Monthly Archives: June 2022

Senator Sydney Kamlager arguing for ACA 3 in a committee hearing on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Screenshot by Robert J Hansen)

by Robert J Hansen

Sacramento, CA Removing the language allowing for indentured servitude from Californias Constitution began a couple of years ago when Samual Nathaniel Brown, author of the proposal that is now ACA 3, had to clean a cell after an inmate died of Covid-19.

He was threatened with jeopardizing his parole for refusing to go to work, despite his having asthma and having a high morbidity risk for Covid-19.

Ending indentured servitude in California, the state with the most incarcerated people in the country, wasnt going to happen without opposition.

But after unanimously passing the Assembly and making it through Senate Committees without any no votes, ACA 3 looked to be headed to voters this November.

Until Thursday when the Senate failed to pass the bill which would have given the choice to Californians on whether to abolish forced labor inside its prisons and jails.

First to voice opposition was the California Department of Finance (CA DOF).

Senator Sydney Kamlager, the author of the bill to remove the language from the California Constitution which allows for indentured servitude for the punishment of a crime, said that, in a moment of spectacular tone-deafness, the CA DOF just went on record opposing the Constitutional Amendment prohibiting involuntary servitude.

Their analysis was both lazy and unimaginative, Kamlager said. It misinformed members.

Then last Thursday, the vote to amend the California constitution failed in the Senate 20-6 with 14 non-voting senators.

The Senators who voted against ACA 3 were Brian Dahle, Steven Glazer (D), Shannon Grove (R), Jim Nielsen (R), Rosilice Ochoa Bogh (R), and Scott Wilk (R).

Nielsen and Ochoa Bogh voted in favor of ACA 3 in their respective committees.

Kamlager will have to get seven more votes on Monday to pass after ACA 3 was given reconsideration on Thursday.

In a telephone interview, Kamlager said the addiction to free labor is as strong now as it was in 1800 and, while many people got up and stated their abhorrence they have with slavery, it also raised questions about whether voters understood the amendment, raised questions about the cost to the state and about whether the state could still compel incarcerated people to do what it wants them to do.

There were questions posed to me as to what involuntary servitude means, Kamlager said.

Kamlager said she wasnt surprised by the demographics of the senators who opposed ACA 3.

I was struck by the demographic of people who got up in opposition, Kamlager said.

What was most disturbing for her was the Senate denying the people the opportunity to vote on changing the law.

It was denied today with the failure of this bill to get passed, Kamlager said.

Workers inside prison are exempt from the protections in place that prevents private companies from exploiting workers, according to Kamlager.

Its a deeper, darker question about punishment, Kamlager said. This is about exploitation.

Kamlager said involuntary servitude is about coercion and her goal is to provide some distinction between the lawful administration of a carceral system and involuntary servitude and coercive abuse.

Thats what I think I heard members wanted clarity on but I dont know, Kamlager said.

Wanting to participate in rehabilitating programming or to want to change jobs is not allowed without punishment according to Kamlager.

To have companies contract with the state to use this labor force where they can never economically get ahead is a modern-day example of sharecropping, Kamlager said.

Senator Steve Glazer released a statement on his concerns about the bill.

ACA 3 is not even about involuntary servitude at least of the kind that was practiced 150 years ago, Glazer said in a statement.

The question this measure raises is whether or not California should require felons in state and local jails and prisons to work.

Thats certainly a question worthy of debate, Glazer said. But those issues can be addressed without a constitutional amendment,

Banning the work requirement in our prisons and jails would undermine our rehabilitation programs, make prisons more difficult to manage safely, andaccording to the Department of Financeadd more than a billion dollars a year to the cost of running the prison system, Glazer said.

Thats not exactly what the CA DOF said.

Because the California Constitution does not define involuntary servitude it is unclear how this amendment would affect forms of work currently being done by justice-involved populations; these would ultimately be decided by future litigation and court decisions. As such, the fiscal effects on local and state governments are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. They could range from relatively minor costs into billions of dollars annually, the largest cost to CDCR, a spokesperson with the CA DOF said.

Glazer thinks what ACA 3 could do is end all required work immediately, and tie the legislatures hands forever.

Max Parthas, Director of State Operations at Abolish Slavery National Network, said if California does not abolish indentured servitude it will affect all of the other state campaigns.

We cant afford it. Not when were so close to finishing what our ancestors began, Parthas said. Ending legalized slavery.

According to Parthas, the clauses have been removed from three states, with five states on the ballot this year and 16 set for next year. This includes a federal joint resolution to repeal and replaces the 13th Amendment with no exceptions.

Ultimately this was a country founded on wanting something that didnt belong to them, Kamlager said. I believe we have a moral obligation to rectify that.

Kamlager said the fact that the bill failed runs contrary to her values.

ACA 3 failed on the Senate floor today, we were granted reconsideration and I am reviewing possible solutions following the robust debate of opposition on the floor today, Kamlager said. The hope is that it will cross both houses by June 30.

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California Senate Votes to Keep Legalized Slavery in its Prisons - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on shares of Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR Get Rating) in a research report released on Monday, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating on the stock.

SNDR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna Bancshares upgraded shares of Schneider National from a neutral rating to a positive rating and raised their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $32.00 in a report on Friday, March 4th. Bank of America lowered shares of Schneider National from a buy rating to an underperform rating and set a $23.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Schneider National from $27.00 to $23.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 8th. Susquehanna raised shares of Schneider National from a neutral rating to a positive rating and raised their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Friday, March 4th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Schneider National from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $28.40.

Shares of NYSE SNDR opened at $22.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.92. Schneider National has a 52-week low of $20.48 and a 52-week high of $27.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.77. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 9th. Schneider Nationals payout ratio is currently 12.85%.

In other news, EVP David L. Geyer sold 16,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.71, for a total value of $395,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 100,096 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,473,372.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 32.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Schneider National by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,816,076 shares of the companys stock valued at $122,810,000 after acquiring an additional 244,894 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Schneider National by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,137,866 shares of the companys stock valued at $105,515,000 after acquiring an additional 71,701 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Schneider National by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,048,396 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,239,000 after acquiring an additional 34,672 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Schneider National by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,744,989 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,635,000 after acquiring an additional 195,165 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Schneider National by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,448,898 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,947,000 after acquiring an additional 258,986 shares during the period. 71.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Schneider National Company Profile (Get Rating)

Schneider National, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides surface transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company operates through three segments: Truckload, Intermodal, and Logistics. The Truckload segment offers standard long-haul and regional shipping services primarily through dry van, bulk, temperature-controlled, and flat-bed equipment, as well as cross dock and customized solutions for time-sensitive loads.

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Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR) Now Covered by Analysts at Credit Suisse Group - Defense World

BOISE, Idaho, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Logistics Day and National Insurance Day taking place today, Truckstop.com announced the launch of the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace. The comprehensive transportation and logistics marketplace provides a trusted ecosystem of products, solutions, and integrations that is designed to help partners, carriers, brokers and shippers keep their businesses moving forward.

The Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace is comprised of both industry and technology partners in several business categories including financial services, insurance providers, TMS (Transportation Management System) integrations, fuel card providers and more.

"Truckstop.com has a rich history of building strong relationships which span technology and industry partners. For more than 27 years we have established ourselves as the most trusted solutions provider for carriers, brokers and shippers," said Craig Varljen, vice president partnerships and alliances, Truckstop.com. "The Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace is a new ecosystem of partner driven solutions that add value to the entire freight and logistics industry. This creates synergies at the center of the entire transportation market."

Truckstop.com has proven to be a trusted service and industry partner since its inception, with the new Partner Marketplace providing a convenient rolodex of other reputable businesses in the industry benefiting carriers, brokers and shippers.

"A unique aspect of the freight transportation industry is that it's collegial in nature," said Bruno Stanziale, chief executive officer and chairman of GoToro. "Nobody exemplifies this united purpose more than Truckstop.com and by joining their partner marketplace we are able to better serve this community together."

Initial marketplace offerings and partnerships include, but are not limited to, the following:

Industry Partners: Armstrong Transport Group, Benefits for Trucking, Go Toro, HWY Fuel, Reliance, Roanoke Insurance Group, TVC Pro-Driver, United Commercial Insurance

Technology Partners: Banyan Technology, Duke.AI, Greenscreens.ai, Hubtek, Kestrel Insights, Lean Solutions Group, Optimal Dynamics, Parade, ProMiles, RoadSync, Total Control TMS, Tranztec, Trax Technologies

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Partners can choose from three listing tiers each designed to provide a curated benefits package. This can include an array of benefits ranging from a partner listing in the Partner Marketplace portal to mutual enablement and co-marketing activities.

Mobile users will be able to access the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace from the Truckstop Go mobile app.

For more information about the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace or how to become a partner, please visit https://marketplace.truckstop.com.

About Truckstop.comTruckstop.com is a trusted partner for carriers, brokers, and shippers empowering the freight community through a platform of innovative solutions for the entire freight lifecycle to increase efficiency, automate processes, and accelerate growth. As one of the industry's largest neutral freight marketplaces, Truckstop.com provides the customer service as well as scale of quality loads and trucks to give customers of all sizes, whether on the road or in the office, the transparency and freedom to build lasting relationships and grow their businesses. To learn how Truckstop.com is helping move the freight community forward, visit https://truckstop.com.

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SOURCE Truckstop Group LLC

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Introducing the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace: A Comprehensive Transportation and Logistics Ecosystem Empowering the Freight Community - Yahoo...

Just weeks before the dissolution of Roe v. Wade, a writer visits New Yorks Finger Lakes to reflect on how far the nation has comeand how far it has to go.

When you travel around New York States Finger Lakes region, you are frequently reminded of the areas foundational role in the history of womens rights. For every single scenic lakeside vista, there are multiple intellectually scenic places related to secular saints of American activism.

But maybe the thought-consuming nature of the areas human rights heritage isnt that surprising. After all, settings are times as well as places, and Im visiting the Finger Lakes at the time of the Supreme Courts hearings on the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade. Im also traveling with two members of my family who are lifelong, steadfast feminists. They come by that designation honestlyboth work (and excel) in fields within medicine that were extremely male-dominated when they entered the workforce in the 1960s and 80s, respectively.

To be fair, the Finger Lakes make an effort to distract us from thoughts of politics. Situated in the western portion of upstate New York, dozens of vineyards stretch down to the shores of the lakes that give the region its name. Members of the Amish community guide horse-drawn buggies through hamlets with classical names like Hector, Ovid, and Romulus. Driving past the many waterside wheatfields feels like immersing oneself in a living, breathing painting from theHudson River School. And yet, despite everything just mentioned, its the regions rich human rights history that makes it a truly unique destination.

The modern womens rights movement began humbly in a rather large church in the rather small town of Seneca Falls, New York. Although Seneca Falls was an important(-ish) transport hub in its day, it wasnt an obvious site for a radical social movement. The towns eventual importance can ultimately be attributed to the work of activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, whose frequent hangouts in Seneca Falls now form the core ofWomens Rights National Historic Park. It was here that, in 1848, Stanton and others (most notably, Lucretia Mott andFrederick Douglass) participated in the Seneca Falls Convention, the first-ever convention for womens rights.

The Wesleyan chapel that housed the conventions meetings, along with a (wonderful) visitor center, comprise the heart of the national historic park. The daily lectures delivered in the chapel are especially informativeits like watching aMasterClass in human rights history. The conventions most enduring output was its Declaration of Sentiments, a persuasive call to action primarily written by Stanton (and heavily inspired by the Declaration of Independence) and deliberated in the very chapel where visitors learn about it.

Whats most shocking about the Declaration is how relevant its words remain today. Among other observations, Stanton wrote that the ruling class of (almost entirely) men had created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women. (Rings true today, eh?)

Stanton is immensely quotableher Declaration of Sentiments is even etched in its entirety into a fountain on the side of the parks visitor center. Had she not been an activist, Stanton would likely still be known for her ability as a writer, and not just for her work on the Declaration of Sentiments. She was also the principal author of The Womans Bible, for example, which is chock-full of pithy gems like, Men think that self-sacrifice is the most charming of all the cardinal virtues for women, and in order to keep it in healthy working order, they make opportunities for its illustration as often as possible.

In an era with more opportunities for women, she may have even been a prominent politician. Actually, in this alternate history, Stanton probably would have been better suited to serving as the most trusted vizier to another icon of American human rights activism, Susan B. Anthony. The two first met in Seneca Falls in 1851 when Anthony was visiting mutual friend and fellow activist Amelia Bloomer (who, among other claims to fame, lent her name to the pioneering trousers known as bloomers).

Stantons Seneca Falls home is also housed within the national historic park. The park ranger there encourages visitors to imagine the many influential leaders who met with Stanton there, none more frequently than Anthony. Although Anthony lived in Rochester (also in upstate New York, but not in the Finger Lakes), she was a frequent guest at Stantons home.

In the half-century following the Seneca Falls Convention, Stanton and Anthonys complementary skill sets would propel the womens rights movement into the 20th century. Their collaborative efforts were most evident in their prose. Stanton would often provide the rhetoric that Anthony would then deliver in speeches across the country. Or, in Stantons words, I forged the thunderbolts, she fired them.

What is most striking about the Finger Lakes human rights heritage is that Elizabeth Cady Stanton isnt even the most famous human rights activist with ties to the area. Although she was not present at the Seneca Falls Convention, Harriet Tubman spent the latter half of her life living in Auburn, 15 miles east of Seneca Falls at the crown of Cayuga Lake.

After visiting Tubmans home at AuburnsHarriet Tubman National Historical Park, I emerge with the opinion that, if a person doesnt admire Harriet Tubman, it can only be because they dont know enough about her. Although most famous forher flawless record as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Tubman was also a womens rights activist, abolitionist, nurse, and Union spy during the Civil War, among many other roles. In fact, Tubman was the first woman to lead a major U.S. military operation, commanding a unit of 150 troops ona mission that liberated 700 slaves from a South Carolina plantation in 1863. Shes remarkableI cant think of another person like her. A visit to Tubmans gravesite at Fort Hill Cemetery (also in Auburn) feels as sacred as anything Ive encountered at a religious site.

With the history of womens rights on our minds as we depart Seneca Falls and Auburn, my family and I discuss our anxieties concerning the Supreme Courts looming decision (our worst fears would later be realized). While Womens Rights National Historical Park helps visitors remember that the United States was once on the vanguard of the womens rights movement, it can be difficult to remember that fact today. We miss Stantons eloquence in the modern age. She could probably cut through todays hateful rhetoric with a suggestion as simple and elegant as, Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon.

Its easy to imagine which side of todays debate Stanton wouldve landed onshe presciently predicted modern objections to womens ownership of their own decisions, writing in The Womens Bible that men never fail to dwell on maternity as a disqualification for the possession of many civil and political rights.

It is, however, a small (but vocal) minority of men who feel this way these daysin fact, the majority of American men support legalized abortion. The vast majority of American women polled also believe that decisions about terminating a pregnancy should be left to a woman and her doctor, including a majority of women in both major political parties. And, if the anti-abortion wings goal really is reducing the total number of abortions, then its useful to note that restricting access to abortion does not reduce the number of abortions.

Some data even suggest that abortions becomeslightly more common in areas where the procedure is prohibited (likely owing to the overlap between anti-abortion and anti-contraceptive ideologies). Put succinctly, the Supreme Courts ruling makes the U.S. a global outlier when it comes to reproductive rights,joining North Korea and Belarus on a short list of countries that have decreased access to abortion in the last 30 years.

My family and I continue discussing these topics in the context of the pending Supreme Court decision with an increasing sense of despondency. Then, with ideal timing, the Finger Lakes natural beauty successfully distracts us from our worries, if only temporarily.

At the southern edge of the Finger Lakes region, my mothers and I spontaneously decide to stop at Watkins Glen State Park and are spellbound. The parks centerpiece is a moss-covered gorge whose already gorgeous vistas are punctuated by 19 (!) waterfalls. The place is an Eden, or a Narnia, or Rivendell, or all three combined, plus it somehow looks even better in the rain. This sliver of placid paradise wrested from mountain (and moral) wilderness makes us feel optimistic.

Perhaps the unrelenting natural beauty of the Finger Lakes refreshed the depleted reserves of hope of activists like Stanton and others when experience pushed them toward hopelessness.Womens suffrage had far less popular support in Stantons time than reproductive rights do today. And yet, womens suffrage was eventually achieved. Despite occasional appearances to the contrary, the history of human rights in the U.S. is mostly a story of increased access to rights, albeit often slow and bittersweet.

Stanton maintained no misconceptions about the difficulties she and her comrades-in-arms would face. In entering upon the great work before us, she wrote in the Declaration of Sentiments, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object.

At the same time, she also harbored zero doubts about the moral universes eventual arc toward justice. Come, come, my conservative friend, she wrote. Wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving.

Much of the Finger Lakes human rights history can be experienced in two days (if you stay busy). Seneca Falls is an hours drive from Greater Rochester International Airport, and only two hours from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Renting a car is the best way to make the trip, as public transportation is limited. If you are starting in Rochester, be sure to stop by theNational Susan B. Anthony Museum, located in the civil rights leaders home.

Home toWomens Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls is certainly a charming town (it was the inspiration for the fictional Bedford Falls inIts a Wonderful Life), but nearby Auburn and Geneva both offer more dining, lodging, and entertainment options (including live theater). Auburn is also home toHarriet Tubman National Historical Park. For a tour of the property, makereservations in advance. I couldnt recommend the tour more highly.

Tubmans grave is in the scenicFort Hill Cemetery, and she isnt the only famous person interred thereabolitionist (and former Secretary of State) William Seward is also buried on the property. Take the time to visitSewards home (also in Auburn). He was friends with Tubman and is a more inspiring figure himself than many people realizehis house was even a station on the Underground Railroad.

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A Pilgrimage to the Birthplace of the Modern Womens Rights Movement - AFAR Media