NILRR Clips October 31, 2014
Watchdog.org, October 30, 2014
Formerly a heavy-hitter in Pennsylvania politics, at least in Philadelphia and its suburbs, Ironworkers’ Local 401 has spent far less during the 2014 election cycle than any others in recent history.
UAW’s Tennessee Trick Or Treat
Forbes.com, October 30, 2014
The treat the UAW is offering workers at VW Chattanooga is a European-style works council, which (they claim) will give workers more say in company management and policy. The trick — you have to have a union under U.S. labor law to form a works council. Ergo, the UAW is telling Chattanooga workers: “You need us.â€
And in yet another sign that the federal labor relations bureaucracy is nothing but a puppet regime for Big Labor bosses, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez is visiting Germany to “learn more†about this whole works council thing.
Balance of power in Ky. House up for grabs
The Courier-Journal Online, October 30, 2014
The balance of power in the Kentucky House of Representatives could be determined on Tuesday by the outcome of several competitive races in Jefferson and Bullitt counties.
Nemes says he “mostly” supports the House Republican platform called the “Handshake with Kentucky” and its primary goal of bringing more jobs to Kentucky. But Nemes qualifies his support for that platform’s main plank of promising to pass a “right to work” law that would prohibit union membership or payment of union dues as a condition of employment.
Belcher opposes a right-to-work bill and is in favor of an increase in the minimum wage. “The minimum wage hasn’t been raised in a long time, yet we see costs of prescriptions, utility bills and everything going up,” Belcher said.
Unions shun national Democrats, shift campaign cash to state, local races
The Washington Times Online, October 30,2014
Big labor is using its checkbook this election to express its frustrations with gridlock in Washington and President Obama’s inability to pass important labor legislation.
Most of the politically free-spending unions have shifted their money in 2014 away from direct support of Democratic candidates at the federal level and toward state and local races or voter-mobilization efforts, according to the latest political action committee reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
What’s behind boom in Indiana union assets?
Indy Star.com, October 26, 2014
Total assets of the state’s 700 or so labor union locals have nearly doubled since 2004, from $182 million to $335 million, according to union financial reports filed with the Department of Labor.
The 83 percent jump in assets happened even as membership at the 700 locals slipped 9.8 percent since 2004, to 420,924. (Most of that decline came from 2004 to 2009. Since the recession’s end in 2009, membership has actually risen 5 percent.)