Public Employee Strike Looms in Santa Clara County

By Edward Ring
01/06/2020
With 2020 upon us, it appears likely that two unions representing Santa Clara County employees will be going on strike. Unless agreements can be reached, 3,000 members of the Registered Nurses Professional Association will strike, along with over 11,000 members of the SEIU. When one considers the political leanings of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,...

TAGS: CalPERS, Edward Ring, pensions, public employee unions, seiu

An open letter to Randi Weingarten

By Larry Sand
11/06/2018
This is the fourth in a series of missives to the president of the American Federation of Teachers. (The first three can be accessed here, here and here.)  My Dear Randi, It has been a while! I hope you are well, though I suspect recent events have you a bit off-kilter or even a tad...

TAGS: AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, Center for American Progress, Education Next, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, NEA, Randi Weingarten, school choice, seiu, teachers union, vouchers

The Janus victory and ongoing whine festival

By Larry Sand
07/03/2018
The Abood decision has been overturned and its mourners are beside themselves.  The hysterical reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision in the Janus v. AFSCME case, which frees public employees in 22 states from having to pay any money to a union as a condition of employment, has Chicken Little nodding in solidarity. As...

TAGS: AFSCME, Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Chicago Teachers Union, Janus v. AFSCME, Jesse Sharkey, Larry Sand, LAUSD, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, seiu, stare decisis, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

How California skims federal Medicaid payments to fund a powerful union

By Editorial Staff
11/01/2017
CONNECTED: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president Mary Kay Henry (left). The politically powerful union has worked a deal with several states, including California, to skim dues from Medicaid-paid workers. (AP Photo / Carlos Osorio) By Sam Han and Will Swaim Home caregivers serving Medicaid patients in California are...

TAGS: medicaid, seiu

Union bill will drive up counties’ costs of providing services

By Steven Greenhut
07/25/2017
Sacramento – Municipal governments exist to provide essential services, such as law enforcement, firefighting, parks and recreation, street repairs and programs for the poor and homeless. But as pension, health-care and other compensation costs soar for workers and retirees alike, local governments are struggling to fulfill these basic functions. There’s even a term to describe...

TAGS: seiu

Teacher Union Political Spending: Liberal as Ever

By Larry Sand
10/11/2016
AFT continues to use teachers as ATM machines to fund their pet leftist causes. The latest American Federation of Teachers annual financial disclosure has been released (H/T RiShawn Biddle). This year’s LM-2 is filled with goodies that are sure to warm the cockles of leftist teacher union members, but apolitical educators, centrists and certainly those...

TAGS: agency fee payer, Al Sharpton, American Federation of Teachers, Association of American Educators, California Teachers Association, California Teachers Empowerment Network, Center for Popular Democracy, Friedrichs, Larry Sand, Mary Kay Henry, Mike Antonucci, National Action Network, Randi Weingarten, seiu, teachers union

Unions Foiled in Plot to Evade Open Government Law

By Kevin Dayton
10/05/2016
It’s rare to see a California local government rescind a vote. But on October 4, 2016, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to rescind a controversial and probably illegal vote taken three weeks earlier to satisfy the political demands of construction unions. Rescind Project Labor Agreement Vote – San Joaquin County Board of...

TAGS: Project Labor Agreement, seiu

Freedom Foundation Serves Notice in California with Union Opt-Out Ads

By Will Swaim
09/19/2016
The Freedom Foundation – which last year expanded into Oregon after spending a quarter century fighting for free markets and limited, accountable government in neighboring Washington – will take its first formal plunge into California this week by unveiling a series of TV ads targeting unionized caregivers. Much like ads that have run successfully in...

TAGS: Freedom Foundation, Harris v. Quinn, seiu

CTA’s New Gambit to Cheat Taxpayers Annually

By Larry Sand
08/30/2016
A bill, near passage, would require you and me to pay for union indoctrination sessions in California.  California is a fabulous place. Fantastic weather, fertile fields, glorious mountains and a thousand mile coastline have long beckoned many to the Golden State. And then there is the state legislature. This law-making body is very far from...

TAGS: California Nurses Association, California School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, Friedrichs, Heritage Foundation, Larry Sand, League of California Cities, Michael Lovenheim, seiu, teachers union

The Myth of the Underpaid Teacher Lives On

By Larry Sand
08/23/2016
 Yet another “study” showing how poorly teachers are paid has surfaced. Well, it’s a new school year and there is much tumult in the world of public education. Common Core battles, testing opt-outs, and litigation about school choice and teacher work rules dot the landscape. But with all the uncertainty, it’s comforting to know that...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, AFT, American Enterprise Institute, Andrew Biggs, Economic Policy Institute, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mary Kay Henry, National Education Association, NEA, Richard Trumka, seiu, teacher pay, teachers union, Valerie Strauss