Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Closer to Home

Denver DNC Heats Up!

100 protesters taken to temporary center

CodePINK marches for peace - peacefully

Lawsuit possible in wake of mass arrest

Only 2 arrests, but one stirs a tempest- Denver Post

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Veteran's GI Benefits Restored

After months of work the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office will once again be participating in the Veterans OJT (On the Job Training) Program.

The program will now be available to BOTH Detention and Licensed Deputies and will be offered to all Veterans during their orientation at the jail.

The program may (they're checking) be available to current Veterans who are still on probation retroactive from the official start date of the program which should be in the near future.

THE HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE WILL NOW BE THE ONLY SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN MINNESOTA PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM!

Other departments participating are the Minneapolis PD and St. Paul PD.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Gatineau Wal-Mart goes union as UFCW Canada wins first contract

Gatineau Wal-Mart goes union as UFCW Canada wins first contract

15/08/2008Download this Media Release (PDF 1881k)
GATINEAU, QC - August 15,2008 - UFCW Canada members at a Wal-Mart location in Gatineau, Quebec have made history by becoming the only Wal-Mart workers in North America to have a union contract, after a Quebec arbitrator imposed a collective agreement on Friday.

The contract raises average wages of the Gatineau Wal-Mart members by more than 30%. Improved vacation provisions are also part of the three-year agreement. The terms of the collective agreement are effective immediately.

"Wal-Mart should now act as a good Canadian corporate citizen," said UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley," and live up to the terms of the contract."

The UFCW Canada Local 486 bargaining unit at the Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Express was certified in 2005. The collective agreement was the result of binding arbitration, following almost three years of legal delays and stalled negotiations with the company.

"We believe the arbitrator did a good job and that it is a fair contract, in line with similar workplaces in Quebec," said Hanley.

"It shows that even after three years, workers at Wal-Mart, like all Canadian workers, can exercise their Freedom of Association rights and get a decent collective agreement."

Two more Wal-Mart collective agreements are expected in Quebec before the end of the year, when binding arbitration is complete for bargaining units at a Wal-Mart in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.

Source: UFCW Canada

Bustin' a move on a Mounty