In last year’s blog, The Devil is in the Details: Buyer’s Remorse over Obamacare, Except for SEIU, Big Labor’s dissatisfaction with Obamacare was exposed. The exception being the SEIU, who was allowed to be the architect of the Affordable Care Act as repayment for its role in the President’s 2008 Election. There has been little written...
California politics: Union-backed Democrats face off against anti-union Democrats By Sharon Bernstein, June 3, 2014, Reuters Californians head to the polls on Tuesday for a primary election likely to highlight divisions in the state’s dominant Democratic party, as incumbent labor-backed candidates fight reformers positioning themselves to take on unions in several races. The election to...
Spokespersons for California’s government employee unions perpetuate a myth of staggering absurdity and tragic consequences – that they are protecting working Californians from wealthy corporations and wealthy individuals. The reality is that government employee unions are focused on one thing: Expanding government employee pay, benefits and privileges. This requires expanding government, and that priority comes...
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), arguably the most ardent proponent of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), continues to demonstrate the hypocrisy of its true motives through its tactics and political machinations. The political maneuvering of the SEIU and its big labor brethren show that they do not have employee best interests at heart, and...
A Labor Union Prepares To Strike, As Obamacare Ups Health Insurance Costs By 5.0-12.5% By Avik Roy, May 27, 2014, Forbes Labor unions have, of course, been among President Obama’s most reliable supporters. Unions’ support was critical to the passage of Obamacare in 2010. But unions are continuing to learn, to their apparent surprise, that...
Where are the charity watchdogs in L.A.? An ugly story from the City of Angels reminds us once again of how dangerous “public-private partnerships” can be, especially that worst of all such partnerships: government employee unions in bed with government officials. The government of Los Angeles has long granted a monopoly to the Department of...
L.A. city panel delivers victory to municipal labor unions By David Zahniser, May 20, 2013, Los Angeles Times A Los Angeles City Hall panel on Monday delivered a significant victory to municipal labor unions, breathing new life into a legal challenge to pension benefit reductions being counted on to save billions of dollars over the...
Consumer advocate and left-wing activist Ralph Nader has just written a book entitled “Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State.” In a Salon interview published on May 2, Nader lists five areas where the left and right can agree on policy goals: (1) controlling security state overreach, (2) eliminating corporate welfare, (3)...
Once again it is time for taxpayers to get a good grip on their wallets because Sacramento politicians are looking to extend the “temporary” taxes imposed by Proposition 30, approved by voters less than two years ago. There is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax. They are as immortal as a vampire and nearly...
Labor, Business Groups Join Forces to Press for Highway Bill By Melanie Trottman, May 13, 2014, Wall Street Journal Organized labor, business groups and consumer advocacy organizations are making a rare joint plea to Congress this week: Decide how to finance a long-term highway bill, then pass it without delay. Officials from the Laborers’ International...
As reported by investigative journalist John Hrabe, conservative gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly has accepted money from public safety unions in his legislative campaigns. His support from unions wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgement. As cited in Hrabe’s reports, his past candidacies have also benefited from independent expenditure campaigns funded by public sector unions. To not report...
Part One: Tim Donnelly’s anti-union rhetoric doesn’t match his pro-union record: Public employee unions are a reliable target of California’s self-styled “patriot, not politician.” “California’s governor and legislature have shown a complete disregard for the needs of businesses and working families, and have instead caved to unions and special interest supporters,” Assemblyman Tim Donnelly writes...
City Can Change Retiree Health Benefits: CA Supreme Court By Andie Adams, May 6, 2014, NBC San Diego The California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal over the city of San Diego’s ability to change retiree health benefits. The high court’s denial leaves in place a Court of Appeal ruling that states the benefits...
Wealthy democratic donors met with Big Labor and high interest liberal groups in Chicago this week to plot strategy for the 2014 Mid-Term Elections. The approaching elections, however, may very well be the beginning of the end for these symbiotic partners. The liberal left has already begun to suggest that their pending demise is due to...