BossFeed Briefing for February 12, 2018. Last Monday, a longtime New York City livery driver killed himself in front of City Hall, leaving a suicide note which detailed the growing difficulty of making a living in his line of work. Last Wednesday, a powerful German industrial union won the right to a 28-hour workweek. Today is the 50th anniversary of the first day of the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, where the iconic “I AM A MAN” picket signs were first seen. And Wednesday is Valentine’s Day, in honor of which huge numbers of cut flowers are flown in from South America.

So sue me 

Three things to know this week:

 A new study looked at the economic impact of 137 different minimum wage increases across the country and found that higher wages do not cause any job losses of any kind. This confirms the sense of everybody who lives in Seattle, works in Seattle, or has traveled through the city in the past several years: higher wages and economic growth go together.

 Washington state’s sick time law took effect on January 1st, which means about 1 million people should now be seeing paid sick time accrue on their pay stubs for the first time. We put together a sick time check-up where you can answer a few quick questions to make sure your employer is fulfilling their obligations and you’re getting the rights you deserve.

 The city of Stockton, California is conducting one of the first municipal experiments with basic income in the United States. The city will provide $500/month in unrestricted income to 100 residents, and then measure the results over 12 – 18 months.

Two things to ask:

 Surely, they can’t be serious? The industry lobby group for Alaska Airlines & friends filed suit against the state of Washington, arguing that our sick days law shouldn’t apply to them because it’s too much of a burden on multi-billion-dollar companies to keep track of 6.5 sick days a year. Working Washington responded in the local news, national news, and on TV.

 What will the Senate do? The Washington State House has followed the example of Spokane, Seattle, and many other jurisdictions across the country by voting to “ban the box.” The fair chance employment act, which would stop employers from preemptively rejecting applicants based solely on a criminal record, now heads to the State Senate.

And one thing that’s worth a closer look:

 Regardless of your take on Elon Musk’s various enterprises, it’s quite obvious that a successful rocket launch requires the technical expertise and other contributions of thousands of people. And yet Musk is a primary example of something that happens quite often in popular writing, where the achievements of successful companies are attributed to the singular genius of a founding CEO. Evaporating the work of the people who do the work has political consequences, and a different way of writing about rich people and their hobbies can have a radically different impact, as explored in Donald Borenstein’s pointed Style Guide for Writing About the Rich. Take a closer look at Borenstein’s piece to explore what it means when so many writers spend so much time and effort going out of their way to praise the rich — and what it might look like if journalists treated the ultra-wealthy with a different attitude.

Black voters in Dallas are under attack. On January 19th, Dallas County Republican Party Chair Missy Shorey and her party filed a lawsuit to kick 128 Democratic candidates off the ballot. They’re arguing that Democratic County Chair Carol Donovan did not properly sign their ballot applications, despite the fact that it is common for designated people to sign off in her place.

This lawsuit is a desperate attempt by Dallas Republicans to prevent Black voters from from making their voices heard and selecting the candidates that best represent their communities. 

Dallas County Republican Party Chair Missy Shorey is willing to do whatever it takes to win back Dallas for the GOP. But we know that Missy Shorey doesn’t want to be seen as a racist. When lawyers from the Dallas Democratic Party pointed out the lawsuit’s impact on voters and candidates of color, Shorey was quick to defend herself, calling the accusations “slander”. If we continue to call her out for leading the charge on this racist lawsuit, she may back down to protect her and her party’s image.

We have an opportunity to show that Black voters and our allies will not stay silent while our rights are attacked. We must pressure Missy Shorey to call off this lawsuit so Black voters in Dallas can elect the people that will create a better world for them and their families.

Here is the Petition:

We, the undersigned, urge you to call off your lawsuit to remove 128 Democratic candidates from the ballot in the Dallas primary and general elections.

The success of your lawsuit would only ensure the disenfranchisement of thousands of Black voters, denying them the choice of selecting the candidates they desire. Racist attacks on voters of color will not win back Dallas for the Republican party. In fact, Color of Change PAC is committed to ensuring Black voters in Dallas know about these attacks by the Republican party on their freedom.

Please call off this lawsuit and allow the voters of Dallas County to decide who represents them for themselves.

• Apace Packaging LLC is voluntarily recalling one lot of Acyclovir Tablet, USP, 400mg, 50ct Unit Dose, NDC# 50268-061-15, Lot Number 19900, to the Retail level. These products have been recalled due to a product mix-up. A small number of blister cards containing Acyclovir Tablets, 400mg, UD Blister Cards may potentially also include Torsemide, 20mg, Tablets.Missing a dose of Acyclovir Tablets could cause a reactivation of a virus being treated. Unintentional dosing of Torsemide, 20mg, Tablets could cause excessive urination. Serious adverse events reported in the clinical studies, for which a drug relationship could not be excluded, were atrial fibrillation, chest pain, diarrhea, digitalis intoxication, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, hypokalemia, hypotension, hypovolemia, shunt thrombosis, rash, rectal bleeding, syncope, and ventricular tachycardia. To date, Apace Packaging LLC has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall. Acyclovir Tablet, USP, 400mg 50ct Unit Dose (NDC# 50268-061-15) is used for the acute treatment of herpes zoster (shingles), for the initial treatment and management of recurrent episodes of genital herpes, and for the treatment of chickenpox. Torsemide, 20mg, Tablets are used for the treatment of edema and hypertension. The product is packaged in 50-count hospital unit dose cartons (10 unit doses per card, 5 cards per carton). The affected lot of Acyclovir 400mg Tablet is Lot 19900 with an expiration date of 05/2019. The subject product was fully distributed to R&S Northeast, and then further distributed nationwide.Apace Packaging LLC has notified its distributors and customers by email and is arranging for return of all recalled product. Distributors that have any of the subject product which is being recalled should contact Customer Service at AvKARE, Inc. at 931-292-6222 to arrange for the return of the product.Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact Apace Packaging by 270-434-2722 Monday-Friday (8am – 4pm CST). Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using these drug products.Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.
  • Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
  • Regular Mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178
• With an extreme abundance of caution, and with the care and concern of pets top of mind, Redbarn Pet Products, LLC of Long Beach, CA is voluntarily recalling a single product, Redbarn’s 7-inch Bully Stick three pack, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. No illnesses, injuries or complaints have been reported.The recalled products were distributed in pet specialty retail stores. Affected product comes in a 2.4 ounce, green plastic bag marked with an expiration date of 112120ABC stamped on the side. The product UPC is #7 85184 25105 8. You can see examples of the packaging here.Redbarn takes the safety of pets and pet parents seriously. As company President Jeff Sutherland explained, “On 2/5/2018, we were notified by the Colorado Department of Agriculture that a single sample collected from a retail location detected Salmonella. At Redbarn, we test every product lot before it leaves our manufacturing plant. This lot code, expiry date 112120ABC, was tested both at our Redbarn lab and by a third-party testing facility. Those tests were negative for salmonella or pathogens. Despite not being able to replicate these test results or receiving any negative reports from customers regarding these chews, we feel the best course of action is to recall this lot code of the product and keep our customers safe”.Consumers are encouraged to check the lot code to see if their product was affected. Pet owners who have this product matching this lot code in their homes are urged to discontinue use of the product. Consumers who purchased 7-inch Bully Stick multipacks with the affected lot code are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.Family-owned Redbarn takes the safety of our product, pets, and customers as a number one concern. Redbarn employs an extensive Quality Assurance team that run over 400 safety tests on their products every week. Products like the 7-inch bully sticks are tested multiple times, for bacteria like Salmonella, coliforms and enteros. A product is declared safe to ship only after it tests negatively for these bacteria and other pathogens. As Sutherland explained “In issuing this voluntary recall, in conjunction with the FDA, we are standing by our core values of quality and integrity. At Redbarn, we do the right thing for our customers. That means that we hold ourselves to the highest safety and quality assurance standards and take all precautions to prevent situations like a recall from happening.”Consumers with questions may contact the company via email at info@redbarninc.com or by phone at at 1-800-775-3849, M-F, 8am-5pm PST.
• Raws for Paws of Minneapolis, MN is recalling approximately 4,000 pounds of its 5 lb. and 1 lb. chubs of Ground Turkey Pet Food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.The recalled Ground Turkey Pet Food was distributed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa directly to consumers and through online mail orders.The recalled product is packaged into 1-pound and 5-pound sealed plastic tubes, also known as chubs. The chubs are packaged into regular Turkey Pet Food cases and Pet Food Combo Pack cases, which contain a variety of pet food products. The products in question have case codes of 9900008, 9900009, 9900014, and 9900015. The manufacture date of Turkey Pet Food cases is 10/12/2017, and the manufacture dates of Combo Pack cases are between 10/12/2017 and 2/2/2018.Two illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.The potential for contamination was noted after testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) revealed the presence of Salmonella in some packages of Turkey Pet Food.Production of the product has been suspended while MDA and the company continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.Consumers who have purchased Turkey Pet Food should discontinue the use of the product and contact Raws for Paws to determine if their product is subject to this recall and more information about disposal or return instructions. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 612-465-0372.
• Smokehouse Pet Products, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA is recalling 4-oz bags of dog treats labeled as “Beefy Munchies,” because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.“ Beefy Munchies” was distributed in Washington, Michigan, North Carolina and Colorado through distributors selling to various retailers.The product comes in a 4-oz bags marked with UPC 78565857957 and lot 449294 and with a best used by date of 10/25/19 stamped on the back.No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.The potential for contamination was noted after routine sampling and testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Salmonella in two 4-oz packages of “Beefy Munchies.”Consumers who have purchased 4-oz packages of “Beefy Munchies” should discontinue use of the product and may return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Smokehouse Pet Products, Inc. at 1-877-699-7387, Monday through Friday 7am-3:30pm PST.
• Meijer is announcing a voluntary recall of select Meijer branded Greek and Low-fat yogurt as a precautionary measure due to the potential risk of a small glass particles. Meijer became aware of the issue when a customer returned a yogurt cup containing two small pieces of glass. Upon investigation at the retailer’s manufacturing facility, there may have been a possible risk of contamination.There have been no illnesses, injuries or additional product concerns to date. The hazard risk to customers is considered low. The product was sold in Meijer stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.Meijer is voluntarily recalling the following products with an Expiration date – 3/8/2018:

  UPC	UPC Description
  7-08820-12657-2	Meijer Greek Yogurt 0% Black Cherry 5.3 oz.
  7-08820-41513-3	Meijer Yogurt Low-fat Blueberry 6 oz.
  7-60236-11601-1	Meijer Greek Yogurt 0% Plain 5.3 oz.
  7-60236-11603-5	Meijer Greek Yogurt 0% Vanilla 5.3 oz.
  7-60236-12418-4	Meijer Greek Yogurt 0% Strawberry 5.3 oz.
  7-60236-12431-3	Meijer Greek Yogurt 0% Blueberry 5.3 oz.

  The products are packaged in a plastic cup with a foil seal and a label listing the above-mentioned UPCs. Consumers who have purchased this product should throw it away or return the product to the nearest Meijer store for a full refund. Consumers with questions regarding this recall should contact Meijer at 800-543-3704, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consumers with questions or concerns about their health should contact their physician.

• Guymon Extracts, Inc. Recalls Fully Cooked Pork Products Due to Possible Processing Deviation 
  Guymon Extracts Inc., a Guymon, Okla. establishment, is recalling approximately 4,202 pounds of fully cooked pork products due to a processing deviation that may have allowed potential spore-forming pathogen growth including Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens.
• Updated information is now available. A list of retail consignees has been posted for recall 008-2018,  Olymel S.E.C./ L.P. Recalls Pork Products Produced Without Benefit of Import Inspection (Feb 6, 2018).
• Olymel S.E.C./ L.P. Recalls Pork Products Produced Without Benefit of Import Inspection
  Olymel S.E.C./ L.P., an Alberta, Canada establishment, is recalling approximately 4,618 pounds of raw intact pork products because the products were imported from Canada and not presented for import re-inspection upon entry into the United States.
• Updated information is now available. A list of retail consignees has been posted for recall 007-2018,  Whip City Jerky, LLC Recalls Beef Jerky Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen (Feb 1, 2018)