UFCW Weekender

[Omaha Steve]

Following is a brief roundup of important articles and information from the past week:

* House Dems to vote on children's health plan

According to a recent article from the Associated Press, House Democrats plan to give President-elect Barack Obama an early victory on health care, specifically children's health care, next week. Leaders say they are scheduling a vote on renewing a politically popular health insurance program for children. Unless Congress acts, federal funding for the program expires March 31.
*

House approves bill to fight wage discrimination

Energized by the prospects of a pro-labor president, House Democrats marked the first week of the new Congress Friday by pushing through two bills to help workers, particularly women, who are victims of pay discrimination.

* Have anti-worker smear ads flopped?

A new study finds that 73% of Americans support Employee Free Choice. "Just as Karl Rove-style tactics didn't work against Barack Obama's campaign," writes Art Levine of The Huffington Post, "union supporters see promising signs that the spate of negative TV and print ads from corporate front groups attacking the Employee Free Choice Act appear to be failing to sway the public."

You can also help set the record straight on Employee Free Choice. See sample letters to the editor or download a poster to put in your breakroom at www.ufcwforfreechoice.org.
*

Final Tally for 2008: 2.6 Million Jobs Lost

Another month, another grim employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest report, which provides employment data for December 2008, shows that in that month another 524,000 workers lost their jobs. That makes 1.9 million jobs lost just in the last 4 months of 2008, and 2.6 million jobs lost in total for the year.
*

To cut costs, Supervalu will close 50 stores

The Idaho Statesman reports that Albertson's parent company, Supervalu, will close 50 stores this year to cut costs. The nation's third largest grocery retailer notched a $2.9 billion loss in its third quarter, which ended Nov. 29. The Minnesota company has faced increasing competitive pressure from discounters like Wal-Mart and slower sales because of changing consumer behavior.

This Week's Video

Batgirl vs. The Chamber of Commerce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OSGlIZJrzE

Holy Discontent! Turns out Batgirl wants Equal Pay for Equal Work. Click to watch the video.



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