Missouri legislation could weaken public labor unions

JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri Legislature is sending a bill to Gov. Jay Nixon that would make public employee unions ask their members each year if they want to continue being members.

With the legislative session entering its final days, the legislation doesn’t go as far as some lawmakers had hoped toward restricting labor groups. An effort to make Missouri the latest right-to-work state this session appears to have stalled, and the bill that did pass was amended by Democrats.

But the legislation, which earned final approval at the Capitol on Monday, would require public employee unions to get consent every year from members before deducting fees from their paychecks. Additionally, the bill also would require such unions to get annual written permission from members before using those fees for political purposes.

House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, repeatedly has said he sees the so-called “paycheck protection” legislation as a step toward right-to-work. On Monday, after the bill passed his chamber, Jones tweeted that the House had “moved one step closer to complete worker freedom.”

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeth-crisp/missouri-legislation-could-weaken-public-labor-unions/article_8499e734-cda2-5df3-97a1-d090ed17623d.html

Fast food workers win first battle; area manager removed from store

St. Louis – The campaign by workers who legally struck 30 fast food restaurants last week had its first victory highlighting one of the campaign’s key goals – to win respect for fast food workers as valued employees — when an area manager for Jimmy John’s was removed for publicly humiliating the store’s workers.

The manager’s actions were brought to the public’s attention as a result of the new community campaign supporting fast food workers seeking to win a wage increase, job respect and health care and the right to join a union without fear of retaliation.

In an effort to win a reasonable wage that would give them the ability to support themselves, hundreds of fast food workers across St. Louis walked off the job for two days last week to protest miserable wages, working conditions and unfair treatment. The walkouts came on the heels of similar successful efforts in New York and Chicago, and were followed late in the week by a similar protest in Detroit.

While the two-day strike in St. Louis of national fast food outlets by more than a hundred fast food workers, joined by several thousands supporters, went without incident, the campaign’s first major victory – at Jimmy John’s – occurred when the campaign exposed the fact that the manager routinely humiliates workers by forcing them to degrade themselves publicly by holding up embarrassing signs:

http://labortribune.com/fast-food-workers-win-first-battle-area-manager-removed-from-store/

Company, attorney general agree on plans to fix smelly landfill

Republic Services Inc. will place a plastic cap on its Bridgeton landfill by early September to control foul odors and extinguish an underground fire, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Tuesday.
Capping the landfill is part of an agreement between Koster and Republic filed Monday in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The attorney general sued Republic on March 27, alleging violations of state environmental laws.

Koster said his office would “aggressively” track the company’s compliance.

The work is expected to temporarily worsen the stench from the landfill fire, and Republic has agreed to provide hotels for nearby residents for the next month.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/22c999f8-9a51-569e-b4b2-7ad3e44c524c.html

UMBRELLA TOTE BAG Make your own reusable shopping bag out of a broken umbrella.

I thought I was pretty good at minimizing my use of plastic. I wrap sandwiches in compostable baggies, grind fresh peanut butter into a glass jar, and buy a bunch of stuff in bulk.

Then I decided to follow the advice of blogger Beth Terry of myplasticfreelife.com and collected all my plastic waste (recyclable and not) for a week. It’s one thing to know theoretically that all those random scraps add up, another to watch the pile growing under the kitchen sink and imagine it floating forever in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Achieving a plastic-free life feels like a Sisyphean task. But it cheers me up to hear about how cities from Austin to Mumbai to Mexico City are banning single-use plastic bags—a global trend that will surely make a dent in the mountains of plastic trash overtaking the planet.

With that in mind, I made my own reusable shopping bag out of a broken umbrella. I snipped the fabric loose from the umbrella spine, folded it, cut out two squares, and then sewed them together along the sides and bottom. I made handles with the leftover material.

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201305/repurpose-umbrella-tote-bag/default.aspx

May 15: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day,

Price Chopper Gives Electric Cars Free Charge

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Price Chopper has opened a three-car electric vehicle charging station at its Balltown Road store in the town of Niskayuna, N.Y.

The retailer plans to open four more EV stations in the near future in Latham, Slingerlands, Clifton Park and Wilton.

The General Electric “WattStation," which is free to use, was funded in part with a $46,000 incentive from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/latest-news/price-chopper-gives-electric-cars-free-charge#ixzz2TJPwyvLd

Wal-Mart Files Suit Against UFCW, Others

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores here has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and an affiliated group, charging disorderly conduct in Los Angeles-area protests late last year.

According to the suit, the West Coast actions by the UFCW and the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OURWalmart) triggered demonstrations against the company in other cities. According to the reports, the lawsuit said the two groups engaged in disruptive labor activities, even after Wal-Mart asked them to cease and desist. The suit accuses the groups of trespassing, confronting store managers and blocking customer traffic.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/wal-mart-files-suit-against-ufcw-others#ixzz2TJP5lV62

May 14: National Buttermilk Biscuit Day

Liquor fight pits local distributor against industry giants

When business groups hire dozens of lobbyists to push an issue in the state Capitol, you can ignore the lofty rhetoric and focus on the money and power.

So it is with the fight over Missouri’s liquor laws.

Much of the nation’s wine and liquor industry, led by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, will tell you the fight is about free enterprise, the right of a company to choose its business partners.

On the other side is Major Brands, a St. Louis distributor with 700 employees, which says it’s out to protect Missouri businesses from unfair competition. It’s also fighting for states’ rights, as enshrined in the 21st Amendment.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/david-nicklaus/liquor-fight-pits-local-distributor-against-industry-giants/article_6e8f5bb7-6988-5766-bc44-7fbb279f1d86.html

A Happy Mothers Day To All The Moms

out there!

Thanks For All You Do!