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Today’s Teamster News For February 3, 2017
TEAMSTERS
Teamsters, Health Techs, Nurses, Community Leaders Rally Outside R.I. Hospital and Lifespan Teamster.org …Nurses, health technicians, skilled trades and other hospital staff protested with community leaders outside Rhode Island Hospital today. Speakers at the rally called on Rhode Island hospital and its owner, the Lifespan Corporation, to put an end to policies that punish workers for getting sick and that put patients’ health at risk. Allied health, skilled trades and all non-nursing workers at Rhode Island Hospital are represented by Teamsters Local 251 in East Providence…
Union Urges White House to Reconsider ‘Fair and Safe Workplaces’ Position Teamster.org …Teamsters urge the administration to reconsider its position on legislation that would nullify the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. The White House’s issuance of a statement of administration policy on the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order overlooks an important aspect of any well-functioning government – accountability for taxpayer dollars…
Delegation Votes 10-5 for Contract with Teamsters Union Laconia Daily Sun …The Belknap County Delegation voted 10-5 Tuesday night to approve a a collective bargaining agreement which was recently negotiated between Belknap County Commissioners and Teamsters Local 633. Roger Grey, citizen representative on the county bargaining team, explained that the two-year agreement with the union, which represents 23 mid-level county employees in several departments, provides cost-of-living and step increases…
Local 710 Freight Clerical Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract Local 710 …Local 710 YRC/Holland Clerical Teamsters overwhelmingly ratified a new four-year agreement just before Christmas. The vote was nearly unanimous — the committee dug in its heels through a lengthy negotiations process and finally secured an agreement the members were proud of. Teamsters will receive a $750 bounce for the first year of the contract, followed by wage increases of 40 cents per hour in each of the remaining three years…
An Injury to One is an Injury to All (statement) Local 2010 …Teamsters Local 2010 stands with immigrant workers and condemns the illegal and discriminatory actions to bar refugees from the country, build a wall on our border, and to deport innocent children. Labor may not stand silent in the face of these actions. Like the working class we represent, Unions are comprised of people of all races, nationalities and faiths; immigrants and those born here, many of whom are themselves the children and descendants of immigrants…
New School Staff Unionize Over Forced Overtime And Limited Benefits NSFP …More than 100 newly unionized university employees will begin contract negotiations with The New School in mid-February. They hope to secure better compensation and benefits, more fair hours, and the ability to negotiate when changes are made to their jobs, organizers said. The 123 employees, who include Student Success advisors, financial aid advisors, Making Center staff and Information Technology support staff, voted to unionize on Nov. 30 and are now represented by Local 1205, a New York unit of the large labor union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters…
Truck Platooning Back on the Agenda for Missouri Lawmakers Ozarks First …Missouri lawmakers are considering a proposal to allow semi-trucks to platoon at closer distances between each other. Jerry Wood with the Teamsters union in Kansas City said the proposal, as written, lacks critical detail and raises serious safety issues. “So the guy in front of me falls asleep, makes a stupid mistake of any kind, I don’t have time to react to save myself, my truck or any vehicles around me,” said Wood…
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
Kazakhstan: Crackdown on Union Deepens Solidarity Center …The arrest and detention of two union leaders in Kazakhstan marks an escalation in government attempts to silence unions it does not control. KNPRK Deputy President Nurbek Kushakbaev and local union Chairman Amin Yeleusinov were arrested January 20 after oil workers, including the two leaders, began a hunger strike to protest the Kazakh government’s legal action to liquidate the confederation, while leaving intact a government-aligned federation…
Canada: Cambridge’s outside workers strike as negotiations break down CBC …Cambridge’s outside workers have hit the picket lines saying they want fair and equitable wages from the city. City staff announced talks broke down Monday night and the workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 32, had rejected the city’s latest offer. The strike means all arenas, pools and outdoor rinks are closed…
Mexico Takes First Step Before Talks With U.S. on Nafta New York Times …The Mexican government said on Wednesday that it was beginning a 90-day consultation with the country’s Senate and private sector before talks with the United States to review the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Trump has said he wants to renegotiate Nafta to obtain a better deal for the United States, calling the accord the “single worst trade deal ever approved in this country”…
Trump Says He Wants to ‘Kick-Start’ Nafta Negotiations Wall Street Journal …President Donald Trump met with key lawmakers Thursday in an effort to win crucial support from a divided Congress on plans to overhaul North America’s economic ties and reshape U.S. trade policy. Mr. Trump said he wanted to move quickly on retooling the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta…
Nine Dem senators say hiring freeze hurting trade enforcement The Hill …Nine Democratic senators urged the White House on Thursday to end a federal hiring freeze for employees working on U.S. trade enforcement efforts. The Senate Finance Committee members sent a letter to President Trump calling on him to reverse course for federal government employees responsible for improving the nation’s trade enforcement…
Mexico seeking bilateral free trade deal with NZ in wake of TPP collapse NC Herald …Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto wants to forge a bilateral free trade agreement with New Zealand and other TPP countries. Peña Nieto’s confirmation comes in the wake of the US President Donald Trump’s decision to collapse the Trans Pacific Partnership deal. It is a signal that the TPP nations are not going to stand by and let Trump waste eight years of hard negotiations between the TPP parties to get commonality on major issues affecting Asia-Pacific trade…
General Motors plans two-week furlough at Brazil plant: union Reuters …General Motors Co. is planning a two-week furlough for about 2,200 workers at a Brazilian plant, union leaders said on Wednesday, adding to signs that a four-year crisis in the country’s auto industry is stretching into 2017. The metalworkers union in Sao Jose dos Campos, about 60 miles (100 km) outside of Sao Paulo, said the automaker had not given reasons for the furlough at the plant, which employs about 5,000 workers and produces the Trail Blazer and S10…
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
Missouri legislature sends right-to-work bill to Gov. Eric Greitens Kansas City Star …Missouri is one step away from being the nation’s 28th right to work state. In a historic vote Thursday, the Missouri House approved legislation allowing employees in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying unions for the cost of being represented. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, who has promised to sign it…
New Hampshire fight over right-to-work legislation to be waged in House WMUR …Members of the state House are set to vote in two weeks whether to make New Hampshire the only right-to-work state in New England. The measure has passed the Senate and has the governor’s support, but it’s far from a done deal. “A lot of people don’t feel that it’s necessary,” said Rep. Martin Bove, R-Londonderry…
Voter ID bill easily passes North Dakota House Bismarck Tribune …New voter identification requirements passed the North Dakota House Thursday. For voters who don’t have a proper ID, the bill does away with the affidavit option that was available during November’s election in favor of a ballot that is set aside and excluded from the count until the voter’s eligibility is confirmed, said Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot. He called it a “voter integrity bill”…
Idaho lawmaker wants to raise state’s minimum wage to $12 by 2019 KBOI …An Idaho lawmaker wants to raise Idaho’s minimum wage by several dollars over the next few years. Idaho Rep. Mathew Erpelding (D-Boise) introduced a new bill that would raise Idaho’s current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour to $8.75 on July 1 this year. Wages would then increase another $1.75 an hour by 2018, and then to $12 an hour by July of 2019…
State of Florida joins lawsuit against Miami Beach’s minimum wage law Tampa Bay Times …As Miami Beach defends a mandatory citywide minimum wage ordinance from a legal challenge by business groups, Attorney General Pam Bondi has joined the opposing side to uphold a state law that preempts cities from setting their own minimum wages. In a statement Thursday, Mayor Philip Levine took aim at Gov. Rick Scott by saying the state “has joined the special interests-backed lawsuit against the residents of Miami Beach who feel the pressure of wage stagnation”…
Minimum-Wage Increases May Deliver the Best Wage Growth In Eight Years Wall Street Journal …A wave of minimum-wage increases to start the year could mean Friday’s jobs will show hourly earnings growth reached a new postrecession peak in January. Millions of workers earning at or near the minimum wage received a mandated raise in 19 states in their first January paychecks–ranging from a $1.95 an hour increase in Arizona…
U.S LABOR
AT&T Sacramento DirecTV workers strike over technician firing Fierce Telecom …AT&T DirecTV technicians in Sacramento, California, have gone on strike, protesting what they claim is unlawful termination of a coworker. The group of more than 120 technicians—represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA)—said they will not return to work until their coworker is rehired…
SAG-AFTRA Draws More Than 500 to Video Game Strike Rally Variety …SAG-AFTRA drew more than 500 supporters Thursday to a spirited rally as its video game strike moves into its fourth month. “We are not going to stop until we have a fair contract for our members,” said David White, SAG-AFTRA national executive director. “This is not just about money. It’s about fair working conditions and secondary compensation”…
New York City Reaches Contract Deal With Police Union Wall Street Journal …New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has reached a labor agreement with the police union, ending years of tense negotiations that highlighted a bitter divide between a liberal mayor and the country’s largest police force. The five-year agreement with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association will cost taxpayers $1.9 billion, and cover the years from 2012 through 2017…
Uber Deal Offers Drivers $1 Each to Wipe Away Labor Threats Valued in Billions Bloomberg …Uber Technologies Inc. reached a settlement offering its drivers an average of about a buck apiece to dispense with alleged labor-code violations that their lawyer claimed might have been worth billions of dollars. The ride-hailing company, along with the drivers’ lawyer, asked a state judge in Los Angeles Wednesday to approve a $7.75 million agreement to resolve claims stemming from its refusal to give California drivers the protections and benefits of employees…
Union Speaks Out Against Walgreens-Rite Aid Deal Wall Street Journal …A union representing 6,000 Rite Aid Corp. workers is opposing the drugstore chain’s proposed tie-up with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., arguing the companies’ efforts to address antitrust concerns don’t go far enough. According to 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which says it represents over 400,000 U.S. hospital, pharmacy and other health-care workers, Walgreens and Rite Aid plan to sell at least 865 stores…
The Trump administration is considering a broad crackdown on legal foreign workers Vox …For the past 20 years, American politicians have mostly debated illegal immigration to the United States. But inside the Donald Trump administration, there appear to be discussions that go much further. A draft memo is raising the idea of a broad crackdown on the legal employment of foreign-born workers…
U.S. Factory Activity Accelerated to Fastest Pace in More Than Two Years Wall Street Journal …U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated in January, the fifth consecutive monthly pickup. The industry was aided by stabilization of the dollar and oil prices after a long stretch of volatility, along with some improvement in demand at home and abroad. The election of a business-friendly new president may also be helping.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker advising White House on how to drastically weaken collective bargaining for federal union members Daily News …Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that he spoke with Vice President Pence about how the White House can implement on a federal level parts of the Republican governor’s contentious policy that all-but eliminated collective bargaining for public sector unions in the state. President Trump has talked about wanting to weaken collective bargaining protections for federal employees…
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
Republican bill to privatize public lands is yanked after outcry Think Progress …Last weekend, more than 1,000 sportsmen, outdoor business owners, and public lands supporters joined Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT) in Helena, Montana. Wednesday afternoon, a rally in New Mexico drew hundreds more people, all protesting congressional attempts to sell off or privatize public lands. The outcry was prompted in part by Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s (R-UT) introduction of a bill to sell off 3.3 million acres of public lands…
Senate Republicans Bypass Another Boycott By Democrats To Advance EPA Nominee NPR …For the second time in as many days, a Senate committee’s GOP leadership has bypassed a boycott by Democrats to advance President Trump’s Cabinet nominees. The Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee boycotted the second meeting in a row to confirm Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA…
House Republicans Vote to End Rule Stopping Coal Mining Debris From Being Dumped in Streams TIME …Moving to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s legacy on the environment and other issues, House Republicans approved a measure Wednesday that scuttles a regulation aimed at preventing coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams. Lawmakers also voted to rescind a separate rule requiring companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments relating to mining and drilling…
How Trump’s Rush to Enact an Immigration Ban Unleashed Global Chaos New York Times …The global confusion that has since erupted is the story of a White House that rushed to enact, with little regard for basic governing, a core campaign promise that Mr. Trump made to his most fervent supporters. In his first week in office, Mr. Trump signed other executive actions with little or no legal review…
Anti-Fascists Will Fight Trump’s Fascism in the Streets (opinion) The Nation …To call Trumpism fascist is to suggest that it demands from us a unique response. We can deploy the “fascism” moniker to Trump’s ascendance by recognizing features like selective populism, nationalism, racism, traditionalism, the deployment of Newspeak and disregard for reasoned debate. The reason we should use the term is because, taken together, these aspects of Trumpism are not well combated or contained by standard liberal appeals to reason…
Trump Seeks to Take Wrecking Ball to Division Between Church and State Common Dreams …President Donald Trump appears intent on demolishing the wall between church and state, telling an audience on Thursday that he will “totally destroy” an amendment that bars religious tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political activity—while his administration reportedly circulates a far-reaching draft executive order on “religious freedom” that effectively legalizes discrimination…