We're Taking A Break

We are taking our usual year end break. The next News Update will be Monday, January 6, 2014.

Best holiday wishes to all,
Bill Onasch

December 16 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR by clicking here

December 16 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

America's Bipolar Climate Future
Irving Oil offices searched in Lac-Mégantic probe
Worker dies in fall at Manaus World Cup stadium
In cracking cellphone code, NSA power grows
German Party Clears Way for Merkel's 3rd Term *
California Plans Tighter Control of Fracking, Not Enough for Some *
Worker Fired After Helping Put Out Fire *
Autopsy: BART Workers Didn't Follow Safety Rules *
A Koch Brother, on a Crusade Against Counterfeit Rare Wines *
Feeble Hiring in Construction Is a Stubborn Drag on Growth *
Union Head Says Boeing Contract Offer Not Much Improved *
Kitzhaber gives longshore union disputed jobs
Rank and file to decide on ‘last’ Boeing offer, union leader says
Put Boeing’s offer to a vote, Inslee, others urge Machinists
Bachelet wins Chile presidential run-off
Time for Protest Degradation of Postal and Other Public Services
Metro-North Seen Lagging in Protection Against Crash *

December 13 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

National Nurses Statement on Federal Budget Deal
Budget Deal Keeps Cuts, A Disaster for Majority
House approves budget deal
Jobless Fear Looming Cutoff of Benefits *

Snowden Will Make Video Appearance
Snowden document shows Canada set up spy posts for NSA
Not much oversight for Canada's electronic spies

Mexico’s Pride, Oil, May Be Opened to Outsiders *
MSNBC's Hayes Met with Writers Over Dispute with Network
Jaw-Dropping Statistic on the Retirement Security of Black, Latino Workers
Lawsuit Seeks to Ensure Fair Wages for Migrant Workers
Registered nurses vote to unionize at Providence Hospital in D.C.
Nurses Postpone Protests Friday as Dignity Requests Talks to Resolve Dispute
Local 222 Member Named Connecticut Paraprofessional of the Year
Boeing to shift research jobs to South, Midwest
Injuries, losses prompt MLB to seek collision ban
AC Transit labor dispute heats up as cooling-off period nears end
Appo school board inks first of three pending labor contracts
EU Takes on Overfishing
Anti-Semitic Carol Causes Uproar in Romania
Arctic 30 told they cannot leave Russia
Catalonia Calls Vote on Split *
Experts Eye Oil and Gas Industry as Quakes Shake Oklahoma *
$15 Hourly Minimum Wage in Northwest City Faces Court Challenge *
New Obama Adviser Brings Corporate Ties *
Negotiator: Machinists Must Decide on Boeing Offer *
NYU Graduate Assistants to Join Auto Workers’ Union *

December 12 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Canada Post changes mean 8,000 fewer jobs
Newly discovered greenhouse gas '7,000 times more powerful than CO2'
F.D.A. Restricts Antibiotics Use for Livestock *
Unions and Media Break Bread—and Stereotypes
Retail Sit-Down in 1937 Detroit: Lessons for Today’s Low-Wage Strikers
NYU students allowed to unionize, hope to set precedent
Will Seattle Join SeaTac With a $15 Minimum Wage?
D.C. RNs Vote Union for Patient Care
UE Local 684’s Gains at TEMCO Include Wages, Healthcare
On Fifth Anniversary of Republic Occupation, Boss is Sentenced to Prison
Santa Clara approves new contract with labor union
Mayor Stewart strikes revised deal with city employees' union
NLRB expected to dismiss claim by GE workers
Federal Employee Unions Gain Members Post-Shutdown
Hidden Disaster in New Budget: Demonic Plot to Raid Pensions
Food banks face crunch as donations shrink
Red Cross home care worker strike gets underway
Attawapiskat housing crisis: A ground-level perspective
North Dakota supreme court considers challenge to anti-abortion law
Hardships Linger for a Mending Ireland *

December 11 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

CATS, labor union reach tentative agreement to avert midnight strike
Connecticut hospital workers locked out learn of loss of health care coverage
Deal between L.A., DWP workers finalized despite new union challenge
HEI, union reach agreement
Mexican Senate prepares to vote on historic energy bill
Colombia's ousted Bogota mayor rallies thousands in protest
GM to stop making cars in Australia by 2017
Toyota likely to quit Australia production after GM exits
How the ANC's Faustian pact sold out South Africa's poorest
Union worried FLL workers will lose healthcare
Union files unfair labor charge against TLC Health
Supreme Court punts decision on union-organizing strategy
Domino's workers protest low wages, get locked out
Give Denver SuperShuttle Drivers a Fair Deal
Idle No More protesters march to Parliament Hill
Homecare workers set to strike on Wednesday
Capitol Leaders Agree to a Deal on the Budget *
2 New York City Colleges Draft Rules That Restrict Protests *
Study Finds Federal Contracts Given to Flagrant Violators of Labor Laws *
Worker Deaths Raise Questions at an Apple Contractor in China *

December 10 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Prospects dim for fast renewal of jobless benefits
US household wealth reaches high of $77 trillion
Russia signs deal to forgive $29 billion of Cuba's Soviet-era debt
UAW Dues Increase? Biggest Mistake since Two-Tier
Healthier Fatty Acids Found in Organic Milk
Korean rail workers go on strike over privatization plan
Missouri’s Boeing bid will play a part in union fight
Climate Change and Socialism
Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro removed
AIG execs got bailout bonuses, but pensioners get cuts
Few Places to Go *
NYT Reporters Sue Homeland Security in FOIA Fight *
U.S. Ends Bailout of G.M., Selling Last Shares of Stock *

December 9 Week In Review Now Online

To read the new WIR click here

December 9 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

UN climate talks stall on taking action
Capitalism's March toward Global Collapse
Climate Change: 'The Greatest Challenge of Our Time'

States woo Boeing with incentives to win bid for building 777X jet
Labor leaders and educators ready to help Boeing

Metro-North ordered to make safety changes after deadly crash
Deadly Factory Fire Bares Racial Tensions in Italy *
Jackpine tarsands mine expansion OK'd by Ottawa
Global trade deal condemned by anti-poverty groups
Raise the Wage at McDonald's
Nurses agree to new contract with Virginia hospital
Fighting Eviction When Your Home Is Your Workplace
Healthy foods weigh down grocery bills
Government invests half-million dollars in seal meat
Social workers strike in LA
WikiLeaks – how it happened
Groups plan public sector assault
Mandela's radicalism often ignored by Western admirers
A tale of two Chicagos
Record air pollution cancels flights in Shanghai
Negm, Dissident Poet of Egypt’s Underclass, Dies at 84 *
Enrollment Errors Put Medical Coverage at Risk *
Pennsylvania Wants to Use Federal Funds to Cover Poor *
Judge Suspends BP Spill Payments to Businesses *
Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Trouble *
825 Long Islanders face layoffs at bus company
Tentative Hibbing  labor agreement voted down by union
Republic Windows ex-CEO gets 4 years in prison
In Nation Remade by Mandela, Social Equality Remains Elusive *
Emails detail a hidden plan for Kansas City Public Schools
Short-cut to produce hydrogen seen as step to cleaner fuel
Seattle on front line of push for raising minimum wage
Senators: Put cameras on train tracks, engineers
Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice Means Scorching US Summers
Venezuela's Maduro to raise pressure on business after local vote
CN Rail did not report 1,800 accidents
Democrats hint at possibility of budget deal without jobless aid extension
On Health Exchanges, Premiums May Be Low, but Other Costs Can Be High *

December 6 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

St. Louis Machinists President: Keep 777X in Washington
Does labor representation at Boeing matter in 777X quest?

Fast-food workers walk off jobs in '100 city' low-pay protest
Fast-food workers strike over wages

Nelson Mandela, international civil rights icon, dies at 95
Strikes, Pickets, Protests by Community Health Systems RNs
Ecuador shuts down nonprofit environmental group
Fukushima water tanks: leaky and built with illegal labor
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Health Insurance Bargaining
Mines safety review will have 'teeth,' Steelworkers say
Air pollution cloaks Shanghai
Think the E.R. Is Expensive? Look at How Much It Costs to Get There *

December 5 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR by clicking here

December 5 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Chicago Pursues Deal to Change Pension Funding *
In Detroit Ruling, Threats to Promises and Assumptions *
Christie’s Reveals Detroit Art Appraisal *

Ohioans Elect Two Dozen City Councilors on Independent Labor Ticket
Solidarity Saved Me from Hitler: Now it Must Save Palestine
NSA tracks billions of cellphones daily
Dangerous Global Warming Closer Than You Think, Climate Scientists Say
L.A. social workers may strike despite progress in labor talks
Will County, Employees Reach Labor Deal To End Strike
Coalition Deal Shows Rising Clout of Lobbyists
Scientist settles in iconic 'drowning polar bears' row with US agency
Large Companies Prepared to Pay Price on Carbon *
Train Had a Warning System, Just Not in the Operator’s Cab *
Arizona Agency Is Faulted in Deaths of Firefighters *
Railroads to Offer Health Care to Same-Sex Spouses *
$15 Wage in Fast Food Stirs Debate on Effects *

December 4 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

In Largest-ever U.S. City Bankruptcy, Cuts Coming for Detroit Retirees
Fears for the future after Detroit bankruptcy ruling
Detroit Ruling on Bankruptcy Lifts Pension Protections *

British news staff may face terrorism charges over Snowden leaks
'Guardian will not be intimidated'
Edward Snowden: the next steps

Fukushima two years on: a dirty job with no end in sight
EPA fracking study could hurt energy boom: U.S. business leader
BART Unions Sue Board Over Contract Changes
Businesses win in U.S. court ruling on worker arbitration pacts
Mo. labor leaders offer 24-hour work for Boeing
Americanized Labor Policy Is Spreading in Europe *
Mexican left-wing leader Lopez Obrador has heart attack, surgery
Clark 1st ex-big leaguer to run MLB players' union
Workers of the (finance) world unite – and unionize
Coming To Mass. Ballots? Nurse Staffing And Hospital ‘Claw Back’
United Airline Mechanics Picket for a Fair Contract
Is the Next Crash Brewing?
Rail safety: Train operators breaking more rules in recent years
PotashCorp cutting hundreds of Saskatchewan jobs
Most Americans think US should 'mind its own business' abroad
More College Adjuncts See Strength in Union Numbers *
Panel Says Global Warming Carries Risk of Deep Changes *
Maine: Shrimp Season Is Called Off *
Train Engineer Was Dazed Before Crash, Lawyer Says *

December 3 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Answers sought after deadly New York train derailment
Wash. Official: 1 Trapped in Grain Silo Collapse *
Presidential panel convenes to resolve LIRR-union impasse
Labor Pushes Pension Emergency As Lawmakers Head Back To Springfield
Seabrook Nuclear Plant Union, Management Reach Labor Deal
S. Africa’s Numsa Discussing New Labor Party With Unions
Zimbabwe Mine Companies Said to Be Asked to More Than Double Pay
Factory pay lags, workers fall behind despite industry gains
Black Friday protests in Twin Cities show growing support for better wages
MSP Airport workers use heavy travel day to rally for better wages
How Traveling Musicians Won a Union of Their Own
Nurses and techs locked out in New London
Fast Food Giants Gorge on Subsidies
Arizona's privatized prison health care under fire after deaths
Indigenous Canadian anti-fracking protesters refuse to back down
Montana: Big Sky country at an environmental crossroads
Runaway trains double the reported rate, CBC finds

December 2 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Train Accident in the Bronx Kills 4 and Injures Dozens *
Train Derails in N.M., Killing 3 Railroad Workers *

Minimum wage wins in SeaTac, Wash.
Localities leading push to increase minimum wage

Privacy and the Right to Strike in Canada
Alberta accused of stripping workers' rights with new laws

Wage Strikes Planned at Fast-Food Outlets *
Foreign Firms Drive Cambodians from Farms
New Snowden docs show Canada OK'd U.S. spying at G20
A sinister night for 3 women in Egypt protest wave
SPD tries to overcome grassroots skepticism on Merkel deal
Key Bangladesh garments factory destroyed in blaze
Shipyard workers walk off job alleging bullying by management
ConocoPhillips releases list of fracking chemicals
South Carolina Threatens Washington Over Cleanup *
On Register’s Other Side, Little to Spend *
Union: Worker Warned Crane Was On Unstable Ground
Chile: Labor Strikes Shake Public Sector
Honduras's defiant left asks for presidential election recount
Anti-shale gas protest closes Highway 11 in N.B. for hours
8 veterans affairs employees to remain with 17,000 cases
China's freshwater lake is shrinking
A Forced Adoption, a Lifetime Quest *
London Mayor Raises Eyebrows, and Ire *
Illinois Gives Plan Details for Bailout of Pensions *
Missouri: Governor Wants Action on Boeing *
3 States End Resistance to Spousal Benefits Order *
For Long-Term Jobless, a Stubborn Trend *
St. Lawrence belugas threatened by pipeline plans
Where Factory Apprenticeship Is Latest Model From Germany *
That ‘Made in U.S.A.’ Premium *
40,000 protest Mexico leader on inauguration anniversary

WIR Extra--The Northwest Front of Class War

You can view this new article by clicking here

Holiday Break

We're observing the Thanksgiving holiday break. Next update will be Monday, December 2.

November 27 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital Braces For Strike Wednesday
Missouri unions looking for uncommon allies in Boeing bid
Americans back Iran deal by 2-to-1 margin: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Will County Labor Dispute Continues
Cambodian Unions Call for Doubling of Minimum Wage
TriMet wants a major rewrite of the union contract
Should First Graders Take A Test? Teachers Say No
No Transit Fare Increase!
Technology Didn't Kill Middle Class Jobs, Public Policy Did
US unlikely to prosecute Assange for publishing leaked documents
YRC Presents Contract Proposals to Union
United Airline Mechanics Picket for a Fair Contract
N.B. shale gas tensions flare, but day passes in relative peace
Sears Canada laying off close to 800 workers
Union says Heinz never asked for fix to 'unprofitable' plant
Court takes up Obamacare case
EU delays new car CO2 rules
Beijing confiscates barbecues in drive to cut air pollution
Cuba, Lacking Bank, Closes U.S. Consular Services *
Voters in SeaTac, Wash., Back $15 Minimum Wage *
Battling Flames in Forests, With Prison as the Firehouse *
Hundreds Evacuated After Railcar Leak in Ohio City *

November 26 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Twice as Much Methane Escaping Arctic Seafloor
Study: US spewing 50% more methane than EPA says
U.S. EPA has greatly underestimated emissions from methane : report
Emissions of Methane in U.S. Exceed Estimates, Study Finds *

Walmart Workers Plan Raucous Black Friday
The top 10 myths about working retail – at the holidays and beyond
How Extending Black Friday Undermines Workers’ Rights

Spies worry over 'doomsday' cache stashed by Snowden
Edward Snowden a 'hero' for NSA disclosures, Wikipedia founder says

Proposed cuts to US food programmes will offset voluntary donations
As Homeless Line Up for Food, Los Angeles Weighs Restrictions *
Brooklyn Pantry Struggling to Help Fill Gap Left by Cuts to Food Stamps *

Jaguar Land Rover plans $437 million Brazil factory: government
Workers decry conditions at Harvard-owned DoubleTree
Strike hits Amazon logistics centers in Germany
Unionization Is Up in 2013, For One Very Big Reason
German union boss has warning for companies that set up in anti-union South
Wis. officials set votes that could end school workers' last union rights
Socialists debate nuclear, 3: Unsafe, unaffordable, unnecessary
Protesters demand closure of Dept. of Defense 'school of assassins'
Egyptian students defy law banning protests
New Left-Wing Party in Honduras Cries Foul *
CLUW Revitalizes Fight for Working Women at 17th Biennial Convention
El Paso RNs Approve First Union Contract
Co-op Workers from Mexico Visit UE Northeast Co-ops
Afghan accord near collapse due to new demands
Four years into the economic recovery, unprecedented anxiety for workers
Towboat Sinks in River in Iowa, Releasing Oil *
The Single-Payer Alternative *

November 25 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Modest deal breaks deadlock at UN climate talks
Deals at Climate Meeting Advance Global Effort *
Warsaw climate talks set 2015 target

NSA Report Outlined Goals for More Power *
NSA Infected 50,000 Computer Networks With Malicious Software

Socialist in Seattle: City councilor expects not to be a rarity for long
In Chile and Seattle, the left faces an electoral dilemma

China launches sweeping probe as Sinopec blast toll rises
Protesters Support Unionization Efforts of DoubleTree Employees
An iPad on Every Desk: A Trojan Horse, Teachers Say
Stop Line 9 Should Be Labour's Demand
MEPs Plan Qatar Trip after Damning Resolution
Texas Education Board Flags Biology Textbook Over Evolution Concerns *
U.S. Retailers Decline to Aid Factory Victims in Bangladesh *
Marines Toughen Rules for Makers of Licensed Clothing *
Boeing Solicits Bids for Site of 777X Production *
MGM Vegas Casino Workers Approve Union Contract

November 24 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR by clicking here

November 22 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Redondo Beach union employees protest city leadership
MGM Resorts workers OK union contract, keeping free health insurance intact
Workers or 'Leaseholders'? D.C. Cabbies Ally with Teamsters
Learning to live in the anthropocene
Texas resists processing military benefits for same-sex spouses
Green groups walk out of UN climate talks in Warsaw
Alabama board approves pardons for 'Scottsboro Boys'
3 Million Face Loss of UI Lifeline

November 21 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Turmoil at climate talks as blame game heats up
US can access Britons' personal data under secret deal
Volkswagen Trips Over Tennessee's Touchy Union Politics
Labor board orders some striking Will County workers back on job
Local union files groundbreaking prevailing wage lawsuit
GE sees wage cuts
Bulgarian Workers, Students Rally against Government
University of California Workers Strike Against Harassment
Socialist elected to Seattle city council
Dump It in the Ocean: TEPCO's Plan for Radioactive Fukushima Water
Illinois legalizes same-sex marriage
Proposed labour code changes worry safety advocates
Detroit accused of exaggerating debt
Just 90 companies caused two-thirds of man-made global warming emissions
In October, a Day for the New York City Subway’s Ridership Record Book *
Major Retailers Agree to Inspection Standards in Bangladesh *
Tribune Company to Cut 700 Newspaper Employees *

November 20 News Update

Each Monday-Friday, by 9AM Central, we’ll post links to news stories and analytical articles of interest to working people. Sometimes they will be accompanied by editorial commentary. Stories from the New York Times will be followed with a *. The Times pay wall policy allows free access to only about ten articles a month.

Widening Inequality Shatters Mirage of Social Mobility
Union workers rally in support of Boeing machinists
UC workers and grad students to strike Wednesday systemwide
600 union members hit Queensland Parliament to protest law changes
Wage rights rally is Wednesday in Kansas City
Port Truckers Battle ‘Sweatshops on Trucks’
Public universities should be free
Activists launch ballot initiative to raise DC minimum wage
Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law
One killed in Cairo clashes as riot police storm Tahrir Square
More metro economies struggling in 2013: report
Tazreen Factory Fire: A Year Later, Survivors Feel Forgotten
Local 1177 Improves Benefits, Pay In New Renzenberger Contract
Walmart Asks Workers To Donate Food To Its Needy Employees
The Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty is the complete opposite of 'free trade'
Albuquerque voters reject late-term abortion ban
Canada, Australia, Japan: Climate change saboteurs
Government Failings Intensify Haiyan Aid Disaster
NSA Wanted To Collect Geolocation Data
Alberta orders cleanup of coal slurry spill into Athabasca River