Archive for the 'Big Labor' Category

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Contact Your Legislators: Binding Arbitration Hearing on Wednesday

Posted on October 18, 2009 by The Ocean State Republican

sirenLegislation for Binding Arbitration and Extending teacher contracts to be heard:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
House Labor Committee
2:00 P.M. in Room 313
Click here for the text of House bill H5142
introduced by Rep. Al Gemma

Call House Labor Committee members and tell them to
VOTE NO TO BINDING ARBITRATION AND PERPETUAL CONTRACTS!

Rhode Island cities and towns are struggling to keep afloat in the current financial meltdown. Not only can this lead to even higher property taxes, but it also takes away the right of your elected school committee to determine this major expense in the school budget. You, the taxpayer will not have a say nor will there be accountability by individual arbitrators who make these fiscal decisions. ACT NOW TO STOP THIS UNION POWER GRAB.

E-mail or call members of the House Labor Committee: Continue reading ‘Contact Your Legislators: Binding Arbitration Hearing on Wednesday’

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Filed Under: Big Labor, Breaking News and RI General Assembly Closed

And So It Begins… Binding Arbitration

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Phil Hirons

From the ProJo http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/10/ri-legislative-committee-to-ho.html

Scheduled for the week before the full General Assembly returns for the first time since June, the House Labor Committee hearing has been scheduled for 2 p.m. in Room 313 of the State House.

The focus of the hearing will be a bill, introduced by Rep. Alfred A. Gemma, D-Warwick, on January 22.

Among the key provisions: “If no agreement is reached by midnight of the expiration of the existing contract … the parties shall submit a list of their respective unresolved issues to the mediator. If an agreement is not reached prior to the opening of school, teachers shall continue to work under the terms of the existing contract and…the parties shall then proceed to arbitration …

“The arbitration panel shall resolve separately each individual disputed issue by accepting the last best offer thereon of either of the parties…The decision shall be rendered within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the arbitration hearings.”

The House’s Democratic leaders have not said they are committed to passing a binding arbitration bill before the year is out. But given the strong push for the legislation by the teacher unions, they have evidently agreed to use the Gemma bill as a vehicle for a public discussion of the pros and cons.

I guess the revolution in East Providence was too successful for the NEA / AFT.  They have cried havoc and relased the legislators of war.

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Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Big Labor, Coming Events, Democrats, Education and RI General Assembly Closed

What is Organized Labor’s Incentive for “Going Green”?

Posted on October 12, 2009 by The Ocean State Republican

moneytreeLooking for help as they drown in a sea of political irrelevance, labor heavyweights like the Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, and the Service Employees International Union have reason to believe the Obama administration will throw them a green lifeline…

What is organized labor’s incentive for “going green”?

For unions, it seems a lot less about saving the planet than about saving (or at least enriching) themselves. With the federal government pledging to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on energy related projects, labor sees a chance to grab a significant portion of that money, as well as to ensure that future green energy manufacturing and other green collar employment are union jobs…

Read More: The American Spectator

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Filed Under: Big Labor, Commentary and Environment Closed

Gov. Carcieri Recommends Job-Saving Agreement

Posted on September 25, 2009 by The Ocean State Republican

gdcGovernor Explains Importance of Contract Language

Governor Carcieri today reiterated the significant need for the management flexibility language contained in the new job saving agreement with the public employee unions. Under the terms of the agreement, state employees and their families, would gain job security in exchange for more flexibility to transfer employees for purposes of reorganization, job elimination or consolidation of functions within the Executive Branch.

“Providing a no-layoff guarantee for two years in this tumultuous economic environment is something the unions asked for as part of the negotiations,” said Governor Carcieri. “I could not grant this request without the latitude to manage government in a responsible manner. It would be fiscally irresponsible to do otherwise. With declining state revenues, I need the flexibility to make meaningful employee transfers, reorganize functions, or consolidate functions of state government. A no-layoff guarantee is a significant concession on the Administration’s part and it requires an equally significant concession on the part of the unions.”

Gary Sasse, the Director of the Department of Administration added: “The language in question was carefully negotiated by both sides and was a part of the agreement all along. It took into consideration the impact of a worsening economy, the need to control personnel expenditures, and the desire for labor to protect their members’ jobs. With this language, the Administration will able to deploy our human resources effectively and efficiently without negatively impacting services or requiring additional layoffs.”

“This language was always was negotiated in good faith. This agreement always included this trade off. The no layoff guarantee and the management flexibility are inextricably tied together,” the Governor added.

Press Release: Office of the Governor

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Filed Under: Big Labor, Economics and Gov. Don Carcieri Closed

Mark Mix: Read the Union Health-Care Label

Posted on September 10, 2009 by The Ocean State Republican

unionyesIn the heated debates on health-care reform, not enough attention is being paid to the huge financial windfalls ObamaCare will dole out to unions—or to the provisions in the various bills in Congress that will help bring about the forced unionization of the health-care industry.

Tucked away in thousands of pages of complex new rules, regulations and mandates are special privileges and giveaways that could have devastating consequences for the health-care sector and the American economy at large.

The Senate version opens the door to implement forced unionization schemes pursued by former Govs. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois in 2005 and Gray Davis of California in 1999. Both men repaid tremendous political debts to Andy Stern and his Service Employees International Union (SEIU) by reclassifying state-reimbursed in-home health-care (and child-care) contractors as state employees—and forcing them to pay union dues…

Read More: The Wall Street Journal

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Filed Under: Big Labor, Healthcare Reform and The Obamessiah Closed