Teamsters celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week -- again!

It's that time of year again when the Teamsters celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Last year, we asked Teamsters to submit photos of themselves and their trucks to the Teamsters Facebook page. The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of Teamsters sent in photos, along with comments like the ones below. 

This year, we're again asking Teamsters to send us photos of themselves and their trucks -- either by posting on the Teamsters Facebook page or by sending a direct message to the page. 

We're looking forward to seeing more great photos and comments like the ones below: 

James F. Giles Everything everyone in America owns, eats, or uses got here on a truck - thanks, Teamsters. 

Richard LapointeMade the seniority list in Feb 1971 in Cambridge, MA and retired last year with an awesome pension after 42 years of service with several companies. God bless the Teamster's Union. It's always been the working class that made this country great. 

Nunzio Santuccio Keepem rolling !!!! 

Ray Roehrig Retired Local #500, Philadelphia, PA. Proud to be a Teamster! 

Greggjodi Gomes I am proud to be a part of Local 407 Truck Drivers Union Cleveland ,Ohio--- thank you for all you do for me and my family !! 

Mike Porchiazzo Truckers make the world go around! It's a long lonesome road in the lifetime of a trucker! 

Jennifer Young proud daughter of a Teamster Driver!! 

Larry Katra My stepdad was a union steward and saw him save many guys jobs over the years.The Teamsters was a great union and still is. 

Frank Milatzo In '62 I was just learning how to drive big rigs, joined the Teamsters 25 years ago after freight: got deregulated and couldn't make any money as an independent trucker. Best move I ever made 

Lenore Lopez I appreciate truck drivers, I wish more employers would respect the physical and mental demands of the job. 

Wayne Robertson Funny how when I'm on 2 wheels I worry less about them than I do the soccer mom in the grocery-getter. But I'm not invisible to them, and the living they make depends on their safety and courtesy!

Sandie Hawley where would we be without truckers, God bless em. 

Jennifer Mansfield My Daddy, Oklie J Huggins, 1928-2008. Teamster Truck Driver for 44 yrs.

Don't hate the media, become the media! Join tonight's TPP Twitter Storm!

To fight the media blackout on the corporate power grab known as the TPP, Teamsters will join tonight's Twitter Storm between 9 pm and 10 pm Eastern.

It's been well documented that the network news programs are completely ignoring the TPP (except for our good friend Ed Schultz). The reason is obvious: These 'news' outlets are owned by the same multinationals that want the TPP approved. Five of them -- CNN, ABC, MSNBC, NBC and of course Fox -- are employing lobbyists to push Congress and the Administration to agree to the deal.

The networks know the best way to get the TPP passed is not to let anyone know about it. They're well aware that American voters overwhelmingly oppose TPP and proposed Fast Track legislation to push it through Congress.

Sooooo, Tweeters, tonight you can help embarrass the mainstream news media into covering the biggest jobs and wage story in a generation. Go to the Progressive Democrats of America TPP Media March Twitter Storm page here. Copy their tweets to your own Twitter account and tweet away. Or make up your own tweets.

The TPP Media March Twitter Storm is held every Tuesday evening, so if you miss tonight, you can try next week. There is also likely to be a Twitter storm aimed at U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned.

(Wondering what, exactly, a Twitter storm is? It's a news story that starts on Twitter and through a feedback loop with traditional press generates a significant amount of attention across a broad audience.)

Today's Teamster News 02.03.14

Rethinking Economics: From the UK, a Global Student Movement Takes Shape  truthout   ...When the financial crisis hit in 2007, economics students at respected institutions around the world found that theories handed down in classrooms failed to explain the reality outside, and an international movement began to demand a change in the way economics is taught...
Maryland Joins Continent-Wide Protests Against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Unjust Trade  The Real News   ...More than 50 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada participated...
Globalists Panic; New Details on 'One World' Trade Deal  American Free Press   ...In a clear sign that populist nationalism is a growing force in the western world, United Kingdom (UK) Chancellor George Osborne gave an important address in mid-January in which he called for major European Union (EU) reforms to safeguard member nations’ sovereignty and revive their lackluster economies...
Fast track stopped, but is it dead?  Trade Reform   ...Since 1992, imported goods have been growing three times faster than exports...
Tariff disagreement with U.S. stands in way of TPP  The Japan Times   ...Amari admitted Friday the two allies remain at odds over Japan’s tariffs on five “sacred” farm product categories, including rice. The U.S. is pushing for full removal...
Hated on the Left, the TPP Draws Conservative Foes  In These Times   ...the American Jobs Alliance and the United States Business and Industry Council—pro-business groups wary of trade’s impact on America’s national interests—joined with Tea Party Nation and the socially conservative Eagle Forum to rail against the TPP...
Coming to a Post Office Near You: Loans You Can Trust? (opinion)  The Huffington Post   ...In the same remarkable report this week, the OIG explored the possibility of the USPS offering basic banking services -- bill paying, check cashing, small loans -- to its customers. With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans who don't have basic banking services because there are almost no banks or bank branches in their neighborhoods....
After crash, call for closer oversight of truckers  Associated Press   ...A deadly crash in Illinois involving a truck driver accused of staying at the wheel for more than 35 hours without a long enough break prompted a call Thursday for tougher oversight of drivers and trucking companies...
Old idea for new rail safety problem: slow down trains carrying crude  McClatchy   ...The Federal Railroad Administration proposed in October 1970 that trains carrying flammable cargo in tank cars slow to 25 mph through incorporated communities. The proposal was never adopted as a rule...
The "Skills Gap" Is a Convenient Myth  truthout   ...“If there’s a skills shortage, there has to be rises in wages [for skilled workers]. It’s basic economics.” Yet wages in manufacturing—even for skilled workers—are stagnant at best...
The Rise of 'Insourcing' Gives Internet Companies a New Way to Exploit Workers  The Next New Deal   ...These new “insourced” workers are individuals who contract with large Internet-based companies like Uber and Taskrabbit to perform services here in the United States, either at a rate set by the larger company or in a free-for-all bidding war. As contractors, these workers receive very little protection in terms of minimum wage laws or unions, let alone benefits or insurance for the work they do. And their ranks are growing fast...
How Putin's cronies seized control of Russia's Facebook  The Verge   ... In 2011, the oligarch fired two senior managers for publishing anti-Putin photos in an online newspaper that he owns...
Corruption across EU 'breathtaking' - EU Commission  BBC News   ... in some countries public procurement procedures were vulnerable to fraud, while in others party financing was the main problem, or municipal bodies were badly affected. And in some countries patients have to pay bribes in order to get adequate medical care...
Right to Work bad for state  Springfield News-Leader   ...It is not hard to figure out, however, who would benefit from these efforts. The answer is Republican politicians, who believe that unions provide too much support to Democrats, and their own bankrolling supporters — business interests...

Today's Teamster News 01.05.13

More jobs in December, but unemployment rate unchanged  McClatchy   ...With the additional December jobs, employers added 1.835 million jobs in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In normal times, that’d be a good showing, but recovery from the Great Recession continues to lumber along and the hiring numbers aren’t enough to bring down the high jobless rate...
Why We Need A Currency War With China (And Denmark And Singapore … )  TradeReform   ...Eliminating currency manipulation ...  would reduce the value of the dollar by 10 to 25 percent. Taking the low-end figure, a 10 percent depreciation would, in the short run, boost GDP by 1.5 percent and create 2 million jobs...
AAR: Rail Traffic "mixed" in December  Calculated Risk   ...“Coal and grain typically account for around half of U.S. rail carloads, so when they’re down, chances are good that overall rail carloads are down too, as we saw in 2012,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “That said, a number of key rail carload categories showed solid improvement in 2012, including categories like autos and lumber that are most highly correlated with economic growth. Meanwhile, intermodal just missed setting a new volume record in 2012...”
Six States Outlaw Employer Snooping on Facebook  Chicago Defender   ...As of 2013, California and Illinois have joined the ranks of Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware in passing state laws against the practice...
N. J. and N.Y. lawmakers lukewarm over just-passed Sandy relief bill  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...The $9.7 billion approved for flood insurance is only a piece of the $60 billion sought by states hit hard by the October storm, and Northeastern lawmakers, still angry that the full package was sent back to the legislative starting line earlier in the week, are anticipating a much tougher fight over the remaining funds...
Protesters urge Sen. Mitch McConnell to change filibuster rule  Louisville Courier-Journal   ...“We have to stop this historic abuse of the democratic process,” said Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO. The protesters accused McConnell of accepting contributions from groups that would benefit from filibusters at the same time the filibusters were being initiated...
Wisconsin Republicans expected to push private-school vouchers, charter-school expansion in 2013 session  Isthmus Daily Page   ...In the upcoming legislative session, which opens Jan. 7, many of the ideas that generated packed hearing rooms, hours of tearful testimony and, ultimately, a divided Republican caucus are coming back...
Teamsters union in Jackson files new unfair labor practice charges against Hendrickson Trucking Co.  Michigan Live   ...The Teamsters Local 164 union has filed new unfair labor-practice charges against Jackson’s Hendrickson Trucking Co. as some employees’ jobs appear to be in limbo...

Woot! 2 more NLRB decisions that strengthen workers' rights

Today we learn about two more pro-worker decisions that the NLRB made as 2012 ended. One loosens restraints on political activity; the other supports workers' free speech rights on social media.

Yesterday we told you about the NLRB decision that makes it harder for employers to bust unions. Taken together, these three rulings strengthen workplace democracy.

The Wall Street Journal tells us about the ruling that makes it harder for employers to silence workers' voices in electoral politics. The Journal's account of the labor board's action is unsurprisingly churlish, given that the publication's owner (Fox News baron Rupert Murdoch) would like to turn all American workers into serfs. The Journal reports:

Unions must also maintain independently verified audits of their finances and provide members with proof that their assertions about spending practices are accurate. But the NLRB now says those requirements no longer apply and so-called Beck objectors are no longer entitled to see proof that their money isn't included in union spending on politics. ...  

The board also carved out certain lobbying from the list of political activities from which workers may withhold dues. "Lobbying expenses are chargeable to [Beck] objectors," the board wrote, "to the extent that they are germane to collective bargaining, contract administration, or grievance adjustment." That vague definition could cover nearly any lobbying expense.

JDSupra Law News reports on the NLRB's order to reinstate five workers fired because they responded on Facebook to a co-worker's criticism:

This latest decision reinforces that employers must exercise caution before terminating or disciplining employees as a result of their comments on social media. 

The case stemmed from a message that an employee of a nonprofit organization posted on Facebook outside of work hours. After Lydia Cruz-Moore told Marianna Cole-Rivera that she planned to discuss her concerns about employee performance with the Executive Director of Hispanics United of Buffalo, Inc. (HUB), Ms. Cole-Rivera posted:

Lydia Cruz, a coworker feels that we don't help our clients enough at HUB. I about had it!  My fellow coworkers how do u feel?

Four co-workers responded, all on their personal computers and on their own time. The employees generally objected to the assertion that their performance was substandard. Ms. Cruz-Moore complained to HUB management about the posts, and on the first workday after the Facebook posts, HUB fired Ms. Cole-Rivera and her four co-workers. The Executive Director of HUB justified the terminations on the ground that the posts violated HUB's zero-tolerance policy for bullying and harassment. 

The decision marked the first time the Board analyzed in detail the appropriate framework for evaluating an employee's termination for Facebook posts. The NLRB applied the long-established Meyers Industries framework in holding that the Facebook posts constituted concerted protected activity because the employees had a common cause and were taking the first step toward group action to defend themselves against criticism of their job performance. According to the majority opinion, the employees had the “mutual aid” objective of preparing a group defense to Ms. Cruz-Moore's likely complaints to management.

The ruling was a 3-1 decision. The three board members who supported workers were all appointed by President Obama.

Comfortably Smug hedge fund analyst spreads terrifying rumors on Twitter

This guy can probably get a job on Fox News or working for Mitt Romney. He's a hedge fund analyst and consultant to Christopher R. Wight, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House from New York’s 12th Congressional District. His name is Shashank Tripathi and he spreads lies under his Twitter handle @ComfortablySmug.

Many would consider him a sociopath.

Yesterday this was the kind of crap he was tweeting:

He also tweeted that the MTA announced all subways were flooded. He claimed the New York Stock Exchange had three feet of water on the floor.

Unfortunately, his tweets were picked up by news outlets before they were debunked.

He's been doing this for several years, in the comfort of anonymity. But today, Jack Stuef at BuzzFeed outed him as Tripathi:

When I called Tripathi and introduced myself, he immediately hung up.  @comfortablysmug did not respond to a DM request for comment. Wight could not immediately be reached for comment. Jordan Terry, founder of hedge fund consultancy Stone Street Partners, whose blog @comfortablysmug links to in his Twitter profile, said “Smug” no longer writes for the blog, but Terry had “otherwise no comment” on Tripathi. 

Since the controversy last night, @comfortablysmug has not tweeted.

Oh wait, he does work for Mitt Romney, coordinating phone bank volunteers.