Read before signing: Fearing Janus case, unions try to trap workers into dues payments

By Steven Greenhut
02/13/2018
Sacramento — With the end of mandatory unionization on the horizon thanks to an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision, the nation’s public-sector unions are trying a variety of tactics – some laudable, others sleazy – to maintain their large ranks of dues-paying members and massive war chests. On the laudable side, some unions have talked...

TAGS: Janus, Unions

Don’t believe the hype: Janus ruling will help public employee union members – and unions

By Steven Greenhut
01/30/2018
Sacramento The rhetoric from union organizers has been expectedly overheated regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s coming review of the Janus v. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) case that challenges mandatory dues payments to public-sector unions. Court watchers from the left and right expect the conservative-leaning majority to toss out the practice...

TAGS: Janus, Supreme Court, Unions

Janus case: Friends of the court offer weak defense of mandatory union dues

By Steven Greenhut
01/25/2018
Sacramento The nation’s public-sector unions have all but thrown in the towel on the notion of mandatory dues, yet various legal theorists and organizations have submitted briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court defending the right of unions to arm-twist dues from those who don’t agree with the union’s agenda. After reading their arguments, it’s clear...

TAGS: Janus, Supreme Court, Unions

Bill would make meal-delivery services ripe for union organizing

By Steven Greenhut
09/12/2017
Sacramento — One of California’s burgeoning “new economy” business models is the meal-subscription plan, by which companies such as Blue Apron send recipes and prepackaged gourmet ingredients to subscriber’s homes – everything they need to prepare a fresh meal. It’s great for folks who like to cook, but have little patience for grocery shopping. Blue...

TAGS: California Legislature, Jerry Brown, Unions

In policing and teaching, union rules protect workers at expense of public

By Steven Greenhut
08/01/2017
Sacramento America’s public school systems are notorious for their rubber rooms. That’s where teachers deemed unfit to work in a classroom pass the time as their disciplinary actions or terminations move through the convoluted system. This can take years, and while it does, the teachers collect their full paychecks as they twiddle their thumbs. It’s...

TAGS: teachers, Unions

Government cuts services, staff to afford pension costs

By David Schwartzman
06/27/2017
Across California, many local governments have raised taxes while cutting services. Local officials desperate for union support have made irresponsible deals with public employee unions, creating staggering employee costs. Taxpayer money meant to provide essential services to the least well-off instead goes directly to higher salaries and benefits. In Santa Barbara County, the 2017-2018 budget...

TAGS: pensions, Unions

Governor, legislators spend more and ignore obstacles to reform

By Steven Greenhut
06/20/2017
Sacramento Legislators announced a budget deal last week that spends a record $125 billion in the general fund. But most interesting isn’t what’s in the deal, but what isn’t. There’s plenty of new spending, of course, but not so much that it outpaces the rate of inflation. There are controversial “trailer” bills that attempt to...

TAGS: Unions

Brown’s union ploy shows unions still fear end to mandatory dues

By Steven Greenhut
06/16/2017
Sacramento On first blush, the latest effort by Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislators to give public-employee unions access to public agencies to hold “orientation” seminars with new hires is an unfair special privilege not normally provided to private groups. It’s even more disturbing that the legislation authorizing such access is being rammed through the...

TAGS: Friedrichs, Janus, Supreme Court, Unions

California is world-leader in traffic; Caltrans engineers get raises

By Edmund Pine
03/01/2017
Gov. Jerry Brown has often expressed his vision of California as America’s – maybe the world’s – leader in technology, climate change, anti-smoking campaigns, environmental protection, health care for the poor. But California is inarguably the leader in one category: Two California cities are among the world’s worst for traffic congestion. Los Angeles ranked No....

TAGS: California, California taxes, CalTrans, high speed rail, traffic, Unions