Working Life

    We still need to read the fine print regarding the trade deal that was struck yesterday between the Administration and House Democrats (or, to be more precise, Ways and Means Chair Charlie Rangel). But, I’m always struck by the way in which liberals and even a few progressives (note: there is a difference) still […]

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    Two different explanations are now being offered for the explosion at the Sago Mine in Central Virginia last year, which killed 12 miners. The United Mine Workers are skeptical of the official inquiry–and I think rightly so. Here’s what Cecil Roberts, the union’s president, says: “The report by the Mine Safety and Health Administration […]

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    I can hear the thunder of feet as people rush to Maryland…just kidding. But it is nice to see that the governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley, signed a statewide living wage bill–the first in the nation. From Steve Greenhouse’s piece in The New York Times: Nationwide, 145 cities and counties have enacted living-wage bills, […]

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    Back on my particular hobby horse today on the idiotic description of the issues around trade. And, as usual, The New York Times is the reason. Robin toner has a piece today entitled “For Democrats, New Challenge in Age-Old Rift.” The article is kind of a profile of Rep. Sander Levin, who chairs the […]

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    New info today from The Wall Street Journal on the change in Chinese labor laws, changes that have been bitterly opposed by the business community: China is putting the final touches on its most significant overhaul of workplace regulation in a decade, in an unusual process that has sparked debate on the trade-off between […]

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    Evidence the surge–escalation–is working… Roadside bombs killed eight American soldiers in separate attacks Sunday in Diyala province and Baghdad, and a car bomb claimed 30 more lives in a wholesale food market in a part of the Iraqi capital where sectarian tensions are on the rise. In all, at least 95 Iraqis were killed […]

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    This doesn’t need much comment:     http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1

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    I don’t see how the UAW can avoid a strike at Delphi, without agreeing to massive concessions. As reported today in the Wall Street Journal, the UAW is about to lay down a last offer: The United Auto Workers union is preparing a last-ditch, take-it-or-leave-it offer to Delphi Corp. and its private-equity partners, according […]

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 Yesterday, Human Rights Watch published a pretty damning report on the big bad folks at The Beast–aka Wal-Mart. Not surprisingly, the Bentonville Bullies come off as, well, not just bullies but lawbreakers… “Wal-Mart workers have virtually no chance to organize because they’re up against unfair US labor laws and a giant company that will do […]

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How would you like to make about $200K to help alleviate poverty around the world? Turns out a lot of people like that deal–an astounding fact in today’s New York Times story that Paul Wolfowitz is using to justify his behavior in the on-going ethical controversy at The Bank. And this factoid underscores how poorly […]

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