The economic crisis
News Analysis The new disclosures of corporate corruption and the instability in the stock market are having an economic impact on the overall economy. The question is: will it trigger a major decline across the full length of the economy?
Rainbow/PUSH sets Sept. 13 march on D.C.
CHICAGO – The Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking at the 36th annual conference of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, announced the beginning of a new inter-generational Civil Rights Movement with its first major action a march on the Justice Department in Washington September 13.
Gephardt announces immigration bill
MIAMI – House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt announced a new initiative that would grant legal status to millions of undocumented workers in the United States. Gephardt made the announcement before a crowd of 3,000 people attending the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) being held here.
You get what you pay for
The power of money, both in campaign contributions and in lobbying, made itself felt on two issues in the last few weeks as Congress “debated” providing prescription drugs under Medicare and putting some restraints on the use of stock options to mask their bottom line. In both instances success is measured more in terms of what Congress didn’t do than what it did do.
Enron hearing exposes big banks
Corporate corruption that has made headlines since Enron’s collapse took on a new dimension last week when the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) found that two of the nation’s largest banks were involved in accounting schemes that allowed Enron to list loans as business income in its balance sheet.
AFL-CIO to Wall Street: No more business as usual
Call for Bush-Cheney probe George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney faced sharp new questions about their role in Enron-style corporate fraud as the stock market continued to plummet and WorldCom went belly-up July 22, the largest corporate bankruptcy in history.
Youth gear up for 2002 elections
Commentary All across the country youth are gearing up for the November elections. They are forming broad-based coalitions on campuses and working with community, religious and labor organizations to register students and young workers to vote.
Supreme Court backs OSHA scofflaw employers
A recent Supreme Court decision has given employers a free hand in excluding workers who may have a preexisting health condition. In this case the preexisting health condition would be one which might become worse given the chemicals that the employing company may be exposing workers to.
Janitors win with picket
ST. LOUIS – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 50 recently won another victory against Mitch Murch Maintenance Management (4M), a member of the Contract Cleaners Association (CCA). Local 50 has been in contract negotiations with CCA, an association of eight cleaning companies, since November 2001, and has targeted 4M because they are one of the largest janitorial employers in St. Louis. Local 50 represents 3,000
Laundry workers demand justice from BBJ
CHICAGO – “What’s disgusting? Union Busting! What’s outrageous? Sweatshop wages!” chanted 100 BBJ Linen workers and their supporters. The protesters were picketing at the main gate of the Lincoln Park Zoo July 12, while wealthy patrons in their finest sheepishly slipped from stretch limousines to attend the Annual Gala Ball.
