What does a storm surge look like? Check out this timelapse from Hurricane Ian



Katlyn Brieskorn
Thu, September 29, 2022 

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A timelapse showed a storm surge hit Sanibel, Florida, on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian came ashore.

A traffic camera captured the video of high winds and floodwaters completely submerging an intersection on the island. The timelapse shows Periwinkle Way and Casa Ybel Road in Sanibel. Twitter user @BirdingPeepWx said the camera recorded conditions deteriorating over a period of 30 minutes, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Another Twitter user shared this video of the storm surge impacting Marco Island.

Storm surges are often considered the greatest threat to life and property during hurricanes, according to the National Hurricane Center. Of the roughly 1,500 people who died during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the NHC says many lost their lives directly or indirectly as a result of storm surge.



The NHC explains that storm surges are “an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides.” They can cause extreme flooding, like that seen in Naples where cars were submerged and a child was reportedly almost swept away.

Photos show destruction from Hurricane Ian

Surges form as winds from the storm push water toward the land, causing it to pile up. Because of their complexity, the NHC says even the slightest changes in the storm – whether it be intensity, speed, size, central pressure, or approach to the coast, or the shape and features of the coast – can alter a storm surge.

Hurricane Ian made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane near Cayo Costa, bringing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. It’s one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamping city streets with water and smashing trees along Florida’s western coast.

The Associated Press and Storyful contributed to this report.

  

What does Sanibel Island look like after Hurricane Ian? See for yourself

Jeff Kleinman
Thu, September 29, 2022 at 12:56 PM

Sanibel Island was a perfect escape for many people from South Florida. A place to pick shells, see nature, have a good meal, kick back in the sand.

Now it’s a disaster zone.

Hurricane Ian washed over the beloved island Wednesday, cleaving away a section of the only causeway from the mainland, leaving scarred asphalt and ruined property. It’s unclear if anyone died.

READ MORE: Your favorite Sanibel hangouts were ground zero of hurricane. A look at some of them

Here are some early photos of the rescue operation and the devastation along Sanibel:

A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew hoists people from flooded areas near Sanibel, Florida, after Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022. Crews continue to conduct search and rescue operations in affected areas.

A damaged causeway to Sanibel Island is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian , Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, near Sanibel Island, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A section of the damaged Sanibel Causeway seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, near Sanibel Island, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A section of the causeway leading to Sanibel, Fla., in Lee County was knocked out by Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)More

A section of the Sanibel Causeway was lost due to the effects of Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A home burns on Sanibel Island in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A military helicopter sits down on Sanibel Island in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Damaged homes are seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, on Sanibel Island, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Hurricanes in the Movies: The Hurricane (1937)

Directed by John Ford and starring Jon Hall, Dorothy Lamour, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, and John Carradine.  Jon Hall is Terangi, the favorite son of a South Sea island, with Dorothy Lamour as his betrothed, and later, wife.  Raymond Massey and Mary Astor are the French Governor and his wife, and veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy from "It's a Wonderful Life") is Dr. Kersaint.

The real star of the movie is the hurricane, which makes its appearance about two-thirds through the movie, but which utterly takes over the film, as Hollywood outdoes itself in early SF with the depiction of the storm arriving, the wind and rain, and the ultimate destruction of the storm surge.

 

Hurricane Ian 'street shark' video defies belief

Graph Massara And Ali Swenson, The Associated Press
Published Thursday, September 29, 2022 

Photos and videos of sharks and other marine life swimming in suburban floodwaters make for popular hoaxes during massive storms. But a cellphone video filmed during Hurricane Ian's assault on southwest Florida isn't just another fish story.

The eye-popping video, which showed a large, dark fish with sharp dorsal fins thrashing around an inundated Fort Myers backyard, racked up more than 12 million views on Twitter within a day, as users responded with disbelief and comparisons to the “Sharknado” film series.

Dominic Cameratta, a local real estate developer, confirmed he filmed the clip from his back patio Wednesday morning when he saw something “flopping around” in his neighbor's flooded yard

“I didn't know what it was - it just looked like a fish or something,” he told The Associated Press. “I zoomed in, and all my friends are like, `It's like a shark, man!' ”

He guessed the fish was about 4 feet in length.

Experts were of mixed opinion on whether the clip showed a shark or another large fish. George Burgess, former director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark program, said in an email that it “appears to be a juvenile shark,” while Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, director of the University of Miami's shark conservation program, wrote that “it's pretty hard to tell.”

Nevertheless, some Twitter users dubbed the hapless fish the “street shark.”

The surge worsened in Fort Myers as the day went on. Cameratta said the flooding had only just begun when the clip was taken, but that the waters were “all the way up to our house” by the time the AP reached him by phone Wednesday evening.

He said the fish may have made its way up from nearby Hendry Creek into a retention pond, which then overflowed, spilling the creature into his neighbor's backyard. A visual analysis of nearby property confirmed it matches the physical landmarks in the video.

Leslie Guelcher, a professor of intelligence studies at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, was among the online sleuths who initially thought the video was fake.

“Don't think this is real. According to the index on the video it was created in June 2010. Someone else posted it at 10 AM as in Fort Myers, but the storm surge wasn't like that at 10 AM,” she tweeted Wednesday.

Guelcher acknowledged later, though, that online tools she and others were using to establish the video's origins didn't actually show when the video itself was created, merely when the social media profile of the user was created.

The AP confirmed through the original clip's metadata that it was captured Wednesday morning.

“It makes a bit more sense from a flooding standpoint,” she said by email, when informed the fish was spotted near an overflowing pond. “But how on earth would a shark go from the Gulf of Mexico to a retention pond?”

Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist who studies shark behavior at Florida International University, said that most sharks flee shallow bays ahead of hurricanes, possibly tipped off to their arrival by a change in barometric pressure. A shark could have accidentally swum up into the creek, he said, or been washed into it.

“Young bull sharks are common inhabitants of low salinity waters - rivers, estuaries, subtropical embayments - and often appear in similar videos in FL water bodies connected to the sea such as coastal canals and ponds,” Burgess said. “Assuming the location and date attributes are correct, it is likely this shark was swept shoreward with the rising seas.”

Cameratta sent the video to a group chat on WhatsApp on Wednesday morning, according to his friend John Paul Murray, who sent the AP a timestamped screenshot.

“Amazing content,” Murray wrote in reply.

Associated Press writers Philip Marcelo and Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed to this report.

DARWIN AWARD

Man Who Tried to Drain Pool During Hurricane Ian Is Among Deaths Confirmed as Toll Continues to Rise

Charmaine Patterson
Thu, September 29, 2022 

In this aerial view, vehicles make their way through a flooded area after Hurricane Ian passed through on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
Joe Raedle/Getty

The death toll continues to rise since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

A 72-year-old man from Deltona died after going outside to drain his pool, the Volusia County Sheriff's Department said in a release Thursday morning.

Authorities believe he put a hose down a canal that was 30 feet wide in an attempt to drain the pool. The canal had "a steep decline into the water [that] was extremely soft and slippery due to the heavy rain," VCSD said.

His wife told police he "disappeared" after he went outside.

RELATED: See Photos of Hurricane Ian's Path as Historic Storm Hits Florida

A collapsed building near flooded river aftermath of hurricane in Punta Gorda district of Florida, United States on September 29, 2022. Hurricane Ian is packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph), down slightly from 155 mph (249 kph) winds recorded just hours earlier. US authorities warned earlier on Wednesday that Ian is slated to bring mass devastation to parts of Florida as it barreled toward the southeastern state. At least 2.5 million Floridians are currently under some type of evacuation order as Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified into a major hurricane. Hurricane Ian is slated to bring mass devastation to parts of Florida as it barrels toward the southeastern state with winds nearing Category 5 status.More

Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty

"While searching for him, deputies found his flashlight, then spotted the victim unresponsive in a canal behind the home," VCSD said. "Several deputies pulled the victim from the water and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the victim could not be revived. He was later pronounced deceased at the hospital."

A Lake County man also died when his car hydroplaned during the Category 4 storm, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said, per The Tampa Bay Times.

The FDLE did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

RELATED: Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall in Florida as 'Extremely Dangerous' Category 4 Storm

A man walks through debris on a street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 29, 2022. - Hurricane Ian left much of coastal southwest Florida in darkness early on Thursday, bringing "catastrophic" flooding that left officials readying a huge emergency response to a storm of rare intensity. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the "extremely dangerous" hurricane made landfall just after 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of the city of Fort Myers.
RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty

While six deaths were reported in Charlotte County, officials there said, per the publication, that they could not confirm an exact number.

"I can confirm that there have been deaths," said spokesman Christopher Hall, "but I cannot confirm how many or even what were the causes of those deaths."

Lee County officials have confirmed five other deaths, according to The Times.

Two deaths are also reportedly being investigated in Sarasota County but have not been confirmed. County spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez told The Times that details are in the early stages.

CNN reports that 15 people have died, though the death toll remains uncertain.

Sharing an update during a press briefing Thursday morning, Governor Ron DeSantis said, "The impacts of this storm are historic, and the damage that was done has been historic."

He did not state a death toll, but addressed the Lee County Sheriff's previous comments that it was in the hundreds.

"None of that is confirmed. I think what that is, is there were 911 calls for people saying, 'Hey, the water is rising in my home, I'm going to go up in the attic but I'm really worried," DeSantis said in the update captured by Fox Business. "Of course, those folks are now going to be checked on, and I think you'll have more clarity about that in the next day or so as they're able to go to those locations to determine whether people need services or are able to be rescued."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

He added that the FDLE will investigate two "unconfirmed" deaths to determine if they're connected to Hurricane Ian.

The storm came ashore as an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" with sustained winds of 150 mph shortly after 3 p.m. local time near Cayo Costa on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

More than 2.5 million Floridians lost power.

FASCIST REACTION

Czechs protest handling of energy crisis, membership of EU and NATO





Anti-government protest in Prague

Wed, September 28, 2022 at 6:36 AM·2 min read

PRAGUE (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of Czechs gathered in Prague on Wednesday to protest against the government's handling of soaring energy prices and the country's membership of NATO and the European Union.

The demonstration on a national holiday in Prague's main square, organised by far-right and fringe groups and parties including the Communists, was estimated at "lower tens of thousands" by the police, compared to 70,000 on Sept. 3.

The organising group "Czech Republic First!" opposes the European Union and NATO and calls for the central European nation of 10.7 million to be militarily neutral.

Protesters held banners like "End the comedy" and many waved Czech flags as the sun appeared after morning rain.

"This government is absolutely anti-Czech. It only serves Brussels (EU centre), American power and NATO. It has no regard for Czech citizens' interests," said Pavel Nebel, 53.

The organisers, whose programme also demands an end to "planned dilution of the nation", opened the protest with the national anthem performed by a far-right singer, after which speakers took to the stage denouncing the government.

"A government has two duties: to ensure our security and economic prosperity. This government does not fulfil either of these duties," one speaker said.

Hundreds of people gathered in other cities, where they could watch online streaming of the protest held in Prague, media reported.

High energy prices, fuelled by the war in Ukraine, have piled pressure on governments across Europe to cushion the blow of mounting energy costs for consumers and businesses.

The Czech government has signed up to EU sanctions against Russia and taken a tough stance over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Miroslav Sevcik, a dean at Prague University of Economics and Business and the first speaker at the Prague protest, called for scrapping of the sanctions.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala this month adopted a string of measures, including financial aid for companies and price caps on electricity for households.

(Reporting by Robert Muller and Jiri Skacel, Editing by Michael Kahn and Nick Macfie)

HE HAD HELP
Indiana teen is only student in the world to receive perfect AP Calculus exam score this past spring



William Yuk
Wed, September 28, 2022

An Indiana teen was the only student in the world to receive a perfect score on the Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB exam this past spring.

Felix Zhang, who is currently a junior at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, scored all 108 possible points on the exam as a sophomore, a feat that not even he was expecting to accomplish.

“Obviously I wanted to do well on it, and I prepared a lot but I never thought about getting a perfect score before so, that was a nice surprise,” Zhang told 16 News Now.

Felix is not the only member of the family with quantitative gifts. Both of his parents teach university-level mathematics: his father at the University of Notre Dame and his mother at Indiana University South Bend.

Approximately 270,000 students took the AP Calculus AB exam administered in May. While 20 percent of the students received a five — the highest possible mark for the exam — Zhang was the only one to receive a perfect score.

“We applaud Felix's hard work and the AP teacher responsible for engaging students and enabling them to excel in a college-level course,” head of the Advanced Placement Program Trevor Packer said in an email.

AP classes and exams are administered to help students earn admissions to universities, prepare them for the heavier workloads offered at institutions of higher education and gain credit for college-level courses in high school.

"When you take an AP Calculus course in high school, you're essentially taking the first year of Calculus as a college student,” Penn High School Principal Sean Gailher said in a press release. "If we can expose them at the high school level and help them experience the rigor and the challenge and be successful, we know they're going to be successful when they leave our walls."

Alaska Air (ALK) Announces Tentative 

Deal With Pilots Union

Zacks Equity Research

Wed, September 28, 2022

Alaska Air Group, Inc. ALK recently announced that it has successfully proceeded with a tentative deal with its pilots’ union.

The new agreement includes substantial wage increases, working hours flexibility and other related benefits. Per the new contract, Alaska captains are expected to enjoy pay raises ranging between 15% and 23%, based on their seniority. The first officer pay raise would be between 8% and 23%. The contract also includes regulations to protect Alaska from outsourcing routes to other airlines, apart from other benefits.

This new contract has now been forwarded to the airline's more than 3,000 pilots for approval. If it gets approved by Nov 1, 2022, the raises would be retroactive from Sep 1.

Will McQuillen, chairman of the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council for the Air Line Pilots Association, stated, "Not only does this agreement recognize the crucial role pilots have played in the success of Alaska Airlines, it will also help our airline remain competitive in the industry."

Considering the ongoing airline industry issues of pilot shortages, wage increases, surge in air travel demand and related disruptions to flight schedules, the latest announcement looks encouraging for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company and will help it to stay competitive in attracting and retaining pilots.

We remind investors that earlier this week, Alaska Air’s subsidiary Horizon Air confirmed that its team of more than 700 pilots (represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters) voted on a new agreement. The new deal is aimed at helping the company’s pilots and holding back talent as mainline airlines continue to recruit pilots (at record levels) away from regional airlines. The deal also includes issues related to wage increases, retirement benefits plans, commuter policies and instructor benefits. The deal passed by 99% after receiving more than 91% of votes from Horizon pilots. A tentative deal was inked with the IBT on Sep 2, effective immediately upon this latest vote.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price

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UK
Train strikes: Dates for October and the rail services affected

Oliver Gill

TELEGRAPH
Wed, September 28, 2022 

October Train Strike dates Rail Industrial Action - Carl Court/Getty Images

Rail unions are staging a series of train strikes targeting the Conservative Party Conference in October, beginning this week on Saturday.

Union leaders have called off a truce with company bosses after cancelling industrial action during the period of national mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) will walk out on Oct 1 and Oct 8.

Aslef, which represents train drivers, will strike across 12 train operating companies on Oct 1 and Oct 5.

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) is understood to have served notice that hundreds of members will also strike on Oct 1.

Notice has also been served on rail chiefs that “action short of a strike” – for example, a ban on overtime or working outside of contractual hours – is planned by the TSSA for Oct 5, industry sources said.

What days are the train strikes happening?

Saturday, October 1 - RMT, Aslef and TSSA members will walk out

Wednesday, October 5 - Aslef members will walk out

Saturday October 8 - RMT walk-out

Network Rail workers will also be on strike on October 8.

The TSSA is yet to confirm its strike action and which services will be impacted.
What are workers striking over?

Aslef members are walking out in a row over wages only.

General secretary Mick Whelan said: “They are telling trainp drivers to take a real terms ay cut. With inflation now running at 12.3pc – and set, it is said, to go higher – these companies are saying that drivers should be prepared to work just as hard, for just as long, but for considerably less.”

For the RMT and the TSSA, the situation is different. There’s a dispute over both wages and plans for sweeping reforms to working practices.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Transport workers are joining a wave of strike action on October 1st, sending a clear message to the government and employers that working people will not accept continued attacks on pay and working conditions at a time when big business profits are at an all-time high.

“The Summer of Solidarity we have seen will continue into the Autumn and Winter if employers and the government continue to refuse workers reasonable demands.

“We want a settlement to these disputes where our members and their families can get a square deal. And we will not rest until we get a satisfactory outcome.”
Will there be more Tube strikes in 2022?

More London Underground disruption is likely as a pay row between Transport for London (TfL) and union RMT rolls on.

The RMT warned on August 31 that more Tube strikes could occur, as it complained workers’ pay and pensions were at risk in a funding deal with the Government designed to secure TfL's operations until 2024.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “This deal negotiated in secret by TfL and government ministers will likely see our members’ pensions attacked and further pay restraint in the future, coupled with driverless trains.

“Grant Shapps’ attack on Tube workers would be unacceptable at any time but in an escalating cost of living crisis it is shameful and will be resisted through further strike action.

“TfL needs to stand up to Grant Shapps and demand a deal that serves all the people of London and addresses the real concerns of London transport workers who keep the capital running.”
Can I get a refund or travel on another service if my train is cancelled?

According to consumer group Which?, the process differs based on which train company someone is travelling with, and customers can “only claim compensation during a rail strike for a delay based on the replacement or emergency timetable for train or replacement bus services”.
What is the Government doing about it?

Talks between union leaders on one side and train companies and Network Rail ground to a halt during the period of national mourning.

The Government has already threatened new minimum service requirements that would require a certain number of trains to run during a strike. However, ministers have warned it could take months to draw up the new laws.

Eleven trade unions have launched legal action for a judicial review into the plans.

Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, has previously condemned the strikes.

“On a salary of almost £60,000, it isn't fair for train drivers to hurt those on lower wages with more walkouts,” he wrote on Twitter.

S.F. airport workers end three-day strike, will vote on contract this weekend

Levi Sumagaysay - MarketWatch

Food-service workers at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday ended a three-day strike that shut down most of the restaurants and eateries at the busy airport, after being promised what their union called “significant raises,” free family healthcare and more.


S.F. airport workers end three-day strike, will vote on contract this weekend

© Levi Sumagaysay/MarketWatch

Related video: 1,000 San Francisco airport workers on strike

Duration 2:00 View on Watch

The hospitality workers’ union, Unite Here Local 2, and a consortium of airport restaurants reached a tentative deal late Wednesday, according to a union spokesperson. The 1,000 workers affected are scheduled to vote on the contract Sunday.

“All the hard work and sacrifice of the strike has paid off for my family,” Blanca Gay, a snack bar attendant at SFO for 30 years and a member of the local bargaining committee, said in a statement.

See: ‘Everything is up but our wages’: Airport and airline workers speak out worldwide about ‘ridiculous’ conditions

Details of the contract are not yet public, but Unite Here Local 2 spokesman Ted Waechter said Thursday that “we really accomplished all our goals.” The union said a majority of the workers’ wages under the previous contract was $17.05 an hour, and that their employers were proposing that workers contribute to the cost of healthcare.

The strike closed down most of the places travelers could buy a meal at the airport, such as Boudin Bakeries and Ladle & Leaf, and caused the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to call a special hearing this week. Supervisors heard testimony from cashiers, baristas, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders and others who told stories about how they hadn’t seen a raise in three years and how many of them have to work two or three jobs.

The supervisors pressed employers and said that if those conditions continued, they would more closely scrutinize who gets leases at the airport, according to Waechter. The supervisors’ attention, plus the nearly total strike that brought most of the workers to the picket lines, really “brought pressure to bear,” Waechter said.

A representative for the at least 84 food and drink outlets and 30 contractors that employ the hospitality workers did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday. Some workers are employed directly by the restaurants, while others are employed by larger contractors such as Compass Group PLC and Flix.

Also this week, flight attendants for United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. held actions at SFO and other airports as they asked for higher pay and changes to scheduling policies.

SFO restaurant workers win raises, guaranteed health care in strike; back on the job Thursday

Thursday, September 29, 2022 


SAN FRANCISCO -- Restaurant and food service workers at San Francisco International Airport have won raises and other benefits after they started striking on Monday, shutting down most of the businesses within the airport.

The hospitality workers' union reached a tentative deal late Tuesday night with the multi-employer group called SFO Restaurants, which was unanimously approved by the union's bargaining committe.

It includes free family health care as well as increased wages. A ratification vote will take place on Sunday, October 2.

RELATED: Day 2 of SFO restaurant workers strike, United Airlines flight attendants also plan to picket

The roughly 1,000 workers that were on strike are now back on the job Thursday, and say that it is a well-deserved victory.

"This strike was so worth it to give my family a better life," said Blanca Gay, a snack bar attendant at SFO for 30 years and member of the UNITE HERE Local 2 bargaining committee. "My son is in college, but he had to switch from full-time to part-time just so he could work. With the raises we won, I can help my son go back to school full-time. All the hard work and sacrifice of the strike has paid off for my family."

Since Monday, passengers were being advised to bring their own food to the airport, as all of the food options were closed.

VIDEO: 1,000 SFO restaurant workers go on strike for better pay

One thousand restaurant workers are on strike at San Francisco International Airport on Monday.

Union President Anand Singh said the majority of workers on strike were making $17.05 an hour, which is often less than the price of one meal at the airport. They had not seen a raise in three years, the union says.

The last time food workers went on strike at SFO was back in 2014, which lasted for two days.

If approved, the contract would expire in August 2025.

United Airlines Workers at Heathrow to Vote on Strike Over Pay

Christopher Jasper and Siddharth Philip, Bloomberg News

Passenger aircraft operated by United Airlines Holdings Inc., at London Heathrow Airport. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- United Airlines Holdings Inc. faces potential disruption in one of its most lucrative overseas markets as 300 workers at London’s Heathrow airport begin voting in a strike ballot over pay.

The poll of staff employed in operations, customer services and baggage handling will run until Oct. 11, the Unite union said in a statement Wednesday.

United’s UK employees are in dispute with the US company over what Unite call real-terms pay cuts amid a cost-of-living crisis. It has said the carrier offered a raise of 5% this year plus an additional payment, followed by 4% in 2023, at a time when inflation is running well ahead of those figures.

“To make matters worse, bosses want to tear up a long-standing agreement barring the use of outsourced workers,” Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said. “These are red lines the workers won’t cross.”

The union said disruption at United would threaten as many as 18 flights a day into Heathrow, the top destination for US carriers in a trans-Atlantic market that’s rebounded faster from the Covid crisis than most long-haul sectors.

United Airlines continues to hold talks with Unite with a view to reaching an agreement, the Chicago-based company said in an emailed statement from its London office.

The ballot at United comes after Unite said earlier this month it would poll more than 50 Heathrow-based maintenance staff at American Airlines Group Inc. on possible strikes over a pay offer it called “appalling.” That consultation closes on Sept. 30.

Arriva, Orsted

In another UK labor dispute, 2,000 Arriva bus drivers in London will begin action over pay from Oct. 4, with the walkout continuing until a resolution is reached, Unite said. Drivers are seeking a 12.3% hike, which the union says is in line with inflation.

Orsted A/S off-shore wind-farm workers based in Barrow-in-Furness and Birkenhead, northern England, will meanwhile strike for four days, according to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

The dates include Oct. 1, when a number of stoppages are planned across a range of industries on the eve of the Conservative party conference.

Orsted said the RMT balloted 96 workers out of about 450 offshore staff and the company will continue discussions with Prospect, its recognised trade union for those workers.

Also Wednesday, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association said it will ballot hundreds of members at London commuter railway Govia Thameslink on possible walkouts.

(Updates with United response in sixth paragraph, Orsted strike from ninth)

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Rail unions emphasize positives of their tentative deals



A Norfolk Southern freight train runs through a crossing in Homestead, Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

JOSH FUNK
Wed, September 28, 2022

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The two biggest U.S. railroad unions were working Wednesday ahead of key ratification votes to dispel rumors about the contract deals that averted a potentially devastating nationwide strike .

The unions have been fighting rumors on social media that they would impose the deals on workers if they vote to reject them. The rumors were sparked by a railroad trade publication suggesting that was possible in an article earlier this month.

And some newly formed worker groups that helped organize protests at railyards across the country last week have been urging workers, some harboring deep resentment over how they've been treated by the railroads in recent years, to reject the proposed contracts.

“The challenge is to first get past how angry they are,” said Dennis Pierce, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. “The education process we’re working through now is to try to get concentrating on the facts of the deal instead of the emotions of what they’ve been through. And that’s a heavy lift.”

He added that there are some “out there from the outside and inside with their own agendas that are trying to keep everyone agitated.”

The BLET and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers unions are instead emphasizing to their members the potential benefits of the five-year deals, which include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Union leaders are stressing that the only way a contract will be imposed on members is if Congress steps in to block a strike because so many businesses rely on railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products.

Workers were ready to strike until the Biden administration helped broker a last-minute deal that prevented a mid-September walkout at Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Kansas City Southern and other railroads. But now all the unions, which represent a total of 115,000 workers, must ratify their deals over the next six weeks to ensure there won't be a strike. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers voted Wednesday to join two smaller rail unions as the only ones to approve their deals so far.

The financial terms of these deals closely follow the recommendations a special board of arbitrators Biden appointed made this summer, but that board didn't resolve all of the worker concerns about schedules and workloads after the major railroads eliminated nearly one third of their workforces over the past six years.

Conductors and engineers have been especially upset about quality-of-life issues because they say the strict attendance policies railroads imposed to make sure they have enough crews make it hard to take any time off and keep them on call 24-7.

The president of the SMART-TD union, Jeremy Ferguson, acknowledged in a video he sent out to his members that this deal “did not abolish the whole attendance policy like we asked” but he said it does include some key gains.

The concessions the unions got include three unpaid leave days a year for medical appointments, although those must be scheduled 30 days ahead of time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. The railroads also promised not to dock workers when they are hospitalized and said they would negotiate at each railroad about ensuring workers have regularly scheduled days off.

Pierce said the unions focused on time off for medical needs because that seemed to be where the greatest harm was being done. In one case highlighted by the Washington Post, a BNSF engineer who skipped a doctor's appointment earlier this year because he was worried about being penalized under that railroad's attendance policy died on a train a few weeks later after suffering a heart attack.

Ferguson also emphasized that the unions were able to protect two-person crews by preventing the railroads from forcing them into arbitration over their proposals to cut train crews down to one person. Unions have vehemently opposed that idea for years because of concerns about safety and protecting jobs.

MAGICK NUMBER

Newsom signs 13 abortion protection and reproductive health bills

Melody Gutierrez
Tue, September 27, 2022

Gov. Gavin Newsom talks at a news conference with workers and volunteers at a Planned Parenthood office near downtown Los Angeles in May. (Michael R. Blood / Associated Press)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 13 abortion protection and reproductive health bills Tuesday, codifying key parts of California's campaign to counter the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

The newly signed laws also set the stage for a November vote to enshrine abortion rights directly into California's Constitution under Proposition 1.

Newsom's signatures were expected after the governor advocated for many of the measures and come after California launched a publicly funded website this month to make it easier for those seeking to end their pregnancy to find services and financial assistance. The state announced the website — at abortion.ca.gov — the same day that Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina pushed for a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy with rare exceptions.

Newsom then began promoting the website on billboards in seven states with the most restrictive abortion bans, telling women living there that California "will defend your right to make decisions about your own health."

“An alarming number of states continue to outlaw abortion and criminalize women, and it’s more important than ever to fight like hell for those who need these essential services," Newsom said in a statement. "We’re doing everything we can to protect people from any retaliation for accessing abortion care while also making it more affordable to get contraceptives."

California officials began preparing a year ago for the potential effects of Roe vs. Wade being overturned, with Newsom asking Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and dozens of other supporters to develop a plan for the state to become a sanctuary for anyone denied abortion services in other parts of the country.

Lawmakers sent Newsom 15 bills this year to strengthen California’s already robust abortion protections — two of which were previously signed into law, while some signed Tuesday were already funded in the budget passed in June.

That budget included $200 million in new spending for reproductive health care services and outreach.

Among the bills signed Tuesday was SB 1142 by Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), which required the state to create the abortion services website launched earlier this month.

“This new website is a critical resource, providing essential information to patients in and out of California, and can hopefully serve as a model for the rest of the nation,” Jodi Hicks, president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said in a statement. “No person should be forced to travel outside of their home state for essential health care, including abortion care, yet extreme politicians are making that a reality for millions across the country."

Newsom signed SB 1245, by Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), which sets aside $20 million for the Los Angeles County Abortion Access Safe Haven Pilot Program, which would expand reproductive care programs in the county.

Senate Bill 1375 by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), also signed into law by the governor, will allow trained nurse practitioners to perform first trimester abortions without the supervision of a physician. Newsom gave final approval to AB 2205 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), which will create new transparency requirements for health plans participating in Covered California on how much insurers collect in abortion premiums and what portion is used for abortion services.

Carrillo said the bill will "ensure regulators and policymakers are aware of the amount of funds being collected as we consider options available for payment of abortion services."

AB 2223, which was particularly targeted by antiabortion groups, would prohibit a coroner from holding an inquest after a fetal death, including in cases in which drugs are suspected as causing a stillbirth. The bill's author, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), said AB 2223 ensures pregnancy loss is not considered a crime, regardless of the circumstances. The bill has been targeted by antiabortion groups, which said the measure would make it difficult for law enforcement to investigate the death of a newborn.

“The reason we did this bill was because we wanted to ensure and enshrine that no person can be criminally prosecuted for something that happens in utero, which has happened in California,” Wicks said.

Newsom signed AB 1242, by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), which prohibits state law enforcement agencies from helping with out-of-state abortion investigations. The bill, which was sponsored by Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, also requires out-of-state law enforcement agencies seeking data from California corporations to attest that their investigation is not related to an abortion.

“This is an unprecedented step to protect abortion privacy across the country,” Bauer-Kahan said after the bill passed the Legislature. “We have no obligation to be complicit in enforcing laws that are antithetical to our own values and legal system in California."

In June, Newsom signed a bill that created immediate liability protections for California abortion providers when caring for patients traveling from areas where the procedure is now banned or access is narrowed. AB 1666, by Bauer-Kahan, ensures that providers and patients in California can’t be held civilly liable for judgments based on claims made in antiabortion states.

Newsom signed SB 245, by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), in March, effectively eliminating out-of-pocket costs for abortions, including co-pays that on average range from $300 for a medication abortion to nearly $900 for a procedural abortion, according to the California Health Benefits Review Program.

California law allows a person to have an abortion until the point that a physician determines “there is a reasonable likelihood of the fetus’ sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures” or if the procedure is necessary in order to “protect the life or health of the woman.” In most cases, doctors have considered a fetus viable at 24 weeks.

Nearly two-thirds of California voters said they support legislative fixes that help people from other states obtain an abortion in California, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released last month.

Voters will be able to weigh in on California’s abortion protections in November after lawmakers placed a measure on the ballot that would explicitly protect a person’s right to an abortion. The UC Berkeley IGS poll found 7 in 10 voters support that measure, Proposition 1.

“Abortion is healthcare — timely, essential healthcare that patients should not have to scramble to secure," Atkins said in a statement Tuesday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.