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Amazon Labor Union's president, Chris Smalls, has registered a new nonprofit. Chris Smalls, the president of Amazon's labor union, has registered a new nonprofit, signaling that he may be turning his attention to projects beyond the unionizing effort that's turned him into a national labor figure. Smalls' leadership of the Amazon Labor Union has been called into question in recent months, amid stalled organizing momentum and election losses at two other facilities. In early December, Smalls was caught on camera fighting a former Amazon Labor Union organizer who had been threatening him after becoming particularly upset about Smalls' growing fame. Although the new group does intend to raise funds for the Amazon Labor Union, according to its certificate of incorporation, it also has bigger ambitions beyond Amazon.

☆ Amazon Union President Chris Smalls Seen Fighting Worker in Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

On the night of December 5, the president of the Amazon Labor Union pummeled another union member. Some longtime Amazon Labor Union organizers decided to begin organizing on their own, without Smalls. All three said they believe in Smalls' mission and support the goals of the Amazon Labor Union, but worry about Smalls' ability to lead. Amazon Labor Union members consoled each other after the union lost the vote at its second warehouse, LDJ5, last April. One purpose of the organization appears to be to raise funds for the Amazon Labor Union, according to its certificate of incorporation.

☆ 10 ways Tasers and stun guns can damage your body and brain, from twisted testicles to temporary memory loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Tasers, AKA stun guns, cause your muscles to seize up, which can make them sore for days after. Police and law enforcement have been using Tasers, known generally as stun guns, since 1974 as a safer alternative to guns. Put another way, all Tasers are stun guns, but not all stun guns are Tasers. Stun guns make your muscles seize up like a Charley horseA police officer's painful reaction to being tasered during a training course on stun guns. Rarely, stun guns can severely harm kidney functionVery rarely, stun guns can cause a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis, AKA rhabdo, which can be fatal.

☆ Trump attorney says Manhattan is an 'unfair venue' for the former president, calling it 'pro-Joe Biden.' Yet that's where he built his empire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump's attorney argued the former president can't get a fair trial in Manhattan. Donald Trump was born in New York City, where his family built their empire. Even before he was officially charged, Trump complained that the investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was politically motivated. Donald Trump was quoted in the obituary saying he was grateful that his father focused his construction business in Brooklyn and Queens. ''It was good for me,'' a chuckling Donald Trump said, according to the Times.

☆ Trump lawyer Tacopina says 'I feel we're not going to get to a jury' in New York case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, Joe Tacopina speaks to the press outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023 after Trump's hearing. A criminal defense lawyer for Donald Trump said Wednesday he expects that the porn star hush money case against the former president to get dismissed without having to go to trial in New York City. "I feel that we're not going to get to a jury," the lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said in an interview on NBC's "Today Show." "I think this case is going to fall on its merits on legal challenges well before we get to a jury," Tacopina said. Tacopina did not answer Guthrie's question about whether a "fair jury" could be selected for trial in Manhattan.

☆ Trump's legal team may ask to move his criminal trial from Manhattan to more conservative-leaning Staten Island, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump's legal team is looking to move the New York criminal inquiry from Manhattan to Staten Island, per Bloomberg. Trump's team has not yet made a decision, as they're looking to review the indictment next week. Manhattan is one of the bluest jurisdictions in the country, while Staten Island leans Republican. Staten Island, also known as Richmond County, has long been the most conservative of New York City's five boroughs. In 2020, Trump won Staten Island by a 57% to 42% margin over Biden.

☆ A grassroots group took on Amazon and won. Then came the hard part
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon still refuses to recognize the union or come to the bargaining table, dashing the Staten Island workers’ hopes of creating their first contract. Union organizer Christian Smalls (L) celebrates following the April 1, 2022, vote for the unionization of the Amazon Staten Island warehouse in New York. “I told Christian, ‘We have a problem, you need to stop traveling, you need to focus on the workers,’” Goodall told CNN. The company has claimed the independent federal agency tasked with overseeing union elections exerted “inappropriate and undue influence” with the Staten Island effort. An Amazon employee signs a labor union authorization for representation form outside the Amazon LDJ5 fulfillment center in the Staten Island borough of New York, on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.

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☆ Amazon union organizers are reportedly feuding less than a year after a New York location voted to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A rift has formed in Amazon's Labor Union at a New York warehouse, The New York Times reported. Smalls told Insider these claims make "zero sense" and don't represent those who started the union. Christian Smalls, along with other union organizers, met President Joe Biden in May 2022. Smalls told Insider that it's common for union presidents to travel and that these claims "make zero sense." Amazon and the Amazon Union did not respond to Insider's immediate request for comment.

☆ Dick's Sporting Goods beats Wall Street's expectations for holiday quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Dick’s Sporting Goods store stands in Staten Island on March 09, 2022 in New York City. Dick's Sporting Goods on Tuesday reported holiday quarter results that beat Wall Street's expectations, citing a sales boost from the gift-giving season even with inflation-weary consumers. Same-store sales increased 5.3% during the fourth quarter, more than double analysts' estimates of 2.1%, according to StreetAccount. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected fiscal 2023 EPS of $12. But the company feels confident it has resolved its supply chain dilemma as it heads into the 2023 fiscal year.

☆ Where New York’s Asian Neighborhoods Shifted to the Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Jason Kao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

In last year’s governor’s election, voters in Asian neighborhoods across New York City sharply increased their support for Republicans. And predominantly Asian areas — precincts with a majority of eligible Asian voters — have undergone a pivotal shift. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Note: The precinct in Kensington is mostly Indian and Bangladeshi. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Flushing, 2022 Murray Hill Bayside Flushing Northern Blvd. Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area Detail area state senate race Bensonhurst Sunset Park McDonald Ave. 65th St. New Utrecht Ave. 8th Ave.

☆ DeSantis told ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek to stay out of Florida's fight over 'Don't Say Gay' bill, book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In the book, DeSantis wrote that Chapek called him as Disney heard an outcry over the legislation, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. DeSantis' book, set to be published Tuesday, is the latest indication that the high-profile Republican is gearing up for a 2024 presidential run. But Disney "ultimately caved to leftist media and activist pressure," DeSantis wrote. DeSantis signed the bill into law in March 2022. Earlier Monday, DeSantis signed a bill giving the state new power over the area that has long granted Disney special self-governance abilities.

☆ George Santos was accused of issuing $15,125 in bad checks for 'puppies,' but the theft charge was dropped after he said his checkbook was stolen, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. George Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania in 2017, Politico reported. Santos's past charity work with animals has come under increasing scrutiny. Tiffany Bogosian, a New York attorney who attended junior high with Santos, told the outlet she helped him deal with the charge after they had reconnected. Santos made out $15,125 in checks to dog breeders in an Amish area of the state, Politico reported. The animal charity accusations are among the many controversies concerning Santos's past.

Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was charged with theft in a 2017 case in Pennsylvania that was later dropped and expunged from his record, according to a lawyer who aided Santos' response to the charge and now regrets helping him. "I should have let him go to hell," that attorney, Tiffany Bogosian, told CNBC in a phone interview Thursday. Santos told her one of his checkbooks had gone missing in 2017, and that he had canceled it as soon as he noticed it was gone. A spokeswoman for the York County District Court in Pennsylvania told CNBC that the Santos case in question "doesn't exist within the system," and that she "cannot confirm" if the reportedly expunged case ever did or didn't exist. But Bogosian provided CNBC with a screenshot showing a November 2017 charge in Santos' name of "THEFT BY DECEP-FALSE IMPRESSION."

☆ Communities struggling with banking access give banks on wheels a spin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Banks on wheels are an attempt to repair the gaps within the U.S. banking landscape, which disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic communities. Banks on wheels aim to offer at least a partial solution to the increasingly deserted banking landscapes in minority communities. BankonBuffalo's mobile branch is an attempt to bridge those access gaps. Bank deserts are any areas where there are no bank branches within 10 miles of its center, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The borough currently has 123 bank branches, according to a national bank branch location database, down from 144 in 2018.

☆ Anti-LGBTQ+ protests are at an all-time high. A Proud Boys war on drag is a big reason why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Once a week on average in 2022, Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests held across the US. Proud Boys joined in seven anti-LGBTQ+ protests in September, 10 in October and 6 in November. In December, they protested at 13 anti-LGBTQ+ protests, more than in any other month last year, ACLED data shows. And the group's anti-LGBTQ+ push is continuing, said Kaufman, who tracks the Proud Boys' estimated 119 chapters in 46 states. Proud Boys are turning up these days at nearly half of all anti-LGBTQ+ activity across the country, she told Insider.

☆ On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil during the Groundhog Day Festivities, at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 2, 2023. According to folklore, if the rodent sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, then frigid and blustery weather will persist for six weeks. The first official celebration of Groundhog Day was in 1886, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The annual event, famously featured in the classic 1993 film "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, draws visitors from around the world. As Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction, some 450,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee were without power after several rounds of sleet and freezing rain downed power lines and trees.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond just missed another debt payment. See the full list of stores it will close, including Harmon and Buybuy Baby locations.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

In addition to 87 more Bed Bath & Beyond stores, the company now says it will close all of its remaining Harmon health and beauty stores, and five Buybuy Baby stores. San Leandro: 15555 East 14th St., Suite 24015555 East 14th St., Suite 240 Burbank: 201 East Magnolia Blvd. Marina: 117 General Stilwell Drive117 General Stilwell Drive Vallejo: 105 Plaza Drive, Suite 107105 Plaza Drive, Suite 107 * Palm Desert: 72459 Highway 11172459 Highway 111 * Visalia: 3125 South Mooney Blvd. Arterial * Coralville: 2515 Corridor Way Suite 5Kansas:Lawrence: 3106 S. Iowa St., Suite 2153106 S. Iowa St., Suite 215 Manhattan: 425 3rd Place425 3rd Place * Olathe: 15335 W. 119th St.Kentucky:Elizabethtown: 1998 N. Dixie Ave.1998 N. Dixie Ave. New Hartford: 4805 Commercial Drive4805 Commercial Drive Kingston: 1187 Ulster Ave.1187 Ulster Ave. Plattsburgh: 73 Centre Drive, Suite 10073 Centre Drive, Suite 100 Farmingdale: 251 Airport Plaza Blvd.

In a decision issued on Monday, Administrative Law Judge Benjamin Green said Amazon supervisors told workers that they would miss out on regularly scheduled raises and improved benefits if the company was forced into lengthy union negotiations. U.S. labor law prohibits employers from making threats or promises in order to discourage unionizing. Workers at Amazon's JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island voted to join the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) last April, a first for the company in the United States. Green said Amazon also violated federal labor law in 2021 by removing a post from an internal message board asking workers to sign a union-backed petition to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. Amazon has faced dozens of complaints from workers and the ALU as the union attempts to organize warehouses across the country.

☆ Amazon warehouse workers at Coventry walk out over pay in UK first
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Muvija M | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid./File Photo/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) workers at a warehouse in central England will walk out on Wednesday in a months-long wrangle over pay, marking the first time the U.S. tech giant's operations in Britain have faced strike action. About 300 employees in Coventry are expected to take part in the industrial action, according to the trade union GMB. Amazon increased starting pay by 50 pence to a minimum of between 10.50 and 11.45 pounds ($12.95 to $14.12) per hour last year. The country's minimum wage, which is currently 9.50 pounds an hour, is set to rise to 10.42 in April. Amazon, which employs thousands of workers across its 30 warehouses in the UK, had then responded to say its pay was competitive.

☆ Amazon warehouse workers walk out in first UK strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Amazon workers at a warehouse in central England went on strike Wednesday, the first time employees of the US tech giant have walked out in the country. Workers are asking for £15 ($18.49) an hour, which the GMB union said would be in line with pay at Amazon in the United States. Starting pay for warehouse workers in the United States averages over $19 an hour after the company’s latest raise in September. The strike comes as employees in the United States continue to organize and push for collective bargaining rights. Amazon has refused to formally recognize or bargain with the Amazon Labor Union, which was recently certified by regulators.

☆ Port of New York shatters trade record, but latest shipping data hints at California comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Containers sit at the GCT New York container terminal on Staten Island on October 20, 2022, in New York City. The Port of Long Beach moved 9.13 million TEUs last year. "These 9.5 million TEUs is more than 27% of 2019 levels," said Bethann Rooney, port director of the Port of New York and New Jersey. "This is not sustainable if we are going to handle 14 million TEUs in the not too distant future," she said. If they have stability on the West Coast, it doesn't really make sense to spend the extra two weeks crossing to go to the East Coast.

☆ Here are the companies that have laid off employees this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Tech firms went on a hiring spree. “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth,” CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. The crypto brokerage announced in early January that it’s cutting 950 people – almost one in five employees in its workforce. Departments from human resources to the company’s Amazon (AMZN) Stores will be affected. They’re not in heavy people expansion mode every year,” CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to employees.

☆ How to decode a package shipping label, from the jumbled letters to the sea of barcodes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's how to break down what's on most e-commerce package labels. What can a package label tell you? A package label can tell you a lot about where the package has been, how far it traveled, and even what's inside. The recipient and the destination address is in the middle, return address at the top left. Next to the return address is usually the weight of the package — a good thing to check on big items before lifting.

Jan 18 (Reuters) - A New York state Senate panel on Wednesday rejected Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's nominee to become the state's chief judge after some lawmakers and advocacy groups expressed concerns he was too conservative for the job. The Democrat-led Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-2 against sending the nomination of Hector LaSalle, the presiding justice of a Brooklyn-based state appeals court, to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. If confirmed, LaSalle would be New York's first Latino chief judge. New York's chief judge heads the seven-member Court of Appeals, which has the final say in interpreting state laws, and oversees the state court system. While Democrats have a strong hold on state government, the Court of Appeals has leaned conservative since former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore joined in 2016.

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