STARBUCKS - Make mine a union latte, please?

Here, Strib online reports:

Slammed by slowing consumer demand and laying off workers by the score, Starbucks Coffee found fresh reason for grief Friday when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said it found evidence of labor violations at its Mall of America stores.

The board's announcement followed a three-month investigation of complaints made by barista Erik Forman, who has campaigned to unionize the Seattle-based coffee chain.

"Our right to organize has been under assault since the inception of the campaign," said Forman, a barista at one of the two Starbucks shops at the Mall of America. "We can only hope that Starbucks does the right thing."

The Mall of America fracas is only the latest in a string of charges the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) has filed against Starbucks since launching its campaign, and comes amid a moribund period for the onetime darling of the caffeinated Internet age.

After recording years of seemingly unstoppable growth, the national chain that boasts 16,862 locations saw its profit fall sharply with the onset of the recession. It laid off 6,700 workers in January. Profit fell 77 percent in its most recent quarter, the company said this week. Store openings will fall short of this year's plans, and some 300 locations will close. That's after 600 store closings last year, including 27 in Minnesota.

Forman's complaint, originally filed three months ago, alleges the company interfered with employee efforts to promote membership in the IWW Starbucks Workers Union, a group begun five years ago that now claims 300 members, some of them former employees.

"We've certainly found merit to allegations that Starbucks violated the National Labor Relations Act," said Marlin Osthus, attorney for the NLRB.

The allegations include prohibiting union postings in nonwork areas, removing union postings in nonwork areas, and instructions to employees to not speak about the union inside the stores, among other things.

The Wobblies, are they still around? It appears so, see here, here and here. This one, alleging dismissal of a Starbucks worker for blogging is particularly galling to me, because I recently went through an examination of aspects of free speech on a blog, and in general.

Actions aimed at chilling free speech are unAmerican - Free Speech is an essential Constitutional right.


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THE IMMEDIATE QUESTION: What about the Minnesota chain with offshore ownership ties, Caribou Coffee? Any reader out there with organizing effort info regarding Caribou? Or is Caribou a big happy family?

How should we police the police?

For police, as with the DoD, civilian control is the ultimate reliance. For instance, in Ramsey where I live, the police are not autonomous, but answerable to the city administrator and the city council both for budget and conduct matters. Civilian control is essential.

But why bring this up now? Because Strib online reports:

Minneapolis may pull out of Gang Strike Force
Among other concerns, $300,000 cash was found in a property room safe. Other departments may get out, too.

By RANDY FURST, Star Tribune - update: May 1, 2009-11:24 PM

Created 12 years ago as a team effort to battle gangs in the Twin Cities, the Metro Gang Strike Force has logged hundreds of arrests a year and a small fortune in forfeitures - the seized cash and merchandise that judges have allowed it to keep - to help finance its operations.

However, several police departments, including Minneapolis, are said to be evaluating whether it would be more beneficial to leave the Strike Force and manage gang issues in their own cities through their own departments.

Their departure would be another blow to an agency that has recently faced embarrassing revelations about an authorized trip by six investigators to a Hawaii conference and a report that a man lost $4,500 to the force but hasn't been charged with a crime.

Also, this month the state legislative auditor is expected to issue a report on how the Strike Force had handled seized property and funds.

During a preliminary review, the state Department of Public Safety found $300,000 in cash in a Strike Force safe and wrote last November that "the record-keeping system is inadequate and in some instances policies and procedures representing sound evidentiary procedures are either not in existence or not being consistently followed."

Minneapolis police, who have considered withdrawing for a long time, declined comment on Strike Force issues. "We would rather discuss this with the advisory board than in the newspaper," said Rob Allen, deputy police chief.

The board, which oversees the Strike Force, is chaired by West St. Paul Police Chief Bud Shaver, who said Friday that he knew of no police departments discussing pulling out and said several are considering joining.

"I think the gang unit is a great unit," said Shaver. "It has real value for the metro, and we're going to get through this."

[...]

Added Ramsey County Sheriff [can you say, RNC Gestapo tactics on the streets of St. Paul] Bob Fletcher: "Ramsey County has no plans to get out. The Strike Force has arrested over 700 criminals each year and has a significant impact on reducing crime. Most of the successes I would attribute to commander Ron Ryan's leadership."

Paul Mesken, a Strike Force member from Ramsey County, contends that Campion and Stanek are part of a small group coordinating a campaign to get rid of the Strike Force. Campion and Stanek had no comment on the allegation.

A conspiracy against the Strike Force? Or is it more scrutiny on Keystone Kops:





photos online, from here and here

A new image for the GOP. Perhaps premature, perhaps not.

image dowloaded from here, KOS given original credit there, w/o a link

RAMSEY - Neatness and tidiness in the ultradense housing of Ward 3. A test case of an ordinance.

John Dehen, Councilmember from Ward 3, has led the effort to keep Ramsey's ultradense housing, primarily in his ward, from beginning to look like a slum.

While we in the non-MUSA areas, in traditional Ramsey, do not need such policing because we are more laid back and have our large lots, when things get ultradense policing IS needed.

In that spirit, these photos, from Town Center Gardens off 147th. The why and how of that junk auto being left in a cul-de-sac driveway being unknown to me, whether a foreclosure protest or some other situation, it is there, in Ramsey, in plain view. Click an image to enlarge.

A link to this post will be sent to Ramsey's city administrator and police chief, for enforcement notice. Let's see how the ordinance stands up and is enforced. The photos were taken the morning of the day this post was blogged. I wonder why Ramsey's finest have not, on patrol, noticed this on their own.

Bachmann and Kline vote against "Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights," presumably favoring wronging all consumers using credit cards.

Bank pockets are not empty.

Bank pockets are full of money, with a few politicians pocketed to boot:

The DCCC is targeting House Republicans who voted against today's credit card reform bill --sending out a raft of press releases to local media claiming the reps "voted to protect big credit card companies at the expense of responsible consumers who play by the rules,”

Among those targeted: Michele Bachmann (MN-06); John Boehner (OH-08); Lynn Jenkins (KS-02); Steve King (IA-05); John Kline (MN-02); Donald Manzullo (IL-16); Peter Roskam (IL-06); Paul Ryan (WI-01); James Sensenbrenner (WI-05); Scott Garrett (NJ-05); Eric Cantor (VA-07); Jeb Hensarling (TX-05); Patrick McHenry (NC-10); Pete Sessions (TX-32); Joe Wilson (SC-02); Tom McClintock (CA-04).

Prosperous geezers against the middle class. Thorough coverage, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

photo source, here

Are traditional teaching certificates needed to ensure high-quality instruction or are schools missing out on putting the best and brightest to use?

Minn. Post, in an item by Cynthia Boyd placed online Monday, April 27, 2009, examines the question in excellent detail; with this lead screenshot:



[click the image to enlarge it and read] Apprenticeship has been recognized as the way to develop skills of a trade since the Medieval guilds, if not earlier. And the teacher's union is such a guild. Graduate students will tell you, post-graduate degrees, theses and all, are not large-class lecture hall instruction as much as apprenticeship programs - in the guild tradition. The Carpenters' Union has its apprentiship - journeyman distinctions, as do electrical workers. It is established.

But the truth is, and honest teachers will admit it, education programs at universities are mediocre and the best and brightest shun them. And honest teachers will admit that every teacher, good and bad, learns primarily on the job.

The position of the teachers union is merely that the coopted State education regulators share with the union the purpose of keeping the labor pool sized favorably and managed to aid union objectives. Whether good or bad for the State, at least be truthful about things being as they really are.

I hold an education degree, after having earned an undergraduate degree in a true discipline, chemistry, and speak from experience - the science and math and humanities courses I took were real, the education courses a joke. I in that sense am not an outsider looking in. I taught in Toronto, high school general science and chemistry, and despite the "education degree" I learned more, very much more, on the job. That is another truth the union cannot duck, and it discredits itself if trying to duck truth. The Minn. Post item, after the screenshot, continues:

Some supporters of the proposal, included in the Senate's Omnibus Education bill passed earlier this month, were surprised when the alternative teacher-preparation plan was suddenly yanked from the House bill by Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher with the explanation that legislators need to first more narrowly focus on school funding this session. It's not clear if the proposal will be in final legislation that comes out of the conference committee.

Education Minnesota has its knickers in a knot over the proposal's lack of traditional teacher training, which includes an education degree before entering the classroom.

"Very clearly, when we are expecting more from students, why would we expect less from the teachers who are going to be teaching them? We need the best and the brightest,'' said Tom Dooher, president of Education Minnesota. The union spearheaded a statewide telephone and email campaign earlier this month urging parents to call their legislators and protest the "shortcut" to teacher licensure.

That's it for excerpting here. The article is well presented. Read it. Here.

Two good starting sites for info about the guilds, here and here.

USURY. Fixing the credit card swindle. Whatever you think of Taxpayer League politics and referenda, what about private sector reform?

I would hope this is an idea that grows legs - an

ANTI-USURY CONSUMER LEAGUE

The agenda would be simple - credit extenders are screwing people worse than taxing governments are, there's little to debate there. So, fix the situation.

Eighteen percent is an outrage: Make, by referendum, every extension of credit including "open end credit accounts" aka credit card debt subject to a referendum-set usurious interest rate limit and deny imposition of any service charges greater than or in addition to an annual $50.00 charge to maintain and service an account. Make it apply to any and all mortgages and auto loans, where if the security is foreclosed or repossessed there can be no deficiency judgment or personal liability after the act of foreclosure or repossession.

Demand that to get YOUR vote a US Rep. or Senator take the "Usurious Credit Pledge," that he/she will diligently support and work for enactment of a simple national usury law comparable to the various state referenda being passed, except that any US resident may sue and is entitled to credit at the lower of the federal rate or the rate allowed by his/her state legislature - make the federal usury rate a ceiling and not any kind of a floor for the rapacious credit card interests.

Regulate it, and allow a consumer to recover enhanced damages and attorney fees if suing a credit-extending entity; with easily met class action certification court rules so that private litigation will supplement regulation - and give state attorneys general power to sue on behalf of a state's population.

If they are usuerers, which they are, punish them for that but don't go blaming folks who imprudently ran up too much debt on the credit cards and are being hosed.

You are the people. Jefferson said:

When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

The central bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the Principles and form of our Constitution. I am an Enemy to all banks discounting bills or notes for anything but Coin. If the American People allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the People of all their Property until their Children will wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered.

What Jefferson meant, in terms of the "credit crunch" we hear so much about, has on the web been depicted this way - with "credit crunch" meaning the supply of circulating money together with credit extension is precipitously put out of balance in favor of those controlling the issuance of credit to consumers and businesses:



Now, the Federal Reserve our "Central Bank" is not really "ours." It is owned by member banks, in effect, a bankers' bank, doing what's best for banks, long-term, short-term, mid-term -- which means don't kill the goose laying bankers' golden eggs, but squeeze the laying rate to as much as the animal will bear short of dying. And another visual, does this make sense:




Remember those new-design bills your wallet holds, used to say "Redeemable in legal tender," and now only say "Federal Reserve Note" and "This is legal tender." The Federal Reserve controls money amounts in circulation; and in fractional reserve banking where a bank need not hold 100% dollar amounts of deposits to cover outstanding loans, the biggest and easiest way to make big changes is to alter the reserve requirement rate, rather than other tools the Fed has. That they use that major tool infrequently is proof they understand not killing the Golden Goose, and that they yin and yang the money supply with their lesser tools is proof they understand getting the maximum Gold Goose laying rate for their constituency - banks.

Wake up. Stand up. Make demands. Vote smart.