Union boss power

Job Losses Increase Pressure For Reform

On September 1, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

(Source: August 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)

Grass-Roots Right to Work Efforts Expanding in Midwestern States

Pro-forced unionism politicians like Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich., shown here with former Vice President Gore and President Obama) have lost credibility due to the extraordinarily poor economic performance of forced-unionism states. Credit: Radiospike.com

All across America, Right to Work states have long benefited from economic growth far superior to that of states in which millions of employees are forced to join or pay dues or fees to a labor union just to keep their jobs.

But over the past decade, the contrast between Right to Work states and forced-union-dues states has been especially stark in the Midwest.

Four Midwestern forced-unionism states — Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana — suffered absolute private-sector job declines over the past decade that were worse than those of any of the other 46 states. Midwestern forced-unionism states (the four just mentioned, plus Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota) lost a net total of 1.88 million private-sector jobs.

Combined, these seven forced-unionism states had 8.1% fewer private-sector jobs in 2009 than they did back in 1999.

Meanwhile, the five Midwestern Right to Work states (North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas) experienced an overall private-sector job increase of 2.3%.

Moreover, from 1999 to 2009, real personal income in Midwestern Right to Work states grew by 17.3% — an increase two-and-a-half times as a great as the combined real personal income growth in Midwestern forced-unionism states.

State Right to Work laws prohibit the firing of employees simply for exercising their right to refuse to join or bankroll an unwanted union.

At this time, 22 states have Right to Work laws on the books. However, because of intensifying grass-roots efforts in many of the remaining 28 forced-unionism states, the number of Right to Work states could be on the rise over the course of the next few years.

Recession’s End Won’t Suffice to Revive Big Labor-Controlled States (more…)

Committee Members Actions Trip Up Government Union Sneak Play

On August 20, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

(Source: August 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)

Public-Safety Forced Unionism Still High on Capitol Hill Agenda

The American people do not support Big Labor’s legislative scheme to establish a new federal mandate imposing union “exclusive representation” (monopoly bargaining) over state and local police, firefighters, and other public-safety employees nationwide.

And powerful union-label politicians like U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) know this public-safety scheme (H.R.413/S.3194) is unpopular. That’s why they have repeatedly tried to sneak it through Congress.

Most recently, in June, Ms. Pelosi and her top lieutenants cut a deal with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and other union bigwigs to attach H.R.413, the House version of the Police/Fire Monopoly-Bargaining Bill, to a massive spending bill that provides funding for U.S. troops.

International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) union boss Harold Schaitberger openly admitted to helping concoct the scheme to tack H.R.413 on to H.R.4899, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act, in a June 30 message to officers of his union subsidiaries. Early last month, the National Right to Work Committee obtained a copy of Mr. Schaitberger’s communication.

Firefighters Union Chief ‘Argued Strongly’ For War Supplemental Strategy

Mr. Schaitberger reported that he had “argued strongly” for attaching H.R.413 “to the War Supplemental funding proposal for our troops in Afghanistan.”

The backroom deal between House leaders and the union hierarchy allowed the public-safety forced-unionism measure to come to the floor so quickly that Right to Work members and their allies had virtually no time to mobilize for the vote. (more…)

Tagged with: H.R. 413 • H.R.4899 • Harold Schaitberger • Harry Reid • IAFF • Nancy Pelosi • Richard Trumka • S.3194
Posted in: Economics, Exclusive Representation, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, NRTWC Newsletter, Police/Fire Monopoly Bargaining, Police/Firefighters/EMTs, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Public Employees, Union boss power

Reality Check — Deficit Spending is “fiction”

On August 11, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

Maybe it is because he has the federally granted privilege of extracting money from workers as a condition of their employment that makes him oblivious to real world concerns but it’s time that AFL-CIO Boss Richard Trumka gets a reality check about America’s $14 TRILLION debt and the projected trillion dollar plus annual deficits. In his eyes, the crisis is “fiction.” His words not ours:

Tagged with: AFL-CIO • Deficit • Richard Trumka
Posted in: AFL-CIO, Do Union Bosses Speak, Economic Impact of Unionization, Economics, Forced-Dues for Politics, Legislation, Monopoly Bargaining, Union boss power

Stiffing the Taxpayers

On August 9, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

With state’s struggling to make ends meet and the federal government proposing a taxpayer bailout for teachers, the teacher’s union in Milwaukee is doing its best to stiff the taxpayers by demanding insurance coverage for Viagra.

From AP:

With the district in a financial crisis and hundreds of its members facing layoffs, the Milwaukee teachers union is taking a peculiar stand: fighting to get its taxpayer-funded Viagra back.

The union has asked a judge to order the school board to again include Pfizer Inc.’s erectile dysfunction drug and similar pills in its health insurance plans…..State Rep. Jason Fields argues that the money could be better spent any number of ways — including saving jobs. ”You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Fields, a Milwaukee Democrat. “The fact that is the point of contention is kind of frightening. What are our priorities? I’m all for love and peace. But almost 1 million dollars? And you go to court over this issue?”

Posted in: AFT and affiliates, Economics, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, NEA and Affiliates, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Public Employees, Union boss power, Wisconsin

Elena Kagan Supports Forced Union Dues for Politics

On July 29, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

Right to Work President Mark Mix sat down with nationally-syndicated radio host Lars Larson to discuss Obama Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan’s support for forcing workers to contribute to union political activism.

NRTW Podcast

Tagged with: dues for politics • Elena Kagan • Lars Larson • Mark Mix
Posted in: Economics, Forced Dues, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, Legislation, Monopoly Bargaining, National Right to Work Committee, Obama Administration, Union boss power

Sleeping on the Job: A Story of Big Labor’s Monopoly Power

On July 15, 2010, By NRTWC Staff

This is almost too much to believe but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true:

Last week the NY Post ran a story about two late-shift, unionized public employees sleeping on the job. According to the Post, “(S)leeping workers are a familiar nighttime sight along the streets of NoHo and SoHo around the Angelika theater, which is next to the transit crew entrance.” And what do these arrogant deadbeats get paid for shirking their responsibilities? $33-an-hour.

I’d like to tell you that this story is a new development — but it’s not. Two years ago a supervisor and a mechanic were caught sleeping in a locked office at the same facility by the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Inspector General’s Office, which conducted a surprise raid. The same supervisor was discovered to have been moonlighting as an electrician for 20 years — and ordering a subordinate to falsify his hours. A clear-cut firing offense? The MTA reportedly tried, but union work rules required an arbitration process.

The man received a 30-day suspension as his “punishment.”

Outrageous? Here’s the most damnable part of the story: when the NY Post looked in workers’ cars parked near the facility, “several” of them “had pillows and blankets on the back seats.”

Posted in: Big Labor Ethics, New York, Union Work Rules, Union boss power

Teacher’s Union Bailout Stuffed Into Troop Spending Bill

On July 15, 2010, By NRTWC Staff

After unsuccessfully trying to spend $23 billion for a teacher’s union bailout, Nancy Pelosi and her big labor allies in Congress have attached a smaller bailout – $10 billion – to a war spending bill to pay for our troops in Afghanistan Putting pork barrel bailout money in a war spending bill is an insult to our troops.

Tagged with: Teacher Unions
Posted in: Big Labor Ethics, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Union boss power

‘Big Labor Picked the Wrong Guy to Bully’

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…)

Tagged with: Cheryl DelSignore • Massachusetts Teachers Association • Matthew Leen • Richard Tisei • Stephen Godin
Posted in: Big Labor Ethics, Forced Dues, Intimidation Tactics, NRTWC Newsletter, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Public Employees, Union boss power

When Big Labor plays with fire, taxpayers get burned

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…)

Tagged with: AFSCME • AFT • Barry Hirsch • David Macpherson • Gerry McEntee • Huffington Post • Mark Mix • NEA • Public Employees • Washington Examiner
Posted in: AFSCME, Economics, Forced Dues, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, Intimidation Tactics, Legislation, National Right to Work Committee, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Public Employees, Union boss power

Waiting for Superman — Should You Hold Your Breath?

On June 15, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff

The most powerful force for failure and the status quo in education today are the teacher union officials who use their monopoly bargaining power to thwart even the simplest reform in the government school system. Things are so bad that the liberal producer of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth has produced a movie about America’s education system and Big Labor’s efforts to stymie reform. It’s called Waiting for Superman. This awaited movie comes on top of another pro-reform documentary “The Lottery.”

Tagged with: AFT • AlGore • Education • movie • NEA • Public Employees • public-sector union • reform • The Lottery • video • Waiting for Superman
Posted in: Big Labor Ethics, Economic Impact of Unionization, Economics, Forced-Dues for Politics, Government Grants to Unions, NEA and Affiliates, Public Employee Monopoly Bargaining, Public Employees, Union boss power

Reality Check — Deficit Spending is “fiction”

Stiffing the Taxpayers

Elena Kagan Supports Forced Union Dues for Politics

Sleeping on the Job: A Story of Big Labor’s Monopoly Power

Teacher’s Union Bailout Stuffed Into Troop Spending Bill

When Big Labor plays with fire, taxpayers get burned

Waiting for Superman — Should You Hold Your Breath?

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(Source: August 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)

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