Today on AirTalk, a talk about the end of the port strike and what truly motivated the battle. We discuss the conflict in Syria and the possibility of chemical warfare. We'll also touch on Facebook voting policies and L.A.'s businessperson of the year. Later, 'Other Desert Cities' playwright Jon Robin Baitz joins Larry in the studio to discuss writing, politics and Christmas in the desert.
After crippling strike, port workers win job security for the next four years
An eight-day strike that shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ended late Tuesday. Union leaders and management reached agreement before the arrival of federal mediators, who had been called in by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The agreement is said to protect most clerical jobs from being outsourced over the next four years, according to union spokesman Craig Merrilees.
Protecting jobs for future generations was the strikers’ primary objective; they claim that their employers were replacing retirees with non-union employees, or eliminating those jobs altogether. Harbor employers were seeking to cut costs through attrition, saying some positions were becoming redundant or obsolete due to technology and retaining them would put L.A.’s ports at an economic disadvantage. The two sides compromised on the elimination of 14 jobs over the next 3-1/2 years. The deal will not be final until it is ratified by the full union membership.
Port clerks from International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit walked off the job on November 27 after working without a contract since 2010, but are now back to work. The LA and Long Beach ports are the two largest in the nation and together account for 40 percent of the value of all U.S. imports.
Is it unacceptable for shipping companies to maximize profits at the expense of American jobs? Should management be required to preserve jobs for the future, at greater cost to the company? Is it fair and reasonable for the unions to shut down two of the country’s busiest ports in an effort to gain leverage?
Guests:
Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles City Councilman for the 15th District, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts
Chris Thornberg, Principal, Beacon Economics
Facebook puts voting to a vote
Though many Facebooker may not have known it, the social networking site’s users have been partially in control of changes and additions to the policy and privacy. Users have had the option to vote on governing policy since 2009, but now, the company is on track to take back control, with proposed new documents that would disallow the user voting process.
One final vote will determine whether this new policy goes into effect – the catch is that, to prevent changes, the vote must reach 30% of Facebook users – about 300 million people. Considering past votes, it’s unlikely that users will do much to sway this decision. The most recent Facebook policy vote reached only about 380,000 users. The current vote to save voting rights has already surpassed that with over 400,000 votes and counting, but will users be able to reach the minimum in time to prevent change?
Facebook gave users one week, from December 3rd to the 10th, to cast their votes. Should users be allowed to vote on Facebook governing policy? If this vote is unsuccessful, do you trust Facebook with your privacy and content? Would you leave the site over these changes, or are they relatively unimportant?
Guest:
Will Oremus, staff writer and lead blogger for Future Tense, Slate’s tech blog
David Nasaw’s 'The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy'
In order to understand a dynasty, one must sometimes go back to the beginning. That is what historian David Nasaw does successfully in his latest book, looking at the remarkable yet turbulent life of Joseph P. Kennedy.
Nasaw is best known for penning biographies on captains of industry Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst. In “The Patriarch,” he was given unlimited access to the Joseph Kennedy papers at the John F. Kennedy Library and to the Kennedy family. In this unprecedented biography, Nasaw delves deep into the many careers and ultra ambitious life of the Kennedy patriarch.
The book chronicles Joseph Kennedy’s path from his beginnings in East Boston, to becoming one of the wealthiest and most powerful Americans in the twentieth century, to his final years, enduring the pain and suffering that comes with great tragedies.
Guest:
David Nasaw, author of “The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy” (Penguin Press HC) and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Chemical weapons in Syria: what should the international community do?
Conflict in Syria is escalating, with rumors circulating about the Assad regime’s possession of chemical weapons driving international diplomacy talks and intervention.
Unnamed American officials stated that the Syrian military has loaded the chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into aerial bombs, ready to be deployed at Assad’s orders. Members of Assad’s regime have rebuffed the reports, insisting that they would never use such weapons against Syrians and claiming that chemical warfare is being used as an excuse for international intervention. A video allegedly shows the Syrian military using white phosphorous gas, which is legal if being used to light the sky at night, but illegal when used as a weapon.
President Obama has warned against the use of chemical weapons against the rebels, citing unspecified consequences. Secretary of State Clinton is discussing the crisis with her Russian counterpart, in hopes of a breakthrough that could preempt excessive violence. There have been reports of rebel advancements, but Assad’s regime has so far denied their validity.
What is the best way to pursue diplomatic relations in Syria? Is there a way to begin resolution before the use of chemical weapons? What would be the appropriate reaction from the U.S. and other nations if they were deployed in Syria?
Guests:
Joshua Landis, Director, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma; Writes the blog SyriaComment.com
Mark Jacobson, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Who should be LA's businessperson of the year?
Who is the best of the best in L.A. business?
Los Angeles plays host to 14 Fortune 500 companies and an incredibly successful collection of small businesses, but KPCC reporter Matt DeBord has narrowed the field down to two worthy contestants: much maligned former Dodgers owner and parking lot savant Frank McCourt, and “businessman of the future” Elon Musk, who made his fortune investing in innovative technologies from Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity. In many ways, the two men embody some of L.A.’s most distinguishing qualities – where would the city be without its electric cars and plenty of space to park them.
So, who is the savvier businessman, Musk, or McCourt? Is there someone else in L.A. business who should be considered for the top spot?
Guest:
Matt DeBord, KPCC Reporter; writes the DeBord Report KPCC.org
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Jon Robin Baitz’s 'Other Desert Cities' at the Taper
Tony Award-nominated play “Other Desert Cities,” by Jon Robin Baitz, opens December 9th and is showing at the Mark Taper Forum until January 6, 2013. The Center Theatre Group’s production stars Jeannie Berlin, Robert Foxworth, Robin Weigert, Michael Weston, and JoBeth Williams as a SoCal family spending the holidays together in Palm Springs.
Tensions run high for this family of Hollywood politicos, especially after black-sheep daughter Brooke announces the imminent publication of her memoir, which is focused on the most tumultuous time in the Wyeth’s past. Subtle and resonant, Baitz’s play is perfect for the holiday season in Southern California. Baitz joins Larry in-studio to talk about writing, politics and Christmas in the desert.
Guest:
Jon Robin Baitz, playwright, screenwriter, television producer and writer of “Other Desert Cities,” which opens December 9 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles