Posts tagged Freedom of Information Act
Rochester school district under fire over transparency
July 11, 2022 // “The FOIA contains objective standards for what can be obtained through FOIA, and what can be withheld,” Delie said. “The implication that a private actor is influencing that legal determination is unsettling to say the least. The district has an obligation to respond to FOIA requests as provided by law, regardless of the preferences of those who may be mentioned in a record.” Delie pointed to Michigan Compiled Laws 15.232, which defines what is a public record, as well as 15.243, which provides for exemptions in some circumstances. He says the union has no right to challenge the district’s decisions on how to comply with the law, and it should not be afforded a pseudo-vote on what should be disclosed. Andrew Weaver, Superintendent [Robert] Shaner & REA President Doug Hill, Doug Pratt, Debra Fragomeni, Elena Dinverno,
Op-ed: Small Business Administration should fight for entrepreneurs, not unions
June 24, 2022 // Nonetheless, a recent Freedom Foundation analysis of SBA’s PPP loan database identified 223 loans totaling $36.1 million made to labor unions and related organizations between March 2020 and March 2021 that, as mostly 501(c)(5) nonprofit groups, were not eligible to participate in the program. The recipient list included a dozen teachers unions and advocacy groups, such as the Michigan Education Association and the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, ironically among the fiercest champions of lockdown policies, the effects of which PPP funds were intended to alleviate. Alabama State Employees Association, Maryland Public Employees Council, Alaska AFL-CIO, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Isabel Guzman, Small Business Committee,
Firing Of 3 Town Employees For ‘Triple-Dipping’ During Pandemic Upheld
May 11, 2022 // It also is noted that each "blatantly" continued to file unemployment claims despite knowing they were not eligible, documents show. It was argued the three conspired: "There is one aspect of the conspiracy argument that is worthy of comment: the strikingly similar answers from all three Grievants at times, and the group amnesia at other times. The Arbitrators interest was piqued at the similar and non-committal testimony at times.
Flint Taxpayers Pay For Employees Doing Union Business, City Doesn’t Track How Much
March 28, 2022 // In states like Michigan that permit public sector workers to unionize and engage in collective bargaining, some government employees also become officers in those unions. Michigan permits these union officer/public employees to use a specified amount of their hours on the job to do union work, rather than the job they were hired to do. This practice is called “union release time.”
Report: Unions Collected Millions in Federal COVID Relief They Weren’t Eligible for While Cheerleading Lockdowns
March 2, 2022 // And, to top it off, a recent Freedom Foundation report documents how as many as 226 forgivable loans totaling $36.7 million were provided to labor unions and related organizations that were apparently ineligible for the funds.
Labor Unions Received $36.7M in PPP Loan Fraud
February 3, 2022 // Labor unions that were deemed ineligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) received $36.7 million in fraudulent loans, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Labor Unions Collected $37 Million in COVID Relief They Were Ineligible To Receive
February 2, 2022 // The Paycheck Protection Program launched in March 2020 to provide relief to small businesses and charities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But 226 labor unions that were ineligible for the program received $36.7 million in forgivable loans, according to a report provided exclusively to the Washington Free Beacon.