Labor Pains: Because Being in a Union can be Painful

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Archive: May 2013

  • New York City Workers’ Union Boss Puts “Big” in Big Labor

    Posted on May 28, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    Local 983 of District Council 37, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFL-CIO, pays its president, Mark Rosenthal, over $156,000 per year, according to the New York Post. It seems like members might not receive much work for all that dues money. The Post alleges: The 400-pound president of Local 983 of […]

  • Union Corruption Update: Go Directly To Jail

    Posted on May 20, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    The former business manager for a California local of the Plumbers Union was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy and misappropriating labor union funds. His wife was also sentenced to three months in the pen for involvement in the same nine-year scheme. Federal prosecutors argued that the pair had illegally taken approximately […]

  • Fewer Unions Survive Decertification Elections

    Posted on May 17, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    Union decline is a common refrain with private-sector membership at a 70-year low, and new evidence that unions’ latest ploys to stall their downfall aren’t working continues to pour in. Bloomberg BNA reports on unions’ lack of success at retaining members in decertification elections: Of those 228 elections last year, unions won only 87—by far […]

  • Fast Food Walkouts Spell “Strike” S.E.I.U.

    Posted on May 13, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    Recently, a number of groups taking the form of “worker centers” have staged walkouts of fast food restaurants in several cities. The most prominent has been Fast Food Forward in New York City, but Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit have also seen some activity. The Detroit Free Press reports on events in that city: Organizers […]

  • D.C. Circuit Rebukes NLRB Activism, Again

    Posted on May 08, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    One of the Obama National Labor Relations Board’s payoffs to Big Labor bosses was a rule requiring that employers provide notice to employees of their rights to unionize. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that that requirement violated the National Labor Relations Act and the First Amendment, and struck it down. The posters […]

  • Union Corruption Update: Dead Union Bosses Tell No Tales

    Posted on May 03, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    Scandal has rocked the Auburn Teachers Association, an affiliate of the New York State United Teachers and American Federation of Teachers. The Auburn Citizen reports that an audit showed that the former (and now deceased) President of the Association allegedly misappropriated up to $800,000 in dues money for various personal uses. Local police are investigating […]

  • Newsflash: Benefits of Union Membership Declining by the Year

    Posted on May 01, 2013 by Center for Union Facts

    Unions have always turned to the same trump card when trying to convince employees to unionize: Unions members make more money. It’s a compelling and appealing argument. But it’s also becoming less true by the year. Bloomberg BNA has released a new report demonstrating that the wage gap is growing smaller—and mainly because union wages […]