NILRR Weekly News Clips June 03 2014


High Court Has Long Admitted Compulsory Payments to Government Unions May ‘Interfere . . . With an Employee’s Freedom to Associate’

On May 29, 2014, in News Clips, by Stan Greer

There are many problems with rabidly pro-forced unionism California labor studies professor John Logan’s attack op-ed, published by The Hill today, against the plaintiffs and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys who have represented them in Harris v. Quinn, a case the U.S. Supreme Court will almost certainly […]

School Bus Drivers File Federal Suit Against District and Local Union for Rights Violations

NRTW.org, May 29, 2014

The five Little Rock-area bus drivers filed the federal suit with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.

Powerful employee union in North Carolina to admit student athletes for the first time

campusreform.org, May 29, 014

The State Employees Association of North Carolina’s (SEANC) invitation to student athletes is the first of its kind and comes on the heels of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling last month which opened the door for students to unionize and demand greater benefits and possibly pay.

5 Things to Know About Growth in U.S. Factory Jobs

Wall Street Journal Online, May 29, 2014

States that have laws that allow workers in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying union dues–so-called right-to-work laws–have fewer factory workers than states that don’t have such laws, but they are gaining such workers at a faster rate. In the 22 states with right-to-work laws that predate 2009, the number of manufacturing jobs grew by 3.8% from September 2009 to September 2013, the Journal analysis shows. The 26 states that haven’t enacted such laws saw manufacturing-job growth of 1.8%. The most recent additions to the right-to-work states are Indiana and Michigan, where statutes took effect in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The analysis shows that manufacturing employees in states whose right-to-work laws predate 2009 were paid, on average, 87% of what their counterparts in states that haven’t passed right-to-work laws earned from 2009 through the third quarter of 2013.

Enabling one-sided unionism

Pittsburgh Tribune, May 23, 2014

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the principal federal law regulating employee-employer relations in America’s private sector, purports to uphold the right to “form, join or assist labor organizations†and also “the right to refrain from†forming, joining or assisting such organizations. But the NLRA fails utterly to give equal protection to workers who don’t want a union.

Weinstein rails against Local 98’s ‘desperate … focus on Northwest Philly’

Newsworks.org, May 27, 2014

What began as occasional picketing at the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy by IBEW Local 98 members over the use of non-union labor at another project of diner owner Ken Weinstein has intensified into protests and what he deemed as harassment from Monday through Friday.

Fight At Big Calif. Grower Tests Workplace Democracy

Mint Press News Online, May 26, 2014

In October 2012, the UFW notified Gerawan that it was ready to bargain again over a contract even though, according to the company, 98 percent of current employees weren’t even around at the time the union was certified.

Parliamentary move stalls collective bargaining ordinance

Journal -Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN Mary 27, 2014

But a last-minute parliamentary move by member John Shoaff, D-at large, automatically puts the measure on hold for two weeks and prevents it from having any legal force until then. The move also pushes back a vote to override a mayoral veto until June 24.

While Vets Wait, VA Employees do Union Work

National Review Online, May 29, 2014

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid at least $11.4 million to 174 nurses, mental-health specialists, therapists, and other health-care professionals who, instead of caring for veterans, worked full-time doing union business.

Reeder: Lawmakers should set out to make Illinois a right-to-work state

Morris Daily Herald Online, May 27, 2014

Thirty-one years ago, I gave a speech to my high school rhetoric class on how Illinois ought to become a right-to-work state.

New Costs From Health Law Snarl Union Contract Talks

Wall Street Journal Online, May 26, 2014

Unions and employers are tussling over who will pick up the tab for new mandates, such as coverage for dependent children to age 26, as well as future costs, such as a tax on premium health plans starting in 2018. The question is poised to become a significant point of tension as tens of thousands of labor contracts covering millions of workers expire in the next several years, with ACA-related cost increases ranging from 5% to 12.5% in current talks.

Phoenix ends pension spiking for police officers, firefighters

Arizona Republic Online, May 27, 2014

Phoenix’s new contracts with its employee unions will end the controversial practice of pension spiking for police officers and firefighters and cap it for other city workers, saving taxpayers an estimated $233 million over 25 years, according to a city report.

Rauner: Make Illinois Competitive With Its Neighbors

Globest.com, May 30, 2014

Under the leadership of Daniels and Snyder, Indiana and Michigan became the 23rd and 24th states in the US to pass right-to-work laws. However, Rauner added that he did not support a similar effort in Illinois. Instead, he believes right-to-work zones should allow local communities to make these decisions. Rauner would also consider using a superstar team of business leaders to chart a better course for the state.

“Right to work†and “employment at willâ€

Lexology.com, May 21, 2013

I wish I had $5 for every time I hear an employer say, “Florida is a right-to-work state, so doesn’t that mean I can terminate an employee for any reason?†Well, sort of, but you have confused the concepts of “right to work†and “at will†employment.

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