Krugman - Shock Doctrine

What’s happening in Wisconsin is, instead, a power grab — an attempt to exploit the fiscal crisis to destroy the last major counterweight to the political power of corporations and the wealthy. And the power grab goes beyond union-busting. The bill in question is 144 pages long, and there are some extraordinary things hidden deep inside. Read More Here




Rallies for Labor, in Wisconsin and Beyond
 
In Indiana, Clues Future of Wisconsin Labor

Is the US Pulling the Plug on Iraqi Workers?

Early in the morning of July 21, police stormed the offices of the Iraqi Electrical Utility Workers Union in Basra, the poverty-stricken capital of Iraq's oil-rich south. A shamefaced officer told Hashmeya Muhsin, the first woman to head a national union in Iraq, that they'd come to carry out the orders of Electricity Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to shut the union down. As more police arrived, they took the membership records, the files documenting often-atrocious working conditions, the leaflets for demonstrations protesting Basra's agonizing power outages, the computers and the phones. Finally, Muhsin and her coworkers were pushed out and the doors locked.

Shahristani's order prohibits all trade union activity in the plants operated by the ministry, closes union offices, and seizes control of union assets from bank accounts to furniture. The order says the ministry will determine what rights have been given to union officers, and take them all away. Anyone who protests, it says, will be arrested under Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005.

So ended seven years in which workers in the region's power plants have fought for the right to organize a legal union, to bargain with the electrical ministry, and to stop the contracting-out and privatization schemes that have threatened their jobs.

The Iraqi government, while seemingly paralyzed on many fronts, has unleashed a wave of actions against the country's unions that are intended to take Iraq back to the era when Saddam Hussein prohibited them for most workers, and arrested activists who protested. In just the last few months, the Maliki government has issued arrest warrants for oil union leaders and transferred that union's officers to worksites hundreds of miles from home, prohibited union activity in the oil fields, ports and refineries, forbade unions from collecting dues or opening bank accounts, and even kept leaders from leaving the country to seek support while the government cracks down.

Premier must keep his promise to consult with the public: TILMA 2.0

Premier must keep his promise to consult with the public: TILMA 2.0

Regina – Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall will be breaking his 2007 promise to the people of Saskatchewan not to sign the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) if he puts his signature to a rebranded version of the agreement. It appears that the New West Partnership will be signed with British Columbia (B.C.) and Alberta in the near future, without any public or legislative oversight.

In an open letter sent today to the Premier, over 30 groups and individuals called on the Premier to release the full text of the New West Partnership. These signatories made presentations in 2007 at the legislative hearings on TILMA, arguing that the government should reject the controversial interprovincial trade agreement. Today they called on the Premier to conduct a legislative review and full and transparent public hearings on any proposed New West Partnership.

“In June 2007, when he was leader of the opposition, Brad Wall listened to the overwhelming voices of the people of Saskatchewan and made the right decision in pledging that he wouldn’t sign on to TILMA,” says Larry Hubich, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. “Now less than three years later he appears ready to sign a secret deal that nobody has seen, that appears to be based on TILMA, and he’s hoping the people of Saskatchewan will be fooled by a fresh coat of paint and a new name. I don’t think so.”

In 2007 over 70 organizations and individuals raised concerns about several provisions of TILMA , including those that would lower regulatory standards and that would implement a private tribunal for corporations to challenge provincial rules and standards.

“Saskatchewan was right to reject TILMA then, and it should reject a rebranded TILMA now,” adds Scott Harris, the Prairie Regional Organizer with the Council of Canadians. “Nothing has suddenly changed to make lowest-common-denominator regulations and standards good for Saskatchewan. Nothing has suddenly changed to make giving corporations the right to sue elected governments for millions of dollars for ‘impeding trade’ – decided on by unaccountable dispute panels – suddenly a good idea for Saskatchewan.”
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“Handcuffing the ability of the province, municipalities, school boards and public enterprises to make decisions in the best interest of Saskatchewan flies in the face of democratic principles,” concludes Gary Schoenfeldt, chair of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Trade Committee. “The Premier has an obligation to show the people of Saskatchewan what’s in this new TILMA agreement before he signs anything. Both Brad Wall and Ken Krawetz are on record as saying they would never sign a TILMA agreement without first consulting with Saskatchewan people and we are asking them to keep their promise.”

The groups are asking when the three provinces plan to sign off on the New West Partnership. In his February 9, 2010 Throne Speech, BC Premier Gordon Campbell stated that the “new west partnership with Alberta and Saskatchewan … will build on the success of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement” and on March 30, 2010 BC Liberal MLA Douglas Horne tabled a Notice of Motion saying, “Be it resolved that this House support the creation of the New West Partnership with Alberta and Saskatchewan.”

For more information:

Larry Hubich, President, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour: (306) 537-7330
Gary Schoenfeldt, Chair, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Trade Committee: (306) 537-7091 Scott Harris, Prairies Regional Organizer, Council of Canadians: (780) 233-2528

Download the news release here...

Download the open letter here...

SAHO's 'terrible' final offer

Once the conciliator was in place the unions gave SAHO a fair new offer. SAHO responded six days later with a "final offer" and a statement that they were walking away from the table and from conciliation. Within minutes SAHO held a news conference to begin its taxpayer-funded misinformation campaign.

CEOs off to a good start

By Mark Iype, Canwest News ServiceJanuary 5, 2010

As most Canadians dragged themselves back to work Monday after the lazy holiday season, many were also faced with the reality of high credit card bills and Christmas expenses that were a mere afterthought as they made their way through the packed shopping malls.

But according to a study released Monday, Canada's 100 highest paid CEOs need not worry -- they will have earned Canada's average annual salary of $42,305 by just after lunch on Jan. 4.

"The top 100 CEOs pocket that amount by 1:01 p.m. on Jan. 4 -- the first working day of the year," said economist Hugh Mackenzie, a researcher on a study done by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

After fixing health care, Mr. Obama's next big promise to his social and union supporters was to right the lopsided U.S. labour relations system. Collective bargaining is weaker in America than in any other developed country. Unionization has been battered for decades by sophisticated (often illegal) employer campaigns, so-called right-to-work laws and a Labour Board that stood by while unions were creamed. Mr. Obama's proposed Employee Free Choice Act would arrest, and perhaps modestly reverse, this long decline in collective bargaining. New laws would enhance workers' shots at forming a union, and their chances of getting a first contract once they have one.

“Many of our contractors continue to ask me about our prospects in SK, as they, notwithstanding the current economic slowdown, are in a position to bid on a variety of infrastructure and private sector construction projects that continue to be released. These contractors are very keen to see evidence that they/we can operate legally within the province.

“Any updated information you could provide about the legislative process would be much appreciated.”

zombie doctrine of Reaganism

The Powell Memo and the Teaching Machines of Right-Wing Extremists

"The notion that any action by government is bad, except when it benefits corporations and the rich."

also a good read from Harold

Economists for an Imaginary World

Senator Sanders and Michael Moore

A very small niche of America's uber-wealthy have pulled off what may well be the biggest con job in the history of our republic, and they did it in a startlingly brief 30 or so years. True, they spent over three billion dollars to make it happen, but the reward to them was in the hundreds of billions - and will continue to be.

"the Select Few"

That's how it works. And it works that way because we let it. The game goes on and the insiders keep dealing themselves winning hands. Nothing will change - nothing - until the moneylenders are tossed out of the temple, the ATM's are wrested from the marble halls, and we tear down the sign they've placed on government - the one that reads, "For Sale."

Tradespeople oppose Bill 80 because it will allow contractors, instead of workers, to pick the union with which they want to deal. The employer chooses the so-called union, and chooses the terms of the collective agreement. That is not choice for workers. Worse yet, Bill 80's abandonment provisions will let unionized contractors shed their unions without any input from workers. Again, no choice for workers.

Bill 80 robs workers of choice

Union blasted for supporting Bill 80

Bill 80 Written Submission

The Truth About CLAC

"They Were Coming at us Hard before the Election. Now they are backing off because we have a Union Standing behind us"

Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights

Countries where widespread and grave anti-union practices have unfortunately continued include: Colombia, Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines. Countries such as Honduras and Guatemala should this year be added to this list. In many other countries, where violations are not as outrageous, there is an overall growing tendency to undermine workers’ rights. Interference in trade union activities has been reported in Iraq, Kuwait, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Venezuela, among others. Despite some legislative proposals or measures in some Middle East countries and Gulf States, migrant workers are still denied trade union rights in many countries. In addition to that, companies continued to take advantage of poor legislation and weak implementation to undermine workers' rights.

Worldwide in 2008, at least 76 labour activists were killed as a result of their actions for workers’ rights. Latin America remains the deadliest continent for trade unionists with over 66 murdered in 2008. 49 Colombian trade unionists lost their lives (including 16 union leaders, 4 of whom were women), a 25% increase over 2007. Trade unionists were also killed in Guatemala (9), Honduras (3) and Venezuela (4) among others. In Asia, at least 6 murders were reported (Nepal and the Philippines), as well as 3 in Africa (Nigeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe) and 1 in the Middle East (Iraq).

In countries in every region, trade unions continue to be banned, or their establishment restricted. China still bans independent trade unions. Those attempting to unionise groups of workers or organise protests are often arrested, with some given prison sentences and others condemned to ‘re-education through work’.

Read More HERE

And The CAW is to Blame......

Tired

"Our complaints are legitimate, but the complaints aren't changing anything. And the fat cats get fatter, and they scoff at our complaints like they're only a big fat joke. This is not a new problem. SO what can we do to actually change this stuff. It's time, and people the little people are listening. "

By Michael Brush - April 16, 2009

As millions of people cope with job losses and struggle to make ends meet, there's been only a little belt tightening in the corner offices.

Despite terrible performances that cost lots of jobs and produced huge shareholder losses, hundreds of CEOs pocketed millions in bonus pay last year -- thanks to good friends on company boards.

Consider the Ryland Group (RYL.N) CEO whose bonus went up in 2008 compared with 2007, though more than a third of the homebuilder's employees got the boot. Or the Honeywell International (HON.N) chief who missed the benchmarks for his annual bonus -- and got $3.5 million anyway.

All told: CEOs earn big bonuses for bad year

* Among all the Fortune 1,000 companies, nearly 400 CEOs got bonuses last year, taking home $402 million in annual bonus pay, according to Equilar, an executive compensation research firm. But that's only part of the picture; more bonus pay figures will roll in as additional companies file reports on 2008.

* These privileged CEOs got an additional $66 million in "discretionary" bonus pay. Annual bonuses are linked to some performance target, while boards can hand out discretionary bonuses for whatever reason they choose.

* These bonuses topped off already-large pay packages. CEOs at larger companies earned about $10 million on average last year, according to Equilar.

(CBS) The effects of the current economic crisis have touched everyone. Even if you still have a good job and a paid up mortgage, chances are your monthly 401(k) statement will remind you that you've lost a good chunk of your savings.

Trillions of dollars have evaporated from those accounts that have become the prime source of retirement funds for a majority of American workers, affecting their psyche and their future. If you are still young enough, there's time to rebuild and recover, but if you are in your 50s, 60s or beyond the consequences can be dire, and its drawing attention to the shortcomings of a retirement system that has jeopardized the financial security of tens of millions of people.

Retirement Dreams Disappear With 401(k)s

But some commentators (Richard Wolffe of Newsweek, Chuck Todd of NBC News, etc.) have likened this to "what Republicans tried to do to the Democrats with Michael Moore." Perhaps. But there is one central difference: What I have believed in, and what I have stood for in these past eight years - an end to the war, establishing universal health care, closing Guantanamo and banning torture, making the rich pay more taxes and aggressively going after the corporate chiefs on Wall Street - these are all things which the majority of Americans believe in too. That's why in November the majority voted for the guy I voted for. The majority of Americans rejected the ideology of Rush and embraced the same issues I have raised consistently in my movies and books.

Why I'm Not Now and Have Never Been the Democrats' "Rush Limbaugh"

In the midst of the craziness, conservatives are busy trying to blame this epic economic catastrophe — a conflagration of their own making — on the new president. Forget Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and George Herbert Hoover Bush and the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth and Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich and all the rest. The right-wingers would have you believe this is Obama’s downturn.

Miracles Take Time

Joseph Stiglitz: Nationalized Banks Are "Only Answer"

Friday 06 February 2009 by: Deutsche Welle

Nationalized banks are the "only answer," economist Stiglitz says. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talks about nationalizing banks, the outlook for developing countries, and the need for an international financial regulator.


DW-WORLD: Many experts fear that while things are bad now, we haven't seen the worst of the crisis yet. Do you share the belief that we are facing a long decline that could rival the Great Depression?

Read More on this interview By Deutsche Welle HERE

Art Work From: The Financial Times

President Obama on Wednesday announced a salary cap of $500,000 for top executives at companies that receive large amounts of bailout money.

Obama Calls for ‘Common Sense’ on Executive Pay