Summary: it’s been a long, slow slide for the United Auto Workers, which hit its peak in the early 1950s. Defeated in a critical unionization election in the South and facing a critical change in state law in its home base in Michigan, the UAW has responded to the challenge by raising dues and by...
Minnesota Home-Care Workers Say Yes to Union By Kris Maher, August 26, 2014, Wall Street Journal The Service Employees International Union scored a victory Tuesday as home health-care workers in Minnesota voted to be represented by the labor group, even as it faces a legal challenge from opponents who say the 27,000 workers involved shouldn’t...
Whenever discussing politically viable policy proposals to improve the quality of life in California, the imperative is to come up with ideas that strongly appeal to moderate centrists, since that is how most Californians would describe themselves. And there are two compelling issues that offer that appeal: making California’s system of K-12 education the best...
Just last month, this column noted that the professional political class harbors great hostility toward the tools of direct democracy — the powers of initiative, referendum and recall. These are effective tools to control an indolent or corrupt legislature. From the perspective of politicians, direct democracy allows the great unwashed and unsophisticated to deal with...
Teachers union talking strategy for combatting teacher jail By Vanessa Romo, August 19, 2014, LA School Report While officials from the teachers union, UTLA, are contemplating salary demands in a new labor contract with the district, they have not lost sight of another key issue, how to deal with teachers housed in what union officials...
“In an era when we aren’t going to have tax increases, figure out how to be more efficient spending the money we’ve got, and the Republicans can help you do that if they’ll get off the philosophical cant about stuff and help you make things more efficient. They actually culturally know more and occupationally know...
Echoing the union party line, the recently termed-out president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, insists that all workers in a unionized industry should be required to pay union dues, their so-called “fair share.” Speaking about the nation’s 3 million teachers, he says: “Fair share simply makes sure that all educators share the...
This week is National Employee Freedom Week, a nationwide effort of 81 groups in 45 states to raise awareness among public union employees that they can opt out of membership in their unions. Groups also provide members with the necessary help and resources to do so. Victor Joecks, executive vice president at the Nevada Policy Research...
California Supreme Court Rejects Anti “Citizens United” Ballot Measure By William Bigelow, August 12, 2014, Breitbart California On Monday, the California Supreme Court blocked an “advisory” ballot measure that Democrats had hoped to include on the November ballot, with a view to increasing turnout among apathetic voters. The non-binding measure, Proposition 49, asked voters if...
Golden Gate Transit District Unions Authorize Strike By Holly Quan, August 5, 2014, CBS San Francisco A coalition of 13 of Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District workers’ unions has unanimously voted to authorize a strike, though no date has been announced as both sides continue talks. Talks continued Monday and are set to start...
N.L.R.B. Ruling Holds McDonald’s, Not Just Franchisees, Liable for Worker Treatment By Steven Greenhouse, July 29, 2014, New York Times The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Tuesday that McDonald’s is jointly responsible for workers at its franchisees’ restaurants, a decision that if upheld would disrupt longtime practices in the fast-food...
Jim Righeimer was elected to the Costa Mesa City Council in 2010, where he currently serves as Mayor. In Costa Mesa, Jim has led the charge to shrink government and provide more transparency and efficiency to the Citizens of the City. Labor union leaders now say Costa Mesa is “Wisconsin in California.” Costa Mesa has...
Detroit’s Retirees Vote to Lower Pensions, in Support of Bankruptcy Plan By Monica Davey, July 22, 2014, New York Times Coming to terms with what came to be seen as inevitable, this city’s public-sector retirees have voted to lower their expected pension benefits, a crucial step in the city’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy before...
Editor’s Note: As a businessman who plays by the rules and competes with companies who don’t, Dave Bego has first hand knowledge of how poorly managed immigration of unskilled workers harm the interests of the American worker. Regardless of your stand on immigration, you can’t expect to extend a de facto preference to unskilled immigrants,...