Unions “Using Political Leverage to Punish Those Exercising Rights” in California Constitution

By Kevin Dayton
10/29/2013
On October 13, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 7, which cuts off state funds designated for construction to any California city that exercises its right under the California Constitution to establish its own policies concerning government-mandated wage rates (so-called “prevailing wages”) on contracts. This was a major victory for the State Building...

TAGS: California Constitution, Charter Cities, Jerry Brown, League of California Cities, Prevailing Wage, Senate Bill 7 (2013), Senate Bill 829 (2012), Senate Bill 922 (2011), State Building and Construction Trades Council of California

Something is Bothering California Union Leaders and Lobbyists

By Kevin Dayton
08/27/2013
Something is bothering union leaders and lobbyists in California. A few unreconstructed troglodytes in the hinterlands still haven’t received the memo explaining how unions will lead the state in its evolution to a more Progressive society, under the firm but benevolent hand of government authority. The typical political, business, and community leader in California today...

TAGS: Associated Builders and Contractors, Charter Cities, Senate Bill 7 (2013), State Building and Construction Trades Council of California

Union Influence in the California Democratic Party’s 2013 Convention Resolutions

By Kevin Dayton
04/16/2013
Can you guess which special interest group influenced many of the resolutions approved at the California Democratic Party convention on April 14, 2013? That’s right, unions. Here’s my annotated collection of the 2013 resolutions and the clean version of the resolutions on the California Democratic Party web site. (As the party web site says, “Click...

TAGS: California Construction Industry Labor-Management Cooperative Trust, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Charter Cities, Democrats for Education Reform, Gloria Romero, Greenmail, Michelle Rhee, Prevailing Wage, Project Labor Agreements, Senate Bill 7 (2013), State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, StudentsFirst

Unions Will Control Mid-Sized Cities with California Voting Rights Act

By Kevin Dayton
04/02/2013
Unions firmly control the political agenda in California’s largest cities, but civic leaders and citizens in some of the state’s smaller cities are still resisting the union political machine. Some of these cities, with populations from 100,000 to 250,000, include Escondido, Oceanside, Murrieta, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Clovis, Elk...

TAGS: Charter Cities, Prevailing Wage, Project Labor Agreements, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California

With Senate Bill 7, California Unions Advance Plot to Neuter City Charters

By Kevin Dayton
02/28/2013
More than 30 California cities are likely to defy top union officials by asking their citizens in 2014 to vote on enacting a “home rule” charter for local control. Cities want to free their purely municipal affairs from costly union-backed state mandates, for reasons revealed in these recent articles: Unions Rise to Defense of “Prevailing Wage” Rates Jeopardizing...

TAGS: Are Charter Cities Taking Advantage of State Mandated Construction Wage Rate ("Prevailing Wage") Exemptions?, Charter Cities, City of Costa Mesa - Measure V, Darrell Steinberg, League of California Cities, Prevailing Wage, Senate Bill 7 (2013), Senate Bill 829 (2012), Senate Bill 922 (2011), Smart Cities Prevail

Tracking California’s November 2012 Elections Related to Labor Issues

By Kevin Dayton
11/05/2012
California’s Proposition 32 is the country’s most high-profile election in November 2012 directly related to labor unions and labor policy issues. There are also several California local elections – particularly Measure V to enact a charter in the City of Costa Mesa – that will potentially strengthen or weaken union control of government. Here’s a summary of...

TAGS: Charter Cities, City of Costa Mesa - Measure V, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Jon Coupal, Measuring the Cost of Project Labor Agreements on School Construction in California, Project Labor Agreements, Prop. 32, Sacramento City Unified School District, San Diego County Taxpayers Association, San Diego Unified School District, Solano Community College District, West Contra Costa Unified School District

California Supreme Court Supports Rights of Charter Cities Over State Legislature

By Kevin Dayton
07/03/2012
California Supreme Court Declares that the State’s 121 Charter Cities Have a Constitutional Right to Circumvent the Union-Controlled State Legislature and Establish Their Own Policies Concerning Government-Mandated Construction Wage Rates for Taxpayer-Funded Construction Yesterday morning (July 2, 2012), the California Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in State Building and Construction Trades Council v. City of Vista...

TAGS: California Supreme Court, Charter Cities, Prevailing Wage, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, State Building and Construction Trades Council v. City of Vista