Summary: In politics, it’s said, you’re known by the enemies you make. Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) is best known nationally for his battles with unions—from his reforms that brought 100,000 protesters to the state capitol, to the efforts by the unions to throw him out of office, to the passage of a Right to Work law. Now Walker is expected to run...
State Legislatures Consider Future of American Labor By Jenni Bergal, July 7, 2015, Governing Thousands of protesters rallied outside the state capitol in frigid temperatures in February to express their anger before the state Senate voted. The Assembly held a heated all-night debate. But in the end, the Republican-dominated Wisconsin Legislature passed a right-to-work measure...
Santa Clara County: Marathon last-ditch bargaining reaps tentative union deal By Eric Kurhi and Mark Gomez, June 30, 2015, San Jose Mercury News After a marathon bargaining session that started on Friday and nearly lasted until daybreak Tuesday, a planned strike was averted when a tentative agreement was reached with Santa Clara County’s largest employee...
Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Science, Huntington Beach (AEALAS) opened its doors In August, 2014 to 164 K-5 students. The current enrollment is 264. For reasons of expediency, its founding charter was authorized by the Agua Dulce Unified School District, where several other schools are located. Since its first days, the small elementary...
Summary: In Kentucky and elsewhere, advocates for the rights of working men and women—including the right not to join a union or pay dues to a union if you don’t want to—are trying a new strategy: Laws that secure this right for a city or county, rather than an entire state. The courts have not...
San Jose City Council to consider labor deal with firefighters union June 23, 2015, Silicon Valley News A new labor deal with the San Jose firefighters union highlights a packed city council agenda today. After the firefighters union approved the new labor deal by a 95 to 5 percent vote, the contract will go to the...
Unions have long sought to demonize replacement workers, union members who cross picket lines, and others whom the unions label “scabs.” Sometimes, this takes the form of implied or explicit threats or other efforts to create fear and to intimidate. Now the Obama administration’s National Labor Relations Board is pressuring employers to give personal information...
San Jose strikes labor deals with 3 unions that include raises By Ramona Giwargis, June 15, 2015, San Jose Mercury City leaders announced tentative labor agreements with three of 11 unions on the run-up to several crucial deadlines: the expiration of 10 contracts, the start of a new fiscal year and the City Council’s fast-approaching...
The Local Right to Work strategy is not universally supported, even among conservatives, business organizations, and others who support a worker’s right not to join or pay dues to a union. Presidential candidate Rand Paul, who helped get the Local RTW movement underway in the state, joined with his fellow Kentucky Senator, Senate Majority Leader...
Unions Flex Muscle to Fight Pacific Trade Bill By Melanie Trottman, June 9, 2015, Wall Street Journal Retired welder Lonnie Vick had a warning for Rep. Steny Hoyer as he held a banner at a recent union rally outside the Democrat’s office: Vote against a trade bill or organized labor will vote you out of...
Steve Glazer is a symbol of change. The Democrat mayor of Orinda, Glazer, won a decisive victory over Concord Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla in last week’s special election for the vacant 7th District State Senate seat. Given California’s open primary system, it was a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff in which Glazer’s foes resorted to attacking him...
Senate passes minimum wage boost for California By Alexei Koseff, June 1, 2015, Sacramento Bee As labor unions lead a nationwide push for a higher minimum wage, the California Senate on Monday approved raising the state’s required hourly rate to $11 in 2016 and $13 in 2017. Under Senate Bill 3, which passed by a vote...
On March 22, 2015, John Moorlach was officially sworn in as state senator for California’s 37th District. On May 28, 2015, Steve Glazer took the oath of office as state senator for the 7th District. Moorlach is a Republican serving mostly conservative constituents in Orange County. Steve Glazer is a Democrat serving mostly liberal constituents in Contra Costa County....
Union representatives urge UC to support bill guaranteeing contractors, UC employees receive similar pay By Suhauna Hussain, May 26, 2015, Daily Californian Union representatives called on the UC Board of Regents to support a bill that would ensure that workers employed by private university contractors are compensated comparably with university employees doing similar work. At...