SEIU

Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - North Carolina - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

As We Suffer, Gov’t Salaries/Jobs/Union Pyoffs Grow

May 24, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina is still suffering an unemployment rate hovering around 12 percent. Jobs are hard to come by if you are a resident of the region, unless, of course, you work for the city government. Despite the hard times fatcats in government are still partying like it’s 1999! In fact, city salaries are likely to grow finds the Charlotte Observer.

For a whole year Charlotte City workers suffered under a pay hike freeze, but now the hard times are over as the City has announced that not only will the luxurious raises return, but more and more workers will be added to the rolls.

Let the celebration continue.
Continue reading “

As We Suffer, Gov’t Salaries/Jobs/Union Pyoffs Grow”

Banks - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Huffington Post - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Thugs Terrorize Teenage Boy

May 21, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Nice work, SEIU. Service Employee International Union members descended upon the home of a banker to protest the banker’s work. The banker wasn’t home but his teenage son was and he was home alone and the 14 bus loads of union thugs scared the heck out of the poor kid.

This was no political protest, it was an inciting, angry mob of union thugs. The Fortune Magazine piece that reported the incident made a salient point about the whole thing.

Targeting homes and families seems to put SEIU in the ranks of (now jailed) radical animal-rights activists and the Kansas anti-gay fundamentalists harassing the grieving parents of a dead 20-year-old soldier at his funeral (the Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on the latter). But that’s not a conversation that SEIU officials want to have.

Amusingly, Nina Easton makes another great point in the friendly coverage of this outrageous union thuggery. The Old Media didn’t even attend and the whole thing was covered by an activist Huffington Post blogger.
Continue reading “

SEIU Thugs Terrorize Teenage Boy”

Barack Obama - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - SEIU - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s $23 Billion Teachers Unions Bailout

May 17, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

As the rest of us in America lose jobs by the millions, Obama wants to spend another $23 billion more of your taxes on public employees in a teacher bailout plan proposed by Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa).

Harkin wants this new public employees bailout in order to prevent teachers layoffs, a concern echoed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “We are gravely concerned,” said Duncan in a letter to Congress, “that ongoing state and local budget challenges are threatening hundreds of thousands of teacher jobs for the upcoming school year.”

Oh, Duncan had all sorts of recommendations for Congress on this newest bailout.
Continue reading “

Obama’s $23 Billion Teachers Unions Bailout”

Andy Stern - Jobs - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

It’s Official, Henry New SEIU Prez

May 10, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We’ve been reporting that it looked like the Service Employees International Union was going to ignore past President Andy Stern’s pick of Anna Burger to be ushered in as his replacement and would instead pick Mary Kay Henry for its new president.

Well, that has come to pass. It is now official that Mary Kay Henry is the new SEIU president.
Continue reading “

It’s Official, Henry New SEIU Prez”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Washington to Give Unions More Power to Tell Corporations What to Do

April 30, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senator Chris Dodd (D, Conn.) wants to give unions more power in the boardrooms of our nation’s businesses. In essence, Dodd wants to force corporate boards under the thumb of unions by federal fiat.

Carefully hidden in Dodd’s new regulations are provisions that give new powers to board members, powers aimed at giving unions more say in the operations of businesses from the inside through investments of pension funds.

The Dodd bill takes away from the states the ability to make rules governing how corporate boards are established and run and for the first time reassigns that power to the federal government through the SEC. Democrats expect to use this new power to affect corporate boards to force pension fund investors to obtain more seats on those boards and that means union pension funds will suddenly have more influence on business simply because of their influence in Washington.

This will severely alter the relationship between business and labor, effectively erasing the ability of a company to operate in its own interests and will force it to serve the interests of Big Labor and Washington D.C.

This is just one more small step in the elimination of America’s private business community and the implementation of a quasi-socialist business state. One more anti-American arrow in Obama’s quiver shot over the bow of America.
Continue reading “

Washington to Give Unions More Power to Tell Corporations What to Do”

Andy Stern - Business - Economy/Finances - Elections - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Warner Todd Huston

It’s Official Stern Protege Loses SEIU Race

April 26, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Earlier this morning I said that it looked like former Service Employees International Union head Andy Stern’s handpicked replacement wasn’t going to succeed her Svengali. Looks like that was correct.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund, the new SEIU head is Mary Kay Henry as we discussed earlier.

Now, we wait to see if the SEIU withdraws a bit from the national scene and again begins to cast its eyes inward as many think will happen under Mz. Henry’s leadership. Time will tell.

Andy Stern - Barack Obama - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Stern’s Handpicked Replacement Not as Strong as Advertised

April 26, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston


Pictured: Barack Obama; Henry Nicholas;
Anna Burger; Andy Stern

Not long ago, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern abruptly resigned from his powerful position and we still aren’t sure why. But as he headed for the exit, Stern recommended his long-time confidante and current SEIU Secretary-Treasurer, Anna Burger, to be his replacement. But shockingly it is beginning to look as if Stern’s druthers will not win the day.

Andy Stern has been one of the most powerful union leaders in America for a long time. Along with Burger, Stern was one of the most frequent visitors to Barack Obama’s White House, he’s spent years gobbling up smaller unions and placing them under the thumb of the SEIU with the result that his union has grown exponentially, and he’s succeeded in insinuating his union into the bowels of just about every state and local government office in the country. He’s wielded the power of multi-million dollar political campaign donation funds and has been involved at the highest level in U.S. labor policy. He was even named to Barack Obama’s Deficit Reduction Commission tasked with finding out ways to restructure federal budgeting.

I have my suspicions as to why he’s so suddenly stepped down (I spoke about those suspicions here) but what is beyond doubt is that Andy Stern has held in his hands an awful lot of power as the head of the SEIU. So it is a bit shocking to learn that his handpicked replacement might not be the shoo-in that might otherwise have been imagined.
Continue reading “

Stern’s Handpicked Replacement Not as Strong as Advertised”

Andy Stern - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Chicago - Cook County - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Government - Jobs - Media - Media Bias - President - Public Employees Unions - Rod Blagojevich - SEIU - Senate - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Andy Stern: Union Chief Fleeing Ahead of Illinois Indictment?

April 26, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Until recently, Andy Stern was the President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union that has served as one of President Obama’s biggest donors as well as filling the ranks of his ground troops. In a surprise move, Stern resigned his post this month and no one is really sure why at this point.

Andy Stern has been one of the closest union chiefs to a president in history. Along with SEIU treasurer Anna Burger, he was one of the most frequent visitors to the White House. He was even chosen by President Obama to serve on his Deficit Reduction Commission — a sort of contradiction in terms that.

Upon his resignation, it has been learned that Andy Stern’s leadership of the SEIU has not brought financial solvency. As F. Vincent Vernuccio reports in the Washington Times, Stern has left the SEIU in pretty shabby shape.
Continue reading “

Andy Stern: Union Chief Fleeing Ahead of Illinois Indictment?”

Budget - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Jobs - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Mickey Kaus, Union Fighter?

April 24, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

For the Washington Post’s Post Partisan Blog Charles Lane’s somewhat irreverent, perhaps even dismissive treatment of the admittedly quixotic Senate campaign of journalist Mickey Kaus painted the would-be candidate as a union fighter. Interestingly, he isn’t far off the mark, which is odd for the fact that Kaus is a pretty straight down the line liberal.

Could Mickey Kaus be the “harbinger” of a new, mildly anti-union Democrat that might replace the sold out, in-the-back-pocket sort of Democrats we’ve seen for decades and decades?

Recently City Journal writer Steve Malanga wrote a great piece detailing how the public employees unions are killing California. “The unions’ political triumphs,” Malanga wrote, “have molded a California in which government workers thrive at the expense of a struggling private sector.”
Continue reading “

Mickey Kaus, Union Fighter?”

Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Government - Illinois - Illinois State Government - Jobs - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Tea Party - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union Thugs at Capitol Demand Illinois Gov’t ‘Raise Our Taxes’

April 22, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the late morning hours of April 21 dozens of rented buses streamed into Springfield, the Illinois capitol, and began spewing out hundreds of tax-gorged union thugs. It was as if the Illinois Hog Producers association had pulled up to the capitol and thrown wide the doors to their livestock carriers.

Some estimates say the unionists mounted some 15,000 participants all there to wave their professionally printed signs and wear their gang colors… er, I mean wearing their T-Shirts bearing their union’s signature colors.

And what did they want? They wanted the Illinois legislature to raise taxes on everyone in the state so that those few union members could get even more undeserved bennies, richer pay scales and even higher pensions than anyone in the private sector could ever expect — all things they already enjoy.

But, a protest is all American, right? These guys are just like the tea partiers, aren’t they?

Not so much.
Continue reading “

Union Thugs at Capitol Demand Illinois Gov’t ‘Raise Our Taxes’”

Britain - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Brit Union Strike Over Severance Pay Might Soon Hit in U.S.

April 22, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few weeks ago several British civil service unions launched a two-day strike over cuts in severance pay that the government authorized for workers that were let go because of reductions in the government work force (called a “redundancy cut”).

The cap in “redundancy pay,” said British government unions, could see workers losing a third of their “entitlement.”

Government officials said that the new pay scheme could save the government £500 million. Starting in April “anyone earning £30,000 or less will be entitled to a maximum of three years’ pay or £60,000, whichever is lower.”
Continue reading “

Brit Union Strike Over Severance Pay Might Soon Hit in U.S.”

Budget - Business - California - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

How Unions Are Destroying California

April 21, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Steve Malanga of City journal has a great piece detailing how California’s public employee unions are destroying that once great state.

Malanga starts by repeating the ominous warning to the politicos at the state capitol in Sacramento made by a Service Employees International Union chief. “We helped to get you into office and we got a good memory” the official said on to California’s pols. “Come November, if you don’t back our program, we’ll get you out of office.”

To me this is reminiscent of the warning by the old Soviet Union’s Nikita Kruchev who said that “we will bury you.” Only, the SEIU has far more power to bury our governments than the old Soviets had!
Continue reading “

How Unions Are Destroying California”

Andy Stern - Jobs - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Breaking News: SEIU’s Stern Resigning

April 12, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to The Politico, Andy Stern, the President of the Service Employees International Union, is resigning his post.

The news come to Politico from the President of an SEIU local based in Seattle, Diane Sosne. Politico is taking her word as true.

No reason for the resignation is known and Stern has yet to actually make an official announcement.

I expect that Stern is moving to some position in the Obama Administration. Remember that Stern was the number one most frequent visitor to the White House.

More news as it becomes known…
Continue reading “

Breaking News: SEIU’s Stern Resigning”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Immigration/Immigrants - Jobs - Liberals - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Union Chief: My White Union Members are all Racists

April 12, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

On a panel talking about immigration on April 6, 2010, union chief Gerry Hudson of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said that his white union members are “so fuc_ing rabidly racist” that is scares him.

I am also a bit amused that this nut is shocked that there is “significant worker opposition to comprehensive immigration reform.” I mean, isn’t that logical? Union workers are afraid that this flood of illegals will take all their jobs away from them! It seems like a “Duh!” to me and I don’t understand why he doesn’t get that? Hudson is so sold out to the Democratic agenda that he doesn’t even understand his own members. The man fails utterly as a union representative.

Banks - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Pot Calling the Kettle… Unions Say Banks are Corrupt

April 9, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Hill Newspaper is reporting that unions are “amping up” for a battle against America’s big banks when Congress is next in session. Uniopns want Congress to institute financial regulatory reform because they feel that banks need to be “held accountable.”

The first thought that comes to mind is to wonder when Congress will ever hold unions accountable for anything! Perhaps unions should avoid throwing stones in that glass house of theirs!

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) head Anna Burger railed against the “greedy actions of the financial industry” and announced that the SEIU was scheduling protests against banks in San Francisco, Kansas City, Charlotte and on Wall Street.

It is a hoot to see the SEIU saying that other people are “greedy.” Seriously. A union thug railing against other’s greed! It’s just a hypocrisy beyond belief.

The SEIU is also upset at the executive pay of several bankers. One wonders that if the SEIU is so against high salaries, when they will cut the salaries of their own chiefs that make hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars a year?
Continue reading “

Pot Calling the Kettle… Unions Say Banks are Corrupt”

AFL-CIO - Barack Obama - Bret Jacobson - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - NLRB - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Socialism - Unions

Putting Employers ‘Out of Their Misery:’ A Round-up on the New Union-Controlled NLRB

March 29, 2010 by

-By Peter List

Yesterday, President Obama recess-appointed SEIU and AFL-CIO attorney Craig Becker, along with union attorney Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board, making the “bi-partisan” board a tool of union bosses.

[NLRB Chairman Wilma Liebman is an attorney formerly employed by the Teamsters and Bricklayers’ unions.]

With only one Republican Board member to three union-friendly Board members, even a modicum of “neutrality” on the Board is finished.

The following is a round-up from around the web [my emphasis added throughout]:
Continue reading “

Putting Employers ‘Out of Their Misery:’ A Round-up on the New Union-Controlled NLRB”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Chicago - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Illinois - Illinois Policy Institute - Illinois State Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pat Brady - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Socialism - State Government - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Fox News Chicago Digging Deeper on Illinois Pension Mess

March 26, 2010 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

My friend Lennie Jarratt was featured on Fox News Chicago last night. The subject was the $85 billion dollar deficit that the Illinois finds its public employee pensions confronted with. Fox News reports that every Illinois citizen would have to fork over $6,600 to instantly solve the problem. And what has caused this problem? Unions.

Lennie has some great lines in this piece and he’s right on. He is right that education in America has become “legalized theft.” Here are some of his main points:

  • Getting a public sector job is like hitting the lottery
  • The way schools levy is legal theft
  • We have the highest property taxes in the Midwest
  • Nearly all of the top 50 public sector pensions in IL are educators
  • Killing jobs and forcing people to leave the state further cutting state revenue
  • Within 4-6 years most public sector retirees are making more than when working

Illinois isn’t the only state in this union-made morass. Nearly every state in the union is in this mess.
Continue reading “

Fox News Chicago Digging Deeper on Illinois Pension Mess”

ACORN - Barack Obama - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Government - Illinois - Law - Liberals - Louisiana - New York - SEIU - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

ACORN’s Tangled Branches

March 25, 2010 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

News is all over the country that the often criminal group the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is dead, folding its tent, kaput. All this is because, as Politico puts it, of a “conservative assault that never prompted any prosecutions.”

But let us not get our hopes up that ACORN is defeated. It isn’t. In fact, most of the groups that huddled under ACORN’s left-wing are just changing their names and moving on with all the same people involved as if nothing ever happened. And this isn’t anything new. The fact is, ACORN activists have always hid behind dozens of false front organizations and corporate identities to disguise their criminal network.

In California, for instance, one of the ACORN affiliates is changing its name to “Californians for Community Empowerment” and one of the New York offices will now be known as “New York Communities for Change.” But all the same people that ran these former ACORN offices in these states are still there, no change has been made but the name.

We also saw the shady groups connected with ACORN but not named ACORN just last year during the Doug Hoffman, New York 23 arc. There an ACORN affiliate had created a fake political party in order to funnel cash to the Democrat running in that race. One of the organizations hip-deep in that election was a political group called the Working Families Party. Of course, the WFP is more-or-less a front for ACORN in New York and no political party at all.
Continue reading “

ACORN’s Tangled Branches”

AFL-CIO - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - EFCA - Elections - Government - Liberals - Media - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

A Couple of Union Stories in the News

March 13, 2010 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Three interesting stories on unions have hit the media this week that should be watched.

#1- Bush’s Union Transparency Rules Retracted Under Obama

The Washington Times reports that Obama is still giving favors and pay back to Big Labor. This time Obama is eliminating the transparency rules that Bush had put in to try to keep unions honest and legal. Saddly, Obama doesn’t care much if unions are held to the rule of law.
Continue reading “

A Couple of Union Stories in the News”

Budget - California - Campaign Finance - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Free Trade - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - Media Bias - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Socialism - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Top the $1 Billion Club in California Political Spending

March 11, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The California Teachers Association spent $211,849,298 on lobbying and political spending to get its way in California in 2009. Along with the CTA, the Calif. State Council of Service Employees and 13 other organizations spent a total of one billion dollars on political lobbying of the State House at Sacramento. All of these special interests have helped push California to the brink of insolvency.

But, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the two unions mentioned above far and away top the spending of the other top lobbying spenders in California. The next closest in spending was the Big Pharma clocking in at $104,912,997 on its political spending with various and sundry Indian casino groups whose spending was in the less than $85,000,000 range.

Commission Chairman Ross Johnson said in a press release, “This tsunami of special interest spending drowns out the voices of average voters and intimidates political opponents and elected officials alike.”
Continue reading “

Unions Top the $1 Billion Club in California Political Spending”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Media - Michigan - Public Employees Unions - Rights - SEIU - Socialism - Teachers Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Support This Detroit Socialist

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left is constantly attempting to wave its hand dismissively at our claims that they are socialists and communists. They claim they are true blue Americans and we are lying about them. Unions are one of the biggest perpetrators of this misinformation.

Well, it appears that in Detroit unions came out in support of a goof ball that claimed himself to be a socialist. They all stood in the Michigan cold saying their “yeas” as he spoke about getting a free university degree, and as he touted a socialist “right” to food and their own house.

Here we see members of the AFT and the SEIU nodding in appreciation of this socialist’s ideas. They stood by his side as he pronounced these socialist “principles.”

Anyone that tells you that unions aren’t socialists and communists needs to explain why unions came out in support of this un-American nut in Detroit.
Continue reading “

Unions Support This Detroit Socialist”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Gov’t Employees Now Make More Than Private Sector Workers

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The news we have been warning you about is in. Government workers on average exceed the pay scale of those in private industry. The unsustainable situation is here. It is now clear that Bill Clinton was a bit premature when he said that the “era of big government is over.” Sadly he didn’t count on the era of big Obama to come.

One word explains why this upside down situation has come to fruition: unions.

USA Today is reporting that “the number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession.” The paper finds that workers at the high end of the salary scale are well represented in government. I’d say overly represented.
Continue reading “

Gov’t Employees Now Make More Than Private Sector Workers”

Andy Stern - Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Jobs - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - President - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

More On Stern’s Appointment to Deficit Reduction Panel

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ed Barnes of FoxNews has a nice recap on Barack Obama’s appointment of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Chief Andy Stern to his deficit reduction panel.

Barnes tells us that Obama’s appointment of Stern set off a “round of criticism.” That’s putting it mildly.

President Obama’s decision to appoint his close political ally, union leader Andrew Stern, to the newly created National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has set off a firestorm of criticism from business and conservative groups who charge he is a political radical who should be investigated for failure to register as a lobbyist.

The failure to register as a lobbyist charge is over the fact that Stern was one of the most frequent visitors to the White House but never registered as a lobbyist to legally cover his visits. Whatever the case is concerning the legality of Stern’s constant visits to the Obama White House, those that criticize this appointment couldn’t be more right.
Continue reading “

More On Stern’s Appointment to Deficit Reduction Panel”

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Illinois - Liberals - Pat Quinn - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Service Employees Inat’l Union Gives $1.7 Mil to Ill. Gov. Quinn

March 5, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Service Employees International Union wants YOU to pay more taxes, Illinois. And, in order to get their wish, they’ve donated $1.7 million to the one candidate that has since the beginning promised to raise everyone’s taxes, Governor Pat “Mighty Taximo” Quinn.

Oh, it’s a cozy arrangement, of course. The SEIU represents many of Illinois public employees. These greedy folks want YOU to pay their way in life, you see? So, big cash goes to Quinn the Mighty Taximo so that he’ll force higher taxes so that, in turn, these public employees will get even greater pay and even more undeserved benefits that other, private sector citizens don’t get. It’s a Faustian bargain, but it is a fact, nonetheless.

As everyone else in the state is losing his job, these trough-feeders want you to pay more taxes for their comfort. Nice work if you can get it, right?
Continue reading “

Service Employees Inat’l Union Gives $1.7 Mil to Ill. Gov. Quinn”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Jobs - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Pensions - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Three Current Union Stories

March 5, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Shuffling through the web I see a few current stories that might be of interest to union watchers everywhere…

Pennsylvanians awoke today to a tale from Investor’s Business Daily headlined, “Specter Tells Business He’ll Back Pro-Union Card Check.”

Apparently Benedict Arlen is a yes vote for cloture on the pro-union card check legislation. Not much of a surprise as he’s been very pro-union since his sudden switch to the Democrat Party last year.
Continue reading “

Three Current Union Stories”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Elections - Free Trade - GOP - Government - Health - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - SEIU - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Washington

Washington State’s SEIU Bought Republican

February 26, 2010 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

On February 24, Moe Lane posted a short piece alerting one and all to the fact that one of the Republican candidates for Washington State’s 3rd Congressional District is a favorite of the hard-core lefties in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — one of Obama’s favorite Big Labors cohorts. Mr. Lane, though, was sure that Jaime Herrera “regrets that endorsement now.” Unfortunately, I am not so sanguine because Herrera has been far more compliant with Big Labor’s goals than is evident from what Lane might have thought was a mere wayward endorsement.

There is a reason, it appears, that the SEIU endorsed Herrera. As a Republican she seems to be far more one of them than one of us at least as far as Big Labor’s needs go!

Moe Lane cited the Clark County Politics blog on the SEIU’s endorsement, but if you don’t want to believe the CCPblog — admittedly a right leaning site — here is a Progressive Voters Guide for Washington and here is the Voters Guide for Equal Rights Washington, both left-wing groups that show SEIU support for Herrera. On top of that here is SEIU Local 1199 NW’s endorsement page which also announces its endorsement of Herrera.

But, let’s address that possible “regret” that Mr. Lane so casually extends to Ms Harrera. Could Lane be right, could it be that Herrera was just by happenstance on the receiving end of an SEIU endorsement and now wishes it never happened? Was it all just an unfortunate incident? I have to say that after looking up some of her votes over the last few years, I must conclude that Herrera was given the thumbs up by the SEIU for a reason. Jaime Herrera was quite a friend to Big Labor.
Continue reading “

Washington State’s SEIU Bought Republican”

Colorado - Communism - Congress - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Government - House of Representatives - Jimmy Carter - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Longtime Dem Consultant Torpedoed by Union Thugs

February 19, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Democrat political consulting circles Pat Caddell is a big name. One-time adviser to President Jimmy Carter and longtime political strategist for the left, Caddell isn’t someone you throw off a campaign easily. But the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) doesn’t care about past success. It only cares about its power.

After being thrown off the campaign of Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for Senate, Caddell spoke to the folks at The Daily Caller and said he’d been axed by the “thugs” at the SEIU.

“What I said about Andy Stern and the SEIU? Sure, they’re thugs,” said Caddell, a former adviser to President Jimmy Carter, who until Monday* had an informal advising role with the primary challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

“The unions have been considering endorsing Romanoff, and basically they told him that if I was involved with the campaign, ‘sayonara,’ which I think is the definition of thuggery isn’t it?” said Caddell, who has worked for a who’s who of Democratic politicians over the last few decades, including Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Mario Cuomo and Gary Hart.

I couldn’t agree more. Unions will brook no opposition and even the smallest disagreement marks you for destruction with a union… even if you are on the same political side as they!

He pointed out, as have we — repeatedly — that public employees unions are destroying the country:
Continue reading “

Longtime Dem Consultant Torpedoed by Union Thugs”

Budget - Business - Chicago - Democrats/Leftists - Illinois - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country

February 19, 2010 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to the Pew Center on the States, Illinois’ public employee’s pension system is in the worst shape of all states. The Associated Press reported that pensions in Illinois are underfunded and over promised.

Illinois was rated the most troubled pension system during the study period, with a 54 percent funding level and a total liability of more than $54 billion.

Proof once again that public employee unions are antithetical to good government. The reasons these pensions are in such poor shape are twofold. One is that they are far, far too generous (fault: unions) and two is that even when the money does go into these accounts the state legislature raids the funds for general usage (fault: politicians). Both reasons are failures of government.

What this state needs to do first thing is to start a two tiered system. Since the pensions are protected by law, we need to accept that we are saddled with current pensions. But any new employee and all employees not yet vested should have their undeserved benefits massively cut.

The state should also look to offer as many buyouts at lower costs as it can. Early retirements might help the bottom line, too.

But taking care that future benefits are not so undeservedly high is the most important thing here.
Continue reading “

Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country”