Workers / Union Rights

GOP governor infects national food supply while threatening the lives of his citizens. John Iadarola and Brett Erlich break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.propublica.org/article/what-happened-when-health-officials-wanted-to-close-a-meatpacking-plant-but-the-governor-said-no "On Tuesday, March 31, an emergency room doctor at the main hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska, sent an urgent email to the regional health department: “Numerous patients” from the JBS beef packing plant had tested positive for COVID-19. The plant, he feared, was becoming a coronavirus “hot spot.” The town’s medical clinics were also reporting a rapid increase in cases among JBS workers. The next day, Dr. Rebecca Steinke, a family medicine doctor at one of the clinics, wrote to the department’s director: “Our message is really that JBS should shut down for 2 weeks and have a solid screening plan before re-opening.” Teresa Anderson, the regional health director, immediately drafted a letter to the governor. But during a conference call that Sunday, Gov. Pete Ricketts made it clear that the plant, which produces nearly 1 billion pounds of beef a year and is the town’s largest employer, would not be shut down." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksMay 8

Trump threatens workers scared for their safety. John Iadarola and Jayar Jackson break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/495050-states-telling-workers-theyll-lose-unemployment-benefits-if-they-refuse "Some states that are reopening parts of their economies have warned employees that they'll lose their unemployment benefits if they refuse to go back to work for their employers, even if they're worried about contracting the coronavirus. "If you're an employer and you offer to bring your employee back to work and they decide not to, that's a voluntary quit," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said Friday. "Therefore, they would not be eligible for the unemployment money." Reynolds also said employers who have workers that refuse to return should file a report with Iowa Workforce Development. On Monday, the governor announced that she was loosening social distancing restrictions in 77 of Iowa's 99 counties, effective May 1." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksApril 29

The GOP steals rights from thousands of voters. How did this happen? John Iadarola and Jayar Jackson break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/6/21211378/supreme-court-coronavirus-voting-rights-disenfranchise-rnc-dnc "The Supreme Court’s Republican majority, in a case that is literally titled Republican National Committee v. Democratic National Committee, handed down a decision that will effectively disenfranchise tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters. It did so at the urging of the GOP. The case arises out of Wisconsin’s decision to hold its spring election during the coronavirus pandemic, even as nearly a dozen other states have chosen to postpone similar elections to protect the safety of voters. Democrats hoped to defend a lower court order that allowed absentee ballots to be counted so long as they arrived at the designated polling place by April 13, an extension granted by a judge to account for the brewing coronavirus-sparked chaos on Election Day, April 7. Republicans successfully asked the Court to require these ballots to be postmarked by April 7. All five of the Court’s Republicans voted for the Republican Party’s position. All four of the Court’s Democrats voted for the Democratic Party’s position." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksApril 7

The US unemployment numbers skyrocket again. How bad is it? John Iadarola and Ryan Grim break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/2/21203850/unemployment-initial-claims-march-28 "The US Department of Labor registered more than 6.6 million initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending March 28, according to data newly reported on Thursday morning. That easily surpasses the previous record, set in last Thursday’s release, which in turn shattered all previous records for initial unemployment filings. And there’s little reason to believe that next week’s report will be any better, with several large states including Georgia and Florida only now moving to adopt the kind of shutdown policies that began on the West Coast earlier in March. To the best of our knowledge (the official unemployment numbers for March won’t come out until Friday, and they won’t properly account for the layoffs in the final week of the month), this is not yet the highest level of actual unemployment in recent history, with the Great Recession and the brief but intense recession of the early 1980s both seeing double-digit unemployment rates. But the high unemployment of those recessions reflected the accretion of months of job losses. This time around, the American job market was, as recently as the second week of March, totally fine. (The unemployment rate in February was 3.5 percent.) And then it began to unravel at a shocking pace, with huge swaths of the retail, food service, hospitality, and transportation industries shutting down." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksApril 2

Amazon fires an employee scared for his life amidst COVID-19. John Iadarola and Jayar Jackson break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/31/21202075/new-york-city-amazon-coronavirus-fired-worker-protest-quarantine-bill-de-blasio-chris-smalls "New York City’s Commission on Human Rights will launch an investigation into Amazon for firing a worker who organized a protest this week over fears of a coronavirus outbreak at the Staten Island warehouse where he worked. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the investigation on Tuesday. The former employee in question, Chris Smalls, recently organized a walkout of about 50 people at a fulfillment center in Staten Island to protest the company’s decision to keep the facility open despite allegations that several associates have been infected with Covid-19. Smalls and other employees demanded that Amazon shut down the facility for a minimum of two weeks and provide workers with better health protections from the coronavirus. Amazon said it fired Smalls for showing up to work after being in contact with a colleague who was diagnosed with Covid-19 and being asked to stay at home. But Smalls alleged to Recode that Amazon fired him because of his activism. “The allegation is, because he spoke up for the safety of his fellow workers, he was fired. I have ordered the city’s Commission on Human Rights to investigate Amazon immediately to determine if that’s true,” said de Blasio at a press conference on Tuesday. “If so, that would be a violation of our city human rights law. We would act on it immediately.”" #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksApril 1

Will the 2020 Presidential Election be postponed due to COVID-19? John Iadarola and Jayar Jackson break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/03/nancy-pelosi-just-released-her-own-coronavirus-bill-it-is-much-bigger-than-trumps/ "House Democrats released their own stimulus plan for coronavirus tonight. It’s bigger and different than the one Mitch McConnell has had voted down twice already. The Democratic bill was apparently leaked early today and has been, according to Politico, “circulating on K street.” (What hasn’t?) But is it good, this bill, or is not good? I don’t know. But here is a one page summary" #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksMarch 24

GOP could lose this major California district in the 2020 election. John Iadarola and James Ellars break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Learn more about James Ellars’ campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDlMqlKDLq4 Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://jamesellars.com/about-james/#page-content "I am running for Congress in the 8th District in Ca. I was born in Victorville, raised in Hesperia and I currently live in Apple Valley. I have spent a lot of time with family and friends up and down Hwy 395 as well as the High Desert. I am a candidate from the community, for the community. I decided to run for Congress because we need a representative that will work for the community. We do not need another outsider that will be absent most of the time. I know the problems we face and I will work for the people every day." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksFebruary 25

Public school teacher & city attorney challenges the Homeland Security chairman for his congressional seat. John Iadarola and Mike Siegel break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Support Mike Siegel’s campaign here: https://siegelfortexas.org/donate/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://siegelfortexas.org/about/ "Mike Siegel is a civil rights lawyer and former public school teacher running for Congress in the Texas 10th. He has served the people for 20 years, first as an educator to ensure equal opportunity for his students, and then as an advocate, fighting for the rights of his clients. Mike began his career in 1999, joining the Americorps national civil service program and teaching 3rd grade as a Teach for America corps member. He taught in the classroom for five years, and founded two nonprofit education agencies that, nearly 20 years later, continue to provide free after-school and summer programs to hundreds of children and youth. After attending law school, Mike worked as a plaintiff-side employment lawyer, representing women who suffered discrimination in the workplace and whistleblowers who suffered retaliation. Most recently, he served as an Austin city attorney, where he represented the city in lawsuits against the State of Texas on behalf of immigrant families, firefighters, low-income renters, and constituents in support of common sense gun regulations. As an educator Mike worked to fulfill the promise of the American Dream: the idea that everyone, no matter what family you were born into, no matter your wealth or status, has the opportunity to live a safe, prosperous and fulfilling life. And as a lawyer, he’s been an advocate for folks without a voice, fighting against unjust laws and holding employers accountable when they mistreat their workers." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksFebruary 20

Gamer, veteran, & blue-collar worker Joshua Cameron uses his skills in the progressive fight for UT-1. John Iadarola and Joshua Cameron break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.joshuaforchange.com/about/ "I am a local Utahn, born and raised. I have worked within several different industries such as: Fast food OTR Trucking Oil Field Logging U.S. Army - Combat Medic Tech Support Customer Service Factory/Manufacturing Pediatric Medical Research I have lived in the shoes of many. I understand the policy threats to our working-class way of life. I am tired of the working-class winding up with the dog's dinner while the top 1% have made 21 trillion, the same as our national debt, since 1989, while our wages have stagnated since 1978." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksFebruary 19

The shutdown, which entered its 134th day Monday, is now the longest ever imposed in a democracy, according to Access Now, an international advocacy group that tracks Internet suspensions. Only authoritarian regimes such as China and Myanmar have cut off the Internet for longer. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir-is-now-the-longest-ever-in-a-democracy/2019/12/15/bb0693ea-1dfc-11ea-977a-15a6710ed6da_story.html "India imposed the shutdown on Aug. 5, when authorities revoked Kashmir’s autonomy and statehood, snapped all communications and detained the region’s mainstream politicians. Landlines and calls on some mobile phones were subsequently restored, but the Internet remains blocked — a move Indian authorities say is necessary to maintain security in the restive territory claimed by both India and Pakistan. The 7 million people in the Kashmir Valley were abruptly returned to a pre-Internet era. They are unable to operate online businesses or read this article. In early December, they began disappearing from WhatsApp because accounts are automatically deleted after 120 days of inactivity. Journalists rely on a government-run center with just 10 computers to file their stories. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce estimates $1.4 billion in losses already. “The original idea that was asserted by the government for shutting down communications was to prohibit unrest, but that really cannot be the argument after four months,” said David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression. He called the blockage “draconian” and “worse than collective punishment.” #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TheYoungTurksDecember 19

Are four-day workweeks coming to the United States? September 6

Ben Shapiro blames poor people for taking low paying jobs. August 15

For someone that doesn’t like undocumented immigrants, Trump sure hires a lot of them.August 9

Amazon Fires Hundreds Over "Performance" April 25

Trump's tax cuts gave the average worker just one extra cent. John Iadarola and Brett Erlich break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/04/workers-got-a-one-cent-bonus-thanks-to-trumps-tax-cuts "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was primarily about saving corporations billions, but, of course, Donald Trump and the G.O.P couldn’t sell the legislation on the slogan “Google needs more money.“ Instead, they claimed that the bill was really about the middle class, whose lives (and bank accounts) would inevitably be improved when these magnanimous companies shared the wealth not only with top executives and shareholders, but with average workers. More than a year after the passage of the historically unpopular law, the White House continues to embrace this trickle-down fantasy, declaring in a “fact sheet” released yesterday titled “American Workers Are Thriving Thanks To President Donald J. Trump’s Middle Class Tax Cuts” that the T.C.J.A. has resulted in “big bonuses.” And by big, they mean, on average, a penny. According to the Economic Policy Institute’s Larry Mishel, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employer Costs for Employee Compensation shows that “bonuses actually fell $0.22 between December 2017 and December 2018 and the average bonus for 2018 was just $0.01 higher than in 2017.” While a number of companies made ring-kissing announcements after the bill was signed into law claiming it had allowed them to dispense modest one-time bonuses, a number of these had reportedly been in the works long before the legislation was passed. What’s more, as Mishel notes, the trend toward giving out bonuses rather than raises “started taking off four years ago,” and hasn’t exactly been great for employees, considering they’re not permanent." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TYTNetworkApril 19

Jeff Bezos doesn't deserve credit for this. John Iadarola and Brett Erlich break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/26/tech/jeff-bezos-philanthropy-trnd/index.html "New York (CNN Business) Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos donated more money to charity last year than anyone else in the world, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The Amazon CEO and his soon-to-be-ex wife donated $2 billion to boost nonprofits that help homeless families. The donations were made under their "Bezos Day One Fund," which started in September 2018. The couple announced their divorce last month but said they remain "partners in ventures and projects." The top 50 donors on The Chronicle of Philanthropy list donated roughly 50% less than last year. Overall donations from the world's 50 top donors dropped from $14.7 billion in 2017 to $7.8 billion in 2018." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TYTNetworkMarch 1

Wilbur Ross doesn't get why furloughed government workers don't get loans. John Iadarola and Brooke Thomas break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: http://time.com/5511994/wilbur-ross-food-banks/ "As the partial government shutdown nears its 34th day, federal employees who are furloughed or working without pay are turning to food banks, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says he doesn’t “really quite understand why.” During an interview with CNBC, Roll Call reports, the investment banker said he was aware that federal workers were turning to shelters and other aid as the threat of missing another paycheck looms, but he suggested that they should instead rely on measures like stopgap loans from credit unions. “I know they are, and I don’t really quite understand why,” Ross said of employees visiting food banks. “Because, as I mentioned before, the obligations that they would undertake, say borrowing from a bank or a credit union, are in effect federally guaranteed.” #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TYTNetworkJanuary 24

Teachers in Los Angeles have agreed to a deal, but now Denver teachers appear ready to take to the picket line. John Iadarola and Jayar Jackson break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/us/los-angeles-teachers-strike-day-6/index.html "(CNN) The six-day Los Angeles teachers' strike ended Tuesday after teachers and staff members threw their support behind a new agreement reached hours earlier, according to a preliminary vote tally. The vote by members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union enables teachers to return to work on Wednesday, ending a battle that left 600,000 students in limbo. Preliminary numbers from the vote show that "a vast super majority" voted yes, ending the strike, UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl told reporters late Tuesday. He said the counting of the ballots will continue on Wednesday. "It's a historic day today in Los Angeles," he said." #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TYTNetworkJanuary 23

How is the government shutdown affecting air traffic controllers across the country? John Iadarola and Los Angeles air traffic controller and union Vice President Martin Ramirez break it down on The Damage Report. Follow The Damage Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDamageReportTYT/ Help build the Home of the Progressives http://tyt.com/JOIN Subscribe to The Damage Report YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow The Damage Report on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport Read more here: #TheDamageReport #JohnIadarola #TYTNetworkJanuary 23

Here's what US cities offered Amazon to host HQ2November 14

Will Amazon's new headquarters really help these cities? John Iadarola and Francesca Fiorentini discuss Amazon's new HQ locations.November 13

Teachers union cuts ties with private prisons August 13

SCOTUS makes aggressive anti-union rulingJune 27

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Workers / Union Rights