Unions, federal labor board winners in court ruling on 'micro' bargaining units

A court ruling this week allowing unions to continue to form “micro” unions within a company is considered a win for organized labor and the Obama administration.

The ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upholds a 2011 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that states unions can choose to organize workers into smaller bargaining units, according The Wall Street Journal.

In that particular case -- known as Specialty Healthcare – the labor board sided with a union that wanted to organize a group of nursing assistants, despite the employer arguing that other nonprofessional employees should be included.

The board stated the onus is on employers who think workers have been improperly excluded from the micro bargaining unit to prove those workers share an “overwhelming community of interest” with the included workers.

Several labor experts called the ruling a big win for the NLRB and for unions and suggested the trend could continue.  

The board now has three Democratic members and two Republicans, after a long battle in Washington that ended last month over Senate Republicans holding up administration appointees to the board.

The labor experts argue the board will be making similar rulings, which could give unions an unfair advantage by allowing them to create “micro units” of workers that would be easier to organize.

Via: Fox News

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Brown Cheered in Second Act, at Least So Far

LOS ANGELES — When Jerry Brown became governor of California again, three years ago, this state was on a steep decline, crushed by budget deficits, deep spending cuts, governmental paralysis, high unemployment and a collapsing housing market. California, a place that once symbolized promise and opportunity, seemed caught in an intractable reversal of fortune.

But these days, Mr. Brown — who at 75 is the oldest governor in the nation and about to become the longest-serving governor in the history of California — is enjoying a degree of success and authority he and his opponents could scarcely have imagined when he returned to Sacramento to begin a second tour as governor in 2010.

The state’s budget problems are largely resolved, at least for the short term. Mr. Brown is the dominant figure in Sacramento, strengthened by overwhelming Democratic control of the Legislature and the decline of the Republican Party. He has pushed through major initiatives on education financing and prison reorganization. Even Republicans say his re-election next year seems considerably more than likely.

“Some people were ridiculing California, and some were calling it a failed state,” Mr. Brown, a Democrat, said in an interview. “The unemployment came down from 12.2 to 8.5. Real estate is rebounding. There’s a lot of confidence out there. That’s what happened.”

Mr. Brown has his share of problems. He unsuccessfully resisted a federal court order to move inmates out of overcrowded prisons. Changes in the state employee pension system approved last year do not, in the view of most analysts, come close to addressing the long-term pension liabilities over the horizon.

Via: NYT

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Illegal Immigrant Students Demand Lower College Tuition

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Dozens of undocumented students at Wake Technical Community College are pushing for changes to a policy that requires them to pay out-of-state tuition. The students are forced to pay the out-of-state fees, which are nearly four times the cost of in-state tuition, even if they graduated from a North Carolina high school and have been living in the state for some time. Five students were arrested at Thursday's protest after repeated warnings to leave the campus. Wake Tech officials said the group didn't file the proper paperwork to protest at the college. The five individuals, ranging in age from 17-27, are all charged with second-degree trespassing. Meanwhile, undocumented students moved their demonstration to the highway demanding equal tuition rights. 

"I think it's discriminatory because they give us the opportunity already to be able to study here. We work really hard," said undocumented student Jose Rico. 

Rico is one of the students who was arrested. He has been in community college for five years, lived in North Carolina for 10, and graduated from a North Carolina high school with a 3.9 GPA. Still, Rico is undocumented and forced to pay out-of-state tuition. 

"It's almost $4,000 per semester. So I was able to go for like a year and a half. And I have to be taking one class per semester at a time, so it's been a long process for me to go to the next step," Rico said. 

Rico said he also received a letter from Wake Tech last spring stating that undocumented students couldn't register for classes until one week after everyone else. 

"I couldn't take any math or physics classes because they said it was already a week after, and they said I wasn't going to be able to catch up," Rico said. 

Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott said that with record enrollment this year, the college cannot guarantee classes. "They can register in a more timely fashion, but still the number of people wanting our classes far exceeds our ability to deliver our resources," Scott said. Federal law also prohibits colleges from granting undocumented students professional licenses and certain financial aid.

Via Breitbart

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Obamacare Staffers Slated To Move Into Building Some Believe Is Toxic

ORANGE (CBSLA.com) — A dozen social service staffers at an Orange County government building believe working inside the structure literally made them sick.

Forty-five new workers have been assigned to the building. Ironically, the new crew will supervise the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare.

“We don’t have any concrete assurances that this building is safe for employees to come back into,” said union rep Jennifer Muir.

The union rep believes the building — located at 840 N. Eckhoff Street — could be a ticking time bomb.

The complex has been the subject of a bitter lawsuit.

Muir told KCAL9′s Tom Wait that she wonders why the federal government even wants to house workers in the building, formerly the home of an oil drilling company.

“We’ve had so many examples of women who have delivered children who have serious issues … people who have fallen ill with strange, auto-immune illnesses there is no explanation for, except for exposure to toxic chemicals,” Muir said.

A group of about 12 social services employees first went public with their concerns about the building  about a year ago.

The group says their illnesses are directly related to exposure to toxic contamination. The union believes more testing should be done before anyone works in the building.

“I definitely think that a lot more testing needs to be done to assess the level and severity of the chemicals that still remain on this site,” said Muir.

The social services employees were ultimately moved out of the office space.

Via: CBS 2 LA

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Jesse Jackson Jr. and wife sentenced to prison

 Former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) was sentenced to 30 months behind bars Wednesday, and his wife, Sandi, to a year in prison, for separate felonies involving the misspending of about $750,000 in campaign funds.

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, no relation to the defendants, told Jackson Jr. that his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and others had written to her urging that he be placed under supervision rather than sent to prison.

If she were to do so, she said, it would appear as if there were two systems of justice: "one for the well-connected and one for everybody else."

"I cannot do it. And I will not do it," she said.

Jackson Jr., 48, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy involving the $750,000. Sandi Jackson, 49, pleaded guilty to a related charge of failing to report about $600,000 in taxable income. Both had pleaded guilty in February after a years-long spending spree using campaign funds. Their purchases included a $43,000 Rolex watch, furs, vacations, two mounted elk heads, a Michael Jackson fedora and an Eddie Van Halen guitar.

Both Jacksons wept as they addressed the judge before sentencing.

Jackson Jr. apologized for his crimes, expressed special regret to his mother and father, and said he alone should be held accountable for his actions.

"I am the example for the whole Congress," he said. "I understand that. I didn't separate my personal life from my political activities, and I couldn't have been more wrong."

Sandi Jackson, a former Chicago alderwoman, apologized to her family, friends, community and constituents.

Via: Los Angeles TImes

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OBAMACARE 'NAVIGATORS' RECEIVE $13 MILLION MORE THAN ORIGINALLY BUDGETED

On Thursday, the Obama Administration unexpectedly handed out $13 million more than the $54 million in grants it originally budgeted for Obamacare “navigators,” including $655,000 to abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

"Navigators" is the term the Obama Administration has given to individuals or groups who will help herd  uninsured Americans into the government’s healthcare exchanges.

Obamacare opponents view the $67 million in Obamacare enrollment funds as little more than a taxpayer-funded crony kickback to groups who have supported President Barack Obama. In total, the Administration handed out grants to over 100 groups in 34 states.

CNBC reports that the Obama Administration’s decision to enlist thousands of navigators to sign people up for Obamacare represents a major opportunity for con artists and identity thieves looking to exploit the Obamacare enrollment period.

“A con artist can claim to be anyone, for instance a ‘navigator’ who can help you apply for coverage through an exchange. They gain your trust and then ask for personal information to buy nonexistent policies,” writes CNBC’s Herb Weisbaum. “Fraud.org reports that some victims have been persuaded to wire money or send funds via prepaid debit card to get their full benefits.”  

The Obama Administration, however, assures Americans that navigators will be trained and certified by the government and will face punishment if they run afoul of privacy laws.

Still, states are concerned, so much so that 19 of them have passed additional training requirements to prevent massive identity theft by con artists eager to prey on the chaos and confusion millions of uninsured citizens will experience as they try to make sense of Obamacare.

Via: Breitbart

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Conservatives say grassroots support building for ObamaCare shutdown

House conservatives say grassroots support is building for their effort to risk a government shutdown to defund ObamaCare.

Conservatives who back the strategy said their spines have been stiffened by support at town-hall meetings.

“I have not heard, 'Don’t shut down the government over ObamaCare,'” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) said, referring to meetings with his constituents over the recess. “I have heard, 'This law is not ready for primetime, and we need to do anything we can to stop it.'” Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) has held six events in his north Texas district so far in August and is leaning toward backing the shutdown threat.

He also said the federal government’s move this month to subsidize health insurance for lawmakers and staff required to enter ObamaCare’s exchanges is acting as an “accelerant” and “driving people into a froth” about shutting the government down over ObamaCare funding. 



“I'm hearing a lot of anger that is right beneath the surface, ready to erupt,” Burgess said. At one town hall, Burgess said support for the defunding threat was "virtually unanimous" when he asked for a show of hands. 





Republicans opposed to the effort believe President Obama and Senate Democrats will never agree to a bill that funds the government, but not the healthcare law. They warn their party would walk into a trap by adopting the strategy, and that Republicans will be blamed for a shutdown.

But even some of these Republicans acknowledge their constituents are telling them to go all out in defunding ObamaCare.

Via: The Hill

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How The SEIU & Union Front Groups Want To Occupy Your Big Mac

With union bosses once again clamoring that they are ‘in crisis,’ union bosses are looking to expand their membership into areas that have been traditionally immune to unions.

For the last several months, union-supported fast food workers have been staging “impromptu” strikes throughout the country.

Like the union-supported Occupy movement before it, the fast-food workers’ efforts are being coordinated by media-savvy professional organizers employed by the Service Employees International Union, a union front group called ROC (Restaurant Opportunities Center), as well as an assorted array of pro-union politicians and “community activist” groups.

• More about ROC and its agenda here.

In actuality, however, the entire fast-food effort is part of a four-year old plan cooked up by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

So far, the union-funded protesters are demanding raises to $15–more than twice the minimum wage–under the slick campaign slogan “Fight for $15.” However, the true aim of the SEIU and its allies is to unionize the industry and it appears the SEIU is about to launch a full-out blitzkrieg fast food joints across the country.

Based on an interview with Salon.com, it seems that SEIU boss Mary Kay Henry, using typical Marxist logic, is trying to alter the world of the french-frying proletariat and bourgeoisie.

“It’s more about, ‘How do we shift things in the entire low-wage economy?’” she claims.

Via: Labor Union Report

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