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Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts

Monday, July 28, 2014

Fast food workers meet in suburban Chicago to plan escalation of demands for higher pay, union

Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.newser.com

Fast food workers say they're prepared to escalate their campaign for higher wages and union representation, starting with a national convention in suburban Chicago where more than 1,000 workers will discuss the future of the effort that has spread to dozens of cities in less than two years.

About 1,300 workers are scheduled to attend sessions Friday and Saturday at an expo center in Villa Park, Illinois, where they'll be asked to do "whatever it takes" to win $15-an-hour wages and a union, said Kendall Fells, organizing director of the national effort and a representative of the Service Employees International Union.
The union has been providing financial and organizational support to the fast-food protests that began in late 2012 in New York City and have included daylong strikes and a protest outside this year's McDonald's Corp. shareholder meeting that resulted in more than 130 arrests.
"We want to talk about building leadership, power and doing whatever it takes depending on what city they're in and what the moment calls for," said Fells, adding that the ramped-up actions will be "more high profile" and could...
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Payroll Data Shows a Lag in Wages, Not Just Hiring

Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.nytimes.com



For the more than 10 million Americans who are out of work, finding a job is hard. For the 145 million or so who are employed, getting a raise is even harder.
The government said on Friday that employers added 113,000 jobs in January, the second straight month of anemic growth, despite some signs of strength in the broader economy. The unemployment rate inched down in January to 6.6 percent, the lowest level since October 2008, from 6.7 percent in December.
But the report also made plain what many Americans feel in their bones: Wages are stuck, and barely rose at all in 2013. They were up 1.9 percent last year, or a mere 0.4 percent after accounting for inflation. Not only was that increase even smaller than the one recorded in 2012, it was half the normal rate of wage gains in the two decades before the last recession.



The stagnation helps explain why many people feel apprehensive even though the economy grew at a robust pace in the second half of 2013, corporate profits rose, the stock market boomed and the housing market continued to gain ground. The issue cuts across the American work force. In fact, white-collar workers did a bit worse than blue-collar workers last year in terms of wage growth.


Austin Moore, 18, pictured at a career fair in Dallas, is one of many young job seekers. LM Otero/Associated Press

“People are running in place in terms of their living standards,” said Ethan Harris, co-head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill...
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Passengers had to tell NJ Transit driver he struck pedestrian in Jersey City, report says

The NJ Transit bus driver who struck and critically injured a Union City man Friday night did not even know he struck the man until he was notified by passengers on the bus, police said in an accident report.

The posted speed limit for the street is 25 miles per hour, the report said.
The incident occurred in front of the Engine 14 Firehouse, whose members were among the first responders at the scene.  When police arrived, the victim was being treated for injuries to his head and right leg.
The man was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center. The driver told police that he was turning left onto Palisade Avenue from Congress Street when passengers told him there was a "commotion" in the street. The driver said he never saw the man, the report said. 
At the JCMC, medical officials were unable to get an account of what happened from the victim. 
The 58-year-old underwent emergency surgery early Saturday morning and underwent a second surgery Sunday, Jersey City Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson said. He was in guarded condition this afternoon. 
NJ Transit officials refused to comment on the incident and would not say if any actions have been taken against the bus driver.

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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Black Friday dawns and so does violence in the workplace

Violence in the workplace, despite OSHA warnings, occurred as "Black Friday" store sales began. Today's post is shared from the washingtonpost.com

Shoppers look at televisions at a Best Buy store late in the evening on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013, in Dunwoody, Ga. Instead of waiting for Black Friday, which is typically the year's biggest shopping day, more than a dozen major retailers opened on Thanksgiving this year. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
A Chicago-area police officer and a suspect he shot in a shoplifting incident outside a Kohl's department store were in the hospital on Friday — a worst-case example of how Black Friday opened with madness, mayhem and violence.
The incident began shortly past 10 p.m. on Thursday, when security officers with one Kohl's department store in Romeoville, outside Chicago, called police to report two men who were suspected of shoplifting. Police arrived on scene and tried to apprehend the men in the parking lot, Fox News reported. But the suspects ran to their car and tried to drive off — and one officer followed on foot, grabbing hold of the vehicle.

Fox News reported that the officer and the driver were recovering in a nearby hospital on Friday. Meanwhile, both of those suspected shoplifters — as well as a third suspect who was apprehended in the store — were arrested.The driver continued to accelerate, dragging the officer, Fox News reported. Police then fired into the vehicle’s...
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Friday, November 29, 2013

Arson blamed for huge Bangladesh garment factory fire

It is feared that thousands of people could lose their jobs as a result of the blaze
Arson is being blamed for a huge fire at a garment factory in Bangladesh which makes clothes for Western brands, fire and police authorities say.
The fire gutted a 10-storey building at Gazipur, 40km (25 miles) from Dhaka.
Firemen are battling to extinguish flames in four adjacent buildings.
Smoke rises from the fire at the Standard Group garment factory in GazipurPolice say that the fire follows protests by garment workers to demand higher wages and better conditions. A garment factory collapse in April killed more than 1,100 people.
No-one was reported injured in Friday's fire.
The fire inside the Standard Group garment factory warehouse is believed to have caused million of dollars worth of damage The blaze also destroyed numerous trucks carrying garments for export, officials say A large consignment of clothes for export abroad was damaged in the fire
A Reuters photographer at the Standard Group garment factory said that burnt garments were strewn at the scene bearing brand names from US and other international retailers.
Officials say that the factory was one of the biggest in the country and as many as 18,000 people worked there.
At least 15 trucks carrying garments were also reported to have been set on fire.
"We think it's an act of arson committed by workers from both inside the factory complex and outside," Mosharraf Hossain, a senior officer...
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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Iowa justices: Illegal immigrant entitled to workers' comp

Today's post is shared from desmoinesregister.com .

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a West Liberty woman, an immigrant from Mexico who stayed in the United States after her visa had expired, is entitled to receive workers compensation benefits for a work-related injury.
The case involves Pascuala Jiminez, who came to the United States in 1991 and had a visa for 10 years. She remained after it expired and continued to work. She had lived in West Liberty for 19 years.
Jiminez worked for the Chicago-based temporary employment agency Staff Management and was assigned to the Proctor & Gamble plant in Iowa City where she packaged shampoo and prepared boxes and pallets for shipping.
In September 2007 she was lifting a pallet and became injured with what doctors later identified as two abdominal hernias. She returned to work and was limited in her ability to lift until she had surgery in November 2007. She returned to work again in December. In mid-January 2008, she was fired. Managers told her it was because she did not have legal authorization to work in the U.S.
She sought and won benefits from the Iowa Workers Compensation Commissioner in October 2010. Staff Management appealed to Polk County District Court, which upheld the commissioners decision. The company further appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
The company argued that a worker living in the country without legal permission should not receive workers compensation benefits because Iowa does not include undocumented workers in its definition of an employee under...
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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

FDA Proposes Letting Generic-Drug Makers Change Labels

Today's post was shared by FairWarning and comes from online.wsj.com

The Food and Drug Administration proposed allowing generic drug companies to change drug labels after getting reports of bad reactions in patients, a step that could open the generic industry up to greater potential legal liability.
In 2011 and again this year, the Supreme Court issued rulings that shielded generic drug makers from consumer personal-injury lawsuits, even though the justices have allowed similar product-liability claims against makers of branded drugs.
The step Friday by the FDA means that generic companies—which sell about 84% of the prescription drugs by volume in the U.S.—would have the same ability to change their labels as brand companies. The FDA would review any proposed changes, as it already does with changes to branded-drug labels.
"Our effort is to keep all the labels the same, and to level the playing field," said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's center for drug evaluation and research. The proposal, she said, "would change current procedures, where only the brand companies can unilaterally put certain safety information in the label."
The Generic Pharmaceutical Association reacted cautiously, saying it is concerned that multiple labels on the same drug "could drive up costs…and should be approached very carefully."
Some of the leading makers of generic drugs include Hospira Inc., HSP +0.55%Hospira Inc.U.S.: NYSE$38.74 +0.21+0.55% Nov. 12, 2013 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 2.36MAFTER HOURS$38.58 -0.16-0.43% Nov. 12, 2013...
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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Chrysler Recalls 1.2 Million Ram Trucks

Chrysler is recalling about 1.2 million Ram trucks to correct problems that could result in a loss of steering, as well as almost 94,000 of its 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees because of electronic problems that could disable two safety systems, the automaker said on Friday.

In a statement, the company said it was aware of seven accidents involving the Rams, resulting in two injuries. A Chrysler spokesman, Eric Mayne, said in an email that he was not aware of the extent of the injuries.

The automaker estimated that 453,000 of the trucks would need repairs because the steering systems’ tie rods were not aligned properly, though it said it needed to recall all 1.2 million trucks to find the flawed vehicles.

Earlier Friday, Chrysler told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a report on the safety agency’s website of the problems in the Jeep Grand Cherokees.

In addition, Toyota said it was recalling about 3,800 Tacoma pickups from the 2013-14 model years because their 4-cylinder engines could be damaged and possibly stop running.

In the Chrysler report, which was dated Oct. 1, the automaker said a software problem with the anti-lock braking module could disable the anti-lock braking and electronic stability-control systems. In addition, the issue could cause the “illumination of multiple warning lights” and a loss of lighting for the instrument cluster.

Chrysler said that it had begun an investigation in April after receiving complaints...


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Monday, November 4, 2013

Truck driver was looking at phone in deadly crash

Distracted driving continues to be a constant cause of accidents in the workplace. Workers' compensation laws and policies have not been modified to encourage the non-use of cellphones. Federal legislation on the other hand outlaws their use. Today's post is shared from azcentral.com

The semi-truck that crashed into several police and fire vehicles, killing an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer in early May, was “tossing cars around like they were toys,” according to one witness statement.
Officer Tim Huffman, 47, was killed on May 6 while investigating an earlier crash on Interstate 8, about 40 miles east of Yuma. An 18-wheeler driven by Jorge Espinoza, 33, had plowed into Huffman’s patrol car and several other vehicles at about 5 p.m.
Espinoza, who faces 20 felony charges including second-degree murder, was on his cell phone at the time of the collision, according to 600 pages of case files obtained by The Arizona Republic on Friday.
The documents and a video from an in-dash camera revealed that Espinoza was on Facebook looking at pictures of provocatively dressed women at the time of the wreck.
Espinoza, who pleaded not guilty in June, told police he was looking over his shoulder at a passing truck when suddenly he felt the violent jolt from the crash. Espinoza was not injured.
He told police he never saw the multiple DPS and fire department vehicles on the roadway, or an officer frantically waving his arms trying to get his attention before he jumped out of the way.

Friday, November 1, 2013

LAX shooting suspect identified; TSA agent dead

Violence in the workplace at Los Angeles Airport resulted in at least one fatality and multiple people being injured. Apparently TSA agents were targeted. TSA employees are unarmed. Today's post is shared from shared from usatoday.com

A lone gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle went on a shooting spree Friday at Los Angeles International Airport, killing one person and leaving at least six people injured before the suspect was tracked down and taken into custody.
"We have one deceased,'' Capt. Brian Elias of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told USA TODAY.
Tim Kauffman, a spokesman for the American Federation of Government Employees in Washington, told the Associated Press that the victim who died was a Transportation Security Administration officer. He said the union's information came from its local officials in Los Angeles.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 23-year-old Paul Ciancia.
Airport police chief Patrick Gannon said the gunman forced his way past a TSA checkpoint into the heart of LAX Terminal 3.
He said authorities believe the gunman acted alone.
Ciancia, a U.S. citizen, was shot in the face in the confrontation with police, a federal law enforcement official said. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the suspect had survived the shooting but his condition was not immediately known.
One TSA officer is the only person confirmed dead, the official said.
Gannon said the shooting began at 9:20 a.m. PT, when the suspect pulled an "assault rifle" out of a bag and began to open fire in LAX Terminal 3.
"He proceeded up to...
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Toyota settles acceleration lawsuit after $3-million verdict

Today's post was shared by FairWarning and comes from www.latimes.com


Toyota Motor Corp.'s first loss in a sudden acceleration case, in an Oklahoma courtroom this week, could embolden attorneys nationwide who are looking to bring hundreds of similar cases.
Worse for the Japanese automaker, the verdict centered on the company's electronics, which have been a focus for plaintiffs seeking to prove safety defects in the company's cars.
Toyota on Friday confirmed that it had reached a confidential settlement in the lawsuit, which involved the fatal 2007 crash of a Camry. The settlement came hours after a jury assessed $3 million in compensatory damages but before the panel could levy a punitive award.
The verdict could provide a road map for attorneys seeking to hold the automaker liable for injuries and deaths.
Toyota has denied any safety defects in its cars, arguing that many incidents of unintended acceleration stemmed from drivers who stepped on the gas instead of the brake. But plaintiffs in the Oklahoma case successfully argued that Toyota's electronic throttle system was flawed, causing the car to speed out of control.
The 2005 Camry crashed into an embankment, severely injuring the driver, 76-year-old Jean Bookout, and killing her passenger, Barbara Schwarz.
By striking a quick settlement, the company likely sought to avoid bad publicity and damage to its reputation, said Jill Wieber Lens, a product liability expert at Baylor University Law School in Waco, Texas.
The Oklahoma defeat could increase pressure on the automaker to come up...
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Kansas SC suspends former AG’s law license indefinitely | Legal Newsline

Today's post was shared by Legal Newsline and comes from legalnewsline.com

The Kansas Supreme Court has suspended former state Attorney General Phill Kline’s law license indefinitely.
The high court released its decision Friday.
Kline
“As fully detailed below, after reviewing each instance of misconduct found by the panel, we find clear and convincing evidence that Kline committed 11 (Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct) violations,” according to the court’s per curiam opinion.
“In assessing discipline, we have considered the facts and circumstances of each violation; the ethical duties violated by Kline to the public, the legal system, and the legal profession; the knowing nature of his misconduct; the injury that resulted from the misconduct; the existence of aggravating and mitigating factors; and the applicable advisory American Bar Association Standards for imposing discipline.
“Ultimately, after applying that framework, we reject the Disciplinary Administrator’s suggestion of disbarment and conclude Kline’s misconduct warrants indefinite suspension, the discipline recommended by the panel.”
In October 2011, a panel for the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys recommended that Kline should have his state law license suspended indefinitely.
Kline served as the state’s top lawyer from 2003 to 2007, and as Johnson County District Attorney from 2007 to 2009.
The three-member panel pointed to Kline’s actions during investigations of abortion...
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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Jobs Report Becomes a Casualty of Shutdown

Today's post was shared by The New York Times and comes from www.nytimes.com

On the first Friday morning of almost any other month, from the trading floors of Wall Street to the hushed hallways of the Federal Reserve, all the attention would be focused on two numbers: the latest government estimates for unemployment and job creation.
This Friday, much of the government will be closed. As a result, the economists and statisticians at the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be at home, and everyone from Ben S. Bernanke, the Fed’s chairman, to thousands of traders glued to their Bloomberg screens, will be left without one of the most important clues to the state of the economy.
The mystery is heightened by the question of just how much of an impact the shutdown itself will have. And while the job numbers from last month cannot answer that question, economists almost universally agree that the cost to the economy depends on how long the standoff lasts, and whether the much larger danger of a debt default can be averted.
“If it’s short, it’s barely a blip on the radar,” said Ellen Zentner, senior United States economist at Morgan Stanley. “If a shutdown is prolonged, it’s a whole different story.”
Like many Wall Street economists, Ms. Zentner estimates that each week of the shutdown will shave one-tenth to two-tenths of a percentage point off economic growth in the final quarter of 2013.
That may not sound like much, especially in a $16 trillion economy. And during the last extended shutdown in the mid-1990s...
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Saturday, September 28, 2013

You Can Have Any Job You Want, as Long as It's Waitress

Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.businessweek.com

You Can Have Any Job You Want, as Long as It's Waitress
Photograph by Marc Spector

It’s almost 6 p.m. on a Friday, and the tables near the bar at the Hamilton in downtown Washington are getting crowded. That means Victoria Honard is busy.
Honard, 22, who graduated from Syracuse University in May, works about 25 hours a week as a waitress at the restaurant while she looks for a public policy job. A dean’s-list student, she moved to Washington four days after graduation with the hope of finding a position at a think tank or policy-related organization. She’s applied to about 20 prospective employers.
“The response has been minimal,” says Honard, whose academic work was in education, health, and human services. “There are two ways of looking at it. I could be extremely frustrated and be bitter, or I can make the most of it, and I’m trying to take the latter approach.”
Unemployment data appear to show big advances for women. The jobless rate in August for females 20 years and older was 6.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008, compared with 7.1 percent for men. As recently as January, the rate was 7.3 percent for both genders, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The downside is that the gains for women have been largely in low-paying jobs such as waitressing, in-home health care, food preparation, and housekeeping. About 60 percent of the increase in women’s employment from 2009 to 2012 was in jobs that pay less than $10.10 an hour,...
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

N.J. boosts public workers' insurance coverage for alcoholism, drug addiction

Obesity is a front page story in NJ every day as Governor Christie struggles to loose weight. While the Governor spoke in April 2013 about revising the state's workers' compensation system, he has been silent on the subject after his initial announcement. With an election quickly approaching in November he has turned to the endorsement of legislation to treat drug addiction  mental illness and obesity.  All of these efforts are strong indicators that a healthier workforce is being encouraged and will ultimately benefit the workers' compensation system by reducing pre-existing and co-existing conditions. Today's post was shared by WCBlog and comes from www.nj.com


Gov. Chris Christie, shown here in Asbury Park at an unrelated event today, announced that the state's health benefits plan for public workers will cover alcoholism and drug addiction the same as other mental illnesses starting next year.Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger

More than 200,000 public workers in New Jersey will get enhanced insurance coverage for mental illnesses such as alcoholism and drug addiction beginning next year, Gov. Chris Christie announced today.

A committee of state and union officials approved "mental health parity" on Friday for the state's second-largest health benefits plan. It means the same level of coverage now provided for a biologically-based mental illness — such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder — will apply to other types of illnesses such as alcoholism, drug addiction and eating disorders.

The expansion is expected to cost "less than $5.1 million a year" and will affect more than 217,000 current and retired workers enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program, Christie's office said in a news release today. The insurance plan covers state, county and local government workers as well as employees of New Jersey's public colleges and universities, and their dependent family members.

Along with that change, the committee approved "four new lower-cost health plan options" and a new "wellness program" that seeks to encourage healthier lifestyles by offering workers gift cards worth $100 to $250 per person every...
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