NILRR News Clips June 05, 2015

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11 Million Workers Are Forced To Pay Union Dues: Congress Should Help Them

The Daily Caller Online, June 03, 2015

The National Right to Work Act (S. 391/H.R. 612) was introduced in both chambers of Congress earlier this year. This easy to read, one-page bill does not add one single word to federal law, it simply repeals a few lines from past labor law. Every worker would still be able to join a union if he or she chooses, but the National Right to Work Act would forbid union bosses from requiring union dues or fees as a condition of employment.

County considers workaround of Act 10 restrictions for union

Fallreporter.com, June 4, 2015

The Fond du Lac County Finance Committee is considering a proposal that would provide a workaround of the restrictions of the controversial collective bargaining law Act 10 for members of a public employees union.

The county board approved a 1.57-percent increase for the union’s members, which is the maximum allowed under the law this year.

“In other words, this group is being penalized by the state because they didn’t decertify their union,” Board Chairman Martin Farrell said.

Union Elections Swell in ‘Ambush’ Era

Washingtonfreebeacon.com, June 02, 2015

The NLRB, the federal labor arbiter that oversees union elections, told Law360 that it experienced a 32 percent increase in election petitions in the month following the implementation of new regulations. The NLRB passed a new set of rules speeding up the timeline of union elections in April over the objections of Congress. The result came as no surprise to Steve Bernstein, a management side labor attorney at Fisher & Phillips LLP.

Ohio Gov. Kasich: Right to Work not needed in Ohio

PRnewschannel.com, May 29, 2015

According to Cincinnati.com, during a recent campaign stop in Georgia, Gov. Kasich told reporters that he didn’t believe a Right to Work push was necessary for Ohio, and that the state currently wasn’t dealing with any “disruptive labor situations.â€

Los Angeles Unions: Minimum Wage Hike for Thee, but Not for Me

Daily Signal Online, May 29, 2015

Los Angeles recently hiked its minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Los Angeles unions strongly support this move, with a catch. They want the increase to apply only to non-union companies.

Rikers Inquiry Expands to Include Union Chief’s Financial Dealings

New York Times Online, June 02, 2015

The United States attorney’s office in Manhattan is looking into whether Mr. Seabrook has enriched himself over the course of his two decades running the union, according to a copy of a subpoena served on the union about two weeks ago that was reviewed by The New York Times.

OP-ED: Illegal union dues ‘rebate’ scam exposed

pottsmerc.com, June 05, 2015

But after falling victim to a long-running dues scam, she filed an unfair labor practice charge to expose the scam and keep her union, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), from cheating more of its members out of their hard-earned money.

What’s the scam? Each year since at least 1997, APSCUF holds a fake dues rebate campaign they call “March Madness.†Dailey calls it “frustrating and burdensome.†Pennsylvania labor law says it’s illegal.

Missouri governor vetoes right-to-work bill

reuters.com, June 04, 2015

Calling the legislation harmful to the middle class, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a bill on Thursday that would stop workers from being required to join unions or pay dues.

Exclusive: Cash for Slackers

Fox Business News Online, June 01, 2015

It’s a fact of life for many government workers. A dive into government labor fights at the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) reveals a nasty secret—the great lengths federal unions go to protect government slackers, at your expense.

Exclusive: Cash for Slackers, Part II

Fox News Online, June 02, 2015

It’s been a point of controversy that federal workers are working full time not on the job taxpayers pay them to do, but on union business.

However, a probe into government labor fights at the Federal Labor Relations Authority FLRA) reveal another secret taxpayers know little about, the tip of a new trend—the great lengths federal unions go to win fights that let government employees work on just union business from home, all at taxpayer expense.

Exclusive: Cash for Slackers, Part III

Fox Business News Online, June 03, 2015

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union last year fought for a grievance alleging that Homeland Security blocked government workers’ access to web-based email on their work computers “without first satisfying its bargaining obligations to the union,†the case file says. Federal workers can visit their webmail accounts on their own personal mobile devices, though officials say policies are somewhat unclear about such use at work.

Oregon’s Highest Paid Union Bosses

golocalpdx.com, June 02, 2015

In the midst of a national decline, membership in Oregon’s labor unions is on the rise. Moreover, while membership is thriving, so are the salaries of some of the state’s largest union leaders – many of whom are making six-figure salaries, or double or triple the average salary of the workers they are paid to represent.

Patrick Pizella: One Cannot Make This Stuff Up

townhall.com, June 02, 2015

In any case, it’s official: Firing a federal worker often proves preposterously difficult.

[ J. David Cox, Sr.,]  charmingly added, “every time the ‘fools’ in Congress try to hurt the federal workforce we get bigger. We get stronger and we fight harder.† Many Americans have been frustrated in recent weeks to learn that the VA had misrepresented the number of employees that were fired over the wait-list fraud scandal (backlogs remain a persistent, entrenched problem in that government-run healthcare entity, despite an injection of new cash from Congress), as well as the revelation that a majority of IRS workers caught cheating on their taxes retained their jobs, or were promoted.

The Public Pension Funding Trap

Wall Street Journal Online, May 31, 2015

State and local government pensions were national news during the recession, as unfunded liabilities rose into the trillions of dollars and overheated commentators predicted that rising pension costs could push governments into bankruptcy. Today attention has faded and the public-pension industry claims that plans are back on track. Don’t be too sure.

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