Sanders halts consideration of fast track bill

Teamsters participated in a fast track protest on Capitol Hill this morning.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today shut down a Senate Finance Committee mark up of fast track trade promotion legislation when he used an obscure Senate scheduling rule to temporarily halt consideration of the bill.

In a statement, the pro-union, pro-worker lawmaker said it was imperative to slow the process down instead of jamming it through Congress as quickly as possible:

This job-killing trade deal has been negotiated in secret. It was drafted with input by special interests and corporate lobbyists but not from the elected representatives of the American people. Instead of rubber stamping the agreement, Congress and the public deserve a fair chance to learn what’s in the proposal

Even before Sanders took his deliberate stand to postpone consideration of the measure, protesters were on hand to make their voices heard. Fair trade backers spoke out in the hearing room. And outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the Teamsters joined other anti-fast track demonstrators in letting the public know that the trade vehicle would allow secret deals to sail through Congress with little oversight and result in lost jobs. Some were dressed as the "TPP Express," simulating a trade train that would bring corporate injustice and sweatshop conditions to the nations involved in the Pacific Rim trade deal.

The hearing resumed late this afternoon. In opening statements, many lawmakers made clear they were choosing to ignore the history of lost U.S. jobs caused by so-called "free" trade deals and would vote to approve fast track. The debate will move to the House side tomorrow, where the Ways and Means Committee will consider the legislation.

Today's Teamster News 03.05.15

Teamsters

Teamsters and Labor Allies Urge Congress to Oppose Fast Track teamster.org   …Teamsters from around the country joined their union brothers and sisters on Capitol Hill today to meet with members of Congress to discuss their continued opposition to fast-track trade promotion authority, which would have a damaging impact on American workers...
First Student, Teamsters Strike Summer Pay Deal  Savannah Morning News   ...Negotiations between Savannah-Chatham Public Schools transportation provider First Student and Teamsters Local 728 have resulted in a summer pay contract for about 500 bus drivers, monitors and technicians...
Apple To Make Many Security Guards Full-Time Employees  San Jose Mercury News   ...Under a contract approved last month, Facebook drivers working full-time will receive about $33,000 more in wages and benefits than they received before, the Teamsters said...
Lawmakers resume debate over Sunday growler sales  MPR News   …Edward Reynoso, the legislative director for Teamsters Union Joint Council 32, said changing the law to allow growlers to be sold on Sundays could reopen the labor contracts for 850 of his members who work in the liquor industry...
CN Rail reaches collective deal with Teamsters plans to buy back shares via private agreement  MENAFN   …Canadian National Railway Co. (TSE:CNR) the country's largest railroad and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union have renewed their collective agreement...
Stericycle Inc. and Teamsters reach a collective agreement  Canada NewsWire   …Stericycle Inc. is a trucking company offering waste disposal services and product destruction, including medical and pharmaceutical waste disposal. The collective agreement covering approximately 114 employees working in Brampton and Scarborough, Ontario, expired on December 31, 2014...
Trade
Fate of Obama’s Trade Agenda May Rest on Oregon Senator  New York Times   …From his position in the driver’s seat, Mr. Wyden is putting demands on the fast-track bill that Republicans are not sure they can accept — most important, a shut-off valve that Congress could turn if the details of the Pacific or European accords did not live up to their promise...
White House counts on Sen. Wyden to deliver on a trade deal  Washington Post   …Obama was calling to thank Wyden for his support of the president’s sweeping trade agenda which, in a reflection of the topsy-turvy politics of the issue, has drawn support from Republican leaders and staunch objections from many Democrats...
Japan, U.S. resume TPP talks but pact’s future very much in doubt  Japan Times   …Japanese and U.S. officials resumed talks Thursday in Tokyo on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, but the outcome of the negotiations remains unclear with political difficulties mounting for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and indications of growing opposition to the deal in the U.S…
Business Rallies Against Secretive TPP Trade Talks (opinion)  Macro Business   ...It is also lamentable that the TPP negotiations have been opened to some large corporations, which are free to lobby for their interests, but barred to individuals and industry groups. This all but ensures that the final deal will not be in the public’s best interests...
State Battles
Assembly debates right-to-work bill today  Associated Press   …With Wisconsin positioned to become the third Midwestern state in as many years to enact a right-to-work law, the Assembly begins debate Thursday on a plan Republican Gov. Scott Walker has promised to quickly sign and Democrats lack the votes to stop...
Assembly Plans 24-Hour Right-To-Work Debate  Green Bay Press Gazette   ...The Wisconsin state Assembly plans to start debate of the right-to-work bill at 9 a.m. Thursday and end no later than 9 a.m. Friday...
Boost In Minimum Wage To $12 Wins Backing In State House  Seattle Times   ...The Washington state House voted along party lines Tuesday to raise the state’s minimum wage — already the nation’s highest — to $12 an hour over the next four years...
Missouri House Passes Voter ID Bills  Northwest Missourian   ...The bill says approved forms of identification would include a current Missouri driver’s license or a current Missouri non-driver’s license, a document issued by the United States of the State of Missouri containing the person’s name and photograph or any armed services identification containing a photograph that is not expired...
Oakland New Minimum Wage Law Now In Effect  Contra Costa Times   ...The law raises the minimum hourly wage from $9 as set by the state to $12.25. Workers also are now entitled to paid sick days under the law that was approved by 82 percent of voters last November...
Governor Wants $10.50 Minimum Wage For NYS  WKBW   ...$10.50 - that's what Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to make the minimum wage in New York State. The Governor made the announcement Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club on Bailey Avenue alongside  Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown...
Thousands expected at Capitol for Saturday labor rally West Virginia Gazette   …The “Mountaineers Workers Rising Rally” will protest “legislative attacks on our working families,” according to a news release from the state AFL-CIO. The leaders of the national AFL-CIO, the United Mine Workers of America, the Teamsters, both national teachers unions, the United Utility Workers Union and United Steelworkers are all scheduled to speak...
War on Workers
Injured Workers Suffer As 'Reforms' Limit Workers' Compensation Benefits  NPR   ...Until recently, America's workers could rely on a compact struck at the dawn of the Industrial Age: They'd give up their right to sue. In exchange, if they were injured on the job, their employers would pay their medical bills and enough of their wages to help them get by while they recovered. No longer...
American Airlines Mechanic Killed In Accident At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport  KXAS   ...A mechanic who had worked for American Airlines for 30 years died Monday after falling from a jet bridge at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Family of Oregon Worker Killed in Blender Sues Meat Distributor  Insurance Journal   …The Oregonian reported that the lawsuit filed last week in Clackamas County Circuit Court accused Interstate Meat Distributors of failing to follow safety procedures...

Today's Teamster News 03.01.15

Teamsters
Teamsters picket car hauler outside GM Lordstown plant  WFMJ   …A local union gathered in Lordstown at the General Motors plant – not to protest GM, but to picket the company that transports the finished cars…
Nashville Chapter TNBC Holds Successful Awards Banquet  teamster.org   …The Nashville Middle TN Valley Chapter of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) held its Third Annual awards banquet titled “Education and Accountability” on February 21, 2015 in Nashville, TN. The event was successful despite the icy weather conditions that night...
Trade
Wyden should side with Merkley, working families on trade agreement (OPINION)  oregon Live   …Because of his seniority on the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has a pivotal role in determining the future of the TPP… Given what we know of the trade pact, Wyden's stated concern for the middle class should make him a skeptic, if not an adamant opponent, of the TPP...
State Battles
Thousands Protest Wisconsin's Right-To-Work Bill At The State's Capitol  Reuters   …Wisconsin unions bused in thousands of workers from around the state on Saturday to demonstrate against the impending adoption of a law that would ban private sector workers from being required to join a union or pay dues...
War on Workers
Austerity Kills: Economic Distress Seen as Culprit in Sharp Rise in Suicide Rate Among Middle Aged  naked capitalism   …Suicide rates for adults between 40 and 64 years of age in the U.S. have risen about 40% since 1999, with a sharp rise since 2007. One possible explanation could be the detrimental effects of the economic downturn of 2007-2009, leading to disproportionate effects on house values, household finances, and retirement savings for that age group...
Out of Trouble, but Criminal Records Keep Men Out of Work  New York Times   …The share of American men with criminal records — particularly black men — grew rapidly in recent decades as the government pursued aggressive law enforcement strategies, especially against drug crimes. In the aftermath of the Great Recession, those men are having particular trouble finding work. Men with criminal records account for about 34 percent of all nonworking men ages 25 to 54...
Education Department Terminates Contracts With Debt Collectors Accused Of Wrongdoing  Huffington Post   …The U.S. Department of Education, under fire for its lackluster oversight of student loan contractors, said Friday it will terminate its relationship with five debt collectors after accusing them of misleading distressed borrowers at "unacceptably high rates."...
How wages in services vs. goods-producing jobs explain relative GDP growth during Recoveries (Hint: producing goods is better)  Angry Bear   …The singular difference between losses in the Great Recession and the 3 previous ones is that, in prior recessions, service jobs were relatively untouched, while in the Great Recession, nearly as many service jobs were lost (4.5 million) as were goods-producing jobs (5.0 million)...

Teamsters and allies rally against fast track trade authority for TPP

Teamsters and allies have a message for U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen. 

Teamsters rallied today in Rockville, Md., to urge congressman Chris Van Hollen to stand with Marylanders and all working families to oppose fast track legislation.

They were joined by concerned citizens and environmentalists in Courthouse Square Park near the congressman's office. Van Hollen, a Democrat, has not committed to opposing a bill to fast track secretive trade deals that lower wages and cost jobs.

Thomas Ratliff, President of Teamsters Local 639 in Washington, D.C., said fast track is the wrong track:

Fast track will let Congress rubber-stamp the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will lower wages, send jobs overseas, and undermine our food safety.

Our allies at the Sierra Club sent out a press release about the action:

Fast track would allow the executive branch to send already-signed trade agreements to Congress for limited debate, no amendments, and a straight up-or-down vote, thereby limiting the ability of Congress to ensure that trade agreements protect communities and the public. This would include the TPP and any other trade deals going forward.

“Communities across the country are taking action to rebuild their broken food systems from the ground up,” said Karen Hansen-Kuhn, Director of International Strategies at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “The trade rules in TPP would threaten those achievements. We need to find ways to raise food, environment, and climate standards to their highest levels on terms that are fair to farmers and consumers. But to do that we need to say no to fast track, and yes to democracy and food sovereignty.”

Environmentalists are concerned that fast tracking the TPP would threaten environmental safeguards and encourage corporate attacks on clean air and water protections. Previous fast track bills have failed to address how trade deals should adequately protect the environment.

“Trade policy should include strong and binding environmental provisions that commit to reduce air and water pollution, protect endangered species, ban trade in illegally taken wildlife, and fight climate disruption. It must be legally binding with enforcement provisions, obligating countries and investors to uphold domestic environmental protections and safeguards,” said Stan Boyd, Executive Committee Member of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We call on Congressman Chris Van Hollen to vote against fast track, which rushes trade pacts through Congress without oversight and protections.”

The rally was hosted by the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, Teamsters, Food and Water Watch, Communication Workers of America, AFSCME and others.

Hundreds of protesters in NYC tell TPP negotiators to 'Go home!'

Happening now in Times Square

Hundreds of citizens braved an epic blizzard in New York City today to protest the TPP. They rallied outside of the Times Square hotel where negotiators are holding secret talks and demanded 'No Fast Track.' 

The cold, wet crowd grew so large that New York City police officers moved it across the street as they chanted, whistled, beat drums and waved signs. KrisfromflGeez tweeted, "it's freezing there, brave soldiers."

Toward the end of the spirited rally, demonstrators called U.S. Sen Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to tell him to stop fast track. Schumer sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which will hold a hearing on the TPP tomorrow. Then they marched through the snow to Schumer's district office. 

The protest was livestreamed by StopMotionSolo as the mainstream media will probably ignore it. 

Speakers recited the arguments against TPP: It will empower large corporations, undermine food safety, make medicine more expensive and destroy the environment, cost good U.S. jobs and lower wages.

The Raging Grannies led the crowd in song, adapting the lyrics of 'We Shall Not Be Moved.' @PopResistance tweeted: 

"We're fighting for worker justice, we shall not be moved!" #TPP protest to #StopFastTrack in NY. 

Here's the photo: 

Sysco, US Foods Teamsters rally for answers about their jobs

Sysco and US Foods Teamsters from IL, MO, WI, CO, AZ, CA, WA, IN, OH, TX

Sysco and US Foods Teamsters protested outside Sysco's shareholder meeting today in Houston and demanded to know if thousands of jobs will be cut if the two companies merge.

Sysco has made vague statements that 'all employees will become Sysco associates Day One' if the merger is approved.

Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall says the men and women who work for the two companies deserve to know what that means.

“Thousands of workers at Sysco and US Foods are concerned about their livelihoods," Hall said in a statement. "Will Sysco honor its existing collective bargaining agreements at both companies? How does it intend to save $600 million over the next four years, and will its loyal, long-term employees pay that price?”

Sysco’s planned merger with its only national competitor, US Foods, is still far from inevitable. The company has twice announced delays in closing the deal since it was announced in December 2013.

Steve Vairma is the Teamsters Warehouse Division Director, which represents 120,000 warehouse workers and nearly 12,000 at Sysco and US Foods. Vairma said,

It’s time Sysco clears the air. We are here to show the company that we will do whatever it takes to protect Teamsters employed at Sysco and US Foods.

The Federal Trade Commission is putting the deal under intense scrutiny. The transaction was structured by executives who stand to gain from it. No shareholder had a vote. The companies' workers and customers along with anti-monopoly groups warn the merger could significantly harm competition in U.S. markets.

Scott Laughlin, a Sysco employee, said,

Executives are poised to line their pockets from this merger, but we could lose our jobs and the company won’t even tell us if it plans to sell our warehouse or close it altogether.

Forty-six executives stand to pocket cash bonuses on completion of the merger. Chief Financial Officer Robert Kreidler has already cashed in $429,000 and will earn another $715,000 if the transaction closes. Three other executives will split nearly $1.5 million if the deal is approved.

In addition to the rally outside the annual meeting, several Teamsters inside the meeting raised concerns about the merger to Sysco’s senior executives and board members. Shelly Allsup, a Teamsters representative from San Diego, Calif., said:

Investors don't know what the composition of a newly combined company would look like. A possible anti-trust remedy from the FTC could call for divestitures from certain markets.

Teamsters, others protest World Bank hearing on Pacific Rim's right to mine El Salvador

Teamster Mike Dolan at today's World Bank rally

Canada-based OceanaGold/Pacific Rim Mining Corporation is suing the government of El Salvador for over $300 million because El Salvador is refusing to let it mine gold.

The 'court' of 'law'? The little-known World Bank ICSID -- International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. The issue is whether the people of El Salvador should be punished for refusing to let a foreign corporation run a mining project that threatens to poison their drinking supply.

Today a protest was held in front of the World Bank by Teamsters and others who don't think multinationals should be able to override the laws of a sovereign nation.

According to the Institute for Policy Studies,

OceanaGold/Pacific Rim Mining Corporation is suing the government of El Salvador for over $300 million because El Salvador is refusing to let it mine gold. 

The people of El Salvador are saying “yes to life and no to mining.” Many refused to sell their land to Pacific Rim, a requirement for a mining license in El Salvador. At least four anti-mining community members were slain under suspicious circumstances as the conflict over mining deepened. 

Yet, the saga continues. Because of trade and investment laws that the U.S. has championed in recent decades, corporations can sue governments when corporations feel their future profits are being threatened by government actions. Today they are doing this in the World Bank Group’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). 

This case exemplifies the perils of the massive Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) being negotiated by the United States with other counties of the Americas, Asia and Oceania. and what is wrong with “investor-state dispute settlement” mechanisms in such agreements. Let’s put an end to these egregious/capricious lawsuits that are increasingly biased in favor of corporate investors and against public interest.

Also joining today's protest were people from the  Institute for Policy Studies’ Global Economy Project, International Allies Against Mining in El Salvador, Oxfam, the Washington Ethical Society, Sisters of Mercy – Institute Justice Team, the Center for International Environmental Law, the SHARE Foundation, the AFL CIO, Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club,  Casa de Maryland, Committe In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES ), Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns,  Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Public Citizen.

Today's Teamster News 08.26.14

Teamsters
Teamsters concerned about cameras monitoring Massena town employees  Watertown Daily Times   ...Teamsters Union business agent Mickey S. Smith claims that town officials have refused to negotiate the use of security cameras in public areas throughout the town, but Supervisor Joseph D. Gray sees it differently...
Trade
UPS, Fedex get approval for express services in more Chinese cities  Reuters   ...After years of waiting, United Parcel Service Inc  and FedEx Corp have received licenses in China to extend domestic express package services to Beijing and other cities without needing joint-venture partners...
State Battles
New Doe document links Walker campaign, two national groups  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...A newly released document alleges Gov. Scott Walker's campaign illegally coordinated with two national groups on political advertising in a way that went further than what had been previously known...
WEDC board OK'd Ashley Furniture getting $6 million tax credit, cutting 1,900 jobs  Wisconsin State Journal   ...The board overseeing the state’s flagship job-creation agency has quietly approved a $6 million tax credit for Ashley Furniture Industries with a condition allowing the company to eliminate half of its state workforce...
6 Reasons Why Rick Scott Is One of the Worst Candidates for Working Families in the 2014 Elections  AFL-CIO   ...Scott rejects policies that would raise wages. “When I hear a politician say that we have to raise the minimum wage so working families can make ends meet, I cringe,” he said...
Companies that hire disabled ordered to pay back wages  The Morning Call   ...The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Pennsylvania organizations to pay $118,000 in back wages to workers with disabilities since 2011, according to records PublicSource obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The workers, who mostly have intellectual and developmental disabilities, already were earning far below minimum wage because the employers have a special license to pay people with disabilities less...
The Con Artistry of Charter Schools  In These Times   ...Charter schools are such a racket, across the nation they are attracting special attention from the FBI, which is working with the Department of Education’s inspector general to look into allegations of charter-school fraud...
Missourians Fight ALEC Over Big Agriculture’s “Right to Farm”  Mint Press News   ...the conflict was essentially between large agricultural factories and consumers increasingly concerned with the sustainability and ethics behind the food they eat...
Educators protest corporate influence on public education  The Legislative Gazette   ...Protestors from New York State United Teachers demonstrated on the steps of the State Education Department building, shredding a Pearson testing contract while speaking out against what they call the growing corporate influence on teaching and learning in New York's public schools and colleges...
Ride-sharing firms shift into overdrive to kill insurance bill  Los Angeles Times   ...The fight pits companies such as Uber and Lyft against insurers, taxicab firms and some consumer advocates. At issue is how much and what kind of insurance should be required for ride-sharing drivers in case of an accident...
War on Workers
Retirees' Social Security checks garnished for student loans  CNN Money   ...It's a growing national trend. Last year, 156,000 Americans had their Social Security checks garnished because of student loans they had defaulted on. It's tripled in number from 47,500 in 2006...
Amazon at odds with Germany over strong union tradition  Seattle Times   ...Unions are a part of the cultural fabric in Germany. For Amazon, that poses a persistent challenge as thousands of its German warehouse workers fight for union recognition, striking occasionally to demonstrate their commitment...
Indiana county highway worker killed when hit by tire rim  Associated Press   ...State safety officials are investigating the death of a northwestern Indiana county highway department worker who was killed when a tire rim blew off a road grader...
McDonald's maintenance worker Jose Carillo, 81, won't let his age keep him from waging the fight for fair wages for fast-food workers  New York Daily News   ...Peruvian immigrant Castillo is paid $8.10 an hour at a Midtown McDonald's and can't afford to retire. He is one of hundreds of fast-food workers campaigning to have their wages raised to $15 an hour...
Despite Economic Recovery, Millions Of Workers Stuck In Part-Time Jobs  NPR   ...Americans who'd like to have full-time jobs are often working two or more part-time jobs to make ends meet. Some are hamstrung by increasingly difficult labor tactics used by their employers...
Taco Bell Owners Sued For Forcing Workers to Give Fake Money as Change  Jezebel   ...The operators of two Manhattan Taco Bells have been handed a class-action lawsuit alleging they forced underage workers to hand out counterfeit $20 bills to customers as change...
The Kochs' commercial appeal  Politico   ...This cycle, Koch-affiliated groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, are expected to spend up to a staggering $290 million to support conservative causes and candidates, much of it on advertising...

Teamster taxi drivers get Washington's attention on unfair regulations

Hundreds of Teamster-represented taxi drivers caravaned through the streets of Washington, D.C., today to demand an end to illegal ride services.

According to Teamsters' news release,

The services, such as UberX and Lyft, are operating illegally in the city and are stealing work from D.C. taxi drivers. Last year, the city gave the services an extension to operate until regulations were in place. 

The extension ended several months ago but the city failed to enact fair regulations, giving the private sedan services a big competitive edge. There’s a risk to the public as well. For example, drivers for the private sedan services are not required to undergo thorough background checks. 

“Virginia ordered a cease and desist order on these companies and the District of Columbia needs to do the same,” said Irfan Jamali, a D.C. taxi driver for the past 24 years. “We are tired of seeing our livelihoods harmed because of the city’s inaction. We demand fairness now!”

Taxi drivers have to pay 25 cents to the D.C. Taxi Commission for every ride, while Uber X and Lyft do  not. They have to pay $125 every year for a picture ID, they're required to be fingerprinted, they have to have FBI background checks and they have to have commercial license plates. The unregulated ride-sharing drivers don't have to do any of those things.

Taxi drivers around the world are protesting the unregulated ride services that are eating into their livelihoods. That doesn't mean they're against the drivers. Teamsters are trying to organize Uber and Lyft drivers in California and Seattle.

The Hill reported on today's protest:

The union’s protest involves a slow-moving taxi caravan that began Wednesday morning at Washington’s East Potomac Park. The drivers are planning to proceed to the U.S. Capitol and end at Freedom Plaza, which is located near the City Hall building in downtown Washington.  

Union President Ferline Buie said her members are making the case that the rules governing online cab services were unfair to traditional drivers.  

“The D.C. drivers have seen the protests across the United States and around the world, and today it is their turn to join the growing chorus calling for these services to follow the same rules and regulations that they must follow,” Buie said. “All they want is a level playing field.”

Today's Teamster Caravan on Pennsylvania Ave.

Today's Teamster News 04. 28.14

Trade
Najib cites ‘sensitivities’ as Obama struggles to push trade pact  The Malaysian Insider   ...Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that he and US President Barack Obama had agreed to upgrade bilateral relations but suggested that his country remains far from ready to sign a US-led trade pact due to domestic "sensitivities"...
U.S. did not "bully" Malaysia into TPP, Obama says  Global Post   ...There have been a series of protests in Malaysia against the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade initiative in the days leading up to Obama's arrival on Saturday for a three-day visit...
State Battles
House Republicans Still Seeking Needed Votes For 'Right-To-Work' Ballot Proposal  St. Louis Public Radio   ...After two weeks of vigorous lobbying, Republican leaders in the Missouri House acknowledge that they have yet to obtain the extra four votes needed to send to the state Senate a measure to put a right-to-work proposal on the August ballot...
Wall Street’s Pension Gamble  In These Times   ...In a new report for the union representing ...(North Carolina) public employees, former Securities and Exchange Commission investigator Ted Siedle documents how secrecy is allowing financial firms to bilk the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System, which is the seventh largest public pension fund in America...
War on Workers
Recovery Has Created Far More Low-Wage Jobs Than Better-Paid Ones  New York Times   ...But job losses and gains have been skewed. Higher-wage industries — like accounting and legal work — shed 3.6 million positions during the recession and have added only 2.6 million positions during the recovery. But lower-wage industries lost two million jobs, then added 3.8 million...
One Year After Rana Plaza, Safety Issues in Walmart Supply Chain Persist  ...a compensation fund for victims was set up to enable retailers to donate to the impacted workers, but only $15 million—one-third of the $40 million goal—has been raised by the International Labor Organization (ILO), which chairs the fund. The corporate community’s inaction has left survivors scrambling to make a living without adequate healthcare or wages, according to a report by Human Rights Watch…
My protesting isn’t terrorism: How Big Ag teamed with lawmakers to criminalize speech  Salon   ...Activists are being prosecuted for challenging the interests of business. I should know — I spent 40 months in jail...
Supreme Court Taking Up Police Searches of Data Troves Known as Cellphones  New York Times   ...In a major test of how to interpret the Fourth Amendment in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider two cases about whether the police need warrants to search the cellphones of the people they arrest...
'Happy Days’ no more: Middle-class families squeezed as expenses soar, wages stall  New York Times   ...A recent poll conducted by the Washington Post and the Miller Center at the University of Virginia found that 40 percent of those calling themselves middle class felt less financially secure than they were just a few years ago. Forty-five percent said they worry “a lot” about having enough money stashed away for retirement, and 57 percent said they worry about meeting their bills. Less than half said they expect their kids to do any better...
Miscellaneous
The Koch Attack on Solar Energy  New York Times   ...At long last, the Koch brothers and their conservative allies in state government have found a new tax they can support. Naturally it’s a tax on something the country needs: solar energy panels...

Walmart CEO quits as more workers strike in Miami, St. Paul

Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn. 

Walmart workers went on strike this morning in Miami and St. Paul, the eighth and ninth such strikes in recent weeks as the company announced CEO Mike Duke is stepping down.

 Duke makes 6,132 times what the average Walmart worker earns.

The International Business Times reports,

The chief executive of giant US retailer Walmart has stepped down while the company battles with a series of clashes with workers. 

Mike Duke, who is heading off to retirement, is to be replaced by company veteran Doug McMillon to take the helm of one of the world's largest companies in February next year.

Walmart worker and OUR Walmart member Tiffany Beroid put out a statement saying the change of leadership is a testament to the pressure the company is under:

We’re happy to see Mr. McMillon acknowledge the hard work of associates in his statement this morning, and we hope that this appreciation translates into improving jobs for Walmart workers. Americans nationwide are looking to Walmart to improve jobs and strengthen our economy, and Mr. McMillon has an opportunity to be a leader in moving Walmart in the right direction, not just in offering more empty promises. We sincerely hope that Mr. McMillon will answer the country’s calls for Walmart to publicly commit to paying $25,000 a year, providing full-time work and ending its illegal retaliation against its own employees.

ThinkProgress reported on today's strike in Miami:

Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday. 

Katie, who has worked at a store in Miami for three years and makes $8.75 an hour, told ThinkProgress she’s striking to improve conditions for both herself and her coworkers. “We’re going on strike for better benefits, for better pay for associates, and for respect,” she said.
The strikes make eight this month, coming after workers called out or walked off the job in Dallas, cities in Ohio, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Workers also went on strike in Miami in October.

And in St. Paul, the Union Advocate reports:

The nationwide wave of Walmart strikes hit Minnesota this morning, when three women who work at the Brooklyn Center store informed management they were going on an unfair-labor-practices strike. 

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and Rev. Doug Mork of nearby Cross of Glory Lutheran Church accompanied the workers into the store, and dozens of supporters from faith, labor and community groups greeted them on their way out, ready to erect a picket line. 

Andrea Williams, April Williams and Lillian Griffin said they decided to take a stand after attempts to organize for better wages, meaningful benefits and a voice on the job drew retaliation from store managers.

Throughout the country, Walmart workers and supporters from the Teamsters and other unions plan to demonstrate against abuse and poverty wages on Black Friday. If you haven't found a Walmart protest near you, click here to find one.

Today's Teamster News 10.20.13

Teamsters to protest Saturday at Skechers’ headquarters in Manhattan Beach  Daily Breeze   ...The march, scheduled to start at noon, will end at the Skechers home office on Manhattan Avenue. Skechers is a client of Green Fleet Systems, a Carson-based trucking firm with which the Teamsters is involved in a labor dispute. The union is trying to organize drivers at the company to form a union...
Countdown to grocery workers' strike  Sky Valley Chronicle   ...Tens of thousands of Puget Sound area union grocery workers, members of Local 21 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, might be on the sidelines come Monday...
Study Finds Unions Lower Poverty, Which is Bad News for Anti-Union Texas GOP  Burnt Orange Report   ...A study published in the August issue of the American Sociological Review found that states with more unions had fewer working poor...
JPMorgan Said To Reach Record $13 Billion U.S. Settlement  Bloomberg   ...JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s record $13 billion deal to end U.S. probes of its mortgage-bond sales would free the nation’s largest bank from mounting civil disputes with the government while leaving a criminal inquiry unresolved...
Families With Kids Go Homeless as U.S. Rents Exceed Pay: Economy  Bloomberg   ...For households with children, rising housing costs, elevated unemployment and stagnant earnings are increasingly placing rent beyond reach. The housing slump made matters worse as former homeowners turned into renters, increasing competition for available apartments...
Train derailment fire will have to burn itself out before residents can go home  CTV News   ...Jim Phelan, Parkland County fire chief, says no further explosions are expected from the 13 cars carrying oil and liquefied petroleum gas on a freight train operated by Canadian National Railway, but the evacuation order for about 100 people must stay in place...
A Nation Brought to the Verge of Ruin (opinion)  Counterpunch   ...“The United States, despite its formally democratic character, is firmly in the hands of a moneyed oligarchy, probably the most powerful ruling class in history...”
The latest from the Oregon Medicaid Experiment: Impacts on labor force and public program participation  The Incidental Economist   ...Medicaid had no detectable effect on labor market participation, earnings, or the probability of having income above the poverty level...
In U.S., Perceived Need for Third Party Reaches New High  Gallup   ...Amid the government shutdown, 60% of Americans say the Democratic and Republicans parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that a third major party is needed...
Modern-Day Slavery: India’s Other Shame  The Diplomat   ...Of the estimated 29.8 million people living in modern slavery worldwide, nearly half are in India...

Today's Teamster News 10.10.13

Ballots Sent to Some ABF Teamsters for Strike Vote  truckinginfo   ...Less-than-truckload carrier ABF has been notified by the Teamsters Union that ballots to authorize a strike are being mailed on Tuesday to nearly 1,800 employees covered by the Central Region Local Cartage supplement...
Teamsters again declare bargaining impasse with Pasco  Tampa Tribune   ...Three years after Pasco County workers voted to form a union, they still don’t have a contract. The Teamsters Local 79 declared impasse for the second time last Friday, which means both sides will again plead their case to a special magistrate...
All in the Family  teamster.org   ...Shelley Goodman has witnessed a lot of hardship in her 21 years as a Durham School Services school bus driver and Teamster organizer...
Hoffa: Government Shutdown A Financial Crisis for Workers  Detroit News   ...The Republican shutdown of the federal government is being felt not only in Washington, but here in Michigan as well. Workers, military members and even children are the unfortunate victims of the political budget games...
Labor takes time to celebrate Local's 100 years  Anderson Valley Post   ...On October 5, organized labor took some time off to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Teamsters Local 137 at the Shasta District Fairgrounds in Anderson...
Hoffa: Unions Need Global Solidarity  Huffington Post   ...In a few short decades, our country and our world have changed dramatically. In the last 30 years, America has gone from the world's biggest creditor nation to the one holding the world's largest debt...
Newsday driver jobs may be cut  New York Post   ...Cablevision is hoping to shave $10 million in costs from its money-draining Newsday operating by booting about 35 drivers, who are members of Graphic Communications Conference Local 406...
The Kochs Can't Control the Monster They Created  The Atlantic   ...The billionaire conservatives join the ranks of business interests trying to rein in the GOP's base, but it has turned into an unstoppable force...
Gallup: GOP approval at all-time low  Salon   ...A new poll finds the GOP with the lowest party approval rating in Gallup history...
Starting tomorrow, we’re down 90 percent of our nuclear safety regulators  Salon   ... efforts to make the reactors safer, such as changes meant to prevent something similar to what’s going on at Fukushima from happening here, will be put on hold...
There's an International Plan to Censor the Internet in the Works -- Let's Stop It in Its Tracks  Alternet   ...The lack of general awareness about the TPP is exactly what unelected trade officials and lobbyists hope for; the more covert the negotiations, the easier it is to usher in extreme new Internet censorship rules...
How Private Tech Companies Are Collecting Data on You and Selling Them to the Feds for Huge Profits  Alternet   ... Inside your mobile phone and hidden behind your web browser are little known software products marketed by contractors to the government that can follow you around anywhere...
New EPI Economic Indicator: Monthly Updates of the Number of “Missing Workers” and What the Unemployment Rate Would Be If They Were Looking for Work  Economic Policy Institute   ...if the nearly 5 million missing workers were looking for work and thus counted as unemployed, the unemployment rate in August would have been 10.1 percent instead of 7.3 percent...
McDonald's Employee Confronts Executive: I Can't Afford Shoes For My Children  The Real News   ...Salgado confronted the president of McDonald’s, Jeff Stratton, about her wages during his speech at the Union League Club of Chicago….She and six other protesters were given tickets for trespassing...
Thousands Join Teachers' Protest in Rio de Janeiro  Portside   ...March draws biggest turnout since wave of protests during Confederations Cup in June, and anarchist groups clash with police...
Michigan Education Association Retains 99% Of Members  WKAR Public Media   ...As we hear from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta, the president of the Michigan Education Association says 99 percent of its members have opted to stick with the union...
School buses roll again in Boston; disgruntled drivers meet with bus company officials  Boston Globe   ...Hundreds of Boston school buses ferried students to schools yesterday morning with only a few delays, a day after a surprise strike by the drivers sent thousands of parents scrambling for alternatives...
When Giant Banks Pay Fines, Where Does the Money Go? Does It Stop Crime?  AlterNet   ...If somebody broke into your home and stole your belongings, you’d expect to see some serious consequences if they got caught. But when banks rob Americans—and even cast them out of their own homes illegally—the worst that usually happens is a fine...
Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin keeps increasing its long-term borrowing  The Cap Times   ...Gov. Scott Walker has honed his reputation as a fiscal conservative, taking credit for closing a $3.6 billion spending gap left from the Jim Doyle administration...
GOP bets on economy haven't paid off (opinion)  NWI Times   ...The way Gov. Mitch Daniels and fellow Republicans talked in early 2012, I was ready to set up a toll gate at the state line when the anti-union right-to-work bill was approved...
Bill Schuette to Michigan Supreme Court: Don't waste your time on right-to-work appeal  Detroit Free Press   ...The Michigan Supreme Court shouldn't waste its time taking up an appeal over one of the state's controversial right-to-work laws, Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette wrote in a court filing this week...

Unions, advocates take a stand against TPP

Demonstrators call out corporate-led TPP during Washington protest.

Scores of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) protesters urged trade negotiators this afternoon to stand up for workers and consumers by opposing the trade deal. They chanted and cheered in front of the U.S. Trade Representatives' office in downtown Washington where representatives from the 12 nations involved in TPP discussions were meeting.

Holding signs saying "Bring TPP Out of the Shadows" and "Fast Track: Derailing the Middle Class," union representatives as well as fair trade, health care and environmental advocates each took turns rousing the crowd in an effort to chide officials to end the secrecy revolving around the proposed Pacific Rim trade agreement. They called for the deal to get the full consideration of Congress, as the U.S. Constitution mandates.

Ken Peres, chief economist for the Communications Workers of America, welcomed the negotiators to the nation's capital but said TPP opponents are not going to go quietly:

We want to remind these negotiators -- no justice, no peace. We support trade, but fair trade.

Different speakers led rounds of call-and-response chants that raised the crowd's spirits and volume during the demonstration. They frequently repeated that workers' jobs and wages are at stake if the TPP is implemented:

Working people are under attack. No TPP and no fast track!

The Obama administration and multinational corporations have made it clear they want to push forward with finalizing the TPP as soon as possible. They tout economic gains for employers and employees alike. But the numbers just don’t support those claims. A report released last week by the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that even when using the most pro-TPP statistics to determine U.S. economic growth, the trade pact would result in a pay cut for 90 percent of U.S. workers.

Luckily some are sounding the alarm. Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa co-authored an op-ed with Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune today warning negotiators about how both fast track and the TPP could harm workers.

Wisconsin rebels against the Walker/ALEC agenda

Teamsters at a recent rally at Wisconsin's Capitol. 

Wisconsin activists are stirring again even as North Carolina's Moral Monday movement gathers steam.

No one should be surprised. Both states have governors backed by radical billionaires. In Wisconsin, Job-killer Gov. Scott Walker is a stooge for the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers. North Carolina Gov. Art Pope Pat McCrory is a puppet for greedy billionaire Art Pope.

Both governors are pursuing the same agenda, which was handed to them by ALEC, the corporate escort service for state politicians. ALEC's aims are to crush unions, eradicate public education, impoverish government workers, suppress voting rights and marginalize women.

On Monday, “Women’s Equality Day,” Wisconsin Teamsters attended a rally in Madison to stand with Wisconsin women who are at the mercy of Walker's agenda.

“Equal pay for women and the right to organize and join a Union are just a few of the reasons we are here today,” said Tom Millonzi, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 200 in Milwaukee.

Joining Millonzi at the rally were Local 200 President Tom Bennett and Business Representatives Steve Nelson and Randy Monroe.

The rally came in the midst of turmoil caused by Walker's heavy-handed crackdown on a group that comes to the Capitol every weekday to sing songs of protest against his union busting. More than a hundred people have been arrested on dubious charges and are insisting on jury trials to demonstrate the absurdity of their arrest.

The arrests include people who just watch, according to the Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative.

As the arrests at the Solidarity Sing Along continued, the Capitol Police began warning people on the 1st and 2nd floors overlooking the ground floor rotunda that they were subject to arrest if they did not disperse, even when the individuals were not singing or clapping or participating in any way. When news started to spread that simply observing the unlawful assembly was cause for arrest and citation, outrage spread over the Capitol Police assertion that “spectators are considered participants,” many citizen journalists reported on these warnings, with one video of the warning getting over 60,000 views on youtube.

The crackdowns are re-energizing dissenters in Wisconsin.

Walker, who took away most collective bargaining rights for government workers, now says he'll go after police and firefighters' collective bargaining rights. A firefighter has been arrested at the Capitol and off-duty Madison police have joined the protest, the Cap Times reports.

Normal Stockwell wrote in The Cap Times that the Wisconsin protesters who are getting arrested in the Capitol are honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated while supporting Memphis sanitation workers striking for the right to join AFSCME:

Today there is another struggle to recognize the rights and dignity of labor in the state of Wisconsin. Many of the workers who lost collective bargaining rights under Act 10 in 2011 were AFSCME workers, too. Since March of 2011, a loose group calling itself the Solidarity Sing Along has gathered inside or outside the Capitol to sing in solidarity with those workers who lost rights through the passage of Act 10. In recent weeks, arrests of those singers, their supporters and others simply observing have increased. Notable labor activists arrested have included David Newby, former president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.

Port drivers rise up against employer abuse, plan protest

Port driver Jose Luis Alvarado invites
you to a rally to demand respect on Tuesday.

Truck drivers at the Port of L.A. are holding a large rally on Tuesday to demand respect from their abusive employer, Green Fleet Systems. One of the drivers, Jose Luis Alvarado, invites you to attend:

My name is Jose Luis Alvarado. I am a port truck driver working at Green Fleet Systems. I have been a port truck driver for 13 years serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Although the work that is done by me and my coworkers is vital to the American economy, our work often goes unnoticed. Besides the times we might be driving next to you on the freeway, we are mostly invisible. On a daily basis, people buy TVs, toys, and clothes that we haul to warehouses and distribution centers for you and your family. 

Almost no one is aware of the working conditions that we face on a day-to-day basis and how this affects us and our families. We work long hours for little pay. At the end of the day, it’s hard to make ends meet. As the father of 3 children, I am often stressed about being able to pay my bills and provide my children with the opportunities that I never had in Guatemala. Green Fleet Systems offers us a company medical insurance plan, but in order to get coverage for me and my family, I would have to pay $100 a week. There is no way that I can afford it. 

At work, my coworkers and I face constant disrespect from management. We are insulted and screamed at for any small mistake that is committed. No one deserves to be treated this way. We have earned the same rights and treatment that every hardworking American deserves. 

It is because of the harassment that we are facing as we try to form a union that we are taking action to demand justice at Green Fleet Systems. We demand that Green Fleet Systems management stop retaliating against us as we organize to form our union. We say stop the intimidation! Stop the union busting!

The rally will be held on Tuesday at 3:30 pm in Carson, Calif., at Green Fleet Systems warehouse, 20500 S. Alameda St.  Read more here.

More protesters arrested in Wisconsin for singing

Among the protesters arrested in Wisconsin by Job-killer Gov. Scott Walker's Capitol Police are children, grandmothers, journalists and military veterans -- because they express their disagreement with him.

Since March 11, 2011, Wisconsin citizens came to the Capitol every weekday at lunch to sing civil rights and pro-union songs to demonstrate their disgust with Walker's union-busting, job-destroying, dissent stifling tactics.

Politicususa

Scott Walker has tried to squash these protests by arresting the singers, but their numbers keep growing. Walker then tried to arrest people for watching the singers sing, but he had to back off after a public outcry brought him unwanted national attention. Now, his strategy seems to be that he will arrest the protesters and the journalists who cover the protesters. The Walker administration likely assumes that these protests will die out if journalists are too intimidated to cover them. 

Apparently, Gov. Walker has never heard of the Internet. 

One of the most overlooked stories in the country right now is what is happening to the Solidarity Singers in Wisconsin. The arrests now total over 200, but the number of protesters continues to steadily grow every day. Scott Walker is another Republican who harbors presidential delusions, so he wants the protesters out of the capitol before the national media arrives to cover his 2016 campaign. 

When Walker busted the unions, the national media paid attention. When he survived the recall, they went away. However, the battle for Wisconsin did not stop when the national media left. The struggle is continuing on, and Scott Walker is willing to do anything, including stomping all over the constitution to silence these protesters.

Journalist Matthew Rothschild, writing for The Progressive, described how he got arrested inthe dragnet:

But the police officers said to stand back. I said I was a journalist, the editor of The Progressive magazine. 

“You can’t be here,” they said. 

“I’m with the press,” I said. “I have a right to be here.” 

Whereupon, without a warning that I’d be arrested, Officer S. B. Mael grabbed my hands and put them behind my back, cuffed them, and said, “Obstruction.” 

“That’s ridiculous,” Block said, as she was put in the elevator. 

“This is getting absurd, guys,” I said to the officers, who refused to engage with me. 

They took me to the basement of the capitol, frisked me, and put me in a chair.
…
The police kept me in the basement of the capitol until all the protesters had left. They took down my name and Social Security number and address and phone number and employer (I reminded them I worked at The Progressive). 

And then they hauled me off in a squad car to the Dane County jail just three blocks away, where I was frisked again, booked, fingerprinted, had my mug shot taken, and kept in a holding cell with three other inmates for an hour and twenty minutes before being released.

Stay tuned.  

The 1963 March on Washington was about jobs -- and freedom

Teamsters head toward Washington in 1963.

As the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington approaches, we should all remember that 300,000 people didn't just want equality. They wanted jobs, and good wages, and economic justice.

They wanted the same things that low-wage workers are still fighting for today.

Algernon Austin at the Economic Policy Institute recently chronicled how far we still have to go to realize the dream of the March on Washington:

March organizers demanded a minimum wage that could realistically be expected to lift a family out of poverty. Specifically, they demanded a minimum wage of $2.00 an hour (up from $1.15 an hour). We are nowhere near that goal today. Adjusting for inflation, that wage would be more than $13.00 an hour today, close to twice the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. In fact, the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage today is about $2.00 less than it was at its peak value in 1968 (Cooper and Hall 2013).

Mark Vorpahl writing in truthout notes the 1963 marchers also demanded a federal jobs program -- something not even contemplated today, though the unemployment rate is higher now than it was then.

The ten demands of the march included both calls for the "Withholding of Federal funds from all programs in which discrimination exists" and "Desegregation of all school districts in 1963." These were combined with "A massive federal program to train and place unemployed workers — Negro and white — on meaningful dignified jobs at decent wages" and "A national minimum wage act that will give all Americans a decent standard of living."

Often overlooked is the fact that the 1963 March on Washington was organized by unions and by people close to the labor movement. A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was in charge of the organizing effort.

Labor unions, including the Teamsters, are again supporting a March on Washington on August 24. The Labor Fightback Network urges you to participate:

Join the March on Washington August 24, 2013, to demand jobs and freedom for all; defend and expand Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; respect and protect workers’ rights; and restore and expand voting rights!

 Find out more here.

Arrests, street closures during massive ALEC protest in Chicago

Here's the large ALEC protest in Chicago, happening now.

(UPDATES to correct spelling of 'Uetricht' in graf 11.)

Thousands of citizens, union members, environmentalists and faith groups are right now marching in the streets of Chicago to protest ALEC, or the American Legislative Exchange Council, meeting at the Palmer House in the Loop. The size of the crowd forced police to close Monroe Street, a major artery, and moments ago we learned they arrested several protesters.

The massive demonstration follows a 10,000-person Moral Monday protest in Asheville, N.C., two days ago. Angry North Carolinians denounced the Legislature's passage of ALEC's agenda. Politicians beholden to corporations and billionaires raised taxes on the middle class, outsourced public education, cut education spending, slashed unemployment benefits and restricted voting for citizens not likely to vote for them.

In Chicago, ALEC-supported politicians are enjoying the luxuries offered by the Palmer House and working on ways to destroy the middle class. Their agenda this year includes crushing unions, keeping the minimum wage at its current level, outsourcing toll roads and education, banning prohibitions on genetically modified food and eliminating licensing requirements for truck drivers and other professions.

In short, they're like a baby with a nail gun aimed at working people.

From early accounts the protest is large, energetic and loud. Watch them here shout "Shame on You":



You can follow the action on Twitter at #ALECinChicago and #ALECExposed. Here's what tweeters are telling us is happening: 

Casey Aldridge ‏@CaseyJAldridge 4m
RT @thegirlone: Get up, get down, Chicago is a union town. #ALECExposed #noALEC #ALECinChicago  

Stephanie Pistachio ‏@supasuga 3m
Raise Up MKE chants: Up With Black Youth, Down With ALEC! #noALEC #ALECinChicago #RaiseUpMKE http://instagram.com/p/cww0jbs8LQ/  

Fair Trade Ervin ‏@fairtrade_ervin 5m
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE! #ALECinChicago #ALECEXPOSED #NOALEC pic.twitter.com/W6wVL8wmca
Isaac Wright ‏@Izac_Wright 6m 

MT “@ALECexposed: ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress  http://www.prwatch.org/node/12205/  #ALECexposed #ALECinChicago” #arleg

Photos are showing members of UAW, AFSCME and ATU. We're quite certain many other unions are represented.  Micah Uetricht at The Nation explains why:

Targeting ALEC would certainly be in labor’s self-interest: anti-worker and anti-union legislation has been a central focus of the group, with model legislation that includes right-to-work laws, repealing the minimum wage and opposing future minimum wage increases, and other pro-business labor laws. Their fingerprints have been on a number of high-profile legislative battles on labor issues in recent years, including Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011 Budget Repair Bill that led to the state capitol’s occupation, Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s right-to-work legislation late last year, and anti-worker (as well as anti-choice) legislation in North Carolina behind the state’s Moral Mondays protests. 

In 2013 alone, at least 117 bills resembling the group’s “model bills” on worker compensation and organizing rights have been introduced in state legislatures around the country. Their bills attacking public sector unions have caught the attention of the American Federation of State, Municipal, and County Employees (AFSCME), who have decried the organization in the past and are also encouraging members members to join the protests. 

Finally, we'll leave you for now with this great photo:

ALEC banner right in front of the Palmer House in Chicago. 

ALEC charged with tax fraud for political junkets

ALEC, the corporate escort service for state lawmakers, was charged today with tax fraud. The Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause say the anti-worker organization is lying about the extravagant vacations it funds for elected officials.

In a letter to the IRS, the two watchdog groups say ALEC since 2006 has spent $4 million on lawmakers' vacations disguised as "scholarships." Elected officials' meals, airfare and accommodations are paid for by ALEC, and they stay at luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt Regency in vacation spots like New Orleans and San Diego. About 300 state lawmakers a year receive travel funding from ALEC, and at least 20 have gotten as much as $7,000.

Here's how Common Cause and the Center for Media and Democracy explain their charges:

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is running a secretive, multi-million dollar slush fund that finances lavish trips for state legislators and has misled the Internal Revenue Service about the fund’s activity... 

 the “scholarship fund” scheme also raises serious questions about ALEC’s compliance with state gift and disclosure laws, and the ethics of lawmakers who accept ALEC’s travel payments. 

The watchdogs said that by funneling money through ALEC, that group’s corporate sponsors are able to take a federal tax deduction for the cost of wining, dining and housing lawmakers and their families at resorts and events like ALEC’s 40th anniversary meeting this week at Chicago’s posh Palmer House Hilton (August 7-9).  Meanwhile, ALEC conceals the sources of the funds from the public and hides the amount of spending from the IRS by claiming that it only holds the funds in “trust,” while writing lawmakers’ checks to cover their trips. 

Common Cause and CMD laid out details of the fund’s operation in an IRS tax whistleblower complaint and letter to the IRS Commissioner.

ALEC will be celebrating its 40th birthday on Aug. 7-9 in Chicago, but there'll be a crowd on hand to blow out the candles. The Center for Media and Democracy tells us:

ALEC will be greeted in the Windy City by a broad coalition of good government groups, labor unions, as well as civil rights and religious groups, who will rally to say that 40 years of ALEC is nothing to celebrate. 

ALEC's 40th, like their previous meetings, will consist of closed-door meetings where corporate lobbyists and state legislators sit together on task forces and pass "model" bills, which the legislators then bring back and introduce in their home states with no disclosure. The state legislators in attendance will also be wined and dined at corporate-sponsored events and taken to fancy dinners with special interest lobbyists.

Appearing as a special guest will be Jeb Bush, champion of the movement to outsource public education. (That worked out real well in Indiana.)

If you're in Chicago on Aug. 8 and ready to rally, check out this Facebook page.