Today's Teamster News 08.14.13

<a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/teamsters-st-james-heading-to-mediation/article_4bd0ca15-2fb7-5142-ad69-0c17368f4f61.html" rel="nofollow">Teamsters, St. James heading to mediation</a>  Billings Gazette   ...The Teamsters Union and St. James Healthcare will start labor contract mediation on Aug. 20. Members of the union, one of three at the hospital, have been working without a contract for over a year, according to Dan Doogan, secretary-treasurer for the Teamsters regional district...<br /><a href="http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/747723/37.5-hour-work-week-proposed" rel="nofollow">37.5-hour work week proposed for union members</a>  Times Leader   ...With six union contracts expiring at the end of the year, Luzerne County Council members in Pennsylvania are trying to set pay and benefit goals they want negotiated into new collective bargaining agreements for workers, including members represented by Teamsters Local 401...<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/justice-dept-states-challenge-proposed-11-billion-airline-merger/2013/08/13/e3b25a28-0426-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboNE_b" rel="nofollow">Justice Dept, states challenge proposed airline merger between US Airways, American</a>  Associated Press   ...The federal government is challenging the proposed merger of US Airways and American Airlines, a deal between two of the largest airlines that it says would result in “substantial harm to consumers” in the form of higher fares and fees...<br /><a href="http://www.wbay.com/story/23127508/police-arrest-20-protesters-at-wis-capitol" rel="nofollow">Police arrest 20 protesters at Wisconsin Capitol</a>  WBAY   ...Police have arrested more protesters in the Wisconsin Capitol rotunda. Protesters have been showing up in the rotunda almost every noon hour for more than two years to sing songs against Republican Governor Scott Walker...<br /><a href="http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/com-march-labor/com-march-labor" rel="nofollow">At March on Washington, organized labor gave MLK a hand</a>  The Republic   ...Fifty years ago this month, Hank Lacayo, an up-and-coming labor leader in Southern California, received a call instructing him to come to Washington, D.C. Something big was in the works. The phone call was placed at the direction of Walter Reuther, the legendary national president of the UAW. The big thing on the horizon was a planned March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom planned Aug. 28...<br /><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-austerity-and-prosperity-20130812,0,1615487.story?track=rss" rel="nofollow">Inequality is hindering economic growth </a> Baltimore Sun   ...Our economy has grown at roughly the same rate as other advanced industrial economies. But unlike other countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, our growth has overwhelmingly benefited the well off...<br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/08/10/increased_wages_wont_reduce_employment_partner/singleton/" rel="nofollow">Higher wages won’t increase unemployment!</a>  Salon   ...Conservatives on the right contend that higher salaries mean fewer jobs. A wealth of research suggests otherwise...<br /><a href="http://www.alternet.org/hard-times-usa/5-reasons-congress-should-be-deeply-ashamed-about-jobs" rel="nofollow">5 Reasons Congress Should Be Deeply Ashamed About Jobs</a>  AlterNet   ...Congress has not only made the job search more difficult for average Americans, but has also impeded the process...<br /><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/08/13/2452301/nj-lonegan-koch-brothers/" rel="nofollow">New Jersey Republicans Nominate Koch Brothers Operative For Senate </a> Think Progress   ...The New Jersey Republicans voted Tuesday — in a low-turnout primary — to nominate Steve Lonegan for the remainder of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D) term. Lonegan, the former New Jersey head for the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, will face Newark Mayor Corey Booker (D) in an October 16 special election...<br /><a href="http://www.julesburgadvocate.com/ci_22612998?source=most_viewed" rel="nofollow">U.S. automakers praise G-20 for opposing currency manipulation</a>  Detroit News   ...U.S. automakers on Sunday praised a group of 20 major nations for recognizing the harm caused to the global trading system by countries like Japan, who are manipulating their currencies to gain a competitive advantage for their exporters...<br /><a href="http://two%20minnesota%20public%20employee%20unions%20ratify%20new%20contracts%20%20star%20tribune/" rel="nofollow">Two Minnesota public employee unions ratify new contracts</a>   Star Tribune   ...About 32,000 unionized state employees have ratified contracts that call for pay hikes of 3 percent per year, the biggest increases they’ve received since the national economy nosedived in 2007-08...<br /><a href="http://sheltonherald.com/23516/minimum-wage-in-ct-will-increase-to-9-an-hour/" rel="nofollow">Minimum wage in CT will increase to $9 an hour</a>  The Shelton Herald   ...The minimum wage in Connecticut will increase by 75 cents during the next year and a half. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation that hikes the minimum wage in two stages — from the current $8.25 an hour to $8.70 on Jan. 1, 2014, and then to $9 on Jan. 1, 2015...<br /><a href="http://timesleader.com/news/apfeatures/5108519447486709795/BART-unions-resume-talks-as-senators-add-pressure" rel="nofollow">BART, unions resume talks as senators add pressure</a>  Associated Press   ...Bay Area Rapid Transit's management and employee unions resumed <a href="http://timesleader.com/news/apfeatures/5108519447486709795/BART-unions-resume-talks-as-senators-add-pressure" rel="nofollow">contract negotiations</a> Thursday as California's two senators urged the parties resolve the labor dispute and head off a crippling <a href="http://timesleader.com/news/apfeatures/5108519447486709795/BART-unions-resume-talks-as-senators-add-pressure" rel="nofollow">transit</a> strike...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/hillary-clinton-nc-voter-id_n_3746321.html" rel="nofollow">Hillary Clinton: NC Voter ID Bill 'Reads Like The Greatest Hits Of Voter Suppression'</a> (Video) Huffington Post   ...Hillary Clinton denounced recent voter identification legislation in a <a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/AddressesM">speech</a> at the American Bar Association's annual conference on Monday.  Clinton criticized the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/voting-rights-act-supreme-court_n_3429810.html">decision</a> that she believes "stripped out the pre-clearance formula that made [the Voting Rights Act] so effective..."<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/disney-princesses-for-equal-pay_n_3748479.html" rel="nofollow">'Disney Princesses For Equal Pay' Is Brilliant, Hilarious And Informative</a>   Huffington Post   ...All women want equal pay -- even Disney princesses. Jenny Joslin and Annette Mia Flores of the production company Texpats came up with a hilarious and creative way to raise awareness about the wage gap. Because who doesn't like Disney?...<br /><a href="http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/state_must_pay_500000_to_end_c.html" rel="nofollow">State must pay $500,000 to end court fight over overtime pay for prison guards</a>  Patriot News   ...A federal judge has approved a settlement requiring the state to pay $500,000 to end a class-action lawsuit filed by 247 Pennsylvania state prison corrections officers who claimed they were illegally denied overtime pay...<br /><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/13/5645498/billions-in-federal-transportation.html" rel="nofollow">Billions in federal transportation funds riding on California's new pension law</a>  Sacramento Bee   ...Less than a year after California lawmakers mandated sweeping changes for state and local government pensions, federal officials are poised to cut off billions of dollars in transportation funding because of the new laws. The Teamsters and two other unions have backed a measure that would exclude 20,000 mass transit workers statewide from the pension-change law...

Today's Teamster News 08.14.13

Teamsters, St. James heading to mediation   Billings Gazette   ...The Teamsters Union and St. James Healthcare will start labor contract me...

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