Today's Teamster News 06.13.12

While the Headlines Blare Americans Lose 40% of Their Wealth, Income Decline is the Real Horror Story  Economic Populist   ...Median income dropped 7.7% in the three year time period from 2007-2010. That's before taxes and adjusted to removed the effects of inflation. The mean, or average drop in real income was even worse, 11.1%...
Sherrod Brown: Government does create jobs, and we Democrats need to say so  Washington Post   ... let’s face it: When it comes to whether we are actually going to do anything to create jobs, we’re stuck in a holding pattern — even as the jobs numbers continue to show the recovery is sputtering...
Johnson & Johnson becomes first N.J. company to part ways with ALEC  NJ.com   ...More than a dozen other companies including Coca-Cola, Kraft, Pepsi and Wal-Mart Stores have also ended their memberships during the last few months...
One Wisconsin Now: Gov. Walker’s recall Golden Rule: He who has the gold, rules  WisPoliticsNow   ...he raised $7.3 million from wealthy, mega-donors exceeding the normal $10,000 aggregate contribution limit. The amount raked in by Gov. Walker from just 167 wealthy individuals, is nearly twice as much as the total of all contributions to his recall election opponent...
Teamsters to Focus on Wages in Early Talks With UPS  Journal of Commerce   ...An early start to negotiations with UPS will allow the Teamsters union to focus on discussions over job security, wages, health care and pensions in January, the union said...
Teamsters protest 32 layoffs at Inquirer building  Philly.com   ...Members of Teamsters Local 628 rallied outside the offices of The Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com Tuesday protesting the layoffs of 20 building-services employees and 12 security guards as of July 1...

Walker tweeting for cash (video)

You've heard about dialing for dollars? Well, now Koch whore Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is tweeting for cash -- campaign cash. Expecting a recall, he's cozying up to his corporate cronies for what is likely to be boatloads of dark money.

John Nichols, a longtime political observer in Wisconsin, has this take on a potential recall in Wisconsin:

Democrats won the overall majority of votes cast in the nine districts, with roughly 243,000 votes statewide to 239,000 for the Republicans. That’s a narrow margin but remember that Governor Walker won these districts in 2010, and that Republican Senate candidates easily won six of them in 2008...

In addition to the recalls, Wisconsin had one other competitive state legislative election this year: a May contest to fill the state Assembly seat of Republican Mike Huebsch, who left the legislature to become Governor Walker’s chief appointee (as secretary of the state Department of Administration). The western Wisconsin seat, representing a traditionally Republican district that Huebsch held with little serious opposition for sixteen years, was won after an intense contest by a Democrat. Factor this in and Wisconsin Democrats have, since May, flipped three GOP legislative seats. Republicans have flipped no Democratic seats.

So it is that, for all the talk of Republican “wins” this year, the reality is that the Democrats have the far better record of winning competitive races. That’s a significant shift from 2010, when the Republicans had the advantage.

Today's Teamster News 08.18.11

Democrats win last two Wisconsin recalls (opinion)  Washington Post   ...What’s clear is that the fight has moved public opinion the Democrats’ way, but not as fast or as dramatically as the Democrats had hoped...
Wisconsin Democrats Score Two More Recall Wins as Voters Reject a GOP Governor's Anti-Labor Agenda  The Nation   ...Democrats won the overall majority of votes cast in the nine districts, with roughly 243,000 votes statewide to 239,000 for the Republicans. That’s a narrow margin but remember that Governor Walker won these districts in 2010, and that Republican Senate candidates easily won six of them in 2008...
Kasich, fellow Republicans propose SB 5 deal to unions  Columbus Dispatch   ...Gov. John Kasich pleaded with organized labor leaders today to compromise on Senate Bill 5 and cancel a fall referendum on the controversial bill that peels back public employee collective bargaining rights...
Right to Work legislation to be considered by state legislature  Michigan Messenger   ...Michigan can expect a push in the state legislature to pass Right to Work legislation following the end of the summer break at the capitol...
Drive to repeal emergency manager law still needs 130,000 signatures on petitions, organizers say  Detroit Free Press   ...The deadline to turn in the petitions is in March. If the State Board of Canvassers certifies that the group -- the Stand Up for Democracy committee -- collected sufficient signatures, the law would be suspended until voters decide its fate on the ballot in November 2012...
Citing Debt and Benefits, Fitch Lowers Bond Rating for New Jersey  New York Times  ...Despite its efforts to cut spending, New Jersey is a riskier investment, one of the leading ratings agencies said on Wednesday as it lowered the state’s credit rating, citing heavy debt and benefits obligations...
Right-to-work battle grows between PA business, labor  Statehouse News Online   ...A package of bills, introduced this session by state House Republicans, seeks to repeal state laws requiring all state workers, local government employees and public school teachers to pay dues, even if they choose not to join a union... 

Today's Teamster News 07.26.11

Hopper Coached Cass on Scoring State Job  EyeonWisconsin.com   ...(state Sen. Randy) Hopper's coaching of girlfriend Valerie Cass certainly didn't hurt as she was eventually hired by the Walker administration on February 7th...
Ohio's unemployment rate rises for the first time under Gov. John Kasich  Cleveland Plain Dealer   ...The Ohio unemployment rate rose in June for the first time in 22 months, and for the first time under Gov. John Kasich, who has made job development the focus of his administration...
State Workers Rally Outside Governor's Office in Detroit  WILX.com   ...About one thousand state workers from five different unions took to the sidewalk outside Governor Snyder's Detroit office Monday afternoon, hoping to get their point across...
Charters get $55 million for upkeep, other schools get zero  Orlando Sentinel   ...Traditional public schools in Florida will get no money from the state this year for additions or needed repairs to thousands of aging buildings, but charter schools will score big...
Maine Democrats Skeptical of GOP Voter Fraud Allegations  Maine Public Broadcasting Network   ...The development comes amid a people's veto effort to overturn a recently-passed law no longer allowing Maine voters to register on Election Day...
NJ Gov Chris Christie's record on senior citizens: Less aid, not more  NJ.com   ...It’s gotten only harder for people on fixed incomes to stay in their own homes, thanks to cuts Christie made to property tax relief programs for seniors and people with disabilities...
California job market is rebounding, but unevenly  Los Angeles Times   ...Job growth is concentrated in affluent areas such as Silicon Valley and in high-paying fields such as professional services. Blue-collar trades such as construction and trucking continued to shed workers...

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..."

Today's Teamster News 07.18.11

The ad wars heat up in the Wisconsin recall campaigns  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   ...Some insiders expect combined spending of all kinds to top $20 million for the nine recall elections, much of it outside money, much of it undisclosed...
Kasich goes on Meet the Press… and claims Strickland’s record as his own  Plunderbund   ...They credit the 2005 tax reforms that were fully implemented before Kasich took office and the fact that personal income has fallen relative to other States...
Minnesota leaders report progress toward ending shutdown  Reuters   ...but did not say when a special legislative session might be held to end a 17-day government shutdown...
Iowans Protest Outside Terrace Hill  KCCI8   ...Protesters: 'We Want To Stop Gov. Branstad's Corporate Agenda'...
Scott's small-business agency less effective than one he axed, critics say  Orlando Sentinel   ...despite his campaign pledge to rein in government overreach, Scott has also quietly killed an office lawmakers created in 2008 to ... watch out for Florida's 1.9 million small businesses when new regulations could hit them in the wallet...
Local legislators rail against Christie budget vetoes  NJ.com   ...Democrats in the Legislature haven’t cooled much in the two weeks since Gov. Chris Christie exercised his line-item veto power to slash nearly $1 billion from the state budget...

VanderLeest denies smoking crack...

...but you'll have to decide for yourself whether the deadbeat Republican accused of wife beating and child abuse is telling the truth.

VanderLeest led the recall drive against our Teamster brother, Wisconsin state Sen. Dave Hansen. On Tuesday, Aug. 9, voters will decide whether they want a champion of the middle class or a candidate who appears to be a crackpot (we couldn't resist).

Talking Points Memo reports that VanderLeest and Hansen were interviewed this morning on Wisconsin Public Radio.

"I read a social services report yesterday that says I smoke crack," said VanderLeest, during an interview on Joy Cardin of Wisconsin Public Radio. "None of it's true. I don't smoke rocks, and that's the truth."

The twitter traffic on this is hilarious. Some favorite tweets:
@dan_ps:

Hey Tweeps, any of you know needlepoint? I'll pay good money for an "I don't smoke rocks, and that's the truth" sampler.

@ddayen:

Best campaign slogan ever: "I don't smoke rocks, and that's the truth."

@Coginwi:

Vanderleest - Crack, Pot? Damn the Interviews

@lawofdan:

Nothing says "stays away from crack cocaine" like talking about "smoking rocks"

Lies and more lies about VA robocalls to WI

This is rich. The woman who heads Wisconsin Right to Life told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the robocalls we've been hearing about were aimed at informing "friends and supporters" of the organization. They were supposed to encourage people to vote in the upcoming recalls (not today's primary). She denies they were calls to suppress the vote.

We think she's lying. We also think the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is too dumb (or biased) to catch her in the lie.

Here is the script of the call, as provided by Wisconsin Right to Life:

"Hello, this is Barbara Lyons from Wisconsin Right to Life. I'm calling today to let you know that you will be receiving an absentee ballot application for the upcoming recall elections in the mail in the next few days. These recall elections are very important and voting absentee will ensure that your vote is counted and that we can maintain a pro-family, pro-life state senate. We hope that we can count on you to complete that application and send it back to us within 7 days.

Since when does anyone other than a town clerk SEND an absentee ballot application in the mail? And since when does anyone RETURN an absentee ballot application to Wisconsin Right to Life? The applications have to go to the town clerk!

The Journal Sentinel reports,

In a telephone interview, Lyons said the calls, "as best as we know," were targeted to friends and supporters of the organization. She said tens of thousands of calls were made.

So that means tens of thousands of absentee ballot applications will be sent in the mail, right? Somehow we don't think so. Oh, and the people who are reporting the calls are Democrats.

The Journal Sentinel also reports,

Some voters noticed that the calls came from an area code traced to Virginia. Lyons said that was true, but that was because the vendor they hired to make the calls is based there.

Um, the "vendor" is the National Right to Life Committee.

Look, this is a transparent attempt to suppress the vote through election fraud. Ironic, isn't it, since Wisconsin's new voter ID law, passed by Republicans, is ostensibly an attempt to prevent election fraud?

One more thing: Here's what they do in Maryland when people pull this crap: They indict them. Last month, a grand jury returned felony indictments against two aides to a Republican candidate for governor.

Common Blog tells us:

On Election Day 2010, with the polls still open, computers placed calls to 112,000 voters in predominately African-American precincts in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County with an unusual message: “Relax” and stay home. The recorded message did not identify the calls’ sponsor; essentially, it told voters that Gov. Martin O’Malley had won and they did not need to vote.

A Baltimore grand jury recently returned criminal indictments against two aides to former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., charging them with arranging the robocalls in a scheme to suppress voter turnout in heavily Democratic areas. One of the defendants, Julius Henson, also is among the targets of a multimillion-dollar civil suit filed by Maryland and U.S. officials.

Of course, an indictment is not a conviction, and defendants Paul Schurick and Mr. Henson will have their day in court. But just by bringing the charges, prosecutors and the grand jurors have sent a welcome and critical message to the state’s political establishment: Voter suppression is not a clever political tactic; it’s a crime — and the state will treat it as one.

That's "felony," Ms. Lyons.

Today's Teamster News 06.30.11

WI Recall: New Daily Kos polling shows path to victory  Daily Kos   ...In August, months and months of effort will culminate in a set of unprecedented recall elections in the state of Wisconsin, focused on a single aim: taking back the state Senate from Republicans and dealing a major blow to Gov. Scott Walker's war against the middle class, students, and above all, unions...
Record 1.3M back vote to torpedo Senate Bill 5  Toledo Blade   ...6,000 (people) paraded through downtown Columbus to file boxes containing 51,000 petitions...
Benton Harbor Emergency Manager restricts park access  Michigan Messenger   ...Locals are no longer allowed to take early morning walks in the park under an order issued by Benton Harbor’s Emergency Manager Joe Harris...
Rick Scott Admits He Was in Colorado for Koch Brothers Retreat  Broward-Palm Beach New Times   ...We finally have an answer as to where Gov. Rick Scott was this weekend, and it confirms our suspicion: at the billionaire Koch brothers' secret conference outside Vail, Colorado...
Minnesota government shutdown hours away  Politico   ...Minnesota is on the verge of a government meltdown if it does not pass a budget by the end of the day Thursday - potentially shuttering highway rest stops, suspending low-income child care, and even closing the state zoo...
LePage vows to renew union dues fight next year  Kennebec Journal   ...A day before the expiration of state workers' union contracts, Gov. Paul LePage told lawmakers Wednesday that he will push again next year for legislation to stop requiring nonunion state workers to pay a portion of union dues...

Woo-hoo! Hansen challenger kicked off ballot in WI

Great news! A challenger to our Teamster brother, Wisconsin state Sen. Dave Hansen, has been disqualified from the recall election.

WisPolitics.com has the story:

The Government Accountability Board today ruled GOP state Rep. John Nygren didn't have enough valid signatures on his nomination papers to qualify for the ballot in the 30th SD recall election.

The board found Nygren, R-Marinette, had 398 valid signatures, two short of what he needed. Earlier in the afternoon, the board rejected a challenge to Republican David Vanderleest's nomination papers, leaving him the only Republican on the ballot to challenge Dem Sen. Dave Hansen.

Greg Sargent at the Washington Post explains why this is a big break for the Democrats:

...what happened here is that one of the Dem state senators that Dems and labor thought was genuinely vulnerable to a recall challenge — Dave Hansen — will now no longer face his toughest challenger...

We Are Wisconsin's spokesman Kelly Steele had something to say about that:

The recall efforts in Senate District 30 have seen unprecedented allegations of fraud and corruption, and it’s unfortunate that the man who oversaw and defended of much of that fraud – David VanderLeest – remains on the ballot.

Nevertheless, voters will now face a stark choice between Dave Hansen’s consistent record of standing up for middle class working families against Scott Walker’s radical agenda, and candidate David VanderLeest – whose rap sheet reads like a directory of the Wisconsin state criminal code.

Whoa! WI GOP sen likes porn, strip clubs, swinger sites

So much so that he invests in them! Heavily!

Cowardly Rob Cowles, another of the "family values" Republican senators with a dirty secret (can you say "randy Randy Hopper"?) is up for recall. Like the other six Wisconsin Republicans being recalled, he voted for Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker's anti-worker agenda. Cowles recently supported a budget amendment that would make it nearly impossible to find out about a Wisconsin lawmaker's financial interests.

The amendment is so brazen that Scott Walker said he might veto it (proof's in the pudding, though...).

We Are Wisconsin released a press statement reminding us all of a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story three years ago that reported

...Cowles had more than $50,000 invested in two companies — Rick’s Cabaret International and VCG Holding — that operate numerous upscale strip clubs throughout the United States. Under state law, Wisconsin officials have to disclose only whether their investments are above or below $50,000.

Along with owning 15 strip clubs, Rick’s Cabaret also runs an extensive number of erotic Web sites, holds an annual Gentleman’s Club Owners Expo and publishes several magazines, including TEEZE and Exotic Dancer.

The firm’s Web sites include names such as “coupletouch,” a site for swingers to meet one another; “naughtybids,” an online auction site for all things porn, such as one-on-one stripping shows and props used by porn stars in their films; and “xxxpassword,” which gives subscribers entry to unlimited porn sites for $39.95 a month.

Kelly Steele, We Are Wisconsin spokesperson, can be excused for a little self-righteousness. She said

The voters in Rob Cowles’ district can decide whether or not they approve of a politician who talks about ‘family values’ while investing heavily in strip clubs, XXX movie peddlers, and online hardcore pornography – but Cowles’ attempt to hide that data from the public is truly disgraceful.

Now if you live in Wisconsin, and especially if you live in Cowles' district (Green Bay and environs), remember this name: Nancy Nusbaum. She's the real Democrat challenging Cowles. A fake Democrat is running, too, Otto Junkerman, an 82-year-old Republican who's trying to cause trouble for the Democrats at taxpayers' expense. Do what you can to help out Nancy! We're pretty sure she doesn't have $100,000 invested in pornographic enterprises.

Today's Teamster News 06.18.11

How Miserable? Index Says the Worst in 28 Years CNBC ...When it comes to measuring the combination of unemployment and inflation, it doesn’t get much more miserable than this...
Local funeral directors could be headed toward strike  Chicago Sun-Times   ...Teamsters Local 727 said the proposal by Service Corp. International-owned Alderwoods called for a three-year wage freeze and a company health care package that is more expensive and less comprehensive than the union’s health and welfare benefits...
Congressman enters BMW-Teamsters dispute  Inland Daily Bulletin   ...Democratic Congressman Joe Baca stepped into the labor dispute this week between the Teamsters and BMW Group by sending a letter to the automaker urging the company to keep union workers at a parts distribution center...
Privatization At The Heart Of Divisive Battles In Wisconsin   Huffington Post  ...Walker tends to take "a real economic challenge and exaggerating it into the crisis of the century, in order to justify his outlandish proposals to privatize."...
Aide's whistle-blower lawsuit alleges Mayor Dave Bing aimed to eliminate Detroit city council, school board  Detroit Free Press   ...According to the suit, (Bing spokeswoman) Dumas undercut the plan – which allegedly would have meant a huge financial infusion for the schools — saying it would hurt the mayor politically and make him look power-hungry...
With an ACLU lawsuit pending, Rick Scott halts drug testing  The Florida Times-Union   ...The lawsuit says that the order infringes upon state employees "because it violates their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable governmental searches."..

Today's Teamster News 06.15.11

Supreme Court reinstates collective bargaining law  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ... Acting with unusual speed, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of Gov. Scott Walker's controversial plan to end most collective bargaining for tens of thousands of public workers...
Budget plan spares rich of the worst  Columbus Dispatch   ... in a spending plan that whacks schools, local governments, higher education, nursing homes, day care for children of low-income parents, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, children's hospitals and work-support programs for the poor, one group was notably exempted from the pain. Ohio's biggest earners...
Firefighting cops to begin Benton Harbor patrols in July  Michigan Messenger   ...Benton Harbor Emergency Manager Joe Harris is downsizing and combining the city’s police and firefighting functions in a move he says will save the city $1 million...
Senate rejects bill requiring photo ID to vote  Bangor Daily News   ...Maine senators on Monday, in a reversal of a House vote last week, rejected a bill that sought to require voters to show photo identification on Election Day...
At least we know what they stand for (LTE)  Nashua Telegraph   ...it appears they have little regard for working-class families, an educated population, protecting our environment or creating meaningful jobs for the people of New Hampshire...
Christie on Copter-Gate: 'I Would Not Make a Different Decision’  Livingston Patch   ... "that was the way I could get to my son’s game that day. I make no apologies for it.”...

Today's Teamster News 06.13.11

Sluggish Hiring Seen as a Threat to Recovery  Wall Street Journal    ...The potential for a persistent slowdown in hiring is the biggest threat to the U.S. recovery, according to economists in the latest Wall Street Journal economic forecasting survey, as they sharply cut the number of jobs they projected the economy would create in coming months...
The Economy and DC  (Opinion)  New York Times   ...The economy needs help, like direct federal job creation and options for homeowners to reduce the principal on troubled loans...
Consumers' electric bills likely to spike as coal plants close  Chicago Tribune    ...As stricter environmental regulations approach, some power generators are choosing to shutter their coal-fired plants...
Wis. Dems Won’t Run Fake GOP Candidates — Will Run Extra Dems Instead  Talking Points Memo   ...The Dems are now going to plant their own extra Democratic candidates -- now dubbed "placeholder" candidates by the Dems -- in order to delay all the targeted recalls to August...
Rally continues push against SB5  WDTN   ...Dozens gathered at the John Bryan Center in Greene County Sunday to show their support for its repeal as a part of the Yellow Springs group from Stand Up for Ohio...
Scott's jobs claims cue eye-rolling  Orlando Sentinel   ... A $1 million incentive deal to entice Montreal-based Garda World Security Services to bring its U.S. headquarters to Boca Raton and create 100 jobs there over the next two years was first reported back in January and voted on by officials in Palm Beach County in February...

Today's Teamster News 06.10.11

Top Republican National Committee official involved in Wisconsin GOP shenanigans  Washington Post   ...A current top RNC official may have played a key role in developing the plan when he was with the state GOP. And he’s refusing to answer questions from reporters about it...
Group asks Sen. Stewart to oppose budget cuts  The Athens News  ...Working America, a group of citizens with non-union jobs, gathered in front of Ohio University's Haning Hall Wednesday afternoon to call on state Sen. Jimmy Stewart to do right by the working people in his district in his last act as state Senator and oppose budget cuts proposed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich....
Gov. Snyder, 15 GOP legislators target of recall efforts  Detroit News:  ...At least 15 GOP legislators — in addition to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder — have been targeted for recall from voters upset about the emergency manager law, school cuts, the tax on pensions and other issues...
Senate GOP, Dems clash over same-day voter registration  Bangor Daily  News   ....“This is an attempt, I believe, to reduce voter participation, not to help it,” said Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, D-Orono...
Public employees pay more under NH reforms  Associated Press   ...Public employees will pay more toward their pensions and some will work longer before retiring to spare New Hampshire taxpayers under legislation headed to Gov. John Lynch for signature...
Governor, Senate leader reach union benefits deal   Associated Press   ...New Jersey’s Republican governor and Democratic state Senate president reached a deal Wednesday on legislation that would make public employees pay more for pension and health benefits, but Assembly Democrats refused to go along, leaving the bill’s prospects in doubt...
Rally supports union workers at chemical plant near Henry  Peoria Journal Star   ...The declaration that there would be further talks July 5 involving the company, Teamsters Union Local 627 and a federal mediator came near the end of a rally at which idled workers, union officials from several states and supporters repeatedly had complained that Emerald had been unwilling to negotiate since locking 42 local members out March 21....

VIDEO: Scotty, We're Coming For You

In 209 days.

And just so you know, the Dems are already planning for it.

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....

Today's Teamster News 06.01.11

Number of missing from Joplin tornado shrinks to 10  Kansas City Star   ...Crews searched the tornado-torn area inside Joplin, Mo., for a sixth time Tuesday as state and local officials worked to locate or account for those still missing...
Wisconsin Dems 6. Wisconsin Republicans 0. (opinion)  Washington Post   ...surely it’s also a big deal that we now know for certain that six Wisconsin Republican state senators will officially face recall elections, while a grand total of zero Democrats may face the same?...
Senate budget plan strips new union law wording  Zanesville Times Recorder   ...Ohio senators want to strip wording from the state budget that would more closely tie public school teachers' pay to their performance in the classroom, language similar to certain provisions of the state's contentious new collective bargaining law...
Maine GOP's Revival of 'Right to Work' Bill Inflames Partisan Tensions  Maine Public Broadcasting Network   ...Tensions are so high some predict that the needed two-thirds support for the overall budget could be in jeopardy--raising the potential threat of a state shutdown...
Speaker manipulating right-to-work vote (opinion)  Nashua Telegraph   ...he embarked on a “tea party” agenda that has been relentlessly attacking middle-class working families by passing bills that cut funds for schools, the disabled, the elderly and our first responders like firefighters and police...
Fire Governor Rick Snyder Campaign Underway  Ann Arbor Examiner   ...Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s popularity is fading daily...

UPDATE WI: What happened

Day 24 - The People Take Their House Back from Dave Kreisman on Vimeo.


Here's  dramatic video that shows what happened the night Judge Sumi ruled Wisconsin's open meetings law was violated.

House Minority Leader Peter Barca explains that a conference committee meeting was announced at 4:10 pm. The meeting started at 6 pm. According to Sumi, the law requires two hours' notice.

The state Supreme Court will rule on the case on June 6. The Legislature will also vote again on the anti-worker law as part of the Wisconsin budget. Will all 19 senators vote for it, as six of them are facing a recall? There's plenty of Koch money to be had for toeing the corporate line....

Today's Teamster News 05.25.11

New York Election Results: Kathy Hochul Projected Winner  Associated Press   ...Democrats picked off a heavily Republican upstate New York congressional seat Tuesday night in a special election that became a referendum on Medicare...
Note to Boeing's Jim McNerney: All We Are Saying Is Give the Truth -- and Your Union -- a Chance  Huffington Post   ...he is defending Boeing's decision to retaliate against its union workforce in Everett, Washington, by moving thousands of jobs to a non-union location in South Carolina, with statements that are among the most misleading and disingenuous by a major American CEO ever...
New dollars would go to malpractice fund, delay union concessions  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   ...The state would use a huge influx of new tax money expected over the next two years to help pay a looming debt to a medical malpractice fund but drop some $30 million in concessions from state workers, under draft legislation circulated Tuesday by Republican lawmakers...
Walker’s wasteland budget threatens families  Madison.com   ...In the last four months, Gov. Scott Walker has launched an unprecedented attack on Wisconsin’s families, freedom, environment and future...
Speaker may be shy 5-10 votes   Nashua Telegraph   ...A bare-knuckles showdown between House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, and Gov. John Lynch over a right-to-work bill set for today could be put off, officials said...
Vermont Health Plan Advances  Wall Street Journal   ...Vermont is moving one step closer to a goal of its Democratic governor: a state-run health plan that would insure most of its 625,000 residents...
Unions want judge to void 2 new Arizona laws  East Valley Tribune   ...Calling the measures illegal, public and private unions want a federal judge to void two new laws they say interfere with the rights of their members...
Lawmakers scheduled to have final vote on Neb. bill to overhaul collective bargaining process  Daily Journal   ...A bill that would alter Nebraska's collective bargaining process is set for a final legislative vote...