NILRR Right to Work Clipsheet November 27, 2015
Group hits labor unions as VW Chattanooga vote nears
Chattanooga Times Free Press Online, November 23, 2015
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, in a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, said his department is ignoring IG Metall’s failure to file federal disclosure papers.
Union bosses smear teachers in Supreme Court case
watchdog.org, November 23, 2015
America’s most powerful union bosses are running a national smear campaign against 10 workers who fund their paychecks.
Using money taken from workers’ paychecks, union bosses are portraying Friedrichs and her peers as allies of evil corporations and white supremacists.
AFT president Randi Weingarten has called Friedrichs part of an “assault on working people.†NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia has accused Friedrichs of “attacking working people.â€
How did Friedrichs turn these self-styled champions of teachers against her? She is challenging their ability to take mandatory fees from non-members, in a case that has made its way before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Letters: Friedrichs critics attempt deflection
Orange County Register Online, November 24, 2015
If union supporters want to blame the Friedrichs case on the wealthy, though, they might start with the wealthy leadership of the teachers unions. Former NEA president Dennis Van Roekel made $541,632 in 2014, well into the top 1 percent of income in the United States. Then-Vice President Lily Eskelsen Garcia had total compensation of $345,728, and NEA Executive Director John Stocks made $412,398.
Analysis: Sorry, VW employees, you CANNOT have a Works Council and a Union too
workplacereport.com, November 22, 2015
A new analysis by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce confirms what was written nearly two years ago (here)—that the United Auto Workers’ pitch to VW’s employees that the only way they could have a Works Council was to become unionized through a third-party union was really a Trojan Horse strategy.
Wal-Mart braces for Black Friday
Politico.com, November 25, 2015
Wal-Mart is getting twice the usual attention this Black Friday thanks to a schism among the activists who target the retail giant’s labor practices. OUR Wal-Mart, which is no longer affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers, will hold protests outside of Wal-Mart stores in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and various other cities.
The UFCW, meanwhile, will pressure the company via its own Making Change at Wal-Mart campaign.
UAW Local 600 Bullies Members Who Leave
Laborpains.org, November 23, 2015
Todd Lemire, a Michigan plant worker and union member of over 17 years, found that out the hard way when he decided to leave his UAW Local 600 this summer. Following the opt-out, Local 600 Tool and Die Unit President Bob Brezovsky publicized Lemire’s name and title in the fall edition of the union’s online publication, along with the following message: “These names and anyone else that chooses to stop paying their fair share will be posted in every article.â€
Politico.com, November 25, 2015
The union came out for Clinton Tuesday, citing her support for infrastructure spending and repeal of the Cadillac Tax. “The strong, proud and united members of LIUNA will be on the frontlines of the 2016 elections; on the streets, knocking on doors, making calls, and encouraging family, friends, and neighbors to elect Hillary Clinton as the 45th President of the United States,†the union said. Pause and consternation, begone!
Politico.com, November 24, 2015
Hillary Clinton notched another union endorsement Monday, this time from the 130,000-member Ironworkers union.
Union super PAC helps Sanders and he won’t tell them to stop
CNN News Online, November 24, 2015
Bernie Sanders declined to disavow a super PAC spending money on his behalf in an interview with CNN on Monday and contradicted a statement his campaign made about the political entities he has long spoken out against.
City plans to appeal case that favored crane-operator union
Crain’s New York Business Online, November 23, 2015
The city will appeal a court decision that restored power to a small group of union crane operators late last month.
And for Local 14, legally shutting out non-New York City operators offers the security that future workers must train with someone already on a construction site here. Although there are a number of former Local 14 operators that offer apprenticeships outside the union, most e current members. That scenario gives Local 14 strong leverage when negotiating prices for its members’ services.
How Unions Influence Policy With Tactics They Denounce
Daily Caller Online, November 24, 2015
Employment Policies Institute (EPI) released the report titled “By Big Labor and For Big Labor?â€. It analyzed hundreds of emails obtained through a California Public Records Act request. The emails reveal how unions use front groups to influence San Francisco lawmakers into enacting union-friendly laws. Tactics that unions have often condemned when it comes from the right.