NILRR Weekly Newsclips February 21, 2014


A black and white image of an eagle with its wings spread.

Clock ticking for UAW to file objection in VW Chattanooga vote

Times Free Press Online, February 19, 2014

Raudabaugh, who does work for the anti-union National Right to Work Foundation, said if the board holds a hearing on an objection to the election, it could take months to resolve, he said.

“Should the board say ‘Yes,’ [and overturns the election result], they get another election,” he said.

Philadelphia’s Union ‘Thugs’ Indicted   

National Review Online, February 20, 2014

The National Right to Work Committee, (should be National Institute for Labor Relations Research) which counted those instances, estimates that for every union-related criminal incident that makes the papers, another 10 go unreported. By that count, Philadelphia has endured 45 incidents of union violence every year for almost four decades.

Anti-Union Vote at VW Plant a Case Study in Need for Secret Ballot

CNS News Online, February 19, 2014

It was a victory for the workers in Chattanooga because, you know, notwithstanding how the deck was stacked against them by both management and the UAW union officials, the workers got a chance to express themselves by secret ballot,” Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTW), told CNSNews.com.

Trio of California cases challenge big union power in Golden State

Fox News, February 17, 2014

Ken Hamidi, with help from the National Right to Work Foundation, filed the federal class-action complaint in which he argues that the union didn’t give members a fair chance in 2005 and 2006 to opt out of a special assessment that funded political activities.

Forced-Unionism States Were on Average 21% More Costly to Live in Than Right to Work States in 2013

nilll.org, February 20, 2014

The correlation between forced-unionism status and a higher cost of living is robust.  Not one of the 16 highest-cost states in 2013 has a Right to Work law.  But 11 of the 12 lowest-cost states have Right to Work laws.

Mob’s Hold on Unions Isn’t What It Used to Be

Wall Street Journal Online, February 18, 2014

Hanaway talks support for changing Missouri labor policy

Missourinet.com, February 19, 2014

The first GOP candidate in the 2016 race for Governor says she wants Missouri to become a right-to-work state.

“Right to Work†is what supporters call the policy that would bar the practice of making the payment of union dues a requisite of employment.

Catherine Hanaway says enacting such a policy would make Missouri more competitive.

Wisconsin SEIU’s message: Nice job you got there, be a shame if you lost it

Washington Examiner Online, February 19, 2014

But the new law includes a convenient way for contractors to avoid having to pay the living wage — they can agree to force their employees to join SEIU.

UAW Loss in Chattanooga a Repudiation of 1930s Unionism

Town Hall Online, February 21, 2014

But Chattanooga’s VW workers don’t seem to think they need the union to cooperate with the company. They’re already working together — and new hires make union-level wages.

The bottom line is that the 1930s adversarial union model has little appeal to workers today. And that few Americans want to head on the road to Detroit.

The ‘United Obama Workers’

Wall Street Journal Online, February 20, 2014

In 2012, the UAW contributed $1 .8 million to liberal groups including $1.2 million to the pro-Obama super PAC, Priorities USA; conservative outfits received zilch. The Center for Responsive Politics reported in October 2012 that “the biggest source of cash” from any single group for Priorities USA was the UAW’s Education Fund.

Losing Volkswagen Was Nothing Compared With Next UAW Fear

Forbes.com, February 19, 2014

The crushing defeat of the United Auto Workers in the vote at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee was a body shot to the union. But there’s actually an even more existential threat that looms as the UAW heads into crucial contract talks next  year with the Detroit Three automakers. And it’s called Michigan right-to-work.

Haley: Union Jobs Aren’t Welcome Here

WLTX.com, Feburary 20, 2014

Haley said Wednesday that she discourages companies from building new facilities in South Carolina if they are planning to bring a union with them.

How The NLRB Is Killing Manufacturing Jobs

Townhall.com, February 19, 2014

The United Auto Workers union may still be reeling from the devastating setback it suffered on Valentine’s Day when workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant voted against forming a union, but the head of Volkswagen’s ‘works council’ in Germany isn’t resting. Reuters reports:

This FBI Indictment Against 10 Union Workers Who Allegedly Torched a Church Reads Like Something Straight Out of a Movie

The Blaze Online, February 19, 2014

The 10 defendants had a network of co-conspirators who helped them sniff out construction jobs where the work was being done by non-union laborers, according to the indictment.

Business agents would then approach construction foremen at those sites and “imply or explicitly threaten violence, destruction of property or other criminal acts unless union members were hired,†it adds.

The scheme depended on the defendants’ alleged reputation for “violence and sabotage,†which was apparently established in the community a long time ago. Backed by fear of retribution, the defendants were able to strong arm contractors into hiring union members.

Our Editorial: Right to work for State Bar?

Detroit News Online, February 21, 2014

In Michigan, it’s mandatory for attorneys to join the Michigan Bar Association if they want to practice here. Yet some lawyers complain that their dues are used to push political agendas they don’t support.

A bill in the state Senate would address those concerns

Hurley Medical Center employee disturbed after union posts names of workers who declined to pay dues

Mlive.com, February 21, 2014

Kollin VanDenHeuvel, 22, of Flint said a sign posted Feb. 10 in the hospital’s cafeteria listed his name and the name of three others who had opted out of joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1603 union.

Exclusive: Union Says It Will Organize Airbus in Alabama, Try Again at Boeing

The Street, February 21, 2014

The nation’s top aerospace union said it isn’t put off by the UAW’s failure to organize Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tenn. It will seek to organize the planned Airbus plant in Alabama and it will also try again at the Boeing (BA_) plant in Charleston, S.C.

 

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