Posts tagged payroll
Boilermakers sue ex-president, demand he repay union nearly $500,000 he ‘misused’
August 3, 2025 // The Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers is suing the president it ousted two years ago, demanding that Newton Jones pay back nearly $500,000 of union money it says he misused. Filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the lawsuit says Jones has ignored the union’s order to reimburse the money he’s accused of taking.
Commentary: Labor Strife Looms Over MLB Opening Day
March 26, 2025 // But even if the big-payroll teams strike out and midmarkets dominate the playoffs, owners are still going to seek a salary cap. A ceiling on their payroll expenses would boost the value of their teams, probably even the ones in major markets. Clark said in 2023 the union is "never going to agree to a cap," and there's no reason to think he or the players have changed their minds.
Opting Out: Public Employees Speak Out
March 3, 2025 // Not only did the deductions continue after her promotion, but she also discovered that she was now being charged for contributions to SEIU 503’s political action committee (PAC) —something she never agreed to. At this point, it was no longer just about the money; it was about principle. She had explicitly opted out, but SEIU 503 ignored her request, gave her false information and then enrolled her in additional dues categories without her permission. To make matters worse, when she contacted her payroll department for help, they told her it wasn’t their problem and directed her back to SEIU 503 — without even providing contact information.
CHICAGO SCHOOL SPENDING NEARLY DOUBLES AS SCORES DROP
July 16, 2024 // Still, CTU seems oblivious as it pushes $1.7 billion in demands for new support staff that will give them more union members – part of at least $10.2 billion in new demands – rather than prioritizing students’ outcomes. This, in a school district that just cut enough to close a $500 million deficit. Expect that deficit to reappear with a vengeance if CTU gets even a fraction of its demands. Expect taxpayers to eventually pay for that deficit.
A major Burger King franchisee in California says he can’t roll out order kiosks fast enough due to the state’s new $20 fast-food minimum wage
April 19, 2024 // "We can't move fast enough on this," Harsh Ghai told Business Insider in an interview in early April. "We have kiosks in probably about 25% of our restaurants today," he said. "However, the other 75% are going to have kiosks in the next probably 30 to 60 days." Ghai said he owns 180 fast-food restaurants in California, including about 140 Burger King locations and numerous Taco Bell and Popeyes restaurants. Ghai said that he was the largest Burger King franchisee on the West Coast, though BI was unable to independently verify this. "We are installing kiosks in every single restaurant," he said.
Commentary: JOHN STOSSEL: Unions Wanted To Help Freelance Workers. Now They Lost Their Jobs
April 17, 2024 // Vox called the law “a big win for workers everywhere.” Ha! A few months later, Vox media layed off hundreds of freelancers. “They expected that all these companies were going to reclassify independent contractors as employees,” freelance musician Ari Herstand told me. “In reality, they’re just letting them go!” Herstand was dismayed to learn that when he wants other musicians to join him, he could no longer just write them a check. “I have to put that drummer on payroll, W2 him, get workers’ comp insurance, unemployment insurance, payroll taxes!” he complains. “I have to hire a payroll company.”
Did AFT Actually Add 30,000 New Members This Past Year? Well, Not Really
October 18, 2023 // In 2023, the union added more than 11,500 retired members, accounting for almost two-fifths of the reported gain in total membership. It now has 471,582 retired members — 27.5% of its total. The other major event for AFT in the fiscal year was the affiliation of the American Association of University Professors. The AAUP has 44,000 members. Previously, about 20,000 AAUP members also belonged to AFT. Now, they all do, accounting for a further increase of 24,000 members to AFT’s total this year. Mergers and new affiliations with existing unions are a fun way to pump up raw membership totals, but they do nothing to increase the share of the overall workforce that is unionized.
Former president of Wilmington construction company pleads guilty to payroll scheme
September 12, 2023 // Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s office said Frank Loconte, 62, of Beverly, defrauded union workers of more than $1 million of overtime work and the IRS of more than $3 million by not making the required payroll tax and union dues withholdings and payments. Documents filed in federal court state Loconte used the funds for personal expenses, including vehicles, household improvements, golf club memberships, and personal property taxes for houses in Beverly, Ipswich and Andover, as well as Naples, Florida. Loconte, who served as the president of NER from 2009 to 2022, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to mail fraud and failing to pay taxes, which are charges that carry a combined sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Prince William supervisors start in on collective bargaining policy draft
May 31, 2022 // Supervisors Kenny Boddye, D- Occoquan, and Margaret Franklin, D-Woodbridge, took issue with the proposed requirement that certification would require a vote total of more than 50% of employees in the bargaining unit rather than a majority of those who actually vote. “It’s an undemocratic process if a bunch of people don’t vote and they’re counted as an automatic no,” Boddye said.