unions

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Feds Push to Ease Workplace Toxin Regs

Labor Dept. seeks to loosen oversight; union decries 'midnight' move

(Newser) - The Department of Labor is rushing to push through policy that would make it more difficult to regulate workers’ exposure to toxins, the Washington Post reports. The proposal was never publicly disclosed, as required by law, but rather surfaced on the website of the White House Office of Management and...

Mailman Wants to Wear a Kilt
 Mailman Wants to Wear a Kilt 

Mailman Wants to Wear a Kilt

Carrier advocates for the right to wear a MUG

(Newser) - Dean Peterson likes kilts. In fact, the 48-year-old Air Force vet and mail carrier owns 15 of them, and he's on a one-man crusade to persuade the USPS to allow carriers to wear kilts on the job, the Boston Globe reports. He’s contacted every postal union branch in the...

Not So Easy to Green a Dem Convention

Organizer can't find hats that are organic and union

(Newser) - You can pledge to make your Dem convention “the greenest…in the history of the planet” (as Denver’s mayor recently did), you can hire a Director of Greening—but it’s still no small task to throw a sustainable presidential nominating conference. That's what the Journal discovered in...

Auto Worker Powerhouse Doug Fraser Dead at 91

Ex union boss helped save Chrysler from ruin

(Newser) - Former United Auto Workers president Doug Fraser, who played a vital role in saving Chrysler from bankruptcy, died yesterday at age 91. The cause of death was unknown, but Fraser had been suffering from emphysema, the Detroit Free Press reports. As UAW president during the ’70s and ’80s,...

Dems Take Aim at Big Business
Dems Take Aim at Big Business

Dems Take Aim at Big Business

Obama and Clinton turn up the heat heading into Wisconsin, Ohio primaries

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, heading into primaries in states struggling with joblessness and the mortgage crisis, are sharpening their attacks on big business, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both are lambasting oil companies, corporate tax cuts, and health insurers. Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary will be a test of which...

Hollywood Directors Start Talks; Writers Watch

Insiders hope they'll make a deal the scribes can stomach

(Newser) - Hollywood directors start official contract talks with producers today, after several months of informal sessions, Variety reports. Insiders predict a speedy deal, as the Directors Guild of America doesn't usually start formal negotiations until most of the big issues are ironed out. Hopes are that a DGA agreement will provide...

Starbucks' Union-Busting Campaign Before Judge

Brewhaha over coffee bosses' plot to stop baristas from organizing

(Newser) - Starbucks bosses trying to stop baristas from union organizing did some internet sleuthing to discover who had graduated from a university labor program—and even had Halloween partygoers snooped on, the Wall Street Journal reports. Starbucks' own emails detailing "our attempts to thwart a potential union situation" by identifying...

Reality Woes Add to Scribe Strike
Reality Woes Add to Scribe Strike

Reality Woes Add to Scribe Strike

Studios deny overtime, meal breaks to reality TV writers, guild says

(Newser) - With negotiations in the Hollywood writer's strike coming Monday, a new survey shows that writers for "unscripted" TV are denied overtime pay and meal breaks, the Los Angeles Times reports. Reality TV is a major sticking point in the strike, as studios insist that writers be classified as editors...

Rocky Road for Chrysler Deal
Rocky Road for Chrysler Deal

Rocky Road for Chrysler Deal

3 UAW locals vote down offer that would 'lower our standard of living'

(Newser) - Three UAW locals voted against the new Chrysler deal yesterday, stirring fears that the agreement may be scuttled. Two plants voted against it by 53%, and a third, in Missouri, by 66% among skilled trades and 79% among assembly line workers. They slammed a proposed 2-level pay structure and new...

Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle
Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle

Sarkozy Braces for Union Battle

Pension cuts could trigger crippling strikes in president's first test of leadership

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy could face the first major obstacle of his four-month reign this week when he tries to slash the pensions of 500,000 workers who enjoy more generous retirement packages than other civil servants. Polls show Sarkozy's plan is supported by 65% of the public, but striking...

Brown Leans Right In Major Speech
Brown Leans Right In Major Speech

Brown Leans Right In Major Speech

PM's first address to unions rebuffs demands for pay raises

(Newser) - Gordon Brown received a cool reception in his first address as prime minister to Britain's Trade Union Conference, traditionally Labour's largest constituency. After 10 years of tense relations with Tony Blair, the unions had hoped that Brown would offer a more left-wing policy. But Brown insisted that he would oppose...

Teamsters to Mexican Truckers: Hit the Road, Jack

Union rips deal opening US roads to foreign rigs

(Newser) - Teamsters are protesting the launch this week of a program allowing Mexican trucks to travel anywhere in the US, rather than just 20 miles inside the border. Union officials argue that Mexican trucks aren't safe because they're subject to different environmental and inspection standards, and that regulations regarding shifts and...

Edwards Goes All-Out in Courting Labor

Candidate can't count on AFL-CIO but can target individual unions

(Newser) - Even though he can’t expect broad endorsement, John Edwards is pushing hard for labor support, hoping to rack up the backing of a slew of individual unions. The Washington Post reports ahead of tonight’s AFL-CIO-sponsored Democratic forum that union backing is key to the Southerner’s strategy, even...

In Nardelli, Chrysler Found Its Maverick

Cerberus relying on tough-talking new CEO to cut costs

(Newser) - Former Home Depot chief Bob Nardelli has a reputation for being a brusque, hard-edged maverick, and that’s exactly what his new bosses at Chrysler want, Reuters reports. Cerberus Capital Management hopes to stem losses at the automaker by cutting costs, particularly in the delicate area of unionized workers. Nardelli’...

UAW Gears Up for Contract Talks on Health Care

Current system must change as retirees outnumber active workers

(Newser) - The United Automobile Workers Union starts high-stakes contract talks with Detroit automakers tomorrow, at a time when the union counts more retirees than active workers in its ranks—meaning higher health-care costs—and the American automotive industry is in dire financial straits. The talks are being called "the most...

Union Under Fire From Ditka
Union Under Fire From Ditka

Union Under Fire From Ditka

Mounting evidence of brain injuries caused by football drives debate

(Newser) - Mike Ditka, the celebrated NFL coach who once helped subvert the 1987 players' union strike, has recently added his voice to a growing chorus of players and coaches concerned that the union is not doing enough for its retired players. The discussion is spurred by ongoing revelations of the long-term...

Gang Members Join New Brotherhood: Unions

Construction trades step up recruitment

(Newser) - As construction booms, LA's building-trade unions are stepping up recruitment in the inner city, where many new hires are former gang members. The LA Times explores a trend that's turning traditionally white, fraternal outfits like the pipefitters, sheet-metal workers and even Teamsters into majority minority—and, in some cases, majority...

Hillary Downplays History With Wal-Mart

Ex-director keeps some links to retail giant

(Newser) - Throughout her political career, Hillary Clinton has kept quiet about a six-year stint on the Wal-Mart board of directors, the Times reports. She championed environmental issues and the cause of women in management, but with Wal-Mart a popular Democratic Party target, the presidential candidate has been forced to cut many...

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