Sunday, February 8, 2015

Today's Teamster News 02.08.14

Teamsters
Teamsters Membership Authorize Strike Action At CP  Teamsters Canada   …Today the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) members employed as Locomotive Engineers, Conductors, Trainmen and Yardmen throughout Canada has provided their National Bargaining Committee with a resounding demonstration of support…
Trade
Enormous, Humongous Trade Deficits Widen, Further Exposing Failed Policy  Huffington Post   …In December the trade deficit in goods and services made its largest percentage jump in more than five years and the 2014 yearly total is its highest since 2012 - which begs the question: Why is the Obama administration doubling down on the failed trade policies of its predecessors?...
Five Reasons Congress Should Oppose the TPP  truthout   …Nearly 60,000 job losses can be attributed to the 2012 US-Korea FTA, EPI reports. Secretary of State John Kerry and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack insist that the TPP would support 650,000 jobs in the United States, but the Washington Post's Fact Checker awarded their "illusionary" job claims four Pinocchios for "fishy math."...
STUDY: TV News Shows Largely Ignore Historic Trade Negotiations  Media Matters for America   …Weeknight television news programs have given little attention to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a sweeping trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and 10 nations from the Asia-Pacific region. Although the nations involved in the negotiations create a huge amount of economic activity, only PBS and MSNBC have devoted any significant coverage to the TPP since August 2013...
State Battles
Right-to-work law stands as judge dismisses suit over Michigan Capitol lockdown  Michigan Live   …A Michigan Court of Claims judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the state's right-to-work law over alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act during the legislative process...
Lt. Governor ready to be tiebreaker in right-to-work vote (Video)  Albuquerque Business Journal   …Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez…said that as president of the New Mexico Senate and the tiebreaker, he'll vote for right-to-work legislation and support raising New Mexico's minimum wage to that of neighboring states…
The dangers of Illinois as a 'right to work' state  Chicago Sun-Times   …workers would suffer a substantial income loss from 5.7 percent to 7.3 percent. More damaging to middle class standards, workers would experience the equivalent of a decade-long wage freeze. Additionally, fewer workers would have health insurance and retirement savings…
War on Workers
Adjunct professors get poverty-level wages. Should their pay quintuple?  Washington Post   …Since getting into the game a few years ago, the Service Employees International Union has won elections covering about 24,000 contingent faculty across 25 campuses...
Union says U.S. refinery strike widened; cites unfair labor practices  Reuters   … The United Steelworkers union said on Saturday the strike by U.S. refinery workers is expanding to two more plants early on Sunday due to unfair labor practices by oil companies…
The job market is unquestionably improving, and at a nice clip. But wage growth is not heating up.  The Washington Post   …Wages/compensation are growing at about 2 percent, a rate that’s far from inflationary...