are represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 848, will also receive paid leave, overtime after 40 hours a week, a process for filing grievances and resolving work conflict issues under their new contract, which spans from Jan. 9 to Dec. 31…
NYC Bill Banning Horse-Drawn Carriages, Film Could Have Ripple Effect In Charleston  Post and Courier   ...This summer, the debate over New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry will heat up again as a proposed law, introduced by Mayor Bill De Blasio in December 2014, is brought to city council for a vote...
Trade
Tea party, Dems join forces to put Obama’s Asia trade deal in jeopardy Washington Times ...The trade agreement that is the linchpin of President Obama’s Asia policy is in jeopardy of breaking apart because of a lack of trust on Capitol Hill on both sides of the partisan aisle, with opposition mounting from tea party Republicans and rank-and-file Democrats who don’t have faith in the president’s ability to negotiate a good deal...
Central Banks Move To Drive Down Currencies, Yielding Domino Effect  Wall Street Journal   ...The central-bank stimulus spree of 2015 has the look of a global currency war. In quick succession, countries representing about a third of the world’s economic output—from the eurozone to China, Australia and Canada—have taken steps that have driven down the value of their currencies...
Trade Deal Health Concerns MJA InSight   ...“There must be a greater degree of transparency; we can’t simply accept assurances from the government that health won’t be compromised. The specifics really matter here”, Dr Parnis told MJA InSight...
French Senate Tells TTIP Negotiators To ‘Abolish’ ISDS  EurActiv   ... Critics say the clause would limit government's ability to regulate in the public interest while supporters claim it is necessary for companies to obtain redress, especially in countries with weak judicial systems, where TTIP would set a precedent...
State Battles
Rauner exec order takes aim at unions  Associated Press   …Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner struck a first official blow on Monday against the public sector labor unions he has frequently criticized by ordering an end to a requirement that workers pay dues even if they decide not to join a union...
Don’t Say He Didn’t Warn You: Ultra-Rich Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner Spells Out Anti-Union Agenda  In These Times   ...Now that Rauner has taken office, he is staying consistent in his attack on public workers but including more private sector workers as his target. His first “state of the state” address, delivered yesterday to a legislature with both houses controlled by Democrats, was strongly anti-union and catered to conservative business groups...
Missouri House Ready To Take On 'Right to Work' Measure  St. Louis Public Radio   ...With an even larger Republican majority, the Missouri House is expected this week to take up – and possibly approve – legislation aimed at making Missouri the 25th “right-to-work” state in the country by curbing union rights...
Paycheck bills heard in House committee  Missouri Times   ...“Paycheck deception bills are promoted by ALEC and the Koch brothers all over the country,” [Crystal] Parks said. “Some extreme and out-of-touch Missouri politicians are working with these billionaires and their front groups against Missouri families. These laws would unfairly single out folks like nurses and teachers and other public workers. We need our leaders to focus on creating jobs, not more attacks on workers.”...
John David: ‘Right to work’ unfair to workers, lead to lower pay The Charleston Gazette   ...It does not mean that every worker has the right to a job and to receive work at fair wages, reasonable hours, and under decent labor standards...
WV Republican Lawmakers Push Labor Bills Forward  WOWK   ...“We are going to drive down the wages for people in this state. And the state that has the lowest per capita income in the country? Their solution is to drive the wages down further,” said Senator Jeff Kessler, D- Marshall, the Senate Minority Leader...
Labor Issues Divide Legislature  Herald-Dispatch   ...The new Republican majority in the West Virginia Legislature has a strategy for state labor laws, and the beginning of what will likely be some of the most heated debates in the 2015 session are about to unfold, many lawmakers believe...
Kansas Gov. Brownback's Budget Hits Cherished Highway System  Huffington Post   ...Gov. Sam Brownback and the GOP-dominated Legislature this past week worked out plans for closing a $344 million deficit and allowing the state to pay its bills on time into the summer. The plans included cuts to predictable targets, such as education spending and public pension contributions, but also diverted money from highway projects, which are especially prized by the governor's rural supporters...
Missouri Lawmaker Proposes Banning Local Minimum Wages  KSPR   ...A Missouri Republican wants to ban local laws that raise the minimum wage, require employers to offer paid sick leave or other benefits or prohibit employers from asking about criminal convictions early in the job application process...
VA Lawmakers Defeat Bill To End Use Of Child Labor On Tobacco Farms  WVIR   ...A growing coalition is getting very vocal about the use of child workers on tobacco farms across Virginia. However, late Tuesday afternoon, a House committee defeated a bill to put limits on the practice...
War on Workers
5 Facts That Show Half of America Is Seriously Struggling  Alternet   ...Half of our nation, by all reasonable estimates of human need, is in poverty...
For SoCal aerospace workers, the end of an era — and a job  Los Angeles Times   ...If Boeing sticks to its plans, the last C-17 will be finished by late summer, and in a region that was once an aerospace giant, an era will come to an end...
City Worker Killed After Trench Collapses In Manhattan  KWCH   ...When emergency crews arrived, the first unit found the victim was buried up to his waist in dirt and mud. Fire crews were able to free the victim approximately 20 minutes later. He was transported to Mercy Regional where he was pronounced dead after succumbing from his injuries...
Mega-Dairies Overshadow Families (opinion)  Ag Week   ...Rural legislators should be focusing on legislation that helps all family farmers, not just the biggest of the big...
Miscellaneous

Today's Teamster News 02.07.15

Teamsters
JCPS School Bus Driver Taken To Hospital, Assaulted By Student, Official Says  WHAS   ...A representative from the Teamsters Local 783, the union that represents school bus drivers, tells WHAS the driver was transporting students from the Binet School which serves special needs children. That teamsters representative says a student tried to open the bus' rear door, when a bus monitor intervened. When the bus driver walked back to help, the student allegedly pulled her by the hair, dragging her to the floor. The bus driver was taken to the hospital for arm and shoulder injuries...
CP Rail, Teamsters union tensions near boiling point  CBC News   ...Now, the union alleges the railway is violating a recent ruling regarding the use of union workers to teach CP Rail managers and office workers to operate trains. The union claims managers are telling locomotive engineers to vacate the train seat or be disciplined. The workers are then told to remain on the train engine...
Credentialing The Military  Military.com   ...One program to help military truck drivers get civilian credentials was developed by the Teamsters Union; it provides additional training, through the Teamsters Military Assistance Program, that helps service members earn commercial drivers' licenses. James P. Hoffa, the union's general president, is a featured speaker at the summit...
Air Canada And International Brotherhood Of Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement On New Contract  AviTrader   ...Air Canada has reached a tentative collective agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) for the airline’s U.S.-based workforce. The agreement is subject to ratification by the union membership...
Fashion Week Will Kick Off With City Horse Carriages Trotting Models Down Central Park South  New York Daily News   ...Fashion Week will kick off next week with a parade of horse-drawn carriages trotting models down Central Park South for the second year in a row, a four-legged tradition that organizers say will be a permanent part of the festivities...
Trade
The Need to Address Currency Manipulation in TPP, and Why U.S. Monetary Policy Is Not at Risk  Huffington Post   ...Over the past decade, currency manipulation by foreign governments has resulted in an increase in unfairly traded imports into the United States and has made it more difficult for U.S. exporters to compete in foreign markets. The practice has cost U.S. workers between one million and five million jobs -- and is responsible for as much as half of excess unemployment in the United States...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Is a Huge Deal. So Why Is It Being Kept Secret?  In These Times   ...The trade rules of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership between the United States and 11 Asian nations would cover nearly 40 percent of the world economy—but don't ask what they are. Access to the text of the proposed deal is highly restricted...
‘Secret’ Trade Pact Stirs Up Suspicion  truthdig   ... “The public has a legitimate interest in knowing what has already been decided on its behalf, and what is now at stake with our various countries’ positions on these controversial regulatory issues.”...
Stop fast-track authority from removing the voice of the 100 percent (opinion)  The Hill   ...The morally responsible approach is to learn from damage caused by earlier trade deals and modify our approach. Just consider one example: last month, the Government Accountability Office reported that labor provisions, including the very terms sought by the Obama administration for TPP, have failed to improve working conditions internationally...
State Battles
Reality Check: Right To Work Hurts Working Families (opinion)  Ruidoso News   ... On average, workers who belong to a union and who have the power to bargain collectively with their employer take home nearly 20 percent more in earnings each week compared to workers who are not union members. The decline of union density over the past decades corresponds to the decline in income share for the vast majority, 60 percent, of middle class America....
Legislators Hear From Union Workers At Forum  Huntington Herald Leader   ...A major portion of attendees were union workers who spoke out against the prevailing wage and right to work bills, the first of which would eliminate the requirement of prevailing hourly rate wages for public improvement projects and the second of which would prohibit the requirement for workers to be in a union...
Gov. Rauner, Union Leaders Tangle During Mount Vernon Stop  The Southern   ...“He can call it as many ways as he can, but it’s right-to-work and it’s taking away from working class families in Southern Illinois, especially,” said Will Attig, a laborer from DeSoto. “We’re just out here to let him know, he’s not welcome here.” Bret Seferian, who works with the Illinois Education Association, based in Carterville, on behalf of SIU and John A. Logan employees’ unions, said it’s clear to him Rauner isn’t interested in “supporting employees.”...
Senate Democrats Pass $11-An-Hour State Minimum Wage In Rebuff To Rauner  Chicago Tribune   ...Senate Democrats on Thursday pushed through what could end up being a symbolic measure to raise the state's minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2019, bucking Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's call a day earlier for a smaller increase that would be phased in over a longer period of time...
Kentucky Minimum Wage Bill Passed In House Labor And Industry Committee  WLKY   ...Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo presented his minimum wage bill to the state Legislature Thursday. After discussion and voting, the bill passed in the House Labor and Industry Committee on a 13-to-3 vote...
Oh Sweet Irony: Walker Caught Lying About Removing "Search For Truth" from UW Mission Statement  Daily Kos   …He introduced a budget that removed several lines from the University of Wisconsin System's mission statement (aka a little thing known as "The Wisconsin Idea"), including the phrase, "basic to every purpose of the system is the search for truth."...
War on Workers
Only 20% are Middle-Class, Most Don't Come Close  Economic Populist   …The number of 18-29 year olds who consider themselves  lower-middle-class has doubled since 2008 reaching 49%...
How Nebraska Took Its Energy Out of Corporate Hands and Made It Affordable for Everyone  Alternet   ...In Nebraska, 121 publicly owned utilities, ten cooperatives, and 30 public power districts provide electricity to a population of around 1.8 million people. Public and cooperative ownership keeps costs low for the state’s consumers. Nebraskans pay one of the lowest rates for electricity in the nation and revenues are reinvested in infrastructure to ensure reliable and cheap service for years to come...
Gallup CEO Fears He Might “Suddenly Disappear” for Questioning U.S. Jobs Data  Wall Street on Parade   ... the percent of full time jobs in this country as a percent of the adult population “is the worst it’s been in 30 years.”...
Coke Settles Labor Dispute With Dismissed Employee  Atlanta Journal Constitution   ...Coca-Cola has settled a National Labor Relations Board complaint with a former employee who claimed the beverage giant fired him in retaliation for his role in trying to organize a union at a metro Atlanta bottling plant...
Comcast Employee Killed While Working On Utility Pole In Glen Ridge  NJ.com   ...A Comcast worker was killed while apparently working on a utility pole in Glen Ridge this morning...
Miscellaneous
What will passengers stand for?  The Economist   ...YET again a story has surfaced of an airline trying to get approval for a standing section on a plane. Previously the idea was mooted by Michael O’Leary, the boss of Ryanair—although that was probably more attention-seeking than serious proposal. Now reports suggest that Spring Airlines, a Chinese budget carrier, is trying to get approval for standing posts, to which passengers could be strapped, presumably in a similar fashion to a Wall of Death fairground ride, although the airline might want to think of a better name than that...

Today's Teamster News 10.09.14

Teamster News
The Teamsters launch a television ad campaign on rail safety  Teamsters Canada   ..."We want to send a clear message to the federal government: we need more inspectors on the track," explains Robert Bouvier, president of Teamsters Canada...
Drivers Say Two-Tier System Will Give Uber, Others Unfair Advantage  teamster.org   ...Thousands of D.C. cab drivers affiliated with the Teamsters Union participated in a second “Fairness NOW!” caravan today throughout the city to demand equal regulatory treatment with private sedan services by the D.C. City Council...
A Clear Choice In November (opinion)  Detroit News   ...When you don't fight to close loopholes that encourage companies to ship their jobs overseas, you're not doing what's best for Michigan...
The Antique Car That Might Replace Horse-Drawn Carriages In NYC  Yahoo News   ...The eCarriage is the proposed replacement for all that animal-powered transportation capacity for tourists...
Trade
A New U.S. Tobacco Proposal in TPP?  Politico   ...U.S. trade officials have denied they plan to offer a new tobacco proposal in the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks in Australia later this month. The pushback comes amid growing industry concerns that the United States is discussing the idea of prohibiting tobacco companies from bringing lawsuits against TPP governments under an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clause...
Union Boss Len McCluskey Slams Vince Cable Over TTIP Threat To NHS  The Independent   ...unions and a plethora of NGOs are concerned about an element in the agreement which they say could pave the way for US multinationals to sue future British governments if they try to reverse the recent privatization of large parts of the NHS...
State Battles
Fla. Gov. Scott sued over finances by AG candidate  Associated Press   ..."The people of Florida don't really care whether Gov. Scott is worth $3 million or $300 million," said Sheldon. "What they care about is being able to determine whether he has a personal financial stake in the decisions he makes as a public official..."
AFL-CIO leaders decry Johnson's opposition to minimum wage increase  Minneapolis Star Tribune   ...AFL-CIO leaders on Tuesday decried what they say is Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson’s opposition to increasing Minnesota’s minimum wage...
Philadelphia’s school reform debacle: Despised governor crosses the line  Salon   ...Parents, teachers and students have resisted full privatization, New Orleans-style, and have found themselves punished for resistance as Gov. Tom Corbett, who controls the schools after a 2001 takeover by the state, slashes school budgets, wipes out thousands of jobs, and shutters dozens of schools. The latest move by Corbett and the Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC), which replaced an elected school board after the 2001 takeover, is to unilaterally cancel the city’s contract with the 15,000 members of the Philadelphia Federation of teachers...
L.A. Lawmakers Lay Out Path To $15.25 Minimum Wage By 2019  Los Angeles Times   ...Six members of the Los Angeles City Council launched an effort Tuesday to take the city's minimum wage to $15.25 by 2019, a move that would be more aggressive than the pay strategy backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti several weeks ago...
Mailers Sent By Koch Group Appear Designed To Misdirect Voters In Key U.S. Senate Race  The American Prospect   ...The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced this week that it is investigating a controversial mailer the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) sent to thousands of state residents that contained inaccurate information about voter registration...
Court Decisions On Voting Rules Sow Confusion In State Races  New York Times   ...Just weeks before elections that will decide control of the Senate and crucial governors’ races, a cascade of court rulings about voting rules, issued by judges with an increasingly partisan edge, are sowing confusion and changing voting procedures with the potential to affect outcomes in some states...
Anti-ALEC Activists Pressure eBay to Drop Conservative Group  National Journal   ...More than 80 organizations are asking the e-commerce company to follow the lead of Google and other tech giants and divorce itself from the American Legislative Exchange Council...
Rightwing Groups Try to Stamp Out Local Union Contracts  The Progressive   ...A rightwing legal group is suing the school district, school board, and teacher’s union in Madison, Wisconsin, for honoring a labor contract negotiated before the state supreme court upheld Governor Scott Walker’s divisive Act 10 law, ending most collective bargaining rights for most public employees...
War on Workers
Union blocks traffic to protest casino givebacks  Associated Press   ...Casino workers blocked traffic on a highway Wednesday night to protest demands for contract givebacks being made to keep the Trump Taj Mahal casino open...24 protesters who sat down in the intersection and refused to move when ordered by officers were arrested and charged with obstructing a highway and failure to move...
Republicans Are Trying to Make Sure Minorities and Young People Don't Vote This November  Mother Jones   ...In 15 states, this year's midterms will mark the first federal election with a host of these new voting restrictions in action...
There Were Two Unemployed Persons Per Job Opening in August 2014  Economic Populist   ...If one takes the U-6 broader measure of unemployment that includes people who are forced into part-time work and the marginally attached, the ratio is 3.9 people needing a job to each actual job opening....
Union Miners Rally At EPA To Protest New Emissions Standards  Huffington Post   ...Organizers said about 700 people made it to Washington for the protest, and another 50 or so were on a bus that arrived late. They carried signs that read "EPA Rules Destroy Good Jobs" and "EPA Rules Put Seniors At Risk," and some wore shirts that said "Stop The War On Coal."...
Burdened With Record Amount Of Debt, Graduates Delay Marriage  NBC News   ...Student loans have hit a record high of $1.2 trillion, putting a crimp in The American Dream of owning a home and starting a family. And it’s affecting the broader economy too...
Uber Skimps On Driver Training, Then Charges Drivers $65 For Basic Driver Skills Course  Forbes   ...Uber puts some drivers out on the road with no vehicle inspections and barely any training — and Uber makes them pay out of pocket if they want basic driver training, drivers say...
Worker killed at West Point Kia plant  turnto10.com   ...The worker who died during an industrial accident at the Kia production plant in West Point has been identified as 57-year-old John Edd Dunnivant, of Lanett, the West Point Police Department has announced...
Highway worker dies in Tilden, NE accident  Associated Press   ...55-year-old man has been killed while working on a highway project in northeast Nebraska...

Today's Teamster News 10.04.14

Teamster News
Passavant Workers Take Strike Vote  New Castle News   ...Members of Teamsters Local 538 voted Thursday to give a 10-day strike notice to Passavant Health and Retirement Center in Zelienople. Betty Fischer, Teamsters Local 538 secretary/treasurer, said the vote was “overwhelming.”...
Environmental Activist To Address Bridgeton Landfill Concerns  St. Louis Public Radio   ...Environmental activist Lois Gibbs will be in St. Louis this weekend for a “teach-in” to address problems at the adjoining Bridgeton and West Lake landfills, located in Bridgeton a few miles from Lambert Airport...
Rev. Brian Jordan Blesses Horses With Holy Water, Praises City's Carriage Industry  New York Daily News   ...The veteran clergyman, an ardent supporter of the industry, delivered some kind words for the carriage horse owners as well. “These horses are cared for like children,” said Jordan, wearing cargo shorts and running shoes beneath his robe.
Assembly's Gary Pretlow: Veterinarians Say Carriage Horses 'Healthy, Happy, Well-Fed'  New York Daily News   ...State Assemblyman Gary Pretlow says the city's horse carriage industry should live on -- doctor's orders. The Westchester County Democrat, who sponsored legislation this spring to save the jobs of the drivers, is upping the ante by sending the City Council and mayor's office a testimonial from the state Veterinary Medical Society in support of keeping the horses on the job...
35 Port Truck Drivers Fired After Strike  AFL-CIO   ...The drivers, supported by the Teamsters, are some of the lowest paid workers in our communities. Because of their misclassification as “independent contractors,” some even take home negative paychecks. The 35 port drivers were fired from Total Transportation Services (TTSI). They include Jose Rosales, a port driver for over 10 years, husband and father of three children...
Trade
TTIP - Four Letters That Spell Rising Poverty (opinion)  Huffington Post   ...Cheap labour may be good for investors and shareholders, but at the societal level at which governments operate, it creates a whole new set of problems...
Trade Deals Worsen Immigration Pressures (opinion)  Baltimore Sun   ...These trade agreements failed to achieve the promised increases in employment and wages and actually caused so much economic disruption and hardship in those countries that pressures for workers to emigrate actually increased instead of decreasing...
State Battles
New Temp Worker Bill Could Have Large Impact  Monterey Herald   ...A bill that used Taylor Farms as its rallying cry is likely to have a major affect across the state. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the "Temp Worker Protection Bill" on Sunday, which holds businesses liable when subcontractors violate wage or safety laws...
GOP Candidate Busted For Potential Voter Fraud! The Story Of Leslie Rutledge  Salon.com   ...Leslie Rutledge, the Republican candidate for Attorney General in Arkansas, has been discovered to have been registered to vote in multiple states in addition to Arkansas, and even voted by absentee ballot in Arkansas’ general election in November of 2008 –after she had registered to vote in Washington D.C. in July of the same year...
Christie defends Koch Brothers, calls questions about anonymous donors 'silliness' in Arizona  NJ.com   ...Questioning the lack of transparency about who has been funneling millions of dollars in negative campaign ads into the Arizona governor's race is "silliness" and "sophistry," Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday night while stumping for Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Ducey...
Early voting hours unlikely to change before Election Day  cleveland.com   ...  the statewide early, in-person voting hours set Monday by Secretary of State Jon Husted will hold throughout Election Day on Nov. 4. That schedule includes early, in-person voting on the two Saturdays prior to Election Day, Sunday before Election Day and Monday before Election Day...
Michigan Legislature Approves Anti-Human Trafficking Bills  Associated Press   ...The bills now headed to Gov. Rick Snyder would let victims clear their criminal records. Minors under age 18 suspected of prostitution would be presumed to be trafficking victims, and “Johns” soliciting sex from minors would face stiffer criminal penalties...
Club for Growth won't disclose source of money for local ad buy  Columbia Daily Tribune   ...the Tribune reported Thursday that the ads were purchased with funds from the Missouri Club for Growth PAC, a political fund that has received $3.6 million, more than 99 percent of its funding in the past three years, from wealthy conservative activist Rex Sinquefield...
U.S. Supreme Court is asked to block Wisconsin's voter ID law  Associated Press   ...Opponents of Wisconsin's photo ID requirement for voters took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking an emergency halt to the state's implementation of the law before the fast approaching Nov. 4 election...
Group sues state over campaign coordination  Associated Press   ...A conservative group and ally of Gov. Scott Walker filed a federal lawsuit Thursday asking that a Wisconsin law limiting coordination between third-party organizations and political candidates be declared unconstitutional...
War On Workers
The Missing Trio in Today's Jobs Report  Bloomberg   ...At 3 million, the number of long-term unemployed hardly budged. Youth unemployment rose somewhat to 20 percent, giving up half the gains of the prior month. And joblessness among those lacking a college education is still too high...
‘We Can’t Haul’: Rebounding Economy Reveals Shortage Of Truck Drivers  Bangor Daily News   ...In 1980, Vieth said, the average trucker earned four times the wage of a food service worker. But the $40,940 the average truck driver makes today is just 1.8 times that of food service workers...
Labor Participation Rate Drops To 36 Year Low; Record 92.6 Million Americans Not In Labor Force  zero hedge   ...while according to the Household Survey, 232,000 people found jobs, what is more disturbing is that the people not in the labor force, rose to a new record high, increasing by 315,000 to 92.6 million!...
Hackers’ Attack Cracked 10 Companies in Major Assault  New York Times   ...The breadth of the attacks — and the lack of clarity about whether it was an effort to steal from accounts or to demonstrate that the hackers could penetrate even the best-protected American financial institutions — has left Washington intelligence officials and policy makers far more concerned than they have let on publicly...
Huh? Walmart Foundation Battles Hunger As Walmart Workers Turn to Food Stamps  Inside Philanthropy   ...Last month, the foundation launched a new campaign, "Fight Hunger, Spark Change," that asks people to vote for which local food banks it should donate funds to. All this is ironic to say the least, given the food security challenges of Walmart's own huge labor force, many of whom don't earn much more than the minimum wage...
EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: How the Koch Brothers Are Molding the Next Scott Walkers  The Nation   ...Walker has, since his 2010 gubernatorial run, been a top recipient of campaign contributions from the Kochs, and a beneficiary of the “independent” campaigns of Koch-fueled groups such as Americans for Prosperity...
Koch-backed group plans direct attacks in Senate races  USA Today   ...Americans for Prosperity's decision to move to pointed attacks is significant because it shifts the group into more direct political activity — something tax-exempt organizations are required to limit. It also means the group must disclose its election-related activity — though not its donors — to federal regulators...
Worker Dies   Valdosta Today   ...Officials say that 61-year old Isabel Gomez died after a piece of heavy equipment fell and crushed him. Sheriff Andy Hester of Turner County reports that Gomez and his brother were working on a fork lift...
Worker dies after truck with gravel tips over  WOKV   ...the man was unloading gravel from a truck which had an apparatus raised up. That caused the truck to get unsteady and ultimately tip on to the man who was crouched next to it working...
High-Speed Trader Accused Of Commodity Market ‘Spoofing’  Bloomberg News   ...A high-frequency trader was indicted for “spoofing” -- placing and immediate canceling orders as a way to manipulate commodities markets -- in what the U.S. Justice Department says is the first criminal case of its kind...
Man Shoots Down Drone, Lawyers Scratch Their Heads  Popular Science   ...A man in New Jersey fired a shotgun at his neighbor's drone, and as the quadcopter crashed to the ground, the incident raised new legal challenges about when and if it’s okay to shoot a robot...
Miscellaneous

Today's Teamster News 10.01.14

Teamster News
New Orleans Union Membership Set to Double After Hotel and Casino Workers Win  In These Times   ...The hospitality and gaming union Unite Here and Teamsters Local 270 are in contract negotiations with Harrah’s Hotel and Casino after winning a card check election among 900 hotel and food workers...
NY Pol Legislates Against Carriage Horse Ban  Yonkers Hamlet Hub   ...The battle to save New York City’s city’s carriage horse industry has reached the state Capitol. NYS State Assemblyman, J. Gary Pretlow has introduced legislation that would countermand New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio's vow to ban the iconic horse drawn carriages in New York City...
Ports Of Los Angeles, Long Beach Truck Drivers Fast, Pray To Raise Awareness  Long Beach Press Telegram   ...A handful of truck drivers, who carry goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach took part Monday in a day of prayer and fasting to raise awareness of three area trucking firms they say misclassify drivers as independent contractors to skirt labor laws...
Trade
TTIP Threatens EU's Transparency On Clinical Trials (opinion)  The Parliament Magazine   ...positive progress on transparency is already being threatened by the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Huge economic interests are at stake and medical companies on both sides of the Atlantic ocean are doing their best to limit data disclosure, a fact brought to daylight in the leaked BigPharma wish list...
State Battles
Governor Scott Weighs In On Troubles Surrounding Florida Prisons  WUSF News   ...“The Secretary of the Department of Corrections is taking it seriously. He’s traveled the state, he’s made sure there’s new training programs, he’s made sure now there’s more transparency, and if there’s going to be investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement—which has a great reputation—will be involved in those investigations..."
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder defends education funding, right-to-work law in first town hall  MLive   ...An audience member contrasted the governor's 2010 pledge for government transparency with his use of the tax-exempt NERD Fund. He also noted Snyder's decision to sign a right-to-work law after originally saying the issue was not on his agenda. "Why would any voter believe you?" he asked...
Koch group faces investigation in N.C. over bogus voting info  MSNBC   ...Last week, the public learned that the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity created quite a mess sending out incorrect voting materials to many North Carolina voters. This week, the group finds itself under investigation...
Emanuel Prods Sister Agencies To Mandate $13-An-Hour Minimum Wage  Chicago Sun Times   ...Emanuel is pressuring all local government agencies under his control — CTA, CHA, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, City Colleges and Public Building Commission — to follow his lead. That would mean a pay raise for roughly 2,400 contract employees working as custodians, landscapers and bus drivers...
De Blasio’s Executive Order Will Expand Living Wage Law To Thousands More  New York Times   ...Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to sign an executive order on Tuesday significantly expanding New York City’s living wage law, covering thousands of previously exempt workers and raising the hourly wage itself, to $13.13 from $11.90, for workers who do not receive benefits...
This Is What's The Matter With Kansas  New Republic   ...By June of 2014, the results of Brownback’s economic reforms began to come in, and they weren’t pretty. During the first fiscal year that his plan was in operation, which ended in June, the tax cuts had produced a staggering loss in revenue $687.9 million, or 10.84 percent...
A Fiscal Tale of Two States: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin  Econbrowser   ...The two neighboring states of Wisconsin and Minnesota share a similar economic structure and size; and yet their fortunes have diverged over the past three years. One correlate of Wisconsin’s growth deficit is state and local government spending...
War On Workers
Iceland: Bankers convicted, unemployment down  Angry Bear   ...While Iceland suffered a great deal from the crisis and is by no means out of the woods, it looks like the country made the right call by not bailing out the banks. The economy is growing and unemployment is down to less than half of its peak crisis level...
Your medical record is worth more to hackers than your credit card  Reuters   ...Last month, the FBI warned healthcare providers to guard against cyber attacks after one of the largest U.S. hospital operators, Community Health Systems Inc, said Chinese hackers had broken into its computer network and stolen the personal information of 4.5 million patients...
Prison bankers cash in on captive customers  Center for Public Integrity   ...JPay and other prison bankers collect tens of millions of dollars every year from inmates’ families in fees for basic financial services. To make payments, some forego medical care, skip utility bills and limit contact with their imprisoned relatives...
The Ugly Face of Shareholder Value Exposed By Inversions  Economic Populist   ...Burger King has become Canadian, Pfizer seems to be trying to be British, and Walgreens has backed away from becoming Swiss only because of the outcry over their plan for a new nationality.  Seeing what our companies are willing to do to escape paying income tax, people are beginning to wonder about how American our American companies are...
Worker killed at plant in north Charlotte  Charlotte Observer   ...state officials were told by Charlotte firefighters that the death took place at Source Recycling. She said state officials were told an employee was struck by a forklift...
Port worker dies after metal collapses on him  The Monitor   ...A San Benito man has died after he was pinned Monday under metal at a recycling center in the Port of Brownsville, authorities confirmed...
Worker dies after East Idaho spud harvest accident  Capital Press   ...Madrid-Rivera was working on a tarp covering his load at the side of his truck when another truck backed up and crushed him...
For A Worker With Little Time Between 3 Jobs, A Nap Has Fatal Consequences  New York Times   ...Emergency responders found the gas can open and overturned in the cargo hold and the S.U.V. filled with fumes, in what police said appeared to have been an accident. As commuters streamed by her counter in Newark, Ms. Fernandes was pronounced dead at 5:56 p.m. She was still in her uniform...
Miscellaneous
Driver in Fatal Oklahoma Crash Tells Police He Was Distracted  Bloomberg   ...The driver of a tractor-trailer that crashed into a bus and killed four college students on Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma told investigators he was distracted...
Trucker in Massive Rig Destroys Two Families in His Sleep  Bloomberg   ...Safety advocates say the rate is far higher and claim trucker fatigue kills hundreds each year. In a 2006 federal survey of truckers cited in congressional testimony this July, 47.6 percent said they had fallen asleep while driving in the previous year. Yet unlike drugs or alcohol, there’s no test for fatigue after a crash...
Tracy Morgan hits back at Walmart  USA Today   ..."After I heard what Walmart said in court I felt I had to speak out. I can't believe Walmart is blaming me for an accident that they caused...
Senators Ask For More Oil Train Notifications  Bismark Tribune   ...The letter, sent Monday to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, says railroads should supply states with advanced notification of all high-hazard flammable liquid transports — including crude from outside the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana, as well as ethanol and 71 other liquids...
Police Want to Get Rid of Their Pentagon-Issued Combat Gear. Here's Why They Can't.  Mother Jones   ...Even before police militarization made the news, hundreds of police departments were finding that grenade launchers, military firearms, and armored vehicles aren't very useful to community policing...

Today's Teamster News 09.20.14

Teamster News
Teamsters, Safety Group Sue DOT For Not Producing Entry-Level Driver Training Rule  Commercial Carrier Journal   ...A coalition of highway safety and labor advocates have brought a federal lawsuit against the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for not heeding Congressional requirements to produce an entry-level driver training rule...
New York City’s Clinton Park Stables Get State Horse Council President’s Approval  New York Daily News   ...They’re not horsing around at the Clinton Park Stables. That was the assessment of the president of the New York State Horse Council after visiting the West Side facility Thursday to see firsthand how New York City’s carriage horses are treated. “It’s wonderful,” Marsha Himler said of the home to 76 of the iconic Central Park carriage horses...
Trade
Nothing Wrong With Chlorine-Washed Chicken, Say German Backers Of TTIP  EurActiv   ...Hüther has an "economically practical" recommendation.  He said, "Dismantle trade barriers and, instead, label products clearly and comprehensively". In this way consumers could freely choose – with or without chlorine, he added...
TPA in the ‘Lame Duck’?  World Trade Daily   ...House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Ill) told WTD yesterday he sees a real possibility that Congress will vote to give President Obama Trade Promotion Authority in the post-election “lame duck” session...
State Battles
New Kansas Jobs Report Bad News For Sam Brownback, Good News For Paul Davis  Kansas City Star   ...According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures Kansas created only 900 new jobs in August. For the entire year of 2014, the state has added just 7,400 jobs. That’s a puny growth rate of .5 percent. Since Brownback took office in January of 2011, the state has gained a total of 49,700 jobs. That’s a sluggish growth rate of 3.7 percent...
Moral Mondays Planting Roots In Indiana  WLFI   ...A Lafayette group will travel to Indianapolis to join community and faith groups in a nationwide campaign that has come to plant roots in the Hoosier state. Indiana Moral Mondays launches its statewide campaign to fight poverty and racism in Indiana this weekend...
Tens of Thousands of WI Students Face New Voting Hurdles  Center for Media and Democracy   ...The last-minute reinstatement of Wisconsin's voter ID restrictions could create voting problems for over 32,000 students attending state universities...
Audit: Jobs agency makes progress on bad loans by writing many off  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The bad loans held by the state's top jobs agency have declined in value by nearly $8 million, though much of the decrease was from loans being written off rather than salvaged, a new audit shows...
Wilmington Ponders Contractor Wage Boost  Delaware News Journal   ...Wilmington Councilman Darius Brown wants to raise the minimum pay to $10.10 an hour for employees working at businesses contracted by the city. The move would put the city in line with New Castle County, which in March boosted the minimum wage for government workers and contractors to $10.10...
War On Workers
Koch Brothers, ALEC Threaten Campus Democracy at FSU, US Universities  Dissident Voices   ...Florida State University is poised to appoint former ALEC Legislator of the Year John Thrasher as new president after “sham” presidential search and Koch funding scandal...
MI County Sells Injured Mom's Home Over One Tax Bill, and Will Keep Extra $80,000 in Profit  Alternet   ...Deborah Calley told WITI that she paid cash for her dream home in 2010. She had thought that it would make raising two children easier while she was recovering from the traumatic car accident.But that dream was shattered when she was notified that the county was foreclosing on her home over a missed property tax payment...Court documents obtained by WITI showed that notices went out about the missed payment, but Calley said that did not see a single one of them. WITI discovered that all but one of those notices were addressed to banks, instead of the homeowner...
Republican NLRB Reform Act Would Cripple the Agency  Blue Nation Review   ...what it would do is ensure even more partisan gridlock...
License plate scanner networks capture movements  Associated Press   ...A rapidly expanding digital network that uses cameras mounted to traffic signals and police cruisers captures the movements of millions of vehicles across the U.S., regardless of whether the drivers are being investigated by law enforcement...
Atlantic City Casinos: Storied Past, Grim Future  The State   ...Four casinos have closed this year in this New Jersey beach town and another may not be far behind. Hall, 33, was “working poor.” Now she’s just flat out desperate and poor in a city whose 12 percent jobless rate was about twice the national average even before the mass layoffs...
Uber Has Pretty Much Destroyed Regular Taxis In San Francisco  Time Magazine   ...Techno-optimist disrupters and angry cab drivers alike have predicted that Uber, the leading app-powered car service, would eventually put traditional yellow cabs out of business. Now, a new report shows that that Uber is hitting metered cabs hard, at least in San Francisco...
Construction Worker Killed In Crash In Interstate Work Zone In Morganton  WXII   ...A construction worker was killed and at least two others were injured in a crash in a work zone on a North Carolina interstate early Friday...
Miscellaneous
Home Depot Breach Put 56 Million Payment Cards At Risk  Washington Post   ...Home Depot announced Thursday that a breach at its U.S. and Canadian stores over a six-month period this year may have put an estimated 56 million payment cards at risk. That would make it the largest compromise of debit and credit cards in the string of cyberattacks that have hit retailers over the past year...

Today's Teamster News 09.12.14

Teamster News
Possible Teamster strike could hit Fred Meyer  Puget Sound Business Journal   ...According to the union, contract talks between its 400 warehouse workers and Fred Meyer broke off last night, with no more talks scheduled. The contract expired on July 12...
Bargaining Between Teamsters And Fred Meyer Breaks Off In Seattle  teamster.org   ...Key issues in bargaining are health care and Fred Meyer’s insistence on language that would allow the company to outsource the workers’ jobs to a third-party subcontractor...
The Link Between Tracy Morgan's Tragic Accident And Trucker Pay  Think Progress   ...International Brotherhood of Teamsters Legislative Director Fred McLuckie explained in an interview. “In a lot of cases compensation isn’t that good, it’s fairly low, so they need their hours behind the wheel to make a living,” he said...
City Council Wavers On De Blasio's Horse-Carriage Ban  Wall Street Journal   ...Demos Demopoulos, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 553, the union that represents the drivers, said the job losses would be severe. "It's 300 hundred people, 300 families will lose their livelihoods," he said...
The Teamsters of New York Are Speaking Out About Climate Change  Huffington Post   ... Drought, rising sea levels, and superstorms like Hurricane Sandy have shown us that climate change is here, and the people hit hardest are workers...
Trade
TISA, the newest bad trade deal, threatens US public and commercial services workers  TeamsterNation   ... TISA is a mega-deal involving many countries. It could lower wages and working conditions for workers who provide services, such as locomotive engineers, airline pilots, bus drivers, truck drivers and warehouse workers. Worse, the TISA could take away their jobs...
Millions (including 67 Teamster affiliates) tell Sen. Wyden to say 'no' to Fast Track  TeamsterNation   ... Congress should not rubber stamp trade deals negotiated in secret, a key U.S. senator was told today in a letter signed by 600 organizations (including 67 Teamsters affiliates and the IBT, of course) representing tens of millions of Americans...
Chances Of A TPP Agreement By Year’s End Fading  The Diplomat   ...As negotiations stand right now there is little chance of the TPP being finalized by the end of the year, and quite possibly for much longer...
US Military Bans 'Made In China' American Flags  Business Insider   ...California Rep. Mike Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, wrote the legislation that requires any flag purchased by the Defense Department to be 100-percent made in America...
State Battles
Atlanta Taxi Drivers File Lawsuit Against Uber  WXIA   ...A group of Atlanta taxi drivers is lashing out in a lawsuit naming specific Uber drivers and the company as a whole...
Maine Hard Hit As Stagnant Wages Leave Average Workers Behind (opinion)  Portland Press Herald   ...The recovery, though, is not universal, not yet. Even if the overall signs trend positive, the average worker, particularly here in Maine, is being left behind...
N.J. Rating Cut by S&P as Christie Gets Record Downgrade  Bloomberg   ...New Jersey had its credit rating cut one step by Standard & Poor’s, handing Chris Christie his eighth downgrade, the most ever for a Garden State governor...
Michigan's 'Foreclosure King' Is Trying to Win a Seat in Congress  New Republic   ...The ad dubbed Trott the “foreclosure king,” and criticized him for evicting 101-year-old Texana Hollis, throwing her out into rainy streets at night and tossing her medication in a dumpster...
Executive behind voter fraud billboards sought Scott Walker advice  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ..."As we've seen throughout the criminal investigation of Scott Walker's administration and campaign, he is front and center and directing the operations," Ross said. "The email shows Scott Walker was involved from the start in the voter intimidation billboard effort financed by his campaign co-chair..."
War On Workers
Senate Republicans Quash Citizens United Amendment  Progress Illinois   ...Republicans in the Senate stopped a constitutional amendment on Thursday that would have effectively overturned the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision on political spending...
Conservatives want taxpayers to subsidize low-wage employers  The Hill   ...The EITC is a tax-payer financed subsidy that enables some employers to pay wages so low that workers are forced into poverty. In fact, the EITC helps employers who pay low wages in another way as well. The supplement to workers’ pay acts as an incentive for more workers to be willing to take low wage jobs. That increases the labor supply and drives down the wages of low-paid workers...
House collapse that killed 19-year-old worker involved underpinning  Toronto Star   ...The house was undergoing a type of basement renovation called “underpinning” that has caused other downtown houses to tumble down in recent years...
Switching Sides   East Bay Express   ...California Deputy Attorney General Benjamin Diehl's job was to prosecute banks for defrauding the public. Now he works for them...
Some Retail Workers Find Better Deals With Unions  New York Times   ...So what makes this Macy’s store so different? Its employees are represented by a union, which has insisted on stability in scheduling for its members. (Union workers enjoy similar scheduling arrangements at the Bloomingdale’s, H&M and Modell’s Sporting Goods stores in Manhattan.)...
Walmart Imposes New Employee Dress Code, Suggests Where To Shop For It  Al Jazeera America   ...Effective September 29, Walmart retail workers, or sales "associates," will have to put some of their meager hourly pay toward new clothes...
Chipotle Workers Shut Down Store Over 'Borderline Sweatshop Conditions'  Huffington Post   ...A Chipotle near Pennsylvania State University shut down on Wednesday after managers reportedly quit over brutal work hours and understaffing. A sign posted on the door to the eatery said that most employees resigned in protest of their "borderline sweatshop conditions." Below the message read: “People over profits.”...
U.S. threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data  Washington Post   ...The U.S. government threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 a day in 2008 if it failed to comply with a broad demand to hand over user communications — a request the company believed was unconstitutional — according to court documents unsealed Thursday that illuminate how federal officials forced American tech companies to participate in the National Security Agency’s controversial PRISM program...