The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

GOP Governors Slash Workers' Rights

From the Associated Press via Yahoo News: "GOP Governors Cut State Workers' Rights," by Robert Tanner--

Republican governors in a few spots across the country are angering state employees by removing one of organized labor's strongest tools — the right to collective bargaining.

Governors in three states who've taken the step say it's about making government more efficient or being fair to non-union workers. Critics say it's political payback for labor's traditional support of Democrats and part of a wider shift to undermine workers in favor of big business.

Within hours or days of taking office this year, Mitch Daniels in Indiana and Matt Blunt in Missouri eliminated collective bargaining agreements for state employees, affecting about 50,000 workers. Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher did the same when he took office in 2003. In each case, the agreements had only been granted by executive order, not by law.

--Posted by  Illinois workers' compensation attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Phone Company Will Quit Calling

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "SBC agrees to quit making sales calls to those on no-call list," by Michael D. Sorkin--

SBC has agreed to stop making sales calls to Missourians who signed up for the state's no-call list to avoid telemarketers.

The phone company will pay $150,000 to the state to settle a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon. Nixon said Wednesday that SBC didn't settle until 18 months after he sued, and that SBC lawyers had questioned under oath 100 of the consumers who complained about the phone company's calls.

Three other phone companies, MCI, AT&T and Sprint, settled months ago.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Is Sold-

oldFrom the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Lee Enterprises buys Pulitzer," by Christopher Carey--

Pulitzer Inc. has agreed to a $1.46 billion acquisition by Lee Enterprises Inc., entrusting its journalistic legacy to a company it views as an ideal steward. The deal, announced late Sunday, ended two months of speculation about the fate of Pulitzer, whose holdings include the Post-Dispatch and the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis.

Lee will pay $64 a share in cash for all of Pulitzer's shares, including the controlling interest held by members of the Pulitzer family. Pulitzer's board of directors concluded unanimously that selling to Lee was the best way to enhance shareholder value and position the company for the future, said Michael Pulitzer, non-executive chairman and the grandson of founder Joseph Pulitzer.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

What's the Harm in Drug Advertising?

Here's one explanation (pdf): "Drug advertising and accountability," by Gerald D. Jowers, Jr.

--Posted by llinois Personal Injury Attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Charter and Wire Fraud

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Charter's former chief operating officer pleads guilty," by Robert Patrick--

The former chief operating officer of Charter Communications Inc., the nation's fourth-largest cable operator, pleaded guilty Thursday of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to inflate subscriber numbers to meet Wall Street's expectations.

David G. Barford, 46, of Chesterfield, also agreed to testify at the trial in February of two other Charter executives. In exchange, the U.S. attorney's office dropped four counts of mail fraud and nine counts of wire fraud.

Deer-Related Accidents on the Rise

From the Belleville News-Democrat, "Deer-related accidents rise with hunting season," by Jayne Matthews--

Dodging arrows from cupid and bow hunters put metro-east deer on a collision course with cars during the weekend.

At least 21 deer-vehicle crashes occurred on rural roads and interstate highways in the metro-east, police reported.

Right now, deer mating season is probably behind most of the crashes, a state conservation spokesman said Monday.

Tort Reform Hurts Consumers . . .

. . . So this is bad news: "Election results give tort reform a push," by Jennifer A. Bowen of the Belleville News-Democrat.

Barack Obama: 5th Black Senator in U.S. History

From the Associated Press via the Quad-City Times: "Obama defeats Keyes to become 5th black U.S. senator in history"--

Barack Obama, who shot from obscurity to political stardom with his message of national unity, trounced Republican Alan Keyes at the polls Tuesday to be elected the fifth black U.S. senator in history.

"We can look forward to the future. We can build step-by-step to ensure we arrive at the practical commonsense solutions that all of us hope for,'' Obama said as he claimed victory Tuesday night.

Obama overwhelmed the conservative commentator and former diplomat Keyes in the nation's first U.S. Senate race between two black major-party candidates.

Candidates Appear in Granite City

From the Alton Telegraph: "Area gets share of last-minute candidate visits." A photo includes Barack Obama, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, and Gordon Maag, Democratic candidate for the Illinois Supreme Court.

More Election Coverage

Here's a useful a site: the 2004 Election Guide from the New York Times.