Today's Teamster News 09.07.13

<a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/hoffa-signs-agreement-brazil-union-leader" rel="nofollow">Hoffa Signs Agreement With Brazil Union Leader</a>  teamster.org   ...Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa and a top Brazilian labor leader inked an agreement today in Washington that will allow unions in the U.S. and Brazil to better work together and advocate for one another...<br /><a href="http://www.teamsters117.org/darigold_picket" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Hold “Just Practicing” Picket at Darigold</a>  Teamsters Local 117  ...Teamster production workers and lab technicians who work at Darigold participated in “just practicing” picketing actions on Thursday at the company’s facilities in Issaquah and Seattle in protest to the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith...<br /><a href="http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32924:teamsters-settle-on-contract-with-lake-transit-operator&catid=1:latest&Itemid=197" rel="nofollow">Teamsters settle on contract with Lake Transit operator</a>  Lake County News   ...On Thursday, the nonprofit that operates Lake Transit Authority reached an agreement for a new three-year contract with union-represented workers who had gone out on two separate strikes this summer...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamster-locals-support-aggressive-measures-protect-contract" rel="nofollow">Teamster Locals Support Aggressive Measures to Protect Contract</a>   teamster.org   ...Yesterday, Teamster Local Unions that represent more than 1,000 Allied Systems Holding workers unanimously supported informing its members on the need to take aggressive action – up to and including a lawful strike – if the current Black Diamond/Spectrum bid to buy Allied proceeds and is approved by the bankruptcy court on Tuesday, Sept. 10...<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-usa-districtofcolumbia-walmart-20130905,0,7843714.story" rel="nofollow">Wal-Mart and Washington D.C. in minimum wage showdown </a>  Reuters   ...District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray could decide soon whether to sign a minimum wage bill that could discourage Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, from opening stores in the U.S. capital...<br /><a href="http://mynorthwest.com/76/2347776/Why-some-Walmart-workers-arent-happy" rel="nofollow">Walmart workers tell us why they're protesting</a>  KIRO Radio   ...Walmart workers were protesting in the Puget Sound region and around the country Thursday, prompting <a href="http://mynorthwest.com/category/dori_monson/" rel="nofollow">KIRO Radio's Dori Monson</a> to invite a few on the show to find out why...<br /><a href="http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2013/09/exports-fall-short-under-korea-fta-for-16-out-of-16-months.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eyesontrade+%28Eyes+on+Trade%29" rel="nofollow">Exports Fall Short under Korea FTA for 16 out of 16 months</a>  Public Citizen   ...<a href="http://dataweb.usitc.gov/">government trade data</a> released this week douses Obama's export promise with another bucket of cold reality. Under the Korea "free trade" agreement (FTA), a model for the TPP, U.S. exports have been steadily falling, imports have been rising, and job-displacing trade deficits have surged...<br /><a href="http://www.tradereform.org/2013/09/enormous-humongous-trade-deficit-grows/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=enormous-humongous-trade-deficit-grows" rel="nofollow">Enormous, Humongous Trade Deficit Grows</a>  Trade Reform   ...So our vast, humongous, enormous, out-of-control trade deficit continues its upward trajectory, sucking more jobs and money from our economy. Our deficit with China, of course, is the biggest factor...<br /><a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/item/16480-monsanto-and-walmart-influence-secret-tpp-negotiations" rel="nofollow">Monsanto and Walmart Influence Secret TPP Negotiations</a>  New American   ...The 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade group<a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130904/tpp-countries-negotiate-tariffs-washington-late-sept" rel="nofollow"> reportedly plan to hammer out an agreement on tariffs </a>during meetings late September. Although the American people (and the people of all nations involved in the pact) are prevented from participating or even watching the various rounds of meetings, global multi-nationals Monsanto and Walmart will help draft the agreement...<br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/06/3609028/us-employers-add-169k-jobs-rate.html" rel="nofollow">US employers add 169K jobs, rate falls to 7.3 pct</a>  Associated Press   ...U.S. employers added 169,000 jobs in August and much fewer in July than previously thought. Hiring has slowed from the start of the year and could complicate the Federal Reserve's decision later this month on whether to reduce its bond purchases...<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/06/ignore-the-headline-this-was-a-very-bad-jobs-report/" rel="nofollow">Ignore the headlines. This was a very bad jobs report.</a>  Washington Post   ...in almost all the particulars, you can find signs that this job market is weaker than it appeared just a few months ago, and maybe getting worse...<br /><a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth" rel="nofollow">The STEM Crisis Is a Myth</a>  IEEE Spectrum   ...wages for U.S. workers in computer and math fields have largely stagnated since 2000. Even as the Great Recession slowly recedes, STEM workers at every stage of the career pipeline, from freshly minted grads to mid- and late-career Ph.D.s, still struggle to find employment as many companies, including Boeing, IBM, and Symantec, continue to lay off thousands of STEM workers...<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/12/us-usa-fiscal-social-idUSBRE93A19320130412" rel="nofollow">Both parties wary of Obama's proposal to cut Social Security</a>  Reuters   ...Republicans, Democrats and even the White House distanced themselves Thursday from President Barack Obama's proposal to trim Social Security and other safety-net benefits, illustrating yet again the difficulty of reaching a bargain to reduce spending and tame the deficit...<br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/theemploymentbeat/2013/09/05/new-osha-form-will-fan-the-flames-in-whistle-blower-filings/" rel="nofollow">New OSHA Form Will Fan The Flames In Whistle-Blower Filings</a>  Forbes   ...OSHA’s newly approved procedure for whistle-blower retaliation complaints—which allows individuals to file a claim just by completing a simple online form, available 24 hours a day—is sure to spike the already mushrooming claim rate...<br /><a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/boomerconsumer/2013/09/06/ftc-asks-court-to-shut-down-phony-payday-loan-broker/" rel="nofollow">FTC asks court to shut down phony payday loan broker</a> Seattle Post-Intelligencer   ...At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court has halted <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/1323055/130904vantagetro.pdf" rel="nofollow">a Tampa, Fla.-based operation</a> that promised to help consumers get payday loans. Instead of loans, the defendants used consumers’ personal financial information to debit their bank accounts in increments of $30 without their authorization, the FTC alleges...<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/07/us-usa-chicago-midway-idUSBRE98601B20130907" rel="nofollow">Chicago mayor may still seek airport deal after talks called off</a>  Reuters   ...Emanuel late Thursday halted the city's efforts to privatize operations of Chicago's second-largest airport after one bidding consortium pulled out, leaving the city with only one prospective bidder...</div>

Today's Teamster News 09.07.13

Hoffa Signs Agreement With Brazil Union Leader   teamster.org   ...Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa and a top Brazilian labor lead...

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