July 31 News Update

Judge Fines Greenpeace after Portland Protesters Block Shell Vessel
Californians exceeded mandatory water conservation target in June
Senate energy panel votes to lift oil export ban
Dangerous Heat Warnings and Advisories in 11 States
Slow forest drought recovery may boost climate change: study
Several blazes thrust Northern California into fire season
As salmon vanish in the dry Pacific Northwest, so does Native heritage
Vietnam Floods Kill 17 and Threaten to Pollute Ha Long Bay *

Harley an awkward ride for 'union-busting' Republican Walker
Gold Companies Improve Wage Offer to South African Unions
German unemployment stays at historic 6.4 percent low
GE may ship $10 billion in work overseas as U.S. trade bank languishes
Texas trooper's boss says he had reason to stop Sandra Bland
Organizing Is the Key to Surviving Friedrichs
Trade deal could hike cost of medicines for millions, experts say
Six stabbed at Jerusalem gay pride
US sets new brake rules for trains
Nurses at Las Palmas Medical Center Plan Picket
Hillary Clinton Speaks Favorably About $12 Minimum Wage *
Bailout Money Goes to Greece, Only to Flow Out Again *

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

July 30 Week In Review

Activists rappel off Oregon bridge to stop Shell icebreaker
Keystone pipeline's fate to be decided during Obama's term
$15M settlement in Hawaii molasses spill
'Unusually large' oil slick off California coast spotted near site of May spill
Hillary Clinton's climate change plan 'just plain silly', says leading expert
Keystone XL pipeline bill: Alberta will not lobby U.S.


Menorah Medical Center Nurses Plan Picket
Illinois, public labor union extend no-strike agreement
Supreme Court upholds right-to-work for state workers
Union hires add twist to highly-politicized Quincy Center project
Construction workers refused entry to Columbia conference on city development
Minimum wage workers to get raise Aug. 1
Greek fire sale? Privatization proves more complicated
Cincinnati officer indicted for murder in death of black driver
Bus drivers targeted in El Salvador gang war
UN urges DR to stop Haitian deportations
Guardian US staff vote to unionize
Blame government policies for the economic slowdown
Is the Ugly German Back? Flames of Hate Haunt a Nation
Campaigns, start your engines: Stephen Harper to call election as early as Sunday
Planned Parenthood president: We will not be defeated by extremists
House approves cutting workplace protections for VA workers
As Medicare and Medicaid Turn 50, Use of Private Health Plans Surges *

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

July 29 News Update

Court orders EPA to redo air-pollution limits in 13 states
American accused of killing Zimbabwe's popular Cecil the lion
Apache protest copper mine on holy site
Sources: EPA will ease deadlines on pollution cuts
Later Deadline Expected in Obama’s Climate Plan *


New York Assembly Backs Single Payer

Labor unions ready to fight bankrupt A&P
Union workers again reject Stillwater mining contract
Labor union gives Sanders rousing reception
Penford Union supporters hold peaceful informational picket
Questions Still Swirling Around the Death of Sandra Bland *
U.S. Rejects Petition Seeking Pardon for Edward J. Snowden *

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

July 28 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

July 28 News Update

James Hansen: Sea level disaster ahead, but when?
Half of Columbia River sockeye salmon dying due to hot water
Hillary Clinton's climate change policy pitch: install half a billion solar panels

At Kaiser’s Flagship Los Angeles Hospital,  RNs Vote to Join CNA
Nurses plan events to celebrate Medicare’s 50th anniversary
Community forum Thursday on $15 minimum wage
Why union leaders want L.A. to give them a minimum wage loophole
Steelworkers, Asarco file NLRB charges
A frosty welcome for Greece's hated creditors
White House enlists top US firms in climate fight
NYC grade school principal who committed suicide had forged tests
Obama Calls Ethiopian Government ‘Democratically Elected’ *

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

July 27 News Update

The rapid success of Fight for $15: 'This is a trend that cannot be stopped'
Proposed Raise for Fast-Food Employees Divides Low-Wage Workers *

KapStone talks continue after mill workers reject contract
Judge Finds Overhaul of Chicago Pension Funds Unconstitutional
Chile: 7 in Pinochet’s Military Charged in Death of Protester *
Haggling Over a Deadline for Railroad Safety Measures *
Northern Illinois University workers forming union
Southwest Flight attendants reject labor agreement
Bernie Sanders is in with the enemy, some old allies say
Aging Infrastructure Plagues Nation’s Busiest Rail Corridor *
Candidates Caught in Middle as Words Ring Hollow to Activists *
Hundreds protest police brutality at Newark rally
Damaged Shell icebreaker arrives in Oregon for repairs
France plans extension of green energy tax - source
Cuba marks Castro uprising anniversary with call for US embargo end
Behind a union victory for North Jersey office workers

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

July 24 News Update

Outrage over EPA emissions regulations fades as states find fixes
Pollution isn't colorblind: environmental hazards kill more Black Americans
California anti-fracking protests expand
Western Canada's hot, dry summer of discontent may be just the start
Offshore Wind Farm Raises Hopes of U.S. Clean Energy Backers *


Workers rally for $15 federal minimum wage
Push to Lift Minimum Wage Is Now Serious Business *

Ford, UAW, formally begin labor talks; jobs to Mexico at issue
It Took Direct Action to Make This Boss Pay Seattle’s New Minimum Wage
With Capitulation in Greece, the Front Moves Outward
Actor and Union Activist Theodore Bikel Dies at Age 91
UAW Donates $50,000 in Memory of the Charleston 9
Montgomery County Taxi Drivers Push for Massive Reforms
NNU Statement on Black Lives Matter and the Health Impact of Racial Disparities
Travelling to North Carolina to March for Voting Rights
Brattleboro Co-op Moving on From Unionization Fallout
Screening Aug. 2 of Who Built Our Capitol? video
Labor Chorus to pay tribute to Joe Hill July 28
Sad news: Dr. Donald Rasmussen has died
Anthem to buy Cigna for$54.2 billion to create U.S. health insurance giant
Poll Finds Most in U.S. Hold Dim View of Race Relations *

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

July 23 News Update

UN climate chief: Paris to set 50-year agenda
U.S. says Shell is not yet allowed to drill in Arctic oil zone
Official orca census: 81 whales, including 4 babies


California, New York And Washington, D.C., Make Moves On Minimum Wage
NY board backs fast-food worker pay hike
Congress members introduce $15 wage bill
New York state fast food workers celebrate $15 minimum wage victory
New York Plans $15-an-Hour Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers *

NYC Airport Strike Averted at JFK, LaGuardia
Grocery Chain’s Financial Meltdown Could Leave Thousands of Workers Jobless
Brigitte Bardot slams Australia's plan to kill 2 million feral cats
Can Auto Shed Its Tiers?
Navigating a Bureaucratic Maze to Renew Food Stamp Benefits *

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

July 22 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

July 22 News Update

$15 wage movement makes gains
'This American Life' on Auto Workers: A Hack Job
3 million more US kids in poverty since onset of the Great Recession
Greece's VAT changes spark confusion
Peru: 2 Construction Union Labor Leaders Murdered
Immigrants Help Lead a New Silicon Valley Labor Movement
Unions rally at UI for contract talks
Officer Threatened Sandra Bland With Taser, Police Video Shows *
Republicans Look to Penalize ‘Sanctuary Cities’ That Shield Illegal Immigrants *
Labor and Employers Join in Opposition to a Health Care Tax *

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

July 21 News Update

Main hurdles in UN climate talks
Another month, another global heat record broken _ by far
California proposes historic $1.5M fine for taking water
U.S. veterans: Dismantle the anti-climate, pro-war economy
First Nations: Enbridge pipeline claim is ‘out of touch with reality’
Rare downpour in drought-hit California
Lawn watering banned in Metro Vancouver amid drought


UAW seeks to eliminate two-tier wage system
Unity Hospital workers join SEIU
Good Jobs On the Line in Verizon Rematch
Time Is Political
Labor group disinvites Inslee over Boeing tensions
Canadian election: 1.4m expatriates barred from voting after court ruling
Koch-Funded 'Concerned Veterans for America' Wants to Dismantle VA
Wall Street Should Pay for the Recessions They Cause
Red Teamsters
Alberta food bank surge: sign of country-wide recession?

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

July 20 News Update

Ministers in Paris to boost flagging climate talks
Science confirms: 2014 was the hottest year on record
Alberta pipeline breach causes massive spill
Montana train derailment spills crude oil
BP could get billions in tax breaks on oil spill settlement
Australia's war on wind farms threatens biggest renewable project
Periled by climate change, Marshall Islands makes carbon pledge
Gulf oil wells lingering with temporary seals

Greece: Alternatives and Exiting the Eurozone
Banks to reopen, taxes hiked as Greece prepares to reboot economy
Greece does about-face, pledges big privatization push

In Brazil, modern day slaves are shipped into the Amazon
Coal Miners Struggle to Survive in an Industry Battered by Layoffs and Bankruptcy *
Renewal Projects, Down to the Sidewalks, Highlight Social Divides *
A plan to protect the world—and save WHO
Utility workers agree to tentative labor agreement
Atlantic City Casino Workers Approve Strike at Taj Mahal
Support for Sanders Grows in Unions
Ku Klux Klan and New Black Panther Party Protest at South Carolina Capitol *
Union fight shifts from campaign trail to high court
Residents sue Seattle to block city haulers from snooping into trash
'Ugly scenes' at Australia protests
Memorial dedicated for 1934 Teamsters strike
Will unions change WestJet?
What Donald Trump was up to while John McCain was a POW

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

July 17 News Update

Major greenhouse gases hit record highs in 2014: report
Annual checkup of Earth's climate says we're in hotter water
New climate report says Earth in hotter water
Warming of oceans due to climate change is unstoppable, say US scientists
Russia, U.S. agree fishing ban in Arctic as sea ice melts
U.S. fracking linked to higher hospitalization rates: researchers
Pipeline leak spills 5 million litres from Alberta oilsands
Can Montana’s Smith River Survive a Nearby Mine? *
U.S. Proposes New Rules to Protect Streams From Coal Pollution *


Kansas City Council Raises City's Minimum Wage
What You Need To Know About The Kansas City Council's Minimum Wage Vote
Kansas Citians Say The Minimum Wage Is 'Not Enough'
Kansas City Council votes for minimum wage increase to $13 per hour by 2020
KCMO City Council OK’s minimum wage hike to $13 an hour by 2020

The Euro-Summit `Agreement' on Greece - Annotated by Yanis Varoufakis
No to repression of anti-austerity demonstrators!
Why the European authorities refuse to let Greece recover

Unions seethe over early Clinton endorsement
Oakland's largest city union asking members for strike authorization
Most Women Who Have Abortions Don't Regret Them
Cuba says Kerry to host FM on Monday as ties restored
Budget crisis squeezes state-funded social services
NYC pizza franchise owner pleads guilty in wage theft case
Grocery Workers Find Their Voice
Family questions death of black woman in Texas jail cell
Events Across U.S. July 30 as Medicare Turns 50    
Sick leave changes prompt one public service union to create strike fund
BBC, a Target of Conservatives, Faces a Review of Its Mission *
In Bankruptcy Filings, Maritime Company Says It Settled Labor Case *
Cuomo Task Force to Investigate Worker Exploitation in Many Industries *

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

July 16 News Update

California’s Drought Is Part of a Much Bigger Water Crisis
China begins construction of 'world's tallest' dam

Greek Parliament accepts austerity; protests erupt on Athens' streets
Clashes heat up in Athens
What relief? Greek economy on its knees despite bailout deal
Greece, Its Back to the Wall, Adopts Austerity Steps *


Hundreds march on Minneapolis City Hall for worker rights, higher wages

The Trans-Pacific Partnership — Is It Bad for Your Health?
Space Needle, Unite Here fail to reach new labor contract
Obama intervenes in NJ Transit labor fight
IMF warns that Greece needs more debt relief
British unions outraged as government moves to restrict strikes
Locomotive rear-ends train; 18 cars derail, lube oil spills
Almost a third of California households struggle to pay bills
Labor Dept.: 'Most workers are employees'
Calif. recognizes cheerleaders as employees
Dominican deports thousands back to Haiti
Japan divided over military legislation
'Atom spy' Ethel Rosenberg's conviction in new doubt after testimony released
First A-bomb victims were Americans downwind of test site
Labor Scrutiny for FIFA as a World Cup Rises in the Desert *

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

July 15 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here

July 15 News Update

Fiat Chrysler Union Talks Seen Contentious as Merger Urged
FCA CEO Marchionne aims to eliminate 2-tier UAW wages

Hungarians rally against fence to keep out migrants
VA says it may shut down hospitals to close $2.5B budget gap
Greek PM scrambles to sell austerity to party in revolt, skeptical nation
Walmart sued in same-sex wife bias case
Widespread Understaffing of Nurses Increases Risk to Patients
Indian workers settle labor lawsuits for $20M
Poverty rate for Black children holds steady
NDP quietly seeking advice on setting up federal government after election
Petroleum spill has been contained after Barwick train derailment
No contract talks scheduled to avert possible teachers' strikes in Ontario
3 Leave Jobs Over Psychologists’ Involvement in Terrorism Interrogations *
New York Stock Exchange System Failure Draws Attention to Staff Cuts *

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

July 14 News Update

How Democrats Mixed Oil and Water, Killing Environmental Bill
Natural gas surpasses coal as biggest US electricity source
China says 75 percent of cities failed to meet air standards in June
NASA: More emissions = More megadroughts
No, We are not headed for a little ice age
Health warnings as Edmonton suffers under smoky skies
Alberta faces growing backlog of abandoned oil and gas wells
Puerto Rico Drought Sets Off a Frenzy of Water Collection *
Crown Jewel of Cuba’s Coral Reefs *

UAW president: Contract talks with GM will not be easy
GM, UAW launch bargaining with show of harmony
Timeline of the ‘Handshake’: How Auto Makers and Union Workers Negotiate
UAW contract talks to begin, affecting thousands of KC area workers
G.M. Is First of Big 3 to Open Contract Talks With the U.A.W. *

Greeks 'humiliated' by bailout, cry 'hands off the Acropolis'
Leftist group of Greek MPs may not vote for bailout
New bailout package takes Greece 'from austerity to austerity squared'
Deal on Greek Debt Crisis Exposes Europe’s Deepening Fissures *
Greek Merchants Fear a Way of Life Is Disappearing *
Sympathy for Greeks Inspires Outraged Commentary Tagged #ThisIsACoup *

Iran, world powers strike historic nuclear deal after lengthy talks
Young adults waiting longer to marry
Lac-Mégantic lawsuit: Judge rejects Canadian Pacific challenge
Trial Contesting North Carolina Voting Laws Begins *
‘Citizenfour’ Filmmaker Says U.S. Harassed Her *
Worker advocates launch ballot drive for paid sick days

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

July 13 News Update

Eurozone leaders reach deal on Greek bailout after all-night talks
European Leaders Reach Deal on Greek Debt Crisis *
Relief -- and Much Anger -- in Greece as Tsipras Clinches Deal *
Interview with Greek socialist

The West is so dry even a rainforest is on fire in Washington state
Nuclear Plant Closing Reflects Overhaul of German Energy Production *


What's at stake at the UAW contract talks
From sit-ins to two tiers, UAW family is living history
Fiat worker in Italy talks of job, unions, making Jeeps
Autoworkers set to open labor negotiations


Hormel strike Aug. 1985-June 1986 The two-front labor war in Austin

Kansas City Council moves ahead toward an increase in minimum wage
Yuma Grocery store employees plan work stoppages in labor dispute
Delta Air Lines pilots reject tentative contract
Verizon braces for potential labor strike
N.J. public worker unions sue state to challenge pay freeze
Low-paid British workers brace for more austerity
Canadian Parliament passes anti-union legislation
NAACP votes to end S. Carolina boycott
AT&T can punish employees for wearing ‘prisoner’ T-shirts to work, a court rules
Growth in the ‘Gig’ Economy Fuels Work Force Anxieties *

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

July 10 News Update

Seas could rise 6 meters even if governments curb warming: study
Earth Is Losing Its Bumblebees
BMW puts a 40-ton electric truck on the road
World Bank urges 'substantial' pre-2020 climate funds
We're headed for Titanic-like crash, climate talks hear
Data shows mountaintop removal decline

UAW contract talks: How each side fared since 2011
Blow to UAW: Ford C-Max, Focus production to leave U.S.
UAW, GM to open bargaining July 13, FCA the next day
Ford to Shift Work Abroad

Local union workers protest repair work at YSU
Unions to protest Catholic Health negotiating position
State budget shakes unions, Allows privatization for 3 years at MBTA
Bristol Taking Next Step To Privatize School Cafeterias
FBI head Comey: No deal with Snowden
Ukraine offers huge state firms to foreign investors
Greek hospitals struggle with onerous capital controls
Life After Death for Labor?
Unbridled capitalism is the 'dung of the devil', says Pope Francis
Same-sex marriage victory
Recession fears all too real for Canadians struggling to cope
How Washington helped create Puerto Rico’s staggering debt crisis
Citi Bike Workers in New York Get Union 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

July 9 News Update

Exxon knew of climate change in 1981 – but it funded deniers for 27 more years
Hull damage forces Shell Arctic support ship back to dock
Drought, heat threaten trout and salmon
California city seeks to clean up toxic beach
Climate change 'disaster waiting to happen,' Toronto summit told


Marker commemorating '34 Teamsters strikes to be unveiled July 18
Plaque in North Loop will mark site of Bloody Friday

Freedom Library sponsors conversation with leading scholars
Bread but no roses: Free essentials provide relief to cash-starved Greeks
Inequality underground: Chile to privatize Metro
Miners in Bolivia look to Pope Francis
Transit Union Head Applauds Bernie Sanders
Redwood Memorial RNs Seek Election To Join California Nurses Association
Eastern Maine Medical Center Nurses Reach Pact With Hospital
The victory of the 'no' announces decisive battles against the Troika
Union to donate marker for worker killed almost 30 years ago
South Africa Gold Wage Talks Deadlock as Union Plans Dispute
Union workers, not subcontractors, must do Pa. Turnpike mowing, court rules
Private equity cheats pensions at workers’ expense

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