On Doing Better Than 50%, Or, Could More "Made In USA" Mean More Jobs?

by: fake consultant

Mon Aug 15, 2011 at 21:53:47 PM EDT

They are also going to have to come up with ideas that are pretty much "bulletproof", meaning that they are so hard to object to that even Allen West and Louie Gohmert will not want to be on record saying "no no no!"; alternatively, solutions that work around the legislative process entirely could represent the other form of "bulletproof-ery".

Well, I have one of those "maybe bulletproof" ideas for you today, and it has to do with how "Made in USA" the things are that our Government buys.

How a TSA Union Could Have Changed the Use of Body Scanning

by: BingChester

Mon Nov 29, 2010 at 15:12:50 PM EST

I was at the gym on Thanksgiving Day, doing a preemptive strike against my massive Turkeyday indulgence, when I spotted a typical news story on everyone's favorite rightwing propaganda machine, Fox News.  The segment featured an analyst talking about TSA and stated that "Collective Bargaining Rights for TSA Employees Could Soon Be Extended."  Of course like any good Fox News segment dedicated to bashing the left, the undistinguishable rightwing commentator went on and on with how terrible a union for TSA workers would be and how it would danger the public by slowing down the way in which TSA decisionmaking is made.

Then the commentator went on to complain about the overnight nature of the new TSA regulations.

This irony is lost on many but let me set the record straight.  Besides from the fact that a union for TSA workers would be an objectively good thing for America, the presence of a TSA union would have greatly changed the way in which these new security regulations were enacted.  Allow me to explain.

NY-AG: Why is RWDSU Endorsing Kathleen Rice?

by: BingChester

Tue May 04, 2010 at 13:10:13 PM EDT

Stu Applebaum, the president of the RWDSU, is set to endorse Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice -- an interesting endorsement because Applebaum was an early, vocal supporter of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's bid for governor, and helped push Governor David Paterson to drop his bid for a first full term.

Rice's law enforcement credentials are seen as valuable in a campaign that's likely to be as much about reforming Albany as about Wall Street.

source

Happy Labor Day

by: jacksonian dem

Mon Sep 07, 2009 at 10:28:39 AM EDT

From the people who brought you holidays, vacations, 40 hour work weeks, pensions, health care, raises.

Now go shopping and have a BBQ.

Please remember just like we are constantly reminded  (and rightly so) on Memorial Day, about Americans dying for this day and way of life, Union activists died so all Americans could have a better quality of life.

Subpoenas about Bruno's side job

by: simonstl

Mon Feb 04, 2008 at 08:36:46 AM EST

Those part-time jobs can create real hassles for a majority leader, it seems: the Times-Union reports that the FBI sent subpoenas to unions who had invested with Wright Investors Service, Bruno's old gig. (Bruno had suddenly resigned from that in December.)

I'd like to hope that our legislators will take this as a sign that maybe they should focus on legislating and drop their side jobs, but I'm not counting on it, even if they do give themselves a raise.

Bruno's part-time job

by: simonstl

Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 16:40:02 PM EST

Joe Bruno, when it suits him, portrays himself as a great fan of labor. The Times reports that there might be more to it than that, as unions send business to his other employer.

Mr. Bruno's outside business interests have been the subject of a federal criminal investigation for at least a year. Mr. Helm declined to say whether his company had been subpoenaed or approached by investigators....

"It's an outside business that he's entitled to do as a part-time legislator," Mr. McArdle said. "The fact that you found out who some of the clients are and they said they had no idea Bruno was involved, that should tell you everything you need to know."

The state ethics law allows officials to have outside employment, though they cannot engage in activities that create or appear to create a conflict with their public duties, and they are barred from obtaining unwarranted privileges for themselves or others.

Of course, no one involved in these transactions seems to realize that Bruno's paycheck might have some connection to their business:

Officials from several of the unions that have given money to Wright to manage said they did not know Mr. Bruno was employed at the firm.

Some definite denials - nothing going on here, of course.

NYC Rallies for a Child's First Teachers

by: SteveinNYC

Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 13:36:53 PM EDT

For many New York City families, their child's first teacher is one of the 28,000 home child care providers caring for kids today. Home child care providers take care of kids from low-income families in pre-school and after-school settings, helping them with reading and learning colors and numbers.

But home child care providers aren't protected by a union. Their average salary is $19,000 a year in New York City with no pension, no health insurance and no paid sick days. That makes home child care providers among the lowest-paid workers in the region. Something needs to be done to make sure they get the respect and wages they deserve.

The Teacher Voice in Data-Driven Accountability

by: SteveinNYC

Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 13:31:21 PM EDT

We hear a lot these days about what I call "3-D reform," — data-driven decision making and about using tests to improve teaching and learning. Sadly, in this respect, too often, testing has replaced instruction; data has replaced professional judgment; compliance has replaced excellence; and so-called leadership has replaced teacher professionalism.

What is really happening is that more than ever there is this industrial techno-centric view of teachers as interchangeable cogs in an education enterprise. This approach rewards their compliance above their creativity, and results in the denigration of teachers and disregard for their contributions to learning.