Unions

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10:46 AM, Apr 17, 2013 • By MARK HEMINGWAY

Last month, I reported that Obamacare had stirred up serious buyers remorse among unions who were discovering the law was driving up insurance costs, wreaking havoc with contractual negotiations, and making union jobs less competitive. While Big Labor is lobbying for special Obamacare subsidies and exemptions, one union has given up on trying to make the law work for them and is now publicly calling for a full Obamacare repeal. Sean Higgins at The Washington Examiner has the statement from the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers International:

Our Union and its members have supported President Obama and his Administration for both of his terms in office.

But regrettably, our concerns over certain provisions in the ACA [Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare] have not been addressed, or in some instances, totally ignored. In the rush to achieve its passage, many of the Act’s provisions were not fully conceived, resulting in unintended consequences that are inconsistent with the promise that those who were satisfied with their employer sponsored coverage could keep it.

These provisions jeopardize our multi-employer health plans, have the potential to cause a loss of work for our members, create an unfair bidding advantage for those contractors who do not provide health coverage to their workers, and in the worst case, may cause our members and their families to lose the benefits they currently enjoy as participants in multi-employer health plans.

For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.

I am therefore calling for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act to protect our employers, our industry, and our most important asset: our members and their families.

Obama and Pelosi: We’ve found out what’s in Obamacare, alas.

Mar 25, 2013, Vol. 18, No. 27 • By MATTHEW CONTINETTI

"With Obama-care entrenched, Democrats feel free to gripe,” read the headline in Politico. And gripe is the word. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington gripes that the administration won’t subsidize Americans “just above the poverty level.” Senator Bill Nelson of Florida gripes that the administration “negotiated away” funding for insurance co-ops. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland gripes that Obama-care doesn’t address the national crisis in pediatric dentistry.

Disenchantment sets in.

Mar 25, 2013, Vol. 18, No. 27 • By MARK HEMINGWAY

"I heard [Obama] say, ‘If you like your health plan, you can keep it,’ ” John Wilhelm, chairman of Unite Here Health, representing 260,000 union workers, recently told the Wall Street Journal. “If I’m wrong, and the president does not intend to keep his word, I would have severe second thoughts about the law.” Besides Wilhelm, some of the nation’s largest union bosses have taken to publicly criticizing the Affordable Care Act.

The unions went all in for Obama. What’s he done for them?

Mar 4, 2013, Vol. 18, No. 24 • By MARK HEMINGWAY

On February 17, some 35,000 people showed up for a march outside the White House to protest construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The environmental lobby is going all out to stop the pipeline, which will transport oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries near Houston. In its ongoing offensive against the project, the Sierra Club has endorsed civil disobedience for the first time in its 120-year existence.

The GOP shouldn’t write off educators.

Jan 21, 2013, Vol. 18, No. 18 • By COLLEEN HYLAND

As Republicans discuss the future of the party, abandoning conservative values need not be part of the conversation. The party can appeal to larger segments of the electorate without forsaking core principles. One case in point is a group the party has long written off: public school teachers.

2:35 PM, Dec 18, 2012 • By MARK HEMINGWAY

There have been a lot of ill considered articles following the heinous grade school shooting in Connecticut, and I'm afraid this article in the Huffington Post is no exception. The headline, "The Gun Lobby: Why The NRA Is The Baddest Force In Politics," more or less sets the tone. Here's how the piece begins:

Dec 24, 2012, Vol. 18, No. 15 • By THE SCRAPBOOK

If there are two things The Scrapbook has learned during the past two years, it’s that when the privileges of labor unions are addressed by democratically elected legislatures—usually during harsh economic times—you can be sure that the unions will descend on state capitals with marches, epithets, threats of violence, violence, illegal occupations, and vandalism. Call it antidemocracy in response to democracy.

4:04 PM, Dec 14, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

A speaker at a protest against Michigan's right-to-work legislation said that Republican governor Rick Snyder will "get no rest" from pro-union activists if Snyder signs the bill into law.

11:03 AM, Dec 12, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, encouraged folks to "keep fighting!" after her side lost the labor dispute that will now give union members the right-to-work.

The TSA’s new uniforms.

Dec 10, 2012, Vol. 18, No. 13 • By KATE HAVARD

If you’re headed to the airport for the holidays, here are some tips to keep you off the Transportation Security Administration’s “naughty list”: Holiday puddings (even the figgy kind) are considered “gel-like” substances and must be carried in clear plastic containers of no more than 3.4 ounces.

11:46 AM, Nov 16, 2012 • By GEOFFREY NORMAN

Hostess Brands has been driven into bankruptcy. The company, according to the Wall Street Journal, was done in by:

Beloved bakery Hostess files for bankruptcy after failing to reach a deal with its union, putting 18,500 people out of work.

10:57 AM, Nov 16, 2012 • By MARK HEMINGWAY

Yesterday, Hostess announced that it would be forced to liquidate if it could not get striking employees to return to full production as of today. Among many pro-labor types, this was dismissed as yet another negotiating ploy by management. It wasn't. Hostess is laying off 18,500 workers and liquidating its assets. Here's how Hostess explained the situation:

Will California’s voters soak themselves?

Oct 29, 2012, Vol. 18, No. 07 • By KATE HAVARD

‘California is a wonderful state mismanaged by lunatics,” declares Steven Greenhut, vice president of journalism for the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Anyone who examines California’s economy ought to agree.

12:21 PM, Oct 13, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat challenging Republican Scott Brown for the U.S. Senate, dodged questions about claims that a local union was fining its members for not publicly supporting her campaign.

3:10 PM, Oct 12, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Supporters of Democrat Elizabeth Warren's Senate campaign in Massachusetts have been accused of mocking a staffer of Republican Scott Brown outside a recent debate in Springfield.

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