TEAMSTERS
Arbitrator Rules Parking Employer Created ‘Sham’ Company to Avoid Paying Union Local 727 ...An arbitrator has ordered PAS, LLC to pay Teamsters Local 727 more than $225,000 in back dues, penalties and late fees after the Chicago parking employer created a “sham” company to avoid its financial obligations to the union. In July 2013, VPS of Illinois closed its business without paying thousands of dollars owed to the union...
NY-NJ port authority revises truck-replacement plan JOC ...Environmental groups have insisted that older trucks need to be phased out to reduce unhealthy emissions. Allied with the environmentalists is the Teamsters union, which has tried for years to organize port drivers. A likely side effect of banning older trucks would be to encourage a shift from owner-operators to company employees who would be eligible to unionize...
Teamsters invited to pension session Press Gazette ...The Wisconsin Committees to Protect Pensions will hold an informational meeting for active and retired Teamsters. Dobbs will talk about new developments in the effort to stop the cuts from taking effect this summer, legislative proposals introduced in Congress to try to stop the cuts and other information for Teamsters and retirees who want to take action to oppose the proposed cuts...
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
Colombian Unions to Protest Paltry Minimum Wage Increase TeleSUR ...Labor leaders in Colombia say the Constitutional Court has previously ruled that wage increase cannot fall below the rate of inflation. Fabio Arias, secretary-general of Colombia's United Workers Trade Union Federation, said Wednesday that his organization will submit a formal complaint before the country's Council of State over a decree raising the minimum wage by only 7 percent...
Delhi's sanitation workers to go on indefinite strike from January 27 Economic Times ...Scores of municipal sanitation workers on Wednesday decided to go on an indefinite strike from January 27 claiming the civic bodies' failure in meeting their demands, including regularization of salary. The workers have been sitting on a relay hunger strike for the past month at the Jantar Mantar under various unions...
Ontario prepares for looming strike by correctional workers Globe and Mail ...This week across Ontario, however, the sudden appearance of construction crews outside jails has prompted weary acceptance that a looming strike could be long and, according to the correctional union, dangerous for the managers forced to operate the institutions. By Thursday, there was ample evidence that the province was preparing for protracted labour action...
Hundreds of advocacy groups ask Congress to block Obama’s Pacific Rim trade pact Washington Post ...A coalition of more than 1,500 interest groups is sending a letter to Congress on Thursday demanding that lawmakers block the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact championed by the Obama administration. Labor unions, environmental groups, consumer advocates and faith groups are among the 1,525 organizations...
Pacific Trade Deal Foes Say Keystone Case Shows Pact's Risk Bloomberg ...A legal dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline is giving opponents of a Pacific trade agreement a fresh argument in their effort to get Congress to kill the pact. They say the case announced Wednesday, in which TransCanada Corp. is seeking arbitration to recover $15 billion tied to the Obama administration’s rejection of Keystone, shows how foreign companies could use provisions of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement to challenge U.S. policy on the environment and other matters...
World Bank: TPP Trade Deal to Benefit Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia Most by 2030 Sputnik News ...The US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal is set to provide economic impetus predominantly to Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia among other parties to the agreement by 2030, a Global Economic Prospects report showed...
India set to push for liberalisation of services trade at WTO Geneva talks Economic Times ...Reinstating its stand of continuing with the Doha Development Agenda, India will push for liberalising services trade at the World Trade Organization talks in Geneva. 23 countries of the WTO are separately negotiating the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), which aims at opening up markets and improving rules in areas such as licensing, financial services, telecom, ecommerce, maritime transport and professionals moving abroad temporarily to provide services...
U.S. Says `Tremendous Progress' Made on South Africa Trade Talks Bloomberg ...South Africa and the U.S. made “tremendous progress” on talks to resolve a trade dispute between the two nations, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard said. South Africa has been under pressure to reach agreement with the U.S. to open its market to American chicken and beef products in order to retain preferential trade benefits...
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
Martinez revives right-to-work debate in New Mexico Las Cruces Sun-News ...Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is reviving the right-to-work debate in New Mexico, saying she’ll include the issue on the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. She made the announcement Thursday during a panel discussion before a crowded room of business leaders...
Minimum wage boost hangs over California budget negotiations SacBee ...They haven’t yet acquired enough signatures to go before voters, but ballot initiatives to bump California’s minimum wage to $15 figured into early discussions of the state budget proposal unveiled Thursday. Organized labor groups across the country have focused their energy on the push for a $15 wage...
Cuomo eyeing plan to give New Yorkers 12 weeks paid family leave NY Post ...Gov. Cuomo is mulling a plan to provide up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to New Yorkers in the coming year after Mayor de Blasio allowed city workers to receive the benefit in 2014. Gubernatorial aides met with advocates Dec. 29 in Manhattan to talk providing paid time off for employees with a new child, an injury or a sick family member...
Paid Family Leave Gets More Attention, but Workers Still Struggle New York Times ...This year is shaping up to be a big one for paid family leave. On Thursday, the Independent Democratic Conference, a breakaway group of New York state senators, plans to introduce 12 weeks of paid leave as part of its legislative agenda; Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly considering similar legislation...
Virginia to use new congressional map this year, benefiting Democrats Daily Kos ...In yet another victory for Democrats, the federal court hearing a lawsuit challenging the state's congressional lines just ruled that elections this year must go forward under a new map proposed by a court-appointed expert, one that all but guarantees that GOP Rep. Randy Forbes' 4th District will turn solidly blue...
Democrats call for redistricting reform AJC ...Three Democratic lawmakers are pushing to create an independent commission to redraw political lines in the future. Sen. Elena Parent (D – Atlanta), Rep. Pat Gardner (D – Atlanta) and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D – Decatur) said the legislation would be a fairer way to redraw current legislative and congressional district lines in coming years...
"Gov. Snyder Should Be Arrested": Flint Residents Demand Justice over Water Poisoning Democracy Now ...Protests are growing in Flint, Michigan, over the state’s cover-up of the ongoing water contamination crisis. Filmmaker Michael Moore is asking fans to sign a petition on his website calling for the immediate resignation of Governor Rick Snyder. In an open letter to the governor, he writes: "[Y]ou have effectively poisoned, not just some, but apparently ALL of the children in my hometown of Flint"...
U.S. LABOR
One Step Closer To Collective Bargaining, Some Temp Workers Unionize NPR ...Advocates for temporary workers are celebrating a decision by the National Labor Relations Board to broaden the definition of joint employers — a move that could bring many temp workers closer to collective bargaining. One of the first to join a union following the new rule is a group of Guatemalans in New Bedford, Mass...
Strong Job Growth In 2015 Still Couldn’t Give Workers A Raise Think Progress ...The economy added 292,000 jobs in December while the unemployment rate stayed at 5 percent, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Analysts had expected 200,000 jobs to be added. However, gains in wages were weak. Hourly earnings fell 1 cent in December after a 5-cent increase in November, and average hourly earnings have risen just 2.5 percent over the last year...
Company must pay after making workers clock out for bathroom breaks KCCI ...A Pennsylvania company that publishes business newsletters will pay about $1.75 million to thousands of employees who had to clock out while going on short breaks, including for the bathroom. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a federal judge has given the U.S. Department of Labor and the Malvern-based company, American Future Systems Inc., until Thursday to submit proposals on managing payment...
Rauner implements merit pay for some workers; AFSCME opposed NW Herald ...Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration is starting a new compensation system for some state workers that includes merit pay and bonuses for saving taxpayers money, a plan the former businessman says will make government more efficient. It's the latest sticking point in long-running negotiations between Rauner's office and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 36,000 state employees...
When companies hire temp workers by race, black applicants lose out Reveal News ...When its clients wanted to hire temp workers based on race, sex or age, Automation was happy to oblige, according to dozens of former employees. Often, the practice was blatant. A manager at a Georgia manufacturing plant asked Christie Ragland not to send him “any black thugs,” she said...
This Supreme Court Case Could Make All Public Unions ‘Right to Work’ The Nation ...O n January 11, the Supreme Court will hear argument on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a full-bore attack on public-sector unions. The lead Friedrichs plaintiffs, a group of fiercely anti-union California public-school teachers, seek to reverse Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977) on First Amendment grounds. Abood has provided the bedrock constitutional analysis and recommended administrative structure for public-sector unionism...
Can Millennials Save Organized Labor? Labor 411 ...A new Pew survey reveals how Millennials, the oft-hyped demographic, view key social institutions. It turns out that Millennials have a more positive view of many major social institutions than their elders and that one of the most notable examples is organized labor. Labor unions are viewed more positively today than they were five years ago by all age groups, but the uptick in opinion is especially notable among those born after 1980...
Why Do Americans Work So Much? The Atlantic ...In a new paper, Friedman tries to figure out why increased productivity has not translated into increased leisure time. American inequality means that the gains of increasing productivity are not widely shared. In other words, most Americans are too poor to work less...
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
A Rush of Central Americans Compounds Obama’s Immigration Task NY Times ...When mothers and children streamed across the Texas border in 2014, the Obama administration devised a strategy to manage the influx, putting them in detention centers to convince others that illegal crossers would be caught and sent back. But that strategy is now under intense legal and political attack, leaving the administration with limited options...
Bernie Sanders Demands President Obama End ‘Inhumane’ Roundups Of Immigrant Families Think Progress ...Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wrote to the White House on Thursday, demanding an end to the stepped up immigration raids and deportations of Central Americans that the Obama Administration announced just before Christmas. Just after the new year, more than 100 people were arrested in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, including many women and children...
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Cheers Bernie's Fight to "Hold Big Banks Accountable" Common Dreams ...Sen. Bernie Sanders got a shout-out from big bank critic Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday a day after the presidential hopeful gave a policy speech laying out his tough on Wall Street stance. During his speech in New York on Wednesday, Sanders said, "Wall Street and corporate greed is destroying the fabric of our nation." He also vowed to break up too-big-to- fail banks...
Making the World Safe for Predatory Capitalism CounterPunch ...Steve Jobs used old-fashioned anti-raiding agreements to keep competitors from enticing away his workers. Gates and Google have both engaged in anti-competitive practices that likely would have brought antitrust enforcement in prior decades. And Amazon has prospered not only because of low prices and good service, but also by being exempted from the requirement to collect the same sales tax as its brick-and-mortar competitors...
Oregon Sheriff Meets Ammon Bundy, Greets Him With Handshake Not Handcuffs Think Progress ...The treatment of armed militants conducting an illegal occupation in Oregon differs greatly from the response to overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations by unarmed individuals protesting police misconduct. In Ferguson, for example, protesters were met by police with military-style equipment, full riot gear, and tear gas...
Showing posts with label public employee unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public employee unions. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2016
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Today's Teamster News 03.21.15
Teamsters
Employees Vote On Whether They Want Teamsters Representation Fontana News Herald ...Ballots were mailed out last week to more than 15,000 San Bernardino county, city and agency employees to vote in an election for Teamsters representation. The workers, who are members of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA), will have the opportunity to vote in favor of affiliating with the Teamsters...
SEC to allow shareholder vote on Wal-Mart independent chairman Reuters ...Wal-Mart had argued that the proposal, submitted by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Fund, should be omitted because it was vague in its standard of independence...
Sysco, US Foods Seek Disclosure Of FTC Witness Identities JDSupra ...The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went head-to-head last week with Sysco Corp. and US Foods Inc. over whether to make public the names of the declarants relied on by the FTC in its preliminary injunction to block Sysco and US Foods’ merger. Sysco and US Foods filed a motion in a Washington, D.C. federal district court on March 6 asking the judge to publicize the names, which the FTC quickly opposed...
Special Election 170th Legislative District: Dem. Sarah DelRicci Vs. Rep. Martina White Philadelphia Public Record ...The unions backing White are FOP Lodge 5; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22; International Union of Painters & Allied Trades District Council 21; AFSCME DC 33; Teamsters Local 500; Gas Workers Local 686; Drywall Fitters Local 1955; International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 8; Glaziers Local 252; Sprinkler Fitters Local 692; Steamfitters Local 420; Painters 2011; and Plasterers Local 8...
In Sunset Park, Doubts About Development Plan Wall Street Journal ...The groups holding Sunday’s rally, at Uprose’s offices, include Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a tenant-advocacy group, and the Teamsters Local 812, which wants to preserve union port jobs. The developers are seeking a rezoning, which will require approval from the City Planning Commission and City Council...
Trade
DeLauro clashes with Obama trade officials over U.S. exports the ct mirror ...DeLauro, D-3rd District, was one of eight House Democrats who sent Froman a letter Thursday accusing him of inflating the number of U.S. exports and misleading Congress. The lawmakers also held a press conference challenging Froman’s calculations...
Dem: Trade officials ‘baffling’ lawmakers ‘with bullshit’ The Hill ...Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on Thursday accused the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) of “baffling” Democrats “with bullshit” in an effort to advance President Obama's trade agenda...
Japan says difficult to reach Japan-U.S. trade deal without TPA Reuters ...Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Friday it would be difficult to reach an agreement in two-way trade talks between Japan and the United States unless U.S. lawmakers fast-tracked trade promotion legislation...
Fair trade is racial justice issue (opinion) Sky Valley Chronicle ...Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal could make matters worse in places like Ferguson, Mo...
State Battles
Wisconsin Lawmakers Go After Workers’ Weekends ThinkProgress ...Two Wisconsin state lawmakers have proposed a bill that would roll back the state’s requirement that companies give workers at least one day off every seven days...
Texas Senate considering bill that could financially kill public-sector unions Breitbart ...The bill, SB 1968, was filed at the very end of the bill filing period for this Legislative Session last Friday, and would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for labor union dues for the majority of public-sector unions...
8 ways Nevada Republicans want to shift power from labor unions Reno Gazette-Journal ...Republican lawmakers have long been on a quest to eat away at the power local government employee unions have when negotiating the labor contracts that govern their salaries, benefits and working conditions...
Kansas Senate Committee Advances Bill On Public Sector Unions Wichita Eagle ...The Kansas Senate is headed for a fight with the state’s public sector unions after a committee advanced a bill limiting public employees’ collective bargaining power and changing the way unions collect dues. The bill would limit automatic paycheck deductions for public employee unions and other organizations such as charities. The head of United Way of the Plains called it “a kick in the teeth.”...
Wisconsin Judge Declines To Block New Right-To-Work Law Chicago Tribune ...Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust rejected the request by three unions to grant a temporary injunction blocking the law from being enforced pending the outcome of their legal challenge...
Illinois: Governor Tells Agencies To Divert Union Fees New York Times ...Gov. Bruce Rauner, dogged in his attempts to eliminate fees paid to unions by workers who choose not to join, has instructed state agencies to divert money from nonunion employee paychecks away from organized labor until a judge settles the matter...
War on Workers
OSHA Whistleblower Investigator Blows Whistle on Own Agency NBC Bay Area ...Employee says the federal whistleblower program isn’t protecting whistleblowers or the public...
Missing Citigroup Checks Spur Lawmaker to Call for Investigation Bloomberg ...Citigroup Inc.’s failure to pay 24,000 people owed money as part of a settlement with the government over foreclosure abuses has prompted a U.S. lawmaker to call for an investigation into whether banks missed other borrowers...
Congress sets up veto showdown with vote to roll back labor rule Los Angeles Times ...Setting up another veto showdown with President Obama, Congress on Thursday approved a measure that seeks to roll back a new labor rule that allows workers to conduct union elections more quickly...
House Passes Bill To Overturn Labor Board Rule Wall Street Journal ...The vote was 232-186. It followed Senate passage earlier this month of the measure, which uses a rarely invoked law that allows Congress to reverse certain agency actions. The White House has said Mr. Obama’s senior advisers would recommend that he veto the resolution...
Worker Killed: Electrocuted, Struck By Motorcycles Space Coast Daily ...A man working on a utilities truck that was cleaning storm drains along S. Harbor City Boulevard was killed Thursday night as a result of an unusual chain of events...
Tolland DPW Truck Hits And Kills Worker Patching Potholes WVIT ...A veteran Tolland public works employee died after he was hit by one of his own trucks while patching potholes in town on Thursday, according to state police...
Employees Vote On Whether They Want Teamsters Representation Fontana News Herald ...Ballots were mailed out last week to more than 15,000 San Bernardino county, city and agency employees to vote in an election for Teamsters representation. The workers, who are members of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA), will have the opportunity to vote in favor of affiliating with the Teamsters...
SEC to allow shareholder vote on Wal-Mart independent chairman Reuters ...Wal-Mart had argued that the proposal, submitted by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Fund, should be omitted because it was vague in its standard of independence...
Sysco, US Foods Seek Disclosure Of FTC Witness Identities JDSupra ...The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went head-to-head last week with Sysco Corp. and US Foods Inc. over whether to make public the names of the declarants relied on by the FTC in its preliminary injunction to block Sysco and US Foods’ merger. Sysco and US Foods filed a motion in a Washington, D.C. federal district court on March 6 asking the judge to publicize the names, which the FTC quickly opposed...
Special Election 170th Legislative District: Dem. Sarah DelRicci Vs. Rep. Martina White Philadelphia Public Record ...The unions backing White are FOP Lodge 5; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22; International Union of Painters & Allied Trades District Council 21; AFSCME DC 33; Teamsters Local 500; Gas Workers Local 686; Drywall Fitters Local 1955; International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 8; Glaziers Local 252; Sprinkler Fitters Local 692; Steamfitters Local 420; Painters 2011; and Plasterers Local 8...
In Sunset Park, Doubts About Development Plan Wall Street Journal ...The groups holding Sunday’s rally, at Uprose’s offices, include Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a tenant-advocacy group, and the Teamsters Local 812, which wants to preserve union port jobs. The developers are seeking a rezoning, which will require approval from the City Planning Commission and City Council...
Trade
DeLauro clashes with Obama trade officials over U.S. exports the ct mirror ...DeLauro, D-3rd District, was one of eight House Democrats who sent Froman a letter Thursday accusing him of inflating the number of U.S. exports and misleading Congress. The lawmakers also held a press conference challenging Froman’s calculations...
Dem: Trade officials ‘baffling’ lawmakers ‘with bullshit’ The Hill ...Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on Thursday accused the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) of “baffling” Democrats “with bullshit” in an effort to advance President Obama's trade agenda...
Japan says difficult to reach Japan-U.S. trade deal without TPA Reuters ...Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Friday it would be difficult to reach an agreement in two-way trade talks between Japan and the United States unless U.S. lawmakers fast-tracked trade promotion legislation...
Fair trade is racial justice issue (opinion) Sky Valley Chronicle ...Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal could make matters worse in places like Ferguson, Mo...
State Battles
Wisconsin Lawmakers Go After Workers’ Weekends ThinkProgress ...Two Wisconsin state lawmakers have proposed a bill that would roll back the state’s requirement that companies give workers at least one day off every seven days...
Texas Senate considering bill that could financially kill public-sector unions Breitbart ...The bill, SB 1968, was filed at the very end of the bill filing period for this Legislative Session last Friday, and would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for labor union dues for the majority of public-sector unions...
8 ways Nevada Republicans want to shift power from labor unions Reno Gazette-Journal ...Republican lawmakers have long been on a quest to eat away at the power local government employee unions have when negotiating the labor contracts that govern their salaries, benefits and working conditions...
Kansas Senate Committee Advances Bill On Public Sector Unions Wichita Eagle ...The Kansas Senate is headed for a fight with the state’s public sector unions after a committee advanced a bill limiting public employees’ collective bargaining power and changing the way unions collect dues. The bill would limit automatic paycheck deductions for public employee unions and other organizations such as charities. The head of United Way of the Plains called it “a kick in the teeth.”...
Wisconsin Judge Declines To Block New Right-To-Work Law Chicago Tribune ...Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust rejected the request by three unions to grant a temporary injunction blocking the law from being enforced pending the outcome of their legal challenge...
Illinois: Governor Tells Agencies To Divert Union Fees New York Times ...Gov. Bruce Rauner, dogged in his attempts to eliminate fees paid to unions by workers who choose not to join, has instructed state agencies to divert money from nonunion employee paychecks away from organized labor until a judge settles the matter...
War on Workers
OSHA Whistleblower Investigator Blows Whistle on Own Agency NBC Bay Area ...Employee says the federal whistleblower program isn’t protecting whistleblowers or the public...
Missing Citigroup Checks Spur Lawmaker to Call for Investigation Bloomberg ...Citigroup Inc.’s failure to pay 24,000 people owed money as part of a settlement with the government over foreclosure abuses has prompted a U.S. lawmaker to call for an investigation into whether banks missed other borrowers...
Congress sets up veto showdown with vote to roll back labor rule Los Angeles Times ...Setting up another veto showdown with President Obama, Congress on Thursday approved a measure that seeks to roll back a new labor rule that allows workers to conduct union elections more quickly...
House Passes Bill To Overturn Labor Board Rule Wall Street Journal ...The vote was 232-186. It followed Senate passage earlier this month of the measure, which uses a rarely invoked law that allows Congress to reverse certain agency actions. The White House has said Mr. Obama’s senior advisers would recommend that he veto the resolution...
Worker Killed: Electrocuted, Struck By Motorcycles Space Coast Daily ...A man working on a utilities truck that was cleaning storm drains along S. Harbor City Boulevard was killed Thursday night as a result of an unusual chain of events...
Tolland DPW Truck Hits And Kills Worker Patching Potholes WVIT ...A veteran Tolland public works employee died after he was hit by one of his own trucks while patching potholes in town on Thursday, according to state police...
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Today's Teamster News 03.19.15
Teamsters
Ryder Drivers At Three Locations In California Join Teamsters Union insurancenewsnet.com ... Drivers with Ryder Integrated Logistics at three California locations have voted to join the Teamsters Union, gaining representation for 105 workers in one week (see also International Brotherhood of Teamsters)...
SBPEA Losing 840 Members San Bernardino Sun ...“Many members, as well as all of us, are excited about the affiliation, and we will spend the next few weeks educating the members on all of the benefits of affiliating with the Teamsters Union,” Rodriguez said....
Middletown Supervisors Approve Contract With Teamsters Union Employees Bucks County Courier Tribune ...Middletown employees belonging to Teamsters Local 107 will get 3 percent pay increases in each of the next three years under a new contract unanimously approved by the township supervisors at Monday night’s meeting....
Eurest Workers Use Pressure Tactics At Halifax Airport NewsWire ...Eurest's 26 workers responsible for maintenance at Robert Stanfield Airport (YHZ) are resorting to pressure tactics 11 months after their collective agreement expired. The points at issue are both various and troubling: no benefits, low pay, unfair treatment by the employer, and others. "These workers clean toilets and don't even have group insurance. So if they get sick, they can't get reimbursed for any prescription drugs they may have to take," said Local Union 927 president Rob Beairsto....
Sysco Merger With US Foods A Step Too Far (opinion) Houston Chronicle ...Management's responsibility at a public company is to maximize shareholder value by grabbing as much market power and profit as possible....
Trade
Facing Dem anger, White House eases restrictions on classified trade files The Hill ...The loudest protests have come from liberal House Democrats who said the rules to view the text were too stringent. They have argued that the White House didn't want them to know the TPP details because they say any deal is likely to be bad for U.S. workers and their wages...
Pelosi Embraces Tough Questions About Obama's Trade Agenda Associated Press ...President Barack Obama's bid for a new trade deal didn't get easier Tuesday when the House's top Democrat said her caucus embraces a dozen demands that may be tough to meet...
Why the TPP will have a devastating impact on unions The Ed Show ...Closed door, classified meetings about the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership raises questions about transparency from the Obama Administration. Ed Schultz and Leo Gerard discuss...
Trumka Takes Opposition to a TPP Fast-Track to the Peterson Institute Campaign for America's Future ...One of the most troubling aspects of TPP is how few people have seen the entire treaty, Trumka said. So far only leaked portions have been released that clearly favor a race to the bottom, putting corporate interests over investment in human and environmental rights...
State Battles
Missouri Senate Panel Advances 1 Republican Labor Priority Southeast Missourian ...Right-to-work legislation, which would ban contracts that force all workers to pay union fees, was sent on Tuesday to the full Senate. But the Senate Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee failed to move forward with what supporters call a "paycheck protection" measure that would require annual written authorization from public employee union members before paying union dues...
'Right To Work' Fight Over Public Employee Unions Heats Up In Oregon, May Go To 2016 Ballot The Oregonian ...Oregon may be one of the next big battlegrounds over "right to work" restrictions on unions that have now spread to 25 states. Washington County attorney Jill Gibson, who has been supported by some of the state's major conservative political donors, is moving toward putting a measure on the 2016 ballot that would allow public employees to opt out of financially supporting a union...
Kansas Panel Considers Limits On Public Workers' Collective Bargaining Topeka Capital Journal ...A legislative committee in Kansas is considering a proposal to restrict collective bargaining between public employees and state and local government agencies. Chairwoman Julia Lynn said the Senate Commerce Committee will debate the measure during its meeting Wednesday. Lynn is an Olathe Republican and has said she believes the GOP-dominated panel supports the bill...
Federal Judge Won’t Block Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Seattle Post-Intelligencer ...U.S. District Judge Richard Jones has refused to issue an injunction to halt Seattle’s nationally watched $15-an-hour minimum wage, slated to take effect in the Emerald City on April 1. “Great news! This ruling ensures that on April 1, the minimum wage will go up for all Seattle workers,” Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement...
War on Workers
Manufacturing Jobs Are Back, But Wages Are Not Engineering.com ...In 2007, the wage gap between the average manufacturing worker and all private-sector workers was barely noticeable ($19.40 and $19.57 respectively). However, by 2013 the average manufacturing wage had fallen by 85 cents, or 7.7 percent below the median average for all occupations. Today, approximately 1.5 million manufacturing workers – one in four – earn $11.91 or less per hour. Meanwhile, 600,000 workers make just $9.60 an hour...
Report: Energy companies, big banks reap big federal assistance McClatchy ...Big banks and Wall Street firms that took advantage of the bailout following the 2008 economic crash have reaped hundreds of billions, and even trillions, of dollars in assistance, according to Good Jobs First, a nonprofit organization that tracks government subsidies to corporations...
Target to Increase Wages to Minimum $9/Hour for All Workers in April Wall Street Journal ...Target Corp. plans to boost pay of all its workers to at least $9 an hour starting next month, following similar moves by rivals Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and TJX Cos. as competition for lower wage workers heats up...
Higher minimum wages are associated with greater financial well-being London School of Economics ... Even if some low-wage jobs disappear as minimum wages rise, the end result is greater economic security and prosperity overall for people who live and work in countries with higher minimums...
Senate Democrats Consider Raising Their Minimum Wage Proposal To $12 Huffington Post ...Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate's labor committee, has been reaching out to her Democratic colleagues to rally support for a more ambitious minimum wage proposal, according to a Senate source familiar with the conversations. Murray's idea: hike the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020, rather than the current $10.10 proposal languishing in Congress. The wage floor would then be tied to an inflation index so that it rose with the cost of living...
Worker dies after 11-foot fall in Arkansas Equipment World ...29-year-old Erik Rivera Pontilla fell from a beam he was bolting into place. The Little Rock Police Department told the site that Pontilla lost his footing and fell directly onto a slab below. No one was nearby when he fell and no mention is made of harnesses or nets in the report...
Miscellaneous
IRS may broaden rule to police political nonprofits Politico ...IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said the agency may expand a yet-to-be-released rule governing 501(c)(4), “social welfare” groups, to include political groups known as 527s, which focus on elections. It could require them both — as well as other types of tax-exempt groups — to operate under the same definition of “political activity.”...
U.S. Sets New Record For Denying, Censoring Government Files Huffington Post ...The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press...
Ryder Drivers At Three Locations In California Join Teamsters Union insurancenewsnet.com ... Drivers with Ryder Integrated Logistics at three California locations have voted to join the Teamsters Union, gaining representation for 105 workers in one week (see also International Brotherhood of Teamsters)...
SBPEA Losing 840 Members San Bernardino Sun ...“Many members, as well as all of us, are excited about the affiliation, and we will spend the next few weeks educating the members on all of the benefits of affiliating with the Teamsters Union,” Rodriguez said....
Middletown Supervisors Approve Contract With Teamsters Union Employees Bucks County Courier Tribune ...Middletown employees belonging to Teamsters Local 107 will get 3 percent pay increases in each of the next three years under a new contract unanimously approved by the township supervisors at Monday night’s meeting....
Eurest Workers Use Pressure Tactics At Halifax Airport NewsWire ...Eurest's 26 workers responsible for maintenance at Robert Stanfield Airport (YHZ) are resorting to pressure tactics 11 months after their collective agreement expired. The points at issue are both various and troubling: no benefits, low pay, unfair treatment by the employer, and others. "These workers clean toilets and don't even have group insurance. So if they get sick, they can't get reimbursed for any prescription drugs they may have to take," said Local Union 927 president Rob Beairsto....
Sysco Merger With US Foods A Step Too Far (opinion) Houston Chronicle ...Management's responsibility at a public company is to maximize shareholder value by grabbing as much market power and profit as possible....
Trade
Facing Dem anger, White House eases restrictions on classified trade files The Hill ...The loudest protests have come from liberal House Democrats who said the rules to view the text were too stringent. They have argued that the White House didn't want them to know the TPP details because they say any deal is likely to be bad for U.S. workers and their wages...
Pelosi Embraces Tough Questions About Obama's Trade Agenda Associated Press ...President Barack Obama's bid for a new trade deal didn't get easier Tuesday when the House's top Democrat said her caucus embraces a dozen demands that may be tough to meet...
Why the TPP will have a devastating impact on unions The Ed Show ...Closed door, classified meetings about the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership raises questions about transparency from the Obama Administration. Ed Schultz and Leo Gerard discuss...
Trumka Takes Opposition to a TPP Fast-Track to the Peterson Institute Campaign for America's Future ...One of the most troubling aspects of TPP is how few people have seen the entire treaty, Trumka said. So far only leaked portions have been released that clearly favor a race to the bottom, putting corporate interests over investment in human and environmental rights...
State Battles
Missouri Senate Panel Advances 1 Republican Labor Priority Southeast Missourian ...Right-to-work legislation, which would ban contracts that force all workers to pay union fees, was sent on Tuesday to the full Senate. But the Senate Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee failed to move forward with what supporters call a "paycheck protection" measure that would require annual written authorization from public employee union members before paying union dues...
'Right To Work' Fight Over Public Employee Unions Heats Up In Oregon, May Go To 2016 Ballot The Oregonian ...Oregon may be one of the next big battlegrounds over "right to work" restrictions on unions that have now spread to 25 states. Washington County attorney Jill Gibson, who has been supported by some of the state's major conservative political donors, is moving toward putting a measure on the 2016 ballot that would allow public employees to opt out of financially supporting a union...
Kansas Panel Considers Limits On Public Workers' Collective Bargaining Topeka Capital Journal ...A legislative committee in Kansas is considering a proposal to restrict collective bargaining between public employees and state and local government agencies. Chairwoman Julia Lynn said the Senate Commerce Committee will debate the measure during its meeting Wednesday. Lynn is an Olathe Republican and has said she believes the GOP-dominated panel supports the bill...
Federal Judge Won’t Block Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Seattle Post-Intelligencer ...U.S. District Judge Richard Jones has refused to issue an injunction to halt Seattle’s nationally watched $15-an-hour minimum wage, slated to take effect in the Emerald City on April 1. “Great news! This ruling ensures that on April 1, the minimum wage will go up for all Seattle workers,” Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement...
War on Workers
Manufacturing Jobs Are Back, But Wages Are Not Engineering.com ...In 2007, the wage gap between the average manufacturing worker and all private-sector workers was barely noticeable ($19.40 and $19.57 respectively). However, by 2013 the average manufacturing wage had fallen by 85 cents, or 7.7 percent below the median average for all occupations. Today, approximately 1.5 million manufacturing workers – one in four – earn $11.91 or less per hour. Meanwhile, 600,000 workers make just $9.60 an hour...
Report: Energy companies, big banks reap big federal assistance McClatchy ...Big banks and Wall Street firms that took advantage of the bailout following the 2008 economic crash have reaped hundreds of billions, and even trillions, of dollars in assistance, according to Good Jobs First, a nonprofit organization that tracks government subsidies to corporations...
Target to Increase Wages to Minimum $9/Hour for All Workers in April Wall Street Journal ...Target Corp. plans to boost pay of all its workers to at least $9 an hour starting next month, following similar moves by rivals Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and TJX Cos. as competition for lower wage workers heats up...
Higher minimum wages are associated with greater financial well-being London School of Economics ... Even if some low-wage jobs disappear as minimum wages rise, the end result is greater economic security and prosperity overall for people who live and work in countries with higher minimums...
Senate Democrats Consider Raising Their Minimum Wage Proposal To $12 Huffington Post ...Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate's labor committee, has been reaching out to her Democratic colleagues to rally support for a more ambitious minimum wage proposal, according to a Senate source familiar with the conversations. Murray's idea: hike the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020, rather than the current $10.10 proposal languishing in Congress. The wage floor would then be tied to an inflation index so that it rose with the cost of living...
Worker dies after 11-foot fall in Arkansas Equipment World ...29-year-old Erik Rivera Pontilla fell from a beam he was bolting into place. The Little Rock Police Department told the site that Pontilla lost his footing and fell directly onto a slab below. No one was nearby when he fell and no mention is made of harnesses or nets in the report...
Miscellaneous
IRS may broaden rule to police political nonprofits Politico ...IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said the agency may expand a yet-to-be-released rule governing 501(c)(4), “social welfare” groups, to include political groups known as 527s, which focus on elections. It could require them both — as well as other types of tax-exempt groups — to operate under the same definition of “political activity.”...
U.S. Sets New Record For Denying, Censoring Government Files Huffington Post ...The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press...
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Today's Teamster News 01.17.15
Teamsters
Teamster Pilots With Allegiant Air Authorize Strike teamster.org ...Pilots at Allegiant Air, represented by the Airline Professionals Association (APA) Teamsters Local 1224, voted overwhelmingly, 465-8, today to authorize a strike against Allegiant Air. The 10-day voting period closed at 12:00 p.m. EST today, with 98 percent of voting Allegiant Air pilots voting “Yes” to authorize the union to call a strike if necessary...
At Hunts Point Market, Awaiting Word on Strike as Talks Continue New York Times ...Many of the workers said they were prepared to carry out the first strike at the market in nearly 30 years if contract talks between their union, Teamsters Local 202, and management failed to resolve differences between the two sides over proposed wage increases and health care contributions...
Teamsters Leader Daniel Grace Lauds Governor-Elect Wolf for Barring Yuengling teamster.org ...The leader of Philadelphia-based Teamsters Local 830 today lauded the decision of Governor-Elect Tom Wolf to exclude Yuengling Beer products from his inaugural ball in Harrisburg next Tuesday, Jan. 20...
Teamsters Support Administration’s Push For Paid Leave teamster.org ...The Teamsters encourage a workplace that grants dignity and respect to all workers and the union applauds the Obama administration for pushing forward with an agenda that calls for hardworking Americans to receive paid sick time. We also support an executive order that would give federal employees six weeks paid time off after giving birth...
Labor Agreements Inked With City Unions Daily Sun News ...The Sunnyside City Council, at its first meeting in 2015 this past Monday, authorized agreements with the city’s office/clerical and public works collective bargaining units. Both agreements include a change to the health insurance premiums, from a 70 percent employer/30 percent employee cost to a 75/25 split. Both agreements also include additional longevity pay based on years of service...
CN Reaches Tentative Labour Agreement With Teamsters Union Representing Rail Traffic Controllers American Journal Of Transportation ...The four-year agreement would provide wage increases and benefit improvements to approximately 180 employees. Details of the agreement are being withheld pending ratification by union members. The union is expected to announce the results of the ratification vote before the end of February 2015...
North Versailles Township Police Get Raises, To Pay For Health Insurance Pittsburgh Tribune Review ...North Versailles Township police will get annual raises for the next four years under a new contract township commissioners approved Thursday...
Trade
What You Need To Know When Obama Talks Trade Campaign for America's Future ...President Obama is likely to use the State of the Union to push for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the rigged “fast track” trade promotion authority...
Dana Milbank: Cracks in the GOP foundation (opinion) Washington Post ...On Tuesday morning, a group of tea-party conservatives met in the Capitol complex to complain about Republican plans to pass “trade promotion authority,” giving Obama greater ability to negotiate trade deals with less congressional say-so...
‘Corporate Wolves’ Will Exploit TTIP Trade Deal, MPs Warned The Guardian ...The controversial TTIP trade deal between Europe and the US could depress workers’ wages by £3,000 a year and allow “corporate wolves” to sue the government for loss of profit, MPs have heard...
EU Consultation On Corporate Sovereignty In TAFTA/TTIP Shows 145,000 Against It; European Commission Carries On Anyway Techdirt ...As well as the unanimity of the rejection, what is striking is the fact that 145,000 citizens replied to a consultation on an obscure aspect of trade agreements that most people had never heard of a year ago. That alone bespeaks an unprecedented engagement by the public -- something rare enough at a time when people are generally disenchanted with politicians and their grand projects...
Say No To Dangerous Trade Pacts (opinion) The New American ...Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ... rightly insists that TPP “is much more than a free trade agreement.” If he understands this, other senators and congressmen can see it as well...
EPA Wants To Map Radioactive Waste In Bridgeton Landfill St. Louis Post Dispatch ...The Environmental Protection Agency wants tests of the Bridgeton Landfill to map radioactive contamination. The decision takes a step back from past pronouncements by the EPA, which had said the waste was contained within fenced areas of the adjacent West Lake Landfill...
State Battles
To Pay For His Failed Experiment With Trickle-Down Economics, Kansas Governor Could Raid The School Budget Think Progress ...Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is reportedly getting ready to propose some form of revenue increases as part of a plan to fix the nearly $900 million budget hole his tax cuts created for the state. But whatever cracks are emerging in his anti-tax facade, the conservative governor’s response to the budget crisis is more likely to focus on spending for the state’s already flailing schools...
Opting Out Of Unions Gets Boost In States Wall Street Journal ...A new wave of bills that would allow workers to opt out of joining unions is expected from Maine to New Mexico as Republicans look to capitalize on statehouse gains to put new limits on organized labor...
War on Workers
Obama expands parental leave for federal workers Washington Post ...President Obama signed a presidential memorandum Thursday directing agencies to allow federal workers to take six weeks of advanced paid sick leave to care for a new child or ill family members...
Majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty Washington Post ...For the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students come from low-income families, according to a new analysis of 2013 federal data, a statistic that has profound implications for the nation...
Holder limits seized-asset sharing process that split billions with local, state police Washington Post ...Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without warrants or criminal charges...
United Airlines Moves To Outsource Labor At 28 Airports Denver Post ...The jobs that have the potential to be affected in this latest move fall into the category of "airport operations," which includes baggage-handing ramp workers and inside customer service agents, among others, depending on the airport...
Worker Killed Near Rocks State Park, Officials Say Havre de Grace Patch ...At 1:30 p.m., two workers were at the base of a ravine on MD Route 24 at Saint Clair Bridge Road when a jersey wall fell on one and debris injured another...
Miscellaneous
'All Labor Has Dignity': King's Other Legacy (opinion) Huffington Post ...As we mark Dr. King's 86th birthday, it is my hope that Americans will remember another less-celebrated element of his dream -- a belief in the importance of unions, labor rights and robust worker voice...
Teamster Pilots With Allegiant Air Authorize Strike teamster.org ...Pilots at Allegiant Air, represented by the Airline Professionals Association (APA) Teamsters Local 1224, voted overwhelmingly, 465-8, today to authorize a strike against Allegiant Air. The 10-day voting period closed at 12:00 p.m. EST today, with 98 percent of voting Allegiant Air pilots voting “Yes” to authorize the union to call a strike if necessary...
At Hunts Point Market, Awaiting Word on Strike as Talks Continue New York Times ...Many of the workers said they were prepared to carry out the first strike at the market in nearly 30 years if contract talks between their union, Teamsters Local 202, and management failed to resolve differences between the two sides over proposed wage increases and health care contributions...
Teamsters Leader Daniel Grace Lauds Governor-Elect Wolf for Barring Yuengling teamster.org ...The leader of Philadelphia-based Teamsters Local 830 today lauded the decision of Governor-Elect Tom Wolf to exclude Yuengling Beer products from his inaugural ball in Harrisburg next Tuesday, Jan. 20...
Teamsters Support Administration’s Push For Paid Leave teamster.org ...The Teamsters encourage a workplace that grants dignity and respect to all workers and the union applauds the Obama administration for pushing forward with an agenda that calls for hardworking Americans to receive paid sick time. We also support an executive order that would give federal employees six weeks paid time off after giving birth...
Labor Agreements Inked With City Unions Daily Sun News ...The Sunnyside City Council, at its first meeting in 2015 this past Monday, authorized agreements with the city’s office/clerical and public works collective bargaining units. Both agreements include a change to the health insurance premiums, from a 70 percent employer/30 percent employee cost to a 75/25 split. Both agreements also include additional longevity pay based on years of service...
CN Reaches Tentative Labour Agreement With Teamsters Union Representing Rail Traffic Controllers American Journal Of Transportation ...The four-year agreement would provide wage increases and benefit improvements to approximately 180 employees. Details of the agreement are being withheld pending ratification by union members. The union is expected to announce the results of the ratification vote before the end of February 2015...
North Versailles Township Police Get Raises, To Pay For Health Insurance Pittsburgh Tribune Review ...North Versailles Township police will get annual raises for the next four years under a new contract township commissioners approved Thursday...
Trade
What You Need To Know When Obama Talks Trade Campaign for America's Future ...President Obama is likely to use the State of the Union to push for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the rigged “fast track” trade promotion authority...
Dana Milbank: Cracks in the GOP foundation (opinion) Washington Post ...On Tuesday morning, a group of tea-party conservatives met in the Capitol complex to complain about Republican plans to pass “trade promotion authority,” giving Obama greater ability to negotiate trade deals with less congressional say-so...
‘Corporate Wolves’ Will Exploit TTIP Trade Deal, MPs Warned The Guardian ...The controversial TTIP trade deal between Europe and the US could depress workers’ wages by £3,000 a year and allow “corporate wolves” to sue the government for loss of profit, MPs have heard...
EU Consultation On Corporate Sovereignty In TAFTA/TTIP Shows 145,000 Against It; European Commission Carries On Anyway Techdirt ...As well as the unanimity of the rejection, what is striking is the fact that 145,000 citizens replied to a consultation on an obscure aspect of trade agreements that most people had never heard of a year ago. That alone bespeaks an unprecedented engagement by the public -- something rare enough at a time when people are generally disenchanted with politicians and their grand projects...
Say No To Dangerous Trade Pacts (opinion) The New American ...Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ... rightly insists that TPP “is much more than a free trade agreement.” If he understands this, other senators and congressmen can see it as well...
EPA Wants To Map Radioactive Waste In Bridgeton Landfill St. Louis Post Dispatch ...The Environmental Protection Agency wants tests of the Bridgeton Landfill to map radioactive contamination. The decision takes a step back from past pronouncements by the EPA, which had said the waste was contained within fenced areas of the adjacent West Lake Landfill...
State Battles
To Pay For His Failed Experiment With Trickle-Down Economics, Kansas Governor Could Raid The School Budget Think Progress ...Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is reportedly getting ready to propose some form of revenue increases as part of a plan to fix the nearly $900 million budget hole his tax cuts created for the state. But whatever cracks are emerging in his anti-tax facade, the conservative governor’s response to the budget crisis is more likely to focus on spending for the state’s already flailing schools...
Opting Out Of Unions Gets Boost In States Wall Street Journal ...A new wave of bills that would allow workers to opt out of joining unions is expected from Maine to New Mexico as Republicans look to capitalize on statehouse gains to put new limits on organized labor...
War on Workers
Obama expands parental leave for federal workers Washington Post ...President Obama signed a presidential memorandum Thursday directing agencies to allow federal workers to take six weeks of advanced paid sick leave to care for a new child or ill family members...
Majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty Washington Post ...For the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students come from low-income families, according to a new analysis of 2013 federal data, a statistic that has profound implications for the nation...
Holder limits seized-asset sharing process that split billions with local, state police Washington Post ...Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without warrants or criminal charges...
United Airlines Moves To Outsource Labor At 28 Airports Denver Post ...The jobs that have the potential to be affected in this latest move fall into the category of "airport operations," which includes baggage-handing ramp workers and inside customer service agents, among others, depending on the airport...
Worker Killed Near Rocks State Park, Officials Say Havre de Grace Patch ...At 1:30 p.m., two workers were at the base of a ravine on MD Route 24 at Saint Clair Bridge Road when a jersey wall fell on one and debris injured another...
Miscellaneous
'All Labor Has Dignity': King's Other Legacy (opinion) Huffington Post ...As we mark Dr. King's 86th birthday, it is my hope that Americans will remember another less-celebrated element of his dream -- a belief in the importance of unions, labor rights and robust worker voice...
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Today's Teamster News 08.28.14
Teamster News
Teamsters At Fred Meyer Warehouse Vote To OK Strike The Stand ...Teamster warehouse workers employed at the Fred Meyer grocery distribution center in Puyallup voted overwhelmingly over the weekend to authorize a strike. The final vote was 241-2. Voting took place at the Teamsters Union hall in Tukwila...
Safety Agents and de Blasio Administration Reach Labor Deal New York Times ...Mayor Bill de Blasio and Teamsters Local 237, the municipal union representing school safety agents and special officers, announced a tentative contract and the proposed settlement of a pay equity lawsuit on Tuesday that would distribute $38 million in back pay to current and former school safety agents who are overwhelmingly female...
City Pays $38M To Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit From Female Safety Agents Being Paid Far Less Than Male Counterparts New York Daily News ...In a move timed to Women’s Equality Day, the city announced Monday it had settled a four-year-old lawsuit from a group of safety agents who were paid far less than their male counterparts. The suit was settled for $38 million as part of a new labor agreement with Teamsters Local 237...
Mayor’s Office: Union Contract Means Pay Equity For Largely Female School Safety Agents CBS News ...The deal with Teamsters Local 237, which represents both the largely female school safety agents and special officers, was reached Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office announced...
Union Employees Air Contract Dispute On MDI Bangor Daily News ...Municipal employees of three Mount Desert Island towns who are members of the Teamsters labor union are airing their grievances as they try to reach a new labor contract with the towns...
Contract Disputes Lead To Demonstrations On Mount Desert Island Maine Public Broadcasting ...Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are demonstrating on Mount Desert Island this afternoon to draw attention to ongoing contract disputes with three area towns...
Weary U.S. Workers Are Still Experiencing Hard Times (opinion) Huffington Post ...Despite a dip in unemployment during the past few years, low pay continues to plague many employees while their corporate bosses rake in record profits...
Trade
TPP: Expansive Rights for Big Pharma, Expensive Medicines for U.S. Consumers Public Citizen ...Leaked draft intellectual property texts for the TPP reveal broad monopoly protections for pharmaceutical corporations, which elevate the costs of medicines and medical procedures...
Turkish Firms Hit By Anti-Dumping Duties On Steel Pipes To US Todays Zaman ...The US International Trade Commission (USITC) decided to impose anti-dumping duties on Turkish steel pipes last week following an investigation into export prices, a development that is likely to hurt Turkish pipe exporters to this country...
State Battles
Minimum Wage Bump Would Help Close Wealth Gap For 23% In S.F. San Francisco Chronicle ...If San Francisco voters approve raising the minimum wage law in November, 142,000 workers - or 23 percent of the city's workforce - would get a raise by the time it fully kicks in to $15 an hour by 2018...
Scott Walker, J.B. Van Hollen Again Ask Court To Reinstate Voter ID Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen are asking a federal court to reinstate Wisconsin's voter ID law, but they have not finalized a plan to comply with a different court's decision requiring the state to provide IDs to people who don't have birth certificates...
War On Workers
Market Basket Revolt Ends as Arthur T. Demoulas Wins Bid Bloomberg ...Arthur T. Demoulas, the ousted chief executive officer of the Market Basket supermarket chain whose employees gained national attention in a revolt to get him back, won his bid to buy the company...
Why America’s Workers Need Faster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It Economic Policy Institute ...Comparing the first half of 2014 with the first half of 2013, real (inflation-adjusted) hourly wages fell for workers in nearly every decile—even for those with a bachelor’s or advanced degree...
The Expanding World of Poverty Capitalism (opinion) New York Times ...Sentinel Offender Services … oversees case management, including breath alcohol and drug-testing services, “all at no cost to county taxpayers.”…Sentinel is a part of the expanding universe of poverty capitalism. In this unique sector of the economy, costs of essential government services are shifted to the poor...
Caught on Tape: What Mitch McConnell Complained About to a Roomful of Billionaires (Exclusive) The Nation ...At a secret meeting of elite donors convened by the Koch brothers, McConnell laid out his plan for shrinking the federal government and whined about having to vote on minimum wage bills...
At Koch Retreat, Top GOP Senate Candidates Credited Koch Network For Their Rise Huffington Post ...Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst and Arkansas Rep. Tom Cotton directly credited donors present at the June 16 retreat in Dana Point, California, for propelling them forward. Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner told attendees that his race would likely be decided by the presence of "third party" money -- an obvious pitch for generosity from the well-heeled crowd...
Argentina Set for Second National Strike as Economic Woes Deepen Bloomberg ...Argentina is bracing for a day of road blocks and disruption as labor unions stage a second national strike in less than five months while July’s bond default threatens to fuel inflation and undermine growth...
40 Percent of Restaurant Workers Live In Near-Poverty Mother Jones ...The industry's wages have stagnated at an extremely low level. Restaurant workers' median wage stands at $10 per hour, tips included—and hasn't budged, in inflation-adjusted terms, since 2000...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Budget Gap Narrows to Smallest Since 2007, CBO Says Bloomberg ...The projected shortfall will be $506 billion in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, compared with an April prediction for $492 billion and a $680 billion gap posted last year, the nonpartisan CBO said today in a report. In 2015 it’s projected to shrink for a sixth straight year, to $469 billion, capping the longest stretch of fiscal improvement since 2000, near the end of an era of surpluses...
Teamsters At Fred Meyer Warehouse Vote To OK Strike The Stand ...Teamster warehouse workers employed at the Fred Meyer grocery distribution center in Puyallup voted overwhelmingly over the weekend to authorize a strike. The final vote was 241-2. Voting took place at the Teamsters Union hall in Tukwila...
Safety Agents and de Blasio Administration Reach Labor Deal New York Times ...Mayor Bill de Blasio and Teamsters Local 237, the municipal union representing school safety agents and special officers, announced a tentative contract and the proposed settlement of a pay equity lawsuit on Tuesday that would distribute $38 million in back pay to current and former school safety agents who are overwhelmingly female...
City Pays $38M To Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit From Female Safety Agents Being Paid Far Less Than Male Counterparts New York Daily News ...In a move timed to Women’s Equality Day, the city announced Monday it had settled a four-year-old lawsuit from a group of safety agents who were paid far less than their male counterparts. The suit was settled for $38 million as part of a new labor agreement with Teamsters Local 237...
Mayor’s Office: Union Contract Means Pay Equity For Largely Female School Safety Agents CBS News ...The deal with Teamsters Local 237, which represents both the largely female school safety agents and special officers, was reached Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office announced...
Union Employees Air Contract Dispute On MDI Bangor Daily News ...Municipal employees of three Mount Desert Island towns who are members of the Teamsters labor union are airing their grievances as they try to reach a new labor contract with the towns...
Contract Disputes Lead To Demonstrations On Mount Desert Island Maine Public Broadcasting ...Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are demonstrating on Mount Desert Island this afternoon to draw attention to ongoing contract disputes with three area towns...
Weary U.S. Workers Are Still Experiencing Hard Times (opinion) Huffington Post ...Despite a dip in unemployment during the past few years, low pay continues to plague many employees while their corporate bosses rake in record profits...
Trade
TPP: Expansive Rights for Big Pharma, Expensive Medicines for U.S. Consumers Public Citizen ...Leaked draft intellectual property texts for the TPP reveal broad monopoly protections for pharmaceutical corporations, which elevate the costs of medicines and medical procedures...
Turkish Firms Hit By Anti-Dumping Duties On Steel Pipes To US Todays Zaman ...The US International Trade Commission (USITC) decided to impose anti-dumping duties on Turkish steel pipes last week following an investigation into export prices, a development that is likely to hurt Turkish pipe exporters to this country...
State Battles
Minimum Wage Bump Would Help Close Wealth Gap For 23% In S.F. San Francisco Chronicle ...If San Francisco voters approve raising the minimum wage law in November, 142,000 workers - or 23 percent of the city's workforce - would get a raise by the time it fully kicks in to $15 an hour by 2018...
Scott Walker, J.B. Van Hollen Again Ask Court To Reinstate Voter ID Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen are asking a federal court to reinstate Wisconsin's voter ID law, but they have not finalized a plan to comply with a different court's decision requiring the state to provide IDs to people who don't have birth certificates...
War On Workers
Market Basket Revolt Ends as Arthur T. Demoulas Wins Bid Bloomberg ...Arthur T. Demoulas, the ousted chief executive officer of the Market Basket supermarket chain whose employees gained national attention in a revolt to get him back, won his bid to buy the company...
Why America’s Workers Need Faster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It Economic Policy Institute ...Comparing the first half of 2014 with the first half of 2013, real (inflation-adjusted) hourly wages fell for workers in nearly every decile—even for those with a bachelor’s or advanced degree...
The Expanding World of Poverty Capitalism (opinion) New York Times ...Sentinel Offender Services … oversees case management, including breath alcohol and drug-testing services, “all at no cost to county taxpayers.”…Sentinel is a part of the expanding universe of poverty capitalism. In this unique sector of the economy, costs of essential government services are shifted to the poor...
Caught on Tape: What Mitch McConnell Complained About to a Roomful of Billionaires (Exclusive) The Nation ...At a secret meeting of elite donors convened by the Koch brothers, McConnell laid out his plan for shrinking the federal government and whined about having to vote on minimum wage bills...
At Koch Retreat, Top GOP Senate Candidates Credited Koch Network For Their Rise Huffington Post ...Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst and Arkansas Rep. Tom Cotton directly credited donors present at the June 16 retreat in Dana Point, California, for propelling them forward. Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner told attendees that his race would likely be decided by the presence of "third party" money -- an obvious pitch for generosity from the well-heeled crowd...
Argentina Set for Second National Strike as Economic Woes Deepen Bloomberg ...Argentina is bracing for a day of road blocks and disruption as labor unions stage a second national strike in less than five months while July’s bond default threatens to fuel inflation and undermine growth...
40 Percent of Restaurant Workers Live In Near-Poverty Mother Jones ...The industry's wages have stagnated at an extremely low level. Restaurant workers' median wage stands at $10 per hour, tips included—and hasn't budged, in inflation-adjusted terms, since 2000...
Miscellaneous
U.S. Budget Gap Narrows to Smallest Since 2007, CBO Says Bloomberg ...The projected shortfall will be $506 billion in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, compared with an April prediction for $492 billion and a $680 billion gap posted last year, the nonpartisan CBO said today in a report. In 2015 it’s projected to shrink for a sixth straight year, to $469 billion, capping the longest stretch of fiscal improvement since 2000, near the end of an era of surpluses...
Monday, August 4, 2014
Today's Teamster News 08.04.14
Teamster News
De Blasio ignores Teamster carriage industry ‘solutions’ Capital New York ..."The administration has not yet responded to the list of potential solutions for the horse carriage industry workforce,” a Teamster’s representative said...
Trade
WTO Dying a Slow Death zero hedge ...As the global agreement collapses amidst the Indian demand to be able to stockpile food for itself and for countries that are developing around the world, the WTO cannot live much longer. It will be dead within a short while...
State Battles
They Can't Say We Didn't Warn Them Cognitive Dissonance ...When Scott Walker was running for governor, some of the police and firefighter unions supported him because he was promising to end residency rules, something they want(ed) for a long, long time...
The War on Workers
As U.S. job market strengthens, many don't feel it Associated Press ... Income hasn't rebounded. Millions are working part time even though they want full-time jobs. It's taking longer to find work. People are still struggling with mortgage debt. Some feel down about the economy because of their political views. And most people don't feel free to spend as much as they used to...
NTTA Contract Worker Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver CBSDFW.com ...A hit-and-run driver slammed into a North Texas Tollway Authority convoy early Monday in Grand Prairie, killing a contract worker...
Why Are Young Adults Living with Their Parents and When Will They Move Out? The Big Picture ...Because young adults, especially the older ones, traditionally represent a substantial share of first-time homebuyers, their delayed decision to form a household has contributed to a depressed rate of household formation and housing demand...
Wealth Managers Enlist Spy Tools to Map Portfolios New York Times ...Some of the engineers who used to help the Central Intelligence Agency solve problems have moved on to another challenge: determining the value of every conceivable investment in the world...
Miscellaneous
Demographics: Prime Working-Age Population Growing Again Calculated Risk ...A slowdown in the US was expected this decade just based on demographics (the housing bust, financial crisis were piled on top of weak demographics).
De Blasio ignores Teamster carriage industry ‘solutions’ Capital New York ..."The administration has not yet responded to the list of potential solutions for the horse carriage industry workforce,” a Teamster’s representative said...
Trade
WTO Dying a Slow Death zero hedge ...As the global agreement collapses amidst the Indian demand to be able to stockpile food for itself and for countries that are developing around the world, the WTO cannot live much longer. It will be dead within a short while...
State Battles
They Can't Say We Didn't Warn Them Cognitive Dissonance ...When Scott Walker was running for governor, some of the police and firefighter unions supported him because he was promising to end residency rules, something they want(ed) for a long, long time...
The War on Workers
As U.S. job market strengthens, many don't feel it Associated Press ... Income hasn't rebounded. Millions are working part time even though they want full-time jobs. It's taking longer to find work. People are still struggling with mortgage debt. Some feel down about the economy because of their political views. And most people don't feel free to spend as much as they used to...
NTTA Contract Worker Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver CBSDFW.com ...A hit-and-run driver slammed into a North Texas Tollway Authority convoy early Monday in Grand Prairie, killing a contract worker...
Why Are Young Adults Living with Their Parents and When Will They Move Out? The Big Picture ...Because young adults, especially the older ones, traditionally represent a substantial share of first-time homebuyers, their delayed decision to form a household has contributed to a depressed rate of household formation and housing demand...
Wealth Managers Enlist Spy Tools to Map Portfolios New York Times ...Some of the engineers who used to help the Central Intelligence Agency solve problems have moved on to another challenge: determining the value of every conceivable investment in the world...
Miscellaneous
Demographics: Prime Working-Age Population Growing Again Calculated Risk ...A slowdown in the US was expected this decade just based on demographics (the housing bust, financial crisis were piled on top of weak demographics).
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Today's Teamster News 05.28.14
Teamster News
Teamsters Hope To Keep ABF In Little Rock Memphis Business Journal ...The president of the Teamsters local in North Little Rock, Tim Nichols, says he will meet with Gov. Mike Beebe this week in hopes of preventing ABF from moving to Memphis...
Bus Company Workers To Vote On Joining Union WAMC ...Employees of the Green Mountain Express bus company in Vermont have scheduled a vote on whether to join the Teamsters union. William Kelly, trustee organizer for Teamsters Local 597, tells the Bennington Banner that 23 people at Green Mountain Express are eligible to vote Wednesday...
Pekin City Council approves Teamsters pact Pekin Daily Times ...The Pekin City Council on Tuesday approved a three-year contract with the Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local 697...
Hollywood Teamsters Back Patric Verrone For State Senate Deadline Hollywood ...Hollywood Teamsters Local 399 stood behind former WGA West President Patric Verrone when he led the 2007-08 Writers Guild strike, and it’s supporting him again in his run for the California Legislature...
Trade
European Milk Board opposes TTIP Dairy Herd Management ...A dairy farmer group representing organizations in 14 E.U. countries is not happy with current trade talks that would align European and U.S. trade and investment...
TTIP: The Lobby plague is coming Access ...The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the United States and the European Union, aiming at increasing trade and (dangerously) seeking “regulatory coherence.” If adopted, TTIP would become the world’s largest free trade and investment agreement, opening both markets for exchange in goods, services, investment, and public procurement. While the negotiations are being held in secret on both sides of the Atlantic, a large number of concerns arose in Europe on the actual benefits of such a trade agreement and its potential impact on EU legislation on digital rights as well as environmental protection, public health, agriculture, consumer rights, and labour standards...
TPP: Bad for global health (opinion) OakPark.com ...On April 8, Oak Park Township approved putting a referendum measure on the November ballot that would declare Oak Park a "TPP-Free Zone."...
State Battles
Will The Supreme Court Kill Public-Employee Unions? Mother Jones ...Forget Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow union-bashing governors. Forget the partisan attacks on organized labor. The gravest threat to public-employee unions--which represent cops, firefighters, prison guards, teachers, nurses and other state workers, is a Supreme Court case named Harris v. Quinn...
Michigan's Snyder signs bill raising minimum wage Associated Press ...Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation Tuesday to raise the state's minimum wage by 25 percent gradually over the next four years to $9.25 an hour, as Republicans controlling the state government moved to head off a November ballot measure that could have raised pay even more.
Federal Judge Who Halted Walker Dark Money Criminal Probe Attended Koch-Backed Judicial Junkets Center for Media and Democracy ...The federal judge who ordered a halt to Wisconsin's "John Doe" criminal investigation into spending during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections has regularly attended all-expenses paid "judicial junkets" funded by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and other ideological and corporate interests...
States Consider Bills To Crack Down On Workplace Bullies NPR ...Bullying is a behavioral problem often associated with children in grade school, but according to a recent Zogby poll, more than a quarter of American workers say they've experienced abusive conduct at work...
War On Workers
Median CEO Pay Passes The $10 Million Mark For The First Time Think Progress ...The median CEO pay package hit $10.5 million last year, according to the Associated Press, cracking eight figures for the first time since the wire service began calculating the statistic...
Workers At This Giant Retailer Are Really Happy With Their Pay Think Progress ...In an analysis of employee feedback shared on Glassdoor over the past year, just one retailer comes in the top 25 for top marks on pay and benefits: Costco...
The Ripple Effects Of Rising Student Debt New York Times ...What are the roads not taken because students must take out loans for college? A collection of studies show that the burden of student debt may very well cause people to make different decisions than they would otherwise--affecting not just individual lives, but also the entire economy...
Miscellaneous
Europe's Secret Success New York Times ...Europe's financial and macroeconomic woes have overshadowed its remarkable, unheralded longer-term success in an area where it used to lag: job creation. What? You haven't heard about it? Well, that's not too surprising...
7 States Running Out Of Water Huffington Post ...In seven states, drought conditions were so severe that each had more than half it's land area in severe drought. Severe drought is characterized by crop loss, frequent water shortages and mandatory water use restrictions...
Teamsters Hope To Keep ABF In Little Rock Memphis Business Journal ...The president of the Teamsters local in North Little Rock, Tim Nichols, says he will meet with Gov. Mike Beebe this week in hopes of preventing ABF from moving to Memphis...
Bus Company Workers To Vote On Joining Union WAMC ...Employees of the Green Mountain Express bus company in Vermont have scheduled a vote on whether to join the Teamsters union. William Kelly, trustee organizer for Teamsters Local 597, tells the Bennington Banner that 23 people at Green Mountain Express are eligible to vote Wednesday...
Pekin City Council approves Teamsters pact Pekin Daily Times ...The Pekin City Council on Tuesday approved a three-year contract with the Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local 697...
Hollywood Teamsters Back Patric Verrone For State Senate Deadline Hollywood ...Hollywood Teamsters Local 399 stood behind former WGA West President Patric Verrone when he led the 2007-08 Writers Guild strike, and it’s supporting him again in his run for the California Legislature...
Trade
European Milk Board opposes TTIP Dairy Herd Management ...A dairy farmer group representing organizations in 14 E.U. countries is not happy with current trade talks that would align European and U.S. trade and investment...
TTIP: The Lobby plague is coming Access ...The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the United States and the European Union, aiming at increasing trade and (dangerously) seeking “regulatory coherence.” If adopted, TTIP would become the world’s largest free trade and investment agreement, opening both markets for exchange in goods, services, investment, and public procurement. While the negotiations are being held in secret on both sides of the Atlantic, a large number of concerns arose in Europe on the actual benefits of such a trade agreement and its potential impact on EU legislation on digital rights as well as environmental protection, public health, agriculture, consumer rights, and labour standards...
TPP: Bad for global health (opinion) OakPark.com ...On April 8, Oak Park Township approved putting a referendum measure on the November ballot that would declare Oak Park a "TPP-Free Zone."...
State Battles
Will The Supreme Court Kill Public-Employee Unions? Mother Jones ...Forget Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow union-bashing governors. Forget the partisan attacks on organized labor. The gravest threat to public-employee unions--which represent cops, firefighters, prison guards, teachers, nurses and other state workers, is a Supreme Court case named Harris v. Quinn...
Michigan's Snyder signs bill raising minimum wage Associated Press ...Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation Tuesday to raise the state's minimum wage by 25 percent gradually over the next four years to $9.25 an hour, as Republicans controlling the state government moved to head off a November ballot measure that could have raised pay even more.
Federal Judge Who Halted Walker Dark Money Criminal Probe Attended Koch-Backed Judicial Junkets Center for Media and Democracy ...The federal judge who ordered a halt to Wisconsin's "John Doe" criminal investigation into spending during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections has regularly attended all-expenses paid "judicial junkets" funded by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and other ideological and corporate interests...
States Consider Bills To Crack Down On Workplace Bullies NPR ...Bullying is a behavioral problem often associated with children in grade school, but according to a recent Zogby poll, more than a quarter of American workers say they've experienced abusive conduct at work...
War On Workers
Median CEO Pay Passes The $10 Million Mark For The First Time Think Progress ...The median CEO pay package hit $10.5 million last year, according to the Associated Press, cracking eight figures for the first time since the wire service began calculating the statistic...
Workers At This Giant Retailer Are Really Happy With Their Pay Think Progress ...In an analysis of employee feedback shared on Glassdoor over the past year, just one retailer comes in the top 25 for top marks on pay and benefits: Costco...
The Ripple Effects Of Rising Student Debt New York Times ...What are the roads not taken because students must take out loans for college? A collection of studies show that the burden of student debt may very well cause people to make different decisions than they would otherwise--affecting not just individual lives, but also the entire economy...
Miscellaneous
Europe's Secret Success New York Times ...Europe's financial and macroeconomic woes have overshadowed its remarkable, unheralded longer-term success in an area where it used to lag: job creation. What? You haven't heard about it? Well, that's not too surprising...
7 States Running Out Of Water Huffington Post ...In seven states, drought conditions were so severe that each had more than half it's land area in severe drought. Severe drought is characterized by crop loss, frequent water shortages and mandatory water use restrictions...
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Walker's anti-union law could still be struck down
The Associated Press reports,
While Friday's 2-1 ruling by a panel of the 7th Circuit could influence the state appeals court and others hearing the cases, it's not binding, said Paul Secunda, a Marquette University law professor. It certainly doesn't signal the end of the legal fights, he said, and it could be appealed to the full federal appeals court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The public unions will fight until every one of their arguments are considered in full," Secunda predicted.In one of the other two cases, Madison Teachers et al vs. Scott Walker, a Dane County Circuit Court judge found five provisions of Act 10 unconstitutional. The Progressive explains:
- The provision that said unions could only bargain over base pay and not over issues such as overtime and merit pay;
- The provision that a referendum be held before the employer could bargain over base pay increases;
- Limiting 'fair share' agreements to transit and public safety unions;
- Restricting employers from deducting dues from union members' paychecks and annual recertification of unions;
- Requirement that City of Milwaukee employees contribute to the city pension system.
The second case was filed in November by the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association. Reports The Progressive,
This lawsuit may be even stronger than the MTI and Public Employees Local 61 case since it involves members of the very same union being treated differently under the law.Let's hope it goes well, brothers and sisters.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Romney wants to help people by firing them
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.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Today's Teamster News 09.24.11
Global economy alarm bells ring CNN ...The recession alarm bells were ringing across the globe Thursday, spooking investors and economists alike...
Oklahoma labor commissioner calls public workers “feral hogs” Oklahoma World ...Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello likened Oklahoma's public sector workers to "feral hogs." Going further, he said, "I don't know if you know much about feral hogs, but they reproduce three or four times a year, they eat anything and everything...
Wis. gov.’s spokesman, 2 others granted immunity in secret investigation of aides Associated Press ...Retired Waukesha County Judge Neal Nettesheim said Friday that he granted immunity to Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie, Wisconsin and Southern Railroad spokesman Ken Lucht and Milwaukee County Republican Party official Roseann Dieck...
Mayors call for repeal of SB5 TribToday.com ...In a public display of solidarity, mayors of five municipalities in Trumbull and Mahoning counties gathered Friday to express opposition to Senate Bill 5 and to say they endorse repealing it...
Teamsters Local 237 President Considers Running For Mayor NY1 "...We will make a big announcement when we decide which office we are going to run for, but right now we are exploring our options,” said Floyd...
Rick Scott, GOP to consider taking courts out of foreclosure process Miami Herald ...Supporters of the concept — which is used in nearly 30 states — say it will speed foreclosures, get houses back onto the real estate market and boost the economy. Opponents say it puts property owners at the mercy of banks...
Oklahoma labor commissioner calls public workers “feral hogs” Oklahoma World ...Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello likened Oklahoma's public sector workers to "feral hogs." Going further, he said, "I don't know if you know much about feral hogs, but they reproduce three or four times a year, they eat anything and everything...
Wis. gov.’s spokesman, 2 others granted immunity in secret investigation of aides Associated Press ...Retired Waukesha County Judge Neal Nettesheim said Friday that he granted immunity to Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie, Wisconsin and Southern Railroad spokesman Ken Lucht and Milwaukee County Republican Party official Roseann Dieck...
Mayors call for repeal of SB5 TribToday.com ...In a public display of solidarity, mayors of five municipalities in Trumbull and Mahoning counties gathered Friday to express opposition to Senate Bill 5 and to say they endorse repealing it...
Teamsters Local 237 President Considers Running For Mayor NY1 "...We will make a big announcement when we decide which office we are going to run for, but right now we are exploring our options,” said Floyd...
Rick Scott, GOP to consider taking courts out of foreclosure process Miami Herald ...Supporters of the concept — which is used in nearly 30 states — say it will speed foreclosures, get houses back onto the real estate market and boost the economy. Opponents say it puts property owners at the mercy of banks...
Friday, July 22, 2011
Today's Teamster News 07.22.11
Plain Talk: 101-year-old disgusted with Walker's voter ID law The Cap Times ...“Are Scott Walker and his followers deliberately making it difficult for the elderly, disabled, poor and young to vote? My mother thinks so..."
SB 5 outlook looks grim in latest poll Columbus Dispatch ...Ohio's collective-bargaining law would be crushed out of existence if the vote were today, a new poll shows...
Ability to pay is top factor in labor disputes Detroit Free Press ...A local government's ability to pay will be the top factor an arbitrator considers when settling labor disputes involving police and fire departments under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder...
N.H. GOP struggles to stay afloat Politico ...At one point recently, the party had just $1,300 in its federal account, according to local reports, prompting its finance chairman, Bill Binnie, to hold a meeting of party leaders last week to discuss the situation...
N.J. unions halted donations for legislators before vote to overhaul pensions, benefits NJ.com ...Three major public worker unions’ committees stopped donating to state lawmakers while the legislators — who face elections in November — were preparing to vote on a landmark overhaul of pensions and health benefits...
Layoffs Deepen Gloom Wall Street Journal ...Companies are laying off employees at a level not seen in nearly a year, hobbling the job market and intensifying fears about the pace of the economic recovery...
SB 5 outlook looks grim in latest poll Columbus Dispatch ...Ohio's collective-bargaining law would be crushed out of existence if the vote were today, a new poll shows...
Ability to pay is top factor in labor disputes Detroit Free Press ...A local government's ability to pay will be the top factor an arbitrator considers when settling labor disputes involving police and fire departments under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder...
N.H. GOP struggles to stay afloat Politico ...At one point recently, the party had just $1,300 in its federal account, according to local reports, prompting its finance chairman, Bill Binnie, to hold a meeting of party leaders last week to discuss the situation...
N.J. unions halted donations for legislators before vote to overhaul pensions, benefits NJ.com ...Three major public worker unions’ committees stopped donating to state lawmakers while the legislators — who face elections in November — were preparing to vote on a landmark overhaul of pensions and health benefits...
Layoffs Deepen Gloom Wall Street Journal ...Companies are laying off employees at a level not seen in nearly a year, hobbling the job market and intensifying fears about the pace of the economic recovery...
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Today's Teamster News 07.21.11
A look at turnout in the Wisconsin recalls: How high will it go? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...turnout in the recall primaries held here over the past two Tuesdays was “amazingly high” given the nature of those elections...
Ohio Democrats Attempt To Tie Kasich To Murdoch WLWT.com ...Murdoch gave around $1.25 million last year to the Republican Governors Association, saying later that he hopes his contribution would directly help his former commentator on News Corp.'s Fox News, Kasich...
Snyder orders departments to prepare to fire state workers Michigan Messenger ...In preparation for the ongoing negotiations with state employee unions designed to force $145 million in concessions, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder ordered departments to prepare to fire some employees...
DFLers let loose with raft of complaints about agreement process MinnPost.com ...The 12 hour-plus session, which wrapped up after 3 a.m., rushed through each budget bill on largely party-line votes...
Poll shows Gov. Christie's approval rating dive after public worker benefits overhaul, budget cuts Newark Star-Ledger ...53 percent disapprove of the governor’s job performance and 43 percent approve, according to Public Policy Polling...
Teamsters Leader Says Wal-Mart Contributes to Economic Woes IBT ...“I urge the White House to reconsider its involvement with Wal-Mart unless Wal-Mart agrees to create the kind of good jobs that can provide its employees with a decent standard of living..."
Ohio Democrats Attempt To Tie Kasich To Murdoch WLWT.com ...Murdoch gave around $1.25 million last year to the Republican Governors Association, saying later that he hopes his contribution would directly help his former commentator on News Corp.'s Fox News, Kasich...
Snyder orders departments to prepare to fire state workers Michigan Messenger ...In preparation for the ongoing negotiations with state employee unions designed to force $145 million in concessions, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder ordered departments to prepare to fire some employees...
DFLers let loose with raft of complaints about agreement process MinnPost.com ...The 12 hour-plus session, which wrapped up after 3 a.m., rushed through each budget bill on largely party-line votes...
Poll shows Gov. Christie's approval rating dive after public worker benefits overhaul, budget cuts Newark Star-Ledger ...53 percent disapprove of the governor’s job performance and 43 percent approve, according to Public Policy Polling...
Teamsters Leader Says Wal-Mart Contributes to Economic Woes IBT ...“I urge the White House to reconsider its involvement with Wal-Mart unless Wal-Mart agrees to create the kind of good jobs that can provide its employees with a decent standard of living..."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Today's Teamster News 06.07.11
Connecticut Passes First-in-the-Nation Sick Days Bill Public News Service ...It requires certain businesses with 50 or more employees to allow workers to earn up to five sick days a year...
Wisconsin Republicans accused of dirty tricks in recall elections TwinCities.com ... Republicans said Monday that they're working on running candidates as Democrats in recall elections against Senate Republicans in order to force primaries and give incumbents more time to campaign....
Expected changes to Senate budget would cut legislators' pay, ax Kasich's JobsOhio role axed Columbus Dispatch ...The Senate also is expected to remove a change that Republicans made last week to take $10 million from a fund that provides housing to poor Ohioans and give it to county recorders...
Vote on bill to limit union fees delayed until next year Kennebec Journal ...Lawmakers delayed until next year votes on a bill that would end the requirement that nonunion state workers pay a portion of union dues...
Gov. Tom Corbett's spending leaves some wondering about his budget 'sacrifice' message Patriot News ...He asks state employees to take a pay cut and urges teachers and state university professors to consider a pay freeze. At the same time, some of his senior staffers are being paid more than their predecessors...
Empowering Public Employees: Lessons From the Women's Movement (opinion) The Atlantic ...Just as the women's movement supported individual women and girls (like me), unions give public servants their identity....
Wisconsin Republicans accused of dirty tricks in recall elections TwinCities.com ... Republicans said Monday that they're working on running candidates as Democrats in recall elections against Senate Republicans in order to force primaries and give incumbents more time to campaign....
Expected changes to Senate budget would cut legislators' pay, ax Kasich's JobsOhio role axed Columbus Dispatch ...The Senate also is expected to remove a change that Republicans made last week to take $10 million from a fund that provides housing to poor Ohioans and give it to county recorders...
Vote on bill to limit union fees delayed until next year Kennebec Journal ...Lawmakers delayed until next year votes on a bill that would end the requirement that nonunion state workers pay a portion of union dues...
Gov. Tom Corbett's spending leaves some wondering about his budget 'sacrifice' message Patriot News ...He asks state employees to take a pay cut and urges teachers and state university professors to consider a pay freeze. At the same time, some of his senior staffers are being paid more than their predecessors...
Empowering Public Employees: Lessons From the Women's Movement (opinion) The Atlantic ...Just as the women's movement supported individual women and girls (like me), unions give public servants their identity....
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The wages of inequality: crappy schools
Half the population of Rochester, N.Y., lives in poverty. It didn't used to be that way. Xerox and Kodak once provided tens of thousands of good middle-class jobs in Rochester. Now half of Xerox's workforce is overseas. Kodak employed 60,000 people in Rochester 30 years ago; today it employs about 9,000.
Rochester's schools are now terrible. Half the schools failed the academic standards set by the federal government. The city's latest school superintendent found a convenient scapegoat: the teachers' unions.
Balloon Juice offers these scathing comments from Rochester:
Rochester's schools are now terrible. Half the schools failed the academic standards set by the federal government. The city's latest school superintendent found a convenient scapegoat: the teachers' unions.
Balloon Juice offers these scathing comments from Rochester:
Last week, we lost the latest in a list of mediocre scam artist superintendents in our urban school district. This one’s name is Jean-Claude Brizard, who ditched his contract to go run Chicago’s schools. Chicago apparently wasn’t fazed about the Rochester teacher’s union 95% vote of no confidence. As the top-notch local reporter Rachel Barnhart documents, Brizard’s tenure was full of bureaucratic waste, bullshitting about graduation rates, and no real improvement in the school district’s status.
The previous full-time superintendent before Brizard, Clifford Janey, went on to become Michelle Rhee’s predecessor. Janey recently quit his $280K/year post in Newark, a job he got after being fired in DC. Janey’s tenure at Rochester was similar to his experience in DC and Newark: a lot of empty promises about change as graduation rates fell.
I can’t really blame these grifters for running their cons in Rochester, Chicago, Newark and DC, because those places were on a quest for Superintendent Chocolate Jesus. Instead of addressing or even acknowledging the underlying reasons for school failure (structural poverty, no job opportunities, crime, drugs, teen pregancy and neglectful parenting), they put all their hopes into an out-of-town savior who can dream up unrealistic programs with the help of overpaid consultants, giving them asinine names like “Great Expectations”.Balloon Juice points us to Bill Cala, the former interim superintendent of Rochester City Schools. He gave a terrific speech last year that laid out the real problem facing the schools: inequality. Cala cited research that shows:
Unequal, wealthy countries experienced significantly higher levels of the following problems in their societies:
Cala points out that the Rochester Metropolitan area is one of the most unequal in the country -- and America is the most unequal of all rich nations. Those statistics, he said,
- Level of trust
- Mental Illness (Including drug and alcohol addiction)
- Life expectancy and infant mortality
- Obesity
- Children's educational performance
- Teenage births
- Homicides
- Imprisonment rates
- Social mobility
...represent the significant and essential root causes of the failure of children to succeed in school.
So this begs the question:What on earth does school governance have to do with this social morass? How will a power grab and mythical cost savings through consolidation attack the sickness and devastation in our society fed by national corporate greed that is destroying our children, our families, and the middle class?There's a huge irony here, as we watch with horror as Governors Gone Wild attack teachers unions while promoting charter schools and vouchers -- all the while raising taxes on the poor and cutting them for millionaires.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Heckuva job in IN, Mitch
Really.
Teamsters, members of other unions and community activists learned otherwise at a meeting held by Laborers Local 795 in New Albany, Ind., recently. They learned one in five children in Indiana live in poverty and 400,000 Hoosiers currently depend on food stamps.
Btw, we don't think it's a coincidence that Daniels pretty much obliterated public sector unions in Indiana when he took away their collective bargaining rights by executive order in 2005. Since then, according to AFSCME spokesman Gregory King,
Daniels succeeded in reducing the paychecks of all Indiana workers. In 2004, Indiana ranked 18th in the U.S in personal per capita income. By 2009, Indiana ranked 40th.Brother Jim Kincaid, business agent for Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville, Ky., was at the discussion. He believes education is key in fighting the war on workers and reviving the middle class.
We talked about different approaches to get working people to understand what is going on in the Statehouse and across the country. It’s about getting everyone to understand what is at stake, and how to communicate the seriousness of this to younger generations, older generations and non-union members. How you vote in the polls is directly relational to your jobs. People don’t always believe it, but now we’re seeing it.Kincaid, who comes from a long generation of union members, said people have forgotten that the rights we have weren’t just handed to us.
Nothing we have was given us—we had to fight for everything. If we don’t stay vigilant, we run the risk of losing what we’ve fought for. We have to remember why we have unions and what unions have done for this country.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Teamsters join swelling protests in IN, WI, OR, NV
As the protest continued today in Wisconsin, Teamsters joined a crowd of 7,000 in Indianapolis to protest a right-to-work (for LESS) bill expected to pass out of committee today. indystar.com reports
In Wisconsin, Green Bay got more than a foot of snow last night, so Teamsters from Local 662 were stuck up north today. Teamsters from Milwaukee locals 200 and 344, closer to Madison, were expected to be at today's protest.
Brother Danny McGowan from Local 662 tells us the Minnesota Teamsters will bring down their semi tomorrow, so there'll be two parked across from the capitol. We're hoping for a big Teamster presence in Madison on Tuesday and Wednesday, so those would be the days for out-of-state locals to head for Wisconsin. The Teamsters will gather at about 10 o'clock.
Brother Rick Smith from Harrisburg, Penn., is in Madison today looking for space to broadcast his radio show from. He writes on his Facebook page,
Here's a photo Smith just took of the protesters singing the Star-Spangled Rotunda.
McGowan said the Teamsters' presence sends a message that the protests aren't just about government workers -- they're about all workers (even though the Teamsters do represent public sector workers such as corrections officers and truck drivers). Said McGowan
More updates to come.
 |
| Tomorrow there'll be two of these in Madison. |
As the protest continued today in Wisconsin, Teamsters joined a crowd of 7,000 in Indianapolis to protest a right-to-work (for LESS) bill expected to pass out of committee today. indystar.com reports
The thousands of union supporters that packed the Statehouse this morning and spilled out onto Downtown sidewalks hoped their show of solidarity would be enough to dilute legislative support of a proposed right to work bill.Ohio Teamsters prepared for a massive rally tomorrow at the Statehouse in Columbus. Forums and rallies were held today in other Ohio cities, including Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown and Cincinnati.
In Wisconsin, Green Bay got more than a foot of snow last night, so Teamsters from Local 662 were stuck up north today. Teamsters from Milwaukee locals 200 and 344, closer to Madison, were expected to be at today's protest.
Brother Danny McGowan from Local 662 tells us the Minnesota Teamsters will bring down their semi tomorrow, so there'll be two parked across from the capitol. We're hoping for a big Teamster presence in Madison on Tuesday and Wednesday, so those would be the days for out-of-state locals to head for Wisconsin. The Teamsters will gather at about 10 o'clock.
Brother Rick Smith from Harrisburg, Penn., is in Madison today looking for space to broadcast his radio show from. He writes on his Facebook page,
Everyone here has been ULTRA helpful! But at the same time revolutions tend to lack space...
Here's a photo Smith just took of the protesters singing the Star-Spangled Rotunda.McGowan said the Teamsters' presence sends a message that the protests aren't just about government workers -- they're about all workers (even though the Teamsters do represent public sector workers such as corrections officers and truck drivers). Said McGowan
When people see Teamsters, they say "We know this is important now, the Teamsters are here." They say, "Can we take pictures of the back of your jacket?" They wanted pictures of the truck, pictures of the guys in front of the truck.The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports
The demonstrations at the state Capitol entered their second week Monday morning to the pounding of drums in the rotunda.Sister Fran Almarez, business agent for Local 631, is telling members to watch out for Tea Partiers today at rallies in Las Vegas and Carson City. Local 324 will be participating in a noon rally today in Salem, Ore.
With Madison covered in ice from Sunday's winter storm, the crowd in the statehouse was smaller at 9 a.m. than it had been in protests last week. But Madison schools are shut down for another day Monday and many state workers also have a previously scheduled furlough - leaving many public workers with the chance to head to the isthmus.
Add in a rally scheduled for noon and a concert at 5 p.m., and protesters seeking to keep their momentum from last week could still turn out a large crowd.
More updates to come.
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