Workers of the World, Un-pasteurize! |
I love a bit of disruption to the status quo, and just because a French biologist thought it was a good idea to remove the bacteria from dairy products by heating them to a given temperature more than 100 years ago, doesn’t mean he was right. Let’s all drink raw milk!
Sure, you’re 800 times more likely to contract an illness (and maybe die) from drinking it, but incoming Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy swears by it, and one should think that given his family’s history, he knows a thing or two about managing risk. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of news you Need2Know today about revolutionary things that might or might not happen: Let them eat cheesecake! —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. We’ve got some charming robot puppies on our ‘gram, to calm you down. |
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1. 18,000 Costco Workers May Go on Strike |
You might want to buy in even more bulk the next time you go to Costco because the Teamsters, who represent 18,000 Costco employees, have voted with an 85% majority to authorize a strike in early February if their pay demand isn’t met. Costco recently announced annual net profits of $7.4 billion, a 135 percent increase.
“This isn’t complicated — a 135 percent increase in profits should translate to significant wage increases,” said the Teamsters' warehouse division director, Tom Erickson. “Costco is putting profits ahead of workers. When a company is this rich, that success belongs to the people who make it happen and not some executives sitting comfortably inside corporate offices.”
“Costco’s greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing,” Sean O’Brien, general president of the Teamsters, said in a statement. “If they refuse, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike.”
Say, that’s a nice retail operation you got there, lady. Be a shame if anything happened to it.
The pending strike threatens to disrupt Costco’s operations and could negatively impact its public reputation, which has been favorable due to good worker treatment and strong DEI efforts. In the lead-up to the final negotiation week, the union has conducted practice pickets and has expressed dissatisfaction with Costco's counterproposal to their demands, labeling it "insulting" and inadequate in reflecting the company’s financial success. Unlike the Teamsters, Costco is keeping quiet publicly. Read More |
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2. Can Trump End Birthright Citizenship in the U.S.? |
TL;DR? Not terribly easily. Doesn’t mean he won’t say he tried, of course.
We spoke with Common Threads podcast host J.D. Durkin about President Trump's first week in office, and some of his flagship policies. President Trump has declared that "America's decline is over," ushering in a "golden age." While acknowledging the current economic strength, Durkin questioned how Trump plans to lower prices, as promised. "It's not entirely clear how you go about bringing prices down," he said, emphasizing the potential inflationary impact of tariffs on American consumers.
One of the most controversial executive orders issued by Trump is, of course, the attempt to end birthright citizenship. Durkin noted the legal challenges surrounding this move: "We've already seen lawsuits filed against the Trump administration from groups like the ACLU,” he said—in addition to the attorneys general of 18 states and counting. Although Durkin also emphasized the significance of the Republican Party's reshaping of the judiciary, which could influence the outcome of these legal battles. So: Who knows? Read More |
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| These robotic puppies are more than just cute, they’re changing healthcare! |
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