Posts tagged Covid
Op-ed: Expect the Same Familiar Lies From Randi Weingarten on Capitol Hill Today
April 26, 2023 // In July 2020, Weingarten vehemently opposed allowing students to learn in person, even threatening a strike if her demands weren’t met. “(N)othing is off the table,” she said. And she meant it. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) proudly announced it would not reopen unless certain conditions were met. These included the closure of privately operated, publicly funded charter schools; defunding law enforcement; adoption of a government-run Medicare-for-all healthcare system; implementation of a statewide wealth tax; construction of fully-funded housing for the state’s homeless population; and, increased financial support for the children of illegal aliens. Predictably, none of the conditions had anything to do with educating students and everything to do with pushing UTLA’s radical, leftwing agenda.
Mackinac Center Sues UAW for Fake Union Scheme
April 24, 2023 // Shake is now retired, but over several years, he paid more than $7,500 in “dues” to this mysterious local. Other employees of the UAW were also forced to contribute funds, so the total amount the UAW may have stolen and defrauded its so-called members remains unknown. By taking this issue to the courts, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation hopes to shed light beneath the corrupt underbelly of the UAW’s schemes and further prevent other employees from experiencing similar abuse. This case is currently frozen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The biggest federal employee union expands its international presence
April 20, 2023 // Some 10,000 federal employees working in Europe will soon be eligible for the American Federation of Government Employees. AFGE has launched a new local, as it expands coverage. Tom Temin And what are the timelines and schedules here? When does this election take place? When does it get certified? And how long will this all take? Peter Winch Well, we would hope to file for an election Defense Health Agency continent-wide. And we have a new logo, which is based on our U.S. logo with the map of Europe. And we have a new card for people to fill out if they want to have an election at their workplace. And if they contact AFGE, and we’re getting a lot of contacts, they can join by what we call E-dues. So I work for District 14, we have Local 14 and the dues are $14. If you’re an at large member, and if we succeed in these elections, it’ll be $20 and you get all the benefits of membership then.
Teachers union chief hires seasoned lawyer ahead of Hill testimony
April 20, 2023 // Randi Weingarten is lawyering up. The American Federation of Teachers president has retained a top white-collar defense attorney ahead of her scheduled testimony on school closures during the height of the Covid-19 crisis to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic next week. Weingarten is taking a swipe at the panel’s Republicans ahead of an all-but-assured grilling from conservatives looking to probe the union’s alleged influence over federal disease-mitigation guidelines the GOP blames for closing schools.
Hollywood writers vote on whether to give negotiators power to call strike
April 17, 2023 // The strike authorization vote is meant to turn up the heat on companies such as Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and convince them to raise the pay for writers, who say their compensation has suffered because of the streaming revolution, which resulted in shorter TV seasons and smaller residual payments.
Biden Doubles Down on California Blundering With Julie Su Nomination
April 17, 2023 // In California, Su was secretary for the Labor and Workforce Development where she oversaw the Employment Development Department with deals involving unemployment insurance claims. She did not shine in this role, as even members of her own party will point out. California Democratic Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris of Laguna Beach, for instance, said that Su “has not done a good job at running the Employment Development Department and, as a result, has wasted billions of dollars and, more importantly, caused heartache for millions of Californians.” A report for the California Business & Industrial Alliance (CBIA) pointed out that a state auditor had “urged EDD to address its mailing system after millions of Social Security Numbers were included in a mailing sent to wrong addresses.” Unfortunately, “Under Su, the EDD did not prioritize addressing the auditor’s recommendation,” and thus when the COVID shutdowns happened, the system was dysfunctional and trust in her leadership was compromised. Su herself eventually admitted the department was “woefully unprepared” to handle those claims.
Public-Sector Hiring Boomed Post-COVID. Union Membership Nationwide Did Not
April 17, 2023 // Federal, state & local governments added 685,000 total jobs in 2022, with a gain of 83,000 union members. But outside of California, membership fell
White House tells agencies to strike a balance between telework, in-office work
April 14, 2023 // “Today, the public is often dissatisfied with government services when compared against the private sector,” OMB said. “Agencies must ensure that all services, including public facing services, continue to meet and exceed customer expectations and needs.” Federal telework policy is up to each agency and based on individual situations. Agencies have the discretion to allow telework depending on their mission and business needs. The new guidance from the White House gained some early pushback. Federal unions and agency chief human capital officers were reportedly left out of the process of putting together the OMB memo.
Urban Ore workers win vote to unionize, but salvage store’s owners may fight on
April 12, 2023 // It’s currently a guaranteed base wage of $13.16 per hour, according to Giammarinaro, plus a fluctuating income-sharing portion. Workers now get 15% of the store’s profits, split based on the number of workers and the hours worked. Knapp raised that percentage from 10% earlier this year and said he also provides health care benefits and twice-yearly bonuses. “Having the incentive fluctuate is a big reason we’ve been able to build the company to be as large and capable as it is,” Knapp said. Giammarinaro says his total pay ranges between $19 and $22 per hour, depending on the week. He said he makes less when customers stay home during rainy weather. Workers say wage fluctuation makes financial planning difficult and isn’t fair. “By creating the incentive structure this way, it shares the risk with us, but very little of the reward of being a true owner,” Giammarinaro said.
British Columbia Just Gave Us More Proof: Card Check Helps Union Efforts
April 11, 2023 // Making it easier to join a union through a “card check” model is therefore a central plank in many labor-law reform agendas. It’s a key proposal in the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, as it was in the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) of 2009. This “single step” process allows workers to more easily form unions when a majority have signed cards. Without the additional requirement of a mandatory vote, employers have less time to intimidate workers and squash organizing drives. At one time, card check was common in many Canadian provinces, but right-wing provincial governments had largely put an end to it by the late 1990s.