Unions Says Public Has No Right to Know About State Payments to Unions
By Warner Todd Huston Posted in Economy — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
What happened when the Evergreen Freedom Foundation decided to request the public government records of the negotiations between unions and government in Washington State? All hell broke loose, that's what.
The bloated public employee unions banded together to stop the public from finding out what went on between the government and the unions during the negotiations of state contracts -- that is contracts FUNDED by tax money, by the way -- for employee benefits and rules. They filed suit saying that the public had no right to know how their own tax money was to be spent.
One union official even said that if he thought his words would become public record he would "not be comfortable speaking" until he had "fully thought through" what he had to say. Of course, this forces one to wonder why he would open his yap without thinking about what he is saying whether his yammering would be public knowledge or not?
Yes, the Unions fought the EFF tooth and nail to keep their negotiations secret from the very public that is paying their bills.
Check out the whole outrageous story at Capital Research Center's "When unions negotiate with governments" and download the PDF report. Its a great read and a cautionary tale that supports our contention here on the Union Label Blog that unions are antithetical to good government.
Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius' Forum. It's what's happening NOW!
Americans are on to their agendas which is why a little at at a time they are becoming more irrelevant and are clinging onto what power they still possess.
Freedom of Religion NOT Freedom from Religion
in the public sector. There's a reason all the Blue States have heavily unionized public employees.
To the main point, I wouldn't want anything that was deliberative in nature, say, options and strategy discussions and memos, to be made public. Under most public records laws, any proposal by either party that crosses the table becomes public.
I'll admit that I never really wanted either the Legislature nor the Press looking over my shoulder during contract negotiations. My solution was to just declare it an open session and invite them all. When they found out how excrutiatingly boring it all was, they just went away never to return.
In Vino Veritas
that their political power is waning; they own the Blue States and the federal government. If they get Obama and a Democrat Congress, you WILL have card checks, you WILL have interest arbitration for police and fire employees nationwide, and you may well see the first attempts in nearly half a century to eliminated the "right to work" provisions in the Taft-Hartley Amendment.
It's true that they only have about 8% of the private sector, less than they had in 1932, before passage of the NLRA, but they more than make up for it in the public sector.
In Vino Veritas
that their political power is waning; they own the Blue States and the federal government. If they get Obama and a Democrat Congress, you WILL have card checks, you WILL have interest arbitration for police and fire employees nationwide, and you may well see the first attempts in nearly half a century to eliminated the "right to work" provisions in the Taft-Hartley Amendment.
It's true that they only have about 8% of the private sector, less than they had in 1932, before passage of the NLRA, but they more than make up for it in the public sector.
In Vino Veritas
Ahh yes. The altruistic unions further support their reputations.
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Dependence is Slavery.
And Rightly So!