How Rates of Return Affect Required Pension Contributions

By Edward Ring
04/27/2011
April 27, 2011 In the post “How Rates of Return Affect Required Pension Assets,” the point is made that depending on the rate of return achievable by the pension fund, there are significant changes to what level of assets are required for that fund to remain solvent. This post takes a slightly different approach; looking...

Union Watch Highlights

By Jack Dean
04/27/2011
Wisconsin and Illinois showdown: handling state unions By Mary J. Cristobal, April 21, 2011, Illinois Statehouse News The two states share a border, but that’s about all that Illinois and Wisconsin have in common these days. How the two states deal with their respective public sector unions and state employees is as different as night...

NLRB Attempts to Stop Boeing Relocation

By Mike Shedlock
04/26/2011
Suppose you own a profitable, legal in all 50 states, business and want to expand or reorganize your operations. Now let’s suppose that someone came up to you and said “Sorry boys, but you cannot do what you want with your business. You cannot go anywhere you please. See those balls and chains on your...

The Intersection of U Street and Main Street Does Not Exist

By Larry Sand
04/26/2011
The teachers unions’ radical agenda alienates them from the American mainstream. As I mentioned in last week’s post, during the week of May 9th, the California Teachers Association and many local unions, like the United Teachers of Los Angeles, will be taking to the streets in an attempt to convince legislators and citizens that cuts...

TAGS: California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, teachers unions, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Union Watch Highlights

By Jack Dean
04/19/2011
Costa Mesa ‘Feet to the Fire’ forum gets feisty on outsourcing, pensions By Jon Cassidy, April 19, 2011, Orange County Register It didn’t take long for the first heckler to be shown the door. A debate on outsourcing, pensions and balancing Costa Mesa’s budget Monday night drew TV news cameras and about 250 people, some...

Michigan Enacts Municipal Union Reforms

By Mike Shedlock
04/18/2011
Dissolving Governments in Michigan New measures passed in Michigan will allow the state to dissolve governments, void union contracts, toss aside elected school-board members, close schools and authorize charter schools. Thankfully, those measures are being put to good use. Please consider Using New Emergency Financial Manager Law, They Start Dissolving Governments in Michigan In what...

CTA Days of Desperation Coming to Your Town

By Larry Sand
04/18/2011
Fearful of taking a financial hit, California Teachers Association will be taking to the streets and declaring a “state of emergency.” But I have some questions for them when the demagoguery begins. With California in a world of fiscal trouble and many people sick and tired of the unrealistic perks and benefits gained by collective...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, teachers union

How Rates of Return Affect Required Pension Assets

By Edward Ring
04/15/2011
April 15, 2011 While pension finance is a relatively obscure discipline that requires of its practitioners expertise both in investments and actuarial calculations, it is a mistake to think the fundamentals are beyond the average policymaker or journalist. One policy question of extreme importance to discussions about the future of public worker pensions is how...

How Unions Expand Without Card Check

By Dave Bego
04/15/2011
As the Employee Free Choice Act (also known as “EFCA” or “Card Check”) is now legislatively dead, many unions are experiencing financial problems and declining membership. In an attempt to head off impending extinction, big labor bosses are returning to an old reliable business model to increase membership.  Unions, like the SEIU and Unite Here,...

California Pension Restructuring Proposal

By Editor
04/14/2011
According to the CalPERS website, in their California Investments section, “as of January 31, 2011, approximately 10.3 percent of CalPERS total assets are invested in California.” This means that out of the $233.5 billion in assets under management by CalPERS (ref. Current Investment Fund Values), $24 billion is invested in California. Apparently CalPERS would have us...