Steve Cooper Posts

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s anti-union rhetoric and resolve will be tested in the leadup to June 30th, the date that a contract with 38,000 state employees expires and a statewide strike or lockout could ensue. Contentious negotiations between the Rauner administration and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have come to a near standstill, but the governor does not seem to mind. He intends to make good on his campaign promise to “accept a strike or lockout if that’s what it took to win concessions from state workers on their contract.” Democratic leaders and union representatives continue to attempt to negotiate, but Rauner is poised for a final showdown.

A federal judge in California has approved a settlement between Lowe’s Home Centers and a class of its home improvement contractors who claimed they were misclassified as independent contractors. The maximum settlement amount in Shepard v. Lowe’s HIW is $6,500,000, depending on the number of contractors who file claims.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to announce that it will be lifting restrictions on Mexican trucking firms who want to operate throughout the United States. Despite the passage of NAFTA in 1994, which theoretically should have allowed Mexican trucking companies to engage long haul operations in the U.S., restrictions have remained. In 2011, a pilot program (FMSCA) began to phase out the existing restrictions.

Ahead of this year’s election, a confidential slideshow from the Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) was unearthed by In These Times writer Spencer Woodman. Its contents show the deep-rooted influence the organization has in many business sectors over a staggering number of workers. How many workers? Nearly 25 million.

The SunZia Transmission Line project, which will help generate wind and solar energy for western states, will move forward after negotiations and compromise from high ranking officials. Hurdles remain — such as an environmental impact analysis — but the project could be in service as early as 2018. The news is welcome for workers. A new study predicts the project will create a total of 43,000 construction jobs.

A video has surfaced of Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner promising members of the Tazewell County GOP that he will shut down the state government and conduct a mass firing of public workers if elected. The comments came during a dinner held by the organization.

As part of her book tour, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answered questions on Facebook during which she suggested she opposes the controversial Citizens United decision that injected unprecedented money into politics. Even with a 2016 winner’s support, the movement to re-amend the constitution and reverse Citizens United would be an uphill battle.

This is not a joke. The governor of Maine met with a group deemed "demostic terrorists" by the FBI. Twice.

Documents made public concerning the second John Doe Investigation of Scott Walker show that prosecutors believe the Wisconsin Governor was “at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups to help his campaign and those of Republican state senators facing recall elections during 2011 and 2012.” The documents lay out what prosecutors have labeled an “extensive criminal scheme” involving Walker, his campaign, and two political operatives. Together, the parties allegedly conspired to break Wisconsin election laws by raising money through 12 conservative groups.

The Associated Builders and Contractors – a staunchly anti-union group – has inadvertently set a new precedent. A court ruled that their end-run around a ballot measure was unconstitutional, and now it's on the books that only people – not corporations or associations – can submit those measures.

The fate of collective bargaining for 1,300 union employees in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, lies in the hands of the city council after two of its members introduced legislation that would make drastic changes to the current system. Mayor Tom Henry has promised to veto the ordinances if they reach his desk but the council could override that veto with six votes. The current makeup of the council is six Republicans and three Democrats, meaning Republicans could have their way unless there is intra-party opposition.

Last Monday, workers at an Atlanta-area Staples fulfillment center seeking to organize with the Teamsters union showed up to work wearing union buttons as a sign of solidarity. By the end of the week, they were being forced to attend a mandatory captive-audience meeting in which they were read the company’s anti-union script. The meeting was secretly recorded and has now made it to the Internet.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., Department of Labor head Thomas Perez labeled America’s lack of a workforce investment policy a “sleeper issue.” Just days after the Obama Administration announced $100 million in federal grants that would ostensibly create innovative programs to cultivate a new generation of ready-to-work Americans, Perez says the U.S. is getting "our butts kicked."

An investigative report from Nashville’s News 5 shows that Governor Bill Haslam tied the fate of $300 million in promised tax incentives to the outcome of the United Auto Workers (UAW) organizing effort at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga. The report also revealed that Sen. Bob Corker had direct email conversations with anti-union organizers which he shared with members of the Haslam Administration.

Three Democratic lawmakers have requested to meet with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss why the Department of Justice views mortgage fraud as a low-priority according to a new Inspector General report. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Maxine Waters and Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Holder on Monday questioning the lack of interest in this economic tragedy despite the FBI being awarded nearly $200 million to ramp up its efforts in investigating mortgage fraud cases.

Addressing a crowd already energized from powerful speeches by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, surprise speaker Bill Clinton made clear his position on job-creation and economic growth at the Building and Construction Trades Department National Conference on Monday: “Investment, not financial transactions.”

In a stunning (and encouraging) turn for the labor community Wednesday morning, Volkswagen’s top labor representative suggested the company may head to more unionized pastures for its next U.S. plant construction, rather than build in the South following the defeat of a European style “works council” at the Chattanooga plant.

JP Morgan got off easy. They're paying a measly $5 a head for the billions in damages their fraud caused. Compare that to the $2 million plus per person the victims of Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky.

On Tuesday, Massachusetts State Rep. Marty Walsh emerged from a crowded Democratic primary field in the Boston Mayoral race with a victory. He earned 18 percent of the vote.

A D.C.-based non-profit group has released thousands of e-mails that link former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s education reform foundation, Chiefs for Change, to corporations and education officials who are attempting to help state legislators write laws that will directly benefit their organizations financially.