Worker Freedom
Blog
Read about legislative union push
Staff Unionization Effort Won’t Help GOP Staff
Much has been written about poor working conditions for State Capitol staff and bad treatment by often ill-tempered and inconsiderate legislators. Having worked at the Capitol for nearly two decades, I know firsthand that working there can be a grind. Staff routinely work long hours, often overnight or on weekends.
Blog
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Union-backed bills pose biggest challenges to cities
Cities are creatures of the state, so they have to obey. Residents are likely to suffer more and bigger potholes, further declining school test scores and higher taxes – meaning more people will flee the state or head to the suburbs. Here’s a look at some of the worst urban-related
Business & Economics
Read the latest on unionization in CA
Latest Example of California’s Dysfunction Is Pro-Union Constitutional Amendment 7
Public works projects in California aren’t dead but with multiple co-morbidities, they’re in poor health. The most conspicuous example is the high-speed rail, maybe the biggest construction burnout in history. And, if critics of a proposed constitutional amendment are right, it will set a sorry tone for decades to come.
Business & Economics
Philip Howard – Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Unions
Our guest this week is noted author and attorney Philip Howard. Beginning with his book The Death of Common Sense in 1995, Philip has written about the central role of human responsibility in a functioning government—the freedom to make timely choices, and to be accountable for them. In 2002, he
Blog
Costly union-only agreements result in fewer city projects
From street repairs to building construction, municipal infrastructure projects are costly, but often necessary, endeavors. To get them done in the most cost-effective manner possible, city taxpayers are best served by having open, competitive markets for contracts to complete such projects efficiently and at the best price. This might sound like
Blog
Florida Governor Introduces Teacher “Bill of Rights.” California should take notes.
It’s no secret that teachers’ unions are among the nation’s most powerful unions. Many elected officials stand down rather than pick a fight with them . But not Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis. Governor DeSantis released his “Teacher’s Bill of Rights” on January 23 which, if enacted, will: Require school unions
Blog
Would You Like An Apple Pie With That? No Thanks, I Can’t Afford It
Less than two days before California’s Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act was to become law – on Jan. 1 – Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang placed a hold on the legislation, temporarily restraining the state “from implementing, enforcing, or taking any other action to effectuate Assembly
Business & Economics
The Biden Administration’s Push to Take One of California’s Worst Ideas Nationwide
The Biden administration has effectively declared war on gig work, with its Department of Labor proposing a new federal regulation inspired by California’s controversial AB 5 law that would limit people’s ability to be classified as independent contractors and work as they choose. As Bloomberg Law reports, “The US Labor Department’s new
Blog
Los Angeles: the city that organized labor wrecked
Los Angeles kicked off its 2022 Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in inimitable style, with the release of a secret recording in which top Latino city officials are caught disparaging indigenous people – as well as African Americans, Armenians, Jews and (generally lost in the reporting) “white guys.” City Council President
Blog
Carry a Stack of Studies? Moi?
This past week, Politico reported that our fellow think tankers (albeit left-leaning) at the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute were forming unions. I assumed that these think tanks were breaking ground, but it appears that they’re just playing catch-up. The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union had already successfully organized several prominent
Read about legislative union push
Staff Unionization Effort Won’t Help GOP Staff
Much has been written about poor working conditions for State Capitol staff and bad treatment by often ill-tempered and inconsiderate legislators. Having worked at the Capitol for nearly two decades, I know firsthand that working there can be a grind. Staff routinely work long hours, often overnight or on weekends.
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Union-backed bills pose biggest challenges to cities
Cities are creatures of the state, so they have to obey. Residents are likely to suffer more and bigger potholes, further declining school test scores and higher taxes – meaning more people will flee the state or head to the suburbs. Here’s a look at some of the worst urban-related
Read the latest on unionization in CA
Latest Example of California’s Dysfunction Is Pro-Union Constitutional Amendment 7
Public works projects in California aren’t dead but with multiple co-morbidities, they’re in poor health. The most conspicuous example is the high-speed rail, maybe the biggest construction burnout in history. And, if critics of a proposed constitutional amendment are right, it will set a sorry tone for decades to come.
Philip Howard – Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Unions
Our guest this week is noted author and attorney Philip Howard. Beginning with his book The Death of Common Sense in 1995, Philip has written about the central role of human responsibility in a functioning government—the freedom to make timely choices, and to be accountable for them. In 2002, he
Costly union-only agreements result in fewer city projects
From street repairs to building construction, municipal infrastructure projects are costly, but often necessary, endeavors. To get them done in the most cost-effective manner possible, city taxpayers are best served by having open, competitive markets for contracts to complete such projects efficiently and at the best price. This might sound like
Florida Governor Introduces Teacher “Bill of Rights.” California should take notes.
It’s no secret that teachers’ unions are among the nation’s most powerful unions. Many elected officials stand down rather than pick a fight with them . But not Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis. Governor DeSantis released his “Teacher’s Bill of Rights” on January 23 which, if enacted, will: Require school unions
Would You Like An Apple Pie With That? No Thanks, I Can’t Afford It
Less than two days before California’s Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act was to become law – on Jan. 1 – Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang placed a hold on the legislation, temporarily restraining the state “from implementing, enforcing, or taking any other action to effectuate Assembly
The Biden Administration’s Push to Take One of California’s Worst Ideas Nationwide
The Biden administration has effectively declared war on gig work, with its Department of Labor proposing a new federal regulation inspired by California’s controversial AB 5 law that would limit people’s ability to be classified as independent contractors and work as they choose. As Bloomberg Law reports, “The US Labor Department’s new
Los Angeles: the city that organized labor wrecked
Los Angeles kicked off its 2022 Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in inimitable style, with the release of a secret recording in which top Latino city officials are caught disparaging indigenous people – as well as African Americans, Armenians, Jews and (generally lost in the reporting) “white guys.” City Council President
Carry a Stack of Studies? Moi?
This past week, Politico reported that our fellow think tankers (albeit left-leaning) at the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute were forming unions. I assumed that these think tanks were breaking ground, but it appears that they’re just playing catch-up. The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union had already successfully organized several prominent
