April 11, 2014

Mon Dieu! No More Work Email At Home For Some French Workers

rench workers already enjoy a 35-hour workweek and at least five weeks of vacation. Now, many of them won't have to check their work email after 6 p.m.

That's because of an agreement signed last week by unions and the consulting and tech industries. Under the deal, about 1 million workers will be required to switch off their work phones outside office hours — 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. The BBC reports that some emailing outside those hours will be allowed, but only in exceptional circumstances.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/10/301418591/mon-dieu-no-more-work-email-at-home-for-some-french-workers?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140410

April 10, 2014

Americans will spend less this Easter

Americans celebrating Easter plan to spend slightly less on food, candy, gifts, apparel and other items compared to last year ($137.46 vs. $145.13), according to the National Retail Federation’s Easter Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.

Those who plan to celebrate (80.3% vs. 83% in 2013) will spend the most on groceries for a family dinner or Sunday brunch out; 85.7% will spend an average of $43.18 on a holiday meal, totaling $5 billion.

Nine in 10 celebrants (89.3%) will stock up on Easter candy, spending $2.2 billion on sweets. Families will also spend on gifts ($2.4 billion), flowers ($1.1 billion) and decorations ($1.1 billion).

Boding well for retailers is warmer weather since Easter falls on a later date than in years past, according to NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/consumer-trends/americans-will-spend-less-easter#ixzz2yTUdBaXN


This will be my Easter spending

April 10, 2014

UPS re-hires 250 drivers who were axed for work stoppage after daylong negotiations with union

After refusing to back down from its decision to terminate 250 drivers, UPS on Wednesday agreed to give them back their jobs. The Atlanta-based company faced criticism for its stance, but then reached an agreement with the union to re-hire the drivers who work from a depot in Maspeth, Queens.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/ups-re-hires-250-queens-drivers-talk-union-article-1.1751467

April 9, 2014

Right-to-Work fails to get 82 votes in Missouri House

http://themissouritimes.com/9506/right-work-fails-get-82-votes-house/

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Today the house failed to get the 82 votes required for final passage of the controversial “Right-to-Work” legislation. The bill was perfected today in the House by a vote of 78-68, lacking a majority of the full house and marking a blow for Right-to-Work proponents.

Speaker Tim Jones has made the issue a top priority during his tenure as speaker. While early approval of bills only requires a majority of members present, the bill will need 82 votes — a majority of the entire chamber — to advance to the Senate where Senate leaders have been remarkably unenthusiastic about its passage.

Proponents, like Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, who sponsors the House language, says the bill merely expands freedom and choice for Missouri workers. Other supporters chided Democrats and RTW opponents for taking a too aggressive stance. Several Democrats repeatedly demanded an end to debate on the floor, repeatedly crying “let’s vote.” Burlison exclaimed on the floor that opponents of his bill were dictating to workers.

“Why are we so afraid to just give people a choice?’ Burlison said on the floor. “Freedom to Work is a necessary issue if we want a competitive advantage with the states around us.”

The ALEC Supported Anti Union, Anti Worker, Anti Middle Class "Right To Work Bill" met a tiny setback today in the Missouri House of Representatives!

April 3, 2014

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill accused General Motors Co. of a potentially criminal cover-up

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill accused General Motors Co. of a potentially criminal cover-up over its defective ignition switches, and fumed at the lack of answers from the carmaker’s new CEO during a second day of hearings Wednesday into why GM waited a decade to recall cars with the deadly flaw.

Members of a Senate subcommittee also said GM should tell owners of the 2.6 million cars being recalled to stop driving them until they are repaired. But CEO Mary Barra gave assurances that the cars, mainly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions, are safe to use while owners wait for the replacement part. Barra she would let her own son get behind the wheel if he took certain precautions.

GM has linked the switch to 13 deaths and dozens of accidents. Others sources, including relatives of some victims, have said they have a higher count of fatalities.

The automaker has said the ignition switch can move from the "run" position to the "accessory" position because of weight on the key chain. That causes the engine to shut off, disabling power steering, power brakes and the front air bags.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/2/gm-recall-congress0.html

April 3, 2014

Retailers Oppose Minimum Wage Hike

“Raising the standard of living for low-skill, low-wage workers is a valid goal. But there is clear evidence that mandated wage hikes undermine the job prospects for less skilled and part-time workers,” so said NRF Senior VP David French, in a letter to the Senate in response to proposed legislation aiming to increase the federal minimum wage by 40 percent.

NRF labeled such legislation an “anti-job tax,” which would lead to higher labor costs for employers and fewer opportunities for young and entry-level workers. NRF further noted that this is the “least opportune moment” to mandate a federal wage increase on employers with small and large businesses alike already confronting workforce challenges associated with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Instead of focusing on “sound-bite politics,” the organization said, NRF urged Congress to focus on advancing long-term economic policies that would provide employers with the certainty they need to make strategic investment decisions and improve hiring opportunities for all workers.

“Policymakers have other tools, such as increasing the earned income tax credit, fixing the tax code, education improvements, immigration reform, transportation funding, and strong trade alliances that will aid in achieving that goal without creating more unemployment,” French wrote. “Finding more opportunities for those trying to start out is a better economic approach than restricting the amount of jobs for those seeking employment.”

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/regulatory-affairs/id41335/retailers-oppose-minimum-wage-hike/

April 2, 2014

First Evidence Of French Colonial Homes Discovered Under Poplar Street Bridge

Archeologists from the Missouri Department of Transportation are ecstatic over a discovery beneath the Poplar Street Bridge in St. Louis. They’ve uncovered the first physical evidence dating to when the French founded St. Louis in 1764.

The findings help confirm written documentation of St. Louis’ earliest European settlers and shed new light on the people who live here.

Michael Meyer is an archeologist with MoDOT and the principal investigator of the department’s work in St. Louis.

“I’ve been working in archeology for approximately 22 years and in that time I’ve done a great number of different archeological sites from Civil War battlefields to colonial plantations, and I feel that this excavation is probably the most significant thing that I have ever personally worked on or seen done,” Meyer said.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/first-evidence-french-colonial-homes-discovered-under-poplar-street-bridge

April 2, 2014

Jimmy Carter signs 1,600 books in one sitting at Powell's

Former President Carter met his adoring, book-buying public in Portland, Ore., on Sunday, the Oregonian reports. The 89-year-old statesman signed 1,600 books in about two hours at Powell's Bookstore.

Carter's new book is "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power," but fans were allowed to buy or bring up to six of his books to sign. Carter has published 28 books in all, 26 since leaving the White House in 1981.

"A Call to Action" grew out of a meeting at the Carter Center in 2013 that included religious leaders and human rights activists. Publisher Simon & Schuster writes, " 'A Call to Action' addresses the suffering inflicted upon women by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare."

Oregon readers waited for hours in a line that snaked through the store in advance of Carter's appearance. The Nobel Prizewinner was preceded by Secret Service agents and dogs trained to sniff bags.


http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-jimmy-carter-signs-1600-books-powells-20140401,0,7807549.story#ixzz2xjvsvFnE

I was privileged to attend a book signing at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library a few years ago and the speed at which the President signed books, boggles the mind.