NILRR Right to Work News

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‘Hoosiers’ Real Purchasing Power Has Increased More Rapidly’

www.nilrr.org, December 6, 2017 by Stan Greer

By 2016, the annual average cost of living in Right to Work Indiana was 24.9 percent below the average for the remaining forced-unionism states. And Indiana’s cost of living-adjusted per capita disposable income was more than $3,800 higher than the average for those same states.

White House urges Supreme Court to rule against forcing employees to pay public unions

Washington Examiner Online, December 07, 2017

In a friend of the court brief for the case Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the White House argued that the practice violated individual union members’ First Amendment rights and should be abolished.

More briefs filed with SCOTUS in forced union dues case

Montrose Press Online, December 06, 2017

The Buckeye Institute from Ohio and the Competitive Enterprise Institute based in Washington, D.C., filed the amicus briefs Wednesday in support of Mark Janus, a child care worker for the state of Illinois. On Tuesday, the state of Washington-based Freedom Foundation also filed briefs in support of the plaintiff.

Kasparian Lawyer Threatens to Sue Union Member Over ‘Defamatory’ E-Mails

Times of San Diego Online, November 09, 2017

A lawyer for San Diego labor leader Mickey Kasparian is threatening legal action against a longtime member of his own union — a Vons produce worker named Christopher “Chris†Lopez.

He said an internal probe of Kasparian was a “reasonable request†of the Washington-based UFCW.

“They’re ignoring a huge problem,†Lopez said. “I mean, there’s three lawsuits. … If they haven’t done an internal investigation, I want to know why…. If these rumors are true that [Kasparian is] falsifying receipts and misusing dues, I want an audit.â€

Newly-Appointed NLRB General Counsel Moves to Roll Back Agency Overreach and Activism

Lexology.com, December 05, 2017

The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) new general counsel wasted no time in issuing comprehensive guidelines to the agency unequivocally indicating that the era of unbridled activism and overreach by the Board will likely end. On December 1, 2017, Peter B. Robb issued General Counsel (GC) Memorandum 18-02, providing employers and employees with the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.†After eight years of reversing decades of legal precedent and skewing the playing field decidedly against employers, the NLRB seems headed toward creating a less polarized labor environment.

It’s no fun being from Illinois

mywebtimes.com, December 06, 2017

Yes, we are a state whose leaders oppose Right to Work (RTW makes union organizing harder), and I have supported making downstate Illinois a RTW region. I believe the issue today is more about symbol than substance.

While Illinois ranked 29th in the ranking above, a survey of CEOs ranked Illinois 48th worst for business. It’s all about perception, according to a site selection specialist.

Pennsylvania Bill to Limit Union Political Donations

cpapracticeadvisor.com, December 06, 2017

On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House approved Senate Bill 166 that prohibits state, county and local governments from using their payroll systems to let teachers, police officers, firefighters and other workers from voluntarily asking their employers to deduct money for their respective union’s political action committees. The bill, which passed the GOP-controlled Senate in February, would apply to all unions after their current contracts expire.

Labor Racket Weekly: November Nonsense Continues

LaborPains.org, December 05, 2017

According to the Labor Department, here are the latest criminal enforcement actions involving our labor movement:

On November 15th, 2017, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Henry Clay Green, Sr., former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees – Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (UNITE HERE) Local 26 (located in Medford, Mass.), was charged in an information with one count of embezzling $171,455 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c).

Oakland workers strike, bringing city services to a halt, with no end in sight

East Bay Times Online, December 05, 2017

Some 3,000 city workers went on strike Tuesday, picketing outside numerous city buildings and creating a considerable shutdown of non-emergency city services in the first full strike in four years. And barring any last minute change, they planned to do it again Wednesday.

Wisconsin Supreme Court takes up open records case that pits unions against Scott Walker

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online, December 05, 2017

The state Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in an open records case that could determine how quickly state officials must produce documents.

In November 2015, Madison Teachers Inc. sought documents under the open records law to find out who had voted at the midpoint of the voting period. The commission denied the request at that stage, but released records showing who voted after the election, which the union won overwhelmingly.

Union election objection withdrawn

qctimes.com, December 05, 2017

The union representing 16 bus drivers in the Central DeWitt Community School District has withdrawn its objection to the October recertification election that it lost.

The commission maintained it could not release the records while the election was pending because doing so could result in voter coercion.

How Worker Centers Have Changed Union Organizing

inisidesources.com, December 06, 2017

Worker centers have become an increasingly influential force within the labor movement with their ability to function in ways that traditional unions legally cannot, according to a report Wednesday.

Worker centers are activist organizations that fight to promote work-related laws and organize workers that aren’t represented by a traditional union. They are primarily funded by political foundations. They are unique in that they are not restrained by federal laws that limit union activities – sometimes helping unions recruit members in ways they are unable to do.

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