The Oregon teacher’s union, using their forced unionism privileges, spent a remarkable amount of money fighting educational reform. ”. . .the nation’s two large teachers’ unions and their state affiliates contributed $357 per teacher to elections,” making it the biggest spending teacher’s union in the nation. The union bosses pumped over $10 million into efforts battling three initiatives including one that would tie pay raises to classroom performance.
On July 14, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
BigGovernment.com reports that Big Labor White House insider Patrick Gaspard (SEIU-ACORN) has failed to accurately report his financials on at least two occasions. Administration officials continue to mock President Obama’s proclaimed high ethical standards:
Has Congressman Darrell Issa’s request that White House Political Director Patrick Gaspard explain his failure to report a $37,000 payment from his previous employer SEIU Local 1199 evolved into a cover-up? It’s beginning to smell like it!
Rep. Issa’s request refers to the same Patrick Gaspard who while working for a Soros-SEIU political committee employed convicted felons to go door-to-door. In fact, that same Soros-SEIU committee received one of the steepest fines in Federal Election Commission history ($750,000) because its leadership, in Machiavellian fashion, chose to ignore federal laws and take the risk of paying fines if caught. So, ignoring a few pesky public disclosure laws is not as unlikely as it may sound.
Questions:
- How did Gaspard work six days in January for SEIU 1199 h while simultaneously working for the “office of the President-Elect” during “January 1-16” of 2009?
- How did Gaspard earn, in those six days of work for SEIU 1199, “$17,238.56 [of] carried over leave & vacation,” in particular, after apparently having already been paid 2.5 to 4 months vacation pay in 2008?
- How did Gaspard earn a 9 week severance payout from an employer (SEIU 1199)? According to available SEIU 1199 financial reports (2000-2009), Gaspard was not paid by SEIU 1199 in years 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. For the year 2001, SEIU 1199 paid Gaspard only $3,723. It appears that in at least 5 of the 9 years Gaspard was not on the payroll or worked only a week or two.
An investigation by the House Oversight Committee is warranted. Unfortunately with (more…)
On July 12, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
ROTC Instructor Wins Small Victory Over Teacher Union Bosses
(Source: July 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)
According to the most recent available federal data, there are roughly 73,000 public elementary and secondary schoolteachers in Massachusetts.
Reportedly, more than 99% of these educators must allow the agents of a single teacher union to negotiate with their employer over matters of pay, benefits and working conditions if they wish to continue working at a public school.
And the vast majority of Bay State teachers under union monopoly bargaining are also compelled to fork over dues or fees to their “exclusive” union bargaining agent, or be fired.
However, as they recently demonstrated, top bosses of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA/NEA) union and its affiliates aren’t content with extracting forced union dues and fees from the vast majority of teachers in the state.
The fact that even one teacher is working in a public school without paying tribute is enough to set them off.
For 14 years, retired U.S. Marine Maj. Stephen Godin has vexed the bosses of the MTA-affiliated Education Association of Worcester (EAW) union by serving as a junior ROTC instructor at North High School without paying them for the privilege. (more…)
On July 9, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
Empire State pupils enrolled in K-12 public schools fell by more than 121,000 over the last 10 years, schools added 14,746 teachers and 8,655 non-teaching professionals to their payrolls
NRTW President Mark Mix commentary in the Washington Examiner:
July 8, 2010 Near midnight last Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow forced unionism apologists in the U.S. House of Representatives disgracefully amended a “must-pass” war funding bill to include language that is designed to force police officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) into “exclusive” union bargaining in every state in the country.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that policies expanding public sector monopoly unionism have played a major role in driving many states to the verge of insolvency. (more…)
On June 29, 2010, By NRTWC Staff
The greed and avarice of the labor union bosses has gotten so bad that their allies in government are starting to say “no” the the never ending list of demands that are bankrupting the country. The New York Times (of all places) reports:
Stephen M. Sweeney, the president of the State Senate here, glowered with disgust as he described how one New Jersey town paid out nearly $1 million to four retiring police officers for their unused sick days and vacation time.
Mr. Sweeney, a Democrat, also scowled about the estimated $46 billion New Jersey owes in pension contributions and its $58 billion in liabilities to finance retiree health coverage for government employees.
For years, Republican lawmakers have railed against public employees’ pay and benefits, but now another breed of elected official is demanding labor concessions, too: current and former labor leaders and allies themselves.
After 12 years erecting steel beams for office buildings, Mr. Sweeney became a top official in New Jersey’s ironworkers union, now holding that post along with his legislative one. He says the state can no longer afford the benefits won over the years by public sector unions.
“At some point, you reach the limit of your ability to pay,” he said. (more…)
On June 7, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
(Source: June 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)
Union Bigwigs Make Sure Public School Layoffs Are ‘Quality-Blind’
In recent years, forced dues-funded teacher union lobbyists and union negotiators played a major role in convincing public officials to increase the number of instructional employees at K-12 public schools at a blistering clip.
Nationwide, the number of K-12 public school instructional employees (full-time equivalent) grew roughly 3.5 times as much as the number of school-aged children (15.9% vs. 4.5%) from 1998 to 2007.
This spring, Gaylene Hayden was one of just six Indiana K-12 public school teachers to be recognized for their "outstanding service." Teacher union boss-perpetuated seniority rules have since cost her her job. (Fox 59 News, Bloomington, Ind.)
Since an estimated 65% of U.S. public schoolteachers are under union monopoly bargaining, and more than 40% are forced to pay union dues or fees as a job condition, K-12 employment growth that far outpaces the growth of America’s five to 17-year-old population represents a huge windfall for Big Labor.
However, in the wake of the severe 2008-2009 recession, many strapped states now have no choice but to pare back a small portion of the K-12 instructional staff increases of the previous decade.
Hoosier Teachers Recognized For ‘Outstanding Service,’ Then Laid Off
When school officials have the power to restrict layoffs to employees they have identified as the least effective, then occasional recession-related reductions in force of 5–10% are not necessarily detrimental to student achievement, according to education experts like Stanford University’s Eric Hanushek. (more…)
On June 4, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
Hot News from Texas:
The Attorney General stands up to protect teachers issuing an opinion stating school districts may not fund political action committees of teacher unions via payroll deductions.
The conclusion that the Legislature did not impliedly grant districts authority to process payroll deductions for contributions to political committees is consistent with the Legislature’s general aversion to the use of public funds for political purposes. See, e.g., TEx. EDUC. CODE ANN. § 11.169 (Vernon Supp. 2009) (“Notwithstanding any other law, the board of trustees of an independent school district may not use state or local funds or other resources of the district to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.”); TEx. GOV’T CODE ANN. §556.004(a) (Vernon 2004) (noting that “[a] state agency may not use any money under its control, including appropriated money, to finance or otherwise support the candidacy of a person for an office in the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of state government or of the government of the United States”).
Click here to view entire Attorney General of Texas opinion.
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