>

May 18th, 2013
thesmithian
…many who would…support more regulations and enforcement in the face of a foreign terrorist threat would suddenly scoff at more regulations and enforcement in the face of unsafe workplaces. Why the double standard? That’s the troubling question raised by the reaction—or, really, lack thereof —to last month’s catastrophic explosion in West, Texas…Texas promotes an “antipathy toward regulations” as “the only state that does not require companies to contribute to workers’ compensation coverage” and a place where many counties “cite the lack of local fire codes as a reason for companies to move there.” more.

…many who would…support more regulations and enforcement in the face of a foreign terrorist threat would suddenly scoff at more regulations and enforcement in the face of unsafe workplaces. Why the double standard? That’s the troubling question raised by the reaction—or, really, lack thereof —to last month’s catastrophic explosion in West, Texas…Texas promotes an “antipathy toward regulations” as “the only state that does not require companies to contribute to workers’ compensation coverage” and a place where many counties “cite the lack of local fire codes as a reason for companies to move there.”

more.

9 notes
texas disasters politics states work labor worker's compensation terrorism long reads
May 17th, 2013
thesmithian

‘There is still no evidence that the White House manipulated the public discussion of the [Benghazi] attacks for preëlection political gain, or that anyone deliberately lied by portraying what happened as a spontaneous outgrowth of demonstrations going on in the Arab world at the time when they knew it was a planned terrorist attack…’

…And there is certainly no evidence of the…most outlandish conspiracy theory about Benghazi: that the Administration left Americans to die because they were worried that responding to the incident with the force needed to beat back the assault would undermine President Obama’s counterterrorism record. Instead, what is in those e-mails documents the ways in which things in Washington are affected not by the big names—Obama, Clinton, Petraeus—but by the people who work for them, and the manner in which those staffers jostle with each other to protect their turf and their bosses. There is also a reminder that this “Administration” thing we think of as a single, unified entity is in fact a collection of people competing with each other.

more.

12 notes
the white house politics benghazi obama administration united states president obama barack obama obama terrorism counterterrorism email washington dc Hillary R. Clinton david petraeus work labor
May 16th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Amazon employees in Germany have staged their first ever strikes, in a dispute over pay and benefits…Employees at two huge distribution warehouses…launched the one-day strike…Germany is a vital territory for Amazon. It is the retailer’s biggest market in Europe, with sales last year reaching more than €6.5bn. more.

Amazon employees in Germany have staged their first ever strikes, in a dispute over pay and benefits…Employees at two huge distribution warehouses…launched the one-day strike…Germany is a vital territory for Amazon. It is the retailer’s biggest market in Europe, with sales last year reaching more than €6.5bn.

more.

11 notes
germany europe work labor unions jobs wages amazon
May 15th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom …delivery workers are among the most vulnerable to wage theft. They often use their own cars, bikes or cellphones, but are sometimes not adequately reimbursed. They are also vulnerable to being robbed or injured at work and to being paid less than the minimum wage. more.

…delivery workers are among the most vulnerable to wage theft. They often use their own cars, bikes or cellphones, but are sometimes not adequately reimbursed. They are also vulnerable to being robbed or injured at work and to being paid less than the minimum wage.

more.

36 notes
work jobs labor delivery cars bicycles mobile wages
May 12th, 2013
thesmithian
'Here’s a way to attract companies and create jobs. Eliminate as many regulations as possible. The fewer the regulations, the happier are the corporations. Let’s call it the Texas way. But if it’s that easy, why hasn’t every State done it? It’s because the majority of citizens in most other States know that many if not all regulations enacted by the national government, States, and local communities are to protect workers, consumers, and whole communities. And, as West, Texas, recently proved, there are prices to be paid when regulations are eliminated. Fourteen people, twelve of them emergency responders, died at its unregulated fertilizer plant. Property damage and workplace fatalities from such explosions and fires in Texas have exceeded those of all the other 49 States combined for the past five years.'
16 notes
texas states federal government labor workers disasters politics
May 9th, 2013
thesmithian
'...there’s no poster in the pantry, and probably not where you work either, informing employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. That’s the law that gives workers the right to join together to seek better pay and working conditions, with or without a union. Under the N.L.R.A., it is illegal for an employer to punish organizers for trying to form a union. It is also illegal for unions to coerce employees to support a union. In unionized workplaces, the law requires employers and unions to bargain in good faith. So, why no poster? As it turns out, employees have rights under the N.L.R.A., but no right to be informed of those rights.'
14 notes
work labor jobs n.l.r.a. national labor relations act unions organized labor
May 7th, 2013
thesmithian

‘…think what America would look like without its mostly Southern states…’

…Universal health care. No guns. Strong unions. A humane minimum wage. A humane immigration policy. High revenues from a fair tax structure. A massive public-works program. Legal gay marriage. A ban on carbon emissions. Electric cars. Stronger workplace protections. Extended family leave from work in case of pregnancy or illness. Longer unemployment benefits. In short, a society on a par with most of the rest of the industrialized world—a place whose politics have finally caught up with its social and economic realities.

…a sundering of the union would make the other half of America equally fulfilled. The red-state republic could…establish a theocracy in which the fundamentalist Christian church would legislate all the important aspects of civic life…It could, taking the lead from the pioneering Kansas legislature, abolish the income tax, raising revenue from, for example, a “pay to work” program. It could ban abortion in all instances, including rape and incest, and use the growing population of orphans to establish an impressive standing army.

more.

60 notes
long reads the south united states health care unions work labor taxes lgbtq marriage families jobs economics religion fundamentalist christianity kansas abortion rape politics
May 7th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Kaiser shipyards, Richmond, California. Miss Eastine Cowner, a former waitress, is helping in her job as a scaler to construct the Liberty Ship SS George Washington Carver launched on May 7, 1943. From the series: Negro Activities in Industry, Government, and the Armed Forces from the Records of the Office of War Information. [look of the hour]

Kaiser shipyards, Richmond, California. Miss Eastine Cowner, a former waitress, is helping in her job as a scaler to construct the Liberty Ship SS George Washington Carver launched on May 7, 1943.

From the series: Negro Activities in Industry, Government, and the Armed Forces from the Records of the Office of War Information.

[look of the hour]

Reblogged from Today's Document
162 notes
look of the hour richmond california jobs labor george washington carver race history military Armed Forces eastine cowner
May 5th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom sosoulfull: Naps are neccesary (via skrippapeauxs) [look of the hour]

sosoulfull:

Naps are neccesary (via skrippapeauxs)

[look of the hour]

Reblogged from The Daily Life & Times of Soulfull
728 notes
strippers dance work labor
April 30th, 2013
thesmithian
In the early 20th century many African-Americans found steady…jobs in urban Post Offices, but little room for advancement. Despite discriminatory employment practices, the Post Office Department was a rare avenue of opportunity…postal jobs were coveted positions that helped lead to the emergence of a black middle class.  more.

In the early 20th century many African-Americans found steady…jobs in urban Post Offices, but little room for advancement. Despite discriminatory employment practices, the Post Office Department was a rare avenue of opportunity…postal jobs were coveted positions that helped lead to the emergence of a black middle class. 

more.

36 notes
work labor history usps race cities middle class
April 24th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Hundreds of Chicago fast food workers walked off the job early this morning at restaurants like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, with workers at…chains like Macy’s and Sears joining them…more than 500 workers are expected to participate in the strike, calling for higher wages and the right to organize unions in low-wage jobs that are increasingly dominating the American economy. more. and more.

Hundreds of Chicago fast food workers walked off the job early this morning at restaurants like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, with workers at…chains like Macy’s and Sears joining them…more than 500 workers are expected to participate in the strike, calling for higher wages and the right to organize unions in low-wage jobs that are increasingly dominating the American economy.

more. and more.

63 notes
work labor unions economy jobs chicago retail food United States
April 22nd, 2013
thesmithian
‘Chemistry,’ in television history, generally means the man does not want to work with the woman. It’s an excuse generally used by men in positions of power to say, ‘The woman doesn’t work.’

Ann Curry

46 notes
television history culture ann curry matt lauer gender work labor jobs
April 21st, 2013
thesmithian

‘…we are indeed creating a permanent class of jobless Americans. And let’s be clear: this is a policy decision…’

The main reason our economic recovery has been so weak is that, spooked by fear-mongering over debt, we’ve been doing exactly what basic macroeconomics says you shouldn’t do—cutting government spending in the face of a depressed economy…It’s hard to overstate how self-destructive this policy is…Our exaggerated fear of debt is, in short, creating a slow-motion catastrophe. It’s ruining many lives, and at the same time making us poorer and weaker in every way. And the longer we persist in this folly, the greater the damage will be.

more.

33 notes
United States unemployment jobs economics economy politics Recession federal government culture labor work
April 17th, 2013
thesmithian

…portraits of men working…in the Ivory Coast.

+++++

art: photography by Jonathan May

62 notes
ivory coast africa jonathan may work jobs labor photography
April 12th, 2013
thesmithian
Time.

Time.

9 notes
time magazine jobs labor manufacturing magazines
Loading tweets...

@danamo

Likes

culture is politics. politics is culture.
[beta]

Networks

Following