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Home Archives for Mike Antonucci

3/4/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

“Union in Practice” vs. “Union in Theory” Highlights Card Check Danger

Update: Face The State has more, including Colorado WINS' rude treatment of state representative Amy Stephens. As teased last night to our handful of Blog Talk Radio listeners... If I try to come up with something witty, you can leave it to Mike Antonucci of the Education Intelligence Agency to come up with something even wittier. A few days ago I brought your attention to the most recent exploits of Dave Ohmart and his Colorado Loses, a vocal minority of state employees opposed to Governor Bill Ritter's gold-plated invitation to unionize their workplaces. Apparently, Dave wasn't greeted so kindly by union organizer Ryan when he decided to tag along for last week's Colorado WINS union event at the State Capitol featuring Ritter as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, General, Labor, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Bill Ritter, Blog Talk Radio, card-check, Colorado, Colorado Loses, Colorado WINS, Dave Ohmart, Democrats, Education Intelligence Agency, Governor, Mike Antonucci, practice, rally, recent exploits, State Capitol, state employees, theory, unionize, vocal minority, wittier, witty, workplaces

10/28/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

NEA’s Spending Habits Once Again Show Education as a Low Priority

The Wall Street Journal reports:Here's a pop quiz: Who's donated the most money to an effort in California to defeat Proposition 8, an initiative on the November 4 ballot that would define marriage as between a man and a woman in the state? A) Gay-advocacy organizations B) Civil-rights groups C) The California Teachers Association If you guessed "C," you understand the nature of modern liberal politics. And if you didn't, perhaps you're wondering what exactly gay marriage has to do with K-12 public education. The high school dropout rate is 1-in-4 in California and 1-in-3 in the Los Angeles public school system, odds that worsen considerably among black and Hispanic children. So you might think the CTA, the state's largest … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Education, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: abortion, agency fees, Big Labor coalition, black children, California, California Teachers Association, civil rights groups, clout, Colorado, dropout rate, Education, gay advocacy organizations, Hispanic children, initiative, Los Angeles, marriage, members, Mike Antonucci, modern liberal politics, National Education Association, No on Proposition 8 campaign, parental notificationk, Proposition 4, Proposition 8, public image, public school system, socially liberal agenda, teachers union, unemancipated minors, Wall Street Journal

8/18/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Union Members and Fee Payers Foot Bill for Leaders’ DNC Invesco Suites

From Bloomberg.com (H/T Mike Antonucci):Seven unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have stepped in to help pay for the Democratic National Convention in Denver after the host committee announced in June it was $10 million short of its fundraising goals. The host committee, as a private organization, can accept unlimited corporate, union and individual contributions. And while presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee are refusing contributions from registered lobbyists, the ban doesn't apply to the convention. Mike Antonucci also cites a Los Angeles Times piece that indicates donors can get "stadium skyboxes" to watch the Obamessiah's big … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, Labor, National Politics, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: agency fees, American Federation of Teachers, Barack Obama, Bloomberg, Democratic National Committee, Democratic National Convention, Democrats, Denver, executive suites, fatcat, fundraising, host committee, Invesco Field, labor bosses, labor unions, Los Angeles Times, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Obamessiah, registered lobbyists, stadium skyboxes, teacher unions, union members

8/14/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Barack Obama and the Challenging Politics of Merit Pay: Denver Edition

Just wanted to bring your attention to a great new piece by Hannah Sternberg at The Weekly Standard on the politics of merit pay, a topic all too near to my heart. Most of the article explores a proposal by the reform-minded chancellor of Washington, D.C. Public Schools - Michelle Rhee - and how it's being received in this dysfunctional, bureaucratic education system. But the article also takes a peek at events surrounding Denver's groundbreaking ProComp teacher pay program, including a mention of the recent tensions that have resulted in strike threats. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, bureaucratic, contract negotiations, D.C. Public Schools, Democratic Party, Denver, dysfunctional, education reform, Hannah Sternberg, John McCain, labor interests, merit pay, Michelle Rhee, Mike Antonucci, performance-based compensation, politics, presidential nominee, ProComp, Rocky Mountain News, teacher pay, teacher quality, teacher strike, teachers unions, The Weekly Standard

8/12/2008 By Ben 3 Comments

It’s Official: Colorado Government 100% Unionized, Thanks to Bill Ritter

It's not often I break news on this site, but just remember it was reported here first: As of today, the entirety of Colorado state government is officially unionized. Previously, the "Colorado WINS" union coalition won the right to represent six of eight occupational groups in state government - despite being outvoted by the "don't give a crap" coalition. While political junkies in Colorado await the results of candidate primary campaigns, results from mail-in ballot elections for the final two occupational groups of Colorado state government were counted and tabulated today. Via an email from the state labor department, here are the results (which should be posted here shortly):Financial Services Group: Colorado WINS was successful in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Bill Ritter, Colorado Department of Labor, Colorado Loses, Colorado state government, Colorado WINS, don't give a crap, exclusive representative, Financial Services, mail-in ballots, Mike Antonucci, occupational groups, political junkies, primary election, Professional Services, Unions

6/12/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

“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...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: agency fees, Backroom Bill Ritter, Bill Ritter, Collective Bargaining, Colorado taxpayers, Colorado WINS, Denver Post, don't give a crap, election, Executive Order, government services, Intercepts, labor unions, Mike Antonucci, non-union workers, undemocratic, union petition cards, union representation, unionization

5/27/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Education, General, Labor Tagged With: banking transactions, convenience, credit card transactions, Education Intelligence Agency, Grand Rapids Education Association, Mike Antonucci, paperwork, payroll dues deduction, teachers union

1/25/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Teachers Union Shows Colors against School Reform, Own Members

More appearing on the Net today regarding the Denver teachers union clamping down on a struggling school's quest for freedom - David Harsanyi's opinion piece for the Denver Post sees it as a "lesson in union power": Educational reform, union leaders often tell us, is the purview of teachers and administrators, not politicians. Teachers are the ones, the union says, who understand the special needs of students, parents and the unique neighborhoods they operate within. That's why listening to union president Kim Ursetta defending the DCTA's decision was an excruciating experience for all. Her answers were illogical and her position untenable. Let's keep in mind that a majority of Bruce Randolph teachers signed off on the school's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, Labor Tagged With: Bruce Randolph, David Harsanyi, Denver Classroom Teachers Association, education reform, iVoices, Mike Antonucci

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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

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  • The All-New Christmas Music Countdown: Bigger, Better and Brighter Than Ever
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