While unions will not let their hopes and dreams for the Employee Free Choice Act, or EFCA, go, arguing for the “freest and fairest elections,” they seem quite content to deny taxpayers (the ones footing the bill) the ability to vote on pension reforms. I guess fairness isn’t what EFCA was about after all. From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

Unions representing Menlo Park city workers are expected to file a lawsuit today in an effort to prevent a pension reform initiative from going before voters on the November ballot. The ballot initiative, spearheaded by Citizens for Fair and Responsible Pension Reform, would reduce pension benefits for new city employees. The organization gathered 2,788 signatures, more than the 1,884 needed to qualify for the ballot. The council in May approved the initiative for the Nov. 2 ballot.

Today at noon, representatives of the local chapters of the Service Employees International Union, which represents non-management city employees, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, along with some residents and city workers, are scheduled to hold a news conference outside Menlo Park City Hall after the lawsuit has been filed. An SEIU representative called the initiative unlawful, but wouldn’t elaborate on the legal grounds for the lawsuit against Menlo Park. In the past, AFSCME representatives have said the ballot measure violates a state law that prohibits amending retirement contracts through initiatives.

Image from Dean Terry.