California teachers unions face new legal challenge over dues By Emma Brown, April 7, 2015, Washington Post Four California teachers are suing their unions over the use of member dues for political activities, opening a new legal front against unions that are already facing a separate challenge to their ability to collect dues from all...
Because of Proposition 13, the unions representing California’s government employees — employees that are the highest paid in all 50 states according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — have a huge stake in who is elected to the state Legislature. While most Californians are aware that Proposition 13 limits increases in property taxes —...
Editor’s Note: Nearly everything described in this lengthy expose on the perilous financial condition of the City of Chicago, and the ways it has been obscured for so long, also neatly applies in many if not most of California’s large cities. Also directly applicable to California’s cities are the author’s descriptions of how the unions representing...
On March 31, 2015, President Obama vetoed the Congressional Bill that would have reversed the Rogue NLRB’s Ambush Election Rule. Unbelievably, and likely in support of unions, this was not reported on national media. This could create havoc for businesses, who will be unprepared for the mass onslaught of unionization when this rule goes into effect...
Republicans take aim at union ‘official time’ for federal employees By Josh Hicks, March 31, 2015, Washington Post House and Senate Republicans have introduced bills to bar federal employees from performing union work on the government’s dime, a practice that has been allowed since 1978 under the Civil Service Reform Act. The measures, introduced by...
It didn’t take long for “the brotherhood” of status quo politics to pile on. Within hours of former Assembly member Joan Buchanan having lost her election bid for Northern California’s 7th Senate District seat in last week’s special election to fill the vacancy, she endorsed labor-embraced and fellow Democratic Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord. Together, they...
Union-backed bill would mandate up to 10 weeks of family leave, at higher pay By Allen Young, March 24, 2015, Sacramento Business Journal Workers would receive higher wages and up to 10 weeks off when they leave work to care for sick family members or to bond with a newborn, under a California bill that...
Labor union indoctrination is seeping into our schools before our very eyes. Teacher union intrusion into the lives of children is not new. Via anti-child work rules like tenure and seniority, unions have been making their influence felt for years. Additionally, as labor expert Kevin Dayton points out, they have been angling to promote their...
Voter turnout in California is low. Just three weeks ago, the election held in Los Angeles saw an embarrassing 10 percent turnout. And, of course, the statewide turnout just last November was almost as bad.Irrespective of political affiliation, the immediate reaction among those of us who are politically engaged is that low voter turnout is...
California Democrat plans ballot proposal to cut public employee pensions By Kevin Martinez, March 17, 2015, wsws.org Chuck Reed, the former Democratic Mayor of San Jose, is planning to reintroduce a ballot measure that would eliminate constitutional protections for public employee pensions in California, Reuters reported last week. (read article) LAPD officers union approves proposed...
It’s not just right-to-work: Bills targeting unions multiply By Jonathon Mattise and Nicholas Riccardi, March 10, 2015, Associated Press It’s not just Gov. Scott Walker. Republican lawmakers in statehouses nationwide are working to weaken organized labor, sometimes with efforts that directly shrink union membership. Walker’s signing of right-to-work legislation in Wisconsin on Monday puts his...
Last November’s election saw some of the most craven political tactics ever seen in California. Fearful that they would lose the two thirds supermajority in both houses, many anti-taxpayer candidates – usually Democrats – attempted to portray themselves as friendly to taxpayers and in favor of Proposition 13 when, in fact, the exact opposite was...
In previous articles, the connection between the SEIU and President Obama and their desire to turn America into a socialistic totalitarian dictatorship have been presented. President Obama’s actions since the 2014 Midterm Elections, as outlined below, support this position. The President is utilizing the SEIU’s “Persuasion of Power” by incorporating its corporate campaign strategy to...
Latest attempt to end BART strikes deserves high marks for creativity Contra Costa Times editorial, March 3, 2015, Bay Area News Group Assemblywoman Catharine Baker’s bill to end BART strikes highlights the difficulty of crafting legislation that’s politically viable, has teeth and doesn’t produce unintended consequences. Baker, R-San Ramon, won election last year in a swing East...