Next wave of Walmart, low-wage strikes is here

Another massive wave of low-wage worker strikes may be upon us as labor unrest is rising at the Port of Los Angeles and Walmart workers walked off the job in three cities over the past 10 days.<br /><br />Yesterday, 20 port drivers at Total Transportation Service Inc. in Rancho Dominguez took a petition to management demanding they be recognized as employees and entitled to medical benefits. TTSi driver Jose Rosales told La Opinion,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">In reality we are employees, but we have no benefits, not even my kids, or my wife.</blockquote>The publication also reported:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Drivers complain that the company charges them for insurance and parking charges, and leaves the costs of maintenance and fuel on his shoulders. “The truck is not mine, but I am paying maintenance," said (Dennis) Rosales.</blockquote>Earlier this week, drivers filed a lawsuit against Southern Counties Express Inc. alleging the drivers don't earn a fair wage, nor do they have time to eat and rest, all because they were misclassified as independent contractors. The lawsuit was filed before the Superior Court of Los Angeles County.<br /><br />Throughout the United States, workers trapped in low-wage jobs are revolting against a system that lavishly rewards a tiny sliver of the population and consigns more than half the U.S. population to near poverty. An <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/income-inequality-crisis_n_4221012.html?utm_hp_ref=business" rel="nofollow">analysis by Social Security released Tuesday </a>showed more than half of U.S. wage earners take home less than $30,000 a year. T<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">he </span><a href="http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtml" rel="nofollow">federal poverty line</a> for a family of five in 2012 was $27,010.<br /><br />Meanwhile <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/stink-tanks-exposed-as-fronts-for-kochs.html" rel="nofollow">billionaire-funded propaganda</a> paints low-wage workers as lazy handout seekers and <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/08/02/report-foxs-month-of-inaccurate-minimum-wage-co/195192" rel="nofollow">Fox News</a> drives home the message. The real handouts go to companies like Walmart and McDonald's. In the U.S., <a href="http://usilive.org/walmarts-ruthless-rush-to-the-bottom-has-to-be-stopped/" rel="nofollow">18 percent of all food stamp recipients</a> and the largest group of people enrolled in Medicaid work for Walmart. In fact, the average Walmart worker receives $1,000 in government assistance because pay is so low. McDonald's has a “<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-25/a-help-line-voice-saying-what-mcdonalds-wont-fast-food-workers-need-aid">McResource</a>” line that helps employees and their families enroll in various state and local assistance programs.<br /><br />Walmart employees since Black Friday have <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/teamsters-support-walmart-black-friday-strikes.html" rel="nofollow">ratcheted up community</a> pressure on the retailer by exposing the ways it <a href="http://www.ilsr.org/study-finds-walmart-increases-poverty/" rel="nofollow">devastates people's lives</a>, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-walmart-brought-southern-wages-north.html" rel="nofollow">their communities</a> and their <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-13/how-mcdonald-s-and-wal-mart-became-welfare-queens.html" rel="nofollow">government treasuries</a>. Workers in the Walmart supply chain -- in <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/walmart-warehouse-workers-get-raise.html" rel="nofollow">warehouses</a>, on the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-port-truck-drivers-strike-20130826,0,7653965.story" rel="nofollow">ports</a> and in <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/02/hey-wal-mart-lets-call-it-what-it-is.html" rel="nofollow">food processing plants</a> -- are walking off the job to protest the degradation and poverty that Walmart foists on them. Teamsters, SEIU, UFCW and other allies have been with them every step of the way. Last week, 54 people, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/teamsters-support-walmart-black-friday-strikes.html" rel="nofollow">including three Teamsters</a>, were arrested in peaceful acts of disobedience, to support striking Walmart workers in Los Angeles.<br /><br />And now the ports are restive again, just weeks after the first-ever one-day walkout by drivers at <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/LA-port-drivers-strike.html" rel="nofollow">Green Fleet Systems.</a> Discontent is only increasing at fast-food restaurants and for low-wage government contractors as employers have resisted calls for higher pay. And Walmart workers are ready to strike on Black Friday.<br /><br />This could be a long, cold, strike season. If you'd like to show your support for striking workers and a more equal America, click <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-support-walmart-strikers" rel="nofollow">here</a> and scroll to the bottom of the page to find a Black Friday Walmart protest near you.

inequality strikes walmart Next wave of Walmart, low-wage strikes is here

Another massive wave of low-wage worker strikes may be upon us as labor unrest is rising at the Port of Los Angeles and Walmart workers walked off the job in three cities over the past 10 days.Yesterday, 20 port drivers at Total Transportation Servic…

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The truth about poverty: Most Americans are poor at some time

Poverty is most of us.<br /><br />That's the conclusion of Mark R. Rank, a professor at Washington University who studies poor people in America. His research shows that 54 percent of Americans fall into poverty -- or close to it -- for at least a year. People are poor because they lose their jobs, their hours are cut, their family splits up or they have a major health problem. <br /><br />For most of us, the question is not <i>whether</i> we will experience poverty, but <i>when</i>, writes Rank in the<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/poverty-in-america-is-mainstream/?src=me&ref=general" rel="nofollow"> New York Times</a>.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The typical pattern is for an individual to experience poverty for a year or two, get above the poverty line for an extended period of time, and then perhaps encounter another spell at some later point. </blockquote>With so many people falling in and out of poverty, you might conclude America is not a rich country. That's true for the majority of us. <br /><br />Bruce Krastin looked at recent Social Security Administration data and found 47 percent of all workers earn poverty income, while the top one percent takes home 14 percent of all income in America. Krastin, writing in<a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-11-04/americas-income-who-has-it" rel="nofollow"> zero hedge</a>, concludes<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Something is clearly wrong when 47% of workers earn a poverty level income. Similarly, there is something wrong when 1% of workers earn 14% of all income...My conclusion is that America is not the ‘rich’ country that people think it is.</blockquote>Since there are currently<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/unemployed-job-opening_n_3568646.html" rel="nofollow"> three workers for every job opening</a>, you sure can't blame poor people for being lazy or not having enough education. In fact, Rank found a vast majority of the poor have worked extensively and will do so again.<br /><br />He also found:<br /><ul><li>The U.S. poverty rate is twice the European average because we do not provide universal health care, affordable child care, or reasonably priced low-income housing;</li><li>Two-thirds of those below the poverty line identified themselves as white;</li><li>Only about 10 percent of those in poverty live in extremely poor urban neighborhoods.</li></ul>So next time you hear people complaining about lazy freeloaders who need to get an education so they don't need handouts, throw a few of these facts at them. <br /><br />

inequality poverty The truth about poverty: Most Americans are poor at some time

Poverty is most of us.That's the conclusion of Mark R. Rank, a professor at Washington University who studies poor people in America. His research shows that 54 percent of Americans fall into poverty -- or close to it -- for at least a year. People a…

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Today's Teamster News 11.04.13

<a href="http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/15809/osha_weaknesses_force_workers_to_choose_report_safety_violations_or_keep_th/" rel="nofollow">OSHA Weaknesses Force Workers to Choose: Report Safety Violations, or Keep Their Jobs?</a>  In These Times   ... the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspects only 1 percent of workplaces in the United States in a given year. In the absence of inspections, that means more of the burden to report safety abuses falls on individual workers themselves. However, the CEG study shows that due to weak protection laws, many workers find themselves choosing between reporting a safety violation and keeping their jobs—creating a vicious cycle that can lead to workers too fearful to report potentially deadly workplace hazards...<br /><a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19786-state-department-apologizes-for-calling-unionization-a-security-threat" rel="nofollow">State Department Apologizes for Calling Unionization a Security Threat </a> truthout   ...at a private meeting with labor groups earlier this month, the State Department opened the door to collective bargaining by workers who perform critical services for the American government overseas...<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2483652/William-Gross-Californian-billionaire-apologizes-wealth-accumulated-workers-expense.html" rel="nofollow">Billionaire apologizes for wealth he accumulated 'at expense of workers' and says rich should pay more taxes</a>  Daily Mail   ...‘Congratulations. Smoke that cigar, enjoy that Chateau Lafite 1989. But (mostly you guys) acknowledge your good fortune at having been born in the '40s, '50s or '60s ... and having had the privilege of riding a credit wave and a credit boom for the past three decades,’ he writes...<br /><a href="http://www.greens.org/s-r/60/60-06.html" rel="nofollow">Inside the Psyche of the 1%</a>  Synthesis/Regeneration   ...Do the rich and super-rich tend to be psychopaths, devoid of guilt or shame? Are the 1% lacking in compassion? Does their endless accumulation of possessions actually bring them little to no happiness? To each of these, the answer is “yes”—but a very qualified “yes” with lots of subtleties...<br /><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/citi-rich-families-are-hoarding-cash-2013-11" rel="nofollow">CITI: Rich Families Are Hoarding Cash</a>  CNBC   ...A new survey of family offices by Citi finds that the wealthy are cash heavy—meaning they may fall short of the investment returns they're expecting...<br /><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/02/u-s-food-banks-struggle-to-meet-new-demand-caused-by-food-stamp-cuts/" rel="nofollow">U.S. food banks struggle to meet new demand caused by food stamp cuts</a>  Raw Story   ...37 million Americans were reliant on food banks to meet their nutritional needs in 2010, up from 25 million in 2006. The numbers have only grown through the recession brought on the deregulation of the financial markets and cuts to social programs...<br /><a href="http://angrybearblog.com/2013/11/another-congressman-and-stunning-subsidies-to-his-district.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Hzoh+%28angrybearblog.com%29" rel="nofollow">Another Congressman and stunning subsidies to his district</a>  Angry Bear   ...AB had a post on Congressman Steve King, an advocate of austerity and shut down yet received $9.17 billion in subsidies 1995-2012 for his district without offering cut backs for his district to share the sacrifices needed for austerity...<br /><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/koch-brothers-harry-belafonte-ku-klux-klan-99282.html" rel="nofollow">Koch brothers slam Harry Belafonte’s Ku Klux Klan remark</a>  Politico   ...“Already we have lost 14 states in this union to the most corrupt group of citizens I’ve ever known,” Belafonte said at the First Corinthian Baptist Church, according to Capital New York. “They make up the heart and the thinking in the minds of those who would belong to the Ku Klux Klan. They are white supremacists...<br /><a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10952" rel="nofollow">Colombian Farmers and Union Activists Under Attack</a>  The Real News   ...In Colombia terror is systematically used as a weapon for social oppression, violence against farmers and unions continues; and while President Santos allowed protests, there are still scars of Uribe government’s alleged violence and ties to paramilitary organizations...<br /><a href="http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/exclusive-govchristie-to-teacher-i-am.html" rel="nofollow">EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: @GovChristie to Teacher: "I Am Tired Of You People!"</a>  Jersey Jazzman   ...Is it not obvious that there has been an enormous amount of frustration and anger building up over Chris Christie's condescension toward teachers, parents, and students?...

austerity Chris Christie Colombia hunger inequality Kochs organizing OSHA workplace safety Today's Teamster News 11.04.13

OSHA Weaknesses Force Workers to Choose: Report Safety Violations, or Keep Their Jobs?  In These Times   ... the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspects only 1 percent of workplaces in the United States in a given year. In the a…

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Shouldn't CEOs get the same treatment as the Bishop of Bling?

Pope Francis set a good example for corporate boards when he<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-w-gerard/poisonous-million-dollar_b_4167865.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications" rel="nofollow"> busted the Bishop of Bling</a>, argues Brother Larry Cohen, president of the <a href="http://www.cwa-union.org/" rel="nofollow">Communications Workers of America</a>.<br /><br />The pontiff recently suspended German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who spent $42 million to renovate his luxurious residence and billed the Vatican for it. The <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2478230/Bishop-Blings-26m-Limburg-mansion-turned-soup-kitchen.html" rel="nofollow">mansion may be turned into a soup kitchen or a refugee center</a>. <br /><br />The Roman Catholic Church's new pope is a refreshing change to the aristocratic leaders we've been saddled with in the last few decades. He chose the name of a saint who lived among the poor. He lives in Spartan rooms, drives a 1984 Renault and wears loafers instead of the handmade red slippers of his predecessors.<br /><br />CWA's Cohen, in a recent <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-w-gerard/poisonous-million-dollar_b_4167865.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications" rel="nofollow">Huffington Post</a>, says corporate boards of directors should follow the pope's example, "banishing imperial CEOs and rejecting royal pay package demands."<br /><br />A corporate board demeans its employees when it awards a CEO 1,287 times what it pays the typical worker for his labor and loyalty, writes Cohen.<br /><br />Someone actually did make 1,287 times what the median worker at his company got paid: Larry Ellison, CEO of technology giant Oracle, according to a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/ceo-pay-1-795-to-1-multiple-of-workers-skirts-law-as-sec-delays.html">Bloomberg estimate</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> are especially unhappy with McKesson CEO John Hammergren, who took home $57 million last year. Newly organized Teamsters at McKesson's Lakeland, Fla., warehouse don't make enough to afford health care.<br /><br />Cohen cites <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9deb27f8-2c3b-11e3-8b20-00144feab7de.html%23axzz2huhETtZz">British economist Andrew Smithers, who figures</a> American companies in the 1970s devoted 15 times as much capital to investments  as they distributed to shareholders. Writes Cohen:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Now it's less than 2 to 1. Today, CEOs suck out companies' value rather than building for the future.</blockquote>The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is proposing to shame imperial CEOs by requiring them to disclose the ratio of worker pay to CEO pay.<br /><br />You can bet the SEC is hearing from corporate lobbyists to squelch this proposal. If you'd like the SEC to hear your voice as well, you can send a comment letter. Just click <a href="http://bit.ly/1ccoI50" rel="nofollow">here</a> and follow the easy instructions.<br /><br />

austerity CEO Pay inequality Shouldn't CEOs get the same treatment as the Bishop of Bling?

Pope Francis set a good example for corporate boards when he busted the Bishop of Bling, argues Brother Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America.The pontiff recently suspended German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who spe…

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Today's Teamster News 10.28.13

<a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/point-seveners-new-name-millionaires-club" rel="nofollow">America’s Wealthy Are Even Wealthier And Have A New Name: Point-Seveners</a>  Alternet   ...America has 45,000 citizens worth more than $50 million...<br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/26/dark_money_groups_linked_to_koch_brothers_pay_1_million_in_fines_partner/" rel="nofollow">Dark money groups linked to Koch brothers pay $1 million in fines</a>  Salon   ...They allegedly spent a combined $15 million on conservative ballot proposals without proper disclosure...<br /><a href="http://www.alternet.org/education/great-voucher-fraud" rel="nofollow">The Great Voucher Fraud</a>  Alternet   ... decades of accumulated evidence paints a different story: Vouchers do not improve educational outcomes, they take money away from struggling public schools, they’re cash cows for institutions offering questionable education, they aid students already attending private institutions and they ignore the needs of special-education students...<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/10/27/Recall-222959-pounds-of-ready-to-eat-chicken-salad-products/UPI-68441382896086/" rel="nofollow">Recall: 222,959 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad products</a>  UPI   ...Boston Salads and Provisions Company is recalling about 222,959 pounds of chicken salad products due to possible contamination with Listeria, officials say...<br /><a href="http://thediplomat.com/china-power/the-us-is-quietly-losing-its-innovation-edge-to-china/" rel="nofollow">The US Is Quietly Losing Its Innovation Edge to China</a>  The Diplomat   ...Between 2003 and 2013, the number of applications increased from nearly 35,000 to more than 51,000, while NIH appropriations shrunk from $21 billion to $16 billion (in 1995 dollars). As a consequence, it has become increasingly difficult for our scientists to garner an NIH grant…The story is dramatically different on the China side. The government is determined to be the next technology innovation center in the world. By 2011, China had already become the world’s second highest investor in R&D. Government research funding has been growing at an annual rate of more than 20 percent...<br /><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/10/another-reason-hate-tpp-it-gives-big-content-new-tools-undermine-sane-digital" rel="nofollow">Another Reason to Hate TPP: It Gives Big Content New Tools to Undermine Sane Digital Rights Policies</a>  EFF   ...TPP would give multinational companies the power to sue countries over laws that that might diminish the value of their company or cut into their expected future profits...<br /><a href="http://soberlook.com/2013/10/has-great-recession-created-behavioral.html" rel="nofollow">Has the Great Recession created behavioral changes in the labor markets?</a>  Sober Look   ...One of the persistent problems with the US labor markets is the current pool of unemployed people taking far longer to find work than in the past. This would suggest that the key for those without work is to enter the workforce as quickly as possible - even if it means part-time, temp, consulting, etc. The barriers to re-entry are much higher these days than any time in recent decades...<br /><a href="http://thediplomat.com/asia-life/2013/10/mizuho-banks-yakuza-scandal-more-than-30-execs-to-be-punished/" rel="nofollow">Mizuho Bank’s Yakuza Scandal: More than 30 Execs to be Punished</a>  The Diplomat   ...More than 30 executives at Mizuho Financial Group, Japan’s third largest bank, will be held accountable for making loans to the country’s organized crime syndicates, known as the yakuza...<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/magazine/could-new-york-city-subways-survive-another-hurricane.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">Could New York City Subways Survive Another Hurricane?</a>  New York Times   ...you see what it will take to keep the system going: technological improvements, yes, but also the oldest technology of all — the knowledge of the people who run the subway, many of whom have been there for their entire working lives...<br /><a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/what-even-is-a-wisconsin-john-doe-investigation" rel="nofollow">What Is Going On in Wisconsin -- And Why Is It So Secret? </a> Talking Points Memo   ... a former federal prosecutor had been appointed to lead a "John Doe investigation" into state-level issues in Wisconsin, including the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. And this John Doe investigation reportedly grew out of an earlier John Doe probe, which closed in March after snaring six former aides and associates of Gov. Scott Walker (R)...<br /><br /><br />

bank criminality China food safety Hurricane Sandy inequality innovation Koch brothers scott walker TPP unemployment WI Today's Teamster News 10.28.13

America’s Wealthy Are Even Wealthier And Have A New Name: Point-Seveners  Alternet   ...America has 45,000 citizens worth more than $50 million...Dark money groups linked to Koch brothers pay $1 million in fines  Salon   ...They allegedly spent a com…

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Staggering CEO pay smashes all previous records

CEO pay reached astronomical levels last year, according to a new report whose author said he's never seen anything like it.<br /><div><br /><div>The 10 highest paid CEOs all took home more than $100 million, and two 'earned' more than $1 billion in a single year, according to GMI Ratings' 2013 Pay Survey.</div><div><br /><div>"I have never seen anything like that," the report's author, Greg Ruel, told the Guardian. "Usually we have a few CEOs at the $100m-plus level but never the entire top 10."<br /><br />Median workers' pay in the U.S. fell 9 percent since 1999.<br /><br />McKesson CEO John Hammergren, who took home<a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eggh45jef/john-hammergren-of-mckesson/"> $131.2 million in 2011</a>, didn't even make this year's list. Perhaps that's because<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/McKesson-shareholders-reject-CEO-pay.html"> investors said 'no' to his exorbitant pay package this year</a>. <br /><br />According to <a href="http://www.alternet.org/billion-dollar-pay-check-10-ceos-america-break-all-records-executive-pay?page=0%2C1&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark">The Guardian</a>,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...median household income, adjusted for inflation, was $51,017 in 2012, broadly unchanged from 2011. Wages for the average household have fallen about 9% from an inflation-adjusted peak of $56,080 in 1999. The census figures show a sharp recovery for those at the top of the wage scale as those at the bottom continue to see falls. </blockquote><div>Here are the top 10:<br /><ol><li>Facebook, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, $2,278,668,214 </li><li>Kinder Morgan, Inc., Richard D. Kinder, $1,116,685,089 </li><li>Sirius XM Radio Inc., Mel Karmazin, $255,355,676 </li><li>Liberty Media Corporation, Gregory B. Maffei, $254,890,638 </li><li>Apple Inc., Timothy D. Cook, $143,828,867 </li><li>Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., Edward W. Stack, $142,052,496 </li><li>Liberty Interactive Corporation, Gregory B. Maffei, $136,450,484 </li><li>Starbucks Corporation, Howard Schultz, $117,562,601 </li><li>salesforce.com, inc., Marc Benioff, $109,544,875 </li><li>Verisk Analytics, Inc., Frank J. Coyne, $100,432,117 </li></ol>The report doesn't disclose the gap between the CEO's pay and the average worker's pay.<br /><br />The<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/ceos-must-expose-inequality.html"> Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)</a> proposes companies disclose the gap, and the <a href="http://teamster.org/">Teamsters</a> support that proposal. Take, for example, Hammergren. During his tenure as CEO at McKesson, the company paid nearly $1 billion in fines for Medicaid fraud and price fixing, while newly organized Teamsters at the company's Lakeland, Fla., warehouse can't afford health insurance.<br /><br />Making CEO's explain to investors that there's a mind-boggling distance between their pay and their average workers' pay might just shame them into common decency.<br /><br /></div></div></div></div>

CEO Pay inequality wages Staggering CEO pay smashes all previous records

CEO pay reached astronomical levels last year, according to a new report whose author said he's never seen anything like it.The 10 highest paid CEOs all took home more than $100 million, and two 'earned' more than $1 billion in a single year, accordi…

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Powerful new film exposes inequality for all (video)

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9REdcxfie3M" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />Who is looking out for the American worker?  The perky, diminutive Robert Reich, in the classroom, in the news media and now in a movie.<br /><br />In his fight for a better America, Reich explodes across the screen in director Jacob Kornbluth’s “<a href="http://inequalityforall.com/" rel="nofollow">Inequality for All</a>."<br /> <br />Structured around his “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich" rel="nofollow">Wealth and Poverty</a>” lectures, the former U.S. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Labor" rel="nofollow">Secretary of Labor</a> comes off as the funny, self-deprecating college professor you wish you could take.  Driving around in a Mini Cooper, Reich talks to college students, a billionaire businessman and laid-off workers to find out why so many Americans continue to be so devastated five years after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_crisis_of_2007%E2%80%9308" rel="nofollow">2008 banking crisis</a>.<br /><br />The conclusion: Without a strong middle class to guard against recessions, the economy is seriously vulnerable to any hiccup that comes along.<br /><br />Using personal stories, interactive graphics, and a powerful speaker, “Inequality for All” is an entertaining and dynamic look at how inequality affects America.  Instead of shoving a bunch of buzzwords at the audience or showering them in statistics, Reich delves into the issues by releasing facts that are guaranteed to make anyone pause.<br /><br />On inequality: The wealthiest 400 Americans own more than half of Americans combined.  The last time the<br />U.S. was this unequal was 1928 – the year before the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression" rel="nofollow">Great Depression</a>.<br /><br />On outsourcing: Japan makes 28 percent more of the profits from an iPhone than America.  Although China gets belabored for outsourcing, they only make 3.6 percent of an iPhone’s profit.<br /><br />Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will come together to enjoy the film.  Reich and Kornbluth are able to create a genuinely informative, accessible and entertaining movie for all workers to enjoy.<br /><br />The film is now in movie theaters; click <a href="http://inequalityforall.com/theaters-opening-dates/" rel="nofollow">here</a> to see if it's playing in a theater near you. Or you can order a copy for a screening in your community or union hall <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFpsdHJtcGpZZUhXcWdrUko2TUNFdGc6MA#gid=0" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><div><br /></div>

inequality Robert Reich Powerful new film exposes inequality for all (video)

Who is looking out for the American worker?  The perky, diminutive Robert Reich, in the classroom, in the news media and now in a movie.In his fight for a better America, Reich explodes across the screen in director Jacob Kornbluth’s “Inequality for …

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Hammergren's high pay may explain workers' low pay

At last an explanation for how<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/McKesson-CEO-jaw-dropping-pay.html" rel="nofollow"> McKesson's CEO John Hammergren</a> can rake in $51.7 million and pay workers so little they can't afford health care and pension contributions. <br /><br />He just doesn't care.<br /><br />A recent New York Times op-ed, <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/rich-people-just-care-less/?_r=0" rel="nofollow">Rich People Just Care Less</a>, describes how people with greater power ignore people with less power:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Turning a blind eye. Giving someone the cold shoulder. Looking down on people. Seeing right through them.</blockquote>The Times cites a growing body of research proving the phenomenon.<br /><br />The Times op-ed is making a point about politics. The author, Daniel Goleman, argues the Republican Party is more sensitive to the rich and powerful (though Democrats are certainly guilty too). He believes the GOP dismisses the truth about the ordinary people they rarely interact with. That empathy gap allows them to do things like <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/28/the-houses-food-stamps-cuts-arent-just-cruel-theyre-dumb/" rel="nofollow">cutting food stamps</a>.<br /><br />It may also explain why Hammergren can care so little about his own employees.

CEO Pay food stamps inequality McKesson Hammergren's high pay may explain workers' low pay

At last an explanation for how McKesson's CEO John Hammergren can rake in $51.7 million and pay workers so little they can't afford health care and pension contributions. He just doesn't care.A recent New York Times op-ed, Rich People Just Care Less,…

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Today's Teamster News 09.08.13

<a href="http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-06/story/first-coast-gears-pontiac-muscle-comes-strong-teamsters-show" rel="nofollow">First Coast Gears: Pontiac muscle comes on strong at Teamsters show</a>  Florida Times Union ...Harris and Boito brought their Pontiacs to the annual Labor Day weekend car show at Teamsters Local 512 on Lane Avenue last Saturday...<br /><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-920971.html" rel="nofollow">Privacy Scandal: NSA Can Spy on Smart Phone Data</a>  Der Spiegel   ...The United States' National Security Agency intelligence-gathering operation is capable of accessing user data from smart phones from all leading manufacturers...<br /><a href="http://taxjustice.blogspot.com/2013/09/naked-tax-protest-in-front-of-german.html" rel="nofollow">Naked tax protest in front of German Chancellor's office</a>  Tax Justice Network   ...a naked tax protest by Attac-Germany, with calls for unitary taxation and country by country reporting...<br /><a href="http://billmoyers.com/2013/09/04/low-wage-employers-have-fought-hard-to-keep-their-workers-poor-now-workers-are-fighting-back/" rel="nofollow">Low-Wage Employers Have Fought Hard to Keep Their Workers Poor — Now Workers are Fighting Back</a>  Moyers & Co.   ...After decades of seeing their incomes shrink, those at the bottom of the economic ladder are starting to band together and fight back — and it’s one of the most important economic stories of our time...<br /><a href="http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/free-markets-are-fraudulent-markets-5360" rel="nofollow">Free Markets are Fraudulent Markets</a> (opinion)  Economic Populist   ...Historically, competitive market economies are a relatively new economic system, and while very productive, they are not self-sustaining, are unstable and require significant state support and regulation to function properly...<br /><a href="http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/18675-the-political-calculations-behind-growing-inequality" rel="nofollow">The Political Calculations behind Growing Inequality</a>  truthout   ...In the 1980s, campaign contributions from the top 0.01 percent roughly equaled the campaign contributions from all of organized labor. In 2012, America’s top 0.01 percent all by themselves outspent labor by more than four-to-one...<br /><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/want-to-move-kids-out-of-poverty-then-protect-the-middle-class/279387/" rel="nofollow">Want to Move Kids Out of Poverty? Then Protect the Middle Class</a>  The Atlantic   ...in parts of the country that are more heavily middle class, there also tends to be more upward mobility for the poor...<br /><a href="http://economyincrisis.org/content/an-american-bridge-made-of-chinese-steel-demonstrates-the-need-for-a-rational-trade-policy" rel="nofollow">An American Bridge Made of Chinese Steel Demonstrates the Need for a Rational Trade Policy</a>  Economy In Crisis   ...The <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324049504578545431938331880.html">prices for Chinese-made steel are about 25% lower than for domestic steel</a>, but this does not represent a victory won on an open and level playing field...<br /><a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/318801-detroit-labor-day-and-a-hard-days-night#ixzz2dDhGpssI" rel="nofollow">Detroit, Labor Day and a Hard Day’s Night</a> (opinion)  The Hill   ...A competitive nation needs a strong safety net for its citizens, one that neither depends on fickle global employers nor burdens workers’ democratic institutions with a redistributive role best played by the government.    In addition, the U.S. should take a cue from the European Union and allocate more funds to help hard hit areas transition their economies...<br /><a href="http://bangordailynews.com/slideshow/burlesque-performers-occupiers-protest-possible-sale-of-portland-park/" rel="nofollow">Burlesque performers, occupiers protest possible sale of Portland park</a>  Bangor Daily News   ...Tension over whether a large section of Portland’s Congress Square Park should be sold to private developers escalated late Friday night, as burlesque performers and members of the occupy movement demonstrated at the site, attracting police warnings...<br /><a href="http://www.thenews.coop/blog/occupy-sandy-builds-worker-power-far-rockaway" rel="nofollow">Occupy Sandy builds worker power in Far Rockaway</a>  Co-operative News   ...One of those bigger projects is a worker-run cooperative initiative, organized by Occupy Sandy and supported by the Working World, an organization that specializes in incubating collectively owned businesses...

china currency manipulation free markets inequality low-wage workers occupy outsourcing safety net spying tax evasion Today's Teamster News 09.08.13

First Coast Gears: Pontiac muscle comes on strong at Teamsters show  Florida Times Union ...Harris and Boito brought their Pontiacs to the annual Labor Day weekend car show at Teamsters Local 512 on Lane Avenue last Saturday...Privacy Scandal: NSA Ca…

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Today's Teamster News 09.01.13

<a href="http://business.time.com/2013/08/30/this-labor-day-much-of-america-will-be-laboring/" rel="nofollow">This Labor Day, Much of America Will Be . . . Laboring</a>  Time   ...39 percent of employers will keep operations open and require some workers to come into work, while a seperate survey of Beyond.com users says that 45% of those folks will spend Labor Day working or looking for work...<br /><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/30/2556301/burrito-chain-pays-entry-level-workers-10-hour-pay/" rel="nofollow">The Burrito Chain That Pays Entry-Level Workers $10 An Hour And Wants To Pay More </a> ThinkProgress   ...Boloco, a Boston-based burrito chain, pays its entry-level workers anywhere from $9 to $11 an hour, most of them making $10, with many who advance into higher roles making $17 an hour or more, CEO John Pepper told Fox Business News...<br /><a href="http://progressive.org/Wisconsin-republicans-ban-public-for-miles-from-mine" rel="nofollow">Wis. GOP to Ban Public for Miles from Mine</a>  The Progressive   ...A new bill to allow the Gogebic Taconite iron mining company to bar the public from using public access land on an eight-square-mile parcel near their proposed mine site. This is an area that attracts people from all over the country to enjoy the excellent trout fishing and hunting...<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/business/income-gap-grows-wider-and-faster.html?partner=yahoofinance&_r=1&" rel="nofollow">Income Gap Grows Wider (and Faster)</a>  New York Times   ...when average wages grow faster than the median, as happened from 2009 through 2011, it means that lower earners are falling further behind those at the top...<br /><a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/30/freedom-from-jobs/" rel="nofollow">Freedom From Jobs</a>  Counterpunch   ... though some gains have certainly been made over the past half-century toward a more inclusive, egalitarian society, in many respects – particularly in economic matters – there has been little or no progress whatsoever...<br /><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/longshore_union_pulls_out_of_n.html#incart_flyout_business" rel="nofollow">Longshore union pulls out of national AFL-CIO, citing attacks at Northwest grain terminals</a>  The Oregonian   ...The West Coast longshore union is pulling out of the national AFL-CIO, citing "attacks" in which the umbrella organization's members blatantly cross picket lines at Northwest grain terminals...<br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/why-wall-street-wants-larry-summers-why-rest-180751330.html" rel="nofollow">Why Wall Street Wants Larry Summers (and Why the Rest of Us Should Not)</a>  Yahoo Finance!   ...Our recent near-death experience under Alan Greenspan’s anti-regulation Fed chairmanship, aided and abetted by the deregulation pushed by Summers, should cause the President to think hard about banking regulation...<br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/08/27/nsa-snowden-russia-obama-column/2702461/" rel="nofollow">NSA intimidation expanding surveillance state: Column </a> USA Today   ...If you run a business, and the FBI or NSA want to turn it into a mass surveillance tool, they believe they can do so, solely on their own initiative. They can force you to modify your system. They can do it all in secret and then force your business to keep that secret. Once they do that, you no longer control that part of your business...<br /><a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-08-30/slavery" rel="nofollow">Slavery! </a> zero hedge   ...There are more slaves today working in the world than ever before...<br /><br />

AFL-CIO inequality Labor Day Larry Summers March on Washington public lands slavery spying wages Today's Teamster News 09.01.13

This Labor Day, Much of America Will Be . . . Laboring  Time   ...39 percent of employers will keep operations open and require some workers to come into work, while a seperate survey of Beyond.com users says that 45% of those folks will spend Labor …

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Colbert asks 'Why do we need a middle class?'

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FUYam604UxU" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />What happened to two middle-class families after they lost their good factory jobs? That was the question Stephen Colbert asked broadcast legend Bill Moyers.<br /><br />Watch the video to get the answer. It's worth all seven minutes.<br /><br /><br />

inequality middle class Colbert asks 'Why do we need a middle class?'

What happened to two middle-class families after they lost their good factory jobs? That was the question Stephen Colbert asked broadcast legend Bill Moyers.Watch the video to get the answer. It's worth all seven minutes.…

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Why young workers love unions so much

The Pew Research Center came out with a new poll showing <a href="http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/27/favorable-views-of-business-labor-rebound/">that a majority of people have a favorable view of labor unions</a> -- 10 percent more than two years ago, the last time that Pew asked the question.  And over 60 percent of adults younger than 30 support unions – even if <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf">fewer than 5 percent of them actually are unionized</a>.  So why is there so much support?<br /><br />Younger workers are increasingly introduced to a crappy economy with no safety net.  After the housing crisis, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/06/29/the_capital_of_exploitation_temp_town_usa_partner/">it has become harder and harder to find a full-time position</a>, since companies can get away with treating workers badly.<br /><br />Median pay has declined for workers, while corporate CEOs earn vast sums. Not only is America more unequal than ever, but <a href="http://thecontributor.com/daily-ceo-pay-now-exceeds-us-workers-annual-salary">the average CEO makes more in a day than an average worker makes in a year. <br /><br />Even college, the traditional step for the ambitious young, is no longer the step up it once was.  Only </a><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/21/news/economy/income_college/index.htm">nine percent of low-income students can afford to even finish college</a>, a gap that has increased 50 percent in the past 20 years.  And unaffordable student debt looms over all who dare strive for higher education.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE8fY01_P5jJxR0x8WnGK7OnNH3vgTAxzrwyDPIFCyJR3c0dxtuGuvmXi5b_ptFfwyxWLEa-AAWKrXojNlWWhhhebSfB_WoSEqKOB4cRjeDkmXn_jCGW598v-x0D4rIRtG08wwL5C8hAK/s1600/i+heart+young+workers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE8fY01_P5jJxR0x8WnGK7OnNH3vgTAxzrwyDPIFCyJR3c0dxtuGuvmXi5b_ptFfwyxWLEa-AAWKrXojNlWWhhhebSfB_WoSEqKOB4cRjeDkmXn_jCGW598v-x0D4rIRtG08wwL5C8hAK/s320/i+heart+young+workers.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/03/30/number-of-the-week-college-grads-in-minimum-wage-jobs/">Over 280,000 college graduates work in minimum wage jobs</a>, qualifying them for government assistance and an overwhelming sense of depression.  In 2010, <a href="http://centerforcollegeaffordability.org/research/studies/underemployment-of-college-graduates">15 percent of taxi drivers had bachelor degrees</a>.  And they are the lucky ones; <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/2009/05/intern_abuse.html">permainterns</a>, with unpaid positions abound.  <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w18901">Little evidence has been offered that this new status quo is going to suddenly change</a> if the economy ever turns around. <br /><br />From Occupy Oakland to Moral Mondays, workers have protested for a better economic and political system, but changes to government are long and arduous.  On the other hand, labor protests are typically short and to the point.  Contract negotiations, strikes, and other labor tactics get people better working conditions and decent jobs time after time.  In 2012, <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm">full-time union members made over $200 more than non-union full-time workers. </a><br /><br />With those kinds of benefits, who <i>wouldn't</i> want to be part of a union?

inequality student debt unions Why young workers love unions so much

The Pew Research Center came out with a new poll showing that a majority of people have a favorable view of labor unions -- 10 percent more than two years ago, the last time that Pew asked the question.  And over 60 percent of adults younger than 30 …

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How CEOs are getting richer at your expense

<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/06/07/2121581/first-quarter-of-2013-saw-largest-wage-drop-ever/">Americans are recording the largest drop in wages ever</a> while</span> the average CEO received $14.1 million in combined pay and stock options last year.  At the same time, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/06/26/2220511/americans-paycheck-to-paycheck/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">three-quarters of Americans didn’t have enough money for a basic emergency fund</span></a>.  The <a href="http://www.epi.org/">Economic Policy Institute</a> <a href="http://www.epi.org/files/2013/ceo-pay-2012-extraordinarily-high.pdf">reports</a>:</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">From 1978 to 2012, CEO compensation measured with options realized increased about 875 percent, arise more than double stock market growth and substantially greater than the painfully slow 5.4 percent growth in a typical worker’s compensation over the same period.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">These findings support what we’ve known all along: trickle-down economics <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/02/arthur-laffer-worst-economist-in-us-is.html">are a cruel joke</a>. A third of Americans, over 10 percent more than in 2008, say <a href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/09/10/a-third-of-americans-now-say-they-are-in-the-lower-classes/">they are lower-middle and lower class</a>. <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/06/13-facts-higher-education">Income inequality is rapidly increasing</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chuck-collins/helping-the-kids-wealthy-_b_3354529.html">the chances of your kids ending up better off than you are rapidly decreasing</a>, no matter how hard they work.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The fact that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/26/congrats-ceos-youre-making-273-times-the-pay-of-the-average-worker/">CEO pay is more than 270 times more than the average worker</a>isn’t a shock.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Turns out, even for one-percenters, CEOs are being paid ridiculous amounts:</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Over the last three decades, CEO compensation grew far faster than that of other highly paid workers, those earning more than 99.9 percent of other wage earners.  CEO compensation in 2010 was 4.70 times greater than that of the top 0.1 percent of wage earners, a ratio 1.62 higher (a wage gain roughly equivalent to that of 1.6 high wage earners) than the 3.08 ratio that prevailed over the 1947-1979 period.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s right.  CEOs still make more money comparatively than even other really, really rich people.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-no-proof: yes;">   Too bad <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/06/07/2121581/first-quarter-of-2013-saw-largest-wage-drop-ever/">their nice bonuses doesn’t extend to your paycheck.</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVxpWTZ7NwFHg9wX0mn9nx43ldDWYTmdxmnxako1SUGeyLI2Q3QWPUhG0EUoxjaAX_xNldVrnouDf4P-U5at483LnNbYzjrJ9er9CGWhYdabKrFb5oAMmiSJngBKqNtDBNMV82oasfqdj/s626/Screen+Shot+2013-06-28+at+9.51.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVxpWTZ7NwFHg9wX0mn9nx43ldDWYTmdxmnxako1SUGeyLI2Q3QWPUhG0EUoxjaAX_xNldVrnouDf4P-U5at483LnNbYzjrJ9er9CGWhYdabKrFb5oAMmiSJngBKqNtDBNMV82oasfqdj/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-06-28+at+9.51.47+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /></div>

ceo inequality How CEOs are getting richer at your expense

Americans are recording the largest drop in wages ever while the average CEO received $14.1 million in combined pay and stock options last year.  At the same time, three-quarters of Americans didn’t have enough money for a basic emergency fund.  The …

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