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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NYC union construction workers twice as likely to be African-American

<span style="font-family: inherit;">A New York City construction worker who is union is twice as likely to be African-American as a New York City construction worker who is nonunion. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's the conclusion of the <a href="http://epi.org/" rel="nofollow">Economic Policy Institute</a> in a recent <a href="http://www.epi.org/blog/racial-underrepresentation-construction/" rel="nofollow">study</a> by Larry Mishel. The study shows the pattern is similar for the workforce living in the larger New York City metropolitan area.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conversely, New York City Latinos are less likely to belong to unions -- and more likely to be killed on the job. The <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/10/24/new-york-latino-construction-workers-more-likely-to-die-on-job-report-says/" rel="nofollow">Center for Popular Democracy</a> studied OSHA statistics for New York City and discovered Latinos accounted for three-fourths of construction site deaths from 2003-11. According to <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/10/24/new-york-latino-construction-workers-more-likely-to-die-on-job-report-says/" rel="nofollow">Fox News Latino</a>,</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Construction safety advocates and a study by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association cited safety violations on job sites run by smaller, non-union contractors and an unwillingness by some undocumented workers to report violations as main reasons for the high number of deaths among Latino workers.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two studies paint a picture of unions as beneficial to the safety and prosperity of New Yorkers (something we all knew already, right?).</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">An alliance of unions --including <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal282.com/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 282</a> -- called <a href="http://www.buildupnyc.org/about/" rel="nofollow">Build Up NYC</a> is advocating for a stronger and more vibrant middle-class in New York City. Build Up NYC is promoting development that pays workers good wages and maintains safe work sites. EPI's conclusions are welcome news for the alliance and for New York's middle class.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />

NYC unions workplace safety NYC union construction workers twice as likely to be African-American

A New York City construction worker who is union is twice as likely to be African-American as a New York City construction worker who is nonunion. That's the conclusion of the Economic Policy Institute in a recent study by Larry Mishel. The study sho…

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Potential TPP costs keep going up

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking for </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-p-hoffa/congress-shouldnt-outsour_b_3618561.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">another reason to oppose a possible TPP trade deal</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">? How about this -- America could be on the hook for potentially billions of dollars if an international company sues the government because it decides our health and safety rules are getting in the way of its profits.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">South Centre, an intergovernmental think tank based in Geneva, Switzerland, </span><a href="http://www.southcentre.org/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">details how a biased arbitration system</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> used to decide cases between corporations and countries who are members of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and “free trade” agreements is driving some nations to the financial brink:<o:p></o:p></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Under these treaties, foreign companies can sue governments if they introduce policies that these companies deem affect their future incomes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The treaties define “expropriation” to include depriving investors of future profits due to new regulations.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So a tobacco firm has sued Australia and Uruguay for requiring cigarette boxes to have plain packaging. When Ecuador cancelled a contract with an American oil company for violating the terms of the contract, the company won took a case and was awarded US$2.4 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A report released last year by two European groups explains how </span><a href="http://corporateeurope.org/publications/profiting-from-injustice" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a small group attorneys working for investors or as arbitrators have benefited from such litigation</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. The lawyers also encourage big companies to sue governments for potential fat paydays.<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Among some of the findings are:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Only 15 arbitrators, nearly all from Europe, the US or Canada, have decided 55 percent of all known investment-treaty disputes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>This small group sits on the same panels, acts as both arbitrators and counsels and call on each other as witnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many arbitrators show a clear bias towards investors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Several prominent arbitrators have been members of the board of major multinational companies, including those who filed cases against developing countries.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A few law firms have been encouraging investors to sue governments, as a weapon to weaken or prevent laws on public health or the environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These investment lawyers are the new “ambulance chasers” and have fuelled an increase in cases from 38 in 1996 to 450 known cases in 2011.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Countries have to pay exorbitant legal and arbitration costs averaging over $8 million per dispute, and exceeding US$30 million in some cases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The Philippines spent $58 billion defending two cases against a German firm.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The U.S could be a huge target for such litigation if it enters into the TPP deal. Our country has more stringent labor, workplace safety, health and environmental rules than many of the 11 other nations we are currently negotiating with as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. If we agree to the TPP, the only solution to avoid these lawsuits would be to lower our standards. That’s no solution at all.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's time we negotiate trade agreements that protect American workers, not the big corporations. We should be setting the standards on how to treat workers, produce the best and safest products, and protect the environment. If the TPP is going to sink the workplace standards to the level of sweatshops in Vietnam, we should pass.</span>

deregulation TPP workplace safety Potential TPP costs keep going up

Looking for another reason to oppose a possible TPP trade deal? How about this -- America could be on the hook for potentially billions of dollars if an international company sues the government because it decides our health and safety rules are ge…

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