Non-Government Workers Forced to Join Government Employee Unions?

This is beyond scary.

Could you ever imagine if you were a small business who conducted business with a state government, or received some form of government assistance to conduct your business, that you would forced to pay union dues?

According to the story linked above, that is exactly what some government worker's unions are trying to do, and have done already in a few states.

Could Schools Ban Cell Phones?

If you haven’t seen the video below, you have most likely been living in a cave. But I am sure, dear reader, that you are aware. But I am not posting this as news, but as a reminder.

Plus, how long do you think it will be before schools ban cell phones in the classroom? The incident above could very well been considered a watershed event, exposing leftist and socialist teachers for what they really are. Now, before I get a bunch of comments from teachers, please note that I do know there are many teachers out there that able to maintain their neutrality and get the bias from the classroom, or have conservative values.

I know that the kind of recording that took place in North Carolina last month could embolden others to do the same thing. And while I think we may be coming close to crossing a line, keeping teachers in line who believe the classroom is for leftist manipulation is a good idea. The possibility of being recorded by a student might go a long way towards these kinds of teachers from spending too much time praising the “Dear Leader”.

But, you and I know that the teachers unions have immense power and will do everything possible to keep these records from happening. How long will it be before a school district bans the phone from the classroom? Has it already happened? How long before it more than just an isolated district here and there?

Labor Goes After Seattle PD

Over the past two years or so, the Seattle Police Department has been mired in controversy over several incidents of excessive use of force. The most noteworthy example was when a SPD member shot and killed a woodcarver in downtown when the woodcarver made a threatening move towards the police officer who shot him. There have been other incidents recent which finally caught the attention of the US Justice Department.  After a top-down review, the report was particularly harsh on the SPD, especially the senior-level leadership.

Now a influential labor group, the King County Labor Council, has called for Mayor Mike McGinn to replace or shuffle the SPD leadership.

The King County Labor Council urged McGinn to make sweeping changes to the command structure with SPD, calling the leadership within the department “deficient” and saying there’s a lack of oversight from the top down. (Source: Seattle PI)

The council might not be reaching far enough in my opinion. They are calling for changes within the department, which I think might be a good idea, but I think they need to look at McGinn. While it is true that McGinn is not the Chief of Police for the SPD, John Diaz, who is the chief, works for McGinn. Diaz does admit the DOJ report has merit and changes will be made.

Executive secretary David Frieboth writes that “this situation is particularly troubling, as it tars good cops with the sins of the few.”

He also writes that there appears to be a “pattern of excessive force that clearly indicates deficient leadership,” and “this absence of accountability reveals a major defect in leadership at the Seattle Police Department.” (Source: Seattle PI)

I do have to wonder why a labor group would stick their nose into an issue that really is kind of out of their area of expertise. While everyone does have an opinion about the SPD situation, a labor group is probably reaching outside their neighborhood by getting involved with this matter.

US Wealth Drops

More bad news for the economy and our recovery. Household wealth has taken a very sharp drop.

Americans’ wealth last summer suffered its biggest quarterly loss in more than two years as stocks, pensions funds and home values lost value.

At the same time, corporations raised their cash stockpiles to record levels.

Household net worth fell 4 percent to $57.4 trillion in the July-September quarter, according to a Federal Reserve report released Thursday. It was the sharpest drop since the tumultuous period after the September 2008 bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers. And it was the second straight quarterly fall. (Source: Seattle Times)

We have entered the fourth (and hopefully, final) year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Over the course of that time, wealth in this nation has plummeted, jobless rate remains staggeringly high, and people, at home and abroad, have lost confidence in America. Please tell me again what makes this guy so wonderful.

One thing I would like you to notice is the second paragraph of the excerpt above. “…corporations raised their cash stockpiles to records levels.” Why is this? It shows me that there is money to be made out there, and that there is money to expand the economy. Yet why are corporations holding onto, and growing, funds? I really do think it can be all traced back to one man. Barack Obama. Business leaders from both sides of the political spectrum do not have confidence that he can lead us to a robust recovery. They are concerned how much Obama Care is going to cost them, they are concerned about new taxes to help feed the runaway deficit, and they are concerned about Obama’s ties to organized labor and his administrations attempts to appease labor.

If I had a fist full of money and was unsure how regulations were going to impact my invest of that money, I’d hang on to it like a baby does a rattle.

A Mini-Obama in Conn.

Another democrat politician paying back his union supporters. In Conn, the Governor has decreed through executive order that all daycare and homecare providers must join a union whether they want to or not.

The order, his ninth and tenth since taking office in January, will force the state’s 4,000 daycare providers to add over $1 million in dues to union coffers, and remove the right to secret ballot elections for these workers by instituting a card check process.

The governor said:

“I have said repeatedly that I believe in the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain, and personal care attendants and family child care providers are often-times the hardest-working, and lowest-paid workers in our job force.’ said Governor Malloy. “These executive orders will enable them to being informal conversations with DSS and the Workforce Council immediately on quality-of-life issues, with an eye towards establishing formal collective bargaining rights in the future. It is important that those who care for our youngest and oldest citizens receive equitable pay and workforce security.” (Source: Big Government)

I find it interesting that democrats always seem to find rights where rights don’t actually exist. The right to health care, the right to a job, and now the right to collectively bargain. Would somebody please show me where in the Constitution or The Bill of Rights any of these “rights” actually exist.

Sounds like there is a mini-Obama in New England.

Unions Bilk Chicago

While this story here doesn’t exactly rate a corruption notice, the fact that former city employees who took on union leadership jobs and are now getting their pensions paid by the city at a rate tied to their union leadership jobs, is worthy of a holy crap.

Several years ago in the city of Chicago, a pension law was passed that enabled people who were employed by the city and then took on a union leadership jobs to get their pensions paid based on the salary they received while working for the unions. Keep in mind that the union jobs paid nearly three times what the city job held.

At some point in time, a group of these union leadership pukes had to be sitting around thinking about how they could bilk the city and state out even more money.

“Hey Joe, You know that little cottage up on Lake Geneva you’ve had your eye on for the past several years?”

“Yeah, I kind of forgot about it, there is no way I could afford it, especially after I retire.”

“What if I could come up with a way to make that cottage possible?”

“You got something cooking?”

“Yep! Right now we are union delegates, right? And we are making money hand over fist, right? And our union has every democrat in our pocket and almost every Republican too, right? So I was thinking that maybe we should get these guys to tie our pension plans to what we make as union delegates.”

“But as union delegates, we don’t work for the city.”

“Yeah, but once our time is done as delegates or if we decide to quit, we get our old jobs back, right? So, in a way, we are still employed by the city.”

“So, you think you could convince our politicians to tie our retirement benefits to our union salary? We are making three times our city salary. How are you going to convince them to do that?”

“It won’t be hard. We can send a few to Vegas on a ‘fact-finding trip’ to the Kit-Kat Club. And don’t we have something that needs looking into in Hawaii?”

“So, what color do you think I should paint the cottage?”

When it is all said and done, the city may be on the hook for more than $56 million to 23 retired city/union employees.

Liberato "Al" Naimoli, president of the Cement Workers Union Local 76. He retired last year from a $15,000-a-year city job that he last held a quarter-century ago. Today, Naimoli receives more than $13,000 a month from the city laborers' pension fund even as he continues to earn nearly $300,000 annually as president of Local 76. His city laborers' pension will pay him about $4 million during his lifetime, according to a Tribune/WGN-TV analysis based on the funds' actuarial assumptions.

James McNally, vice president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. He receives nearly $115,000 a year even though at the time he retired, in 2008, he had not worked for the city in more than 13 years. He was only 51 when he started collecting a city pension. By the time he turns 78, he will have received roughly $4 million from the city laborers' fund. (Source: The Chicago Tribune)

These are just a couple of examples. Can you imagine that? $56 million could be paid to 23 people. This is outrageous. And the worst part? At this time, nothing can be done since the Illinois state constitution does not allow laws to be changed that would diminish a pension.

The NLRB is at it Again

Want more proof that the Obama Administration is in the union’s back pockets (Click here)? The National Labor Relations Board is putting together a policy that would publish the names and addresses of non-union members who are contracted to fill positions vacated by striking union workers.

At the link, the post gives you an opportunity to go to the NLRB’s comment site and leave a comment of support or non-support of this new policy. I did leave a comment. But the scary thing is they want your address. I will not be surprised if I receive some form of harassment because of my actions.

Right-to_Work Might Pass in Michigan

This little piece of news is going to get the unions in a lather. It is looking like the Michigan state Legislature is going to pass a law that would eliminate the requirement for teachers to join a union.

Chances look good for passage and enactment of legislation to provide right-to-work status for Michigan public school teachers. Under the measure, called the “Freedom to Teach Act.” Teachers would no longer be required to join or support a union as a condition of employment. (Source: Michigan Capitol Confidential)

And it would not surprise me if the National Labor Relations Board doesn’t try to get in on the act. Their non-support of right-to-work has been well documented by this blog.

An interesting point made in the article is that upwards of 40 percent of unionized teachers might opt-out if given the choice. I know there are many teachers who do not support causes supported by the unions, specifically union’s support to progressive and liberal candidates. When a person is forced to join a union, they have little to no say in how their union dues are spent, especially regarding the candidates supported by a union, which is almost always a democrat.

Sure would be nice to see right-to-work gain some momentum in other states.

Recall Elections in Wisconsin

These recall elections bear watching. There are six Republican seats in the Wisconsin Legislature that are up for a recall election. The recalls were initiated after Governor Walker implemented new rules for state employee unions. The reasoning behind Gov Walker’s actions were to curb spending and gain a little control of the state budget. The state employee unions responded with massive protests over a two week period last winter. Once the budget was approved, several democrat activist organizations initiated recall proceedings.

It is estimated that $25 million has been poured into these recall elections from out of state advocacy groups. The largest share, possibly as much as $20 million, has been for democrat candidates.

Hopefully, the people of Wisconsin will not let the austerity measures that were necessary influence their decisions. Wisconsin and many other state governments are in a very tight spot as spending has been out of control for many years at all levels of government. If the good folks of Wisconsin reject Walker’s initiatives to curb spending, I don’t know what direction the state is going to move.

The saddest part of all this was that the progressives and democrats were able to grab the narrative in large part due to the sympathetic coverage from the media. Outside those immediately impacted (i.e. public unions), reigning in the public sector union’s power really should be a no-brainer. If people were really able to sit back a study the situation, I think there is no way they would support the public unions. On average, most public sector employees have significantly better pay and benefit programs than those who work in the private sector.

Public sector employees should have never been allowed to organize in the first place. When your employer is the public, there is no way a group of people should be able to hold the taxpayer hostage in their desire for more power and money.

Gotta Love Those Unions

How often have you heard from the leadership of unions that they are all about the workers and through the unions America will get back to work?

Not so much!

Seem that a union member, who could not find a job through the union, went behind the backs of the union and got a non-union job.

The union fined him $300,000, which was later reduced to $200.000. Very magnanimous of them to reduce the fine. I don’t know if the fine is enforceable or legally binding. I would imagine with all those hard earned dollars going into the coffers (via union dues) of the unions to pay for some pretty fancy lawyer-types, there is legal language that will force this guy to pay the fine.

Just so I understand this, a guy couldn’t get a job through his union, went on his own and found a job so he could pay his rent/mortgage and purchase food and other items on the economy (the best stimulus there is) and now the union is going to take even more money from him. Must really be nice to be represented by a union.  As I have said many times before, the unions were once a very important need in this country. They long ago outlived their usefulness.

SEIU Thuggery Handbook Exposed

As many of you have read here, I from time to time, like to point out when union thugs at in violent manner. This is to show the peace loving, tolerant side of the left. Click on Union Thugs over under Categories over on the left side of the blog.

Although unions were once a good thing, providing a giant shove forward for the middle class, they long ago lost their way. No longer is a union a there to protect workers from so-called exploitation at the hands of “evil business owners”. They have become a leader in the socialist and communist movements in the USA.

One of the leading culprits is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). These are the folks that beat up Kenneth Gladney, who was selling Tea Party memorabilia outside a convention. The men accused of beating Gladney were recently acquitted of the crime despite strong video evidence their attack on him was unprovoked.

In an interesting exposure, it was recently discovered that SEIU has put together a handbook on how to intimidate owners and managers of businesses SEIU wishes to organize. This booklet details ways to make it difficult for businesses to operate by interfering with potential customers and other facets of support to the businesses. The following is excerpts from a column by F. Vincent Vernuccio of the Washington Times.

SEIS’s manual details how “outside pressure can involve jeopardizing relationships between the employers and lenders, investors, stockholders, customers, clients, patients, tenants, politicians, or other on whom the employer depends for funds.”  The union advises using legal and regulatory pressure to “threaten the employer with costly action by government agencies or the courts.”

It details the use of community groups to “damage an employer’s public image and ties with community leaders and organizations.” SEIU recommends going after company officials personally. Not mincing words, SEIU states, “It may be a violation of blackmail and extortion laws to threaten management officials with release of ‘dirt’ about them if the don’t settle a contract. But there is no against union members who are angry at their employer deciding to uncover and publicize factual information about individual managers.”

The “dirt” includes charges such as “racism, sexism, exploitation of immigrants or proposals that would take money out of the community for the benefits of distant stockholders.” SEIU recommends “[l]eafleting outside meetings where [targeted managers] are speaking, their homes, or events sponsored by community organizations they are tied to are some ways to make sure their friends, neighbors, and associates are aware of the controversy.” (Source: Washington Times)

Because unions favor Obama (not necessarily the union members themselves), and drive millions of union member dues his way, the Obama Administration will do nothing to curb this. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is passing rules that will make unionization of a business easier by shortening the time between first contact of employees by the union to the time a vote can happen. The NLRB is also loosing rules that will allow unions to further intimidate owners and managers. Union leadership such as Richard Trumka (AFL/CIO President) have bragged that he’s “at the White House a couple of times a week, two, three times a week,” and that he has “conversation every day with someone at the White House or in the administration.”

Until there is an administration that is not beholden to the union leadership, this kind of tactic will continue.

Is the NLRB Stonewalling Boeing Investigation?

I have been trying to follow the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) suit brought against Boeing for attempting to move part of the 787 Dreamliner manufacturing process to South Carolina. South Carolina is a right-to-work state, which gives workers the choice whether or not they want to join a union. The NLRB, as an extension of Obama’s pro-union platform, is very much against Boeing building the plane in South Carolina.

Previous Posts:

Boeing, NLRB Update

Turning the Table on the NLRB

PACNW Righty Speaks to the Court (In My Dreams)

NLRB Puts Boeing’s SC Factory in Jeopardy

The NLRB’s actions have garnered attention in the House, with Rep Dan Issa (R-CA) chairing an oversight committee charged with looking into the possibility that the NLRB has over stepped it’s charter and brought the suit not because of any wrongdoing on the part of Boeing, but because the unions ask them.

It looks like the NLRB is stonewalling the oversight committee (big surprise there). Rep Issa has requested documents pertaining to the case and so far it looks like the NLRB has not turned over the all the documents as requested.

Unemployment Rate Rises Again

Last month, our supposedly recovering economy added a paltry 18,000 jobs. This caused the unemployment rate to increase to 9.2%. At what point will this President give up his socialist agenda and give a dang about the rest of us plain folks? So far, his economic policy has been a disaster with the unemployment rate remaining above 9% for most of his 2.5 years in office.

With the continuing dismal job numbers, you would think the unions would begin to dessert President Obama. But this is just not the case. Despite massive teacher layoffs across the country, the National Education Association (NEA) recently laid their endorsement at his taxpayer paid for doorstep.  Union leadership continues to support this anti-growth President despite the fact that manufacturing job recovery is nearly non-existent.

I certainly don’t think the unions are a big key to our recovery, in fact, I think they are a hindrance. But the well-paying middle class jobs unions tend to represent are not coming back. Because of this, one would think that union members would reconsider their support of a president that just doesn’t seem to have a clue about how to get this economy running again. 72% of the rank and file NEA members voted to support Obama once again.

2012 can't come soon enough.

Obama: Unions Above Job Growth (UPDATE)

The Obama Administration continues to pay back their union benefactors. A new set of rules begin proposed by the Department of Labor and NLRB are decidedly anti-business and heavily pro-union.

The Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) each proposed regulations which many I the employer community believe will make it easier for unions to organize, while harming the ability of workers to make an informed decision to join a union.

The first came on Monday from the DOL’s Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS), which proposed a regulation mandating that anyone giving advice to an employer during a union election must submit a disclosure to the Department.

America's Fall?

I truly believe that America is headed for a fall.  When history looks back at the United States they will look at the amazing rise of the Original Thirteen Colonies into most likely was the greatest power ever. History will also look at the fall ad it will surprise many how quickly it all came apart

(UPDATE: Click here to see my reponse to a reader's comment Somebody doesn't like me).

As with all great powers, a point is reached when that power begins to ebb and then erode entirely. Most often, this occurs over several generations. From the point of peak power and influence to the point where the nation’s or empire’s authority no longer matters is a drawn out process. While the fall certainly takes less time than the buildup, the fall is still a process that takes some time to occur.

Not so with the US. We reached our peak of power during the end of the previous century. We were the determining factor in the outcome of two world wars, our innovation lead the world and ushered in the age of the middle class. Our manufacturing capabilities and the can-do spirit that was a hallmark buried the rest of the world. We built cars and ships and consumer goods that were the envy of the rest of the world. We were an economic, military, and political juggernaut that so influenced the world that it runs on our currency and our language.

Subaru Succeds Without the Unions

Great post over at Director Blue on how to keep the unions at bay. Subaru is an uncommon success story in the American automotive industry. And they did it all without the union’s “help”.

Unions Still Control California

Unions continue to maintain control in California despite the weight of state debt threatening to collapse the state economy and government. Most recently, the prison guards union has been able to get a new contract enforced through Gov. Jerry Brown. In this contract, the guards are allowed to bank unlimited vacation time unit retirement (current value: $600M) and they will not be subjected to searches despite evidence that smuggling into prison is a real problem.  Doug over at Director Blue has the full scoop.

And my wife still wants to move here.

Unions for Palestine

As many of you may already know I have been occasional blogging about the left and why Jewish folks support them when most of what the left stands for is anti-Israeli.  For some reason the left gets a fairly sizable majority of the Jewish vote despite a progressive track record that is anything but pro-Israel. Now another institution of the left, the unions, is showing their hand in support of the Palestinians. Over at “Moonbat Tracker” are a couple of videos showing the some unions representatives showing banners supporting the Palestinian cause.

Boeing, NLRB Update

I have been trying to provide updates and analysis on the on-going dispute between Boeing and the National Labor Relations Board.  In a nutshell, the NLRB has filed a complaint against Boeing that could prevent Boeing from opening a new 787 Dreamliner production line in South Carolina.

In response to the NLRB’s actions the president and CEO of Boeing Jim McNerney posted a letter in the Wall Street Journal.  Well worth a read since it gives a completely different perspective. I’m sure the truth lays somewhere in between what McNerney writes and the complaint filed by the NLRB. Give the very distinct pro-union and anti-business stances of the Obama Administration I have a strong feeling the balance of the truth is much closer to McNerney’s take. (Link via Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post)

And speaking of Jennifer Rubin, read her full article here.  She provides an interesting take on how this issue, if projected properly could be a huge issue in the 2012 Presidential election.

I think the outcome of this issue will have far-reaching impact on the business climate in the US. If the NLRB is able to prevail, this will more than likely send shockwaves through the business community. If the unions are able to apply and win with this kind of government intervention, what other business moves will the unions try to stop? If a business wants to move out of a high tax state like California, Illinois, or New York would the unions try to get the federal government to step in a stop the move?

One thing union leadership has never been able to reconcile in their little brains is that the jobs do not belong to them. The jobs belong to the company or business that creates them. If the business wants to move to a better business climate, say a right to work state, that is within their right to do so. But if the unions have their way this will no longer be the case.

Turning the Table on the NLRB

A very interesting take on the actions taken by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Boeing and Boeing’s desire to move part of the 787 Dreamliner production to South Carolina, a right-to-worker state. The author suggests that the workers of South Carolina use the same tactics being used by the labor unions to make the NLRB pick either the labor unions or the workers in general.

See the background here and here (or you can click on the NLRB label on the left side of my blog).