Thursday, July 22, 2010

Links 07/22/10

Workers on Doomed Rig Voiced Concerns About Safety New York Times ...A confidential survey of workers on the Deepwater Horizon in the weeks before the oil rig exploded showed that many of them were concerned about safety practices and feared reprisals if they reported mistakes or other problems.
Maine Giving Social Security Another Look New York Times ...Maine legislators have prepared a detailed plan for shifting state employees into Social Security and are considering whether to adopt it. They acknowledge it will not solve their problem in the short term but see long-term advantages.
Program to Help Prevent Foreclosures Falls Short New York Times ...Only 390,000 homeowners have seen their mortgage terms permanently modified since the $50 billion program was announced in March 2009.
No Fed Plans to Give More Support, Bernanke Says New York Times ...The chairman of the Federal Reserve, in saying that it had no immediate plans to provide additional support to the economy, dashed the hopes of some economists and executives who have been pushing for action to add momentum to the sluggish recovery.
Restore the Estate Tax! Newsweek ...abolishing the estate tax massively increases the deficit in order to help a few very wealthy people.
Mine Citations Focus on Ventilation, Fire, Electricity NPR ...Citations for safety and health violations by operators of underground coal mines have increased by nearly a third since 2006.
Workers To Vote on Teamsters Contract Modesto Bee ...One of the largest cheese manufacturers in the United States is on the cusp of signing a new labor contract with Teamster Local 386, which represents about 100 workers at the company's Newman cheese plant.