Starbucks Mad About Biden's 

Photo-Op With Union Activists

Dave Jamieson

Fri, May 6, 2022,

President Joe Biden invited union activists to the White House on Thursday for a symbolically significant meeting that reinforced the president’s bona fides as a union man. The photo-op excited progressives who want the administration to do everything it can to support union organizing and rejuvenate the labor movement.

Starbucks was less thrilled about it.

The group of worker-activists in the Oval Office included Laura Garza, an employee from Starbucks’ New York roastery who is part of the chain’s growing union campaign.

Starbucks executive AJ Jones II penned a letter Thursday to Steve Ricchetti, the president’s counselor, asking that the White House hold a separate meet-and-greet for other representatives from Starbucks.

In the span of just a few months, more than 50 stores have voted to join the union Workers United, making it one of the most closely watched organizing efforts in decades. Starbucks has so far failed to stop the wave of organizing in its corporate-owned stores, despite waging an aggressive countercampaign.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and labor activists on Thursday in the Oval Office. (Photo: Adam Schultz/White House)

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and labor activists on Thursday in the Oval Office. (Photo: Adam Schultz/White House)

Jones said in his letter it wasn’t fair that only a union worker was there to share views on the company. (The full letter can be read here.)

“We believe this lack of representation discounts the reality that the majority of our partners oppose being members of a union and the unionization tactics being deployed by Workers United,” Jones wrote.

He ran through a litany of the company’s employee benefits and claimed that Starbucks has a “drastically more positive vision for our partners and our company than Workers United.” He requested that a “diverse, representative group” of Starbucks workers be invited to the White House for a separate gathering.

Starbucks already seems to have good access in Washington, having spent $480,000 on lobbying so far this year, according to Open Secrets.

The union campaign, known as Starbucks Workers United, told HuffPost in a statement that “equal time” was one of the “core principles” it has asked the company to adhere to during the organizing effort: “If Starbucks now believes in this principle, and grants us equal company time to talk to partners for every anti-union meeting they hold, we’d be happy to have them tag along next time we get invited to the White House.”

Biden's photo-op with activists fired up progressives who want the administration to do everything it can to support union organizing.

The group said Garza, who has been with the company for 22 years, shared her story with White House officials about “what it’s like to be intimidated and harassed by a company she has devoted her working life to.”

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Starbucks letter shows how workers like Garza have compelled Biden and other Democrats to show their support for unionizing workers even though it may rankle powerful corporations, including those close with the Democratic Party.

The meeting Thursday featured Christian Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union, which recently made history by forming the tech giant’s first U.S. union, at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York. In a tweet after the White House meeting, Smalls said Biden told him he had gotten the president “in trouble” with his successful organizing, underscoring the political dynamic at play.

The White House labor get-together also included workers from the gaming company Paizo, the animation studio Titmouse, the Baltimore Public Library and outdoor retailer REI, all workplaces where unions have been organizing. Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

The campaigns at Starbucks and Amazon have turned into political stories, as workers and their allies call on lawmakers for public support. The same day workers met with Biden and other White House officials, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a Senate Budget Committee hearing in which Smalls pilloried Amazon for its anti-union tactics and sparred with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) over corporate America’s treatment of workers.

The organizing campaign at Starbucks has led to a raft of unfair labor practice charges against the company, with Workers United having accused management of retaliating against union activists and threatening to withhold pay raises and benefits from workers who organize.

Officials at the National Labor Relations Board have found merit in some of the union’s allegations, filing a complaint against Starbucks at the labor board and seeking an injunction in federal court to have fired activists reinstated. Starbucks maintains that it fired the workers because they had violated company policies.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Starbucks union leader describes 

'overwhelming and humbling' 

White House meeting

Dani Romero

Sat, May 7, 2022

Laura Garza, a union leader at Starbucks’ New York City Roastery, met with the president, vice president, and labor secretary on Thursday at the White House, and described the event as a huge boost to the nascent unionization movement.

"First and foremost, it was a completely overwhelming and humbling experience to represent partners that are organizing to unionize their stores," Garza told Yahoo Finance in a phone interview. "I think the main goal of the meeting yesterday [with] Secretary Walsh and Vice President Harris, and as well as President Biden, when he jumped in, all recognized everyone's right: a fundamental right to organize and also recognize that all workers across the country have a dignity to work."

Garza said the discussion was a round-table event, giving guests the opportunity to share "our stories of organizing and the success that has come from organizing successfully."

She also said the administration heard "how organizing can be an extremely lonesome and isolating experience, especially with aggressive anti-union busting from our places of employment like Starbucks and like Amazon."

Arizona State University law professor Michael Selmi, who’s written about employment discrimination and civil rights litigation, told Yahoo Finance that "even though these meetings were really symbolically important, it's not clear that there's gonna be much legislative follow up from them. I suspect and in part, because legislation with respect to even changing minimum wage, which every [person] widely supports has gotten nowhere for now a couple decades going back."

Selmi added that "this whole union movement is so hard to analyze at this point it's still so early."

Starbucks 'deeply concerned' by snub

Starbucks (SBUX) criticized the meeting with several union organizers from around the country — including a barista from Starbucks Workers United — as unionization efforts within the coffee giant's stores gain momentum.

In a letter, AJ Jones, Starbucks Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs, wrote to White House counselor Steve Ricchetti about how the decision to not invite representatives from the company was "deeply" concerning.

"We are deeply concerned that Workers United, which is actively engaged in collective bargaining with us and trying to organize all our stores and our +240,000 partners (employees), was invited to the meeting while not inviting official Starbucks representatives, to discuss our view on the matter," Jones wrote.

"We believe this lack of representation discounts the reality that the majority of our partners oppose being members of a union and the unionization tactics being deployed by Workers United," he added. "As you know, American workers have the absolute right to decide for themselves to unionize, or not to unionize, without any undue influences."

Jones requested to meet with the Biden administration in order to introduce "a diverse, representative group of Starbucks partners from across the country to the White House so that they can share points of view and experiences that are vastly different from those presented by Workers United."

The White House did not respond to Yahoo Finance's request for comment.

Howard Schultz speaks with moderator Monica Guzman during his book tour in Seattle, Washington, U.S., January 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Redmond

'That just doesn't seem like a good business model'

Starbucks workers have been organizing at stores at a rapid speed — over 70 stores have voted in favor of unionization since December, and a flurry of union election filings are added daily. Seven stores have voted against the measure, while five stores remain undetermined, according to the NLRB records.

Starbucks recently announced a $1 billion investment to increase workers' pay, offer additional training, and improve stores. Crucially, these benefits may not apply to unionized stores.

On Friday, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told Yahoo Finance Live (video above) that three-time Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz should invest "in all of his workforce," not just the stores without unions.

“I don't think he can just invest in the people, the dozen shops that organize. That just doesn't seem like a good business model," Walsh said. "I commend him for investing in their salaries, and I also would recommend that the stores that organize to sit down and have a conversation with them.”

Garza noted she wanted to sit down with Schultz, who took over as interim CEO last month, and other Starbucks executives to work out various issues.

"We want to sit down and have them hear our stories and come to the bargaining table really with an open mind and an open heart," she said. "We believe that we can work together in creating and in the continuation of the whole idea of the third place. Starbucks is a very progressive company and we want to share that vision with them as well."

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @daniromerotv

Starbucks asks White House for equal time after Biden met with union leaders



Fri, May 6, 2022,
By Hilary Russ and David Shepardson

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Starbucks Corp has asked for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden's administration after unionized workers talked to White House officials on Thursday, saying in a letter that most of its employees do not want to be members of a union.

Separately, an official with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint on Friday describing allegations of misconduct by Starbucks toward union members that constitute violations of U.S. labor law. Starbucks said the allegations in the complaint are false and lack merit.

In the letter to the White House, dated Thursday and released Friday, Starbucks said it was "deeply concerned" that Workers United, which is organizing hundreds of U.S. Starbucks locations, "was invited to the meeting while not inviting official Starbucks representatives."

The White House declined to comment.

On Thursday Biden met with workers and labor organizers seeking to represent workers at Amazon.com Inc, Starbucks and other employers.

Attendees included Christian Smalls, who heads the Amazon Labor Union, and Laura Garza, a Starbucks employee working with Workers United.

During the meeting, Biden said: "When I ran for president, I made a commitment that I would be the most pro-labor, union president in the history of America," according to video excerpts released by the White House Friday.

Starbucks said in the letter that its lack of representation "discounts the reality that the majority of our partners oppose being members of a union and the unionization tactics being deployed by Workers United." The coffee chain refers to its baristas and other employees as partners.

Workers at more than 50 U.S. Starbucks cafes have elected to join Workers United, while five stores voted against the union, out of roughly 240 altogether that have sought to hold elections since August. Workers United is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

"We have a drastically more positive vision for our partners and our company than Workers United," Starbucks asserted.

Workers United tweeted a statement from Garza who said it was "heartbreaking to read Starbucks' response." She said she was honored to represent all Starbucks partners at the meeting, "union or not."

In a complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the NLRB's regional director for Buffalo, New York, listed allegations brought to the agency by Workers United, including charges that Starbucks threatened, fired and conducted surveillance on union members in the state.

Starbucks' conduct, as described in the allegations, violates the National Labor Relations Act, the complaint by Regional Director Linda M. Leslie said. An NLRB judge will hold a hearing over the allegations on July 11, the complaint added.

Starbucks said in a statement that the complaint involves important issues but "does not constitute a finding by the NLRB."

It added: "It is the beginning of a litigation process that permits both sides to be heard and to present evidence. We believe the allegations contained in the complaint are false, and we look forward to presenting our evidence when the allegations are adjudicated."

(Reporting by Hilary Russ; additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rosalba O'Brien and Cynthia Osterman)

'Dancing Monkey' Lindsey Graham Performs For Donald Trump In 'Extraordinary' New Audio

Lee Moran
Fri, May 6, 2022,

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sucks up to former President Donald Trump just weeks after the U.S. Capitol riot in new audio released by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns.

Graham condemned Trump for inciting the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, but quickly flip-flopped and devoted himself to groveling. The audio that Martin and Burns shared on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Thursday shows how his denunciation of Trump had a “pretty fast expiration date,” said Burns.

In the audio, Trump takes a telephone call from Graham while being interviewed by the reporters in the lobby of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for their book “This Will Not Pass,” which was released Tuesday.

Trump puts Graham on speakerphone and asks him to tell the journalists if he’s actually any good at golf. Graham proceeds to extoll Trump’s skills on the course, saying Trump even started to help him with his own game.

“I think just hearing in real-time in front of us, this sort of dancing monkey routine was really an extraordinary moment,” Burns told host Noah.

Bernie Sanders invited the Amazon union to testify in Congress. Lindsey Graham says Sanders 'determined Amazon is a piece of crap company.'


Juliana Kaplan

BUSINESS INSIDER
Thu, May 5, 2022,

Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Bernie Sanders held a hearing Thursday on whether companies accused of skirting labor law should get federal contracts.


Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sanders has "determined Amazon is a piece of crap company."


Amazon Labor Union founder Christian Smalls testified about his experiences.

On Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders held a hearing on whether the government should provide federal contracts to companies accused of skirting labor laws — something he's called upon President Joe Biden to stop.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sanders was taking the Senate Budget Committee on a "dangerous turn."

"Every time I turn around, you're having a hearing about anybody that makes money is bad," Graham, who would chair the committee if Democrats lose their majority, said of Sanders.

He added: "You can have oversight hearings all you like, but you've determined Amazon is a piece of crap company. That's your political bias."

Sanders brought the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) to Washington for a Senate Budget Committee hearing titled "Should Taxpayer Dollars Go to Companies that Violate Labor Laws?" Sanders, who chairs the committee, invited ALU founder Christian Smalls to testify. Sanders also invited Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to speak in front of the committee. Bezos was not in attendance.

The independent Amazon Labor Union pulled off a historic victory in Staten Island. Workers at the JFK8 warehouse voted to unionize with the ALU, becoming the first unionized warehouse at the tech behemoth. Sanders, a long-time labor advocate, has rallied with ALU.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

"Let me begin my questioning by responding briefly to Senator Graham. I think he suggested that a hearing like this is radical," Sanders said during the Budget hearing. "You know what, I think he's right. In a Congress dominated by corporate lobbyists and wealthy campaign contributors, the idea that we would actually hear from the working class of this country is in fact radical. But I make no apologies for that."

Smalls also responded directly to Graham.

"You forgot that the people are the ones who make these companies operate, and if we are not protected and if the process for when we hold these companies accountable is not working for us, then that's the reason why we're here today," Smalls said. "That's the reason why I'm here — to represent the workers who make these companies go."

The hearing comes after Sanders called upon President Joe Biden to implement an executive order banning union-busting companies from receiving federal contracts, one of Biden's campaign promises. Sanders sent Biden a letter in late April asking the president to fulfill his promise.

Sean O'Brien, the general president of the Teamsters, said in his testimony that the federal government has a "mandate to encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining" under the National Labor Relations Act.

"But our government ignores that mandate with every dollar that it puts into the pockets of Jeff Bezos and his organized crime syndicate known as Amazon," O'Brien said.

Amazon union leader hits back at Lindsey Graham in Senate hearing: ‘You should listen’


Alex Woodward

THE INDEPENDENT 
Thu, May 5, 2022

Amazon Labor Union president Christian Smalls, addressing a panel in the Senate Budget Committee on union-busting among large corporations, responded to Senator Lindsey Graham’s opening remarks accusing committee chair Bernie Sanders of using the committee to advance his political agenda.

“This committee is taking a very dangerous turn under your leadership,” the Republican senator said.

“Senator Graham, you forgot that the people are the ones who make these companies operate,” Mr Smalls said from the panel on 5 May. “If we’re not protected, the process for holding these companies accountable is not working for us – that’s the reason why we’re here today.”

He stressed that federal protections for union organising are “not a left thing or a right thing” or a “Democrat or Republican thing” but a “worker’s issue.”


“We’re the ones suffering,” added Mr Smalls, wearing a red, black and yellow jacket with the words “Eat the rich” on the front. “That’s the reason why I think I was invited here today. You should listen because we represent your constituents as well.”

Amazon workers at the JFK8 warehouse facility in Staten Island, New York won a union election on 1 April, the first successful US union election within the world’s largest online retailer. A majority of workers at the LDJ5 facility next door voted against unionising, according to preliminary results on 2 May.

The labor union represents 8,300 workers at the JFK8 facility, following a months-long union campaign against the company’s alleged anti-union efforts, including so-called “captive audience” meetings encouraging workers to reject the union and attempts to undermine Mr Smalls and other union leaders, who have filed several complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over federal labor law violations.

“The notion that people united in this democracy will unite against tyranny is the oldest American ideal,” Mr Smalls said on Thursday. “Our victory in Staten Island was lauded as newsworthy and inspirational for hundreds of thousands of workers.”

The union has demanded that Amazon recognise the victory and agree to a collective bargaining agreement between the company and the union, “but Amazon is refusing to do so,” Mr Smalls said.

“To me it sounds like the corporations have the control, and they control whatever they want,” he added.

Later, Senator Graham challenged Mr Smalls on whether he has relied on the existing legal process to issue complaints against Amazon over alleged labor violations.

Mr Smalls replied by saying that the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a complaint on his behalf after he was fired from Amazon, adding that the existing process is “not working”.

“That’s your opinion,” Senator Graham replied.

“That’s a fact,” Mr Smalls said.

Senator Bernie Sanders joined Amazon Labor Union president Christian Smalls and union organisers and supporters at a rally outside Amazon’s Staten Island facility on 24 April. (AFP via Getty Images)

Senator Sanders – who has routinely sparred with Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos over the company’s massive federal contracts and tax obligations – has pressured the White House to cut the company’s government contracts until it agrees to cease what he called “illegal anti-union activity” alleged by workers pushing for union recognition.

“Should federal taxpayer dollars go to companies that violate labor law and illegally prevent workers from exercising their right to organize a union?” the senator asked on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected a motion from Senator Sanders to push House legislators to ensure that semiconductor manufacturing companies that receive federal aid are prohibited from blocking their employees from union efforts.

That motion failed by a vote of 6-87.

Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with Mr Smalls and other union leaders on Thursday

The Independent has requested comment from Amazon.

Amazon fires senior managers from unionized Staten Island warehouse


Brendan McDermid / reuters

Amrita Khalid
·Contributing Writer

ENDGADGET
Fri, May 6, 2022,

Amazon fired a number of senior managers from its JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island on Thursday, only a month after workers voted to unionize. The New York Times reported that the company axed more than half a dozen senior-level workers on Thursday, many of who were involved in union organizing. A number of anonymous employees told the NYT that they believed the firings were retaliatory. JFK8 is the first and currently the only unionized Amazon warehouse in the US.

In a statement to Engadget, Amazon said the workers were fired as a result of “management changes.” “Part of our culture at Amazon is to continually improve, and we believe it’s important to take time to review whether or not we’re doing the best we could be for our team. Over the last several weeks, we’ve spent time evaluating aspects of the operations and leadership at JFK8 and, as a result, have made some management changes.”

Other Amazon workers have recently gotten the pink slip, allegedly due to their union involvement. Just a couple of weeks ago, four recently terminated Amazon employees filed charges with the NLRB, alleging that they were being punished for supporting a union. Last month the NLRB ordered Amazon to reinstate Gerald Bryson, a worker at the JFK8 facility who was fired due to what Amazon alleged was his violation of a company language policy. But the NLRB’s judge was not convinced by this argument, and accused Amazon of performing a “skewed investigation” of Bryson and retaliating against him for his union work.

Just yesterday, Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls testified before the Senate Budget Committee and met with President Joe Biden. The Biden administration has expressed reserved support for unionization efforts by Amazon, Starbucks and other workers.

In his testimony before the Senate, Smalls argued that the federal government should avoid awarding Amazon contracts due to its labor practices. “We cannot allow Amazon or any other employer to receive taxpayer money if they engage in illegal union-busting behavior and deny workers’ rights,” said Smalls.

Amazon reportedly fires at least six New York managers involved in labor union

Maya Yang

THE GUARDIAN
Fri, May 6, 2022

Photograph: Kathy Willens/AP

Amazon has reportedly fired over half a dozen senior managers who were involved in a New York warehouse union.

The firings, which took place outside the company’s employee review cycle, was regarded as the company’s response to the Amazon Labor Union which formed in Staten Island last month in a “historic victory” against the country’s second largest employer, the New York Times reported, citing former and current employees who spoke on the condition anonymity.

Most of the managers who were fired were responsible for carrying out Amazon’s response to the unionization efforts, the New York Times reported. According to their LinkedIn profiles that were reviewed by the Times, some of the managers were with the company for more than six years.

Related: Amazon workers reject union bid at second Staten Island warehouse

Amazon said the changes were made after evaluating the warehouse’s “operations and leadership” for several weeks.

“Part of our culture at Amazon is to continually improve, and we believe it’s important to take time to review whether or not we’re doing the best we could be for our team,” the spokesperson said.

The managers were being fired due to an “organizational change”, two employees told the Times. One said that some of the managers had recently received positive performance reviews.

In April, Amazon workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted in majority to form a union. The victory marked the first successful American organizing effort in the company’s history. Organizers have faced an uphill battle against Amazon, which now employs more than one million people in the US and is making every effort to keep unions out.

Christian Smalls, who heads the Amazon Labor Union, said on Twitter he had met with Joe Biden shortly after he harshly criticized Amazon during his testimony at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

Pro-union workers were seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30, up from a minimum of just over $18 an hour offered by the company. The estimated average wage for the borough is $41 an hour, according to a similar US Census Bureau analysis of Staten Island’s $85,381 median household income.

Amazon has said they invest in wages and benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans and a prepaid college tuition program to help grow workers’ careers.

“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” a spokesperson said following the union win. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”

Earlier this week, Amazon warehouse workers at a second Staten Island warehouse overwhelmingly rejected a union bid, dealing a blow to organizers who pulled off the Staten Island union last month.

Organizers said they had lost some support at the warehouse after filing for an election in February because they directed more energy to the nearby facility that voted to unionize last month. There were also fewer organizers who worked in this facility – roughly 10, compared with the nearly 30 employed at the Staten Island warehouse.

The same obstacles that plagued the effort the first time, including Amazon‘s aggressive anti-union tactics, were at play again. In the lead-up to the election, Amazon continued to hold mandatory meetings to persuade its workers to reject the union effort, posted anti-union flyers and launched a website urging workers to “vote NO”.

“Right now, the ALU is trying to come between our relationship with you,” a post on the website reads. “They think they can do a better job advocating for you than you are doing for yourself.”

KANSAS

Wolf Creek cost $3 billion. Now they want us to pay to send nuclear power out of state

Dion Lefler
Sat, May 7, 2022

A Florida company wants to build an $85 million power line to carry electricity from the Wolf Creek nuclear plant at Burlington to Missouri.

And they want Kansas electric customers to pay for part of that.

We shouldn’t have to pay anything.

If anything, they should be the ones paying us.

The proposal now at the Kansas Corporation Commission would allow NextEra Energy, based in Palm Beach County, to build a 94-mile high-voltage line linking Wolf Creek to the Blackberry Substation in Jasper County, Missouri.

From there, the electricity generated would flow to other states through the Southwest Power Pool, which distributes electricity to utilities in 14 states.

The SPP initially proposed the project as part of a plan to more efficiently distribute Kansas wind energy across the power pool.

It was SPP that bid the project out and picked NextEra as the company to build, own and operate the Wolf Creek-Blackberry transmission line.

That benefits SPP and NextEra, but whether it’s a fair deal for Kansas consumers is highly questionable.

There’s a ton of history here being ignored.

Wolf Creek was originally a project of three utilities: Wichita-based Kansas Gas and Electric and Kansas City Power & Light each owned 47% and the much smaller Kansas Electric Power Cooperative owned 6%.

Construction started in 1977 and Wolf Creek was supposed to cost $1 billion. But it had to be rebuilt after the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and it cost $3 billion by the time it opened in 1985.

Those costs were repaid over decades by customers of KGE and KCP&L. It was particularly egregious for KGE customers.

After KGE merged in 1992 with Topeka-based Kansas Power and Light to create Western Resources, later Westar Energy, the commission kept the rates separate so the former KPL customers wouldn’t have to share the cost of the nuclear plant.

Over 17 long years, former KGE customers in southern Kansas paid an estimated $750 million in higher rates because of Wolf Creek.

Then in 2009, when the Wolf Creek debt was finally paid and southern Kansas started enjoying lower electric rates than their northern cousins, the commission reversed course and decided Westar was all one big happy company after all and should have the same rates across both divisions.

That ruling came just in time for the ex-KGE customers to help pay for required environmental upgrades to what had been KPL coal plants.

And now, after years of higher rates to pay off Wolf Creek debt, the customers who were KGE and KCP&L — now under the Evergy umbrella — are expected to share in the cost of a new transmission line to more efficiently ship Wolf Creek power out of state.

That’s a travesty.

Several of Kansas’ largest industrial power users are asking the right questions: Is this really necessary? and Does this comply with state policy requiring that such projects actually benefit Kansas ratepayers?

But the commission is limiting their input, so it’s up in the air whether those questions will be asked and if SPP and NextEra will have to answer under oath.

The economic study that NextEra provided on purported benefits to Kansas is laughable.

After an initial construction period, the project is expected to create six new jobs.

During construction, the project estimate is 988 jobs for two years. But those won’t be Kansas jobs.

NextEra has already contracted with a South Dakota construction company to build the line.

They’ll no doubt bring in their own crew from out of state, who will stay in motels and trailers along the route for a couple years and move on to the next project as soon as this one’s done.

Meanwhile, NextEra will be laughing all the way to the beach.

THANKS TO BREXIT A HISTORIC WIN
Sinn Fein hails 'new era' as it wins Northern Ireland vote












1 / 12

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, left, and party leader Mary Lou McDonald take a selfie at Medow Bank election count centre on Saturday, May, 7, 2022, in Magherafelt , Northern Ireland. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

SYLVIA HUI and PETER MORRISON
Sat, May 7, 2022,

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, which seeks unification with Ireland, hailed a “new era” Saturday for Northern Ireland as it captured the largest number of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time in a historic win.

With almost all votes counted from Thursday's local U.K. election, Sinn Fein secured 27 of the Assembly’s 90 seats. The Democratic Unionist Party, which has dominated Northern Ireland’s legislature for two decades, captured 24 seats. The victory means Sinn Fein is entitled to the post of first minister in Belfast — a first for an Irish nationalist party since Northern Ireland was founded as a Protestant-majority state in 1921.

The centrist Alliance Party, which doesn’t identify as either nationalist or unionist, also saw a huge surge in support and was set to become the other big winner in the vote, claiming 17 seats.

The victory is a major milestone for Sinn Fein, which has long been linked to the Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group that used bombs and bullets to try to take Northern Ireland out of U.K. rule during decades of violence involving Irish republican militants, Protestant Loyalist paramilitaries and the U.K. army and police.

“Today ushers in a new era,” Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O’Neill said shortly before the final results were announced. “Irrespective of religious, political or social backgrounds, my commitment is to make politics work."

O'Neill stressed that it was imperative for Northern Ireland's divided politicians to come together next week to form an Executive — the devolved government of Northern Ireland. If none can be formed within six months, the administration will collapse, triggering a new election and more uncertainty.

There is “space in this state for everyone, all of us together,” O’Neill said. “There is an urgency to restore an Executive and start putting money back in people’s pockets, to start to fix the health service. The people can’t wait.”

While the Sinn Fein win signals a historic shift that shows diminishing support for unionist parties, it’s far from clear what happens next because of Northern Ireland's complicated power-sharing politics and ongoing tussles over post-Brexit arrangements.

Under a mandatory power-sharing system created by the 1998 peace agreement that ended decades of Catholic-Protestant conflict, the jobs of first minister and deputy first minister are split between the biggest unionist party and the largest nationalist one. Both posts must be filled for a government to function, but the Democratic Unionist Party has suggested it might not serve under a Sinn Fein first minister.

The DUP has also said it will refuse to join a new government unless there are major changes to post-Brexit border arrangements known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Those post-Brexit rules, which took effect after Britain left the European Union, have imposed customs and border checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. The arrangement was designed to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, a key pillar of the peace process.

But the rules angered many unionists, who maintain that the new checks have created a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. that undermines their British identity. In February, the DUP’s Paul Givan resigned as first minister in protest against the arrangements, triggering a a fresh political crisis in Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said he will announce next week whether he will return to the government.

“We will consider what we need to do now to get the action that is required from the government. I will be making my decision clear on all of that early next week,” he told the BBC.

The U.K.'s Secretary for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said he will meet with all party leaders in the coming days and urge them to get back to the business of government quickly.

Voters have delivered a clear message that “they want a fully functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland, they want the issues around the Protocol addressed, and that they want politics to work better,” Lewis said.

Saturday's results bring Sinn Fein's ultimate goal of a united Ireland a step closer, although the party kept unification out of the spotlight this year during a campaign dominated by the skyrocketing cost of living.

O’Neill has said there would be no constitutional change on Irish unification until voters decide on it. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald indicated Friday that planning for any unity referendum could come within the next five years.

Polling expert John Curtice, a professor of political science at the University of Strathclyde, said Northern Ireland's power shift is a legacy of Brexit.

“The unionist vote has fragmented because of the divisions within the community over whether or not the Northern Ireland Protocol is something that can be amended satisfactorily or whether it needs to be scrapped,” he wrote on the BBC website.

Persuading the DUP to join a new government and pressing the EU to agree to major changes in post-Brexit arrangements will pose a headache for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Curtice added. Johnson's own Conservative party lost at least 450 seats in Thursday's local election.

Britain’s Conservative government says the Brexit customs arrangements cannot work without unionist support in Northern Ireland. Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend the Brexit rules if the EU refuses to change them

Hui reported from London.

EXPLAINER: What's next for N. Ireland after Sinn Fein wins?
 

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, right, and party leader Mary Lou McDonald after Sinn Fein topped the poll at the Medow Bank election count centre on Saturday, May, 7, 2022, in Magherafelt , Northern Ireland. 

AP Photo/Peter Morrison

JILL LAWLESS
Sat, May 7, 2022, 12:53 PM·4 min read


LONDON (AP) — The election of Sinn Fein as the biggest party in Northern Ireland’s Assembly is a historic moment -- the first time an Irish nationalist party, rather than a British unionist one, has topped the voting.

With all but two of the assembly's seats filled Saturday, Sinn Fein has won with 27 seats out of 90. The Democratic Unionist Party, which had been the largest for two decades, has 24 seats and the Alliance Party, which defines itself as neither nationalist nor unionist, has 17.

WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL?

The outcome is hugely symbolic. A party that aims to unite Northern Ireland with the neighboring Republic of Ireland has a mandate to take the reins in a state established a century ago as a Protestant-majority region within the United Kingdom.


It’s a major milestone for a party long linked to the Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group that used bombs, bullets and violence to try to take Northern Ireland out of U.K. rule during decades of unrest. More than 3,500 people died in 30 years of violence involving Irish republican militants, Protestant Loyalist paramilitaries and the U.K. army and police.

A 1998 peace accord ended large-scale violence and Northern Ireland now has a government that splits power between British unionists and Irish nationalists. The arrangement has often been unstable, but has endured.

WILL SINN FEIN NOW GOVERN NORTHERN IRELAND?

The result gives Sinn Fein the right to hold the post of first minister in Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, with the DUP taking the deputy first minister role.

But it’s unlikely a government will be set up smoothly soon.

Under Northern Ireland’s delicate power-sharing system, the posts of first minister and deputy first minister have equal status, and both posts must be filled for a government to be formed.

While Sinn Fein is ready to nominate its Northern Ireland leader Michelle O’Neill as first minister, the DUP says it will not follow suit unless there are major changes to post-Brexit border arrangements that it says are undermining Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K.

WHAT DOES BREXIT HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Britain’s decision in 2016 to leave the European Union and its borderless free-trade zone has complicated Northern Ireland’s position. It is the only part of the U.K. that has a border with an EU nation. Keeping that border open to the free flow of people and goods is a key pillar of the peace process.

So instead, the post-Brexit rules have imposed customs and border checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. -- a border in the Irish Sea, rather than on the island of Ireland.

Unionists say the new checks have created a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. that undermines their British identity. The largest unionist party, the DUP, is demanding the arrangements, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, are scrapped.

Britain’s Conservative government says the arrangements cannot work without unionist support, and is pressing the EU to agree to major changes. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend the rules if the bloc refuses.

But the U.K.-EU negotiations have reached an impasse, with the bloc accusing Johnson of refusing to implement rules he agreed to in a legally binding treaty.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Northern Ireland Assembly must meet within eight days so the newly elected legislators can take their seats. Assembly members will then choose a Speaker, followed by the nomination of ministers, starting with the first and deputy first ministers.

If, as seems likely, no executive can be formed because the DUP refuses, ministers from the previous government will stay in power and basic governance can continue — though ministers are barred from making major or controversial decisions.

If there is still no executive after 24 weeks, a new election must be held.

IS IRISH REUNIFICATION LIKELY?

Irish unity did not play a big role in this year's Northern Ireland election campaign, which was dominated by more immediate worries, especially a cost-of-living crisis driven by the soaring costs of food and fuel.

But it remains Sinn Fein’s goal, and party leader Mary Lou McDonald says a referendum in Northern Ireland could be held within a “five-year framework.”

The 1998 Good Friday peace deal stated that Irish reunification can occur if referendums support it in both Northern Ireland and the republic.

In Northern Ireland, such a vote would have to be called by the British government, “if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland.”

There are no set rules for deciding when that threshold has been met.

Complicating the picture is the fact that Northern Ireland’s identity is in flux, with a growing number of people -- especially the young -- identifying as neither unionist nor nationalist. That is reflected in the strong showing of the centrist Alliance Party. There are growing calls for the power-sharing rules to be changed to reflect the move beyond Northern Ireland's traditional religious and political divide.

Sinn Fein calls for united Ireland debate after historic election win




Sat, May 7, 2022
By Amanda Ferguson

BELFAST (Reuters) -Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), hailed its first victory in a Northern Ireland Assembly election as a "defining moment" for the British-controlled region and called for a debate on a united Ireland.

Sinn Fein was ahead of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) by 27 to 24 seats with two left to declare, making it the first Irish nationalist party to become the largest in the devolved assembly.

"Today represents a very significant moment of change. It's a defining moment in our politics and for our people," said the head of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, whose party secured 29% of first-preference votes to the DUP's 21.3%.

She said there should now be an "honest debate" around the party's goal of unifying the territory with the Republic of Ireland.

The victory will not change the region's status, as the referendum required to leave the United Kingdom is at the discretion of the British government and likely years away.

But the symbolic importance is huge, ending a century of domination by pro-British parties, supported predominantly by the region's Protestant population.

The DUP, a leading proponent of Britain's exit from the European Union, saw support undermined in part due to its role in post-Brexit talks between London and Brussels that resulted in trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

'HISTORIC RESULT'

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is also leading a campaign to secede from the United Kingdom, was among the first to congratulate Sinn Fein in a Twitter post that hailed a "truly historic result."

While the largest party has the right to put forward a candidate for First Minister of Northern Ireland's compulsory power-sharing government, disagreements with the DUP mean such an appointment could be months away.

Asked by a journalist if she expected to become the region's first Irish nationalist First Minister, O'Neill said: "The people have spoken."

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said his party would not join the government unless the protocol governing Northern Ireland's trade with the rest of the UK following its exit from the European Union was totally overhauled.

The DUP's campaign focused on a promise to scrap what it calls a border in the Irish Sea.

Donaldson said he would see what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says on the topic in a speech next week before deciding his next move.

The British government's minister for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis in a statement called on the parties to form an executive as soon as possible.

ALL-IRELAND ASPIRATIONS

Sinn Fein was long shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the Irish border for its links to Irish Republican Army violence during three decades of fighting over Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom that ended with a 1998 peace deal.

Since then it has reinvented itself to become the most popular party in the Republic of Ireland, where it has carved out a successful base by campaigning on everyday issues such as the cost of living and healthcare.

It followed a similar path in the Northern Irish elections, where it focused on economic concerns rather than Irish unity to appeal to middle-ground voters.

The election follows demographic trends that have long indicated that pro-British Protestant parties would eventually be eclipsed by predominantly Catholic Irish nationalist parties who favour uniting the north with the Republic of Ireland.

All unionist candidates combined secured slightly more votes than all nationalists in Thursday's election.

The cross-community Alliance Party scored its strongest ever result with 17 seats as it bids to establish itself as a third pillar of the political system.

(Writing by Conor Humphries; editing by Clelia Oziel and Frank Jack Daniel)

Growing African mangrove forests aim to combat climate woes

WANJOHI KABUKURU
Fri, May 6, 2022

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.

Mozambique follows efforts across the continent — including in Kenya, Madagascar, Gambia and Senegal — and is touted as the world’s largest coastal or marine ecosystem carbon storage project. Known as blue carbon, carbon captured by these ecosystems can sequester, or remove, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a faster rate than forests, despite being smaller in size.

Mozambique’s mangrove restoration project — announced in February alongside its UAE-based partner Blue Forest Solutions — hopes to turn 185,000 hectares (457,100 acres) in the central Zambezia and southern Sofala provinces into a forest which could capture up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to project leaders.

“Blue carbon can be utilized not only to sequester tons of carbon dioxide but to also improve the lives of coastal communities,” Vahid Fotuhi, the Chief Executive officer of Blue Forest, told the Associated Press. “There are around one million hectares of mangroves forests in Africa. Collectively they're able to sequester more carbon dioxide than the total annual emissions of a country like Croatia or Bolivia.” He added these projects would create green jobs and promote biodiversity.

Africa’s major mangrove forests have been decimated in recent decades due to logging, fish farming, coastal development, and pollution, leading to increased blue carbon emissions and greater exposure of vulnerable coastal communities to flooding and other threats to livelihood.

But the continent's growing attention on mangrove restoration can be attributed in part to the successful Mikoko Pamoja project, initiated in 2013 in Kenya's Gazi Bay, which protected 117 hectares (289 acres) of mangrove forest and replanted 4,000 trees annually, spurring other countries to also address their damaged coastal land and recreate its success.

Mikoko Pamoja, Swahili for ‘mangroves together’, centered its efforts around protecting the small communities in Gazi and Makongeni villages from coastal erosion, loss of fish and climate change. It was dubbed the "world’s first blue carbon project” and earned the community of just 6,000 global fame, accolades, carbon cash and greater living standards.

“Mikoko Pamoja has led to development of projects in the community, including installation of water,” Iddi Bomani, the village chairperson of the Gazi community, said. “Everyone has water available in their houses."

"It especially leads to improved livelihoods through job creation when done by communities,” Laitani Suleiman, a committee member of the Mikoko Pamoja, added.

Several other projects have come to fruition since. In Senegal, 79 million replanted mangrove trees are projected to store 500,000 tons of carbon over the next 20 years. Neighboring Gambia launched its own reforestation effort in 2017, with Madagascar following suit with its own preservation project two years later. Egypt is planning its mangrove restoration project ahead of hosting the United Nations climate conference in November this year.

The projects have sparked a clamor for the sale of carbon credits, a type of permit that allows for a certain amount of emissions as remuneration for forest restoration or other carbon offset projects. Gabon was offered a recent pay package of $17 million through the Central African Forest Initiative due to its protection efforts, but complaints persist on the low prices offered to African governments.

“Africa remains excluded from a lot of financing available under climate change," Jean Paul Adam, head of the climate division at the Economic Commission for Africa, said, adding that a lack of financing means nations on the continent are unable to build up their resilience to climate change.

He added that “nature-based solutions and advocating for a fair development price of carbon” would propel the African economy.

And the benefits of reforestation can be significant, according to Coral Reef Alliance's Marissa Stein.

“Restoring and protecting our marine habitats plays a key role in maintaining the health of our planet,” she said, adding that mangroves alone store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests. The Global Mangroves Alliance also estimates that mangroves reduce damages and flood risk for 15 million people and can prevent over $65 billion of property damage each year.

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