Jimmy Hoffa

Hoffa: 'Let's Take These Sons Of Bitches Out!'

Susan Crabtree | September 5, 2011, 3:34PM

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa

Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa didn't mince words when warming up the crowd before President Obama's pro-union speech in Detroit Monday.

Hoffa described the recent Republican-led assaults on collective bargaining rights as a "war on workers" and described Obama as union workers' general who will lead them to victory in 2012 over the Tea Party and like-minded allies.

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FAA

Reid Letter To Boehner Urges Swift FAA Fix Despite Congressional Recess

Susan Crabtree | August 3, 2011, 6:20PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has fired off a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) offering an urgent compromise on Congress' latest impasse: the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The move comes just hours after President Barack Obama slammed the imbroglio for creating a "lose-lose-lose situation" and urged Congress to resolve the matter before the end of the week.

Complicating matters is the fact that many lawmakers are about to leave DC, or have left already, as this year's Congressional recess has now begun.

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National Labor Relations Board

Judge Rules For NLRB Over Boeing, Graham Piping Mad

Susan Crabtree | June 30, 2011, 6:02PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

A federal judge denied Boeing's motion to dismiss a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit that charged the aerospace giant with unfairly penalizing Washington workers' collective bargaining rights by moving a new production line to South Carolina.

Administrative Law Judge Clifford Anderson is allowing the case against Boeing to proceed to trial. The NLRB charged Boeing executives with retaliating against union workers in Washington state for striking by opening up the South Carolina factory, which Boeing flat-out denies.

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collective bargaining

Poll: Majority Want Repeal Of Ohio Bill That Guts Collective Bargaining Rights

Jon Terbush | May 18, 2011, 3:17PM

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

Two months after Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) signed a sweeping rollback of public union's collective bargaining rights, voters there still overwhelmingly disapprove of their first-term governor, and a majority say the controversial law should be repealed, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today.

In the poll, 54% of registered voters said the collective bargaining law should be repealed, while 36% said it should not. And with the law potentially headed for a referendum in November, it looks like they may get their wish.

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Oklahoma

Unions Lose One In Oklahoma

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 20, 2011, 5:20PM

Gov. Mary Fallin (R-OK)

Republicans in Oklahoma appear poised to remove some more of what little union protection there is in that deep red and right-to-work state. On Tuesday, the state Senate passed House Bill 1593, a bill that would strip away Oklahoma's requirement that large cities engage in collective bargaining with so-called "non-uniformed" city workers. The state House already passed the bill and now it just awaits the expected signature of first-term Republican Gov. Mary Fallin.

The state's existing collective bargaining law, which was signed by Democratic Gov. Brad Henry seven years ago, requires big municipalities -- population 35,000 and up -- to bargain with, as the The Oklahoman reported, "city road, sanitation and utility workers."

In the new legislation, as in the controversial anti-collective bargaining bill in Wisconsin, workers like firemen and police offers are exempt. The Oklahoma bill also excludes teachers from the change.

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John Kasich

Ohio Governor To Sign Anti-Union Bill Thursday Night

Melissa Jeltsen | March 31, 2011, 5:05PM

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) will sign SB 5 -- the contentious anti-union bill restricting collective bargaining rights for unionized public workers -- into law Thursday night, according to his spokesperson.

SB 5, which makes it illegal for state workers to strike and gives local governments new powers over contract negotiations with union workers, was passed out of the state legislature Wednesday.

According to spokesperson Connie Wehrkamp, Kasich will sign the bill at 7 p.m. at the ceremonial office in the statehouse. Wehrkamp said the Governor wanted to sign the bill into law "as soon as he possibly could."

Far from ceding the fight, union supporters and Democrats are now gearing for their next plan of attack: putting the legislation to the voters of Ohio as a ballot initiative.

Ohio protests

As Anti-Union Bill Heads To Ohio Gov, Dems Ready For Fight

Melissa Jeltsen | March 31, 2011, 10:24AM

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

Ohio's controversial bill to restrict collective bargaining rights for unionized public workers is now on its way to Governor John Kasich (R ) to be signed into law. SB 5, which makes it illegal for state workers to strike and gives local governments new powers over contract negotiations with union workers, was passed out of the state legislature Wednesday night.

Kasich is all but certain to sign the bill, which is a key part of his conservative legislative agenda. But opponents say the fight is far from over. Union supporters and Democrats are now readying for their next battle: putting the legislation to the voters of Ohio.  

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New Hampshire

Protesters Erupt As New Hampshire GOPers Move Anti-Union Bill That Goes Farther Than Walker's

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2011, 3:39PM

New Hampshire State House

Late on Tuesday evening, Republicans on a House panel in New Hampshire voted to advance legislation that resembles Scott Walker's law in Wisconsin ending collective bargaining rights for public sector unions. It's actually farther reaching.

Under the terms of this plan, public sector workers in the state would become "at will" employees if and when their contracts expire.

That eliminates all the leverage state employees have in negotiation with their employers, and could ultimately end up busting the unions entirely.

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John Kasich

Poll: Percent Of Ohio Voters Who Disapprove Of New Gov. Doubles

Jon Terbush | March 23, 2011, 12:52PM

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's first term in office is off to a rocky start. A new Quinnipiac poll shows that less than one third of registered voters approve of his job performance.

In the poll, just 30% of Ohio voters said they approved of Kasich's job performance, compared to 46% who said they disapproved. When Quinnipiac polled the state back in January, Kasich also posted a 30% approval rating. But at that time, just 22% of voters disapproved of his job performance, a number that has now more than doubled.

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Rick Snyder

Buyer's Remorse: Polls Show 3 New GOP Gov's Losing In Do Overs

Jon Terbush | March 23, 2011, 8:33AM

Last year's midterms elections swept incumbents from office nationwide, as voters turned to newcomers -- often Republican newcomers -- for change.

But just months after election day, three new Midwestern governors -- Wisconsin's Scott Walker (R), Ohio's John Kasich (R), and Michigan's Rick Snyder (R) -- have seen their approval ratings fall to the point that polls show them losing hypothetical do-over elections with the candidates they beat last year.

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Scott Walker

National Republicans Rally Around Scott Walker

Brian Beutler | March 16, 2011, 3:18PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Ahead of yesterday's House vote to fund the federal government, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) painted the Republicans rebelling against Speaker John Boehner from the right as Scott Walker Republicans -- uninterested in compromise, single-minded in pursuit of a right-wing policy agenda.

The statement quickly diffused through the Capitol, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) -- an influential conservative and former Republican leader, who voted against the spending measure -- took kindly to it. On Twitter, Pence joked, "Sen. Schumer called us 'Scott Walker Republicans?' That's the nicest thing anybody has said about me in a long time!"

Turns out this is a view shared by both the so-called "Scott Walker Republicans" themselves, and Republicans who voted to pass the compromise plan.

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John Kasich

Ohioans Having Incredible Buyers Remorse Over Gov. Kasich

Jon Terbush | March 15, 2011, 11:39AM

Former Rep. and current candidate for Governor John Kasich (R-OH)

Just a few months into his first term, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) appears to be immensely unpopular with his constituents, a clear majority of whom disapprove of his job performance, according to a PPP poll of registered voters. What's more, if a do-over election were held today Kasich would lose -- by a resounding 15-point margin.

Kasich barely defeated incumbent Gov. Ted Strickland (D) last November, winning by a slim 49% to 47%. But if they could do it all over again, 55% of voters now say they would vote for Strickland, while only 40% say they'd go with Kasich.

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Recall

Three WI Republicans Trail In Recall Election Against Generic Dems

Jon Terbush | March 15, 2011, 10:56AM

Three of the eight Wisconsin Senate Republicans eligible for recall, who just last week voted to strip state employees of most of their collective bargaining rights, trail generic Democratic challengers in hypothetical recall matchups, according to a PPP poll of registered voters commissioned by Daily Kos.

Democratic activists in Wisconsin have been circulating petitions to gather the requisite number of signatures to trigger a recall election for each of the GOP Senators legally eligible to be recalled this year, with a goal of overturning the current Republican majority. Democrats would need to flip three seats in order to reclaim the majority.

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Labor

Ad Targets Wisconsin GOP Candidate For Voting With Scott Walker On Unions (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | March 11, 2011, 12:37PM

Chris Abele, the Democrat who's running to replace now-Governor Scott Walker as Milwaukee County Executive, is targeting his Republican opponent in a TV ad for -- you guessed it -- voting for Walker's plan to scrap public sector unions.

Republican Jeff Stone is currently a member of the Wisconsin state assembly. He voted for the just-signed plan to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state and local government employees, before waffling a bit in public statements.

Ultimately, though, Stone insisted "This needs to be clear; I support the Governor and the provisions in the budget repair bill.

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Chris Christie

Voters Sour On NJ Gov. Christie After His Budget Address

Jon Terbush | March 9, 2011, 12:07PM

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who earned accolades for his tough talk about taking on public employee unions, appears to have lost some support from his constituents after releasing a new budget that does just that.

According to a recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll, registered voters in New Jersey now have a much less favorable view of Christie than they did just a few months ago, with the poll coming shortly after the governor delivered his budget address two weeks ago. In that address, Christie, like other Republican governors nationwide, criticized public employee unions for having "rich benefits," and said he would go after those benefits as a way to balance the budget.

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Scott Walker

Moderate Wisconsin Republican Once Called Walker's Union Plan 'Radical'

Brian Beutler | March 8, 2011, 1:43PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Democrats and their allies in Wisconsin have identified weak links in the Republican state Senate conference and are tugging away, hoping to make them break. One of them, who seems prepared to deal, once called the idea of eliminating collective bargaining rights for public sector workers "radical."

"They're in the minority but holding some cards so you've got to negotiate, you can't give up the whole ship," said Sen. Luther Olsen (R). He and other state senate Republicans have been discussing their options among themselves all day, to figure out their next move.

This is the same Luther Olsen who, at the outset of this fight, wasn't fully on board with Governor Scott Walker's plan.

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New Hampshire

NH Republicans Seek To Penalize State Workers Who Sue For Breach Of Contract

Brian Beutler | March 8, 2011, 11:54AM

New Hampshire State House

Here's a novel approach to blunting the power of public sector unions. New Hampshire Republicans are proposing to penalize state employees if they sue the government for breach of contract. Successfully sue us, they warn, and we'll cut your benefits.

Here's how it would work. A New Hampshire Senate panel just advanced legislation that would clawback state employee benefits more generally. According to the Union Leader, it "raises retirement ages for police and firefighters, cuts back the amount of pay that can be included in pension calculations, and requires workers to pay higher shares of their pay toward retirement costs."

But if you work for the state, and think that's a bum deal, too bad. The bill was amended Monday to force workers to contribute an additional three percent of their salaries to their pensions if they win a court battle on the grounds that the cuts violate the states contract with the union.

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Scott Walker

Wisconsin GOPer In Electoral Trouble After Voting For Walker Bill

Brian Beutler | March 4, 2011, 2:35PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

One of the people running to replace now-Governor Scott Walker as Milwaukee County Executive is a Republican state assemblyman who voted for Walker's plan to eliminate collective bargaining for public workers.

He's already regretting that.

"I understand it's a major issue to the unions," Jeff Stone said, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "It's not necessarily the way I would have drafted this budget-repair bill. I would have approached it in different ways."

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Scott Walker

Rasmussen Poll: Almost Six In Ten Wisconsin Voters Disapprove Of Gov. Walker

Jon Terbush | March 4, 2011, 12:56PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to strip public employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights appears to be so unpopular, that a Rasmussen poll now finds that almost 60% of likely Wisconsin voters disapprove of his job performance.

That finding shows just how quickly Walker -- who was elected to his first term last November with 52% of the vote -- has sunk just in his first two months in office. And it comes one day after Rasmussen released results from the same poll, all of which showed public opinion firmly on the side of the unions in the labor rights battle that has deadlocked the state capitol for the past few weeks.

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Scott Walker

Rasmussen Poll: Majority of Wisconsinites Side With Unions On Collective Bargaining

Jon Terbush | March 3, 2011, 12:09PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has caught a lot of flak for his proposal to strip public employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. He can add to that a new poll of likely Wisconsin voters from Rasmussen -- a pollster much maligned for its typically Republican-skewing results -- which finds public opinion firmly against him on the issue.

A majority of those polled said they sided with the public employee unions rather than Gov. Walker in the showdown that has deadlocked the state government for more than two weeks. And while a plurality favor a plan to make state employees pay more toward their benefit plans -- something the unions have already agreed to do -- a majority oppose the most contentious proposal put forward by Walker: the elimination of most collective bargaining rights for state employee unions.

Just as damning for Walker, a majority also said they sided with the AWOL Senate Democrats, who fled the state to deny the senate the quorum necessary to advance the budget repair bill.

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collective bargaining

Polls Consistently Show Six In Ten Oppose Eliminating Collective Bargaining For State Unions

Jon Terbush | March 3, 2011, 9:47AM

Demonstrators inside the Wisconsin state Capitol, February 18, 2011.

For the third time in the past two weeks, a national poll has found that roughly 60% of all Americans oppose eliminating collective bargaining rights for public employee unions, the highly contentious proposal put forward by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) that has deadlocked the state government and prompted weeks of protests inside the Wisconsin State Capitol.

In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 62% of Americans said it was "unacceptable" to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, nearly twice as many as the 33% who said that was acceptable. Furthermore, nearly eight in ten said public employees should have the same bargaining rights as people in the private sector.

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Scott Walker

Pew Poll: Only Wealthiest Income Bracket Sides With Gov. Walker Over Unions

Jon Terbush | March 1, 2011, 3:29PM

In the debate over whether Wisconsin state workers should have the right to collectively bargain for better benefits, there is at least one group that sides with Gov. Scott Walker -- people wealthy enough that they probably don't need collective bargaining rights themselves.

That finding comes from a Pew poll released this week showing more Americans siding with the unions over Gov. Walker in the budget showdown that has deadlocked the Wisconsin legislature and sent thousands of protesters streaming into the state capitol. And strikingly, while Americans overall took the unions' side in the poll, the highest income demographic was the only one in which more people said they stood with Walker over the unions.

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Scott Walker

Poll: Wisconsin Voters Turn On Gov. Walker, Back State Unions

Jon Terbush | March 1, 2011, 11:58AM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) is rapidly losing support from his constituents as he continues to push budget proposals that would cut collective bargaining rights and benefits for most of the states public employee unions, according to new data from a PPP poll, a poll whose results TPM first reported on Monday. His support has slipped so much that, after just two months in office, voters are now evenly divided over whether he should be recalled.

A majority of Wisconsin voters now disapprove of Walker's job performance, a reversal from the positive approval rating he enjoyed immediately after election day. Further, most voters support collective bargaining rights for the state's public employee unions, and oppose Walker's proposal to cut those same rights.

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John Boehner

Boehner: Public Workers Have Machine Gun At Heads Of Local Officials

Brian Beutler | March 1, 2011, 10:40AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

House Speaker John Boehner puts some fresh spin on the debate over public sector worker rights.

"In some of these states you've got collective bargaining laws that are so weighted in favor of the public employees that there's almost no bargaining," he told CBN. "We've given them a machine gun and put it right at the heads of the local officials and they really have their hands tied."

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unions

Majority Of Americans Back Public Employee Union Rights And Benefits

Jon Terbush | March 1, 2011, 9:51AM

Demonstrators outside the Wisconsin state Capitol, February 16, 2011.

More Americans would rather raise taxes than reduce state employee benefits to close a budget shortfall, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll.

That's just one of several staunchly pro-union sentiments contained in the poll, which comes as governors in several cash-strapped states -- most notably Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker (R) -- are facing off against public employee unions in battles over benefits and bargaining rights in attempts to reduce state spending. It's also the latest in a mounting pile of polls to show Americans siding firmly with unions, as similar budget battle lines continue to be drawn in states like Ohio, Tennessee, and elsewhere.

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Mike Huckabee

Huckabee: Eliminate Government Unions And Slash Entitlements For Poor Public Servants Like Me

Brian Beutler | February 24, 2011, 8:00AM

Fmr. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R)

At an elegantly catered tea-time roundtable fête with reporters Wednesday afternoon, likely Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said public sector unions ought to be entirely eliminated, or hamstrung to limit worker benefits and influence over elected officials. During the same session, though, he admitted that a life of public service, and running for public office, has left him without a sizable nest egg. In fact, he acknowledged that he wants to delay a final decision about the presidential campaign so he can put away more of the big-time private sector money he's currently making.

But just before offering a candid assessment of his own finances, Huckabee endorsed two policy measures -- Social Security benefit cuts, and the privatization of Medicare -- that would erode the safety net for public workers and others of modest means.

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Wisconsin

Poll: Majority Oppose Banning Collective Bargaining For State Employees

Jon Terbush | February 22, 2011, 3:31PM

As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) continues to push for a bill that would eliminate collective bargaining rights for almost all of the state's employees, a Gallup/USA Today poll taken amid the standoff finds that most Americans would oppose a similar measure in their own state.

In the poll, 61% of adults nationwide said that they would oppose a law that would take away some collective bargaining rights for state employees, including teachers. Only one third, 33%, said that they would support that measure if it were proposed in their state.

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Labor

Wisconsin Gov. Walker Ginned Up Budget Shortfall To Undercut Worker Rights

Brian Beutler | February 17, 2011, 1:47PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin's new Republican governor has framed his assault on public worker's collective bargaining rights as a needed measure of fiscal austerity during tough times.

The reality is radically different. Unlike true austerity measures -- service rollbacks, furloughs, and other temporary measures that cause pain but save money -- rolling back worker's bargaining rights by itself saves almost nothing on its own. But Walker's doing it anyhow, to knock down a barrier and allow him to cut state employee benefits immediately.

Furthermore, this broadside comes less than a month after the state's fiscal bureau -- the Wisconsin equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office -- concluded that Wisconsin isn't even in need of austerity measures, and could conclude the fiscal year with a surplus. In fact, they say that the current budget shortfall is a direct result of tax cut policies Walker enacted in his first days in office.

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Scott Walker

Union Protests Continue, Teachers Call In Sick Opposing WI Gov's Proposals

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2011, 10:59AM

Demonstrators outside the Wisconsin state Capitol, February 16, 2011.

The protests against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) proposals to roll back public employee unions rights are continuing Wednesday, with schools in the state capital Madison closing as the result of teachers calling in sick en masse.

Under Walker's plan, as TPM has previously posted, most state workers would no longer be able to negotiate for better pensions or health benefits or anything other than higher salaries, which couldn't rise at a quicker pace than the Consumer Price Index. Walker and state Republican leaders have said the plan is necessary to deal with the state's budget shortfall.

According to the Associated Press: "The proposal would effectively remove unions' right to negotiate in any meaningful way. Local law enforcement and fire employees, as well as state troopers and inspectors would be exempt."

In Madison, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, School Superintendent Dan Nerad was forced to close the schools today after 40 percent out of 2,600 members of the teachers union called in sick. The teachers' move was spurred by Madison Teachers Inc. executive director John Matthews, who urged members to call in sick and instead attend a rally at the state Capitol.

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Scott Walker

Thousands Protest Wisconsin Governor's Plan To Roll Back Union Rights

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2011, 4:28PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Demonstrators gathered in large numbers at the Wisconsin state Capitol on Tuesday, to protest Republican Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal to help close the state's shortfall by removing nearly all collective bargaining rights for public employees.

As the Wisconsin State Journal reports, over 10,000 protestors gathered at the state Capitol building Tuesday, with thousands also crowded inside the building itself.

A video of the demonstration is available here.

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