|
UFCW
Weekender
Following is a
brief roundup of important articles and information from the
past week:
- House Dems to vote on children's
health plan
According to a recent article from the
Associated Press, House Democrats plan to give President-elect
Barack Obama an early victory on health care, specifically
children's health care, next week. Leaders say they are
scheduling a vote on renewing a politically popular health
insurance program for children. Unless Congress acts, federal
funding for the program expires March 31.
-
House
approves bill to fight wage
discrimination
Energized by the prospects of a pro-labor
president, House Democrats marked the first week of the new
Congress Friday by pushing through two bills to help workers,
particularly women, who are victims of pay
discrimination.
- Have
anti-worker smear ads flopped?
A new study finds that 73% of Americans support
Employee Free Choice. "Just as Karl Rove-style tactics didn't
work against Barack Obama's campaign," writes Art Levine of
The Huffington Post, "union supporters see promising
signs that the spate of negative TV and print ads from corporate
front groups attacking the Employee Free Choice Act appear to be
failing to sway the public."
You can also help set
the record straight on Employee Free Choice. See sample letters
to the editor or download a poster to put in your breakroom at
www.ufcwforfreechoice.org.
-
Final Tally for 2008: 2.6 Million Jobs
Lost
Another month, another grim employment report from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest report, which provides
employment data for December 2008, shows that in that month
another 524,000 workers lost their jobs. That makes 1.9 million
jobs lost just in the last 4 months of 2008, and 2.6 million
jobs lost in total for the year.
-
To
cut costs, Supervalu will close 50
stores
The Idaho Statesman reports
that Albertson's parent company, Supervalu, will close 50 stores
this year to cut costs. The nation's
third largest grocery retailer notched a $2.9 billion loss in
its third quarter, which ended Nov. 29. The Minnesota company
has faced increasing competitive pressure from discounters like
Wal-Mart and slower sales because of changing consumer
behavior.
This Week's Video
Batgirl vs.
The Chamber of Commerce
Holy Discontent! Turns out
Batgirl wants Equal Pay for Equal Work. Click to watch
the video.
|
