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Showing posts with label Unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unions. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Unions Eating Out the State of California
Monday, August 8, 2022
Los Angeles County: The Powers Behind the Throne
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| Hertzberg v. Horvath race for LA BOS District Three can tell us who runs things in LA County |
Who, what, and how are the politics of Los Angeles County run?
Who is in charge?
What is calling the shots?
How do they muscle their power?
For now, let's analyze the different interests that have endorsed one of the two candidates running to replace Sheila Kuehl on the LA County Board of Supervisors. That should give us a window into the different interests running things in Los Angeles County.
First, there's Lindsey Horvath, a West Hollywood City Councilman.
Here is a long list of her endorsements
Then there's Bob Hertzberg, retiring State Senator for the Van Nuys area.
Here is his long list of endorsements
Hilda Solis, Janice Hahn, and Sheila Kuehl have endorsed Horvath. Clearly, they are doing this because they see her as the more progressive candidate, and also because she is a woman.
Kathryn Barger is endorsement Hertzberg. So, what makes him more conservative? Or less progressive?
Hertzberg has more endorsements from law enforcement. Hertzberg also has a number of endorsements from statewide Democratic leaders.
He also has a long list of endorsements from a number of labor unions.
What about Horvath?
Every major progressive interest in the county has lined up behind her, including a number of Democratic clubs, and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party has endorsed her, too. Homeless advocacy groups, a large number of city councilmembers and countywide officials have endorsed her, too.
So, what is the rift that is developing in LA County Democratic politics?
First, there is the constant rift between county and local democrats vs. federal and statewide elected Democrats. There is no real ideological difference. It's just a clique thing. The officials who have worked with candidates in other capacities are usually going to line up behind that person.
Next, we have the gender fight. Every liberal in the couty got all kinds of excited because there are now five women governing the LA County Board of Supervisors. Really? Here it's a fight for allowing some diversity on the LA County Board of Supervisors, i.e. a man, or will the status quo of all women win out? The feminist interest is very loud in Los Angeles County, now, and everyone is all about being woke at this point.
Third, you have the progressive groups vs. the labor unions. Big Labor just wants big contracts, while the other progressive groups (abortions, environmentalists, LGBT, etc) want to push their larger marxist agenda while keeping their coffers full with taxpayer dollars. What it all amounts to is different types of rent-seeking. Will the ideological cohort win, or the labor cohort carry the day?
Last of all, we see a distinct rift on law enforcement. Most of the public safety groups have lined up behind Hertzberg, which is interesting, since he pushed the law for no-money bail in the state of California. Still, the law enforcement groups see him as the better choice to deal with crime, I guess. This issue probably explains why LA County Superviser Barger is lining behind him, too.
So, these are the powers behind the throne in Los Angeles County. Different special interests, the raging progressive groups, the different caucuses at the local, county, state, and federal levels are all jockeying for different levels of power in the county.
Let's see who wins in November.
As for the rest of us, we the little people of Los Angeles County need to ask: who is going to represent us?
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Hawaii RINOs = Closet Democrats Voting to TAX YOU TO DEATH!
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Let's start with Kurt "Taxpayers 4 Rail" Fevella, the longtime Democrat, Mufi Hannemann campaign operative and Go Rail Go community organizer. In 2018, state GOP chair Shirlene Ostrov (who personally vetted all candidates), Gene Ward, and Bob McDermott vouched for Kurt Fevella as a true-blue Republican. It turns out that the party's newly-elected state senator from Ewa Beach is still a true-blue Democrat. Since his election -- among many other horrible votes cast -- Fevella has voted IN FAVOR of a new $350 million per year tax hike on island residents through a brand new, permanent increase in the General Excise Tax. With RINO Bob McDermott already paving the way by regularly voting for massive GET hikes to pay for his pal Mufi's pay-to-play rail construction project, Fevella just made Mufi really happy by 
According to 
Closet Democrat and Mufi Hannemann pal "RINO Bob" McDermott -- a big time SUPPORTER of illegal immigration in Hawaii -- probably wishes he could forget how he previously attacked supporters of the same Sanctuary State bill now under consideration at the State Capitol. Two years ago, McDermott pretended to criticize the Hawaii Democrat legislation to turn Hawaii into a Sanctuary State by saying, “IT'S AN ATTACK ON TRUMP. Hawaii will pay for being an antagonistic thorn in the side of the administration. We could potentially lose federal grants from the Justice Department.”
So how did the entire party membership get duped by its corrupt leaders? Well, this internal e-mail dated 16 February 2019 from longtime Hawaii GOP executive committee member Steve Yoderreally explains everything. "I believe it was (state chair) Shirlene (Ostrov) who took Kurt (Fevella) to an Oahu Labor Union and told the union members that 'this is your guy, he's one of you, vote for him.'" Yes, that explains everything. We were deliberately and knowingly sold out by the top Hawaii GOP officers (led by RINO state chair Shirlene Ostrov) and sold a bill of goods with closet Democrat and union puppet Kurt Fevella, the new "Republican" state senator from Ewa Beach. Now, after only a few weeks in office, Fevella is SHOCKING Republicans and independents statewide by voting for higher taxes, wasteful spending, minimum wage hikes (50% higher!!), a sanctuary state and the entire liberal agenda. The fix was in from Day One. And that's how we got screwed. Auwe!
Saturday, February 16, 2019
LAUSD Strike: Who's the Big Winner Now That the Strike is Settled?
This strike is a bunch of thieves and bums rushing to make their mark and make off with the most money from us taxpayers, but the ones paying the highest price are the students.
Or are they?
The strike has now ended, and it's been about three weeks since the settlement was passed and agreed to be all parties concerned.
Who are the big winners? The big losers?
I am not sure that there are winners in this debacle, ultimately. Teachers are still overwhelmed with classes that have so many students in them. There is no assurance that proper leevel sof support staff will be hired to help the teachers and the students.
What about the students, anyway? Will they learn? Will Johnny be able to read? The failure of government education has become too great for parents to tolerate long-term mediocrity. They demand the best for their students, and Los Angeles Unified is simply not delivering.
The teachers are still not paid enough, illegal aliens are straining the system to its breaking point, special interests are calling all the shots, and kids are learning to hate this country more than to honor and respect the greatness that made the United States what it is.
Or are they?
The strike has now ended, and it's been about three weeks since the settlement was passed and agreed to be all parties concerned.
Who are the big winners? The big losers?
A week ago, Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner went to Sacramento
to nail down support for the school district if teachers decided to go on
strike.
He came back sounding very optimistic that lawmakers understood the
district’s finances were so perilous that it could not afford what the teachers
were demanding.
Unions do not care whether there is enough money or not. They will always claim that the leadership, the administrators are holding out on the teachers and the students. They can make the argument that the school board members and upper-level staff are paying themselves big money, while so little money and talent is going to the classroom.
Unions do not care whether there is enough money or not. They will always claim that the leadership, the administrators are holding out on the teachers and the students. They can make the argument that the school board members and upper-level staff are paying themselves big money, while so little money and talent is going to the classroom.
But the images of teachers marching in the rain, often cheered by
parents and students, have amounted to powerful politics in this blue state,
and have weakened the district’s hand.
The unions still wield an incredible amount of power in California, even post-Janus. Most of the teachers don't know anything but union representation and support. They can't imagine a career without the union representing them.
The unions still wield an incredible amount of power in California, even post-Janus. Most of the teachers don't know anything but union representation and support. They can't imagine a career without the union representing them.
The teachers have told personal stories that many find hard to argue
with: that too many students shouldn’t be crowded into classes, that schools
should have nurses on hand every day. And that has up to now trumped Beutner’s
grim financial diagnosis, even though it was largely endorsed by a county
oversight agency.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education has signaled that the fiscal problems in LAUSD are immense. If the district doesn't get a hold on its finances, the district will go insolvent and the county office will have to take over.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education has signaled that the fiscal problems in LAUSD are immense. If the district doesn't get a hold on its finances, the district will go insolvent and the county office will have to take over.
Now, some lawmakers Beutner met with less than a week ago have
scheduled a news conference Friday “in support of teachers and families to
demand that LAUSD negotiate fairly.”
As the L.A. teachers’ strike enters its fifth day and a new round of
negotiations begin, two realities are emerging: The tremendous enthusiasm over
the walkout and the toll its taking on the school system.
This report had gone out during the strike. Looking back three weeks later, the teachers didn't get concrete gains, but some promises. They are going to get pay increases retroactive to when the previous contract had ended. The district is already drowning in debt, but they have still agreed to higher salaries, more support staff, and a promise to deliver smaller class sizes and less testing.
Of course, promises are just words. Where's the action to back up these promises?
This report had gone out during the strike. Looking back three weeks later, the teachers didn't get concrete gains, but some promises. They are going to get pay increases retroactive to when the previous contract had ended. The district is already drowning in debt, but they have still agreed to higher salaries, more support staff, and a promise to deliver smaller class sizes and less testing.
Of course, promises are just words. Where's the action to back up these promises?
Inside campuses, skeleton crews of supervisors, subs and remaining
workers have herded students into large spaces, showing movies and plugging
students into online coursework. About two-thirds did not show up, even though
many working parents depend on schools to provide childcare and even meals.
To add financial insult to injury, the district lost hundreds of millions of dollars over the week of strikes.
To add financial insult to injury, the district lost hundreds of millions of dollars over the week of strikes.
The district estimates that each day of the strike is costing $10
million to $15 million, and Thursday’s student attendance was the lowest during
the strike.
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| Garcetti's Presidential Bid Has Gone Up in Flames |
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose possible entry into the 2020
presidential field has been challenged by the strike, is now trying to take a
leadership role in ending it.
His leadership role pretty much sunk his election chances. Plus the fact that Kamala Harris has more name recognition and national presence than a mayor for a large city. Garcetti never really had a chance to begin with.
His leadership role pretty much sunk his election chances. Plus the fact that Kamala Harris has more name recognition and national presence than a mayor for a large city. Garcetti never really had a chance to begin with.
This was evident Thursday when he hosted negotiating teams from the
school district and union at City Hall. They were the first talks in a week.
“The mayor asked and received commitment for both parties to stay at
the table until they reach an agreement,” said spokeswoman Andrea Garcia on
Thursday. “Mayor Garcetti has cleared his schedule and is in regular contact
with both parties and state leaders, including the governor.”
Let's not kid ourselves. Garcetti was hoping to get this strike out of the way as soon as possible. He was probably spending more time testing the waters with key special interests in Los Angeles and throughout the country to see what they had to say about his efforts as mayor. They probably gave him the by and large sense that they did not like his style or his substance.
I cannot recall the number of times people criticized Garcetti for giving into special interests and developers in the region. Some of his most vocal critics actually compared him to Donald Trump!
That was never going to help his bid for President. As the chief executive who ultimately had to balance budgets and provide public safety, he was alwasy going to run progressive activists the wrong way.
Let's not kid ourselves. Garcetti was hoping to get this strike out of the way as soon as possible. He was probably spending more time testing the waters with key special interests in Los Angeles and throughout the country to see what they had to say about his efforts as mayor. They probably gave him the by and large sense that they did not like his style or his substance.
I cannot recall the number of times people criticized Garcetti for giving into special interests and developers in the region. Some of his most vocal critics actually compared him to Donald Trump!
That was never going to help his bid for President. As the chief executive who ultimately had to balance budgets and provide public safety, he was alwasy going to run progressive activists the wrong way.
Given his possible presidential ambitions, the strike’s outcome needs
to be a win, and preferably a quick win. Garcetti had paid limited attention to
the nation’s second-largest school district until the labor unrest.
Gov. Gavin Newsom seemingly has much less at risk than Garcetti, but
he, too has been pulled into the fray.
Thanks to higher tax revenues, his new budget proposal for the state
delivers added funds that could contribute to a settlement. He also faces
pressure from a key ally — teachers unions — to do something to control charter
schools — either by increasing oversight over them or limiting their growth, or
both.
The higher revenues or a smokescreen. The wealth is fleeing California, and fast. There is no way that they can continue to spend so much money on pensions and benefits for teachers, administrators, and the rest of the bloated support staff.
The higher revenues or a smokescreen. The wealth is fleeing California, and fast. There is no way that they can continue to spend so much money on pensions and benefits for teachers, administrators, and the rest of the bloated support staff.
Politics around charters are tricky though; both unions and charter
supporters are powerful special interests.
United Teachers Los Angeles, whose power in L.A. schools had been
diminished by the rise of charter schools, seems to be on roll this week. But
that might not last.
It won't. If parents cannot get their kids to attend good schools in Los Angeles, they will just move out of the area, or out of the state entirely.
Parents know what is best of their children
It won't. If parents cannot get their kids to attend good schools in Los Angeles, they will just move out of the area, or out of the state entirely.
Parents know what is best of their children
The organizing momentum has energized members. That’s especially
important because a Supreme Court ruling last year made all union dues and fees
optional. And, at this point, members can look forward to a deal that meets or
exceeds reasonable expectations.
Union President Alex Caputo-Pearl has raised the expectations of his
members — and their animus toward Beutner — to a fever pitch. And yet a final
deal may look a lot like the district’s most recent offer in the key
particulars.
Peripheral elements could prove crucial — like a pilot program using
union-backed reforms. Tougher accountability for charter schools at the state
level also would be something the union could sell as a win.
The length of the strike also matters, as does the unknown depth of
public support. For Caputo-Pearl to win policy concessions on charters at the
state level, timing could be everything.
The superintendent came into office last May on a divided vote, and the
mixed loyalty is showing, too. Board President Monica Garcia has often been by
Beutner’s side at news conferences this week. Others on the board have been
less visible.
Board member George McKenna, who voted against hiring Beutner, called
this week for an immediate settlement — and he seemed to be talking to Beutner
more than to the union.
Scott Schmerelson, who also voted against Beutner, issued a statement
openly siding with teachers, saying he could no longer accept that board
members should present a united front.
Final Reflection
Final Reflection
I am not sure that there are winners in this debacle, ultimately. Teachers are still overwhelmed with classes that have so many students in them. There is no assurance that proper leevel sof support staff will be hired to help the teachers and the students.
What about the students, anyway? Will they learn? Will Johnny be able to read? The failure of government education has become too great for parents to tolerate long-term mediocrity. They demand the best for their students, and Los Angeles Unified is simply not delivering.
The teachers are still not paid enough, illegal aliens are straining the system to its breaking point, special interests are calling all the shots, and kids are learning to hate this country more than to honor and respect the greatness that made the United States what it is.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Right To Work Foundation Launching Another Attack on Public Sector Union Bullying (Bierman v. Dayton)
Janus v. AFSMCE was not the silver bullet which I had hoped it would be.
The Supreme Court decision has outlined that public sector unions can no longer force people to pay into a union which they have not joined.
But now individual workers and their supporting organizations need to force these unions to comply with the ruling. They need to ensure that individuals can choose to join other unions as well as choose not to join a union at all.
Check out what they are working on now:
Arthur, this is incredible.
The Union Bosses are trembling at the thought of your Foundation's next case reaching the Supreme Court.
For the first time, one of Big Labor's most powerful lobbying weapons could be challenged at the Supreme Court.
They call it "collective bargaining."
But it's more accurately named monopoly bargaining, and this coercive scheme is used to divert government budgets into Big Labor's coffers, and raise your taxes to pay for it.
Fortunately, that may be about to change.
In just a few days, your Foundation can make history with a case asking the Supreme Court to, for the first time, examine the constitutionality of this scheme.
A gavel landing on the right side of Bierman v. Dayton would free thousands of workers from union boss control, and even swing open the door to end public sector monopoly bargaining nationwide.
With the union bosses' primary lobbying weapon off the table, their power to bludgeon politicians into backing Big Labor's schemes would dwindle away.
So it's no surprise the union bosses are PETRIFIED.
In fact, you can be sure they're already plotting to run every dirty trick in the book to halt your Foundation's effort to free tens of thousands of workers from union monopoly ranks and restore their First Amendment rights.
That's why I'm coming to you right now.
Will you chip in $25 to punch through Big Labor's roadblocks and see this case through to the Supreme Court?
The first hurdle to cross is filing our writ of certiorari.
But with the filing deadline just days away, your Foundation is scrambling to ensure we have the necessary resources to guarantee our petition has the best chance of being granted.
It takes an entire team of your Foundation's experienced attorneys to put forth the best legal argument for the Supreme Court to ultimately rule Big Labor's monopoly bargaining powers as incompatible with the First Amendment.
And that's not all.
A potential U.S. Supreme Court case of this importance involves thousands of hours of legal research, drafting of briefs, responding to union arguments, coordinating of amicus briefs, and staging multiple moot court hearings to polish the arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court Justices.
Foundation staff attorneys are already working hard to make sure they're ready for anything union lawyers throw our way.
But the expenses are soaring.
We know from past experiences and victories that legal costs can skyrocket amidst a heated battle at the Supreme Court.
In fact, we've seen federal judges rule the cost of attorney fees to be well over $1 million for similar cases.
And now that the opening rounds of this Supreme Court showdown are being chambered and aimed, union boss lawyers are scheming to launch a slew of dirty legal tricks to encourage the Supreme Court to reject our appeal.
You see, every curveball Big Labor throws at the Foundation-backed Bierman case will drain more of our resources.
That's why it's crucial your National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation reaches our Supreme Court Victory Fund goal of $120,000 by the upcoming Thursday night deadline.
I hope you'll help us close the gap with a generous and tax-deductible donation of $15, $25, $50 or more right away.
I really appreciate your support in this major Supreme Court case brought by your National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
So please contribute below:
Pitch in $15 immediately >>>
Pitch in $25 immediately >>>
Pitch in $50 immediately >>>
Pitch in $75 immediately >>>
Pitch in $100 immediately >>>
Sincerely,
Mark Mix
President, National Right to Work
Public sector unions need to face pressure like never before. Their power is still unprecedented in a number of states, and the people who are footing the bills for their excessive privilege have a right to relief!
The Supreme Court decision has outlined that public sector unions can no longer force people to pay into a union which they have not joined.
But now individual workers and their supporting organizations need to force these unions to comply with the ruling. They need to ensure that individuals can choose to join other unions as well as choose not to join a union at all.
Check out what they are working on now:
Arthur, this is incredible.
The Union Bosses are trembling at the thought of your Foundation's next case reaching the Supreme Court.
For the first time, one of Big Labor's most powerful lobbying weapons could be challenged at the Supreme Court.
They call it "collective bargaining."
But it's more accurately named monopoly bargaining, and this coercive scheme is used to divert government budgets into Big Labor's coffers, and raise your taxes to pay for it.
Fortunately, that may be about to change.
In just a few days, your Foundation can make history with a case asking the Supreme Court to, for the first time, examine the constitutionality of this scheme.
A gavel landing on the right side of Bierman v. Dayton would free thousands of workers from union boss control, and even swing open the door to end public sector monopoly bargaining nationwide.
With the union bosses' primary lobbying weapon off the table, their power to bludgeon politicians into backing Big Labor's schemes would dwindle away.
So it's no surprise the union bosses are PETRIFIED.
In fact, you can be sure they're already plotting to run every dirty trick in the book to halt your Foundation's effort to free tens of thousands of workers from union monopoly ranks and restore their First Amendment rights.
That's why I'm coming to you right now.
Will you chip in $25 to punch through Big Labor's roadblocks and see this case through to the Supreme Court?
The first hurdle to cross is filing our writ of certiorari.
But with the filing deadline just days away, your Foundation is scrambling to ensure we have the necessary resources to guarantee our petition has the best chance of being granted.
It takes an entire team of your Foundation's experienced attorneys to put forth the best legal argument for the Supreme Court to ultimately rule Big Labor's monopoly bargaining powers as incompatible with the First Amendment.
And that's not all.
A potential U.S. Supreme Court case of this importance involves thousands of hours of legal research, drafting of briefs, responding to union arguments, coordinating of amicus briefs, and staging multiple moot court hearings to polish the arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court Justices.
Foundation staff attorneys are already working hard to make sure they're ready for anything union lawyers throw our way.
But the expenses are soaring.
We know from past experiences and victories that legal costs can skyrocket amidst a heated battle at the Supreme Court.
In fact, we've seen federal judges rule the cost of attorney fees to be well over $1 million for similar cases.
And now that the opening rounds of this Supreme Court showdown are being chambered and aimed, union boss lawyers are scheming to launch a slew of dirty legal tricks to encourage the Supreme Court to reject our appeal.
You see, every curveball Big Labor throws at the Foundation-backed Bierman case will drain more of our resources.
That's why it's crucial your National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation reaches our Supreme Court Victory Fund goal of $120,000 by the upcoming Thursday night deadline.
I hope you'll help us close the gap with a generous and tax-deductible donation of $15, $25, $50 or more right away.
I really appreciate your support in this major Supreme Court case brought by your National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
So please contribute below:
Pitch in $15 immediately >>>
Pitch in $25 immediately >>>
Pitch in $50 immediately >>>
Pitch in $75 immediately >>>
Pitch in $100 immediately >>>
Sincerely,
Mark Mix
President, National Right to Work
Public sector unions need to face pressure like never before. Their power is still unprecedented in a number of states, and the people who are footing the bills for their excessive privilege have a right to relief!
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