Sam Knight - page 12

Migrant workers on temporary visas who say they were fired for workplace activism are demonstrating for a colleague who died on the job. The former employees of Sarbanand Farms, in a remote Washington town, are planning a protest on Tuesday afternoon, in the wake of Ernesto Silva Ibarra’s death. Ibarra, who was 28-years-old, had fallen ill in the fields on Friday—the result of Sarabanand threatening workers with deportation if they miss three days of work, advocates of the organizers said. The hospitalization led to 70… Keep Reading

Top House Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to reveal the identities of those behind secretive efforts to deregulate the US economy. The lawmakers sent a letter on Monday to White House aides who oversee the regulatory process. They said the rule-slashing initiatives appear to run afoul of laws on transparency and record-keeping, citing reporting by The New York Times and ProPublica, “We believe the interests of the American public must be paramount when reviewing the worthiness of regulations,” the legislators said. They called for… Keep Reading

Amid Republican efforts to insulate banks from lawsuits, Democrats are hoping to grill Wells Fargo executives about recent developments in the bank’s fake accounts scandal. Every Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee sent a letter on Tuesday to Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the panel’s chair, asking for a hearing featuring Wells CEO Timothy Sloan and the chair of the bank’s board of directors, Stephen Sanger. The move comes just days after Wells “admitted that it signed up hundreds of thousands of its auto loan customers for… Keep Reading

With all eyes on Donald Trump’s fixation on the Justice Department Russia probe, the administration looks set to put a fossil fuel industry loyalist at the head of the agency’s environmental protection division. Jeffrey Clark, a longtime lawyer for energy companies and an environmental prosecutor under the George W. Bush administration, will be considered for the job next week by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The selection to lead the Environment and Natural Resources Division saw his nomination delayed on Thursday by Democrats on the panel. The lawmakers… Keep Reading

One of President Trump’s nominees to serve on the National Labor Relations Board was accused of deceiving the committee that advanced his nomination on Wednesday. Both William Emanuel and Marvin Kaplan were approved along strict party lines by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension committee. Full Senate consideration now stands between the two men and a Republican majority on the board. After the votes, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) complained that Emanuel was evasive during last week’s confirmation hearing, when asked about the impact of… Keep Reading

The House of Representatives will soon vote on a bill that critics have decried as a reckless broadside on the planet, and a gift to Corporate America. Legislation that would amend the Clean Air Act and delay ozone rules issued by the Obama administration will go before the House Rules Committee on Monday evening, setting the stage for floor consideration shortly thereafter. The bill has 24 cosponsors—mostly Republicans—and is backed by corporate lobbyists and the energy industry, including the American Petroleum Institute and the Chamber of… Keep Reading

One of Donald Trump’s picks to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could be disqualified from ruling on disputes arising from one the most high profile ongoing organizing efforts. William Emanuel said this week, in ethics filings, that he will recuse himself for two years in matters involving Nissan, among other clients. He reiterated the position, when prompted, at a hearing held Thursday before the Senate Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. United Auto Workers filed a petition with the NLRB earlier… Keep Reading

Fed Chair Janet Yellen didn’t seem too put off by the idea that Wall Street dominance is weighing down the country. The central banker was pressed about the theory positing that the growth of the financial sector, over the past few decades, has choked off commercial activity in other industries. Yellen noted that American corporations have, in recent years, been hoarding money and failing to inject capital into the tangible economy, much to the dismay of policymakers. “For many years, many American companies have been… Keep Reading