An awesome Labor Day for NYC, Milwaukee Teamsters!

Our Teamster brothers and sisters in New York and Milwaukee marched in Labor Day parades on Saturday, Sept. 6, and what parades they were. We received a terrific photo from Sister Deborah Schaefer, Teamsters Local 200 member, with none other than President Obama.

President Obama and Deborah Schaefer.

Jeff Bandur, business agent with Local 200, sent us the photo with a note saying Debbie works at the Nestle USA Burlington, Wisc., plant. She said, 

Labor Day 2014 is going to be one of the most memorable days in my life.  It started out early in the morning getting my Harley all shined up and ready for the annual Labor Day Parade where I meet up with my Teamster Brothers and Sisters of Local 200.  We assemble at 4th and Michigan in Milwaukee Wisconsin, where I received my Laborfest T-Shirt and tickets from my Union. 

This year we were honored by a visit from President Obama, he gave an INCREDIBLE speech to a crowd of Union Members, his message was inspiring and full of emotion, after his speech I was fortunate enough to shake his hand, in fact gave him a hug, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I would like to thank Local 200 Secretary Treasurer Tom Millonzi and President Tom Bennett for their leadership and involvement in Labor Day 2014.  

That same day, horse carriage drivers from Teamsters Local 553 marched in New York City's Labor Day Parade.

New York City, Labor Day Parade

"We don't just love New York... We ARE New York," tweeted Sister Christina Hansen (@CarriageCavalry).

And here's another great photo, and another great Tweet from Christina: 

"The Horse will always be the heart of the union." International Brotherhood of @Teamsters, 1916. #LaborDayParade pic.twitter.com/kRJdK6NBiT

Today's Teamster News 06.19.14

Teamster News
Carpenters, Teamsters Join Forces To Protest At PA Convention Center  Philadelphia Business Journal   ...After being shut out of work for not signing a new customer satisfaction agreement, the Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 107 will join forces Wednesday morning to protest their joint lockout...
Workers At AGY In Aiken Remain Idle After Seven Weeks Of Unemployment  Augusta Chronicle   ...More than 500 employees at AGY glass fiber manufacturing in Aiken are entering their seventh week without jobs after contract negotiations between the company and their union proved fruitless this spring...
Trade
Report: Chinese Smartphone Comes Preloaded With Spyware  Trade Reform   ...G Data Software said it found malicious code hidden deep in the propriety software of the Star N9500 when it ordered the handset from a website late last month. The find is the latest in a series of incidents where smartphones have appeared preloaded with malicious software...
State Battles
Since 2010, New Laws in 22 States Restrict Right to Vote  AFL-CIO   ...Since Republicans gained control of many state legislatures in the 2010 elections, 22 states(see map above)—nearly all of them in the South and the Midwest—have rolled out new restrictions on the right to vote...
Unions Taking Fight To The People  Fort Wayne Journal Gazette   ...Union members fighting the end of collective bargaining for many city employees are holding a picnic Saturday and you’re invited...
War On Workers
Hospital Uses Executive Bonus Money To Give Its Workers A Raise  Think Progress   ...Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas will raise its own minimum wage to $10.25 an hour next month, paying for the increase with money originally devoted to executive bonuses...
Senators question closing of Social Security field offices  Tallahassee Democrat   ...In addition to shuttering field offices, the agency has cut thousands of field workers, eliminated hundreds of mobile stations, and reduced hours and services at hundreds of satellite offices over the past four years...
Income Gap Widens As American Factories Shut Down  Associated Press   ...In Reading and other American factory towns, manufacturing's decline is a key factor in the widening income gap between the rich and everyone else, as people like the Ludwigs have been forced into far lower-paying work...
Obesity Linked to Long-Term Unemployment in U.S.  Gallup   ...High blood pressure, cholesterol also more common among long-term unemployed...
Citigroup’s Dark Pools: Here’s Why the Public Doesn’t Trust Wall Street  Wall Street on Parade   ...while stock markets are setting new highs, stock ownership among U.S. adults is at a 16-year low, trending down from 65 percent participation in 2007 to a reading of 52 percent today, according to a Gallup poll released in May...
Wal-Mart's "Sham Transaction": How Giant Corporations Are Quietly Dodging U.S. Taxes  Salon.com   ...even when they’re not technically breaking the law, major corporations like Apple, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and more are systematically flouting its spirit and keeping profits they earned as part of the American community all to themselves...
Silicon Valley's Minimum Wage Success Story  Al-Jazeera   ...the San Jose City Council passed the living wage ordinance, raising the minimum hourly wage on projects that received public support to $9.50 with benefits and $10.75 without, at a time when the federal minimum wage was only $5.15 an hour. ... business over the next three years continued growing at a breakneck pace...
Miscellaneous
How To Tell If Your Member Of Congress Is A Crony Capitalist  Huffington Post   ...To win in 2012, U.S. senators had to raise an average of $14,351 a day, every single day of the week....
Obama: US must ‘strengthen unions’  The Hill   ..."Weekends and overtime and benefits — things that now, non-union workers take for granted — well, you got those because unions were out there fighting for you for a very long time," Obama said...

Obama sides with Teamsters in employment non-discrimination order

President Obama today is signing an order forbidding federal contractors from discriminating against employees because of their sexual orientation, a policy supported by the Teamsters Union.

According to The Hill, a White House spokesperson said,

Following on his pledge for this to be a year of action to expand opportunity for all Americans, the President has directed his staff to prepare for his signature an Executive Order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has and will always strongly support workplace fairness. In November, General President Jim Hoffa spoke out in favor of a Senate bill that would establish strong protections against discrimination. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would have made it illegal to base hiring decisions or to fire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to the Teamsters press statement, Hoffa said,

Workers for more than a century have joined forces to protect each other from intolerance and favoritism. We support ENDA because we stand for fair treatment of all workers, as we always have. Workers cannot be divided for any reason, whether it be race, religion, ethnicity, gender or any other basis.  

The bill passed the Senate but has yet to be approved by the House. Hoffa urged House members to look into their hearts and take the same course. They didn't. President Obama is expected to sign the executive order today.

The Human Rights Campaign said the order will go a long way to promote fairness:

Federal contractors employ more than 20 percent of the American workforce – 28 million workers – and collect around $500 billion in federal contracts every year. According to the Williams Institute, an executive order would protect 11 million more American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and up to 14 million more workers based on gender identity. 

Notably, the proposed executive order will require Exxon Mobil Corporation, a top federal contractor that draws hundreds of millions annually in federal contracts, to provide non-discrimination protections to its LGBT employees and prospective hires. Yet ExxonMobil has consistently resisted these kinds of protections. Earlier this month, ExxonMobil’s shareholders voted for the 17th time to reject a policy that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT workers.

Today's Teamster News 04.29.14

Teamster News
Truckers Plan 2-Day Strike At LA, Long Beach Ports  CBS News   ...Truck drivers who haul cargo in and out of the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach planned to go on a two-day strike beginning Monday that they said was not directed at the busy ports themselves but at the companies that employ drivers...
Latest Strike By The Truckers At The Port Could Be More Disruptive  KPCC   ...Some truck drivers for companies that move cargo in and out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are beginning a two-day strike Monday morning...
In holding pattern for Teamsters' job action in Abbotsford  BC Local News   ...Strike action by Teamsters Local 31 could begin as early as this afternoon, although school district superintendent Kevin Godden said the local hasn't provided any details about "the nature, location or specific time."...
Cerberus Loots Bankrupt Airlines Health Care Account  Huffington Post   ...Private equity firm Cerberus Business Finance, LLC is looting a bankrupt airline that for 66 years ferried troops and equipment to war zones in the Middle East and Southeast Asia...
Trade
Anti-TPP Activists Protest Obama Speech in Malaysia  Democracy Now   ... On Sunday, Obama faced protest at a public event in Malaysia over the Trans-Pacific Partnership...
Obama Fails To Seal Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal  Daily Star   ...No deal. That best sums up United States President Barack Obama's stops in Japan and Malaysia, where bilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations failed to end in an agreement...
Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Pact Must Be Rejected By U.S. (LTE)  Arizona Daily Star   ...Byron Schlomach's article, "Arizona's future depends on international trade," April 21, implies that all international trade agreements are good for Arizona and the United States. Some are good and some are not so good. The Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, or TPP, is one of those not good for the state or nation...
State Battles
Missouri House Republican Leaders Continue To Push For 'Right-To-Work' Bill  Lake Expo   ...The prospect of a second vote on "right to work" remain uncertain, but state House Republican leaders said they will continue to work on trying to gather enough votes to advance the measure...
War on Workers
Survey Details Struggles Of Syracuse's Low-Wage Workers  Syracuse Post-Standard   ...Low-wage workers in the Syracuse area struggle with conditions that can cause health problems and make it hard to climb the economic ladder, according to a new survey...
One Year After Rana Plaza  New York Times   ...A horrendous building collapse last April in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 garment workers. Labor groups, Western clothing companies, the Bangladeshi government and others have made progress towards preventing similar tragedies, but more needs to be done...
Restaurant Workers: 'Stop Wage Theft'  Workers World   ...In a powerful demonstration of support, dozens of people marched into Liberato restaurant in the Bronx, demanding better wages and working conditions for the workers on April 19...
Miscellaneous
Student Debt "Celebrated" Outside The Dept. of Education  Open Media Boston   ...The campaign for a debt-free future hit out at growing levels of student-debt in a rally outside the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) in Boston on Friday...

Today's Teamster News 05.10.13

Fast Food Strike Wave Spreads to Detroit  The Nation   ...Hundreds of Detroit fast food workers plan to walk off the job beginning at 6 AM today, making the motor city the fourth in five weeks to see such strikes. Organizers expect participants from at least 60 stores, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, Little Caesar’s, and Popeye’s locations...
Unions, lawmakers line up against Koch Brothers  Los Angeles Times   ...California legislative leaders and 10 public employee unions announced opposition Wednesday to any sale of the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune Co. newspapers to a pair of wealthy brothers who fund conservative causes throughout the country...
Fannie Mae to pay $59.4bn back to US taxpayer and forestall debt battle  The Guardian   ...The government-backed mortgage giant Fannie Mae is to pay $59.4bn back to US taxpayers, in a move that is likely to forestall a looming battle over the federal debt limit...
House approves bill to change overtime pay law  Associated Press   ...The Republican-led House on Wednesday approved a measure that would give private sector workers the option of trading overtime pay for extra time off weeks or months later...
Bangladesh Garment Factory Collapse Death Toll Reaches 1,000  Bloomberg  ...Latest from that horrific building collapse in Bangladesh in April: 1000 bodies have now been found...

Eight dead in yet another Bangladesh garment fire  Associated Press   ...Not another! “A fire has raced through an 11-story building housing a garment factory and residential complex in Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least eight people.”...

Obama showcases booming Texas economy as he kicks off latest jobs tour  Washington Post   ...President Obama swooped into the booming Austin area on Thursday to showcase manufacturing growth and technology innovation as he began a series of visits across the country designed to pressure Congress to pass his economic agenda...

Local Fights Against Austerity Are Growing Across the US  Truthout   ...Between sequestration, with its damaging impact on workers and the economy, and the billions of dollars in cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other necessary social programs that President Obama is pushing, it is evident that the economic policies of both major parties are not intended to promote a recovery for working people...
Gender Wage Gap Causes Typical Woman To Miss Out On $443,360: Analysis  Huffington Post   ...
It's still a man's world. And to make a man's amount of money over her career, the typical working women would have to put in an extra decade of work. Because of the gender wage gap, the typical full-time working woman stands to miss out on $443,360 over 40 years...
Trans Pacific Partnership puts member countries' health at risk  The Conversation   ...International trade agreements bring new transnational food companies into countries, along with new food advertising and promotion. This has often led to an increase in unhealthy foods entering the domestic market...
Colleges Pushing Poor Students Into Debt To Give Aid To Rich Ones  Fire Dog Lake   ... A report by the New America Foundation details the systematic undermining of the financial aid system by colleges and universities who are using financial aid to attract wealthy students rather than open doors for poorer ones, forcing poorer students to either not attend or take on high debt burdens...
Social Security Agency Says Immigration Bill Aids Economy  Bloomberg News   ...A Social Security Administration analysis said the Senate’s bipartisan immigration proposal would boost U.S. tax revenue, create jobs and increase the gross domestic product over the next 10 years...
California sues JPMorgan Chase over debt collection  Associated Press   ...California's attorney general sued one of the nation's largest banks Thursday, alleging that JPMorgan Chase & Co. used illegal tactics in its efforts to collect debts from more than 100,000 credit card holders...
Barrow won't run for Senate in Georgia  The Hill Blog   ...Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) announced he won't run for the Senate in Georgia, dealing a major blow to Democrats' hopes of picking up the seat...
Illinois Senate passes union-backed pension reform deal  Belleville News-Democrat   ...
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension problem just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn...
N.D. does badly in worker death report  Bismarck Tribune   ...Workers died in North Dakota at four times the national average in 2011, according to a recent report…

Wisconsin Legislature: Panel bars cities from banning large, sugary drinks  Associated Press   ...No Wisconsin city could prohibit the sale of large, sugary drinks as was recently done in New York City under a provision added to the state budget Thursday...
South Dakota gets first Democratic candidate for Senate  The Hill Blog   ...South Dakota has its first Democratic contender for the state's open Senate seat in Rick Weiland, whose decision to run could set up a primary rematch between him and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin...
Colorado strikes a blow for voting reform  Washington Post   ...It hasn’t gotten the national attention it deserves, but a sweeping measure to overhaul elections in Colorado is swiftly moving towards passage — one that could function as a model for other voting reformers in other states, and perhaps even nationally...
Poll Shows Strong Lead for Democrat in Massachusetts Senate Race  New York Times   ...In the special Senate election in Massachusetts, Representative Edward J. Markey, the Democratic nominee, is starting with a strong lead over Gabriel Gomez, the Republican, according to a new poll…
Nevada foreclosure rate led nation in April  Associated Press   ...After briefly falling from its long-held place as the nation's foreclosure king, Nevada chalked up the highest foreclosure rate in the country for the second straight month in April, a tracking firm said Thursday...
City Council Approves Bill Mandating Sick-Day Pay  New York Times   ...The New York City Council, after years of impassioned debate, approved a bill on Wednesday that will require many businesses to offer paid time off to sick employees...
Senate measure to raise Delaware minimum wage tabled by House committee  Associated Press   ...A Senate proposal to raise Delaware’s minimum wage by a dollar over the next two years has been tabled by a House committee...
Non-Citizens In New York City May Be Allowed To Vote In Local Elections  Think Progress   ...In a hearing on Thursday, the New York City Council will consider allowing legal immigrants who are not citizens to vote in municipal elections...
Honor Our Heroes During National Correctional Officers Week  IBT   ...Many Americans this week are reflecting on the silent heroes who ensure our communities are safe by closely supervising society’s criminals in jails and prisons across this country...
Scott Touts Correctional Officers Pay Bump; Teamsters Say They Deserve More  WFSU Radio   ...This week is National Corrections Week, and Governor Rick Scott took some time away from his “Teacher Pay Raise Victory Tour” to praise Florida’s correctional officers. He’s also reminding them about his efforts to get them higher pay. But some, including the Teamsters, say the state could do more for Florida’s prison officers...
Keep Dairy “off the table” in Trans-Pacific Partnership  Teamsters Canada   ...Teamster locals in Canada represent thousands of dairy workers. They are calling on the Canadian government negotiators to the TPP to keep dairy off the table in negotiations...
Teamsters Fight For North American School Bus Workers' Rights At National Express Annual Meeting  IBT   ...Teamster school bus drivers and representatives from the United States and Canada called on National Express Group PLC (NEX: LN), a large multinational corporation, to honor and respect the rights of its North American workers at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held yesterday in London...
Back To School In The U.S. For National Express  The Independent   ...Forget the bus, bosses at National Express need to get on a plane. Today's AGM promises some fireworks with demonstrations planned from the main union (the Teamsters) representing drivers of those iconic yellow school buses used in the US...

Honor the dead, fight for the living

Workers’ Memorial Day may be over, but stories and photos are still coming in.

In New York City on Tuesday, Teamsters showed up to an event honoring the Local 272 member who was killed in a parking garage during Hurricane Sandy. In this photo, Matthew Bruccoleri, Secretary-Treasurer of New York City’s Local 272, speaks at the event, which took place at the garage where the Teamster member died.

On Monday, Teamsters attended an event where David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, read a Workers’ Memorial Day proclamation issued by President Obama. The event also featured acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph Main and family members who have lost loved ones. A panel discussion on the importance of safety and health protections for temporary and contingent workers followed. At the conclusion of the program in the César E. Chávez Memorial Auditorium, participants paid a visit to the memorial American Dogwood tree planted two years ago for a short ceremony and a moment of silence in memory of the workers who have lost their lives on the job.

Below you’ll find portions of the proclamation by President Obama for Workers’ Memorial Day:

At the turn of the 20th century, laborers faced hazardous conditions. Factory doors were locked from the outside, which prevented quick evacuation in emergencies. A combination of shoddy equipment and fatigue from long shifts made serious injury and death all too common. Career-ending injuries often led to poverty and starvation.

From mine shafts to railroads to factory floors, workers began to speak out. Thanks to generations of union organizers and advocates, conditions slowly improved. But it was not until decades later that our laws assured the right to a safe workplace. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established comprehensive health and safety standards for the mining industry, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 enacted similar standards for all workers. These statutes remain the cornerstone of our protections today, and my Administration remains committed to enforcing them by ensuring workers know their rights, worksites comply with the law, and wrongdoers are held accountable.

Today, our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost a loved one to a workplace accident or work-related illness. But we owe them more than prayers. We owe them action and accountability. While we cannot eliminate all risk from the world's most dangerous professions, we can guarantee that when a worker steps up to an assembly line or into a mine shaft, their country stands alongside them, protecting their safety and their stake in the American dream.

Today's Teamster News 03.04.13

(UPDATES with item about White House seeking fast track authority.)
Obama renews offer to cut entitlements to end budget cuts  Reuters   ...Possible reforms to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security are being offered by President Barack Obama as part of a compromise to end automatic budget cuts that began Friday...
GOP’s Largest Campaign Contributor Admits To Bribing Foreign Officials  ThinkProgress   ...Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who spent as much as $150 million on independent expenditures to bolster Republicans in the 2012 election, has informed the Securities and Exchange Commission that his Las Vegas Sands Corporation “likely violated a federal law against bribing foreign officials.”...
Surprise: Studies Show Rich People are more Unethical than Poor People  AllGov.com   ...a team of five researchers that conducted a set of seven psychological experiments confirmed Fitzgerald’s opinion, specifying that the rich behave more unethically and greedily than lower-class individuals...
“Pervasive” Fraud by our “Most Reputable” Banks  New Economic Perspectives   ...the banks that fraudulently sold fraudulent mortgages did have “skin in the game” because of their reps and warranties.  The key is that the officers who control the banks do not have skin in the game – they can loot the banks they can control and walk away wealthy...
Swiss Voters Approve Limits on ‘Fat Cat’ Executive Pay  Bloomberg   ...The proposal gives shareholders an annual ballot on managers’ pay. It eliminates sign-on bonuses, as well as severance packages and extra incentives for completing merger transactions. The initiative also includes rules punishing executives who violate the terms with as long as three years in jail...
White House says it will seek "fast-track" trade authority  Reuters   ...The White House on Friday said it would work for approval of politically contentious legislation that would ease the way for new trade deals, as it tries to wrap up talks on an Asia-Pacific free-trade agreement this year...
S'pore to host TPP free trade talks from Monday  Asia One   ...SINGAPORE will host the 16th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations from Monday with expectations high that the grouping is on track to wrap up talks by the end of this year...
Railroads emerge as alternative to Keystone XL pipeline for moving oil sands from Canada  Washington Post   ...While TransCanada has been trying to obtain a U.S. permit to build the 875-mile northern leg of its Keystone XL pipeline, Canadian and U.S. railroad companies have been busy installing new track and loading facilities to carry the oil sands crude from northern Alberta to refineries in the United States and Canada...
Backers, opponents debate liquor privatization  The Tribune-Democrat   ...even before Republicans fully unveil the latest legislative proposal to dismantle the liquor monopoly, critics are warning that the math just may not add up in a way that bodes well for (Pennsylvania) shoppers or taxpayers...
Hagler, Koster whip up Democrats with calls to protect workers, farmers  St. Louis Beacon   ...Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who is expected to run for governor in 2016, delivered a verbal broadside Saturday night to Republican legislative leaders, as he accused them of being out not only to cripple labor but to destroy the state’s middle class...
Fine print in Scott Walker's tax proposals draws criticism  Wisconsin State Journal   ...Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget plan promises a few dollars a week in middle-class tax relief and a crackdown on tax evaders, but the document’s fine print also would widen tax loopholes for businesses, and deliver indefinite amnesty to certain serial tax cheats...

Washington Post features 2 UPS Teamsters commenting on Obama

President Obama's visit to UPS in Las Vegas

Two of our UPS brothers were featured today in a Washington Post curtain-raiser about President Obama's State of the Union speech.

Don Clark is a member of Local 631 in Las Vegas. Post reporter Zachary Goldfarb writes,

UPS worker Don Clark hobbled on injured knees to see President Obama come to his warehouse last year to tout the main ideas in the annual State of the Union address — clean energy, tax fairness, a manufacturing revival and a stronger economy. 

A year later, Clark still believes in Obama, but feels frustrated by the president’s struggle to get enough support for his agenda. “It’s incomplete and more work needs to be done,” Clark, 42, said at a bar near the shipping company’s warehouse here. “I have lowered expectations...”

Clark ... still keeps his ticket from attending the event with the president in January 2012, saying Obama has led the country in a better direction. 

“He has great ideas for rebuilding what’s been lost,” Clark said. “He doesn’t have the power to do everything he suggests.”  

Eddie Fischmann, a Las Vegas UPS driver on leave with the Teamsters, was also interviewed. He said Obama was focusing the nation's attention on the need for good jobs:

He’s having a hard time getting his agenda through. He’s not going to get the opposition to do everything he wants.

Well said, brothers!

Today's Teamster News 12.11.12

Live blog: Michigan right-to-work protesters converge on Capitol as legislators are poised for final debates  Michigan Live   ...Michigan's right-to-work debate is drawing not just national attention, but also thousands of protesters to the Capitol grounds today to protest what could be the legislature's final passage of the law...
Obama jumps headfirst into fight over Michigan 'right-to-work' law  The Hill   ...President Obama on Monday injected himself into an escalating fight over changing Michigan into a right-to-work state, saying the state Legislature’s move to ban the required paying of union dues was all about politics...
Taylor schools to close Tuesday as teachers head to Lansing  ClickOnDetroit   ...The Taylor School District will be closed down Tuesday because of the high number of staff that have either called in sick or are taking personal days to attend rallies in Lansing...
Editorial: Worker choice? Let Michigan voters decide on right-to-work  Detroit Free Press   ...If Gov. Rick Snyder expects Michiganders to believe his professed interest in “worker choice” is anything more than the most cynical doublespeak, he’ll embrace a reasonable compromise Michigan’s Democratic congressional delegation proposed at a meeting in the governor’s Cadillac Place office Monday morning. Those present at the meeting urged that instead of signing the right-to-work bill state legislators are expected to whisk to his desk Tuesday, Snyder should encourage the bill’s champions to place the question before voters in the next statewide election, currently scheduled for August 2014...
Sign Of The Times: Labor Strikes May Make Comeback  NPR   ..."If you look at the national data, you see a decline in job satisfaction and you see tremendous frustration, particularly among younger workers who recognize they can't get the kinds of jobs they've been educated for, that they can't support their families or earn the kinds of incomes that their parents earned at comparable stages in life," he says...
Hostess Maneuver Deprived Pension  Wall Street Journal   ...Teamster-represented employees at Hostess didn't contribute a portion of their wages toward pensions, a union spokesman said. But among workers in the bakers union, it was "standard practice," said Mr. Rayburn, Hostess's CEO...
McCarthyism Is Alive and Well at Wisconsin Capitol  Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative   ...This list-making appears to be part of Capitol Police Chief David Erwin’s latest strategy for crushing political dissent in the Capitol. Since assuming office in July, Erwin has tried a series of measures aimed at ridding the Capitol of dissenting citizens whose continued presence annoys Republican legislators and confuses the embedded press...
Teamsters help Children's Home Society  Charleston Gazette   ...Members of Teamsters Local 175 delivered more than $15,000 worth of food and toys to the Children's Home Society early Monday morning...

Obama criticizes RTW4Less in Mich. (VIDEO)

And the crowd goes wild.

Today's Teamster News 10.28.12

GDP - The Warning Signs From Exports  zero hedge   ...The continued drag on exports due to the worsening recession in the Eurozone, and the slowdown in China, is putting continued pressure on corporate profit margins.  In turn this keeps businesses on the defensive to protect profit margins which stifles employment and investment...
Anti-austerity protesters urge Spain government to resign in Madrid rally  AFP   ...Thousands of anti-austerity demonstrators marched in the Spanish capital Saturday calling for the conservative government to resign because of its severe budget cuts...
Undercover donors fuel Prop. 32 furor  San Francisco Chronicle   ...some union backers wonder whether that $11 million came from the Koch brothers, those conservative billionaire financiers who have made a name for themselves by pouring millions of dollars into political campaigns in recent years...
Sensata outsourcing rattles Illinois community: 'Jobs need to stay here'  Guardian   ...Workers residents have held protests to prevent vehicles shipping parts destined for China from Bain-owned company...
Ban ALEC gift-giving to state's lawmakers (opinion)  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ... if corporations cleverly export the legislators and the lobbyists to out-of-state resorts under the rubric of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has looked the other way...
Ten days til the election... quick grab a baby! Obama charms them in New Hampshire while Romney FINALLY has some luck with the babies in Florida  Mail Online   ...Obama hugs supporters at the Teamsters Union Local 633 ahead of his campaign rally...

Obama surprises NH Teamsters today

(UPDATES to ADD Obama comment in 3rd graf.)

We just received an email from Brother Dennis Caza, Local 633's political coordinator:

We had a 15 minute notice that President Obama was coming to visit Teamsters Local 633 TODAY!!!!

The president was on his way to Nashua. When he arrived, he said,  "I saw a bunch of signs, said Teamsters for Obama, I thought I'd stop by."

You can see from the photo he was at the Manchester hall shortly after lunch.

The Associated Press reported:

A group of about 60 members greeted the president with loud cheers and chants of “fired up, ready to go!” Obama addressed the group briefly, telling them the state will be “very important” on Election Day on Nov. 6. 

“We don’t know how this thing is going to play out,” Obama said. “These four electoral votes right here could make the difference.” 

Obama won New Hampshire by 9 percentage points in 2008, but polls show the race tightening here. The New Hampshire Union Leader, the state’s most prominent newspaper, endorsed Republican Mitt Romney. 

Before leaving the Teamsters office, the president listed his accomplishments, including protecting equal pay for women, and he added: “I’m going to need you guys over the next 11 days to work as hard as you can. Do it not for me, do it for your kids.”

Our New Hampshire brothers and sisters cleaned up real nice, don't you think?

Today's Teamster News 10.08.12

Obama Better For Economy, Workers And Economists Agree  Huffington Post   ...Economists gave Obama's economic plan an average grade of 3.15 on a five-point scale: nearly 50 percent higher than their 2.14 grade of Romney's plan, according to a new survey by The Economist...
Real-Live Voter Fraud  Washington Monthly   ...What do forged absentee ballots and vote-buying have in common? They occur more often than in-person impersonation (which is virtually non-existent) and are unaffected by voter ID laws...
The jobs numbers: never mind the quantity, check the quality  The Guardian   ...more workers are in stuck in part-time jobs because their hours were cut back or they're unable to find full-time positions. The number of workers in this category shot up to 8.5 million in September – an increase of 581,000 from last month...
Desperately Chasing Jobs in a Polarized Wisconsin Town (television review)  New York Times   ...the energy and political capital expended on those 120 potential jobs are a sign of how desperate things are in Janesville and surrounding Rock County, where the closing of the auto plant is estimated to have cost 11,000 jobs. (The film makes no reference to Representative Paul D. Ryan...
Andy Kroll, The Death of the Golden Dream of Higher Education  TomDispatch   ...For the first time in generations, California's community colleges and state universities are turning away qualified new students and shrinking their enrollments as state funding continues its long, slow decline...
Wells Fargo boosts lobbying presence in Maine, elsewhere  Bangor Daily News   ...After becoming a national bank, Wells Fargo now has lobbyists bending state legislators’ ears everywhere from Denver to Baton Rouge, La. In Maine, state records show Wells lobbied on three bills, including one that would require banks to provide original documents while foreclosing. It was vetoed by the governor. Wells had no lobbyists in Maine five years ago...

Teamster addresses nation at Democratic National Convention

Teamster Brother Ken Myers on the big screen at the Democratic National Convention.

Four days after getting a call out of the blue, Carroll County Deputy Sheriff Ken Myers is representing the Teamsters at the Democratic National Convention. This afternoon he addressed the assembled delegates -- and the country -- from a podium in Charlotte, N.C.

It's been an adventure, from the last-minute flight, a mix-up over hotel rooms, questions about what to wear and what to say and backstage jitters. But he did great. His speech was frequently interrupted by applause

Brother Myers started off by proudly stating, "I am a Teamster, and a father."

Here are his remarks:

I’m lucky to walk a pretty quiet beat, as they say.  

But one evening last spring, me and two other officers answered a call, a domestic disturbance. As one of my partners knocked on the front door of the house, I went around back. 

That’s when, through a window, I saw a man with a gun. And he saw us. 

A daunting venue.

He started firing. We took cover. Backup arrived, and we spent the night trying to convince the suspect to surrender.   

By morning, he walked out the door, hands in the air. 

Thankfully, no one was hurt. 

First responders like me put our lives on the line. We’re proud to do it. It’s the job we signed up for. To protect and serve.  

But we need a leader who will do the same for. And that leader is President Barack Obama.  

Governor Romney has said, “it’s time to cut back” on public employees like teachers, firefighters, and cops. And that’s exactly what his plan would do. 

When the Republican Governor of Ohio attacked the collective bargaining rights of police officers, Romney supported him.  

The Romney-Ryan budget could cut funding for first responders by 20 percent. 

That funding, it helps pays for the officers who heeded my call for backup last spring. 

It also helps pay for the  Fire and EMS vehicles that responded to the scene.  

And it helps pay for the bulletproof vest that – if, God forbid, I was shot that night – could have saved my life. 

But this isn’t just about me – or about my partners in the sheriff’s office. It’s about all Americans. 

In his big speech last week, Mitt Romney talked about helping families.  

We help families every day. And let me tell you – what Mitt Romney doesn’t understand is that there’s nothing helpful about undermining public safety. 

When you cut funding for first responders, that means there will be fewer of them. And that means help may take longer to get there – or may get there far too late. 

President Obama understands that.  

That’s why he’s helped keep tens of thousands of cops on the job – and helped create thousands of new law enforcement positions across the country. 

He’s made sure we’re outfitted with the best equipment, the most advanced technology to keep us safe.  

In New York City on 9/11, and on the Gulf Coast after Katrina, first responders saw our communications network break down, making it harder to get to the people we were trying to help. President Obama helped create a national safety communications system so that never happens again. 

In places like Carroll Country, we do things for ourselves. We’re not strangers to hard work.  

But part of that work is looking out for our neighbors. That’s why we need police. That’s why we need firefighters, and teachers. 

And that’s why we need a President who fights for us. A President who stands up for middle class jobs, and middle class communities.  

President Obama has our backs. And in this election, we have his.

Today's Teamster News 07.22.12

Jobless Recovery: 43 States Have Fewer Jobs Now Than They Did Before Recession  Associated Press   ...Overall, the U.S. economy has 3.5 percent fewer jobs than it did before the Great Recession, which began in December 2007...
Tax Justice Network: Wealth Held in Tax Havens Skyrockets  Wall Street Journal   ...The Tax Justice Network’s report estimates that unreported offshore wealth held in tax havens has reached at least $21 trillion, and possibly as much as $32 trillion. That wealth means that the problem of inequality in wealth and income is actually worse than suspected, the group says. It also means that many countries are losing out on tax revenue that could go a long way toward alleviating their national fiscal problems...
Failing to Break Up the Big Banks is Destroying America  zero hedge   ...Now that the economy has crashed, the big banks are making very few loans to consumers or small businesses because they still have trillions in bad derivatives gambling debts to pay off, and so they are only loaning to the biggest players and those who don’t really need credit in the first place...
Is a Great Grey Exodus from America Starting?  naked capitalism   ...I see more and more people of modest and better means planning on becoming expats to make their retirement incomes go further...
Plug-in hybrid sales soar; all-electric cars stay in low gear  Los Angeles Times   ...'Pure' electric cars post underwhelming sales. Their limited range and higher prices, plus the lack of a strong public infrastructure for recharging their batteries, hurt their appeal...
Viral Facebook post says Barack Obama has lowest spending record of any recent president  Politifact   ...The Truth-O-Meter Says Mitt Romney is wrong to claim that spending under Obama has "accelerated at a pace without precedent in recent history," because it's actually risen "slower than at any time in nearly 60 years..."

Today's Teamster News 07.10.12

Obama calls for extending middle-class tax cuts  WMUR.com   ...Obama called on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for households making less than $250,000 per year...
It's a repeat: Romney tops Obama in June by $35 million  Politico   ...In an email to supporters, the Obama campaign announces raising $71 million in June — trailing Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee for the second consecutive month, this time by $35 million...
Major Rent Strike Against Millionaire Slumlord Catches Fire in Brooklyn  Alternet   ...As foreclosures continue to put historic pressure on the nation’s rental market, slumlords now have more opportunity than ever to prey on the most vulnerable of tenants...
Indentured Students Rise As Loans Corrode College Ticket  Bloomberg   ...As college costs have soared faster than the rate of inflation over the past four decades -- reaching $60,000 a year at the most expensive private schools -- Republicans and Democrats alike postponed a reckoning. They encouraged borrowing and ignored surging tuition, leaving loans to balloon to the size of mortgages, shocking even the system’s own architects...
Scott Walker Stacks Ethics Commission With ‘Fiercely Conservative’ Members Picked By A Corporate Lobbyist  ThinkProgress   ...Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, an ally of Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), is currently facing ethics charges due to allegations that he placed a fellow justice in a chokehold during an argument. Walker, however, now appears to have adopted a selection process for new members of this commission that will ensure Prosser will receive favorable treatment in the future...
Teamsters Call For Independent Board Leadership At Republic Airways  IBT   ...The current structure, with its close-knit board and conflicted lead director, makes investors vulnerable to the whims of a domineering chairman/CEO with no clear vision for the airline...
Teamsters Strike at Sorrento in South Buffalo  WGRZ.com   ...Members of the Local 264, International Brotherhood of Teamsters say they agreed to strike because of "Sorrento Cheese's unilateral imposition, effective 7/2/12 of inferior terms for health care coverage..."

Obama praised for getting tough on China

In the past decade, 400,000 jobs in the U.S. auto supply chain have been lost to China’s illegal trading practices. Another 1.6 million U.S. jobs are at risk, according to our friends at the Economic Policy Institute.

That's why President Obama got tough on China. He's won widespread praise for filing an unfair automobile trade complaint against China on Thursday.


Here's Scott Paul, executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, quoted in the Chicago Tribune:

American workers and manufacturers strongly support President Obama’s decision to launch a trade enforcement action against China’s unfair auto tariffs.

Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, called it a "bold and responsible move," according to the Detroit News:

...(It's) a decisive step to protect the American automobile industry from China's misuse of trade laws and violation of its international trade commitments.

Another Michigan Democrat, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, agreed:

The administration and Congress need to aggressively stand up for American businesses and workers.

The Toledo Blade first reported the story of the trade complaint last week. Ted Strickland, former Ohio Governor, said,

When people ask why they should vote for Obama, you hold up the Toledo Blade and you tell them, 'It is this president who is on our side.' 

Jeremy Anwyl, vice chairman of auto information company Edmunds.com, told the Los Angeles Times that Obama wasn't letting China push the U.S. around on trade:

This is an example of being tough on China.

This is the seventh trade case President Obama has brought against China.
                                                                 --No Name Dame

Obama files unfair trade complaint against China on autos

This is one scary graph.

Here's good news: President Obama today filed an unfair trade complaint against China with the World Trade Organization in Geneva.

The Toledo Blade got the story last night (no doubt because Obama is in Toledo today):

Demonstrating a tough line on trade with China, the Obama Administration will file an unfair trade complaint today against China's new duties on some American-made cars and sport utility vehicles, including the Toledo-made Jeep Wrangler. 

A senior administration official told The Blade Wednesday the United States will file the case with the World Trade Organization in Geneva, accusing China of putting illegal duties on $3.3 billion worth of U.S.-made auto imports. 

President Obama is expected to refer to the WTO trade action in his speech today in suburban Toledo as he begins his two-day "Betting On America Bus Tour" through northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. 

The enforcement action aims to force China to rescind the duties it placed disproportionately on General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC imports because of the 2009 taxpayer rescue of the auto industry.

The announcement from the U.S. Trade Representative is here.

As the AFL-CIO blog commented:

The auto industry, whose profits have surged since the Obama administration pushed through a federal loan package for the industry, has added 233,700 jobs since 2009. Good thing the nation didn't listen to Mitt Romney, who said he'd let the industry go bankrupt.

This is exactly what the American people want the government to do to keep jobs here and improve the economy.

 

Romney wants to help people by firing them

Remember being in school and the teacher asking you what you wanted to be when you grew up? And remember how she ridiculed you when you said you wanted to be a firefighter, or a police officer…or a teacher? Neither do we.

But if it were up to people like Mitt Romney or Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, that teacher would’ve talked some sense into you – right before having her own job cut.

The graph pictured here shows how differently public workers fared in previous recessions. Where government jobs were once seen as a solution in economic hard times (which actually helped to improve the economy), today they are depicted as burdensome and targets ripe for union-busting.

Anti-worker politicians have been betting on a strategy aimed at demonizing public workers for quite some time. But on the heels of the Wisconsin recall election, the right wing is ramping up its efforts to popularize scorn toward professions that were once considered noble.

On Sunday, Gov. Daniels called for the elimination of public sector unions and claimed that government somehow works better without them. Romney was more specific last week when he said,

“[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message in Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”

Cutting public services to help the American people? Sounds a little odd.

This morning Romney tried to clarify his position, saying he doesn’t want to lay off firefighters, teachers and cops. He just wants other people to do it:

Of course, teachers and firemen and policemen are hired at the local level and also by states. The federal government doesn't pay for teachers, firefighters or policemen. [Obama's] got a new idea, though, and that is to have another stimulus and to have the federal government send money to try and bail out cities and states.

It was only a few months ago that a National Journal poll found 70 percent in favor of providing funds to help states and local governments save jobs. Still, the enemies of working people have been winning with their message about “spoiled” public workers, as evidenced by the latest recall election in Wisconsin.

But the attack on public workers isn’t just an effective way to divide workers against each other rather than directing our outrage at the real culprit of the down economy (Wall Street). It’s also really bad economic policy. As the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein points out

Since Obama was elected, the public sector has lost about 600,000 jobs. If you put those jobs back, the unemployment rate would be 7.8 percent.

Teamsters President Hoffa had a good response to Gov. Daniels’ anti-union comments:

Gov. Daniels’ opinion on the value of public sector unions is insulting to the men and women that work hard every day to strengthen our communities across the country. His views do not reflect the beliefs of the millions of people who fought against the attacks on the public sector in Wisconsin and Ohio.

Today's Teamster News 06.09.12

Bernanke signals no imminent steps to aid economy  Associated Press   ...Slumping job growth has alarmed some economists who fear the U.S. economy is in trouble. (Federal Reserve Chairman) Ben Bernanke doesn't appear to be one of them...
Trade Deficit for April 2012 - $50.06 Billion  Instapopulist   ...The United States basically has two major ongoing problems with the trade deficit, Chinese goods and Oil imports...
22 States Stand Up Against Citizens United  Economy in Crisis   ...many observers are excited that the court may have to revisit its decision with the effects of the case now apparent. 22 states have filed a brief with the court expressing their support for the Montana court’s ruling, strongly stating their stance against Citizens United...
Obama Campaign adopts "Made in America" fashion collection  Manufacture This   ...Kudos to whomever at the Obama 2012 campaign decided to implement a designer Made in America fashion collection.  Voters who want to show their support for President Obama while simultaneously supporting American-made shirts and handbags should check out the "Runaway to Win" collection...
Republic Airways Teamsters Share Plight About Company's Attacks On Workforce  IBT   ...Teamster pilots, flight attendants and mechanics who work at Republic Airways--which provides regional jet passenger service for mainline U.S. carriers--distributed fliers today at 10 airports nationwide to educate the flying public about the company's ongoing attacks on its employees...
Teamsters' picket highlights era without salary increases  NWI.com   ...Teamsters members working for years without a pay raise conducted an informational picket Friday morning outside the Lake County Government Complex's main entrance...