Posts tagged labor union
Former Local 98 President Brian Burrows Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Embezzlement of Union Funds, Filing False Government Reports, and Tax Fraud
June 28, 2024 // United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Brian Burrows, 64, of Mount Laurel, NJ, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to 48 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $135,689.11, an $1,800 special assessment, and restitution to be determined later, for crimes arising from his embezzlement of funds belonging to Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“Local 98”). Burrows had served as the President of Local 98 since 2008. The only person who held a higher office in the union was his codefendant, Business Manager John Dougherty.
SPLC’s Mass Layoff Aimed to Destroy Labor Union: Expert
June 18, 2024 // The SPLC announced in a statement that it made this “difficult but necessary decision” exclusively to better “strengthen our ability to advance a multiracial, inclusive democracy.” But the union and one of the foremost conservative experts on the organization say SPLC’s HR department may have wanted to crack down on the union. The list of employees let go this week included five union activists and the union chair, according to the union. SPLC brass “seems particularly to have targeted union members,” said Tyler O’Neil, managing editor of The Daily Signal and author of the book, “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” on “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” Thursday. “Are they cracking down on the union?”
COMMENTARY The Dark Side of Big Labor: How SEIU Is Exploiting Border Crisis
June 7, 2024 // To encourage these green card holders to “take the brave step and become citizens,” SEIU announced in the email that it would work to naturalize immigrants ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election through the union’s annual Virtual U.S. Citizenship Workshop.
Op-ed: The Price of Bent Unions Is Red Unions
March 2, 2024 // It’s important to point out that the lesson of this pattern isn’t that corrupt unions are somehow “better” than their ideologically fanatical alternative. Every political activist, no matter how wrong on policy, deserves to have money that he or she voluntarily contributes to advocacy groups be used for the purposes for which it was contributed, rather than lining the leaders’ pockets. (Inclination to this sin does not distinguish by party or ideology, it must be said.)
Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse and Cinderella performers may unionize
February 20, 2024 // Labor organizers announced the campaign Tuesday, saying performers want better safety conditions and scheduling policies to help them keep the magic alive for visitors. While most of the more than 35,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California already have labor unions, about 1,700 performers in parades, character actors and support staff do not.
Say it again, Supremes: Forced union dues in government are illegal
October 27, 2023 // Alaska’s largest public sector union fought the new system in court. In May, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled for the union and ordered the state to revert to the old system. Now the US Supreme Court is being urged to weigh in. If the Alaska Supreme Court decision stands, Janus will have been neutered. So the state of Alaska, 11 other states, and eight public policy institutes are saying to the justices, in effect: “You made your decision. Now enforce it.” Public sector workers who choose to support a union must be free to do so. Employees who choose not to must be equally free. The Supreme Court said as much five years ago, but it needs to say so again.
Three California State University unions reach labor agreements. What raises did they win?
October 13, 2023 // Starting Oct. 1, 2025, the union would move to a new 20-step merit system where salaries are determined based on the years of service an employee has completed. Each step up comes with a 2% raise. CSUEU staff indicated that each employee’s raise in the third year would vary greatly depending on how far behind their salary step they currently are. “This tentative agreement establishes an equitable salary structure with steps, which will help address the University’s recruitment and retention crisis,” wrote Catherine Hutchinson, CSUEU president, in a statement Thursday afternoon. “Pending ratification, we believe this agreement raises the bar and paves the way for our other union siblings across the system.”
California lawmakers to let legislative staffers unionize
September 22, 2023 // “Unionizing staffers in legislative offices makes no sense because it creates more problems than it solves,” says Brigette Herbst, senior organizing director for AFFT and a former state legislative staffer. “How does unionization work with the long and unpredictable hours during a legislative session? How will elected officials handle untrustworthy staffers? Union organizers haven’t answered these important questions.” Herbst also raised concerns about unions’ connection to lobbying. Legislative staff often meet with lobbyists (including union lobbyists) on behalf of the lawmakers they work for, and Herbst believes that could result in an unfair allocation of state resources.
Analysis: Workers have more bargaining power amid changing labor landscape | Tatiana Bailey
September 12, 2023 // And here’s the monkey wrench. Some of these worker asks are related to disruptive technological changes like artificial intelligence, better known as AI, and alternative energy. For example, Hollywood writers don’t want entertainment companies to use AI to write scripts. Auto workers are worried about their job security because of electric vehicles. Unionized workers, in particular, are trying to secure a bigger piece of the pie as it relates to corporate executive pay, but they are also trying to secure their place in a world that is likely shifting to fewer workers and more technology. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Commentary: Public Employees Opt Out of Their Union as Soon as They Know They Can
June 15, 2023 // To the surprise of no one — including, almost certainly, the unions themselves — the results of the media blitz simply confirmed what the Freedom Foundation has known since even before Janus. When public employees know their rights and have confidence that someone has their back, they opt out.