California’s Ed Reform Wars By Rachel M. Cohen, August 2, 2016, The American Prospect This past April, the California Court of Appeals unanimously struck down the controversial Vergara v. California decision, in which a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that five longstanding teacher protections—including a two-year probationary period for new teachers and a...
Raising Minimum Starting Wages to $15 per Hour Would Eliminate Seven Million Jobs By James Sherk, July 26, 2016, Democracy Now Prominent Members of Congress have proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, more than doubling the federal minimum wage. States with lower costs of living would see an even greater real increase....
Diablo Canyon Settlement May Hinge on Cost Allocation By Patrick Ferguson, July 19, 2016, JD Supra On June 21, 2016, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”) announced a plan to close down the state’s last remaining nuclear power plant, the 2.3 gigawatt Diablo Canyon plant near San Luis Obispo, by 2026. Diablo Canyon currently produces...
Transparency measure won’t be on ballot By David Garrick, July 12, 2016, San Diego Union Tribune A proposal to increase government transparency in the city of San Diego suffered a setback this week when the City Council decided not to place it on the November ballot. The proposal would have made city business conducted by employees...
Back in 2012 we published an article entitled “The Forgotten 33%,” which included a graphic entitled “American Voter Breakdown 2012.” It depicted the U.S. electorate as comprised of 46% who pay zero net taxes, 20% who work for the government and are net tax consumers, the 1% “super rich,” and the “forgotten 33%,” who work in...
San Joaquin County workers strike By Team Staff, July 5, 2016, ABC 10 The San Joaquin County workers union began their strike with a press conference and rally at the County Administration at noon Tuesday, July 5. Instead of reporting to work Tuesday morning, nearly 4,400 San Joaquin County workers — represented by SEIU 1021 —...
Does California shutdown mean the end of nuclear power? Not so fast. By Jessica Mendoza, June 28, 2016, Christian Science Monitor When California’s largest electric utility announced last week that it would close the state’s last operational nuclear power plant, supporters were quick to call the moment a potential game changer for America’s energy future....
In Step with California’s Evolving Energy Policy, PG&E, Labor and Environmental Groups Announce Proposal to Increase Energy Efficiency By Pacific Gas and Electric Company, June 21, 2016, Business Wire Reflecting California’s changing energy landscape, PG&E today announced a Joint Proposal with labor and leading environmental organizations that would increase investment in energy efficiency, renewables and...
The unions are trying to take the “we’re in it for the kids” shtick to a new level by declaring that they now collectively bargain for “the common good.” Last week, The American Prospect posted “Teacher Unions Are ‘Bargaining for the Common Good,’” which claims that unions across the country are “expanding their focus to...
$450K Cap Proposed on Hospital CEO Salaries in California By Michelle Leming, June 14, 2016, NPQ One of America’s largest labor unions is taking a third attempt at capping hospital CEO salaries. The latest proposal by Service Employees International Union (SEIU)-United Healthcare Workers West would give authority to the California attorney general’s office to oversee...
Two weeks ago, using information supplied by the California Taxpayers Association, we called attention to “$6.2 Billion in New Borrowing on June 7th Primary Ballot.” As noted, “Next week voters will be asked to approve 46 local bond measures totaling $6.18 billion in new debt, along with 52 local tax proposals. If history is any...
Rift Between Unions, Democratic Party Is Not Just Awkward As Campaign Season Nears By Dan Haar, June 6, 2016, Hartford Courant Sometime in the next couple of days, Sen. Danté Bartolomeo will sit in a closed room with leaders of the AFL-CIO. The Meriden Democrat will ask the labor coalition to endorse her for re-election...
Nearly every objection that supporters of presidential candidates Trump and Sanders raise to the establishment are intimately associated with government unions. But neither the people’s voice, or that voice as it is reflected back to them by their populist heroes, articulates this fact. (1) Do you want to reform Wall Street? You’ll have to go...
San Joaquin Valley’s Fresno County can boast about more than its raisins. Clovis, a city of about 100,000 located right next to Fresno in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, has a particular distinction: the city’s schools have never been unionized. Of course, the California Teachers Association dons pretend that Clovis doesn’t even exist because the...