August 30, 2014

More than 60 Prairie Farms employees laid off in Hazelwood

(KMOV.com) – More than 60 Prairie Farms employees in Hazelwood lost their jobs Friday.

Officials say production is being transferred from the Hazelwood facility to facilities in Jefferson City and Carlinville, Illinois because of costs. Employees will receive a severance package.

The Hazelwood facility will now be used as a distribution center.

http://www.kmov.com/news/business/Over-60-Prairie-Farms-employees-laid-off-in-Hazelwood-273216741.html

August 30, 2014

Grocery stores in St. Louis still in talks with union after strike authorization

The Greater St. Louis Food Employers Council said Thursday it will resume negotiations next week with union workers after they rejected a contract proposal and voted to authorize a strike.

The council includes the area's largest grocers, Schnucks, Dierbergs and Shop 'n Save.

Lori Willis, a spokeswoman for the group, said members of Local 88 of the United Food and Commercial Workers voted earlier this week against a contract offered to replace one that expired in March. The union represents some 3,000 area workers, many in meat, deli and seafood counters found in grocery stores.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/grocery-stores-in-st-louis-still-in-talks-with-union/article_457b95d8-25fb-5a9a-b5a3-1c4df2687013.html

August 30, 2014

Do it yourself: The $20 lighting kit

http://www.popphoto.com/news/2010/08/do-it-yourself-20-lighting-kit?src=related&con=outbrain&obref=obinsite

So you want be a Photographer, but your budget is tight? You
got to hit us up. We’ll show you
how to make the most out of $20 lights.

One of the biggest challenges both aspiring professional
photographers and amateurs alike face is the steep price of photo gear.

Found this on my FB newsfeed and while many here are well beyond this level, thought it might be useful to some.

August 28, 2014

Unions Can Lead the Struggle for Single-Payer Health Care

Despite passage of the 2010 health care reform bill, employers continue to push for cuts in benefits and to shift costs to workers in higher monthly payments, co-pays, and deductibles.

Wage increases are always trumped by this costly health care monster. Some employers, in anticipation of the $2,000 annual fine for not offering health insurance, are threatening to drop coverage and instead pay the cheaper fine.

Many companies are dropping benefits for spouses, retirees, and part-timers. Current law does not stop them. Multiemployer plans are disadvantaged by the preferable treatment available to the plans of non-union employers. The 2018 excise tax will cap the ability to bargain better health benefits. Insurance companies continue to decide what doctors and hospitals workers can use.

http://my.firedoglake.com/kaytillow/2014/08/18/unions-can-lead-the-struggle-for-single-payer-health-care/

August 27, 2014

New Keurig designed not to work with private label pods

http://supermarketnews.com/beverage/new-keurig-designed-not-work-private-label-pods

Kroger, Meijer, Ahold and H-E-B are among the chains that will begin merchandising the new Keurig 2.0 hot beverage brewing system this week, according to a Keurig spokesperson.

The system is different from earlier iterations of Keurig brewers in that it can brew a single cup or a four-cup carafe of coffee.

The brewing system was designed to take back some of the single-serve coffee business that was lost to private-label marketers when patents on Keurig technology expired two years ago. The machine leverages anti-counterfeit technology to ensure that it's only compatible with official K-Cups, according to a CNN blog post.

Well, this should make the morning coffee thing a bit more "interesting".

August 27, 2014

UFCW, Food 4 Less reach tentative agreement

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union employed by Food 4 Less will vote Sept. 2 on whether to accept a contract offer that was finalized early Tuesday.

The union said it will recommend the members approve the three-year agreement, which offers raises throughout the term of the agreement and leaves the employer contribution to the health and welfare fund unchanged.

The previous contract, covering approximately 6,000 employees at 100 Southern California Food 4 Less stores, expired in June.

According to Bryan Kaltenbach, president of Food 4 Less, “We are pleased to reach an agreement that is good for our associates, who will continue to have a solid and competitive compensation package.”




http://supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/ufcw-food-4-less-reach-tentative-agreement

August 27, 2014

Beer: Taste Test How To Drink Responsibly

No one needs an excuse to drink good beer, but here's one anyhow: 2014 is the best year ever to find ecofriendly ales. Virtually nonexistent 20 years ago, green beer is now being cranked out by brewers of all sizes, from micro to mega.

"When I opened in 1996, I was barely able to find organic malt," says Ron Silberstein, who started San Francisco's ThirstyBear Brewing Co. and sits on the Good Food Awards Beer Committee. "But as more people use organic products, it has become easier to brew sustainably."

Microbreweries like ThirstyBear often have a drastically smaller carbon footprint than their giant competitors. On average, a locally brewed pint is 300 percent kinder to the planet than a bottle of beer that has traveled far. Microbrews make up just 7.8 percent of beers by volume, but the number of small breweries grew by 18 percent last year.

To even be considered for a Good Food Award, beer makers must recycle water, source locally, and not use genetically modified ingredients. To win, they have to be tasty, too.

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-5-september-october/taste-test/how-drink-responsibly?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

August 26, 2014

Supreme Court may consolidate Lake right-to-work cases

INDIANAPOLIS | Attorney General Greg Zoeller's appeals of two Lake County judicial rulings finding the state's right-to-work law unconstitutional appear likely to be consolidated before the cases are heard by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The Republican filed paperwork with the high court Monday concurring with a request by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, that its case — set for oral argument Sept. 4 — be combined with the recent United Steelworkers decision.

"The state agrees that these two appeals present the same constitutional issue and that principles of judicial economy therefore favor consolidation," Zoeller said.

However, Zoeller insisted his support for consolidation depends on the Supreme Court postponing the effects of Lake Circuit Judge George Paras' July 17 order, in the United Steelworkers case, declaring the labor law "null and void in its entirety" and barring the state from enforcing it.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/supreme-court-may-consolidate-lake-right-to-work-cases/article_9ee3a732-05d4-5132-9bee-35ff15cd9b06.html

August 26, 2014

NLRB rules against Jimmy John's franchisee

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that a Twin Cities Jimmy John’s franchisee violated the union organizing rights of six employees by firing them for publicly protesting the company’s lack of sick leave.

The decision late last week by the NLRB upholds an April 2012 ruling by a federal administrative law judge, and also calls for the six workers allied with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to be reinstated and given back pay.

http://www.startribune.com/business/272613241.html

August 23, 2014

St. Louis County officer suspended over video, Glendale officer suspended for Facebook comments

Two St. Louis-area police officers have been suspended by their departments, as the unrest in Ferguson keeps intense scrutiny on the personal conduct of law enforcement officials.

A St. Louis County officer who had been assigned to the streets of Ferguson has been suspended after a Youtube video of him making incendiary comments surfaced.

A Glendale officer was also suspended Friday after comments he posted to Facebook.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said officer Dan Page, a 35-year veteran of the department, has been suspended pending a review by the internal affairs unit. The video was brought to Belmar’s attention by CNN reporter Don Lemon, who had previously brought Page to the department’s attention after complaining Page shoved him.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-officer-suspended-over-video-glendale-officer-suspended/article_44544bee-b353-5f86-aeb2-d13238a9fdc2.html