Why Is Big Labor 'Out of Touch' With Workers? Union Officials Making $150,000+ Tripled

Why Is Big Labor 'Out of Touch' With Workers? Union Officials Making $150,000+ Tripled

Forced-Unionism Privileges, Not Fat Paychecks, Are the Root Cause (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) Just between 2000 and 2008 (the last year with complete data), the number of union officials and union staff members "earning more than $100,000 a year" tripled. Over the same period, the number of officers and staff "earning more than $150,000 also tripled." The review of federal union disclosure forms to derive these data, which pointedly challenge the conventional wisdom about union finances today, was performed not by the National Right to Work Committee or by an anti-union pundit, but rather by New York City-based union activist Mark Brenner. Mr. Brenner published his findings in an article appearing in the March issue of Labor Notes, a publication that strongly supports forced unionism, but is independent of the union hierarchy. Data Indicate Unionized Workers' Job Losses Don't Deplete Union Treasuries The fact that the number of union officials and staff earning high salaries "has exploded in recent years," as Mr. Brenner has demonstrated, might surprise people who get their information on labor unions from major media. Many commentators on American labor unions have spun together a myth about declining union finances from what is truly bad news only for union-"represented" workers, who are typically forced to pay union dues or "agency" fees as a condition of employment.
Why Is Big Labor 'Out of Touch' With Workers? Union Officials Making $150,000+ Tripled

Why Is Big Labor 'Out of Touch' With Workers? Union Officials Making $150,000+ Tripled

Forced-Unionism Privileges, Not Fat Paychecks, Are the Root Cause (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) Just between 2000 and 2008 (the last year with complete data), the number of union officials and union staff members "earning more than $100,000 a year" tripled. Over the same period, the number of officers and staff "earning more than $150,000 also tripled." The review of federal union disclosure forms to derive these data, which pointedly challenge the conventional wisdom about union finances today, was performed not by the National Right to Work Committee or by an anti-union pundit, but rather by New York City-based union activist Mark Brenner. Mr. Brenner published his findings in an article appearing in the March issue of Labor Notes, a publication that strongly supports forced unionism, but is independent of the union hierarchy. Data Indicate Unionized Workers' Job Losses Don't Deplete Union Treasuries The fact that the number of union officials and staff earning high salaries "has exploded in recent years," as Mr. Brenner has demonstrated, might surprise people who get their information on labor unions from major media. Many commentators on American labor unions have spun together a myth about declining union finances from what is truly bad news only for union-"represented" workers, who are typically forced to pay union dues or "agency" fees as a condition of employment.
New Jersey's 'Day of Reckoning Has Arrived'

New Jersey's 'Day of Reckoning Has Arrived'

Government Union Monopolists Have Brought State to Brink of Ruin (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) From 1999 to 2009, according to the U.S. Labor Department, New Jersey's private-sector employment fell by 2.4%, a percentage decline seven times worse than the national average. Over the same period, New Jersey's state and local public employment jumped by a whopping 15.2%, substantially more than the hefty-enough nationwide increase of 12.5%. For most hard-working Garden State workers and employers, these statistics sum up why New Jersey is in even worse shape, economically, than the nation as a whole. For years, the state's heavily unionized public sector has been sucking resources and vitality out of beleaguered private-sector employees and businesses. But for government union officials, the relentless expansion of the Garden State's public-sector employment from 1999 to 2009, even as the state's private-sector employment alternately stagnated or shriveled, is a magnificent achievement that must be preserved and built upon, whatever the cost. During his successful campaign for the state's highest executive office and since he was inaugurated in January, GOP Gov. Chris Christie has sided with the vast majority of New Jerseyans who appreciate that state and local government must now be rolled back to give the private sector room to grow.
New Jersey's 'Day of Reckoning Has Arrived'

New Jersey's 'Day of Reckoning Has Arrived'

Government Union Monopolists Have Brought State to Brink of Ruin (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) From 1999 to 2009, according to the U.S. Labor Department, New Jersey's private-sector employment fell by 2.4%, a percentage decline seven times worse than the national average. Over the same period, New Jersey's state and local public employment jumped by a whopping 15.2%, substantially more than the hefty-enough nationwide increase of 12.5%. For most hard-working Garden State workers and employers, these statistics sum up why New Jersey is in even worse shape, economically, than the nation as a whole. For years, the state's heavily unionized public sector has been sucking resources and vitality out of beleaguered private-sector employees and businesses. But for government union officials, the relentless expansion of the Garden State's public-sector employment from 1999 to 2009, even as the state's private-sector employment alternately stagnated or shriveled, is a magnificent achievement that must be preserved and built upon, whatever the cost. During his successful campaign for the state's highest executive office and since he was inaugurated in January, GOP Gov. Chris Christie has sided with the vast majority of New Jerseyans who appreciate that state and local government must now be rolled back to give the private sector room to grow.