Today's Teamster News 01.25.13

<="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-trade-businessbre90n18b-20130124,0,2213156.story">U.S. business urges Obama to pursue new trade negotiating power  Reuters  ...A leading U.S. business group urged President Barack Obama on Thursday to build on trade successes of the past two years by seeking legislation that would allow him to submit trade deals to Congress for straight up-or-down votes without amendments...
<="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/reid-mcconnell-reach-modest-filibuster-deal.php">Senate Leaders Finalize Scaled-Back Filibuster Deal  Talking Points Memo  ...The final details of the deal struck by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), which make only minor changes to the filibuster rules in the Senate, show why leading reformers are so disappointed in the outcome...
<="http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20130124-u.s.-weekly-jobless-claims-drop-to-5-year-low-of-330000.ece">U.S.weekly jobless claims drop to 5-year low of 330,000  AP  ...The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to the lowest level in five years, evidence that employers are cutting fewer jobs and may step up hiring…
<="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/business/global/daily-euro-zone-watch.html?hp&_r=1&">Data Points to Slow Recovery in Euro Zone   New York Times  ...The euro zone economy took a step closer to recovery this month as the rate of decline in the bloc’s private sector eased more than expected, a business survey showed on Thursday...
<="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-24/spanish-jobless-rate-hits-record-after-rajoy-s-first-year.html">Spanish Jobless Rate Hits Record  Bloomberg  ...Spanish unemployment rose to a record in the final quarter of 2012 as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government imposed the deepest budget cuts in the country’s democratic history. The number of jobless approached 6 million people, or 26.02 percent, from 25.01 percent in the previous three months...
<="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gop-senators-seek-constitutional-amendment-on-union-elections/article_b3280a9a-5120-5b40-9c18-25b03e8f4330.html">GOP senators seek constitutional amendment on union elections  Northwest Indiana Times ...Having prevailed last year in putting right-to-work into state law, some Republican senators now want to amend the Indiana Constitution to make it even more difficult for labor unions to organize...On a party-line vote Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate Pensions and Labor Committee approved a proposed constitutional amendment requiring secret ballots be used for any union representation decision...
<="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/279011-virginia-republicans-move-forward-on-plan-to-give-gop-more-electoral-votes">Virginia Republicans move forward on plan to give GOP more electoral votes  The Hill  ...Republicans in the Virginia state Senate are moving forward with a plan that would give the GOP presidential nominee a big boost at winning most of the state's electoral votes even if the Democratic candidate won the statewide vote...
<="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-labor-20130124,0,795664.story">California unions grow, bucking U.S. trend  LA Times  ...The latest snapshot of the U.S. working class shows that unions are in trouble...But California and a few nearby states in the Southwest are showing a vastly different picture - labor's ranks are on an upswing...
<="http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/01/eagle-pilot-chief-we-dont-like-the-republic-airlines-deal-but-we-expected-it.html/">Union leader: We don’t like the Republic Airlines deal, but we expected it  Dallas Morning News  ...Tony Gutierrez, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association unit at American Eagle, criticized American Airlines’ deal to send commuter-airline flying to Republic Airlines. But, the chairman of ALPA’s Eagle master executive council, told ALPA members that the deal like this was expected...
<="http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/new-york-city-school-bus-strike-continues-as-feds-investigate/article_692fef2e-75fc-547f-babc-8dc195bbb54d.html">New York City school bus strike continues as feds investigate Queens Chronicle  ...Washington may soon intervene in the school bus strike that has left parents of about 150,000 New York City school children scrambling for alternative transportation since last week...
<="http://peoplesworld.org/teamsters-forced-to-authorize-bus-driver-strike/">Teamsters forced to authorize bus driver strike  People's World  ...The unyielding bargaining stance of a private school bus company in South Carolina forced two groups of Charleston-area school bus drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 509, into unanimous strike authorization votes...
<="http://northcharleston.patch.com/articles/dept-of-education-authorizes-strikebreaking-bus-drivers">SC Board of Education Authorizes Strikebreaking Bus Drivers  North Charleston Patch  ...The State Board of Education has unanimously authorized an emergency measure to aid in student transportation in two districts with privatized school bus workforces that are threatening to strike. The districts have contracted with private company Durham School Services to provide transportation services. Durham's employees are unionizedunder Teamsters 509 and authorized a strike last week and this week as negotiations with the company stalled...