San Jose union officials are celebrating a decision last week by the Sixth District Court of Appeals, which struck some city-drafted language from a June ballot measure designed to reduce pension benefits for newly hired city workers and require existing workers either to pay more for their current pension plan or switch to a lower-benefit...
Emboldened by President Obama and his recent recess appointments to the Rogue NLRB the SEIU appears to be stepping up its patented Persuasion of Power. The SEIU’s “persuasion of power” is projected through its notorious Corporate Campaigns is vividly chronicled in my new book, The Devil at Our Doorstep. In simple terms, the SEIU’s corporate campaigns are...
Wisconsin property tax bills fall as Scott Walker’s reforms start to kick in Editorial, April 17, 2012, Wall Street Journal The public employee unions and other liberals are confident that Wisconsin voters will turn out Governor Scott Walker in a recall election later this year, but not so fast. That may turn out to be...
Jerry Brown, unions agree to delay contract talks until after tax vote By Jon Ortiz, April 10, 2012, Sacramento Bee Gov. Jerry Brown has agreed to extend the labor contracts of four state worker unions, pushing aside a potential obstacle to his quest for a tax increase later this year. The agreements affect roughly 24,000...
Recent polls indicate Americans are fed up with Big Labor’s schoolyard bully tactics and their utilization of taxpayer money to support political candidates and liberal agendas. Additionally, Americans are tired of government deficits driven by public sector pay, overblown benefits, and restrictive work rules. Americans, including union rank and file members, are tired of Big...
Federal judge declines unions’ request to block consent agreement By Christine MacDonald, April 2, 2012, Detroit News A federal judge today declined to issue a restraining order sought by city union leaders to halt action on a proposed consent agreement between Detroit and the state. Judge Arthur Tarnow instead set a hearing for 2 p.m....
The granddaddy of property tax revolts is now underway in North Dakota. The North Dakota group, Empower the Taxpayer writes “On June 12, 2012, the voters of North Dakota will have the opportunity to make North Dakota truly ‘Legendary’, as the first to pass a state constitutional amendment that will abolish the property tax, prioritize...
New York’s Governor Loses a Round to the Unions on Pensions Editorial, March 26, 2012, Wall Street Journal Andrew Cuomo has had a good run in his first year as New York Governor, with some useful education reforms marred by a tax increase. But the likely 2016 Democratic Presidential candidate just went toe-to-toe with public...
A very effective tactic in the war for public opinion is to accuse the person voicing disagreeable perspectives of being biased or otherwise having ulterior partisan motives. While we prefer to focus on the validity of the arguments (and the calculations) when discussing the impact of public sector unions on the sustainability of public institutions,...
Unions plan protest against Baltimore County pension bill By Alison Knezevich, March 19, 2012, The Baltimore Sun Union members from around Baltimore are planning a rally Monday to protest legislation by Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz that would reduce some county employees’ pension benefits. County Council members are scheduled to vote Monday on the proposal,...
There are so many facets to the problem of public sector unions that one of their most outrageous abuses, their war on volunteerism, is barely covered by the media. But it happens all the time, especially in public education. If any volunteer does work that could be done by a unionized worker, even if no...
Public Employees’ Pensions Can Sink the Ship By Nancy Smith, March 12, 2012, Sunshine State News Judge Jackie Fulford did more than dig a potential $2 billion hole in the Florida budget. She gave back to a redefined union movement in this state the two things it lacked most — muscle and heart. At the...
Obama’s Rogue NLRB, driven by Chairperson Mark Pearce, has encountered serious roadblocks the past several weeks in its continued attempt to achieve EFCA Through the Backdoor (see Labor Board Chief to Push Union Organizing Rules). Obama and the Big Labor bosses attempted end run around Congress entails creation of new regulations such as the “Posting Rule”...
Teachers union leads in record year of lobbying lawmakers By Patrick McGreevy, March 6, 2012, Los Angeles Times Labor group spent $6.5 million, part of a $286.6-million effort by lobbyists to court legislators. The economy and a new Democratic governor after seven years of a business-friendly Republican are key factors. State Assemblyman Warren Furutani looked...