Californians Prepare Initiative to Make Politics Voluntary, Even for Union Members

Government employee union officials have enjoyed a big advantage over their political competitors: the power to compel members to contribute funds to their causes.

Such political power has served as a massive force in favor of the unsustainable spending that has forced cities like Vallejo, California into bankruptcy with unrealistic salaries and pension benefits for their unionized employees.

Normally only a tiny fraction of Americans choose to donate to candidates or political causes. Yet many government employee unions enjoy the power to compel virtually all of their members into supporting the unions’ advocacy, regardless of how the individual worker feels about that agenda.

That’s one heck of an advantage on the political battlefield, but it comes at the price of forcing, for example, Republican union members to fund Democrat campaigns. Or, conversely, Democrats in Pennsylvania funding then-Republican Arlen Specter’s re-election.  It’s wrong, and abuse of the practice has led states like Utah and Idaho to ban the practice.

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Tags: ballot initiative, california government, forced union dues, government unions, paycheck protection
Posted Dec 30th 2009 at 10:23 am in Big Labor, Politics, State Politics, Uncategorized | 5139864 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/rnehring/2009/12/30/californians-prepare-initiative-to-make-politics-voluntary-even-for-union-members/Californians+Prepare+Initiative+to+Make+Politics+Voluntary%2C+Even+for+Union+Members2009-12-30+18%3A23%3A30Ron+Nehring

Obama’s Labor Department Ignores Freedom of Information Act

On Friday, 20 November 2009, The National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation (Foundation) decided enough was enough and filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court demanding that they compel the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to comply with the Foundation’s April 6th Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request.

The Foundation’s FOIA requested:

• Records from communications and recorded events where specified Obama appointees and Big Labor official were present
• Lists of lawsuits involving the Department of Labor and Deborah Greenfield within the past eight years.
• List of any gifts received by Solis in the past 5 years from Big Labor or its officials
• Specifically provide in detail (a) notes, (b) agreements, (c) communications, and (d) agendas related to the regulations related to the labor union and officer disclosure rules
• Copies of phone logs
• Copies of any notes or documents related to any enforcement of any labor laws and any outside groups such as labor unions, American Rights at Work, or ACORN

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Tags: American Rights at WOrk, Card Check, Darrel Issa, Deborah Greenfield, FOIA request
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 at 11:32 am in Big Labor, Justice/Legal, Obama | 3457458 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/dloos/2009/11/22/obamas-labor-department-ignores-freedom-of-information-act/Obama%E2%80%99s+Labor+Department+Ignores+Freedom+of+Information+Act2009-11-22+18%3A32%3A57Don+Loos