Mar
2012 1
2012 1
FALK: “It’s real easy to say you’re for collective bargaining, but how you gonna get it done?”
The inevitable Wisconsin Recall election is not yet “official,” but former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is officially in the race for the Democratic candidacy and has racked up some impressive endorsements. The 60-year old isn’t the Dem of choice for all observers, but Falk’s early run has positioned her as the early...
Feb
2012 28
2012 28
Romney’s Interest in Repealing Davis-Bacon Is “Little More Than Fantasy”
As Presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum continue their primary battle in the days leading up to Super Tuesday, they are pulling no punches in painting each other as unelectable. Santorum is trying to make Romney out to be a moderate and Romney is trying to make Santorum out to be pro-union, which somehow ...
Feb
2012 24
2012 24
Romney Bashing Unions, Taking Credit for ’02 Olympics, But Unions Made the Games Possible
Last weekend, Mitt Romney set off a maelstrom of critique from both parties when he crowed about the success of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Romney was the president of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and was responsible for attracting federal funding to the event. Democrats quickly attacked Romney for making the 2002 ...
Feb
2012 24
2012 24
Despite a Huge SB5 Loss in 2011, the Ohio GOP is Joining the 2012 “Right-to-Work” Crusade
Since Indiana became the Rust Belt’s first casualty of the 2012 “Right-to-Work” crusade, the forces that be in Ohio have ramped up efforts to make the matter an issue of public referendum in the Buckeye State as well. The organization Ohioans for Workplace Freedom is trying to gain the necessary 386,000 signatures to put on ...
Feb
2012 24
2012 24
Indiana Speaker of the House Brian Bosma Moonlighting as a Union-Busting Attorney?
Maybe I’m missing something here. Maybe Indiana law is structured so that glaring conflict of interest is well within the bounds of legality. Or maybe Brian Bosma, Indiana’s Speaker of the House for the GOP majority, is just this brazen. The Indiana-based law firm Kroger, Gardis & Regas, LLP has the following paragraph on its ...
Feb
2012 22
2012 22
Reich: Manufacturing Is Not Our Salvation
The rallying cry to rebuild America’s manufacturing base is finding resonance in the Rust Belt, the region most affected by its collapse and most likely to decide the outcome of November’s election. As Republican primaries make their way through Michigan and toward Ohio, manufacturing has become a central talking point of candidate...
Feb
2012 22
2012 22
“If the Presidential election was held today, via social media, it would be an Obama landslide.”
New numbers indicate that if the Presidential election was held today, via social media, it would be an Obama landslide. But, quite obviously, that’s not how it works. In his 2008 election, President Obama used social media to win the Democratic primary. He refined his machine in the General Election to reach younger voters. His ...
Feb
2012 21
2012 21
Obama Orders Backroom Meeting With Wall Street Leaders to Assure Them He Won’t Take Them to Task
President Obama’s decision to embrace the SuperPAC culture brought him loads of negative press, not the least of which came this morning when Russ Feingold called it “a dumb approach.” To make matters worse, Obama followed his flip-flop by sending his Campaign Manager, Jim Messina, to assure Wall Street leaders that the President...
Feb
2012 20
2012 20
Targeting the Unemployed by Saying You Can Make Them Disappear
Without a significant effort among politicians to work out a bipartisan jobs plan, union organizers are more charged than ever with the task of bringing together unemployed workers. Problematic for organizers is that many of the “unemployed” do not wish to identify themselves as such. In her article, “Can labor organize the...
Feb
2012 20
2012 20
Romney’s One-Night Stand With Massachusetts Police Unions
The GOP Presidential candidates are hard at work on the campaign trail attempting to out-anti-worker each other. Mitt Romney has asked voters repeatedly not to vilify him for taking extreme advantage of capitalism (i.e. placing profit over people) while Rick Santorum continues to drivel and backstep about a National Right-to-Work law: Of course,...
Feb
2012 15
2012 15
WI Republican Introduces Legislation to Thwart Transparency, Silence Opponents of Corruption
In what has been described as “a dagger to the heart of Wisconsin’s campaign finance disclosure laws”, Senator Glenn Grothman has introduced a bill that would make it more difficult to track donations from businesses and industry in state elections. At a time when many in Wisconsin are calling for increased transparency, Grothman...
Feb
2012 14
2012 14
Eight Indiana Republicans Targeted for May Primary by Republican Construction Workers’ Alliance
Quoting Ronald Regan in saying that, “Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost,” pro-labor Republicans have announced that they are taking on those who backed Indiana’s “Right-to-Work” bill in the upcoming May primary. The group, known as the Lunch Pail Republicans, believes that...
