NILRR News Clips January 06, 2017


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House Advances Right To Work, Prevailing Wage Repeal

wkms.org, January 06, 2017

The state House of Representatives passed a so-called ‘right-to-work’ bill yesterday.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

Both sides on right-to-work issue to testify Tuesday at Missouri Capitol

Missouri.net, January 06, 2017

A Missouri House Committee will hold public hearings on five right-to-work bills Tuesday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

“The voters have spoken. Our majorities campaigned on it and the Governor’s race was fought over it,†says Richardson. “Missouri should be and soon will be a right-to-work state.â€

Right-to-work highlights importance of policy

NewsOK.com, January 06, 2017

WHEN Oklahomans voted in 2001 to ban compulsory unionism by adopting a “right to work†law, no state had embraced that reform since Idaho in 1985.

That episode shows the importance of being a leader in pro-growth policy, and ignoring the propaganda of status quo forces.

Labor Opponents Already Have The Next ‘Friedrichs’ SCOTUS Case Ready to Go

In These Times Online, January 04, 2017

. . . there is another case in the pipeline that was stayed pending the outcome of Friedrichs. That case, which began as Rauner v. AFSCME, was originally brought by the … Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who … issued an executive order placing all fair-share fees in an escrow account, rather than turning them over to unions.

Labor faces strong headwind from a Trump administration — and maybe that’s just the jolt workers need

Los Angeles Times Online, December 30, 2016

President-elect Donald J. Trump could pose the biggest threat to American workers since President Reagan, who similarly won support from working-class Americans despite policies that undercut their ability to work together for higher wages and better working conditions.

The SEIU Hopes to Plunder the Families of Disabled People

capitalresearch.org, January 05, 2017

Unfortunately, despite the defeat of the unions in the Harris case, PCAs are still often tricked into signing a dues deduction authorization, which is very difficult to cancel. As a result, many have dues withheld, even though they have a technical right to avoid the withholding of dues.

The outcome of this effort will reverberate across the country. In the event the homecare providers do not succeed, unions will continue to support the election of politicians who will use this playbook to pay the unions back.

Iowa public employees’ unions oppose bargaining changes

Des Moines Register Online, January 05, 2017

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have said “everything is on the table” in considering revisions of public employee bargaining, from repealing the law to making what they view as relatively minor changes. Critics contend the current law provides overly generous benefits to public-sector workers and undermines governments’ control over spending. They say Iowa law needs to be rewritten to give more consideration to Iowa taxpayers.

U.S. Postal Service Drops Service at Staples Amid Union Pressure

Bloomberg News Online, January 05, 2017

The cancellation is a coup for the Postal Service’s largest union, which mounted a three-year, multipronged campaign against the arrangement, fighting Staples’ failed attempt to merge with Office Depot Inc., and leafleting outside stores urging customers to boycott the company, according to Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union.

Chaos Reigns Within D.C.’s Police Union

City Paper Online, January 05, 2017

Less than a year into his first term, FOP Chairman Matthew Mahl has been served with notice that 850 of his members—or roughly a quarter of the entire member7ship—have signed a recall petition. To oust Mahl, the opposition would need the support of two-thirds of voting members. The petition is under legal review.

The SEIU Budget Cut Mystery

eiaonline.com/Intercepts, January 05, 2017

The December 14 memo from SEIU president Mary Kay Henry blames the cuts on the 2016 election results.

The SEIU watchdog Stern Burger with Fries and his sources have a sound theory: The union is preparing for its long-awaited merger with AFSCME.

IRON WORKERS VOTE ON PENSION CUTS:

Politico Morning Shift, January 05, 2017

Members of the Iron Workers Local 17 Pension Fund have until Jan. 20 to vote on proposed cuts to their benefits, Jonnelle Marte reports in the Washington Post.

Last month the Treasury Department approved an application from the fund to cut vested benefits — the first time it has done so under 2014’s Kline-Miller multiemployer pension reform law.

UCLA Labor Dispute: Teamsters Local 2010 Union To Strike For 5 Days

ibtimes.com, January 06, 2017

A union of plumbers, electricians and other workers will strike and protest for five days against what they call unfair and illegal labor practices at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Teamsters Local 2010 will start striking midnight Friday.

UCLA has maintained the strike is in violation of the law but their legal request of blocking the strike through an injunction was rejected by the California Public Employment Relations Board. The university said it will keep the campus and medical centers fully operational.

Tuesday next week, following the five-day strike, thousands of clerical and administrative support workers will protest and strike against the entire University of California system and five UC hospitals. The Teamster Union is attempting to broker a separate type of contract for the two different types of employees.

Federal Worker Union Is Blocking Republican VA Reforms

The Daily Caller Online, January 06, 2015

President-elect Donald Trump promised to fire incompetent and dishonest Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees, but he will have to fight the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — the largest federal worker union — every step of the way.

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