Unions not welcome in Kid Nation
While it’s true that many parents would like to see their children become a bit more enthusiastic about household chores, they probably wouldn’t want to see them in the kind of world depicted in “Kid Nation,” the new CBS reality TV show. The show debuts Sept. 19.
2007 Labor Day roundup: A sampling of Labor Day events from around the country.
Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Smithfield workers force company to the table
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A thousand workers and activists demanding unionization of Smithfield’s Tar Heel, N.C., plant shook the walls of the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center here Aug. 29 as they massed outside the annual meeting of the company’s shareholders, shouting slogans, chanting and blowing whistles.
Grand theft auto
The “Big Three” U.S. automakers lie, cheat and steal. Something to keep in mind as we watch GM, Ford and Chrysler negotiate with the United Auto Workers union. Let’s take the lies first.
EDITORIAL: How wealth is created
“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” — Abraham Lincoln’s Message to Congress, Dec. 3, 1861.
Autoworkers and national health care
Back in the 1950s, Charles Wilson, then GM’s president, declared, “What’s good for General Motors is good for America.” Reeking with more arrogance than corporate benevolence, the quote certainly doesn’t apply anymore, if it ever did.
N.Y. transit union spurs fight for safety
NEW YORK — In June the New York Legislature passed a measure sponsored by the Transport Workers Union designed to enhance the safety of union members and all workers who toil in proximity to the moving trains in New York City’s subway system.
Casino workers talk union
Talk of union is running high in the world’s largest casino located in southeastern Connecticut. Since opening 15 years ago, Foxwoods, which employs 12,000, has become the biggest private employer in the state.
NYC taxi drivers prepare to strike
NEW YORK — Yellow taxicab drivers here are prepared to strike if the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) continues to refuse to negotiate with them about sweeping changes they are imposing on the city’s 44,000 drivers. The TLC is mandating that all the city’s 13,000 yellow medallion taxicabs be equipped with GPS hardware.
It was murder in the mines, expert charges
Mine safety expert Jack Spadaro charges Crandall Canyon, Utah, mine owner Robert Murray with murder and the Bush administration’s Mine Safety and Health Agency (MSHA) with aiding and abetting.
