The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is spending almost $1 million in attack ads in Missouri alone — targeting Republican Senate candidate Roy Blunt. Blunt — who has not taken the Right to Work pledge opposing Card Check forced unionism and other compulsory unionism issues — is under siege from the union bosses. Maybe it’s time he tell rank and file union members and other Missourians that he supports freedom in the workplace. That is a message that works with nearly 8 out of 10 of all Americans!
On August 3, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
(Source: June 2010 Forced-Unionism Abuses Exposed)
It doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes or an Hercule Poirot to deduce that state policies promoting “exclusive” union bargaining and forced union dues and fees in the public sector have played a major role in driving multiple states to the verge of insolvency this year. All it takes is the willingness to look at, and respect, the facts.
In 2009, according to respected labor economists Barry Hirsch and David Macpherson, 41% of public employees nationwide were subject to a contract negotiated by their employer with a union monopoly-bargaining agent.
However, in 22 states, none of which authorize forced union dues for government employees and most of which don’t authorize public-sector union monopoly bargaining, either, fewer than 30% of public servants were unionized. Not one of these 22 low public-sector-unionization states was to be found on Business Insider’s list, published just last month, of the nine states “most likely to default.” (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 May 24, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
Big Labor has unveiled their own bailout plan — a $100 million forced union dues political spending plan to save the Democrat majority in Congress. From The Hill:
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) plans to spend in excess of $50 million during the 2010 campaign, part of which will fund “a massive incumbent protection program,” according to Gerry McEntee, president of the union….The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to spend $44 million in total on its 2010 election program. The union spent $85 million on its 2008 campaign, according to union officials.
On May 13, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
Government Union Monopolists Have Brought State to Brink of Ruin
(Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter)
From 1999 to 2009, according to the U.S. Labor Department, New Jersey’s private-sector employment fell by 2.4%, a percentage decline seven times worse than the national average.
Over the same period, New Jersey’s state and local public employment jumped by a whopping 15.2%, substantially more than the hefty-enough nationwide increase of 12.5%.
For most hard-working Garden State workers and employers, these statistics sum up why New Jersey is in even worse shape, economically, than the nation as a whole.
For years, the state’s heavily unionized public sector has been sucking resources and vitality out of beleaguered private-sector employees and businesses.
But for government union officials, the relentless expansion of the Garden State’s public-sector employment from 1999 to 2009, even as the state’s private-sector employment alternately stagnated or shriveled, is a magnificent achievement that must be preserved and built upon, whatever the cost.
During his successful campaign for the state’s highest executive office and since he was inaugurated in January, GOP Gov. Chris Christie has sided with the vast majority of New Jerseyans who appreciate that state and local government must now be rolled back to give the private sector room to grow. (more…)
On May 5, 2010, By NRTW Committee Staff
The boss of the largest union representing federal workers questioned the wisdom of President Obama’s policy to direct federal construction contracts to companies associated with big labor. John Gage, the head of the American Federation of Government Employees is concerned that the policy will “increase subjectively and politics in federal procurement.” No doubt.
On February 17, 2010, By Post
The venerable Phyllis Schlafly looks at the alarming, and costly, growth of government employee unions.
On February 10, 2010, By Post
According to Fox News’ Joseph Abrams, the Service Employees International Union, Change to Win, the Communications Workers of America, the National Education Association, the Teamsters Union, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union and others are involved in this scheme.
A new Web site targeting the tea parties is a part of a complex network of money flowing from the mountainous coffers of the country’s biggest labor unions and trickling slowly into political slush funds for Democratic activists.
A seemingly grassroots organization that’s mounted an online campaign to counter the tea party movement is actually the front end of an elaborate scheme that funnels funds — including sizable labor union contributions — through the offices of a prominent Democratic party lawyer.
A Web site popped up in January dedicated to preventing the tea party’s “radical” and “dangerous” ideas from “gaining legislative traction,” targeting GOP candidates in Illinois for the firing squad.
“This movement is a fad,” proclaims TheTeaPartyIsOver.org, which was established by the American Public Policy Center (APPC), a D.C.-based campaign shop that few people have ever heard of.
But a close look reveals the APPC’s place in a complex network of money flowing from the mountainous coffers of the country’s biggest labor unions into political slush funds for Democratic activists.
The most recent backers of the Patriot Majority and Patriot Majority West, which helped fund the APPC and thus the Tea Party site, form a veritable Who’s Who of the country’s top labor unions: the Service Employees International Union, Change to Win, the Communications Workers of America, the National Education Association, the Teamsters Union, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union and others besides.
But by far the largest donations have come from a collection of unionized government workers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) — which in 2008 alone donated $5.8 million to Patriot Majority and another $4.1 million to Patriot Majority Midwest.
Using this arrangement, Varoga and Rakis are managing what NPR called a “never-ending pot of union money” that they dispense among the 527s they run, which in turn pay for ads in hotly contested election districts.
That means that taxpayer dollars, sent up as union dues, have been going to fund a host of Democratic causes and help quash the tea party movement.
What’s more, Varoga and Rakis are not actually present in Suite 1102. That is the office of their lawyer, Joseph Sandler, a longtime general counsel to the Democratic National Committee.
Sandler, whose firm and trust account raked in over $500,000 in Democratic party money in 2009 alone, told Fox News that there was nothing irregular in their setup.
It is not clear whether TheTeaPartyIsOver.org is the start of a larger campaign run by Varoga and Rakis to target tea party activists. Additional attempts to reach Varoga at a California number were unsuccessful. A staffer answering the phone in Varoga’s Oakland office last week told FoxNews.com that he was unavailable for comment and hung up.
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