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Company spokesperson denies reports, says worjers were disciplined for food safety and attendance violations.

from The Nation

"Of the roughly 100 Walmart workers who this month went on strike and traveled to Arkansas, OUR Walmart alleges that five have been fired, ten have received disciplinary 'coachings,' and one has been suspended. Along with Lisa Lopez from Orlando, the other fired workers are from Miami; Chicago; and Lakewood, California. Organizers allege that one of workers was told directly that the termination was for striking, and that several of the 'coachings' were identified as punishment for “unexcused absence” during the strike.

Asked about the firings of Walmart workers who went on strike, Congressman Keith Ellison told The Nation, 'One, they are to be expected. Two, they are completely unjust and illegal. Ellison (DFL-MN), who co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, added, 'Power concedes nothing without a demand, and if these CEOs at these big companies are reaping ultra-profits out of the hard labor of these workers, they’re not about to give it up easily. So you’re going to have these retaliatory measures.' Ellison urged elected officials 'to intervene and to really stick up for the workers,' and said that at the CPC, 'we need to be much more engaged' on the issue of workplace retaliation. 'Because people shouldn’t have to suffer in silence,' said Eliison, 'and if people are willing to step out there, and to risk so much, they shouldn’t be alone.' …"

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Protesters say working conditions employees face contradict  tech giant’s "Don’t Be Evil” motto.

from The Nation

"Union activists marched through a tree-lined hilltop plaza at Google’s Mountainview headquarters Thursday afternoon, chanting “No Union, No Peace!” Outside Google’s tall glass buildings, a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) official joined subcontracted Google security guard Manny Cardenas in asking a Google representative for an audience with company CEO Larry Page. After being rebuffed, they left the staffer with a letter condemning the treatment of the campus’ subcontracted security workers, which they charged contradicts the tech giant’s “Don’t Be Evil” motto.

“'People use the phrase Google-y, basically to mean that it’s ethical,' South Bay Labor Council Executive Director Ben Field told the assembled crowd after the letter was delivered. 'Well, I’m here to tell you — and all of the employees at Google — that SIS is not Google-y.'

"SIS stands for Security Industry Specialists, a California-based security firm contracted by Google. The petition delivery was SEIU’s latest effort by to hold Google to account for the working conditions of SIS security guards on Google’s Silicon Valley campus. SEIU alleges that, unlike a previous Google contractor, SIS employs most of its workers as part-timers who can’t get enough hours to qualify for health insurance or sick days. SIS has also been sued by employees for alleged break violations and gender and sexual orientation harassment. …"

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Senator votes against Obama's trade nominee over secrecy on TPP and other trade agreements.

from Raw Story

"Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Wednesday voiced her opposition to President Barack Obama’s top international trade nominee because of a secretive free trade agreement.

“'I am deeply concerned about the transparency record of the US Trade Representative and with one ongoing trade agreement in particular — the Trans-Pacific Partnership,'' she said on the Senate floor.

"The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been negotiated behind closed-doors for years by trade representatives from Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Though the free trade agreement could have wide ranging consequences on workers and consumers, the public only knows a few details of the treaty thanks to leaked documents. …"

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Provincial NDP accuses government of witholding results of internal pipeline safety report.

from Think Progress

"As the Obama administration’s decision regarding whether to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline draws nearer, the latest disaster is raising serious concerns about the safety of Canada’s rapidly expanding pipeline network.

"A massive toxic waste spill from an oil and gas operation in northern Alberta is being called one of the largest recent environmental disasters in North America. First reported on June 1, the Texas-based Apache Corp. didn’t reveal the size of the spill until June 12, which is said to cover more than 1,000 acres.

"Members of the Dene Tha First Nation tribe are outraged that it took several days before they were informed that 9.5 million liters of salt and heavy-metal-laced wastewater had leaked onto wetlands they use for hunting and trapping. …"

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Obama administration considers four dozen prisoners too dangerous to transfer but won't try them in court.

from the Miami Herald

"The Obama administration Monday lifted a veil of secrecy surrounding the status of the detainees at Guantánamo, for the first time publicly naming the four dozen captives it defined as indefinite detainees — men too dangerous to transfer but who cannot be tried in a court of law.

"The names had been a closely held secret since a multi-agency task force sifted through the files of the Guantánamo detainees in 2009 trying to achieve President Barack Obama’s executive order to close the detention center. In January 2010, the task force revealed that it classified 48 Guantánamo captives as dangerous but ineligible for trial because of a lack of evidence, or because the evidence was too tainted.

"They became so-called “indefinite detainees,” a form of war prisoner held under Congress’ 2001 'Authorization for Use of Military Force.' …"

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