NILRR Weekly Clipsheet March 28, 2014
Pro-Union Monopoly Statutes Menace U.S. Cities
www.nrtw.org, March 27, 2014
In addition to affirming the Motor City’s insolvency, Judge Rhodes made it clear that Detroit has the legal authority to reduce public employee pension benefits negotiated by government union chiefs who have for decades wielded monopoly-bargaining power under Michigan law.
Reflecting on last month’s historic decision regarding the fate of Detroit, National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix expressed his hope that, in addition to the parties directly affected by this case, elected officials across the country would “recognize the opportunity†for a fresh start.
Mr. Mix explained: “Detroit’s bloated and grossly inefficient municipal workforce is a direct result of government-granted monopoly-bargaining power.
VW and the UAW vs. Workers, Democracy and Free Speech
Michigan Capitol Confidential, March 28, 2014
The election loss is another example of why card check is a poor organizing method. A majority of VW employees signed cards last year, but the February vote shows that there might have been credence to those opposed to the UAW. Eight employees, represented by the National Right to Work Legal Foundation, charged that, “the UAW solicited, enticed, and/or demanded VW employees’ signatures by unlawful means including misrepresentations, coercion, threats, and promises.”
www.nilrr.org, March 27, 2014
Citing data released by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis earlier the same day, on March 25 James Hohman of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy reported that, in the aggregate, personal income (unadjusted for inflation) grew by 2.8% last year in the 24 states with Right to Work laws on the books, compared to growth of just 2.4% for the 26 states that still lack such laws.
Townhall.com, March 27, 2014
The National Labor Relations Board in Chicago has decided that college athletes – who are getting a subsidized education and a shot at a multi-million dollar career – have the right to unionize as employees. The Labor backed effort to unionize college students who play games as an “educationâ€, according to the Chicago NLRB, now have a seat at the “bargaining table†in college athletics… Because, obviously, consumers of higher education (AKA: “studentsâ€) don’t currently have any seat at the “bargaining tableâ€.
Loudoun Supervisors Eye Federal Funds For Park-And-Ride Lots
Leesburg Today, March 26, 2014
Supervisors expressed some concerns that accepting federal money for park-and-ride lots might expose the projects to federal regulations, with specific concern given to a potential requirement of a project labor agreement since Virginia is a right-to-work state.
Labor Lawyers Predict NLRB Fumble on Football Decision
The National Law Journal, March 27, 2014
Labor lawyers are skeptical that a decision by a National Labor Relations Board official in Chicago giving football players at Northwestern University a green light to unionize would survive judicial scrutiny.
Missouri unions rally against right-to-work bill
Lake News Online, March 28, 2014
Burlison’s right-to-work bill is currently on the House debate calendar and, if passed, would require voter approval in August. That proposal stipulates that any labor contract requiring employees to join a labor organization or pay union fees would have no legal effect.
Boeing offers scant info on which engineers will lose jobs
Seattle Times, March 27, 2014
About 2,000 Boeing engineers and technical staff have been in limbo since before Christmas, when management abruptly announced that about half of them will likely lose their jobs as work is moved to Alabama, South Carolina and Missouri.
Walter Mead On Public Pensions And Municipal Bankruptcies
Real Clear Politics, March 25, 2014
Mead: There’s some public outcry. But, unfortunately there’s a kind of a conspiracy between government officials, politicians, and union leaders often. The deal is this: Union leader wants to show the union members, hey belonging to the union is a good thing, I get you benefits. You get more with me than you’d get on your own. So I go into the negotiations with management of the city or the state government and I come back so you’ll say, “wow he’s a great union leader, I don’t begrudge him a penny of his salary because this union is working for me.†Well here’s the problem: If you’re asking for a big raise for members this year, the politicians have to pay it this year. And that means they have to tax the voters, voters don’t like to be taxed to pay for your raise, or they got to cut spending on something else to get the money, well voters don’t like it when politicians cut spending on their favorite programs.