NILRR News Clips – April 6, 2012


Right to work has worked

Point of View: Oklahoma economy has grown

Newsok.com, March 31, 2012

According to federal Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data, total private-sector employment in Oklahoma increased by 8.1 percent from 2003 to 2010. Oklahoma’s job gain was more than triple the average for forced-unionism states (then 28 in number) and more than 60 percent greater than the average for its three non-right-to-work neighbor states — Missouri, Colorado and New Mexico.

Federal court strikes down parts of union law

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online, March 30, 2012

“The real solution to the ‘equal protection’ claims raised by the plaintiffs in this lawsuit is to apply Act 10 to all government employee unions and stop – in the judge’s words – ‘selectively subsidizing public unions,’ ” said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation . .

Backus nurses launch effort to decertify union

Norwich Bulletin Online, April 5,2012

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation defines a decertification election as “voting a union out of a workplace,†though it concedes on its website the process is an “uphill battle.†The process can be triggered 30 days after the one-year mark after a union is formed if there is no contract in place.

Indiana Workers Ask to File Amicus Brief Defending Hoosier Right to Work Law

National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.org, April 2, 2012

With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, the four workers – David Bercot, a certified wastewater operator for ITR Concession Company which services Indiana toll road rest stops in the Fort Wayne-area; Joel Tibbetts, a Minteq International assistant manager in Valparaiso; Douglas Richards, an employee with Goshen-based Cequent Towing Products; and Larry Getts, a Dana Holding Corporation tube press technician in Albion – all joined in the brief defending the law against a union-boss challen

Maine ‘Right-to-Work’ Bill Tabled, but Still Alive

Maine Public Broadcasting Network Online, April 4, 2012

Even before the scheduled work session, the National Right to Work Committee had sent out questionaires to candidates for state and federal office asking for their positions on right-to-work legislation, and requesting that they sign and date them.

Unions Plan to Train 100,000 Occupy Protesters

Townhall.com, March 31, 2012

Welcome to Occupy Spring. The Occupy Movement has become more sophisticated, how? It now officially has big name backers like the Teamsters, Moveon.org and other groups.

Capitol Report: Milwaukee public safety unions again endorse Walker

Madison.com, April 2, 2012

The unions’ support for Walker during his 2010 run for governor prompted many to speculate it influenced Walker’s decision to exempt public safety unions from the controversial legislation he signed last year that stripped collective bargaining rights from all other public unions.

Big Labor Writes the Script. Occupiers Act It out-Occupy Wall Street: Springboard For SEIU Organizing

Townhall.com, April 4, 2012

The SEIU these past several months has been playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role in transforming these rallies into the raw material for a new generation of activists. Through varied front groups, the union is taking its fight against banks, energy companies and other corporations to a new level, making sure elected officials not in its corner feel the SEIU’s wrath. These nonprofit organizations typically operate under benign-sounding tags such as “good jobs†and “a fair economy.†And they seem spontaneous to the naked eye.

Another City Buried by Government Employee Salaries and Perks How Stockton, California Went Broke in Plain Sight

Wall Street Journal Online, March 30, 3012

Stockton admitted that its biggest problem has been a lack of transparency resulting in a host of “hidden costs” in labor agreements for “obligations that are often difficult for citizens to identify or understand.”

Michigan School Employee Unions Sue Over Law Barring Payroll Deduction for Dues

Daily Labor Report Online, April 5, 2012

LANSING, Mich.—Four unions representing Michigan school employees filed a lawsuit April 4 challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that prohibits school districts from collecting union dues through payroll deduction (Bailey v. Callaghan, E.D. Mich., No. 2:12-cv-11504, complaint filed 4/4/12).

Secret memo shows no confidence in Illinois state pensions

Chicago Independent Examiner Online, April 5, 2012

This past weekend, the Illinois State Journal-Register, the state’s oldest newspaper, acquired a secret, internal memo from Illinois state officials. What the memo revealed was the fact that even the people in charge of the state’s teacher pension fund secretly have no confidence in the solvency of the program and its funding.

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