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Today’s Teamster News For March 3, 2017
TEAMSTERS
At Philly shareholders meeting, Teamsters challenge drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen on opioid policies Philly.com …About 40 Teamsters rallied outside the Sofitel Hotel Philadelphia while pharmaceutical wholesaling giant AmerisourceBergen Corp. held a shareholders meeting inside. The company, based in Chesterbrook, is one of three that distribute most of the pharmaceuticals in the United States…
Teamsters demand probe of drug giant AmerisourceBergen’s opioid sales Gazette-Mail …The Teamsters union has called on the board of the nation’s second largest prescription drug distributor to investigate the company’s role in the opioid crisis that has ravaged West Virginia and other states. About 40 union members protested outside AmerisourceBergen Corp.’s annual shareholder meeting in downtown Philadelphia Thursday, while inside a hotel conference room Teamsters leaders asked the company’s board of directors about executive pay and pain pill shipments…
Sims, Teamsters come to surprise accord on union vote Politico …What might have been a protracted labor dispute could come to a swift resolution Friday, after the Teamsters and management at Sims Metal Management struck a deal to conduct a vote by workers on joining the union’s Local 210. Following a contentious City Council hearing Tuesday in which workers alleged unfair labor practices and intimidation, events moved quickly toward the deal, which was struck Thursday night…
Teamsters and Sims Reach Agreement on Path to Union Joint Council 16 …Teamsters Local 210 announced today that it had reached an agreement with Sims Municipal Recycling on an expedited path to union recognition at its Sunset Park facility. The signed agreement sets an election for Friday, March 3rd and commits Sims to remain neutral. The agreement will be enforced by an independent arbitrator…
Workplace Safety Undermined by Passage of Resolution to Disapprove Rule Teamster.org …The Teamsters Union denounced the passage of the House Joint Resolution 83 which disapproves a rule submitted by the Department of Labor that would help improve workplace safety. The rule became necessary when a 2012 court decision overturned policy that had been in place for 40 years by limiting enforcement of OSHA injury recordkeeping regulations to a six-month period…
Teamster Mechanics Protest Harmful Cuts and Discrimination at Cummins, Inc. Teamster.org …Cummins engine mechanics and service-workers came down from their shop in White Hall, W.Va. to the main street, to inform motorists and community members about what’s gone wrong with Cummins, Inc. Cummins diesel engines and generators are everywhere. Teamsters Local 175 members maintain them, providing critical backup for key infrastructure and transportation…
AVTA prepares for impacts of work slowdown Antelope Valley News …Antelope Valley Transit Authority on Tuesday announced a series of contingency measures that are being implemented to minimize the impacts of any work slowdown that may occur because of the current labor dispute involving its operators. AVTA’s contracted transit provider, Transdev, has been negotiating with Teamsters Local 848 to develop a new contract since their contract expired on Dec. 31…
Local 727 Stands in Support of Local 830 as Beverage Tax Takes its Toll on Philadelphia Teamsters Local 727 …The news out of Philadelphia, PA today is disheartening, to say the least, and foreshadows concerns Local 727 has about what could happen in Cook County when the beverage tax goes into effect July 1, 2017. As indicated in the press release, 80-100 PepsiCo employees were laid off as well as 25 employees from Canada Dry. Coca-Cola is also planning similar layoffs of its Philadelphia workers…
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
Germany: airport workers threaten strike during Berlin travel trade fair Reuters …Travel industry players heading to the world’s biggest tourism trade fair in Berlin next week could face flight disruptions after ground staff at the city’s two airports voted in favour of strikes in a pay dispute. Labour union Verdi said on Friday that 98.6 percent of balloted workers at Schoenefeld and Tegel airports were in favour of industrial action…
China says supports WTO after U.S. trade threat Reuters …China supports the work of the WTO, the country’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said it might defy WTO rulings it viewed as interfering with U.S. sovereignty. Maintaining a fair and open multilateral system with the WTO at its center benefits global economic growth, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said…
Vietnam’s TPP Backup Plan, A Free Trade Agreement With Europe, Is Facing New Obstacles Forbes …When U.S. President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement in January, in the name of helping Americans, Vietnam noticed big time. Its economy depends increasingly on manufactured exports and the United States usually ranks within the top three markets for made-in-Vietnam goods…
Trump’s Top Trade Negotiator Boosts Mexican Peso Fox …America’s top trade negotiator is giving Mexico’s battered currency a boost. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday that the peso should recover if the United States and Mexico reach a new trade agreement. “I believe that if we and the Mexicans make a very sensible trade agreement, the Mexican peso will recover quite a lot,” Ross told CNBC…
Mexico economy minister to talk NAFTA in Detroit Detroit News …Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy, is expected to talk to the economic club about his country’s perspective on the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and its future. He will deliver his address to the club at its luncheon, which will be held at the MotorCity Casino Hotel…
Mexico’s wages are so paltry that human-rights and legal groups are sounding the alarm Business Insider …US President Donald Trump’s antagonism toward Mexico is a relatively new challenge for the US’s southern neighbor. Despite Trump’s aggressive posture, Mexicans face a number of domestic issues affecting their way of life. The rising violence in the country is perhaps the most visible, but stagnant wages and declining purchasing power have also had significant impact…
Honduras: Berta Cáceres’ Murder Linked to U.S.-Trained Soldiers, Leaked Court Docs Show Common Dreams …Leaked court documents obtained by the Guardian and reported on Tuesday appear to corroborate a whistleblower’s claim that U.S.-trained special forces within the Honduran military were responsible for the death of prominent Indigenous land defender Berta Cáceres last year. The whistleblower, a former soldier, alleged that the Honduran army was murdering activists on a secret “kill list,” as Common Dreams reported…
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
New Mexico minimum wage increase clears Senate Albuquerque Journal …A bill that would increase New Mexico’s minimum wage for the first time since 2009 is headed to the House after cruising through the Senate on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The Senate voted 24-6 to pass the measure, which would – over the next year – increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $9 an hour…
Rhode Islanders Push Back On Immigration Legislation RI Public Radio …Rhode Islanders are pushing back on a bill that would essentially outlaw sanctuary cities in the Ocean State. Introduced by Johnston Rep. Arthur Corvese, Bill H-5093 would require local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials in investigating reports of undocumented immigrants. The bill has been slammed by advocates like Rhode Island Jobs with Justice and has prompted a swift response from the group…
Secret Scott Walker John Doe Leak Inquiry Underway PR Watch …Wisconsin Department of Justice investigators are reviewing documents from state court and government offices for information about the Guardian story on the now-closed Wisconsin John Doe investigation into whether or not Scott Walker’s campaign committee illegally coordinated his recall campaign efforts with outside groups. Outside groups raised and spent an estimated $20 million in Walker’s June 2012 recall election…
National magazine ranks Maine as best state for equality Bangor Daily News …The national magazine U.S. News & World Report, which regularly publishes national rankings, named Maine the most equal state in the nation. The magazine looked at opportunities states offer their citizens, including parity between the genders in the labor force, politics and education, racial equality in employment and educational opportunities, and employment rates for disabled residents…
California Immigration Bill Sets Up Clash With Trump Administration Wall Street Journal …A bill seeking to restrict cooperation between federal immigration authorities and police in California is shaping up as a major clash between this deep blue state and the Trump administration. Lawmakers here are fast-tracking California Senate Bill 54, which pro-immigrant activists call an aggressive move to thwart President Donald Trump’s deportation policies…
U.S. LABOR
Alaska Air, reversing course, will hire baggage handlers it outsourced Seattle Times …Alaska Airlines is taking its baggage-handling contract at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport away from Menzies Aviation and giving it to a new Alaska Air subsidiary, McGee Air Services. The initial wages at McGee will be unchanged, but the contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union will provide better benefits and incremental pay increases over the next six years…
AT&T’s Union Deal Reverses Outsourcing 3,000 Jobs Fortune …Amid several more contentious labor negotiations, AT&T and its biggest union announced they had settled terms early for a unit that covers 20,000 workers in the south. The Communications Workers of America and AT&T said they had struck a tentative four-year contract deal for workers in the company’s wired telephone, cable, and Internet business…
Rockford Public Schools employees announce strike RRStar …The people who drive Rockford children to school, supervise students in one-on-one learning environments and serve them lunch intend to strike later this month. Bus drivers, paraprofessionals and food service workers for Rockford Public Schools announced tonight that they filed their notice to strike with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. The AFSCME strike will start March 15 and will last for three days, unless agreements are reached before then…
Unions Representing Millions Of Teachers Are Standing Up For This Transgender Student BuzzFeed …Unions representing more than one million teachers told the Supreme Court on Thursday that it should a grant a transgender student in Virginia, and students like him across the country, access to school restrooms that match their gender. The country’s major education unions argue the court should rule to protect transgender rights not only for students, but also to ensure that teachers aren’t required to enforce harmful policies…
Federal workers grow increasingly nervous about Trump’s proposed budget cuts Washington Post …Federal workers are growing increasingly anxious at the prospect of massive budget cuts President Trump proposed this week that would pave the way for increased military spending. Employees who list endangered species, collect taxes and distribute aid to foreign countries are fearing for their livelihoods as they sift through rumors and wait to see whether their offices will be targeted for steep reductions…
Labor Department proposes 60-day delay of retirement savings rule Washington Post …Without a delay, the fiduciary rule would take full effect April 10. But under the proposal, which will be officially published Thursday, the rule would not take full effect until June 9. The move comes after President Trump signed a memo last month asking the department to reevaluate the rule, which requires brokers working with retirement savers to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own…
Uber said it would listen to drivers. Then its CEO got in the car. Boston Globe …Late last year, Uber Technologies said it had a goal for 2017: listen to its drivers to better understand their experience. Yet when Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick had a run-in with one of the company’s drivers last month, he appeared to do little to alleviate concerns. In a video posted online Tuesday, Kalanick was caught on camera arguing with the driver of an Uber black car about the company’s rates…
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
Jeff Sessions Recuses Himself From Russia Inquiry New York Times …Attorney General Jeff Sessions, facing a storm of criticism over newly disclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States, recused himself on Thursday from any investigation into charges that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. His announcement came after a day of rapid-fire developments in a murky affair that has shadowed President Trump, jeopardized his closest aides and intensified pressure for a full inquiry into Moscow’s attempts to influence the election…
Trump Wants You to Think All the Immigrants He’ll Deport Are Criminals. They’re Not. The Intercept …VOICE will give the Trump administration a stream of propaganda intended to reshape the image of undocumented immigrants in the minds of the American public, from one where these migrants are simply seeking a better future for their families to one where they are hardened criminals, ready to prey on innocent Americans…
Report: Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. contribute billions in local and state taxes Mercury News …Undocumented residents in the United States pay an estimated $11.74 billion annually in state and local taxes, an amount that would increase significantly if these immigrants were given a pathway to citizenship, according to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy…
Democrats vow that GOP will take more Trump votes The Hill …Congressional Democrats have been forcing Republicans to cast tough votes on President Trump — and they’re just getting started. In recent days, Democrats have triggered votes related to Trump’s tax returns, business relationships and ties to Russia in an effort to cast Republicans as complicit in the secrecy surrounding Trump’s finances. None of the votes succeeded, but Democrats remain undeterred as they seek to fire up their liberal base ahead of next year’s midterm elections…
Republicans Hide New Obamacare Draft Under Shroud of Secrecy Bloomberg …House Republican leaders have a new version of their major Obamacare repeal and replacement bill. They just don’t want you to see it. The document is being treated a bit like a top-secret surveillance intercept. It is expected to be available to members and staffers on the House Energy and Commerce panel starting Thursday, but only in a dedicated reading room…
White House Proposes Axing 1 In 5 EPA Staffers, Cutting Programs For Minorities Huffington Post …The White House wants to cut one-quarter of the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding and eliminate 1 in 5 EPA employees, three sources with knowledge of the proposed budget told The Huffington Post. The fiscal year 2018 budget proposes axing funding for a vast array of programs, including those aimed at low-income people, minorities and indigenous groups…
Trump’s team nixed ethics course for White House staff Politico …President Donald Trump’s team rejected a course for senior White House staff, Cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics and management, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. The documents suggest the program could have better prepared officials for working within existing laws and executive orders…