firefighters

Renegade Lame Duck Congress Votes on Police/Fire Union Bargaining Mandate

Anthony Riedel — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:22:49 -0500

Today, Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work was published in the Washington Times regarding today's U.S. Senate vote on Senator Harry Reid's Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill (S. 3991). Despite voters sending a clear message to Washington last month, it appears some pro-forced unionism senators didn't quite get the message:

If Mr. Reid cared one whit for what ordinary Americans think, he would respond to such electoral drubbings for his fellow Big Labor Democrats and GOP fellow travelers by backing away from federally mandated union-boss control over public-safety officers. Instead, he announced over the weekend that he will file for cloture and force a vote on this draconian bill on Wednesday. Among those voting will be 14 defeated or retiring senators who won't be back in January.

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Mark Mix in the Washington Examiner: When Big Labor plays with fire, taxpayers get burned

Anthony Riedel — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:07:20 -0400

Earlier this week, Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work, was published in the Washington Examiner warning about the threat the Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining Bill (pdf), which just passed the House last week, poses not only public safety workers' rights, but also state and community budgets. As we noted before, public officials across the country are waking up to the fact that public sector forced unionism is behind the financial crises in their communities.

From Mark Mix's commentary:

Big Labor Exploits Another Terror Attack to Expand Compulsory Unionism

Anthony Riedel — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:31:59 -0500

True to form, compulsory unionism advocates are exploiting a serious situation to try to force more workers into union monopoly control. In this case, union bosses have long set their sights on forcing America's airport screeners into union ranks. From the Wall Street Journal:

Worker Killed As Union Monopoly Bargaining Undermines Public Safety

Will Collins — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:36:49 -0500

When US Airways Flight 1549 crash-landed in the middle of the Hudson River last week, union apologists quickly claimed that the passengers' harrowing rescue was a result of union procedures. I wonder what they'd say about this troubling story from the Boston Herald?

Palmetto State Union Boss Publishes Lies (Surprise, Surprise)

Nick Cote — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:30:10 -0400

Erin McKee, top boss of the Charleston Labor Council, has written a mind-numbingly ignorant (or intentionally misleading) response to an op-ed which outlines the mass rewriting of federal labor law Big Labor is hoping for after the 2008 election. Several of Boss McKee's assertions are just downright factually incorrect.

Lie #1:

Goal of Federally Imposed Police and Firefighter Monopoly Bargaining is More Forced Union Dues

Patrick Semmens — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:16:54 -0400

This month's issue of the Capital Research Center's Labor Watch newsletter features a cover story on Big Labor's attempts to force public safety officers nationwide into monopoly union collectives. The article details many unjust aspects of federal monopoly bargaining power grab, not the least of which is that it trumps state laws while stripping employees of their right to negotiate their own terms of employment or be rewarded for their individual merits.

While the National Right to Work Committee continues to lead the fight against the bill's passage, Foundation attorneys are preparing for a legal challenge if it becomes law. We have previously reported on this overall situation here.

One passage in the Labor Watch piece is particularly noteworthy:

Wall Street Journal Exposes Union Power Grab Over America's First Responders

Patrick Semmens — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:44:41 -0400

The Wall Street Journal has an editorial today opposing the federal imposition of monopoly bargaining on America's firefighters, police, and EMTs.

The article lists many compelling reasons to be against monopoly bargaining, but never fully lays out the case for opposition to this form of compulsory unionism as a fundamental issue of employees' individual rights.

The fact is freedom of association should preclude union bosses from being able to force employees to accept their so-called "representation," thereby stripping individuals of their freedom to contract. Even worse, union bosses force employees -- union members or not -- to pay money for the "privilege" of losing their right of self-representation.