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Here’s what the looming public-service strike would look like for hybrid workers

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s federal public servants will need to show up at the picket line for four hours each day if they go on strike — even if their union has been trying to negotiate permanent work-from-home arrangements with the government. The Public Service Alliance of Canada says that if it doesn’t reach a deal with the federal government by 9 p.m. EDT tonight, some 155,000 workers across the country are prepared to strike as of Wednesday. Many of those employees work in an office only two or three days a week, but the union’s president, Chris Aylward, says they will have to scan a barcode at a picketing location every day in order to receive strike pay.For members who choose not to show up, there will be consequences, he said in an interview.“If you do not participate in a picket line, then you are not participating in a strike, and there are provisions in the constitution for discipline and members can have their membership suspended,” Aylward said.He ...

Supreme Court case tests religious tolerance on Sunday work

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday wrestled with the case of a Christian mail carrier who refused to work on Sundays when he was required to deliver Amazon packages.While the court seemed in broad agreement that businesses like the Postal Service can’t cite minor costs or hardships to reject such requests to accommodate religious practices, it was less clear what they might do about the particular worker’s case.The case before the court involves a mail carrier in rural Pennsylvania. The man was told that as part of his job he’d need to start delivering Amazon packages on Sundays. He declined, saying his Sundays are for church and family. U.S. Postal Service officials initially tried to get substitutes for the man’s shifts, but they couldn’t always accommodate him. When he didn’t show, that meant more work for others. Ultimately, the man quit and sued for religious discrimination.During the arguments, the justices struggled with the question of when employers ...

Ben & Jerry’s supports Vermont workers’ unionization drive

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Global ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s said Tuesday it supports a plan to unionize by the workers at a retail shop in the same city where the brand, known as much for its social activism as its products, was founded.Ben & Jerry’s said, in a statement, it shares “the goal of advancing justice, both inside and outside our company.” The ice cream manufacturer was founded in a former gas station a short distance from its retail shop in downtown Burlington, Vermont. “That’s why we recognize and support the rights of all workers to unionize and collectively bargain,” the company said. “Ben & Jerry’s is committed to the goal of operating our company in a way that is fair, inclusive, and equitable, while being a dynamic and fun place for all workers.”About 40 employees at the Burlington shop said Monday they had formed an organizing committee and petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for an election. They said they have the support ...

S&P/TSX composite ticks upward Tuesday, U.S. markets mixed

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index ticked upward Tuesday with varying results across sectors, while U.S. markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 42.71 points at 20,684.68.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 10.55 points at 33,976.63. The S&P 500 index was up 3.55 points at 4,154.87, while the Nasdaq composite was down 4.31 points at 12,153.41.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.70 cents UScompared with 74.64 cents US on Monday.The June crude contract was up seven cents at US$80.90 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was up nine cents at US$2.37 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$12.70 at US$2,019.70 an ounce and the May copper contract was up three cents at US$4.09 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Stabbing attack at German gym leaves 4 severely injured

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Four people were severely injured in a stabbing attack at a gym in the western German city of Duisburg, police said Tuesday evening.No arrests were announced, and German dpa news agency said police were seeking one suspect. The motive of the attack was not immediately clear.The incident occurred in the old city of Duisburg and police asked residents to stay at home and avoid the area. They said a large number of officers were at the scene of the attack, right across from the city hall.Three people were in life-threatening condition, and one person was less severely injured, Duisburg police tweeted. All four injured people are German citizen, police tweeted without giving any further details on their identities.“According to current information, one person has injured other people with an object” at a gym, they tweeted earlier.Police said that a “stabbing or cutting weapon” was used in the attack, but did not give any further details.The attacker appeared to still...

B.C. inquest hears initial 911 calls related to man who died after police beating

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

BURNABY, B.C. — A coroner’s inquest has heard from two people whose 911 calls set off the Vancouver police response that led to the beating death of another man by several officers.  Myles Gray, who was 33, died in Burnaby, B.C., in August 2015 within an hour of the beating by officers that left him with injuries including a fractured eye socket, nose and rib, a crushed voice box and a ruptured testicle.Muhammed Reza said he called police because he was scared for his safety and that of the people in his neighbourhood after Gray wandered into the area in south Vancouver, swore at his mother and sprayed her with a nearby garden hose.Reza told the inquest he ran outside after hearing his mother’s screams and saw Gray, who was shirtless and appeared to be intoxicated or having a “breakdown.”He said he called police and kept an eye on Gray, who was walking in circles, yelling and at one point ran onto the street and was almost hit by several cars.“I felt li...

Stock market today: S&P 500 posts slight gain, Dow flat

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are closing little changed on Wall Street following a mixed set of earnings results from big companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% Tuesday after drifting between small gains and losses throughout the day. The Dow and Nasdaq barely moved. Lockheed Martin rose after reporting a bigger profit than expected. On the opposite end was Goldman Sachs, which dropped after its revenue fell short of forecasts. A report also showed China’s economic growth accelerated. That raised hopes for the global economy when investors are bracing for at least one more rate hike from the Federal Reserve.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting Tuesday following a mixed set of earnings results from big companies and a stronger-than-expected report from the world’s second-largest economy.The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged in afternoon trading after swinging from small gains to losses earlier. The Dow Jones Indus...

Liberal minister promises plan on Access to Information as MPs highlight woes

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

OTTAWA — Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says she hopes to share a plan in coming months for improving the key federal transparency law and how it is managed.Fortier is telling a House of Commons committee today she expects the plan for making the Access to Information Act more effective will come before the end of the year.MPs are peppering Fortier with questions at a meeting about the much-maligned access regime.For a $5 fee, people can use the access law to ask for a range of federal documents — from internal emails and invoices to briefing notes and policy memos — but it has long been criticized as outdated and poorly implemented.Federal agencies are supposed to respond within 30 days or provide valid reasons why more time is needed to process a request.The law has not been significantly updated since its introduction 40 years ago, and many users complain of lengthy delays, heavily blacked-out documents or blanket denials in response to their applications.This report by Th...

What Canada’s looming public-service strike would look like for hybrid workers

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

Canada’s federal public servants will need to show up at the picket line for four hours each day if they go on strike — even if their union has been trying to negotiate permanent work-from-home arrangements with the government.The Public Service Alliance of Canada says that if it doesn’t reach a deal with the federal government by 9 p.m. EDT tonight, some 155,000 federal workers across the country are prepared to strike as of Wednesday.Many of those employees work in an office only two or three days a week, but the union’s president says they will have to scan a barcode at a picketing location every day in order to receive strike pay.Chris Aylward says there will be exceptions to the rules for those who have mobility issues, disabilities or have discussed their circumstances with the union.They will be given other administrative duties to complete in lieu of picketing.The president of the Ontario Federation of Labour says there are many ways that workers can ...

Downtown beating witness: 'They were going to kill that young man'

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:54:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Lenora Dennis not only witnessed the attack of a couple on Wabash Avenue Saturday night, she stepped in to help. “They were going to kill that young man,” she said. “They were stomping his head into the concrete.”Dennis ran across Wabash and said she yelled and cursed at the teenagers who were hitting and robbing the couple. She was relieved to see a police car approach but said officers, faced with multiple reports of violent acts downtown, didn’t stop.  “I literally stepped in front of a squad car and motioned them over to see this was an assault on the street in progress; and the police just drove around me,” she said. Related: What we know and don’t know about video of downtown beating She said the group of young people briefly ran down the street but then returned.  “When they came back they were beating the couple again,” she said.Police reports reviewed by WGN Investigates say the couple, who was visiting from out of town, both suffered blows that l...