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MADISON, Wis. -- State unions were dealt a setback Friday when a federal judge said they would have to get their members to opt in, rather than opt out, to having the state deduct union dues from their paychecks. What's more, the judge did not rule on dues deductions for unions that he earlier found the state improperly decertified. The state's largest unions were decertified, and the ruling -- at least for now -- will make it harder for them to get money from dues. But U.S. District Court Judge William Conley gave unions one beneficial ruling by saying that...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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Does a teacher who made $81,000 before retiring to a $41,400 a-year-pension have a valid complaint that she wasn’t paid enough? That was the focus of a recent story in The Bridge, The Center For Michigan’s news site, in which former Royal Oak teacher Kathy Kapera was featured. The article said that Kapera thought the lucrative retirement benefits teachers receive “would make up for the relative lack of financial compensation she would earn as a teacher.” The article didn’t give Kapera’s salary other than stating what she earned in 1976 when she first started as a teacher. The article didn’t...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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Report says 40 percent of the public breathes unhealthy airBy Andrew Restuccia - 04/25/12 02:53 PM ET More than 40 percent of the public lives in regions with unhealthy levels of air pollution, a new report from the American Lung Association says. The public health group, in its annual State of the Air report, said air quality has dramatically improved in recent decades as a result of the Clean Air Act. But it warned that more action is needed to better protect the public from air pollution like smog or soot. The report finds that more than 127.2 million people,...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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State senators gave final approval this afternoon to legislation that could let anyone bring a gun into a public building. Current law says posting a sign makes it illegal to enter with a gun. This legislation adds the requirement of having armed guards and metal detectors. Proponents said the signs are obeyed only by law-abiding citizens, leaving them prey to those who ignore the signs. Sen. Al Melvin said society can be broken down into three groups: The unarmed sheep, armed sheep dogs -- and the wolves who are the bad guys. "It takes sheep dogs to protect the sheep...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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Despite recovery, U.S. public employees face more layoffsBy Lisa Lambert Sun Apr 8, 2012 7:13am EDT (Reuters) - Since 2009, the city of Chesapeake, tucked up against the Great Dismal Swamp in southern Virginia, has cut its workforce twice. This summer, nearly three years after the recession ended, the city of 222,209 has plans for a third round of layoffs. **SNIP** State and local governments for a time were able to shield public safety and education workforces from harmful cuts as the recession deepened. The 2009 federal stimulus fund helped offset lost tax revenue, but that money is gone. Now,...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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The president of the Michigan Education Association claims he talked to a teacher with a master’s degree who was eligible for a Bridge card. Steve Cook, the MEA’s president, said that a teacher he talked to was in his second year and had a master’s degree and made $31,000 a year. The problem? Publically available data of salaries for each district doesn’t back Cook’s claim. Cook didn’t respond to an email requesting the school district that paid a full-time, second-year teacher with a master’s degree $31,000 a year. The Michigan Association of School Boards reported in 2011 that a first-year...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Public Transport
MADISON — While organized labor’s strength may be waning overall, public-sector unions are retaining their numbers and pumping up their power to push public policy at the taxpayers’ expense, according to a new report by a conservative, free-market think tank. The Manhattan Institute’s pointed report, “Dues and Deep Pockets: Public-Sector Unions’ Money Machine,” released Wednesday, doesn’t mince words. Public-sector unions, unlike other advocacy organizations in the political process, have used mandatory revenue and membership streams through “dues checkoff” rules and “agency shop” laws to build their political base and push policies that sustain themselves and government benefits at ballooning public...
Published on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 06:32:33 PM
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