From the Denver Post's PoliticsWest:A heated labor disagreement over Denver's teacher contract appears to be heading into late August and could reach a boiling point during the Democratic National Convention, reports Jeremy P. Meyer. Teachers and the administration are at odds over changes to the district's compensation system. It's one of the issues that led union officials to warn teachers in their May newsletter to prepare for a strike. Mediation with a professional arbiter has been set for Aug. 20-22, ending the Friday before the Democrats arrive for the convention. This has the potential to be ugly. I will be keeping a close eye not only on the broader political ramifications but on what this potential clash could portend for … [Read more...]
Right-to-Work States Outpace Forced Union States in Economic Growth
A couple days ago I had the pleasure of pointing out the defects in Denver Post editorialist Bob Ewegen's arguments against Right-to-Work. I wrote:Even more telling than comparisons of static earnings are rates of growth. In both job growth and in overall economic growth, Right-to-Work states have performed better. I therefore found it interesting that another insightful blogger only last week posted an analysis of new economic growth data. Here's the chart Will Franklin produced showing just how much Right-to-Work states outperform states that allow union coercion: Combined with the other flaws in Bob Ewegen's argument, this interesting find only makes the case for Right-to-Work look even stronger. … [Read more...]
Bob Ewegen Uses Less Than Complete Facts to Attack Right-to-Work
In his weekend column, liberal Denver Post editorialist Bob Ewegen carried the water for Big Labor leaders who are working to undermine Colorado's Right-to-Work initiative. Once you move past his weak attempt at irony, you find problems with the facts he chose to use to make his case:If you're lucky enough to find a job at all, the only right the Coors plan gives you is the right to work for less. Quite a bit less, actually. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that an average worker in the 22 states with right-to-work laws earns about $7,131 a year less than workers in free bargaining states ($30,656 versus $37,787). Nationwide, union members earn $9,308 a year more than non-union workers, $41,652 versus $32,344. These facts … [Read more...]
“Don’t give a crap” WINS Bill Ritter’s State Employee Union Elections
Gov. Bill Ritter's November 2007 executive order at last has successfully completed the loop in unionizing state government in a very un-democratic fashion. Today's Denver Post reports:At least 22,500 secretaries, prison guards and other state employees will soon fall under a union contract following a vote tallied Wednesday, though the majority of eligible workers didn't cast a ballot.... About 6,900 state workers from a pool of 22,500 who were eligible participated in the election, which gave them a choice between Colorado WINS [editorial comment: "Big Labor WINS, Colorado LOSES"] or no union representation. Of those, 5,481 supported the union. That's right. Fewer than one-quarter of eligible state employees voted to be unionized. … [Read more...]
Fort Collins Rejects Government Union Advance, Local Dems Given a Pass
Good news from the north. Fort Collins voters have overwhelmingly rejected the costly and ill-advised proposal to mandate collective bargaining and binding arbitration on city employees. Unions are on the move - they have the ear of our Governor "Backroom" Bill Ritter - but the people have spoken out clearly against the expansion of public employee unionism. Meanwhile, a disturbing sidelight: a Fort Collins blogger points out that the local rag couldn't bother to report on a local Republican candidate's outspoken opposition to the measure:Do you mean to tell me that the Coloradoan doesn't believe it's important for the citizens of Fort Collins to know where their candidates stand on public-employee unions? (This is, after all, a major … [Read more...]
Closing the Loop on Labor Union Disclosure of Member Dues Money
Union members in Colorado and across the nation stand to gain from newly proposed federal rules that would provide a clearer picture of how union leaders are spending their hard-earned dues money. If you're a glutton for punishment, there's the official 103-page document with the new rules. For the rest of us, compliments of the Public Service Research Foundation, there is a layman's version of the new pro-worker rules:They require that unions specify the costs of benefits being provided to officers and employees. Under the present system the cost of benefits is only reported as one big lump sum. The new regulations will allow union members to see how much they are paying in benefits for each officer and employee. This will … [Read more...]
“Have you been waiting to give up your money…?”
From my friends at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation ... Wouldn't you like to see that during the break of your favorite television program? … [Read more...]
Rogue Denver Teacher Bloggers: Is It The Beginning of Something New?
Nowhere in Colorado is rank-and-file teacher dissent with the union so apparent as in the heart of Denver - for a multitude of reasons that cannot begin to be explored in this brief post. But an increasingly strained contract debate with the school board (Barack Obama alluded to it in his speech yesterday) - after the board offered a substantial raise as part of a progressive compensation system. Now a new splinter teachers group with an online presence has emerged in Denver (H/T Alan Gottlieb). It would be great to see these teachers continue posting on the blog they started. Interestingly, the local union president hasn't posted anything to her blog since this splinter group has emerged. The National Education Association, to which … [Read more...]
Grand Rapids School Board Pulls Plug on Union Payroll Deductions
I have family that live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. And when it comes to teachers unions, you might say my research interests and writings have not exactly put me very high on their Christmas card list. Take these two things together, and I found this story from last Friday rather interesting:In Grand Rapids, the school board today took a no-confidence vote in the leadership of the district's teachers union. The board also said it will no longer deduct and transmit dues for teachers' paychecks, effective May 30, the next pay period. Ladies and gentlemen, for the uninitiated, please understand that union leaders surely view this action by the Grand Rapids school board as equivalent to a nuclear weapon detonation. Ending automatic … [Read more...]
Denver Teacher Sick-Out … An Action Not Exactly “For the Children”
Some Denver schools are suffering today because unionized teachers organized a sickout, reports the Rocky Mountain News (H/T Complete Colorado):Not a single classroom teacher showed up for work today at Academia Ana Maria Sandoval in northwest Denver, forcing the principal to scramble to cover classrooms. All 16 classroom teachers plus a music teacher and the librarian called in sick, said Principal Debra Lucero Kraft. "I didn't have any warning," Kraft said. "I don't know what the goal is so I can't really speak to whether or not that accomplished their goal ... but certainly I'm not sure if leaving your students without a teacher is a way to address contract negotiations." Substitute teachers were found for all but five classes … [Read more...]
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