Postal workers union files complaint to NLRB after data breach

Postal workers are taking their frustrations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after a U.S. Postal Service data breach exposed 800,000 employees’ information.

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU), which filed the complaint, says the Postal Service didn’t work with them to address the issue during the two months between the breach's discovery and the Post Office’s public announcement on Monday.

“I received a phone call Sunday night from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe about the incident, but it was just a ‘courtesy call,’ not a discussion with the APWU about how to deal with the problem and its negative consequences to the workforce,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.

The complaint protests the Postal Service’s “failure to bargain over the impact of the security breach.”

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/223759-postal-union-complains-to-nlrb-after-data-breach

Teamsters step up union drive at FedEx Freight, Con-way

After years of failed efforts, the Teamsters union has won a toehold in the trucking units of FedEx and Con-way and is targeting more facilities at both, potentially threatening what analysts see as a core competitive advantage for the companies.

The push by the Teamsters comes as a shortage of experienced drivers in the trucking industry is prompting companies to hike pay and offer improved working conditions.

The International Brotherhood Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million workers and is one of North America’s most powerful unions, has long tried to unionize workers at FedEx Corp and last month won votes to have union representation at two local FedEx Freight facilities out of three holding secret ballots.

Five ballots are scheduled at FedEx Freight facilities this month, with the next due on Nov. 12 in Newark, New Jersey.

http://www.ajot.com/news/teamsters-step-up-union-drive-at-fedex-freight-con-way

Trib: Toxic Swaps to Cost Schools $126.5 million

Fresh from the world of high-stakes trading, David Vitale arrived at Chicago Public Schools a decade ago with a plan to transform the way it borrowed money.

With the district thirsty for cheap cash, plain old municipal bonds weren't good enough anymore, and banks were standing by with attractive new options.

So Vitale, then chief administrative officer at CPS, and other officials pushed forward with an extraordinary gamble. From 2003 through 2007, the district issued $1 billion worth of auction-rate securities, nearly all of it paired with complex derivative contracts called interest-rate swaps, in a bid to lower borrowing costs.

No other school district in the country came close to CPS in relying so heavily on this exotic financial product. In fact, market data show the district issued more auction-rate bonds than most cities, more than the state of California.


http://www.ctunet.com/blog/tribune-toxic-swaps-cost-schools-126-5-million

Most States Will Now Have A Higher Minimum Wage Than The One Set By Congress

WASHINGTON -- Americans want to raise the minimum wage, and they're done waiting around for Congress to do it for them.

On Tuesday night, voters in four states -- Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota -- passed binding ballot measures that will hike their minimum wages. None of those red-leaning states is exactly a hotbed of socialism. And yet their voters have soundly rejected the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour as insufficient for workers.

As it turns out, most other states have now done the same.

The federal minimum wage set by Congress prevails in any state that doesn't mandate a higher one. Until this year, a majority of states had declined either through legislation or the ballot box to set a minimum wage above $7.25.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/05/minimum-wage-by-state_n_6110204.html

32BJ Statement On Rescued Window Washers

New York, NY—“We are happy and relieved that our members Juan Lizama and Juan Lopez are safe and will be going home to their families tonight. We thank the FDNY and everyone who was involved in their rescue. The safety of our members is of paramount importance for our union. That is why we make sure that a rigorous safety protocol is followed on the job and that workers are offered the training they need to be safe every day and in the event of an accident,” said 32BJ President Héctor Figueroa.

32BJ SEIU represents 70,000 building service workers including about 600 window cleaners in New York City.

http://www.seiu32bj.org/press-releases/32bj-statement-on-rescued-window-washers/

Here’s Your Union-Made in America Thanksgiving Shopping List

Before you put together your Thanksgiving dinner shopping list, check our list of union-made in America food and other items that are essential to a traditional family Thanksgiving feast. Speaking of thanks, a big “thank you” to the Union Label and Service Trades Department (ULSTD), Union Plus and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor's resource site, Labor 411, for compiling their extensive catalogs of union-made products.

Here are some of the best union-made Thanksgiving eats and cookware from the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM); Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers (GMP); Machinists (IAM); United Steelworkers (USW); and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Other-News/Here-s-Your-Union-Made-in-America-Thanksgiving-Shopping-List

November 13

November 12

November 11

Is payment transformation on the way?

Apple has recently unveiled Apple Pay to great fanfare, which allows customers to pay using their iPhone. A rival payment system is under development called CurrentC, which is being created by a consortium of large retailers. Without placing any bets, it’s clear that there will be significant activity around the “digital wallet,” allowing customers to speed up their payment options. Self-checkouts have been around for years and Kroger is working on some cool technology that could rapidly speed the scanning process.

But, what about avoiding the checkout altogether? With nearly two-thirds of customers now using some sort of smartphone, we are not far away from what might be both a customer and retailer dream — the ability to check out in aisle without ever waiting in a checkout line. Customers get to bypass the wait and retailers can save on their largest single labor expense —the front end.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/technology/payment-transformation-way#ixzz3IeePDfUW