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

February 6 News Update

UN climate chief tempers expectations on Paris deal
Dominican Republic prepares for climate change adaptation
US Navy Sailors Search for Justice after Fukushima Mission

Safety Is Life-or-Death, Say Refinery Strikers
Shell refinery workers picket in Texas amid negotiations

Athens slams euro bankers' 'blackmail'
No more orders or austerity from Europe, Greek PM says

West Coast port employers: Shutdown could be 5 days away
Electrified rail pierced New York train in crash, official says
China in talks to sell high-speed trains to US: officials
Oil crashes after four-day rally; U.S. inventory renews glut worry
Monsanto Crops Pushing Monarch Butterfly to 'Verge of Extinction'
Tensions high in South Dakota after alleged assault on Lakota students
Black History Month Labor Profiles: Bayard Rustin
Federal employees are seeking better pay and benefits from Congress
Venezuela Files Charges Accusing Pharmacy Executives of Economic Sabotage *

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 5 News Update

Tony Mazzocchi’s Spirit Haunts Big Oil Again
Fourth day of U.S. refineries strike ends with new offer


More than 1 million Minnesotans lack paid sick time
Campaign for paid sick leave and safe time kicks off in Duluth

Despite Recalls, G.M. Pays Workers Big Bonus *
Ford Raises Pay for 500 Workers as Demand Grows for F-150 Pickup *

London buses hit by 24-hour strike
Governor of Illinois Takes Aim at Labor *
Wisconsin Gov. Walker proposes drug testing, university cut
Venezuela begins occupation of private supermarket chain
A Harrowing Account of Working on the Docks
Galapagos emergency over stranded ship
Hollande, Merkel to visit Kiev, Moscow in push for Ukraine peace
Protesters in Peru shut down oil wells
Jobs, transit on the agenda as Canada's big city mayors meet
Barges Sit for Hours Behind Locks That May Take Decades to Replace *
Tennessee: Health Care Extension for Poor Is Rejected in Senate *

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 4 News Update

Wave of strikes hits U.S. oil refineries
For striking U.S. refinery workers, Shell shows a new face
Green Groups Back Oil Worker Strike
USW Oil Workers Strike After Shell Leaves Talks
IndustriALL Global Union in Solidarity with USW Oil Workers

'Missing Oil' from 2010 BP Spill Found on Gulf Seafloor
Pace of German solar panel additions slows in 2014
World has not woken up to water crisis caused by climate change
Final US Congress vote next week on Keystone pipeline
Oil's price plunge could raise Keystone carbon footprint -EPA
Nurses Rally at EPA Hearing, Champion Public Health
EPA: Keystone XL could increase emissions

'No doubt' US will provide arms: Ukraine president
New Cold War: US, Russia fight over Europe's energy future
Ukraine run by 'miserable' Jews: rebel chief
Merkel: Germany won't give weapons to Ukraine, favors talks
UN human rights chief warns of 'dangerous escalation' in Ukraine

Obama proposes to boost spending for nuclear armaments
Millions of middle class will remain uninsured despite Obamacare
Obama's tax cuts target parents, families with 2 incomes
Who's grabbing more of the federal budget pie
Trumka: Obama Budget Falls Short on Corporate Tax Reform, Infrastructure
Furloughs again loom for some federal employees

Crash Kills 7 in Worst Accident in History of Metro-North *
Metro-North Crash Brings New Trouble Amid String of Setbacks *


Union files labor charges at Taj Mahal; Revel in turmoil
Staff at London's National Gallery begin five-day strike
Space Needle Told To Stop Unfair Labor Practices, Rehire Workers
Cuba publishes photos of Fidel Castro to quiet rumors of poor health
US factory orders fall for fifth straight month
University workers to hold summit on Friday
Freedom Library sponsors Black History Month series
Harper Lee to publish sequel to famed novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
Senate Democrats derail Republican plan linking DHS funding to immigration
Grad gap between rich and poor widening
Why ship sails without ousted Convention Center workers
Group Appeals Mandatory Union Fees to Supreme Court
Unions can aid adjunct professors
The dark side of Winston Churchill’s legacy no one should forget
On Tour, Greek Leaders Wear No Ties and Aim for Looser Belts *

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 3 News Update

Labor Network for Sustainability Calls for Support for Oil Strikers
US oil workers strike over pay and safety
USW Calls for Work Stoppage at Nine Oil Refineries, Plants
U.S. Oil Workers Stage Largest National Strike Since 1980
Oil refinery worker's strike impacts Bay Area refinery

Seizing the Opportunity to Fight Austerity
Greece needs an exit option

University of Chicago Nurses Vote To Authorize a Strike
Pharma, healthcare’s 8-ton gorilla, comes under increasing scrutiny
Jail Infirmary Workers Raise Alarm on Unsafe Staffing
Al Jazeera's Peter Greste calls for colleagues' release
Venezuela officials barred from entering US
FCC Chairman Moving Forward with Real Net Neutrality Protections
Informal Labor Activism Picks Up Union Slack in NC
In factory and in the street, Labor is learning again there is power in a union
Trove of papers reveal a Rosa Parks who did much more than sit down
OSHA Cites Ashley Furniture Over Dozens of Safety Violations *

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 2 News Update

Workers strike for new pact at nine U.S. oil, chemical plants
Union asks refinery workers to strike after talks break down
Oil Workers in U.S. on First Large-Scale Strike Since 1980
Oil workers on strike in Houston and across U.S.
Union workers at Shell Deer Park site go on strike


Lessons from the Greek elections
Could Tsipras' Win Upset Balance of Power in Europe?
Greece on European charm offensive in search of debt relief
France offers support for Greece amid bailout tensions

Poll: Republican global warming views shift
Climate change is lifting Iceland – and it could mean more volcanic eruptions

Servers, Not Servants
A Call to Raise Tipped Workers’ Wages in New York *

Thousands March in Spain to Support Left-Wing Party *
Huge Madrid march as support surges for anti-austerity party

Bangladesh: Factory Fire Kills at Least 13 People in the Capital *
First coal-mining death of 2015 reported
MSP flight attendants didn’t stop fighting
Economy grows, incomes shrink
Panel reveals glitch behind Canada dam spill
The Myth of Humane Killing
Benedict Cumberbatch: broaden Turing’s pardon to other gay men
Once-modest tuition rates soar at public universities
Unarmed Springfield man had hands up when shot by police
With Oil Revenue Dropping, Mexico Announces Budget Cuts *
Chevron to Abandon Shale Natural Gas Venture in Poland *
Pilots Union Approves Contract With Airline *
Community fears DuPont could shirk toxic cleanup
Who counts as 'homeless'? It depends on how you ask
Chile's Bachelet sends abortion bill to Congress 
Dan River recovering after coal ash spill as fines weighed
Saudi beheads murderer, 5th execution under new king
A look at the plight of undocumented Central American migrants
The liberal attack on Naomi Klein and ‘This Changes Everything’
Egypt deports jailed Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste
Gallery show protests 43 missing students
CP Rail encourages office workers to learn how to drive trains
Piling On Work to Escape Gap in Health Law *

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 1 Week In Review Now Online

You can view the new WIR here