Uncategorized | California Policy Center

Union Influenced Fullerton City Council Guts Proposed COIN Ordinance

This is my first opportunity to compare an excellent law, the Costa Mesa Ordinance on Civic Openness in Negotiations (C.O.I.N.) vs. the Fullerton Draft C.O.I.N Ordinance. Costa Mesa’s Civic Openness in Negotiations ordinance was designed to make public employee salary and benefit negotiations open and transparent to the public and to all members of the city council as...

By Barry Levinson

Civic Openness in Negotiations Ordinances Hold Elected Officials Accountable

Eight years ago, then Orange County Register reporter Norberto Santana opened his piece, “The Art of the O.C. Deal (Orange County Register, August 6, 2006),” with the following observation: “When people see the board of supervisors vote on a labor deal, what they don’t know is that most often, an agreement has already been reached...

By John Moorlach

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

Jerry Brown Gets His Budget, Teachers Unions Get a Wake-Up Call By William Bradley, June 17, 2014, Huffington Post Governor Jerry Brown got another on-time California state budget with nearly everything he wanted, a regular occurrence since he exercised a first-in-history budget veto three years ago, when the state legislature voted on Sunday. And a...

By Editor

Los Angeles Utility Ratepayers to IBEW Local 18 – Where's Our $40 Million?

IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18) Union Boss d’Arcy is planning a massive demonstration at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in front of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s downtown headquarters to protest City’s Hall’s “assault on collective bargaining” and “war on workers” and is urging other unions throughout the City to support...

By Jack Humphreville

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

California court rules teacher tenure creates unequal conditions By Lyndsey Layton, June 10, 2014, Washington Post A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that tenure, seniority and other job protections for teachers have created unequal conditions in public schools and deprive poor children of the best teachers. In a case that could have national...

By Editor

Unions Have Buyers Remorse Over Affordable Care Act

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...

By Dave Bego

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

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...

By Editor

Government Employee Unions – The Root Cause of California's Challenges

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...

By Edward Ring

SEIU Shows It Is Not About Employee Free Choice

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...

By Dave Bego

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

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...

By Editor

Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power – Unions vs. Ratepayers

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...

By Scott Walter

Unions in the News – Weekly Highlights

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...

By Editor

A "Left-Right Alliance" Against Public Sector Unions?

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)...

By Edward Ring

Brown, Unions, Already Discuss Renewing Prop. 30 Taxes Beyond 2018

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...

By Jon Coupal