[Photo Source: NEA] Is NEA’s proposal to broaden the scope of who can have union membership a safety net for its political power? Does the union fear its members will…
The pension bill, which Gov. Mark Dayton supports, is expected to become law though some lawmakers are stunned at the growing expense. Pensions are supposed to be covered by employer…
Minnesota secondary teachers have an average wage of $62,590 plus benefits. Don’t forget that salary is just one part of the equation. You need to add in the cost of…
Last year, the HHS law contained a very odd provision; it empowered the governor to not only negotiate a new contract with the SEIU but it pre-ratified that contract with…
Philadelphia has been shut down by a nor'easter. (We call them blizzards). Tomorrow morning, I am going to pop into Independence Hall. Then, assuming this town re-opens, I am going…
My colleague Kim Crockett testified on Minnesota teacher pensions before the Minnesota Senate Committee on E-12 Finance on Monday (March 19) afternoon. Her message was clear: we need to keep…
Reasonable people disagree on gun control and how to keep our schools safe. The question is what is the proper forum for discussion? The NEA has endorsed school administrators leveraging…
In forced-dues states like Minnesota, teachers and cops are forced to fund the political agenda of their union. So for example, in 2016, the teachers’ union and AFSCME (both AFL-CIO…
The Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) told legislators last month that it wanted to drop its assumed rate of return from 8.5% to 7.5%. TRA is the last fund in the…
Hard-working public employees are forced to pay money to a government union as a pre-condition of employment. The decision to financially support a union is a decision that employees should…
The current issue of the New Labor Forum includes a long column by Max Fraser, a left-winger who writes for publications like the Nation and Dissent and, improbably, is associated…
It’s never over til it’s over, but big labor has largely conceded its public employee union monopoly through forced dues and fair-share fees will end when the Supreme Court rules…
"The internal AFT slideshow predicts that if the Supreme Court rules to undercut agency fees, the increased time spent on “member maintenance” will detract from the organization’s “other more progressive…
Michael Ramirez uses a familiar desktop toy to illustrate why public sector unions inherently pose a conflict of interest. Click to enlarge: When politicians negotiate the pay and benefits of…
Congratulations! It has been two years since child care providers around the state did something truly remarkable: they defeated a prolonged and well-financed attempt to convert their homes and businesses…
I was at the U.S. Supreme Court today to hear Janus v AFSCME, the case that could end so-called "fair-share" fees (see nearby posts). The State Policy Network, of which…
There was a loud, wonderful demonstration all morning long on the steps of the Supreme Court. Hundreds of public employees from all over the country came with signs, hats and…
Education Minnesota tactics cited in briefs before the Court The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard the long-anticipated case brought by Mark Janus, an Illinois child support specialist who’s asking…
Education Minnesota tactics cited in briefs before the Court The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard the long-anticipated case brought by Mark Janus, an Illinois child support specialist who’s asking…
“This is a pro-freedom, not anti-union, case. For several decades, public employees have been second-class citizens under the law. They are forced to pay fees to a union in order…
Does anyone really believe that Education Minnesota or AFSCME-5 are spending the bulk of their dues revenues on negotiating contracts? Everything the unions do, from collective bargaining, electioneering and lobbying,…
St. Paul teachers will vote today whether to authorize a strike over unsettled contract negotiations. The St. Paul Federation of Teachers—the local teachers’ union—scheduled the strike vote after contract talks…
Many employees are forced to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. Are they aware of what or whom these dues support?
The former president of the teachers’ union in St. Paul Public Schools has broken ranks with the St. Paul Federation of Teachers’ hardline leadership. In a tough rebuke to labor…