The fun never ceases in Michigan these days, does it? What now? This: Republicans in the state House have introduced legislation to fine striking teachers and even revoke their licenses. State Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Genoa Township, on Tuesday introduced legislation creating penalties for public schoolteachers and the Michigan Education Association for inciting or participating in strikes. House Bill 4466 would […]

THIS is positively astounding. In 2007, Judy Taylor, an artist based on Mount Desert, won a competition to create a mural for the lobby of the Department of Labor (MDOL). The work was to depict the “History of Labor in the State of Maine,” and was commissioned by the Maine Arts Commission. Taylor’s work is of 11 panels which you […]

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder laid out his plans to force encourage local municipalities and agencies to consolidate services to become more efficient. He’s going so far as to withhold state revenue-sharing funds to force their hand. Gov. Rick Snyder called Monday for local government employees to pay at least 20% of their health insurance premiums, and for less expensive retirement […]

If you want to get a clear picture of the differences in between the two main political parties, you need look no further than Michigan this week. The differences between the parties could not be clearer … or starker. This week Democrats called for a state constitutional amendment that would guarantee workers the right bargain collectively. Private AND public workers. […]

Wisconsin State Senator Bob Jauch issued a press release today. Jauch is one of the 14 Democrats who have left the state to deny Governor Scott Walker a quorum in the Senate which would allow him to strip away the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other public employees. Walker recently tried to portray Jauch as wanting to return to […]

The AFL-CIO is hosting another rally at the Michigan Capitol building this Tuesday, March 8th. RALLY TO PROTEST EMERGENCY MANAGER BILLS The Michigan AFL-CIO will be holding a rally to protest the ‘Emergency Manager’ bills package that is currently in the State Senate. There will be a vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday, March 8th, and we will be […]

As I wrote about last week, Wisconsin State Representative Nick Milroy was tackled when he tried to enter the Capitol Building on Thursday night. Here’s the video: This police state environment at the Wisconsin Capitol continues this week. Talking Points Memo is reporting that the key cards of staff AND LEGISLATORS have been turned off, denying them direct entrance to […]

Last night a judge ordered the Wisconsin Capitol building closed during non-work hours creating an exodus as protesters left the building, ending a 17-day occupation. Governor Scott Walker has instituted draconian security checkpoints that were detailed in great detail HERE. [T]oday when I went to the capitol to visit my representative, Janis Ringhand, and discuss my concerns about the governor’s […]

In 1981, Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), the national union representing air traffic controllers, went on strike. After talks collapsed, President Ronald Reagan permanently fired 11,000 of the union members. The President of the United States of America intervened in a labor dispute in a heavy-handed move that, in many ways, defined Reagan’s legacy and shaped the Republican Party […]

As everyone who has been paying attention to national news over the past two weeks knows, the political situation in Wisconsin right now is very tense. The Senate Democrats are in exile to prevent an anti-union bill that will strip collective bargaining rights from teachers and other public employees from coming to a vote. Tea Party Governor Scott Walker is […]

This graphic from an email sent out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in a fundraising email this week tells you everything you need to know about the relationship between American union members and the GOP: DEFEAT THE UNIONS IN 2012!!! Remember, in Wisconsin, the front line in the GOP’s war against American labor unions, it is NOT about […]