MichMan
MichMan's JournalMore than 25K strike at Mexican border factories
Source: Detroit News
Mexico City – More than 25,000 Mexican workers at dozens of factories south of Brownsville, Texas, went on strike Friday after owners of the plants that assemble for export refused union demands for a 20 percent pay hike and an annual bonus.
The Union of Maquiladora Industry Industrial Workers of Matamoros, the SJOIIM, said that by late Saturday nine companies had agreed to meet the salary and bonus demands.
The strikes affect factories that make auto parts, medical equipment, plastics and other goods.
The labor strife comes on the heels of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s promise to double the minimum wage in communities along the U.S. border to 176.2 pesos a day, the equivalent of $9.28 at current exchange rates.
However, workers who were making more than minimum wage in Matamoros factories would not have benefited from the hike in the minimum wage, sparking discontent. The workers are also demanding a one-time bonus of about $1,685.
Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2019/01/26/strike-mexican-border-factories/38961091/
Marc Edwards Is a Sad Victim of Our Modern Political Era (Flint water crisis)
from Mother Jones
"This is very sad: Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech professor who first exposed toxic levels of lead in the water supply of Flint, Michigan, was initially a hero to the Flint community. Thanks to him, Flint became the target of nationwide outrage, and steps were finally taken to reconnect Flint to the (safe) Detroit water supply. In less than a year, lead levels in Flint water had dropped to safe levels.
So what did Edwards do? Well, he’s a scientist, and just as he had honestly exposed Flint’s problems in the first place, he also continued to honestly report the results of the intervention. When the water was once again safe, he said so—and that turned him from a hero into a pariah."
"But this is not just about one guy who’s faced unfair attacks. It’s way more important than that. Here in the progressive community, we like to criticize conservatives for being too anti-science; too tribal; and too subservient to their most extreme wing. But look at what happened here. The science, as you’d expect, told us that Flint’s water got better after mitigation measures were taken—but the activists on the ground were too angry and bitter to accept that. Instead, they turned tribal on the guy reporting the results, and at that point you were either with them or against them."
[link:https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/01/marc-edwards-is-a-sad-microcosm-of-our-modern-political-era/?fbclid=IwAR3ZtWG904_WWw-UA37wIuFEWSzXiHW6UREcPlq2JX5JFwS6yhNuY5o9-rk|
Rep. Debbie Dingell wants to add breathalyzers to cars in honor of Michigan family killed by drunk
Source: MLive
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat representing Michigan's 12th district, announced plans this week to introduce legislation aimed at reducing drunk driving.
The action is prompted by the deaths of Northville residents Issam Abbas and Dr. Rima Abbas and their three children - Ali, 14; Isabelle, 13; and Giselle, 7, who were killed by a drink driver in Kentucky while on their way home from a Florida vacation.“Their loss has devastated our community in ways you cannot imagine,” Dingell said during a Thursday speech on the U.S. House of Representatives floor. “In every sense of the word, they were a community. Their absence stunned this community and is felt deeply and emotionally.”
Dingell, whose 12th District includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dearborn and the Abbas’ hometown of Northville, is planning to introduce legislation that would require all new vehicles to have interlocking breathalyzers.
These devices are usually attached to the ignition system of the vehicles and require you to test your blood-alcohol content before unlocking and starting your car. Simply put, if your BAC is above the legal limit, it won't allow you to start the car.
Read more: https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/01/rep-debbie-dingell-wants-to-add-breathalyzers-to-cars-in-honor-of-abbas-family.html
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