July 9, 2014

Editorial There's family value in paid parental leave

For a country that so often extols family values, the United States makes it awfully hard for Americans to care for their children. In Britain, Sweden and Norway, parents are granted about a year of paid parental leave to tend to their newborns during that particularly crucial and difficult period. In the U.S., on the other hand, federal law guarantees workers a mere 12 weeks of parental leave without pay.

In fact, the U.S. is the last remaining industrialized nation to offer only unpaid parental leave to workers. And even this overstates its generosity. The federal government deems workers eligible for unpaid parental leave only if they have been with their employer for at least 12 months, if their employer has at least 50 employees, and if they worked at least 1,250 hours during that yearlong period. Given these and other restrictions, only about 60% of private sector workers are covered. Things are even worse for low-income and minority parents, who are far more likely to be denied coverage because of the restrictions.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-paternity-20140707-story.html

July 9, 2014

Suit says Maine blueberry industry exploited labor

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Suit-says-Maine-blueberry-industry-exploited-labor-5604557.php

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims a farm labor recruiter, two employers and multiple housing providers committed more than 250 violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act during the 2008 Maine blueberry harvest.

The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1mBk1u5 ) reports Monday that Pine Tree Legal Assistance filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of 18 workers. The lawsuit says the workers were recruited in Maine based on false promises of good wages. It also says the transportation and housing provided to the workers did not meet federal requirements.

An attorney for Coastal Blueberry Service Inc. of Ellsworth and Hancock Foods of Hancock says the companies "firmly deny having engaged in violations."

The 18 workers are all U.S. citizens born in Haiti or Haitians who are legal permanent residents.

July 9, 2014

Village Voice Workers Ratify New Contract, Avert Strike

Village Voice workers, members of UAW-Local 2110, announced in a statement sent to Latin Post released Sunday, they've ratified a new contact with Voice Media Group, averting a strike at the legendary news organization.

The new contract gives the 27 sales, marketing and editorial staff a pay increase, protected maternity leave rights, childcare expenses, reprint fees and minimal changes to health care benefits.

"In many ways, this has been a bruising time. But in another sense, this has been a beautiful and unifying experience for our staff," said Eden Shulz, secretary-treasurer with UAW Local 2110. "The sales and editorial teams pulled together as a group to find our common values and our common strength."

As part of the new contract, employees receive a $25 per week pay raise, or $1,200 a year, with additional raises in 2015 and 2016. Childcare expenses for all employees with at least a year of service, whether full or part-time. Preserving a free health care option with higher co-pays and deductibles and other out of pocket costs.

http://www.latinpost.com/articles/16639/20140707/village-voice-workers-ratify-new-contract-avert-strike.htm

July 2, 2014

My email to Hobby Lobby

Following this week's Supreme Court decision in which Hobby Lobby was a participant, I wanted you to know that I completely respect the opinions held by your firm. As I disagree with those opinions & the effects I believe it will have on women's health & the slippery slope it creates not only in the ACA, but in US law. I hope that you likewise respect my choice to shop at another source for my craft needs.

June 29, 2014

Suburban expansion threatens prehistoric sites near St. Louis

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/28/prehistoric-sitesstlouis.html?utm_campaign=ajam&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Mark Leach remembers the moment he discovered his passion for archaeology. Years ago, he and his sons were playing in their neighborhood creek in this outer suburb of St. Louis. They found a funny-shaped rock, which Leach thought resembled a knife.

He took it to an archaeologist, who confirmed its authenticity: It was a tool, probably about 4,000 years old. The archaeologist didn’t seem fazed, but Leach was fascinated.

“He told me, ‘You can’t turn over a shovel of soil in Chesterfield without finding artifacts,’” Leach recalled. “That sparked my curiosity.”

Leach’s find is just one of countless artifacts that have turned up in the archaeologically rich St. Louis area over the years. Many sites were destroyed as the city grew in the 1800s. As the population has moved west into St. Louis County over the past few decades — to communities like Chesterfield — experts warn that another round of prehistoric sites is at risk.

June 27, 2014

Mass. supermarkets failing scanner tests: Report

A study of supermarket price scanners in Massachusetts revealed that nearly half the devices failed to work properly and that 85% of stores had failed to meet state requirements guaranteeing price accuracy.

The study was conducted at 34 supermarkets in Massachusetts earlier this month by Consumer World magazine. The study concluded that retailers were failing to do what was required of them when a 2012 state law revision allowed stores to remove item-pricing stickers. This included providing working scanners and printers for consumer use and disclosing pricing guarantees with signage in stores.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/mass-supermarkets-failing-scanner-tests-report#ixzz35pGONqm2

Interesting. One wonders just what this report indicates for price scanners across all of retail across the country? It is always a good idea to check your receipt after you shop and not simply assume the price in the system is accurate.

June 26, 2014

Mayor Slay Marries Four Same-Sex Couples At City Hall

Mayor Francis Slay issued marriage licenses to four same-sex couples Wednesday night, in a direct challenge to Missouri's ban on such unions.

"St. Louis is a city that doesn’t tolerate discrimination," Mayor Francis Slay said in a statement. "We are sending a message on what’s right, and I can’t think of anything more right than this."

The four couples are all from St. Louis. The first to receive a license, Richard Eaton and John Durnell, have been together for 39 years. City officials have no plans to marry additional couples.

"As state court after state court has deemed barring couples to marry under the law unconstitutional, it is time to make a stand," said Recorder of Deeds Sharon Carpenter, whose office issues marriage licenses. "It is time to show that the people of St. Louis support equality and will fight for it. This is not a decision I have made lightly, but it is a right that must be defended. St. Louis stands with those who stand for love."

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/mayor-slay-marries-four-same-sex-couples-city-hall

April 25, 2014

Break Time n/t

April 25, 2014

Alternative to Pap Test Is Approved by F.D.A.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first alternative to the long-used Pap test as a primary screening method for cervical cancer, in the face of opposition from some women’s groups and health organizations.

The new test, developed by Roche, detects the DNA of the human papilloma virus, which causes almost all cases of cervical cancer, in a sample taken from the cervix. Pap testing involves examining the cervical sample under a microscope to detect abnormalities.

A committee of outside advisers to the F.D.A. unanimously endorsed the Roche test in a meeting last month.

But a coalition of 17 consumer, women’s and health groups opposed the approval, arguing that the new screening method had not been adequately tested and could upend a practice that has successfully prevented cervical cancer for decades.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/alternative-to-pap-test-is-approved-by-fda.html?emc=edit_th_20140425&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=42530878&_r=0

April 25, 2014

What Did Explorers Lewis and Clark Do When They Got Back To St. Louis?

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are most famous for leading the expedition that began in St. Louis in 1804, took them up the Missouri River, over the Rocky Mountains to the west coast and back.

But their connection with St. Louis didn’t end there. In 1807, Thomas Jefferson appointed Lewis and Clark to leadership positions in the Louisiana Territory, with a home base in the St. Louis region.

Washington University history professor Peter Kastor has focused his research on the time surrounding the Louisiana Purchase, and the meaning of nationhood that developed during that period. On Friday he is talking about the role of Lewis and Clark in the “transformation of early St. Louis” during the St. Louis Metromorphosis conference at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/what-did-explorers-lewis-and-clark-do-when-they-got-back-st-louis