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Home Archives for union members

5/30/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Union LIAR Ready to Suck Money from Workers to Attack Bill Ritter?

Sound the alarm on Bill Ritter's re-election chances. Hard-core Democrats are swearing they're going to abandon ship, at least if you take the Dead Governors at their word. But really, Ritter's sagging popularity is not exactly newsworthy for those who have been paying attention the past couple months or so. The real reason I gave a link to Colorado Pols was the unintentional humor behind a new union political group aimed at challenging (or at least threatening) Colorado's incumbent Democratic governor:A group calling itself Labor Initiatives Against Ritter - or LIAR - has filed the paperwork needed with the Internal Revenue Service to begin raising money for political purposes. Mark Johnson, an International Brotherhood of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, liberty, PPC Tagged With: abandon ship, agency fees, agent, alarm, area, Bill Ritter, certainty, challenging, chances, Colorado, Colorado Pols, Colorado Springs, Dead Governors, Democrats, filed, greater, hard-core, hard-earned money, Humor, Internal Revenue Service, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Labor Initiatives Against Ritter, LIAR, link, Mark Johnson, member, money, newsworthy, paperwork, paying attention, plans, political group, political purposes, popularity, portion, re-election, really, Reason, sagging, sound, swearing, Trust us, unintentional, union, union goons, union members, word, workers

11/1/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Amendment 47 Poster Child Living High off Workers’ Dues

Face The State reports on the poster child for Amendment 47:Ernest Duran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, paid himself and two of his children combined salaries of over $430,000 in 2007. Duran collected a salary of $162,368 for 2007, according to records with the U.S. Department of Labor. Two of Duran's children also work for the UFCW Local 7. His daughter Crisanta Duran, an associate counsel, pulled in $133,410 in 2007. His son, Ernie Duran, III, earned $134,378 in 2007 as an executive staffer. According to Salary.com, a Denver-area grocery cashier can earn about $24,377 annually, an assistant manager at the same store earns approximately $48,950, and a store manager earns about $66,800 a year. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: agency-fee payers, Amendment 47, anti-47 campaign, assistant manager, associate counsel, Craig Daily Press, Crisanta Duran, Dominic Brazzale, doomed, dues, earnings, Ernest Duran, Ernie Duran, executive staffer, Face the State, grocery cashier, law-breaking, polls, poster child, right-to-work, Safeway, salary, Salary.com, six-figure salary, store manager, Tuesday, U.S. Department of Labor, UFCW attorney, unexpected miracle, union contract, union members, union official, United Food and Commercial Workers, workers' voice, writer

10/4/2008 By Ben 4 Comments

Backroom Deal Sheds Light on Colorado Labor Union Leader Priorities

Much ado has been made out of the 11th-hour deal that pulled four labor union-sponsored initiatives from the Colorado ballot. As opined by the editors of the Rocky Mountain News:On Thursday, labor peace was restored in Colorado. At least until the 2009 legislature convenes. The announcement that two labor-backed groups would remove Amendments 53, 55, 56 and 57 from the November ballot - and in return business groups would fund a joint business-labor campaign to defeat Amendments 47, 49 and 54 - is a positive development. The state's economic health was in the crosshairs of the labor measures, a couple of which probably had a good shot at passage. There's no doubt that the "economic health" and well-being of Colorado families and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: "bread-and-butter" initiatives, 11th-hour, Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 53, Amendment 54, Amendment 55, Amendment 56, Amendment 57, business groups, business-labor deal, coercive, coffers, Colorado ballot, Colorado businesses, Colorado families, Colorado voters, cynical ploy, dues collection, economic health, editors, fees, fool, government payroll systems, labor peace, negotiating chips, non-negotiable, November ballot, political extortion, priorities, rhetoric, Rocky Mountain News, smoke-filled backroom, special interests, union leaders, union members, welfare, workers, working class

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

8/16/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Amendment 49 Better Version of Idaho Clean Government Law

The latest edition of Budget & Tax News highlights an important case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court about a clean elections law from Idaho:In 2003, the Idaho Legislature passed the Voluntary Contributions Act, which banned the collection of political contributions through government payroll systems throughout the state. Nothing in the law prohibits union members from contributing to candidates by choice, and nothing in it prohibits unions from engaging in politics. Policy experts view the law favorably. Noted Ben DeGrow, an education analyst with the Independence Institute, "Governments should be focused on performing vital services for taxpayers, not on acting as a bill collector for private groups--especially groups that are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 49, Ben DeGrow, Budget & Tax News, clean government, Ethical Standards, government, Idaho, Independence Institute, lobbyists, payroll systems, policy experts, political candidates, Political contributions, special interests, U.S. Supreme Court, union members, Voluntary Contributions Act

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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

  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition
  • Sleep Deprivation and Parental Controls: How to Ensure Your Kids are Safe from Media Exposure
  • 8 Original Ways To Leverage Influencer Marketing
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