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Local and National News
Tune in to Teamsters presidential forum on worker issues
Dec. 6, 2019 | The townhall event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday, December 7 at 2 PM Central will be live-streamed on our Facebook page, Twitter @Teamsters, our YouTube channel, TeamstersVote.com and on Teamster.org. Six 2020 presidential candidates are confirmed to attend. We'll be asking them about the key issues affecting workers like you - including pensions, trade policy, and collective bargaining rights - and making sure they fight for the Teamsters vote. Be a part of the conversation – RSVP to watch live here: www.ibt.io/12-7rsvp #Teamsters2020Why did Tribune Publishing roll over for this hedge fund?
Dec. 5, 2019 | Tribune Publishing directors wasted no time capitulating to an aggressive new shareholder with a record of eviscerating local newspapers. The publisher of the Chicago Tribune and eight other metropolitan daily newspapers yesterday announced an agreement to give hedge fund Alden Global Capital two seats on the Tribune Publishing board, which will expand to eight from six members… Tribune Publishing eliminated 900 jobs in the past two years alone. Don't be surprised if Alden's directors decide Tribune hasn't cut deeply enough. As board members, they'll be well within their rights to argue for aggressive...Crain’s Chicago Business
Applications now being accepted for the JRHM Scholarship
Dec. 3, 2019 | The application process is now open for the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund's 2020 college and vocational scholarship programs for the sons, daughters and financial dependents of Teamsters. In 2019, $1.2 million was awarded in academic scholarships for the children of Teamster members, including Ashley Goudy, daughter of a Local 355 retired Teamster. Many scholarships to support the costs of vocational/trade school programs were also awarded. Visit the scholarship fund's website at www.jrhmsf.org for information on who is eligible to apply and how to apply. The application deadline is March 2, 2020.Biden campaign workers choose Teamster representation
Dec. 3, 2019 | Approximately 120 field organizers for Vice President Joe Biden's national presidential campaign joined Teamsters Local Union 238 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this week, becoming the latest group of political workers to gain union representation with the Teamsters. Teamsters Local 238 has been at the forefront of organizing political workers during the presidential race, representing campaign workers with Sens. Booker and Klobuchar, and the staff who work for the Iowa Democratic Party. "Political campaign workers deserve a voice on the job as much as anyone," said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. "These workers, who face the prospect of long, pressure-filled hours on the campaign trail, need a strong partner like the Teamsters Union that will fight for their rights." Yahoo FinanceAlden Global Capital now Tribune Publishing’s largest shareholder
Nov. 20, 2019 | The company that owns the Chicago Tribune said Tuesday that former chairman Michael Ferro Jr. has sold his shares to Alden Global Capital, known for slashing payrolls at other newspapers it controls. Tribune Publishing Co. said Alden purchased 9.07 million shares from Ferro and his company, Merrick Ventures, for $13 per share. The nearly $118 million purchase represents a 25.2% stake in the company and will make Alden the largest shareholder of Tribune Publishing. Its shares ended Tuesday’s trading at $9.73… Chicago Sun-TimesOlder news items can be viewed at 888 News.
Elsewhere in The News
• Why are drug prices so high?
• Virginia labor targets ‘right to work’
• The robots are coming for our jobs
• Hoffa on the legacy of the “Battle in Seattle”
• Labor board orders new Teamsters election at XPO
• Frank Ordonez: A tribute to slain UPS driver in Florida
• How supporters of the Green New Deal are showing up for workers
• The strike in Virginia will determine the future of the area’s public transit
• Senate bill could require employers to give staff 2-month notice before shutdown
Dec. 3, 2019 | LABOR UNIONS | Google’s computers are spying on its workers. Anytime a Google employee uses an online calendar to schedule a meeting involving more than 100 co-workers, management gets an alert—a great way for the anti-union corporation to sniff out union organizing efforts. Lots of other employers also would like to put union organizing campaigns under surveillance. And they’ll have their chance if the National Labor Relations Board gives corporations a free hand to snoop on employees, as two of the board’s right-wing members, John Ring and Marvin Kaplan, evidently want to do. Ring and Kaplan want to reconsider the longtime ban on labor spying. It’s a sleazy idea, but typical for these two. They’re part of a three-member Republican cabal that’s taken over the board and issued a string of decisions eviscerating workers’ rights and giving ever more power to corporations… TruthOut
Dec. 2, 2019 | OPINION | Jimmy Hoffa used to say he’d be forgotten 10 years after his death. This was an uncharacteristically unintelligent judgment. Forty-four years after his murder on July 30, 1975, Hoffa is still famous enough that one of the most celebrated movies of the year, “The Irishman,” which arrived on Netflix this week, is about the man who claims to have killed him, Frank Sheeran. For a labor leader, such a level of fame is not only extraordinary; it is unique. Of course, to many, Hoffa is notorious… The Washington Post
Nov. 26, 2019 | ECONOMY | Eighteen states rang in 2019 with minimum wage increases — some that will ultimately rise as high as $15 an hour — and so far, opponents' dire predictions of job losses have not come true. The data paint a clear picture: Higher minimum wage requirements haven't reduced hiring in low-wage industries or overall. Opponents have long argued that raising the minimum wage will cause workers to lose their jobs and prompt fast-food chains (and other stores) to raise prices… Axios
Nov. 21, 2019 | OPINION | When the global economy shifted in the late 19th century, working people were the first to adapt. They moved to cities like Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toledo, Ohio, and worked long hours in unsafe factories. They drove the Industrial Revolution and changed the nature of work forever. When it became clear that employers were exploiting their productivity, the labor movement formed to protest abuses like sweatshops, child labor, and poverty wages. Every day, new technology and workplace innovation is changing how we live, work, and relate to each other. The potential benefits are undeniable—higher productivity, an increased standard of living, and a cleaner, healthier world. Too often, though, when companies decide to adopt new technology, workers are left out of the conversation… Wired
