Friday, February 6, 2015

Today's Teamster News 02.06.15

Teamsters
Buoyed By Election Win, Teamsters Seek To Represent CCSD Support Workers  Las Vegas Review Journal   ...On Tuesday night, a runoff election that’s been pending for nearly a decade was held between the Education Support Employees Association and Teamsters Local 14 for the right to represent the Clark County School District’s support staff at the bargaining table. The Teamsters garnered 71 percent of the 5,190 votes cast in the runoff election, which has been delayed for years over legal wrangling...
More Tech Companies’ Shuttle Drivers To Vote on Joining Teamsters  Wall Street Journal   …In the latest sign of organized labor’s efforts to make inroads in Silicon Valley, the drivers of shuttle buses for employees at five big tech companies will vote late this month on representation by the Teamsters Union, the union said Thursday...
Trade
Latest TISA leak signals new threat to health services  NSW Nurses & Midwives' Association   …Fresh concerns have been raised by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) over threats to the provision of health services in Australia as part of a trade deal being negotiated in secret by the Federal Government...
Strong dollar pushes US trade deficit higher  AFP   …The US trade deficit expanded sharply in 2014 as the stronger dollar encouraged record imports from China and the European Union, Commerce Department data released Thursday showed...
Breaking: Dismal new trade data shows more job loss from trade deals  TeamsterNation   ...The Census Bureau today released the bad news that the U.S. trade deficit rose 6 percent to a near-record high. "Trade deficit" is another phrase for "lost jobs."...
State Battles
Governor Of Illinois Takes Aim At Labor  New York Times   ...Joining the ranks of Republican governors taking aim at the power of labor unions, the new chief executive of Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner, said on Wednesday that the state should ban some political contributions by public employee unions and allow local “right to work” laws...
NLRB: Employer Letters Regarding Dues Payment Options Violated NLRA  National Law Review   ...Since Indiana became a Right-to-Work state, one of the most common employer questions has been – what can I tell my employees about when they can withdraw their dues authorization forms? The NLRB last week, in a non-RTW context, did give us some guidance – even though it’s probably guidance that most employers wouldn’t necessarily welcome...
Missouri House Panel Endorses 'Right To Work' Bills  KSDK   ...The House Workforce Standards and Development Committee on Wednesday approved three right-to-work bills, marking an early start on a measure that failed to pass the full chamber last year...
Lt. Governor Ready To Be Tiebreaker In Right-To-Work, Minimum Wage Votes  Albuquerque Business First   ...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. This year, for the first time in 60 years, the New Mexico House of Representatives is under Republican control, which gives measures such as right-to-work a greater chance of passing...
Wisconsin Reporter poll: Majority Of GOP Lawmakers Mum On Right-To-Work Vote  Wisconsin Reporter   ...In the Assembly, Republican lawmakers sound a little more squishy about right-to-work legislation. Several say they “support the concept” of allowing employees to decide whether they want to join a union and pay union dues, but they wouldn’t commit to voting for a bill...
Union Reps Protest Prevailing Wage Repeal Legislation  Charleston Gazette   ...Several labor and legislative leaders filled the main hall of the state Culture Center Wednesday afternoon, to discuss what they say are the negative impacts repealing West Virginia’s existing prevailing wage law would have on state workers...
Latest Bid For Minimum Wage Hike In Illinois Lets Chicago Go Higher  Chicago Sun Times   ...The latest bid to raise Illinois’ minimum wage could allow Chicago a higher wage than the rest of the state. However, the city would be prohibited from unilaterally raising its minimum wage beyond the $13 an hour by 2019 approved last year by the Chicago City Council...
Wyoming Lawmakers Again Reject Minimum-Wage Hike  Casper Star Journal   ...A second attempt to raise Wyoming’s minimum wage has failed. The Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee refused to advance Senate File 131 on Wednesday when none of the lawmakers on the panel seconded a motion by Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, to advance the bill...
War on Workers
Whether In Greece Or The U.S., It’s Clear: Austerity Doesn’t Work (opinion)  In These Times   ...Workers were the victims of austerity’s slashed public services, wages and jobs. Those demanding austerity—the 1 percent—and those imposing it—conservative politicians—escaped its bitter effects with shields of cash. Austerity was not for them. It was for those without big bankrolls. That would be bad enough if austerity worked. But, as Greece illustrates horribly, it does not...