February 27 News Update

Safety Is Life-or-Death, Say Refinery Strikers
Leader from last major strike voices support for new union generation
Oil refinery workers say strike is a matter of life and death

The front line of climate change: Alaska village must relocate as Arctic sea ice thins
Hollande says no climate deal if there is no climate fund
Marxist trade union leader runs for UK Greens
In Penang, climate change threatens coast 
Tasmania bans fracking for another five years to protect agriculture

At VA Hospitals, Training And Technology Reduce Nurses’ Injuries
Fight to improve warehouse conditions, unionize led to firings
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: A Labor Union that Changed Society
Net neutrality: Who won? Who lost?
As superbug spreads, device maker sued
Spain's youth rallies for change
Labour to confirm tuition fee cut plan
Talks to resume March 4 in strike at Sappi
Shuler challenges labor movement on lack of women in top jobs
Machinists Union leader alludes to general strike at Wisconsin Capitol rally
Exxon Mobil Settles With New Jersey Over Damage *
Morals Clause in Catholic Schools Roils Bay Area *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 26 News Update

Wis. Senate OKs anti-union bill amid protest
Wisconsin workers again battle Walker’s anti-labor steamroller

The Warming World: Is Capitalism Destroying Our Planet?
'The Economic System We Have Created Global Warming'
Scientists witness carbon dioxide trapping heat in air
Shale Gas Project Encounters Determined Foes Deep in Algerian Sahara *

Tough road for Greece as Merkel hails 'starting point'
Greek leader faces criticism on austerity concessions

Nationwide refinery strike expands to 15 plants in fourth week
California's plastic bag ban suspended by ballot referendum
Saying 'Our Lives Matter', Tulip Workers Fight and Win
This Palestinian city has condos, a mall and a sports club — but no water
Walmart Workers Asking for More Hours *
Cracks Starting to Appear in Public Pensions’ Armor *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 25 News Update

Protesters fill Wisconsin Capitol after right-to-work hearing abruptly ends
Union members protest Wisc right-to-work bill ahead of likely passage

Wisconsin anti-union bill is 'word for word' from rightwing lobbyist group 
About 2000 rally against right-to-work in Wisconsin
Union workers, supporters rally at Capitol


Defying GOP, Obama vetoes Keystone XL pipeline bill
Diverse Group Sends Letter To President Supporting Veto Of Keystone
Nurses Welcome Veto of Keystone XL Pipeline Bill    
Proving That 'Activism Works,' Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Bill
To stop Big Oil, environmentalists need labor unions
Obama Vetoes Bill Pushing Pipeline Approval  *


The Alternative in Greece
ANTARSYA on deal between Brussels-Greek Government

Union chief says U.S. refinery strike could spread
Fukushima operator finds new source of radiation leak into sea
Train hits truck at LA-area crossing, 50 hurt
Stand-by scheduling creates problems for many workers
Leaked Spy Cables: Intelligence agencies target Greenpeace
School Custodians, Maintenance, Groundskeepers Win Large Wage Increase
50 Years Of Shrinking Union Membership, In One Map
As contracts for 5M workers expire, labor hopes to boost more
Chicago's Emanuel faces runoff in April
Mossad contradicted Netanyahu on Iran
Spy agency monitors millions of Canadian emails to government
Minimum Wage for New York City’s Tipped Workers to $7.50 *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 24 News Update

Protests planned against Wisconsin Right to Work legislation
Labor takes final stand as Wisconsin prepares way for anti-union law
Right-to-work court battles look tough for unions


Telecom Strikers Win Limits on Outsourcing
Union Workers at FairPoint to Go Back on the Job

No talks expected this week in refinery strike: sources
CN Railway, Unifor reach tentative agreement
Mississippi auto parts workers in union drive plan protest
NSA chief declines comment on spyware reports, says programs lawful
Fresh nuclear leak detected at Fukushima plant
Oscar winner calls for wage equality in America
Inmates riot at for-profit Texas immigrant detention facility
NJ judge overturns Christie's pension cuts
Poll: Most Americans back tax hike for rich
Black History Month Labor Profiles: A. Philip Randolph
The Fight Against Capital Transit’s Jim Crow Hiring: 1941-55
Local 151 Members Improve Wages, Benefits in Aetna Bearing Contract

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 23 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

February 23 News Update

Tentative Deal Reached for West Coast Dockworkers *
Dockworkers deserve plaudits: Opposing view

Three US oil refineries hit by strike action

Deeper Ties to Corporate Cash for Doubtful Climate Researcher *

CN Rail headed for Monday lockout after Unifor rejects arbitration
Greece secures funding extension, bows to eurozone demands
Apache land handed to mining firm in Ariz.
Duke Energy Is Charged in Huge Coal Ash Leak *
Ernest Sternglass, Physicist and Nuclear Critic, Dies at 91 *
In Service Sector, No Rest for the Working *
Malcolm X’s incarceration challenge
Great Lakes ice cover reaches 81% in bitter cold
Even as Many Eyes Watch, Brutality at Rikers Persists *
Polluted Air Cuts Years Off Lives of Millions in India, Study Finds *
Minnesota cannabis workers win first union contract
Finally, Cablevision Caves

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 20 News Update

Retail giant Walmart to raise wages for US staff
Oregon 15 Now Victory for Portland City Workers and Contractors
AP-GfK Poll: Most Americans favor a higher minimum wage
'Another year of poor wage growth' in 2014, new study finds

World's coral reefs face major bleaching event this year, US agency warns
Harvard prepares to fight fossil fuel divestment case in court

Unifor accepts CP settlement, calls strike vote against CN
Postal Service and union open talks on new contract
TransCanada to seek US approval for $600M Upland Pipeline
Humana facing new federal scrutiny over private Medicare plans
Struggle to desegregate Boston’s schools
Bernie Sanders pushes novel deficit stance
Gazans struggle to build amid blockade
Black History Month Labor Profiles: Bill Lucy
Las Vegas Transit Workers Rally for Unity & Fairness
Nurses Condemn Illinois Governor’s Austerity Budget Attack on Health Care
The Cosmopolitan's new owner, labor union signal strife is over
Graduate Workers Union petition for union recognition dismissed
Labor unions commit to round-clock work on St. Louis stadium
'We have to carry on fighting'; Migrants defiant as reform halted
NJ students refuse to end sit-in protest
Checkout donations: Poor transparency about where the money goes
Montreal cabbies stage protest against UberX
When Americans Lynched Mexicans *
CSX Oil Train Was Not Speeding in West Virginia Crash, Inquiry Finds *
Deadly CRE Germs Linked to Hard-to-Clean Medical Scopes *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 19 News Update

Global Unions Defend Right to Strike


Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in California injures four

Oil Workers Threaten to Expand Strike to Long Beach Port
U.S. refinery strike enters 18th day as talks restart


Small but powerful union is at center of port dispute

Review: Can Labor Save Itself?
Top Ohio Court Takes Away Local Power to Ban Fracking
Maya Angelou Was 1st Black, Female San Francisco Street Car Conductor
USW Marks the 9th Anniversary of the Pasta De Conchos Mine Explosion
Working-Class Wars, and Working-Class Peace Movements
German archdiocese of Cologne reveals $3.8 billion fortune
Studying Logistics
Google warns of US government 'hacking any facility' in the world
Russian punk band Pussy Riot release I Can't Breathe, inspired by Eric Garner
Illinois governor Bruce Rauner: organized labor's public enemy No 1?
Indian workers win $14M in US labor case
NDP will fight 'dangerous, vague, ineffective' anti-terrorism bill, Mulcair says
Company in Bangladesh Agrees to Union Peace *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 18 News Update

Coalition launches effort for $15 minimum wage in Minneapolis

Greeks in fighting mood
Greece to vote on social reforms on bailout talks deadline day
SYRIZA, socialists and the struggles ahead

Derailed CSX train in West Virginia hauled newer-model tank cars
W.Va starts cleanup after oil train derailment
Trains are carrying — and spilling — a record amount of oil
Spilled Oil Keeps Flames Burning After a Train Derailment in West Virginia *

Climate change leads to rapid emergence of infectious diseases
EU on track for green energy goal but UK, Dutch lagging

Mexican Teachers Resist Their Own Brand of ‘Education Reform’
Obama vows to fight immigration ruling
Obamacare rescue ruled out by some states, others weigh options
Broad coalition ramps up pressure for action on transportation
Sutter Roseville Nurses Vote by 96% To Authorize Strike
Black History Month: Ernest Thompson, UE Pioneer in Fighting Racism
United Steelworkers Win NLRB Appeal at Duquesne
Union Retirees Fear Dramatic Pension Cuts Under New Federal Law
'Guantanamo of the East': Ukraine Locks Up Refugees at EU's Behest
The NSA has reportedly found ways to avoid even the strongest security

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 17 News Update

Scientists warn of 'mega-drought' risk in western US
Nations agree draft text for deal to fight climate change
China wind power capacity jumps to record high
Things to know about the federal government's nuke dump
UN climate blueprint agreed in Geneva
Documents reveal extent of stealth fracking in Gulf of Mexico
Delhi Wakes Up to Air Pollution Problem It Can’t Ignore *
India Blocked an Activist From Traveling to Britain *

Oil train derails in West Virginia
Train derailment sends crude oil cars into Kanawha River; explosions erupt


USW leader: U.S. refinery strike could spread over safe staffing

Gov. Scott Walker’s Higher Education Budget Ignites Backlash *
Taps Start to Run Dry in Brazil’s Largest City *
Turks boycott schools, protest to demand secular education
Golan's workers claim win after six-month strike
Waiting for justice and jobs in Boone County, West Virginia
'Threat of War Is Higher than in the Cold War'
States Increasing Taxes for the Poor and Cutting Them for the Affluent *
Obama to Intervene in Dispute at West Coast Ports *
Bills in Washington State Seek to End Use of Coal *
Threatened Smelt Touches Off Battles in California’s Endless Water Wars *
Aid to Needy Often Excludes the Poorest in America *
VW recognizes anti-UAW worker group ACE at Tennessee plant
West Virginia workers rally on statehouse steps
Ottawa drops back-to-work legislation as CP Rail, union end strike
Killing in Washington State Offers ‘Ferguson’ Moment for Hispanics *
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered *

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 16 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

Monday Holiday

We will be observing the union holiday, Presidents Day, Monday, February 16. The next news update will be Tuesday, February 17.

February 13 News Update

Tests planned on mysterious 'milky rain' in U.S. Pacific Northwest
Who pays? Who cuts emissions? 5 issues for UN climate deal
U.N. climate deal set to rely on persuasion, not coercion
Crews work to cleanup oil spill in Oakland Estuary
Today’s drought in the West is nothing compared to what may be coming
Energy-Starved Pakistanis Brace for a Water Crisis *
Study Finds Rising Levels of Plastics in Oceans *
Chemical Blast in Catalonia Spreads Toxic Cloud *


West Coast ports halt weekend work; labor dispute heats up
Shippers plan four-day partial shutdown of West Coast ports
Simmering Labor Fight Brings Crippling Delays to West Coast Ports *


Grand Alliance Formed to Save Postal Service
Danny Glover Solidarity Video

Oil Union Says Shell Talks to Resume in a Week Amid Strike
Senators introduce bill to lift Cuba embargo
Australia's jobless rate jumps to 12-year-high 6.4%
Missouri takes a step toward becoming 'right-to-work' state
Voices from Kaiser Hawai’i Picket Lines
Egypt court orders release of Al Jazeera staff
GE union worker complaints to be heard March 25 in Pittsburgh

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 12 News Update

UN deal to combat global warming complicated as length of draft text balloons
At long last, US Congress to approve Keystone pipeline
Is climate change fuelling war?

The Immediate Demands of the Greek Working Class
'Bankrupt but Free': Greeks support push against EU austerity

Obama's war request ignites debate about scope of ISIL conflict


Union says little progress in U.S. refinery contract talks
Native Americans gather in Montana to protest slaughter of Yellowstone bison
Both sides gear up for fight over Rauner order on union dues
45,000 suicides annually linked to unemployment
Pennsylvania governor proposes new tax on natural gas extraction
Jon Stewart's exit as a phony newsman is a loss to real news
Sisters in arms: Kurdish women in front line against IS
Private Sector Faculty Get Green Light to Unionize
US jails a clearinghouse for poor, ill
UAE: Abuses at NYU, Louvre, Guggenheim Project
Did Jimmy John’s Fire Yet Another Worker for Supporting a Union?
Germany Passed Its First-Ever Minimum Wage Law—And It Covers Interns
CityBus asks riders to lobby legislators
Nurses deliver Valentine message on patient safety
Spain’s Podemos leads electoral pack

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

The Swift Boating of Brian Williams

The Swift Boating of Brian Williams

by Bill Onasch

Just, as a union officer, I defended many workers facing unjust or overly harsh employer discipline over the years at Litton Microwave and the Kansas City ATA , I now rise in defense of Brian Williams.

I should make clear from the outset that my sympathy for a victim of hypocritical character assassination as well as a brutal employer is in no way an endorsement of the mediocre blend of entertainment, feel good tales, weather stories and ruling class propaganda that is marketed by all American owned networks as news. None are in the same league as Aljazeera America, who give a superior imitation of the way the BBC once was. To acknowledge Williams is the best of the domestic lot is faint praise indeed.

Williams is no more responsible for this corruption of journalism than the workers at the Kansas City nuclear weapons plant are to blame for the arms race. He has been very well paid to follow the marching orders of those who shape our knowledge and opinions about world events. Occasionally he has taken some relatively bold initiatives such as interviewing Edward Snowden and doing a live broadcast from Havana. But mostly he has been a loyal company man.

February 11 News Update

Brazil climate change plan backfires, doubling steel emissions
A beginner's guide to speaking 'Climate'
California formally opens large solar plant
Scientists urge global 'wake-up call' to deal with climate change
Using Anti-Apartheid Divestment Strategies to Battle Fossil Fuels *


Seattle council member to headline rally for $15 wage

How growing income inequality is hurting Social Security
U.S. barely cracks top 20 countries when it comes to retirement security

Teamsters give CP Rail 72-hour strike notice
Republican-controlled Congress to vote to repeal NLRB rule
University unions lay it on the line
Over 900 greyhounds have died on racing tracks since 2008
Rescuing abused migrant workers in the UK
Nun held in 'unfair conditions'
Golden payouts spin revolving door
Nurses Condemn Illinois Governor’s Anti-Worker Executive Order
Tube drivers vote to go on strike
Over 200 migrants 'missing in Mediterranean boat tragedy'
Napa earthquake damage highlights tourist destination’s working class
Setback for gay state workers in Kansas
Edison's plans to cut jobs, hire foreign workers is assailed
L.A. workers protest prolonged labor talks
L.A. Unified sides with farmworkers union in dispute with grower
NBC suspends Williams from anchor duties for six months
Jon Stewart to leave ‘The Daily Show’ this year after 16 years at the helm

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 10 News Update

Game-Changing March for Climate' as Californians Rise Up Against Fracking
Plea for 'urgency' at UN climate talks
Climate change affecting Hawaii Island storms
Climate change demands a radical solution
Global warming is causing more extreme storms
A Biofuel Debate: Will Cutting Trees Cut Carbon? *
Climate Is Big Issue for Hispanics, and Personal *

 
Nurses Stand in Solidarity with Steelworkers Amid Safety Concerns  
USW Oil Strike Grows, Sign Petition for Safe Refineries  
USW, Allies in Europe United in Fight for Safety at Oil Refineries
Oil worker union strike grows larger  
Union and Shell to resume talks Tuesday over U.S. refinery pact


CHS Ordered to Pay $2 Million For Ohio RN Fired and Defamed  
Nurse’s Court Win Shows Workers Can Beat Koch Brothers-Style Attacks
 
Postal Workers to begin bargaining, challenge Staples-Office Depot merger

Angry over trade, labor gets union-friendly pitch from Obama
Defiant Greek PM sets up EU clash with bailout rejection, austerity rollback
Chicago Teachers Take On Rahm Democrats
Netflix brings streaming service to Cuba
It’s Time to Vote for the Sorriest Bus Stop in America
Rauner Order: State Workers Don’t Have To Pay Union Dues
West Coast port operations resume, more labor talks scheduled    
The U.S. Immigration Battle Intensifies
History of Lynchings in the South Documents Nearly 4,000 Names *


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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress

February 9 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

February 9 News Update

United Steelworkers widens oil refinery strike
Building unions return to Kentucky refinery despite Steelworkers' Picketlines

How environmental activists turned a pipeline into a climate movement
Tar Sands Pipeline Planned for Dane County Eclipses KXL
Climate change takes its toll on Costa Rica forest

Fracking puts California governor, environmentalists at odds
Greece back on collision course with EU over loan demands
US economy creates 1 million jobs in 3 months
Engineer Helped Passengers Escape Burning Train *
The Shrinking American Labor Union *
West Coast Port Employers to Cut Shifts Amid Labor Dispute
GE Cited for Labor Law Violations
Postal Workers to begin bargaining, challenge Staples-Office Depot merger

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.

We take a closer look at news stories in our companion Week In Review blog, hosted at: KC Labor at WordPress