Free Republic

The United Steelworkers union is broadening its nationwide walkout to include two more refineries. Early Sunday, the union is planning to go on strike against two BP facilities in the Midwest, union spokeswoman Lynne Hancock confirmed. That will bring the total number of plants on strike to 11, after union members walked out of nine facilities, including five in the Houston area, a week ago. The latest work stoppages are scheduled to begin 12:01 a.m. Sunday at BP’s refineries in Toledo, Ohio and Whiting, Ind., Hancock said. BP issued a statement saying it is disappointed the union is launching a...

The headline and first paragraph at an Associated Press item on a union strike authorization vote in Las Vegas are both far more vague than they could or should be. Though the rest of Ken Ritter's coverage at least identifies the union involved, it completely fails to get to the heart of the matter, which is that Obamacare is causing huge increases in their employers' cost of providing health care coverage.

BBC journalists walked off the job Monday in a 24-hour strike to protest job cuts at the broadcaster. Staff mounted picket lines outside of the BBC’s studios in central London and around the country. Programs went on, but many shows were canceled, including the flagship morning news radio program “Today.” … The BBC is funded mainly by a mandatory £145.50 ($228) annual levy on all households with color TVs. Britain’s government froze the fee in 2010, and the corporation has been forced to make cuts. …

One of the oddities that seemed out of whack in this morning's weekly Unemployment Claims update was the explanation for the spike in this week's receipents of government generosity: apparently it had to do with the BLS handing out weekly benefits checks to striking Verizon workers. We will repeat the key word from that sentence because it bears repeating: "striking." Now, we may be wrong here, but if one is striking, one is not u-n-e-m-p-l-o-y-e-d, and hence the US government should probably not be using taxpayer money to double pay such individuals who have singlehandedly decided to forgo pay in...

Since the union strike against Verizon began a little more than a week ago, incidents of sabotage and property damage have been reported, homes of company executives swarmed upon by union protesters, and injunctions issued. While the unions, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are trying to insist their strike against the telecommunications giant is a “fight for middle class jobs,” an e-mail purportedly sent by a CWA boss in Pennsylvania sheds some insight into the tactics the unions are deploying.Within days after the strike began, an e-mail surfaced allegedly sent by Jon...

With the focus on the teacher's union strike in Wisconsin, I felt that attention should be drawn to a real solution. This solution is found in the movie: "Waiting for Superman".

Let's play a game of Q&A. The time to go on strike is: 1: Company profits are soaring and competition for hiring by employers is strong 2: Company profits are sinking, corporate taxes are rising, competition for jobs by employees is going through the roof This may seem like a no-brainer, but not if you have the mind of some union workers.

Transit system workers in Philadelphia voted to authorize a union strike Sunday, less than a week before the Phillies play their first home game of the World Series, but a transit spokesman said he hopes a deal can be concluded before then. Willie Brown, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 234, said the 4,700 workers voted overwhelmingly to allow him to call a strike if negotiations with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority fail. Talks are slated to resume Monday. Brown said he hoped a walkout would not affect the series, but he said workers have been without a contract...

JOSE, Venezuela, March 20 (Reuters) - Venezuela's rapidly rising production of foreign-financed synthetic crude is providing the United States with a new stable supply of oil outside the Middle East, according to oil analysts. Amid concerns over Gulf exports, Venezuela Wednesday formally launched its $4 billion Sincor project, slated to give U.S. markets another 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) of light oil, which analysts say will not count as part of the Venezuelan OPEC quota. ``That crude will come straight to the United States, and directly challenge light Saudi Arabian crude at a time when the market is going to...