The Poor Teacher Canard Redux – Part I

By Larry Sand
08/19/2014
“Mid-and Late-Career Teachers Struggle With Paltry Incomes” is the latest flawed study to claim that American teachers are underpaid. Leave it to the left-leaning teacher-union-friendly Center for American Progress to come out with a flatulent report lamenting the allegedly lousy state of teacher pay in the U.S. Even worse, much of the acolyte media dutifully...

TAGS: American Enterprise Institute, American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Biggs, California Policy Center, Center for American Progress, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Jay Greene, Larry Sand, Manhattan Institute, Marcus Winters, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, Transparent California

Putting The Brakes On Unions' Free Ride On Employee Dues

By Larry Sand
08/15/2014
Echoing the union party line, the recently termed-out president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, insists that all workers in a unionized industry should be required to pay union dues, their so-called “fair share.” Speaking about the nation’s 3 million teachers, he says: “Fair share simply makes sure that all educators share the...

TAGS: Friedrichs vs. the CTA, National Education Association, National Employee Freedom Week

How to Opt Out of Public Sector Unions

By Jared Meyer
08/14/2014
This week is National Employee Freedom Week, a nationwide effort of 81 groups in 45 states to raise awareness among public union employees that they can opt out of membership in their unions. Groups also provide members with the necessary help and resources to do so. Victor Joecks, executive vice president at the Nevada Policy Research...

TAGS: "free rider", agency fees, forced unionization, National Employee Freedom Week, Nevada Policy Research Institute

Bubbles & Schemes

By Doug Noland
08/14/2014
Editor’s Note: Consistent with our ongoing determination to publish in-depth analysis along with the more digestible tidbits that should never be an exclusive source of political and economic analysis and commentary, here is a 2,400 word piece that exposes and dissects the sources of instability and speculative excess in global financial markets. Anyone who has...

TAGS: asset bubble, pension fund solvency

Busses Offer Far Better Mass Transit Solution Than Light Rail

By Randal O’Toole
08/13/2014
Los Angeles transit officials are eagerly contemplating the opportunity to spend money converting the Orange bus-rapid transit line into a light-rail line. To promote this idea, they are letting people know that light rail will be faster, more comfortable, and operate more frequently (so riders will be less likely to have to stand) than buses. These lanes...

Being Open About Financial Support is the Smartest Policy

By Private: Gloria Romero
08/13/2014
I recently admonished former U.S. Department of Education undersecretary Diane Ravitch for making what I considered sexist remarks seeking to discredit former CNN journalist Campbell Brown’s credibility on education issues. Brown founded New York’s Parent Transparency Project and is championing the newly formed Partnership for Educational Justice, dedicated to supporting the latest challenge to overturn...

TAGS: Campbell Brown, Diane Ravitch, Gloria Romero, Vergara vs. California

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

By Editor
08/12/2014
California Supreme Court Rejects Anti “Citizens United” Ballot Measure By William Bigelow, August 12, 2014, Breitbart California On Monday, the California Supreme Court blocked an “advisory” ballot measure that Democrats had hoped to include on the November ballot, with a view to increasing turnout among apathetic voters. The non-binding measure, Proposition 49, asked voters if...

Los Angeles Police Average Total Compensation $157,151 Per Year

By Edward Ring
08/12/2014
Turns out the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension system return rate was 17.3 percent for 2013-2014, and other public pension funds reported similar double-digit returns and five-year returns exceeding their assumed rates.  – LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/07/2014, in their post “Misuse of statistics behind erroneous LA police officer salary claims.” The above quote...

TAGS: Los Angeles Police Protective League

Checking Out of the Hotel California…Teachers Association

By Larry Sand
08/12/2014
A new document shows that CTA is resigned to the fact that membership in its union will ultimately become voluntary. Courtesy of Mike Antonucci, we get to peek behind the curtain at an internal California Teachers Association document which has been “declassified.” “Not if, but when: Living in a world without Fair Share…” is a...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, fair share, Friedrichs v CTA, Harris v. Quinn, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Employee Freedom Week, National Right to Work Committee, paycheck protection, Prop. 75, teachers union