NILRR Right to Work February 09, 2018
nilrr.org, February 06, 2018
Across the state of Kentucky, where Right to Work protections are being enforced, U.S. Labor Department data released last month show that the “total†number of people “employed†rose by 100,000 in 2017 over 2016. Meanwhile, during the same period, Missouri’s total number of employed people plummeted by nearly 100,000, from 2.711 million to 2.613 million.
the74million.org, (Mike Antonucci) February 07, 2018
But the two major teachers unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, have struggled with their role as employer. They are self-proclaimed defenders of working people, yet when faced with labor problems common to most employers, they often resort to tactics reminiscent of the most hidebound corporations.
More than the unions bargained for?
CEAFU Key Leader Larry Sand, californiapolicycenter.org, February 06, 2018
A recent tactic, “bargaining for the common good†very well may bury the unions in Janus v. AFSCME.
But with bargaining for the common good, Caputo-Pearl and many other public sector union leaders across the country are insisting that collective bargaining incorporate blatantly political issues. This would seem to doom the union’s case in Janus v AFSCME , the follow-up to Friedrichs. (While Mark Janus is a healthcare worker, the arguments in his case will probably be very similar to those made in Friedrichs.)
As with any private business, if the unions can convince workers that they have a worthy product, the worker should be free buy it. But please – leave the rest of us alone.
The Janus oral arguments will be in 20 days. Let employee freedom ring!
UNIONS SLAM JANUS CASE (duh)
POLITICO Morning Shift, February 08, 2018
Union workers plan protests on Feb. 24, two days before oral arguments begin. Heavy betting is that the Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority will rule against fair-share fees, but the unions said they’re already working on plans to cope with the fees’ elimination and the exodus of dues-paying members that’s predicted to follow. “We’re going back to basics,†Saunders said. “And we are communicating in a much stronger way with our members and non-members alike.â€
Columbia Refuses to Bargain with Its Graduate Student Union, Possibly Threatening NLRB Precedent
thecrimson.com, February 06, 2018
Columbia University will not respond to a bargaining request from its graduate student union, University Provost John H. Coatsworth wrote in a letter to Columbia students on Tuesday.
In his email, Coatsworth wrote that recognizing a graduate students union would compromise the university’s educational mission, and that the university seeks to pursue “the legal process†before collectively bargaining with students.
Terry Bowman: Union membership is historically low for a reason (Gazette)
Charleston Gazette-Mail Online, February 05, 2018
Unfortunately, the UAW is still the only representation available if you’re an hourly autoworker at the Big Three — meaning that workers are forced to accept the union’s “leadership†whether they want to or not. Labor experts have proposed a 21st century business model that will take unions into the next century. Those proposals would permit, for instance, workers like myself to represent ourselves.
But before we can even get that far, union officials in every industry must first admit that the problem exists. Until that happens, their credibility will continue to diminish with workers, their wheels will continue to spin in the muck, and union density will remain at historically low levels.
Terry Bowman, a 21-year Ford-UAW autoworker, lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Empty USCCB Amicus Brief in Public-Sector Union Dues Case
nationalreview.com, February 09, 2018
The USCCB’s amicus brief suffers from three serious defects: First: The brief itself is nothing more than special pleading—asking that the (supposed) position of “so many bishops†against right-to-work laws in the public sector not be declared “constitutionally out of bounds.â€
Second: The brief derives the supposed “widely held†position of American bishops by stitching together a handful of statements of dubious relevance that were made over a period of seven decades.
Third: The USCCB brief also invites the dangerous misperception that it considers right-to-work laws in the public sector to violate Catholic social teaching as severely as laws imposing abortion and same-sex marriage do.
Tensions flare at Capitol after Democrats try to pass pro-union bills after midnight
thenewstribune.com, February 08, 2018
Democrats in Washington’s Senate tried to advance controversial union-backed legislation Wednesday but debate was postponed after it stretched into the early-morning hours Thursday and sparked fierce backlash over transparency from Republicans who oppose the measures.
WV Senate bills could subtract money from teachers’ unions, their leaders
WVgazette.com, February 08, 2018
The West Virginia Senate is on the verge of passing Senate Bill 335, which supporters and opponents say would require school employee union members to annually re-agree to have part of their county public school system-issued paychecks withheld to pay union dues.
And on Wednesday, the Senate Pensions Committee took up Senate Bill 494, which would erase language in current law saying that officers “with a statewide professional teaching association†still get credit, for state teachers retirement benefit purposes, for years of service they spend on leave working as officers rather than as teachers.
Democratic candidates for governor make promises to union workers ahead of key endorsement vote
latimes.com, February 09,2018
The four candidates instead promised to fight for higher pay for in-home healthcare workers and stronger union protections for SEIU Local 2015, the largest chapter of the Service Employees International Union’s California organization. The state group is expected to announce its endorsement ahead of the California Democratic Party convention later this month.
Union organizing is a gender justice issue
peoplesworld.org, February 08, 2018
The Democratic Party released its Better Deal platform last year that included a call for a higher minimum wage, better jobs, and worker training. Conspicuously absent, however, was any mention of unions. This was quite a stunning departure from the original New Deal that had unions and labor organizing at its very core.
More recently, the Dems added a new plank that focuses on labor law reform, under the banner of “Give Workers the Freedom to Negotiate a Better Deal.†While no one expects the proposals to pass any time soon, their inclusion signals the Democrats may wrap workers’ freedom to organize into their 2019 platform for legislation, if they take control of Capitol Hill.