In an Investor’s Business Daily op-ed this week, National Right to Work President Mark Mix exposes the collusion between United Auto Workers (UAW) union chiefs and General Motors (GM) management to secure yet another taxpayer bailout: …GM leaders…
In an Investor’s Business Daily op-ed this week, National Right to Work President Mark Mix exposes the collusion between United Auto Workers (UAW) union chiefs and General Motors (GM) management to secure yet another taxpayer bailout: …GM leaders…
White House Federal-Contract Policy Rewards Big Labor Patrons (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) Union-free construction workers, their employers, and taxpayers were all dealt fresh blows last month as President Barack Obama's Administration implemented an executive order promoting union-only "project labor agreements" (PLAs) on federally funded public works. On April 13, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council published a "final rule" implementing Executive Order 13502, issued by the President in February 2009. "E.O.13502 itself and the final rule both pressure federal agencies to acquiesce to PLAs on all large public works," said National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix. "Experience indicates federal bureaucrats will not resist." "That means, until further notice, to participate in public works using $25 million or more in federal funds, nonunion companies will have to consent to impose union monopoly bargaining on their employees and hire new workers through discriminatory union hiring halls. "Independent workers who already have their own retirement funds will nevertheless be forced to contribute to Big Labor-manipulated pension funds. "Rather than compromise the freedom of their employees and the efficiency of their operations, most independent construction firms will, in all probability, simply refuse to submit bids on federal projects. "And sharply reducing the number of bidders will surely jack up taxpayers' bills. The nonpartisan, Boston-based Beacon Hill Institute estimates that construction costs will be inflated by at least 12% to 18% on every project that uses a PLA as a result of E.O.13502." Administration Knows PLAs Will Surely Reduce Number Of Bidders on Public Works "The Obama Administration knows full well that its pro-PLA policy is extremely likely to reduce the number of bidders on public works," Mr. Mix continued.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bill Would Herd Now-Independent 'First Responders' Into Unions (Source: May 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has sent out an unmistakable signal that he is dead set on pushing through a bill that would undermine state Right to Work laws and soak state and local taxpayers for billions of dollars in additional goverment costs. On April 12, Mr. Reid reintroduced as S.3194 the Police/Fire Monopoly-Bargaining Bill, which was already pending in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee as S.1611. Mr. Reid's clear purpose in carrying out this tactical maneuver was to make it possible for him to bring up this federal government union power grab for a Senate floor vote at any time, with as little as 48 hours public notice and with no HELP Committee action whatsoever in advance. Harry Reid and his cohorts cynically mislabel their legislation, also introduced in the U.S. House as H.R.413 by union-label Congressman Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), as the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act." States' Bitter Experiences Illustrate Dangers of Harry Reid's Scheme But that moniker has nothing to do with reality. S.3194/H.R.413 would institute a federal mandate foisting union "exclusive representation" (monopoly bargaining) on state and local police, firefighters, and other public-safety employees nationwide. Reid-Kildee would force countless policemen, firefighters and EMT's to accept as their monopoly-bargaining agent a union they never asked for or voted for, and want nothing to do with.
Right to Work Activists Will Now Be Able to Do More, Faster (Source: April 2010 NRTWC Newsletter) A new weapon in the war against forced unionism was introduced early last month, as National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix made the Committee's new web site available to Internet users around the world. The Committee web site -- still accessible at www.NRTWC.org -- now features a new Legislative Action Center (LAC). Committee members and supporters are already using the LAC not just to track federal and state Right to Work-related legislation, but also to contact state and federal legislators through the site and contact their local media and send letters to the editor and other comments. Right to Work activists are also using the LAC to get locations and times for town hall meetings with their elected officials. Complete Information Can Make Right to Work Members Even More Effective "The LAC is a valuable tool for promotion of the freedom of choice for the individual working man and woman," explained Mr. Mix. "Until now, the Committee web site has helped build public awareness about the Right to Work issue, and specifically about the damage wrought by federal and state laws that authorize and promote union monopoly bargaining and forced union dues. "The Committee is now launching the LAC to enable Right to Work supporters to do more, faster when they engage in grass-roots lobbying against forced-unionism laws and legislation."