NILRR Clipsheet September 25, 2015

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No more forced union dues for UAW autoworkers in 3 Midwest states

Wisconsinwatchdog.org, September 23, 2015

The United Auto Workers may extend its current contract with the Big Three automakers, but that doesn’t mean UAW-represented employees in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana have to continue to pay union dues.

But the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation wants workers to know the extension doesn’t change the fact Big Three employees in new right-to-work states in the Midwest may now opt out of compulsory union membership.

“UAW officials can say what they want, but they no longer have the legal authority to require Big Three employees in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana to pay union dues as any ‘extended’ contract is now fully covered by state Right to Work laws,†Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, said in a statement.

State shreds ballots to ‘protect’ voters

San Diego Tribune Online, September 23, 2015

In the apparent view of the agency, these workers cannot be trusted to think or vote for themselves. Last week, one of its administrative law judges issued a 192-page ruling calling for the workers’ ballots to be destroyed. Instead, they are expected to accept a contract crafted by state officials and a union without their input.

Bernie Sanders backer forced workers to pay union dues

Watchdog.org, September 25, 2015

The gap between America’s rich and poor is a major theme of Cohen speeches and the Sanders campaign, but CWA paid Cohen a total of $1,009,057 from 2011-15. Cohen’s pay was taken from workers’ paychecks.

Many of those workers weren’t even CWA members. As of June, CWA was taking mandatory “agency fees†from 41,287 nonmembers who were required to pay the union to keep their jobs.

“The one percent that controls the wealth of our nations now believes they can control our democracy, our workplace, our environment, our earth,†Cohen warned in one of his final fiery speeches as CWA president.

While Cohen was running CWA, over 40,000 nonmembers had to pay CWA “an agency fee equal to normal Union dues†– and those fees helped cover Cohen’s yearly compensation, which ranked among America’s top 5 percent.

Nonmembers who don’t want CWA spending their agency fees on politics must file an objection every year for a partial refund. This is common practice in states without right-to-work laws, and it’s a practice Sanders firmly supports.

Even if every CWA agency fee payer got a refund for the union’s political activity last year, they were still required to contribute to Cohen’s pay.

A Disgraceful Labor Law Ripe for Repeal

Wall Street Journal Online, September 24, 2015

Davis-Bacon has one of the most despicable back stories of any law on the federal books. When it passed in 1931, organized labor was upset that contractors were ignoring its members in favor of more affordable employees, especially minorities.

‘Right-to-work’ bill being drawn up in Ohio House

Cleveland.com, September 24, 2015

State Rep. Tom Brinkman said Wednesday that his bill, which he plans to introduce next month, would ban “closed shops” and forbid unions from charging “fair-share fees” to non-union workers at private-sector workplaces. The Cincinnati Republican said he intends to introduce the bill sometime next month.

Seattle May Soon Force Uber And Lyft Drivers To Unionize

Daily Caller Online, September 23, 2015

“Acting at the behest of union officials, the Seattle City Council is targeting independent drivers, such as those who contract with Uber and Lyft, for mandatory unionization and the seizure of compulsory union fees,†NRTW said in a press release. “The legality of Seattle’s imminent attempt to foist compulsory unionization on independent drivers is highly suspect and may be susceptible to legal challenge.â€

Prince William teacher unions announce school board endorsements

insidenova.com, September 23, 2015

The Prince William Federation of Teachers has endorsed Ryan Sawyers, who has the support of local Democrats, over opponents Tracy Conroy, who is running without partisan support, and Tim Singstock, who has the backing of the local Republican committee.

The Prince William Education Association, however, has declined to pick a candidate to replace outgoing school board Chairman Milt Johns because none of the three candidates won a majority of votes cast by members of its political arm, the Political Action Committee for Educators, according to Jim Livingston, PWEA and PACE president.

The Misguided Fight Against Workplace ‘Freedom’

heartland.org, September 24, 2015

Research by Ohio University economics professor Richard Vedder suggests right-to-work (RTW) laws remove a significant impediment to the growth of state economies and individuals’ incomes. In a 2014 study, Mr. Vedder modeled the economies of states with and without RTW worker protections and found, “[T]he overall effect of a RTW law is to increase economic growth rates by 11.5 percentage points. “[The effect] is significant at the 99 percent confidence level.â€

In the May 2015 issue of Site Selection, a trade magazine for corporate real estate agents and government economic development agency officials, writer Mark Amend notes two new entries in the magazine’s annual tabulation of newly constructed factory plants, Indiana and Michigan, are states with recently enacted right-to-work laws.

House Speaker John Boehner to Resign From Congress

Wall Street Journal Online, September 25, 2015

House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), long under fire from conservatives within his own party, said Friday he will resign from Congress at the end of October.

Current Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) is a likely candidate to succeed Mr. Boehner as speaker, according to GOP lawmakers. But it isn’t clear if conservatives will rally behind Mr. McCarthy. Several conservative Republicans said they had not yet determined who should replace Mr. Boehner.

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