Labor

Payroll Debit Cards - Less Choice, Lower Wages

October 5, 2011 by Calitics

by Angie Wei, California Labor Federation

Bank of America's new $5 monthly debit fee, unveiled Friday, sparked howls of protest from furious bank customers now threatening to walk away to more consumer-friendly banking options. No one knows exactly how many will follow through on the threat, but according to one poll, a $5 monthly fee will drive 66% of debit users towards alternative methods of payment—cash, credit cards, or “other.” Agree or disagree with the 66%, but at least everyone can agree that it’s good consumers can freely decide to spend however they want and bank wherever they choose, right? Wrong.

Thanks to unaffordable fees, credit checks and other obstacles, big banks have shut out about a million California households from access to any banking services whatsoever. These “unbanked” workers, unable to receive direct deposit, have in recent years found employers replacing paper paychecks with mysterious “payroll debit” cards—electronic cards that charge massive fees only a banking lobbyist could love. Employers issue cards directly to workers, wages are loaded onto an account managed by the bank, and every payday, the nickel and diming begins anew.

Bank of America - A Unique Display of Corporate Greed

October 4, 2011 by Calitics

by Mitch Seaman, California Labor Federation

Forbes magazine as gutsy consumer advocate? Well, not really, but even the favored rag of corporate shills everywhere seemed stunned by Bank of America’s $5 debit fee announcement on Friday, accusing the banking behemoth of committing

a common mistake large corporations make: taking the customer for granted, holding the belief that whatever products or services they offer are unique and indispensible, so their customers will always be there.

While we agree that Bank of America’s incompetence runs rampant throughout the banking industry, by several measures of greed and arrogance, this troubled corporation stands alone. Allow us to present Bank of America with the following uniquely dubious titles:

TONIGHT 10/4: DFA-DFNM Meetup With Special Guests Marty Chavez, Jon Hendry

October 4, 2011 by Democracy for N...

This month's DFA-Democracy for New Mexico Meetup is set for TONIGHT, Tuesday, October 4, at 7:00 PM at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church on the SW corner of Carlisle and Comanche in Albuquerque. Please RSVP. All are wecome to attend!

We'll be hearing from former ABQ Mayor MARTY CHAVEZ, who's a candidate in the Democratic primary race for Congress in New Mexico's First District. He'll be discussing his campaign and positions on the issues, and answering your questions.

Labor leader JON HENDRY, who serves as President of the New Mexico Federation of Labor and the business agent for IATSE local 480, will also be speaking to the group. He'll discuss workers' rights and the role of unions in today's anti-working class, anti-middle class political environment dominated by corporate and right-wing greed.

Guest Blog: 2012 Presents A Real Opportunity for Democrats To Propose Plausible, Progressive Economic Alternatives

October 3, 2011 by Democracy for N...

This is a guest blog by Alexander J. Cotoia, a paralegal with Holt Mynatt Martinez, P.C. in Las Cruces and a member of the Democratic Party State Central Committee from Dona Ana County. He previously sought the Democratic nomination for the District 7 seat on the Public Education Commission.

As a member of the Democratic Party State Central Committee, I’m often asked to defend the actions, or increasingly, inactions of my Democratic compatriots. My answer to critics is that I’m a progressive first and a Democrat second.  

High Court Considers Information Restrictions

September 25, 2011 by Blue Oklahoma

An Oklahoma Supreme Court proposal that would remove some personal identifiers from court documents would be a blow to openness and transparency, but opposition to the idea from the state's largest newspaper seems hypocritical given its own secretive and slanted style of journalism.

The court has asked for comments about the proposal, which is in advance of a new electronic document system. (I'll consider this my comment.) If approved, identifying information, such as addresses, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and similar data would be removed from court documents. Here's the entire proposal. Here is a thorough article about it in the Tulsa World.