Paycheck deception bill advances in Missouri, House (x-post from Labor Group)

Jefferson City – Continuing the assault on workers in the Missouri General Assembly, the House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Committee on April 10 referred Senate Bill 29 (SB29), a reckless paycheck deception measure, to the House Rules Committee. From there, it is a short procedural step before the bill reaches the full House.

Sponsored by Sen. Dan Brown (R-Rolla), SB29 – deceptively called “paycheck protection” – would require public-employee unions and teachers groups obtain annual written permission from their members before any dues could be automatically be deducted from their paychecks. The bill specifically exempts unions representing police and firefighters.

“It’s a horrible bill,” said Mike Louis, secretary treasure of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “It’s the most discriminatory kind of anti-labor bill there is. It absolutely discriminates against public-sector employees. It takes away rights that they’ve negotiated into an agreement with the stroke of a pen.”

http://labortribune.com/paycheck-deception-bill-advances-in-house/

The Missouri AFL-CIO has also set up a hotline that union members and other Missouri residents can call to hear a short message and be connected to their representative to voice their concerns. The number is 888-907-9711.

I urge all Missouri Workers, Union Members, Progressives, Democrats and people with common sense to call their State Reps urging them to oppose this anti worker bill.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11172593

Shopping on Amazon Could Soon Get Pricier as Sales-Tax Bill Advances

Amazon rode into the ranks of the world’s biggest retailers on the back of its low, low prices. But it’s more likely than ever that those prices will rise for most Americans as the Senate prepares to vote on a nationwide internet sales tax bill.

Senators voted 74-20 late yesterday to let debate proceed on the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act, a measure that would require all online retailers with $1 million or more in annual out-of-state sales to collect sales taxes on behalf of every state where they sell. A final vote is expected shortly.

Currently only states in which online retailers have a physical presence can force those companies to collect sales tax. Otherwise, the burden falls to the customer to pay the required state sales tax on their online purchases, typically when they file their state income tax returns. Hardly anyone does, which has allowed Amazon, among others, to enjoy a huge price advantage over brick-and-mortar competitors.

Some states have pushed back against Amazon in particular, claiming that its vast network of affiliate sellers qualifies as having a physical presence. Large states such as California and New York have used that ambiguity as leverage to force Amazon to start collecting sales tax. Amazon today collects sales tax in nine states that together represent a little more than one-third of the U.S. population.

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/04/online-sales-tax-advances/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29

April 24, 1704, The Boston News-Letter, becomes 1st continuously published newspaper in N. America

First published on April 24, 1704, The Boston News-Letter is regarded as the first continuously published newspaper in British North America. It was heavily subsidized by the British government, with a limited circulation. The colonies’ first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, which published its first and only issue on September 25, 1690. In 1718, the Weekly Jamaica Courant followed in Kingston. In 1726 the Boston Gazette began publishing with Bartholomew Green Jr. as printer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boston_News-Letter

Crystal City Subway fires Natl. Guard soldier after missing work for military duties

(KMOV) – A distraught mother came to News 4 after her 20-year-old daughter was fired after missing work for training duties with the Missouri National Guard.

Morgan Johnson was sworn in to the Missouri National Guard on April 18 and told her boss at the Crystal City Subway she would miss work to train with her unit that next weekend.

She was fired the following Monday even though a federal law protects her from losing her job over military service.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Crystal-City-Subway-fires-Natl-Guard-soldier-after-missing-work-for-military-duties-204378381.html

China to build second, larger carrier: report

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will build a second, larger aircraft carrier capable of carrying more fighter jets, the official Xinhua news service reported late Tuesday, quoting a senior officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

The report comes after Chinese officials denied foreign media reports in September 2012 that China was building a second carrier in Shanghai.

"China will have more than one aircraft carrier ... The next aircraft carrier we need will be larger and carry more fighters," Xinhua quoted Song Xue, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy, as saying at a ceremony with foreign military attaches.

Song said foreign media reports saying the carrier was being built in Shanghai were still inaccurate but did not elaborate, according to the report.

http://news.yahoo.com/china-build-second-larger-carrier-report-001805082.html

April 24: National Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day

Paycheck deception bill advances in Missouri, House

Jefferson City – Continuing the assault on workers in the Missouri General Assembly, the House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Committee on April 10 referred Senate Bill 29 (SB29), a reckless paycheck deception measure, to the House Rules Committee. From there, it is a short procedural step before the bill reaches the full House.

Sponsored by Sen. Dan Brown (R-Rolla), SB29 – deceptively called “paycheck protection” – would require public-employee unions and teachers groups obtain annual written permission from their members before any dues could be automatically be deducted from their paychecks. The bill specifically exempts unions representing police and firefighters.

“It’s a horrible bill,” said Mike Louis, secretary treasure of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “It’s the most discriminatory kind of anti-labor bill there is. It absolutely discriminates against public-sector employees. It takes away rights that they’ve negotiated into an agreement with the stroke of a pen.”

http://labortribune.com/paycheck-deception-bill-advances-in-house/

The Missouri AFL-CIO has also set up a hotline that union members and other Missouri residents can call to hear a short message and be connected to their representative to voice their concerns. The number is 888-907-9711.

I urge all Missouri Workers, Union Members, Progressives, Democrats and people with common sense to call their State Reps urging them to oppose this anti worker bill.

April 23, 1635 – The first public school in the United States, is founded in Boston, MA

The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States.[2][3][4][5] The Public Latin School was a bastion for educating the sons of the Boston elite, resulting in the school claiming many prominent Bostonians as alumni. Its curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin-school movement, which holds the classics to be the basis of an educated mind. Four years of Latin are mandatory for all pupils who enter the school in 7th grade, three years for those who enter in 9th. In 2007 the school was named one of the top twenty high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[6][7] As of 2012, the school is listed under the gold medal list, ranking 62 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States (21,776 public high school from 48 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed) by U.S. News & World Report.[8] The school was named a 2011 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the U.S. Department of Education's highest award.[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Latin_School

April 23, 1940 1940 – The Rhythm Night Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198

The Rhythm Club fire aka The Natchez Dance Hall Holocaust was a fire in Natchez, Mississippi, United States on the night of April 23, 1940 that killed 209 people and severely injured many others.[1][2] Hundreds of people became trapped inside the one-story steel-clad wooden building. The victims were mostly African Americans.

The dance hall, which was once a church and converted blacksmith shop, was located in a one-story frame building at 1 St. Catherine Street, blocks from the city's business district. At the time, this was the second most deadly building fire in the history of the nation. It is now ranked as the fourth deadliest assembly and club fire in U.S. history.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_Night_Club_fire

April 23: National Cherry Cheesecake Day