tagged w/ Labor
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Autistic boy responds to his robot-Spreading Community and Love of Books ‘Little Free Libraries’ Sprout Worldwide-Out of Options? How to join the French Foregn Legion-New law will ban protesters from riding mass transit in California-Truthdigger of the Week: Jeremy Scahill-Torture Reinforcements’ Not ‘Medical Personnel’ Arrive to Combat Gitmo Hunger Strike-Immigrant Rights Groups, Labor, Occupy Plan May Day ProtestsAutistic boy responds to his robot-Spreading Community and Love of Books ‘Little... more
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Excerpt: "Labor groups are predicting that hundreds of Chicago-area fast-food and retail workers will walk off the job for a one-day strike on Wednesday, just weeks after similar strikes hit New York City.
"The would-be striking workers are affiliated with the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago, which has launched a campaign calling for a living wage of $15 per hour in the city's fast-food and retail stores. Many such workers earn the Illinois minimum wage of $8.25 per hour or close to it, often without health care coverage or sick days due to scheduling practices that leave them with too few hours to qualify for those benefits.
"The workers in Chicago are not directly linked to the earlier strikes in New York, but their expected protests on Wednesday are part of a broader campaign by labor groups to raise standards in low-wage service-sector industries that traditionally have a weak union presence.
"In New York, the campaign has focused on fast-food eateries like McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell, while the Chicago protests are expected to include fast-food employees as well as workers from major retail chains and department stores. Low-wage workers who previously went on strike in New York said they'd been inspired by high-profile walkouts at Walmart stores around Black Friday last year."Excerpt: "Labor groups are predicting that hundreds of Chicago-area fast-food and... more
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Cabal
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added this
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26 days ago
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Bill and the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Lee Saunders, examine the latest labor issues in America in light of Michigan approving the right-to-work legislation. Bill reminds his viewers that everyone “has to stay focused on the war on labor unions.” Saunders notes that now 10 states are right to work states. He says, “We have to stay in campaign mode.”
Watch the video here:
http://current.com/shows/full-court-press/videos/afscme-president-on-the-war-on-working-families/Bill and the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal... more
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It really does suck to be a Michigander right now, because your Republican lawmakers apparently hate you – with a passion.
Let’s see, in the span of less than one week, they have managed to pass a pair of unprecedented union-busting bills; they’ve all but shut down women’s access to abortion services; and now they have passed an emergency manager bill, which would allow an emergency manager to “break or terminate collective bargaining agreements under certain circumstances.”
We're guessing those “circumstances” are defined rather broadly and are open to interpretation…
http://veracitystew.com/?p=46646It really does suck to be a Michigander right now, because your Republican lawmakers... more
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KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/AP) -
Some Walmart workers are taking advantage of Black Friday crowds to make a point.
They are holding protests around the country to draw attention to their complaints against the store.
The world's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, AR, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on Friday against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. It said the demonstrations organized by union-backed OUR Walmart threaten to disrupt its business and intimidate customers and other associates.
OUR Walmart, formed in 2010 to press the company for better working conditions, is made up of current and former Walmart workers.
The OUR Walmart ralliers said they have already visited a few stores around the metro Friday morning, including the store in Roeland Park.
Andrew Miller said he was outside the Roeland Park store speaking for his friends and former coworkers who can't.
"Take a Walmart employee, assure them of secrecy, you'll note that the discontent is absolutely palpable, absolutely palpable. They absolutely despise working there. And they'd give anything to be anywhere else," said Miller, a former Walmart employee.
Miller worked as a Walmart truck loader for a year with a schedule he says consistently put him an hour or two under 40 hours a week for roughly $16,000 a year.
Protesters are hoping to use the busiest shopping day of the year to get the message across that Walmart workers want better pay and benefits.
OUR Walmart says it wants employees to make a minimum of $25,000 a year. They are also asking for affordable healthcare for all employees and consistent work schedules and hours.
"It was imminently clear to us that they did not care, that they certainly didn't care enough to pay us a living wage," he said.
And Colby Harris, who works at a Walmart store in Lancaster, TX, says the store is doing everything in its power to attempt to silence his voice.
"But nothing, not even this baseless unfair labor practice charge, will stop us from speaking out," Harris said.
Walmart faced a worker walkout in October ahead of its annual investor meeting that expanded to more than a dozen states and involved about 90 workers. Walmart workers again walked off their jobs last week in Dallas, Oakland, CA, and Seattle. On Monday, some Walmart workers walked off their jobs as well, according to union officials. The number of workers involved could not be confirmed.
The nationwide campaign has groups, like the one at Roeland Park, gathering at Walmart stores nationwide. They aims to give Walmart employees who are not unionized a public voice.
It has won over people like Linda Nevelle, of Overland Park, who says she wasn't that much of a believer in organized labor.
"But I'm seeing today the real, absolute purpose of a union. To get us back on track. To understand employees are not being treated well," she said.
The 1.3 million Walmart employees are not unionized, despite years of effort, but they do have the support of other union members.
Dan Fogleman, a Walmart spokesman, described the latest tactics from the group as "another exaggerated union campaign."
The spokesman said earlier this week that the company does not anticipate any disruptions to shoppers if they plan to visit a Walmart store Friday.
"Many of these ongoing tactics by the UFCW are unlawful, and we will protect our associates and customers," he said.
If the disruptions violate the law "we will take the appropriate action to hold them accountable," he added.
Fogleman also said the company believes the OUR Walmart campaign is a misrepresentation of the majority of its employees.
http://www.kctv5.com/story/20171073/walmart-workers-protest-black-friday-in-kansas-cityKANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/AP) -
Some Walmart workers are taking advantage of Black... more
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Good morning
This is the quick news update from Bowlersdesk.com
6200 gallons of sewage spilled into the North County’s Moonlight Beach.
Housekeepers and food service workers are picketing
San Diego’s emergency winter homeless shelter will accept a large donation from United Healthcare.
www.bowlersdesk.com
http://youtu.be/DH2SoKMbtTIGood morning
This is the quick news update from Bowlersdesk.com
6200 gallons of... more
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Frank Hammer - break from Democratic Party but vote Obama to block a far right Presidency.
Frank Hammer is a retired General Motors employee and former President and Chairman of Local 909 in Warren, Michigan. He now organizes with the Auto Worker Caravan, an association of active and retired auto workers who advocate for workers demands in Washington.Frank Hammer - break from Democratic Party but vote Obama to block a far right... more
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The Stew has reported on the evils of Walmart in the past, and it even landed on our Worst of the One Percent list. Workers are now pushing back against one of the largest global corporate offenders. Yep, you heard right. Walmart workers are on strike in an effort to change their work environment, and stop company retaliation against them for speaking out against the practices within the company — and the strike is spreading.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=44301The Stew has reported on the evils of Walmart in the past, and it even landed on our... more
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Willard Romney presents himself as a friend of workers, but true to form he is lying. His plan is to crush unions and transform America into a ‘right to work’, which really means right to screw workers nation. Presuming that workers know this, it surprises me to see workers supporting his campaign and showing up for his appearances. But there’s a catch.Willard Romney presents himself as a friend of workers, but true to form he is lying.... more
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Almost without exception Republican politicians are anti-union. Their unequivocal support for so-called “right to work” laws, which really give employers the right to screw workers, leave unions no real way to protect workers against SCAB labor. That’s why it is such a surprise when prominent Republicans condemn SCAB workers and support union workers as they have this week, resulting in a win for labor.Almost without exception Republican politicians are anti-union. Their unequivocal... more
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S&R: So, last week, you called the NFL’s lockout of its referees “absurd” and suggested that if the league didn’t take care of the situation the players might strike themselves. However, the season started Wednesday night with replacement officials – including at least one they recruited from the Lingerie Football League – and there was not even a hint of resistance from the players. What happened?
Smith: Oh, that? I was just talkin’ shit.S&R: So, last week, you called the NFL’s lockout of its referees... more
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For most of my early life I considered Labor Day little more than a day off at the end of summer. That’s because I am not a union man. I have never belonged to a union, nor has anyone in my family. So what has the labor movement done for me? I have learned what organized labor has done to improve the lot of all American Workers, and I have come to understand that Labor Day is a celebration of Union labor, and one that is well deserved.For most of my early life I considered Labor Day little more than a day off at the end... more
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Yes Labor was once respected and rewarded with laws in our country but now thanks to the GOP, Republicans, Reaganites and now the Tea Party, those benefits, hard won by the working class, are fading fast. If the GOP keeps on lying and people keep on believing their lies all of these labor advancements will be a thing of the past. Ignorance is not bliss unless you’re a wealthy corporate shareholder who profits from all the Horatio Alger horseshit the Republicans have propelled upon their flock. Most jobs today offer a low hourly wage WITH NO, zero, zip, zilch, nada BENEFITS AT ALL. With no work no pay and no safety net, the Poor/Work Houses will return. thinkingblue
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A poorhouse or workhouse was a government-run facility in the past for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality.
The term is commonly applied to such a facility that housed the destitute elderly; institutions of this nature were widespread in the United States prior to the adoption of the Social Security program in the 1930s. Facilities housing indigents who are not elderly are typically referred to as homeless shelters, or simply "shelters," in current usage.
Often the poorhouse was situated on the grounds of a poor farm on which able-bodied residents were required to work; such farms were common in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries; it could even be part of the same economic complex as a prison farm and other penal or charitable public institutions.
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PS: Now we know what the Republicans mean when they shout TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK… to the days of the Poor House. Happy Labor Day!
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad179/thethinkingblue/poorhouseresidents.jpg
WHAT WERE POORHOUSES?
the Poorhouse Story
(often also called Poor Farms -- and several similar terms --
or referred to with the older term -- Almshouses)
Poorhouses were tax-supported residential institutions to which people were required to go if they could not support themselves. They were started as a method of providing a less expensive (to the taxpayers) alternative to what we would now days call "welfare" - what was called "outdoor relief" in those days. People requested help from the community Overseer of the Poor ( sometimes also called a Poor Master) - an elected town official. If the need was great or likely to be long-term, they were sent to the poorhouse instead of being given relief while they continued to live independently. Sometimes they were sent there even if they had not requested help from the Overseer of the Poor. That was usually done when they were found guilty of begging in public, etc.
[One misconception should be cleared up here; they were not technically "debtors' prisons." Someone could owe a great deal of money, but if they could still provide themselves with the necessities for remaining independent they might avoid the poorhouse.]
BEFORE POORHOUSES
the Poorhouse Story
Prior to the establishment of poorhouses the problem of what to do with paupers in a community was dealt with in one of three ways:
Outdoor Relief provided through an Overseer of the Poor: When people fell upon hard times and members of their family, friends or members of their church congregations could not provide enough assistance to tide them over, they made application to an elected local official called the Overseer of the Poor. Within a budget of tax money, he might provide them with food, fuel, clothing, or even permission to get medical treatment to be paid out of tax funds. http://www.poorhousestory.com/history.htm
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In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland) a poorhouse was more commonly known as a workhouse. In early Victorian times (see Poor Law), poverty was seen as a dishonorable state caused by a lack of the moral virtue of industriousness (or industry as it was called). As was depicted by Charles Dickens, a workhouse could resemble a reformatory and house children, either with families or alone, or a penal labor regime to give the poor work at manual labor and subject them to physical punishment. As the 19th century progressed, conditions improved.Yes Labor was once respected and rewarded with laws in our country but now thanks to... more
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Humanity will have a system of safe working conditions, free choice of employment, without discrimination, equal pay for equal work, worthy compensation, insuring of an existence of dignity, guaranteed elective third party review for protection of self-interests.
Working will include, limitation of working period duration, periodic holidays with pay, the ability to have, rest, leisure, retirement with an existence of dignity, freedom of association, prohibition of all forms of forced labor, minimum working age with condition requirements for children.
Judicial treatment, equal treatment, regardless of gender, origin, appearance, religion, sexual orientation, status and or any other classification.
Corporations and or employers will rectify violations of any Labor Standards and Rights, the direct line of control of violations will be held liable for violations, up to and including all officers and stock holders of the Corporation. Restitution will be 10 times the violation value for knowingly causing a violation. Restitution will be 3 times the violation value for possibly knowingly causing a violation. Restitution will be the violation value for unknowingly causing a violation. Fines will be paid to the person(s) damaged, their surviving relations and or distributed to the labor force if no surviving relations are found.
D B Kuhn 08 12 2012Humanity will have a system of safe working conditions, free choice of employment,... more
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DBKuhn
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9 months ago
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Hyatt Hurts! -- Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry. Hyatt has abused its housekeepers and other hotel workers, replacing longtime employees with minimum wage temporary workers and imposing dangerous workloads on those who remain.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=40277Hyatt Hurts! -- Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel... more
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ajriya
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added this
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10 months ago
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Read more here:
www.hyatthurts.org/2012/07/subcontracted-hyatt-worker-fired-after-testifying-about-subcontracting-abuses/
On Tuesday, July 24, Hyatt gave us yet another reason to Vote Hyatt the Worst Hotel Employer in America.
That day, subcontracted Hyatt housekeeper Elvia Bahena was fired—just two weeks after she testified publically about the abuses she faces working in the Indianapolis hotel industry. Elvia testified at a City Council committee hearing in support of the “Freedom to Work” ordinance, a law designed to remove the barriers that low‐wage hotel workers face in obtaining employment directly for hotels. At the city hearing, Elvia shared her story of the wage theft and blacklisting that she has experienced.
Despite wide spread community support, the hotel industry in Indianapolis has come out in force against the ordinance. In fact, at the committee hearing where Elvia spoke, dozens of high-level hotel managers were in attendance, including the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Brian Comes. Elvia is also part of a federal lawsuit that was filed this past January against the Hyatt, 8 other major Indianapolis hotels, and the subcontractor HSS.
Read more here:
www.hyatthurts.org/2012/07/subcontracted-hyatt-worker-fired-after-testifying-about-subcontracting-abuses/Read more here:... more
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I have not been very active here lately, as I've been very busy working on my new book "Civilization 2.0" and I just had an epiphany that explains why the soviet union fell so far behind western Capitalism.
In western Capitalism, the cooperative bond between the owners of production and the labor used to produce goods was broken. The owners were only obligated to improve profits, not the well-being of labor. They were on opposite sides of the table. Therefore, western capitalism focused a lot of effort in improving productivity through the replacement of labor, thereby creating machine automation.
Communism on the other hand tried to restore the bond with labor. Producers tried to sit on the same side of the table with labor. However, when the owner and labor are on the same side, the incentive is to preserve labor, not replace it. Therefore, they were incapable of developing the automation that led to higher productivity because that had a negative impact on the need for labor.
This explains why Capitalism beat the Communists in the economic race. It also sets the stage for Capitalism's failure. The continued trend to replace labor with automation can only come to one logical conclusion. Eventually enough labor will be replaced, that the production-consumption cycle can not be sustained, and will crash.
Just thought I would share. Have a great weekend.I have not been very active here lately, as I've been very busy working on my new... more
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