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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Teachers Abandon Kids Over Contract Negotiations

June 1, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Showing once again that the kids don’t matter a hill of beans to union members, a “sickout” was staged in one of Denver, Colorado’s schools forcing school administrators to scramble to fill 16 classes where teachers suddenly called in sick, refusing to go to work.

Strikes that interrupt the student’s education are bad enough, but at least strikes are known, planned, and announced events that gives everyone time to face the issue. This, on the other hand, was not planned ahead of time.

All 16 classroom teachers plus the music teacher and a librarian called in sick, forcing Debra Lucero Kraft, principal of Academia Ana Marie Sandoval, to scramble to cover classes at the bilingual Montessori elementary school.

“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) I’m not sure if leaving your students without a teacher is a way to address contract negotiations.”

Instead of having the respect for their purpose (it’s supposed to be teaching, by the way) and the respect for their students, these union thugs merely stopped going to work without warning. These guerilla styled tactics where unannounced “sickouts” are secretly planned to strike at random schools is despicable.

Every teacher that involves themselves in this sort of thuggish behavior should be fired immediately. But, thuggish behavior is what one ends up with when one allows unions to take over, sadly.

But, heck, who cares if these kid’s schooling is destroyed by the games unions play? The union sure as heck doesn’t.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - News - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

When a Union Tries to Go Beyond its Role

May 30, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We have talked numerous times about the current internal fight of the SEIU here on the blog. It is a titanic fight between old style, rank-and-file interests, and a sort of new-fangled, top heavy style of leadership more interested in national issues and less in the average member. It has left many members wondering what their union is for if not to actually service the members themselves?

A recent editorial by Nelson Lichtenstein in the L.A. Times has done a fair job to give a few hints at exactly what SEIU President Andy Stern has in store for the future of his union as well as the future of the labor movement itself.

The article, titled “The battle for labor’s future” and subtitled “The SEIU’s Andy Stern has an ambitious plan. Not everyone is on board,” is a sort of over view on what is going on with the SEIU. It contains some interesting observations that has ominous portent. He has announced plans to “raise wages and working conditions for everyone,” meaning not just his own concerns with the SEIU, but to meddle in the entire workforce the country wide.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union Perpetrates Hostile Take Over of Another Union

May 28, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Puerto Rico’s teachers union seems to have been aced out of their position as the union organizing the teachers of that Island nation by a hostile takeover. It seems that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) cozied up to the embattled Puerto Rican Governor and was able to convince him to simply hand over all the teachers on the Island to the SEIU — quite regardless of the fact that they already belonged to the existing teachers union, the Federacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR).

This reminds me of 1920’s Chicago as various Mob bosses battled for control of the Windy City. Seriously, who isn’t shocked by the fact that one union (the SEIU) can just roll in the back door of government and steal the members of another union (the FMPR) by arm-twisting a pliant politician? The only thing we lack here is the tommy guns in the streets!

For their part the FMPR is trying to fight this hostile take over of their union by organizing a coalition to oppose this presumptuous attack by the SEIU on their position as the union of Puerto Rico’s teachers.

The FMPR has been trying to work out a new contract for three years with the government of Puerto Rico and it appears that the government is using the SEIU to break the FMPR. And, here we have the SEIU stepping in to assist the government to break the union.

According to the New York Daily News, the Governor told Rivera (Dennis Rivera of the SEIU) that the teachers’ union is “yours to take.” Previously El Diaro-La Prensa reported that Rivera had discussed the teachers union with Acevedo in addition to possible SEIU monetary support for the Governor, who has recently been indicted on corruption charges.

The Puerto Rican government declared the teachers’ strike illegal, based on the vote alone — the actual strike was not called until late February 2008 — and moved to decertify FMPR. Almost simultaneously, SEIU announced that the Island’s union of school principals and supervisors was affiliating with SEIU — and would attempt to take over the teachers’ union.

This shows the rather unethical lengths that the SEIU will go to gather power unto itself. The SEIU is willing to trample on fellow unionists, make sweetheart deals with governments in closed door, back rooms, and steal members from other unions.

With this hostile take over of the Pureto Rican teachers union, it seems as if Andy Stern, president of the SEIU, has seen “The Untouchables” far too many times.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Court Denies Union Ability to Jack Up Forced Dues Payments

May 27, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

National Right to Work fills us in on the good news that the 9th Circuit Court handed unions a blow this month making it harder on the unions for hiding expenses that end up charged to forced-dues-payers.

Upholding the National Labor Relations Board’s January 2006 decision against Studio Transportation Drivers Local 399 of the Teamsters, the appeals court found that the union, which used the arbitration awards for nonrepresentational purposes such as political and charitable contributions, should exclude the money from its calculation of agency fees rather than use it to reduce its reported nonrepresentational expenses.

By spending the arbitration award money on nonrepresentational rather than representational expenditures, the union in effect increased the agency fees owed by the objecting nonmember for representational expenses, Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the appeals court.

NRTW informs us that this is an important ruling because is stops unions from shifting expenses that end up overcharging nonmembers who are forced to pay dues as a condition of employment.

It is now even more clearly illegal for union officials to funnel revenue from sources other than union dues to pay for “non-chargeable” items – like politics, lobbying and members-only activities. Using this scheme, union officials try to get away with charging a higher percentage of the remaining activities to forced-dues-payers.

So, mark this one as a win for the good guys.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Union Allows ‘Stalker’ to Represent Them

May 26, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Amazingly, the International Union of Security, Police and Fire Professionals doesn’t see a problem with allowing a man accused of stalking his girlfriend and has compared employers to terrorists to act as an official organizer in Nevada at the MGM Mirage. It does not speak well of the union to work with such a nut as Steve Maritas, but they are doing so nonetheless.

The Las Vegas Sun gives us the details of this nut’s over-the-top tactics that even have prospective union members chagrined.

A campaign to organize MGM Mirage security guards has turned ugly, with the union’s lead organizer comparing casino executives to terrorists and threatening to bring homeless people and prostitutes to the picket line to make things unpleasant for the company’s customers.

The hardball tactics come as no surprise to anyone who knows the organizer, Steve Maritas. He was convicted in San Diego of stalking his former girlfriend, who he says tricked him into violating a court order to keep his distance. And he says he learned a lot about the union business from his father, a former president of a 30,000-member carpenters district council in New York City who was indicted on racketeering charges.

This fool even put a picture of Osama bin Laden next to a picture of Mandalay Bay President Bill Hornbuckle on his union website. The Sun has him saying “They’re both terrorists.” An absurdity to say the least. Even his fellow security guards were unhappy with that stupid move.

Security guards, some of whom served in the military, were outraged and told Maritas to take the pictures down and apologize, which he did.

“Maybe it was a low move,” Maritas said. “But that’s the way (labor) war is … I’m from the street. If I have to get down and dirty, I’ll do it.”

So far all his efforts have led to naught, but the very fact that the union is letting him act in their name at all is astonishing.

I guess unions don’t care what sort of people thy have working for them if it ends in a union win?

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Teachers Union Sues Illinois School for ‘Bad Air Quality’

May 21, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Proving once again that we live in an overly litigious society, a teachers union in Belleville, Illinois has decided that instead of working through the regular channels to fix classrooms and to eliminate mold and dampness caused by building maintenance troubles, they had to stampede straight for the courts to get it done. The lawsuit came as a shock to school administrators who were in the middle of discussions with the district as well as the union to address the problem.

The News-Democrat gives us the details:

Belleville Federation of Teachers Local 434 filed a complaint Wednesday asking a St. Clair County judge to force District 201 to test the air in Belleville East buildings.

Union spokesman Rich Hodson said Belleville East classrooms have poor circulation, which has caused mold to grow on desks, chairs and ceiling tiles, and has led to levels of carbon dioxide of around 3,000 parts per million, three times what is considered to be safe for prolonged exposure.

But District Super Greg Moats was surprised by the resort to the courts and said that the Illinois Dept. of Labor had only weeks before determined that the air quality in the classrooms was fine. He was also curious why the union suddenly ran to the courts because only the Friday before they had met with the union to discuss remedies to the situation.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union’s ‘Secret Pact’ With Employers, Other Unions Raises Eyebrows

May 18, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

As president of the Services Employee International Union (SEIU), Andy Stern has presided over a union that has grown impressively while at the same time just about every other union in the country has diminished in size and power. Some might think this a tremendous victory for president Stern. But how he has achieved this feat is certainly a matter of concern for everyone, a concern that should cast a pal over this claimed victory.

Question: do unions have a reputation of being transparent with their members? Well, unions in America certainly have the reputation of being run by the worker, for the worker, so transparency is an ideal they all claim to live up to, for certain — graft, embezzlement, mob infestation and corruption aside.

So, why has the SEIU been making secret pacts with other unions as well as employers, the natural enemy of unions? Andy Stern says that it is all in the pursuit of growth. His detractors in the ranks say that his is a growth-at-any-cost effort that places them all at a disadvantage.

Why, Stern has even made secret deals with employers, the full details of which are not being made public even to his own membership. He has made deals that stipulate that the SEIU will give up the right to go on strike. In return, the employers agree with the union which of their plants and businesses will be “allowed” to be unionized as well as how many employees will be organized with the employer making a pact of non-interference of the process.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Gear up to Attack McCain

May 16, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Of course, no one could expect less of organized labor but to attack Republicans, even John McCain. But the amount of money proposed to be spent to destroy McCain really makes one wonder if every last union member would approve of such vast expenditures of their dues money?

To answer that question, the AFL-CIO, for its part, intends to “talk to their members,” at least according to the Associated Press. In fact, if one weren’t paying too close attention, one would think that the union is asking permission about who to endorse — and if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you…

The AFL-CIO, which has not endorsed anyone in the Democratic primary, announced Wednesday that it is sending more than 6,000 of its people to more than 22 states during the next two weekends to talk to more than 200,000 union voters about McCain.

As if their not endorsing anyone at this time is meaningful? Hardly. Besides, what does it matter if it is so obvious that they are attacking McCain? By process of elimination, if the unions don’t support McCain, who might they support? Answer: ANY Democrat! So, their specific endorsement is pretty meaningless.

The SEIU is also “focusing on McCain.”

Meanwhile, the nation’s largest union, the Service Employees International Union, is increasing its focus on the likely Republican presidential nominee. The union’s political action committee is already running commercials critical of McCain’s health care plan.

So, the unions are gearing up to attack McCain. The sort of massive union spending we always see against Republicans could be made a bit less overwhelming, though, if we could get laws passed all across the nation so that members can opt out for their dues to be spent on political efforts of which they do not agree. But, these sorts of laws, while making headway in places like Ohio and Washington state, have made headway, a landslide Democratic victory in November will put a major crimp in the success of future efforts and further step on the rights of individual union members.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU/CNA Fight Still Roiling

May 15, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) suffered a stinging rebuke when nearly 47% of the nurses at three St. Rose Dominican hospitals in Nevada voted to join a rival union this week. It wasn’t enough to decertify the SEIU — 50% was necessary — but with nearly half of the members voting against the union, this shows quite a widespread dissatisfaction with the SEIU.

Asked to explain why this vote against the SEIU was so large, SEIU Nevada Executive Director Jane McAlevey said, “Smart people do stupid (expletive).”

While this might explain why people who are claimed to be so “smart” would join a union at all, it doesn’t necessarily serve as a satisfactory explanation of why the SEIU has lost so many members’ confidence. McAlevey went on to posit that the SEIU isn’t really being rebuked and that this large anti vote was really only a result of the “dirty campaign tactics” of the California Nurses Association (CNA) SEIU’s rival union.

For her part, CNA chief Rose Ann DeMoro said, “This historic vote is a window to a rebellion brewing among SEIU nurses across the nation.”

Troubles for the SEIU have been plenty over the last several years with SEIU chief Andy Stern facing a stiff challenge to his leadership from within his own union as well as assaults from other competing unions. Charges have been made that Stern rules the union with an iron fist from the top down and has gerrymandered local union boards to rubber stamp his own presidency.

It could all come to a messy head in Puerto Rico at the SEIU convention the first week of June where members will be able to cast their vote on Stern’s presidency.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Dept. of Labor Tightening Unions Financial Disclosure Rules

May 14, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Dept. of Labor (DOL) has announced that it is changing the requirements for internal financial disclosures of unions requiring more details on finances and spending, the AP report on the 8th.

Unions are required annually to submit forms to the DOL detailing their financial information, but Federal officials have decided that the current forms lack enough detail to assure that unions aren’t engaging in fraud. The DOL is also proposing that smaller unions can use the less detailed forms unless they fall under indictment or other legal troubles which then will find them required to fill out the more detailed forms.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Get Ready– Barack Obama Win Means the End of Democracy in Unions

May 12, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

There will be dark days ahead for American business and the economy if Barack Obama becomes the president. Especially if his coattails brings an avalanche of Democrats into Congress. All because the first order of business for the next Congress will be passage of the “card check” ideas that unions have been pushing for since 2003. Once Obama and his cadre of anti-business, anti-democracy associates get in place, the card check idea will be good as gold. And the safety of prospective union members everywhere will be endangered.

Deceivingly called the “Employee Free Choice Act,” it is an effort by unions to allow them to use intimidation to force new union voters to agree to union organization and representation. David Weigel of Reason Magazine has a short explanation in the current issue.

What’s the Employee Free Choice Act? If you aren’t a lobbyist in Washington, a union worker, or an employer nervously trying to prevent your staff from organizing, you might not have followed the twisty history of the latest attempt to increase private-sector unionization. “Card check,” as it is usually known, would allow employees at a company to bypass secret-ballot elections and declare their intent to unionize by simply signing cards.

In other words, the secret vote will be taken away from prospective union members. This means, if an employee votes against agreeing to unionize, his no vote will be instantly obvious to everyone with whom he works. This also means that union thugs will be able to know exactly who stands against them. This opens the employee up to harassment by union thugs who want to push through unions because they will know the identity of every single worker that voted against them.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Paying Teachers NOT to Teach in NY

May 9, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

And for another perfect example of why teachers unions is antithetical to the welfare of the kids AND the budget of the state, we have a union that has forced the State of New York to spend $81 million dollars to pay teachers NOT to teach!

The New York Times gives us the wasteful tale of money paid for NO work.

The New Teacher Project, which estimates that the city has been paying $81 million over two years in salaries and benefits for teachers who have not been able to find permanent jobs.

Under the new free-market system, teachers who lose their jobs because of budget cuts, program curtailments or school closings are supposed to go into a reserve pool for a short time before they are hired elsewhere in the system. An overwhelming majority of more than 2,700 teachers sent into the pool in 2006 did just that.

So, these teachers are paid even if they don’t work?

This is the ultimate union job. Get paid a high salary, free health care, pension…. but not have to work AT ALL!

It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone that the solution is to fire teachers that you have no job for?

Apparently not.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Prez Stern Strikes Back Against Rival

May 7, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Accusations are flying thick as bats in the night sky between the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) and their affiliated union, the United HealthCare Workers-West (UHW-W-W), over claims made by the SEIU that the UHW-W misappropriated $6 million in member’s dues money. But, it’s hard to escape the feeling that the SEIU is really just trying to put a stake in the heart of the internal uprising that members of the UHW-W have implemented inside the SEIU by launching harassment lawsuits that seem to have little merit.

The UHW-W, as it happens, is captained by Sal Roselli, president Andy Stern’s chief rival for control of the SEIU. Supposedly the UHW-W used some of this $6 million to pay for a speech by that same Sal Roselli, the man that just so happens to be challenging SEIU president Andy Stern in the upcoming SEIU convention in Puerto Rico in the beginning of June. Roselli has been attacking Stern for his campaign of top down leadership and for his penchant for manufacturing the ouster of local leaders that don’t sign on to Stern’s policies. Many are claiming that this is just an underhanded effort by Stern to destroy his chief rival just before the SEIU convention.

In this case, some are also saying that Stern has launched this lawsuit as a first step to declaring the UHW-W’s leadership defective so that he can place his own appointed guys in power as trustees over the union while the “problems” are ironed out. In this way, Stern’s critics say, he can better assure that the UHW-W will acquiesce to his policies and another rebellious affiliate will be silenced before the convention.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Kill Trade Agreement – Real Improvement Unrewarded

May 6, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The powerful union lobbies in the US have cornered their lapdogs in the Democrat Party and succeeded in killing the free trade agreement that we had brokered with Colombia. The main reason that unions twisted the arms of their Dem representatives is supposed to be because of Colombia’s admittedly horrid history of violence against unions and workers.

John Sweeney, president of the largest US federation of unions, the AFL-CIO, detailed the allegations in a Washington Post op-ed April 14: “In Colombia, joining a union or advocating for workers’ rights can be a de facto death sentence,” he said. “The human-rights atrocities against union activists and supporters are not isolated, rogue events; they are committed largely by the armed forces and paramilitary organizations with ties to elected officials close to President [Alvaro] Uribe.”

Now, who can deny that such a history is lamentable? I, for one, am one of those folks who complains that the US government works so closely with the murderous, inhuman Chinese, for example, so I can very much sympathize with the sentiment that we should not reward criminal nations that perpetrate such murderous and violent actions against their own people.

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00Publius Contributor - Business - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Teamsters: We Promise not to use Guns and Knives (wink, wink)

May 1, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

George Lenard has a great little post at his “George’s Employment Blawg” about how the Teamsters are promising not to use violence, guns, knives, etc., in their protests against employers. But, here is the thing: they wouldn’t have to make these promises unless they either already HAVE done that stuff before or they have a propensity to do it.

Here’s George’s post…

Overnite-Teamsters NLRB settlement reveals Teamsters’ ugly underbelly

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page (sorry, subscribers only), has an editorial entitled “The Teamster Promise” that excerpts from and links to the Teamsters’ NLRB settlement arising out of “a nasty–and ultimately unsuccessful–strike against Overnite Transportation Co.”

The posted notice, which is buried deep in the Teamsters’ website, is of course part of a “non-admit” settlement. The number of charges alone is mind-boggling. But, knowing NLRB practices, one must assume there was credible evidence some Teamster somewhere, engaged in every one of the following outrageous activities they have now promised not to do. I’m quoting extensively, as did the Journal, because it really covers the waterfront of union violence:

  • “WE WILL NOT brandish or carry any weapon of any kind, including, but not limited to, guns, knives, slingshots, rocks, ball bearings, liquid-filled balloons or other projectiles, sledge hammers, bricks, sticks, or two by fours .
  • “WE WILL NOT use or threaten to use a weapon of any kind, including but not limited to guns, knives, slingshots, rocks, ball bearings, liquid-filled balloons or other projectiles, picket signs, sticks, sledge hammers, bricks, hot coffee, bottles, two by fours, lit cigarettes, eggs, or bags or balloons filled with excrement .
  • WE WILL NOT damage, threaten to damage or attempt to damage any vehicle or equipment owned or operated by Overnite, its employees or security guards, by any means or manner, including but not limited by slingshots, rocks, ball bearings, liquid-filled balloons or other projectiles, knives, picket signs, sticks, sledge hammers, bricks, bottles, two by fours, eggs, or paint, or by tearing off mirrors, windshield wipers or antennas, or breaking windows.
  • WE WILL NOT disable or attempt to disable vehicles owned or operated by Ovemite, by any means or manner, including but not limited to disconnecting or otherwise severing air brake lines, padlocking doors, spraying substances in or otherwise jamming locks, stealing keys, puncturing radiators, cutting hoses or door cables, flattening tires or throwing, placing or otherwise spreading any nails, screws, star nails, jack rocks or similar devices capable of puncturing tires on any road surface.
  • WE WILL NOT endanger or impede the progress of or harass any non-striking employee or any employee of a neutral person doing business with Ovemite, while he or she is operating a company vehicle or his or her own personal vehicle, by forcing or attempting to force him or her off the road, blocking, delaying or limiting his or her access to or passage on any road, swerving toward, driving recklessly near, tailgating or braking abruptly in front of him or her, impeding his or her progress by speeding up and slowing down, driving at speeds below the legal minimums while in front of him or her.
  • WE WILL NOT endanger or impede the progress of or harass any non-striking employee or any employee of a neutral person doing business with Ovemite, while he or she is operating a company vehicle or his or her own personal vehicle, by jumping on vehicles, by attempting to open the doors of vehicles, by throwing paint on windshields, by using mirrors, laser pointers, spot lights or flash photography in the eyes of drivers, or by obstructing the view of drivers by holding picket signs over the windshields of vehicles.
  • WE WILL NOT engage in mass picketing or otherwise impede the ingress or egress of Ovemite employees or employees of any other employer to or from any Overnite service center or any facility of any neutral person doing business with Overnite or patrol or walk across the entrance of any Ovemite service center or a facility of any neutral person doing business with Overnite in such a manner as to impede or delay the ingress or egress of any individua1.
  • WE WILL NOT batter, assault, spit on, blow whistles loudly near a person’s ear, throw any liquid or solid object at, or attempt to assault any non-striking employee of Overnite or any member of his or her family or any employee of a neutral employee doing business with Overnite, or any security guard or supervisor or manager of a neutral employee doing business with Overnite in the presence of employees.
  • WE WILL NOT threaten to kill or inflict bodily harm, make throat slashing motions, make gun pointing motions, challenge or threaten to fight or assault employees, threaten to sexually assault non-striking employees or their family members, threaten to follow non-striking employees to their homes, use racial epithets or obscene gestures at non-striking employees or otherwise threaten unspecified reprisals on any non-striking employee of Overnite or any member of his or her family or any employee of a neutral employee doing business with Overnite, or on any security guard, supervisor or manager of Ovemite or neutral employers doing business with Ovemite in the presence of employees.
  • WE WILL NOT videotape or photograph any non-striking employees of Ovemite, or vehicles of Ovemite or of its nonstriking employees while engaging in coercive activity observed by or known by those being videotaped or photographed or threaten to release the photographs, names, addresses or phone numbers of non-striking employees in order to intimidate the non-striking employees.
  • WE WILL NOT prevent any non-striking employee from accessing an Ovemite vehicle or a personal vehicle or block Ovemite vehicles or the personal vehicles of non-striking Ovemite employees.
  • WE WILL NOT threaten to fine or cause the discharge of non-member employees because they cross a picket line or refuse to go on strike.
  • WE WILL NOT threaten to cause any employee’s discharge if they do not engage in a strike or picketing of Ovemite or of any neutral person doing business with Ovemite.
  • WE WILL NOT attempt to harass and intimidate employees or security guards on Ovemite property by using mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes of Ovemite drivers or use mirrors or laser pointers to shine light into the eyes or video cameras of security guards.
  • WE WILL NOT remove the personal property of non-striking employees from their personal vehicles.”

There you have it. While hopefully not every Teamsters’ local is equally disgusting, that’s their potential bag of tricks. Such conduct should be anticipated and prepared for by employers facing a Teamsters strike. And employees facing a decision about Teamsters representation should probably be given a copy of this notice as fair warning of what they might be getting into.

____________

Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Corporate Heads Make Too Much? What About Union Leaders?

April 26, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Center For Union Facts, put out a press release jabbing unions in the ribs for their unprincipled finger pointing at the high salaries of corporate heads like CEO’s, CFO’s, etc. But, as the CUF points out, union chiefs make the same sort of money and no one is pointing fingers at THEM saying that the bloated salaries of union scammers are too high. Where are the calls for union heads to give back their exorbitant salaries?

Here is a list of some union thieves’ grossly bloated salaries.

  • The Plumbers paid former General President Martin Maddaloni $1.3 million in total compensation, and Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Patchell almost $900,000 – after they were ousted for disastrous pension investments in a Florida hotel. According to the Association for Union Democracy, the buyout agreement included “salaries and benefits plus free use of cars and other perks through the end of 2006.”
  • AFSCME President Gerald McEntee recorded total compensation just shy of $585,000.
  • General President of the Laborers Terence O’Sullivan made more than $528,000.
  • National Education Association President Reg Weaver made almost $439,000.
  • The presidents of unions for players in the National Football League and the National Basketball Association made more than $1 million each. The NFL union head, Eugene Upshaw, made $2.4 million. Moreover, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received $900,000 from his AFL-CIO affiliated union as a player representative.

Wow. Seems rather hypocritical of these union folks who point fingers at corporate heads, doesn’t it?

And, as CUF Executive Director Richard Berman points out, the money that union chiefs get paid are from the dues of union members and NOT the profits from a company.

“While stockholders always have the option of showing their dissatisfaction with salary issues by dumping their stock, union executives have made it virtually impossible for a union member to escape paying for high salaries and perks through mandatory dues.”

Just so!

So, let me be one of the few that will call for these union thugs to pay back their undeserved salaries!

Continue reading “Corporate Heads Make Too Much? What About Union Leaders?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Storms Conference, Injures Visitors

April 18, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, it was funny seeing the SEIU and the CNA squaring off for a battle royale, but now things are really getting serious and at this point even a staunch anti-unionist has to say that things are getting out of hand.

The folks over at LaborNotes.org brings us the story of SEIU members being bussed in six, count them SIX, busses to invade and disrupt a conference being attended by California Nurses Association members in Dearborn, Michigan last weekend. Reports are that people were injured as the hundreds of bussed in SEIU members forcibly broke into the conference to disrupt the proceedings.

The ridiculous thing is that the conference was supposed to be about “democracy” in unions put on by Labor Notes Magazine.

This escalation of violence by SEIU members is a disturbing trend that really does make the lie to the claim that SEIU prez Andy Stern is interested in legitimate representation, but is more interested in coercion and intimidation.

Continue reading “SEIU Storms Conference, Injures Visitors”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union to Rebate Misspent Dues to Members

April 16, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This one is interesting. The SEIU was ordered by a California judge to rebate assessments charged non-union members who were charged fees by the union that were used to fight a political campaign against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

We get the story from the Sacramento Bee.

Judge Morrison England, in a decision Thursday, ordered Service Employees International Union Local 1000 to send notices to the workers who opted out of union membership. The union must issue refunds, with interest, to those non-union members who object to the special assessment. The rebate would amount to $135 plus interest for a worker who made $4,500 a month in 2005.

The special fee raised $12 million to fight Schwarzenegger’s agenda, about a quarter of which was paid by state workers who chose not to join the union.

But, how is it that this union was able to extort money from non-members in the first place, you might ask? It’s only because of the cozy relationship that the union has with the state that allows even non-union members to be ripped off by the union. Thanks to the stupidity of the state of California, even non-members have to pay money into the union! In any other situation this would be called theft. But, when a state government that bends over backwards for unions is involved, it’s called law.

Naturally, the SEIU thinks this is a bad ruling because it limits their “free speech.”

Continue reading “Union to Rebate Misspent Dues to Members”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Dues Forcibly Used for Political Causes Coming to an End?

April 15, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is a story that has been coming to the fore more every year. The idea that union members should have a choice whether their dues money goes to fund political causes is getting more cachet all the time. Today we have another call to stop unions for using dues money for political causes without getting permission from the dues paying union members first, this time from the Sacramento Bee.

Editorial: Refunds from union are only right

Should government workers be forced to pay for political activities with which they disagree to keep their jobs? That was the fundamental question underlying the case federal court Judge Morrison England decided last week. In a ruling that relied on simple fairness and federal law, Judge England said no.

In the case before the court, the Services Employees International Union Local 1000 had imposed a special assessment on state workers it represented to bankroll its “Political Fight-Back Fund.” The fund was established in 2005 to finance the union’s campaign against Propositions 75 and 76, two measures on the November ballot that year, pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The union deducted $12 million from the paychecks of 92,500 of its state worker members to support SEIU’s campaign to defeat the initiatives. Some 28,000 non-union workers, state employees who opt not to join the union but are required to pay fees to finance the union’s bargaining activities from which they benefit, were also forced to pay. That’s where the union tripped up. The non-union members sued to get their money back, and last week they prevailed.

As the Bee editorial notes, its a good thing that unions are beginning to have taken away the ability to casually use of everyone’s dues money to fund the union leadership’s pet political causes. After all, what if Democrat union members were forced to see their dues used to fund Republican causes?

If this idea separating the use of union money from political campaigns becomes more widespread, this could put a great dent in funding for extreme leftist, anti-business, anti-American causes.

Let’s hope this is a ball that find a continued downhill path!

Continue reading “Dues Forcibly Used for Political Causes Coming to an End?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Democrats’ Slavish Devotion to Big Labor a Vote Loser?

April 14, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Jennifer Rubin over at Commentary Magazine has a rather interesting little piece on CM’s “Contentions Blog” that, if true, shows that the Democrat Party’s devotion to Big Labor isn’t really the winning strategy that they think it is.

After noting that the AFL-CIO announced that they were devoting 53 million dollars to attack John McCain during this election cycle, and after noting that the Barack “no special interest money” Obama doesn’t seem to mind this absurd outlay of cash, Rubin reports on a study that shows some bad news for unions and their lap dogs in the Democrat Party.

Now comes some evidence that Democrats do the bidding of Big Labor at their political peril. McLaughlin & Associates, a well-regarded GOP polling group, has conducted a survey for a business group, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, in the battleground states of Minnesota, Colorado, and Maine. The results (according to the press release) show that large majorities of voters in Colorado (68%), Maine (72%), and Minnesota (65%) oppose the EFCA. Moreover, voters in Minnesota and Colorado would be less likely to support Democratic senate candidates who support the EFCA. (Specifically, a plurality of voters would be less likely to vote for Democratic Senate candidates Mark Udall (44%) and Al Franken (41%) if they support this legislation.) To boot, at least 80% of voters in all three states believe that secret ballot elections are the cornerstone of democracy and should be retained for union elections.

This is one more instance in which Democrats have confused the interests of union power brokers with the interests of working-class voters. Unions may want to do away with workplace democracy, but real workers do not. Similarly, teachers’ unions hate school choice measures, but working-class voters whose kids are trapped in underperforming public schools like them.

Of course, the fact that the excesses of union manipulation, corruption, and stupidity won’t slow down Big Labor’s iron grip over the Democrat Party any time soon, but, as Rubin notes< these facts do lend Republicans with some clear strategy choices in the meantime.

Continue reading “Democrats’ Slavish Devotion to Big Labor a Vote Loser?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union Rigging Election at its OWN Convention

April 13, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This internal brawl within the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) is getting uglier by the minute. Readers of the Union Label Blog will certainly know we’ve been watching the fisticuffs inside the union over the direction and policies of current president Andy Stern and we have to admit that there’s been no lack of smirks and guffaws over the union’s infighting among the denizens of the ULBlog offices! Some of us here have even been tempted to chortle openly at the union’s troubles.

Still, when serious reflection is directed at this incident it cannot escape notice that everything that is going on within the SEIU seems to violate every principle that unions are mythically assumed to hold dear. Under Andy Stern’s leadership, the “democratic process” has been steadily thwarted and union leadership has attempted to create a top-down, autocratic style of control belying the supposed principle of the rank and file “having their say” in how the union operates. Andy Stern has done his best to emulate Stalin instead of Ghandi. Stern seems the very picture of the elite instead of a man of the people.

And, isn’t it the common assumption that unions stand against “the man” telling them what to do? Yet, here is Andy Stern doing his level best to himself become the man!

Well now we can add delegate stacking and election rigging on top of his other tyrannical attempts to rule with an iron fist. According to a San Francisco Bay Guardian story by JB Powell, Andy Stern’s office has been exposed for efforts to make sure that SEIU dissidents don’t end up elected as delegates to the upcoming SEIU convention.

Continue reading “Union Rigging Election at its OWN Convention”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Secret Multi-Million $$ Group Behind Many Union Backed Ballot Initiatives

April 9, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Now, this is the sort of thing that liberals do very well. They hide behind grand sounding organizations that claim to be “community” based, “non-partisan,” or but humble servants of the people. What they really are, however, are subversive organizations that try their best to stay behind the scenes while they promulgate their special brand of socialist policies. Most of all, they are massively funded by people like George Soros who have specific anti-American policies they wish to put into effect.

A new report from the Capital Research Center by James Dellinger and Karl Crow has recently been released to highlight the efforts of at least one of these back-room, secretive, leftist organizations.

In 2006, voters in 37 states faced a total of 203 state ballot initiatives and supporters and opponents of these measures raised and spent more than $350 million. Many ballot initiatives were sponsored and supported by labor unions, and often they received help from the little-known Washington, D.C.-based Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which quietly provides assistance in promoting ballot initiative campaigns in states where the initiative process exists. But the Center plays another increasingly important role for Big Labor and its allies. It devises tactics for blocking ballot initiatives by union opponents using aggressive methods.

Conservatives have seen success lately using ballot initiatives and this has caused liberals to try to subvert the process of ballot initiatives that their side has used to effectively for decades. This shows once again that the left is not interested in the democratic process… unless it is on THEIR side.

Continue reading “Secret Multi-Million $$ Group Behind Many Union Backed Ballot Initiatives”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Union Fight Gets Ugly

April 8, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Uh, oh. Looks like SEIU Chief Andy Stern isn’t taking this insurgency in stride. He’s breaking out the long knives for this one.

We’ve mentioned before how the SEIU president is under internal pressure over his growth model. Stern’s internal union opponents are claiming that he gives away too much power to employers solely to get new membership. Because a certain faction of the SEIU thinks Stern is weakening the union, they have risen up from within and challenged his position as the union chief.

Well, ol’ Andy isn’t taking this lying down. He’s fighting back like a good union thug does by making allegations and trying to have his opponent thrown out of the union. Yes, in typical undemocratic union style, Stern is ignoring the real issues and trying to strong-arm his opponent into oblivion!

We get the tale from the San Francisco Chronicle.

The president of one of the nation’s largest labor unions moved this week toward ousting the leaders of its West Coast affiliate, in a power struggle that could affect hundreds of thousands of California workers and the state’s strained health care industry.

Ooopsie, trouble in the worker’s paradise.

Andy Stern, president of the Washington-headquartered Service Employees International Union, sent a letter on Monday – obtained by The Chronicle – that alleges misconduct by Sal Rosselli, president of the Oakland-based United Healthcare Workers West, who has been Stern’s most vocal critic.

I guess we shouldn’t expect Stern to delineate his strategy, bring it to the membership, and run on the strength of his ideas, huh? No, like a true union thug, Stern has to try and use strong-arm tactics to eliminate the opposition.

Stern’s opponent, Sal Rosselli is a bit taken aback, too.

Continue reading “SEIU Union Fight Gets Ugly”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Battle Royal Between CA Nurse Union and Services Employee Union

March 14, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

OK, folks, grab the popcorn and settle in for this hilarious tale of union against union. It’s an epic battle of lies, underhandedness, brute force, and sweetheart deals that pits the California Nurses Association (CNA) against the Services Employees International Union (SEIU). The two unions are at each other’s throats for the prize of representing employees in the Catholic hospitals of the state of Ohio.

Here’s the Beginning of Our Story

Three years ago the SEIU cruised into the state of Ohio to organize the workers in the Catholic hospitals there, cozied up to management promising to make the burden on employers as light as possible, and set out to organize the employees.

By cozying up to management the SEIU hoped to smooth any ruffled feathers that management might have over agreeing that their employees join the union. The plumb SEIU president Andy Stern hoped to pull out of Ohio’s pie was the 8,300 workers in the Catholic hospitals in Ohio, a number that Stern was salivating to add to his burgeoning union’s numbers.

As it happens, the SEIU had worked out a deal with the hospital administrators to the effect that neither the union nor the administrators would assault the employees with all-out efforts against each other. And with that deal in place, the SEIU took the next three years to negotiate the deal.

Success was close at hand with an employee vote on joining the union set to come off this very week.

But the hopes for harmony and love for all was soon to be demolished with the entrance into the story of the California Nurses Association — a group that even The New York Times called “an unusually militant union.”

The Plot Thickens

Just as the SEIU thought everything was going swimmingly, the CNA arrived in town ready to destroy the “rigged scam” of a deal that the SEIU had worked out with the Catholic hospitals administrators.

Continue reading “Battle Royal Between CA Nurse Union and Services Employee Union”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - UN - Warner Todd Huston

UN ‘Peacekeepers’ Vandalizing Ancient Art — Where is MSM Reporting?

February 2, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We are told over and over again that the United Nations is the answer to all the world’s ills. It is often claimed that without the UN things would be so much worse in troubled spots around the world. But, when we look at the pernicious effect the UN has where ever it goes, it’s awfully hard to reconcile the claims with the hard truth. For one thing, we’ve seen the UN responsible for turning indigenous teens into prostitutes for UN workers in Cambodia, Africa, and Bosnia. Well, now we can add vandalism of sacred, ancient wall-art to the ever growing list of evils perpetrated by UN operatives.

But, where is the Media to report this outrage against human history and sacred religious relics and sites? About the same place they were when underplaying the reports of UN “peacekeepers” and employees forcing young women into prostitution the world over… absent from the scene.

From raping poor women to raping art treasures, the UN is in the forefront of the efforts to demean and destroy all across the third world. Today the Times online give us the story of UN “peacekeepers” defacing 6,000 year-old art in the Western Saharan rocks of Africa.

Continue reading “UN ‘Peacekeepers’ Vandalizing Ancient Art — Where is MSM Reporting?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Freshman KY Lawmaker’s Debate Shut Down by Union Flaks

February 1, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

First term Kentucky House member Tim Moore (R, Elizabethtown) tried to start a debate on the efficacy of Kentucky’s prevailing-wage laws last week, but union flacks on the floor of the Commonwealth’s House would have none of it. He was quickly shut down when he tried to re-visit the idea of whether or not contractors that work for the gov’t should be forced to pay union scale even if they are not a union shop.

The Herald-Leader gives us the scoop:

The prevailing-wage law requires contractors who are building government facilities and schools to pay the typical wage for similar construction work done in the region. Two years ago, when former Gov. Ernie Fletcher suggested repealing it, union workers marched on the Capitol several times.

Some Republicans, however, say the law is fiscally irresponsible and unnecessary.

So, Moore brought it up and wanted it debated. Union lovers were aghast.

So Moore decided to talk about the issue instead. But his brief floor speech was immediately met with sharp criticism, mostly from Democrats who represent union districts.

“Mostly from Democrats”… imagine that?

Continue reading “Freshman KY Lawmaker’s Debate Shut Down by Union Flaks”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Another Nabbed in Mob Controlled NY School Bus Union Scandal

January 31, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We’ve mentioned the little problem with the organized crime infested New York Transit Workers union Local 1181 a few times here on the Union Label. Well, we can report that another indictment in this growing and embarrassing scandal has been handed down.

Joseph Fazzia, owner of Jofaz Transportation was charged with making false statements to the FBI.

And that isn’t all…

But that union’s corrupt president, Salvatore Battaglia, last week pleaded guilty to taking payoffs and said several bus company owners have made regular payments to his union for decades.

The union has been controlled by the Genovese crime family since the 1970s, helping private bus companies milk the taxpayers and pumping millions into mob pockets.

Prosecutors identified three owners who said they had made payments to the union: Domenic Gatto, owner of Atlantic Express; Ray Fouche, owner of Rainbow Transit and Robert Dimino, owner of Safe Coach.

These companies currently have millions of dollars in DOE contracts to transport tens of thousands of New York City students.

It is a huge embarrassment to the New York Department of Education and no end seems to be in sight yet.

We’ll keep our eye on this mounting scandal and the corruption it reveals.

Continue reading “Another Nabbed in Mob Controlled NY School Bus Union Scandal”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Unions

More Union Violence in Somerville

January 6, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

We reported about some union violence in Somerville, Mass. a few days ago, and now here is an update.

Charles Carneglia, owner of Russell Disposal, claimed to the Somerville News that union members who have been picketing his place of business drew a gun and a knife on him. He says he pulled his own gun and they backed off. While I won’t necessarily believe this story must be true, it wouldn’t be too surprising if it were. Not after the violence that union members have been responsible for in this case.

In fact, more union members were arrested by police for disorderly conduct as they picketed the disposal service last Thursday.

According to the Somerville News:

Close to 100 Teamsters from Local 25 and 70 police officers dressed in riot gear with wooden sticks in hand pushed each other back and forth as police removed the padlock from the gate. Minor scuffles broke out in the crowd and 10 Teamsters were arrested “for rude, offensive and threatening conduct,” according to police.

The situation, though, is telling. The union continues to harass this business and its employees even though the majority of those same employees rejected union representation in a vote not long ago. The voting down of the union was by “a wide margin” according to reports.

Yet, still, this union continues to harass everyone at Russell Disposal, despite what the voice of the “little man” told the union to go do with their representation!

Yeah, them thar union fellers is all about “democracy,” ain’t they?
Continue reading “More Union Violence in Somerville”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - News - The Law - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

A Riot that Isn’t A Riot – When Unions Go Wild

January 5, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

OK, so you are a business trying to stave off union thugs and, instead of acting like civilized adults, the thugs put an unauthorized padlock on your driveway gate and then park a trailer in front of the entrance so that your trucks cannot enter or leave the premisses. Then, when the police come to try and restore order, the unions thugs start a street brawl. Of this incident, the police claim “there is no riot.”

So, what’s a business to do?

Somerville – At approximately 1 a.m. his morning, members of Teamsters Local 25 established a picket line at F.W. Russell Disposal Company located at 120 McGrath Highway and Broadway Brake at Broadway and Lombardi Way.

Russell Disposal is the contractor providing trash removal services for the city of Somerville.

Protestors bused into the scene padlocked the front gate and parked a trailer in front of it so Russell’s employees could not enter and the trucks could not leave.

At approximately 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning, acting Chief Robert Bradley gave the order for police to push back the picketers who had been bused into the site. Somerville Police were backed up by Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (a regional force from other cities) which includes a SWAT Team. Officials from Peabody, Concord, Pepperell, North Andover, Watertown, Bedford, Chelmsford, Lexington and Woburn staged in the Target parking lot and marched to the site in full riot gear.

As police pushed picketers back, a scuffle broke out. Ten picketers were arrested.

Continue reading “A Riot that Isn’t A Riot – When Unions Go Wild”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Huckabee Scolded by Union

January 5, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ooopsie. Just after his winning the Hawkeye Caucus comes word that the folks in unions across America are a tad upset with former Arkansas Guv Mike Huckabee for crossing the picket lines of the writer’s strike to visit on air with Jay Leno.

The Huckster was not long ago endorsed by the Machinists union (IAM), but they aren’t too happy with his picket line crossing. President of the IAM, Tom Buffenberger was none too happy, apparently.

“Governor Huckabee should not cross the picket line. We have made that abundantly clear to his campaign. With such missteps, he risks losing the support his jobs and economic policies have won for him among trade unionists who will attend the GOP caucuses in Iowa or will vote in the later primaries.”

I don’t imagine that Huckabee will be too broken hearted with this pique, though. Now that Huck is an unexpected GOP front runner, it is doubtful that having a union mad at him will hurt him much. In fact, it could give him GOP street cred! After all, the IAM also endorsed Hillary Clinton! What self respecting Republican wants to be in THAT company?

Of course, this is one more reason to reassess supporting Huckabee. But that is another story for another post…