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BREAKING NEWS: Teamsters On Strike At Republic Services Extend Picket Lines From Massachusetts To Indiana

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Teamsters On Strike At Republic Services Extend Picket Lines From Massachusetts To Indiana

$10 Billion Trash Company Pays $100s of Millions in Dividends to Shareholders, Refuses to Offer Workers a Living Wage
  • By Teamsters Local 25
  • EVANSVILLE, Ind., Oct. 25, 2019,/PRNewswire/ — Sanitation workers on strike at Republic Services [NYSE: RSG] in Marshfield, Mass., extended their picket line to the Republic facility in Evansville, Ind., this morning. Over 70 Republic Services workers in Evansville who are members of Teamsters Local 215 exercised their right to honor the picket line.The trash service in at least eight communities in Indiana is affected, including Evansville, Boonville, Mt. Vernon, Oakland City, Princeton, Chandler, Fort Branch, and Newburgh.The striking workers, members of Teamsters Local 25 in Boston, began their strike on Aug. 29 after Republic refused to agree to a contract with a livable wage and affordable health care. On average, the striking sanitation workers are paid 40 percent below what it takes to make a living wage in Massachusetts for a family with one adult and one child, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator.”Republic Services had almost $3 billion in profits last year,” said striking Republic employee Brandon Taylor. “But instead of giving us a fair return on our work, Republic is paying out huge salaries to its executives and huge dividends to its shareholders.”Microsoft founder Bill Gates is Republic Services’ biggest shareholder. His personal investment manager, Michael Larson, sits on the Republic’s Board of Directors.

    “Sanitation work is the fifth-deadliest job in America,” said Sean O’Brien, President of Teamsters Local 25 and Teamsters International Vice President. “Yet the Republic continually refuses to address inequality and unsafe conditions. Republic has forced quite a few strikes in cities across America over the past few years, due to its violations of federal labor laws.”

    “Bill Gates gets over $100 million in stock dividends alone from Republic each year, yet meanwhile Republic employees are on the picket line for a living wage,” O’Brien continued.

    “Republic executives get to use the company’s private jet for personal trips to Hawaii and Cabo San Lucas, meanwhile, we do the dangerous work that earns them their profits, and we can’t even support our families on what we’re paid,” Taylor said.

    The Teamsters represent over 7,000 Republic Services workers across the country. Recently, hundreds of Republic sanitation workers in Northern and Southern California represented by Teamsters Local 350 and 396 voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the company.

    Last month, Republic sanitation workers represented by Teamsters Local 728 went on strike in Cumming, Georgia, to protest the company’s violations of federal laws that protect workers’ rights.

    Recent calculations show that workers in 10 cities with a combined population of over 1 million residents are currently in contract negotiations with Republic Services and that Teamsters in 31 cities with a combined population of over 6 million residents have the right to honor picket lines.

 

Otters Release 2020 Regular Season Schedule

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The Evansville Otters will open their 26th season when they visit the Gateway Grizzlies at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. on May 14, kicking off the 2020 Frontier League regular season for both teams.

The Otters visit the Grizzlies just for one game before hosting Gateway at Bosse Field May 15-17 for Evansville’s Opening Weekend.

The Frontier League released the schedule for its 28th season, featuring 14 organizations playing a 96-game schedule, and including five new teams as part of the merger between the Frontier League and the former Can-Am League.

The Frontier League will open its season in May as the largest professional, independent baseball league in North America.

Four games will start the season on Thursday, May 14 as the Otters open at Gateway, the Windy City Thunderbolts host the Schaumburg Boomers, the Sussex County Miners will host the Rockland Boulders, and Florence will welcome the New Jersey Jackals. The remaining six teams will open the season on May 15.

Following the one-game opener on the road, the Otters will begin their regular season home schedule at Bosse Field with a nine-game homestand against Gateway, Schaumburg, and the Joliet Slammers.

The Frontier League will feature 14 teams in 2020 for the first time since 2012-15, following the departure of the defending 2019 champion River City Rascals to pursue other opportunities and the addition of the five new teams.

League divisional alignment will include Evansville, Florence, Gateway, Joliet, Schaumburg, Southern Illinois, and Windy City in the Midwestern Division, and Lake Erie, New Jersey, Quebec, Rockland, Sussex County, Trois-Rivieres, and Washington will be in the Can-Am Division.

There will be 12 games against five teams, six games against four additional teams and three games against three others. Teams will visit and host 11 of the 13 teams in 2020. The teams hosted will shuffle from year-to-year.

Within the Midwestern Division, the Otters will matchup against Florence, Gateway and Southern Illinois 12 times, playing six games at Bosse Field and six on the road. Evansville will play Joliet nine times, hosting six games and on the road for three, while also playing nine games against Windy City, hosting three games and on the road for six. Evansville will split six games at home and on the road against Schaumburg.

The Otters will matchup with the Lake Erie Crushers for 12 games in interdivision play, playing six games at Bosse Field and six at Lake Erie. Evansville will travel for three games each at Quebec and Trois-Rivieres, while hosting New Jersey and Washington for only three games. Evansville will split six games at home and on the road against Sussex County and Rockland.

Evansville is scheduled for eight weekend home series at Bosse Field in 2020, which will be the 105th anniversary of Bosse Field.

 

CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER “ANNUAL AWARD LUNCHEON” WAS AN AROUSING SUCCESS

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CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER  “ANNUAL COMMUNITY AWARDS” LUNCHEON WAS AN AROUSING SUCCESS

This year’s “Annual Community Achievement Awards” luncheon held yesterday at Tropicana-Evansville was a rousing success. Every table was filled with people who were there to support and cheer for their favorite CCO awards winner.

The United States Senator Mike Braun was the City-County Observer keynote speaker for this “Annual Community Achievement Awards” luncheon.  Senator Braun really impressed those in the audience with his down-home speech about what he has experienced since he been in office.

Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch’s introduction of  United States Senator Mike Braun was spot on.  It’s obvious that Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch is very well thought of by those in attendance.

Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff, past United States Congressmen and  Vectren Executive Brad Ellsworth, did a superb job as the Master Of Ceremonies for this event.

Gina Morre Moore mesmerized those in attendance with her rendition of ‘Amazing Grace.”

The pubic auction conducted at the end of this luncheon by CURRAN/MILLER generated several thousand dollars that were donated to “Cops Connecting With Kids” charity.

This event was a compete for a sellout.

Pictured below from left to right are: Tthe City-County Observers 2019 “Community Achievement Awards” winners are: Margaret Koch, Vanderburgh County Commissioner Ben Shoulder, Steve Hammer, EPD Sergeant Jason Cullum, Christine Keck, The Honorable Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Margaret “Maggie” Lloyd, Brad Ellsworth, and United States Senator Mike Brawn.

 

 

Commentary: Simply No Honor For Some Leaders Today

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michael

By Michael Leppert
TheStatehouseFile.com

Arlington National Cemetery is a unique place. I have traveled to our nation’s capital many times and I still get excited every time I go. My wife spent a few months living there during a college internship way back in the ’90s, and her brother was stationed there as an officer in the Navy during that same stretch. Embarrassingly, neither one of us had ever been to the cemetery until Thursday afternoon.

I remember my first trip to Washington vividly. On that trip, I visited the Holocaust Museum. A colleague and I skipped out of the conference we were supposed to be attending and spent a few hours going through the experience like a couple of tourists. I thought I knew about the Holocaust and was honestly curious why a museum for it even existed. It turns out I didn’t know all that much about it. More importantly, I didn’t feel it. I do now.

The context of a person’s life or the times in which we are living is so important when visiting places like these. I will always remember what was going through my head when we were walking up the hill to two of the more famous gravesites at the cemetery.

At home in Indiana, our attorney general, Curtis Hill, was completing his testimony in defense of allegations of his misconduct before the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. This is another shameful chapter in the book on Hill stemming from accusations that he groped four women at a party in March of 2018. It concluded with an extreme sense of clarity that Hill did exactly what these women say he did. It follows a damning report from the Indiana inspector general last year that ended with an identical conclusion.

He is as guilty as the day is long. Hill and his team would like Hoosiers to believe that the entire matter is tinged with political motivations and is somehow a conjured and coordinated smear on him. Putting aside how the management in the Statehouse handled its review and response to the reporting of the incident to them, there is no inkling of any political consideration in the matter for the women. They are not simply “accusers.” They are victims.

Reducing the matter to political terms perpetuates the victimization of the four women. It is difficult to look to our state’s top legal officer with faith anymore. Whether he is sanctioned by the disciplinary commission or not, he will always be exactly what these women say he is. He should be ashamed of himself for what he did at that party, but he should also be ashamed for the way he has handled the legal processes that have followed.

There is simply no honor in any of it.

In Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives is deep into the investigation phase of our nation’s fourth impeachment inquiry. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity that have produced damning evidence that President Donald Trump broke specific laws and abused his power in his dealings with Ukraine. The substance of the matter has left the president’s defenders with nothing to do but engage in unhinged attacks on the process of the inquiry.

That controversial process is the same process that was used in the 2015 Republican Benghazi investigation. Primarily, the complaint is that the investigation is being held behind closed doors and Republicans think that this part of the process should be in public. It is as if they want America to believe that there won’t be public hearings in the House in the coming weeks and a full-blown trial in the Senate. There will be.

So, when embarrassing stunts like the Rep. Matt Gaetz-led storming of the secured committee room occur on Wednesday, many in America are confused. When Sen. Lindsey Graham pushes a resolution condemning the House process, again many Americans don’t understand that much of it will be moot following the public hearings that will occur before a House vote.

These spin stunts are childish attempts to change the story that what has happened with Ukraine is absolutely impeachable. Again, there is simply no honor in any of it.

As I watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 3:00 on Thursday afternoon, I was overcome with gratitude toward the men and women who were laid to rest there. The honor of them makes tolerating the dishonor of our times even less tolerable. On my next visit, I hope we will have risen above it.

FOOTNOTE: Michael Leppert is a public and governmental affairs consultant in Indianapolis and writes his thoughts about politics, government and anything else that strikes him at MichaelLeppert.com.

The City-County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias or editing.

 

LEGAL SLIGHT OF HAND

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LEGAL SLIGHT OF HAND

by Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine

After last week’s scintillating column on Constitutional Law, I know you are eagerly awaiting promised round two on politics and the United States Supreme Court. Of course, America’s judiciary eschews any notion that court outcomes are sometimes a product of the political views of the judge or judges who decide the cases. At the National Judicial College where I have served as a part-time faculty member since 1995 one of the guiding principles is the effort to have completely impartial judging of all cases. That is a proper goal. However, is that goal always achieved? Let’s take a look behind the black robes of history starting with America’s most famous case, Marbury v. Madison decided in 1803 a mere sixteen years after the end of the Constitutional Convention that occurred on September 17, 1787.

You may recall that last week we had sought guidance on understanding the U.S. Constitution from law professor Michael Klarman who spoke to the Indiana Graduate Judges Seminar in French Lick, Indiana in June 2019. In his book, The Framers’ Coup, The Making of the United States Constitution, Professor Klarman gave an in-depth analysis of the political warfare that produced our Constitution. A similar phenomenon occurred when the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, blatantly grabbed for the U.S. Supreme Court the immense power to declare whether a particular law was constitutional. Marshall deftly, and unethically, used the virulent hatred between those early Americans who favored a strong central government, the Federalists, and the anti-Federalists who preferred a more citizen-centered national government.

John Adams was our second president and he was one of the strongest proponents of a strong central government. Adams was defeated in an election by our third president Thomas Jefferson in a bitterly fought campaign. John Marshall served as Adams’ Secretary of State and Marshall and Jefferson despised one another. Just before Adams’ term as president ran out he appointed John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall was succeeded as Secretary of State by James Madison who, incidentally, later became our fourth president.

Just before John Adams left office he also appointed numerous judges and justices of the peace as a sharp stick in the eye of the incoming president Thomas Jefferson. William Marbury, a wealthy businessman and vocal opponent of Jefferson, was one of Adams’ justice of the peace appointees. While Secretary of State, John Marshall had the duty of signing Marbury’s certificate of appointment and delivering it to Congress. Marshall failed to get that done and the task was left to new Secretary of State James Madison. But President Jefferson, who was angry at John Adams for the last minute appointments, ordered Madison to not deliver Marbury’s certificate. Marbury then filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court seeking to have the Court order Madison to give Marbury the certificate of appointment. 

If all this intrigue seems rather petty and even perhaps reminiscent of our current political climate involving nasty actions on all sides, well, the pettiness turned out to have a momentous effect on every court case in America after 1803. The squabble may have resembled a tempest in a teapot but Chief Justice John Marshall’s highly political decision in the case resulted in a federal judiciary of immense power, a power not contemplated by many of our Founders and Framers of our Constitution.

Because of his earlier direct connection to Marbury’s appointment, John Marshall should have recused himself from the case and should have had no part in it. However, Marshall seized upon Thomas Jefferson’s hatred of John Adams to trade what Jefferson wanted, that is to prevent Adams’ last-minute appointments, for a huge leap toward a strong centralized government where the Judicial Branch would have power over decisions of both the Legislative and Executive Branches’ decisions.

What John Marshall and two more members of the then five-member Supreme Court decided was that the legislative act that purported to give jurisdiction over cases such as the one brought by Marbury violated the Constitution, therefore, the Supreme Court had no authority to order Madison to give Marbury his certificate. It might appear to have been a win for Jefferson over Adams, but it was the ultimate Pyrrhic victory as Marshall and all future courts used it as a nuclear weapon in the war between the Federalists and anti-Federalists. Supreme power over what the Constitution meant has resided in the Supreme Court ever since 1803.

For example, in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Chief Justice Roger Taney, a former slave owner, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Negro slaves had no rights that the Constitution was bound to protect. Then in George Bush v. Al Gore (2000), a bitterly divided court led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist who had been appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon to be an associate justice than by Republican President Ronald Reagan to be Chief Justice handed the presidential election to Republican George Bush.

So, as America’s judiciary proclaims it must remain independent from outside influences and look only to the law and the facts, it might appear to some cynics that the blindfold often slips. Anyway, I am certain you probably feel the same sense of relief in finishing this column that I did in finishing law school and Professor Klarman’s book. On the bright side, however, the rest of your day is bound to get better.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com

Or “Like” us on Facebook at JPegRanchBooks&Knitting

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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 Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Larry Michael Bolin: Operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.08 or more (Level 6 Felony)

Shaina Erin Moore: Battery against a public safety official (Level 6 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony)

Joshua Lane Grigsby: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)

Pierre Demont Thomas Jr.: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Criminal mischief (Class B misdemeanor)

Edward Schmidt: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony)

Khalil Abdul Jabbar Smallings: Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon (Level 4 Felony), Criminal recklessness (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Battery by means of a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)

Misery N. Cadet: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Possession of cocaine (Level 4 Felony), Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon (Level 4 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)

Benjamin Allen Richard L. Baize: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)

Shakespeare Returns To The USI Theatre Stage With A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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University of Southern Indiana Theatre will continue its 2019-2020 season with the classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Elliot Wasserman, USI professor of theatre. The production runs from November 14-17, 2019 in the USI Performance Center located in UC east on USI’s campus.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the first play by Shakespeare to be produced at the USI Performance Center since it opened in 2015.  Wasserman has added a unique touch to the production by setting the play in a Victorian era and dressing the fairies in steampunk style, their clothing a mixture of outmoded, silly tech and fanciful touches.

“They serve as a metaphor to love, because love is an inexplicable phenomenon.  Shakespeare suggests that fairies can drive it forward, arrange it, rearrange it, and bless it,” said Wasserman. “In a rule-oriented world that does little to account for or allow for love, invisible forces foster love, not social rules. Hence, we have fairies, and as a world in relationship to the Victorian one, the steampunk style, which is a fanciful modification of the Victorian, is the choice.”

Wasserman will be joined by a design team including USI faculty member Paul Weimer as scenic designer; USI staff member Joshua Stallings as sound designer; USI staff member Shan Jensen as costume designer; USI staff member Andy Hammond as technical designer; USI faculty member Maya Michele Fein as lighting designer; and USI student Ashtyn Cornett as production stage manager.

The cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream includes USI students Cole Brinker, Easton Crisp, Brandon Douglas, Carlysle Dante Marie Garland, Jason Merslich, Jada Alexia Hampton, Elijah C. Young, Amelia Schmitz, Rafael Gonzalez, Allen Harbold, Perci Hale, Trevor Maxey, Brennen Hobson, Nathaniel Robles, Nate Jenkins, Hadin Hart, Daniel Moser, Shayna Survil, Evelyn Pigman, Kierstin Prewitt, and Kirsten Rude.

Tickets are $2 for USI students, $10 for USI employees, $4 for non-USI students (student ID required), $10 seniors (60+), and $12 for adults. Tickets are FREE to USI students with ID one hour before the show begins based on availability.  Shows start at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. To purchase tickets or for more information visit USI.edu/liberal-arts/usi-theatreor call the box office at 812-465-1635. Follow us on Facebook at USITheatre and NewHarmonyTheatre, Twitter @TheatreUSI, and Instagram @USI_theatre for updates and photos.

Tickets are also now on sale for the rest of the 2019-20 season. Join us for Brighton Beach Memoirs, the 2020 Repertory Project co-produced by USI Theatre and New Harmony Theatre, running from February 13-16, 2020. Brighton Beach Memoirs will feature professional Equity actors and stage management.  The second spring show will be Eclipsed, directed by USI student Jesmelia Williams and running March 26-28, 2020 in the Mallette Studio Theatre. The final production of the season will be Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Altheide and running from April 16-19, 2020. For more information on the remainder of the USI Theatre season, visit USI.edu/liberal-arts/usi-theatre or call 812-465-1635.

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Death List Report For Vanderburgh County

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Death List 10-21 TO 10-25

“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” October 26, 2019

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“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” was created because we have a couple of commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE” or “Readers Forum” columns concerning National or International issues.
The majority of our “IS IT TRUE” columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give our more opinionated readers exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and Middle Jab and RIGHT JAB”  column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB” AND “MIDDLE JAB” AND “RIGHT JAB” several times a week.  Oh, “LEFT JAB” is a liberal view, “MIDDLE JAB” is the libertarian view and the “RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments in this column is free to do so.

Today’s “Readers Poll’ question is: If the election was held today for City Council Ward Four (4) who would you vote for?

If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com

ADOPT A PET

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Kate is the mom of the “Home Alone” litter! She has never accidentally left any of her kittens at home by themselves. Or New York. She was an awesome momma… but alas, all of the McCallister kids including Kevin have grown up & been adopted into their own new lives. Kate is the VHS’ 2nd-longest resident because she can be a shy one when you first meet her. But she warms up quickly. She’s even a Manx mix, which means she has no tail (naturally!) Kate’s adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!

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