Top News from This Week:

Here are the top stories on our list this week: The last time New York City School Bus Drivers were on strike was 1979.  On Wednesday, New York City Bus Drivers went on strike for one simple reason, job protection.  The growing trend in our country to  find a "better deal" and save money by tossing workers' rights and lives aside, is outright inexcusable.  President Both let NYC Mayor Bloomberg know, "There's more to life than the bottom line." Read more.

America's Productivity Climbs while Wages stay Stagnant  For millions of workers, wages have flat-lined. Even while working for companies making record profits.  Take Caterpillar, who reported record profits last year, and shoved a six-year wage freeze for a majority of its blue-collar workers.  This trend continues to grow in our country as Steven Greenhouse of the NYTimes explains here. Target Janitors Locked in Overnight, Untrained, File OSHA Complaint 25 cleaners working at Target filed complaints with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleging they have not received training in handling cleaning chemicals & are locked inside the building when performing their overnight duties.  Read more. Join Target Change. Whole Foods CEO Calls Obamacare Fascism , Regrets it In an interview with NPR, Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey referred to President Barack Obama's Health care plan as fascism.  He later publicly refined his statement, regretting the use of the word, sorta.  Read or listen to the entire interview here. Walmart to be Included in yet another Class-Action Lawsuit  Walmart has a sneaky strategy of domestically outsourcing to avoid labor violations.  Meaning, they've contracted parts of its U.S. supply chain to other companies so those companies end up taking blame for poor labor practices while Walmart walks away squeaky clean...grimy, huh?  Well the U.S. courts have caught on and included them in the warehouse workers' class-action suit!  Read more at AlterNet. Chicago Puts More Muscle into Wage Theft Laws A new ordinance in Chicago will empower the city to strip companies of their business licenses if they commit wage theft and cut corrners on paying employees proper wages. According to a 2008 study, 68% of low-wage workers were victims of wage theft.  Read more. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated across our nation this weekend, we eternally honor Dr. King every day, for his courage and passion for fighting for equality in our country.  In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Saturday is the National Day of Service.  Millions of Americans will be volunteering in their community to make a difference.  Find one near you, here.