Public Employees

Everyone Agrees That the Decline in Private Sector Pay Has Been Understated

Dean Baker | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Pensions, Public Employees, Bubble, Income Inequality, Stock Market, Paycheck, Pay, Salary, Business News
Dean Baker

The cost to taxpayers of public employees' compensation packages are on average no greater than the cost to private sector employees. The big difference is that public employees can expect a considerably more secure retirement.

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The War on Public Sector Workers

Dean Baker | Posted 04.16.2012

Read More: Pensions, Deficit, Public Employees, Stock Market, State and Local Government, Entitlements, Retirement, Social Security, Retirement Cuts, Business News
Dean Baker

Welcome to the latest episode in the long-running battle to redistribute ever more income to the rich. Having already achieved great success in depressing the pay of workers throughout the private sector, the call is to cut the pay and benefits of workers in the public sector. Won't you join the cause?

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When It Comes to the Free Speech Rights of Teachers, the Joke's on Us

Sam Chaltain | Posted 04.18.2012

Read More: Supreme Court, Public Employees, US Supreme Court, First Amendment, Arizona, Thurgood Marshall, Ninth Circuit, Free Speech, Education News
Sam Chaltain

Let's enjoy a short laugh at the foolishness of Arizona's lawmakers to muzzle their state's public school teachers. And then let's remember that a more carefully constructed bill may not be as outlandish, and unlikely, as we think.

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Lila Shapiro

Critics Say New Hampshire's Right-To-Work Legislation Would Not Net Jobs

HuffingtonPost.com | Lila Shapiro | Posted 02.13.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Politics News, Collective Bargaining, Public Employee Collective Bargaining, Collective Bargaining Rights, Right to Work, New Hampshire Politics, State and Local Government, New Hampshire Collective Bargaining, New Hampshire Right to Work, New Hampshire Legislature, New Hampshire Unions, Business News

The nationwide anti-union push is moving to New Hampshire, where the state legislature is considering right-to-work legislation once again. The pro...

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Scott Brown Makes Dubious Claim

Posted 01.21.2012

Read More: Scott Brown, Public Employees, Scott Brown Police Officers, Video, Scott Brown Wall Street, Firefighters, Scott Brown Massachusetts, Police Officers, Scott Brown Firefighters, Public Servants, Teachers, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Senate Race, Scott Brown Economy, Politics News

Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) has advocated for large financial institutions in the past, but he stuck up for an interesting new segment of the 1 perce...

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Governor Compared To Bin Laden

Anna Staver | Posted 01.20.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Ohio Issue 2, Ohio SB 5, John Kasich Union Bill, Video, John Kasich Collective Bargaining, Issue 2 Ohio, State and Local Government, Sb 5, John Kasich, Governor John Kasich, Facebook, Politics News

An Ohio prison guard has lost his job because of comments he made on Facebook about the state's governor. According to the Middletown Journal, the ...

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John Celock

'It Is Wisconsin And Ohio On Steroids'

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 01.20.2012

Read More: Collective Bargaining, Public Employees, Collective Bargaining Rights, Right to Work, New Hampshire Politics, New Hampshire Right to Work, Ohio Issue 2, Ohio SB 5, Public Employee Collective Bargaining, Video, State and Local Government, New Hampshire Collective Bargaining, New Hampshire Unions, Tea Party, New Hampshire Legislature, Politics News

The war over public employee collective bargaining has moved to New Hampshire, where the Tea Party-controlled legislature has taken up consideration o...

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The Best and Worst Moments for Workers in 2011

Kimberly Freeman Brown | Posted 02.15.2012

Read More: Nlrb, National Labor Relations Board, Public Employees, Workers, Income Inequality, NFL Lockout, Economy, Scott Walker, Occupy Wall Street, Senate Bill 5, Business, Amazon, Workers Rights, Business News
Kimberly Freeman Brown

From Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., on the football field and the factory floor, we've seen unprecedented attacks on working families from big corporations and their friends in elected office.

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California State Nurses Take Home Big Paychecks As State Faces Budget Crisis

Posted 12.16.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Video, Nurses, High Paid Public Employees, State Nurses, Business News, California Budget Gap, California Budget Crisis, Public Workers, California State Nurses, Business News

Picking up a few extra shifts apparently pays off in the Golden State. Forty-two California state nurses raked in more than $1 million since 2005 i...

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The Lessons of Ohio

Richard Trumka | Posted 01.16.2012

Read More: Ows, Public Employees, Social Security, Labor, Ohio, Occupy Wall Street, Kasich, Medicaid, Congress, Afl-Cio, Medicare, Unions, Union, Richard Trumka, Politics News
Richard Trumka

"Remember Ohio." Those two words should carry new meaning to politicians in Congress and state houses who think they can respond to unemployment, budget crises and voter anger with faux solutions that scapegoat those hit hardest by the current economy.

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A Win for Workers, and for Us All

Randi Weingarten | Posted 01.14.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, American Federation of Teachers, California, Economy, We Are the 99 Percent, Ohio, New Haven, Teachers Union, Arizona, 99 Percent, Ohio Issue 2, American Dream, Maine, Occupy Wall Street, sb5, John Kasich, Teachers, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Voting, Education News
Randi Weingarten

"As Ohio goes, so goes the nation" has taken on new meaning. The people of Ohio used their citizen veto decisively to repeal legislation that would have stripped police officers, teachers, firefighters and other public workers of their right to bargain collectively.

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John Celock

RI Pension Bill Passes Key Hurdle

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 01.11.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Video, Rhode-Island-Politics, Public Employee Pensions, Rhode-Island-Public-Employees, Rhode Island Pension Debate, Gina Raimondo Pension Reform, State and Local Government, Pension Reform, Lincoln Chaffee, Gina-Raimondo, Rhode Island Legislature, Politics News

The bill to reform Rhode Island's public employee pension system passed two legislative committees Thursday night, setting the scene for the full legi...

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John Celock

Labor Leader Takes Issue 2 Victory Lap

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 01.09.2012

Read More: Collective Bargaining, Public Employees, John Kasich Collective Bargaining, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Ohio Politics, Occupy Movement, 99 Percent, John Kasich Union Bill, Ohio SB 5, Ohio Issue 2, Richard Trumka Afl-Cio, Video, Afl Cio, 2012 Election, State and Local Government, John Kasich, Unions, Richard Trumka, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- Connecting the results with the Occupy Wall Street movement, organized labor is taking a victory lap over Tuesday's repeal of Ohio's con...

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Issue 2 Was UpHill Fight For Kasich

Solon Patch | Chris Mazzolini | Posted 01.09.2012

Read More: Ohio Issue 2, Collective Bargaining, Ohio SB 5, Public Employees, John Kasich Union Bill, John Kasich Collective Bargaining, State and Local Government, John Kasich, Ohio-Public-Employees, Ohio Politics, Politics News

In retrospect, Issue 2 never stood a chance. Opponents outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message. It's no surprise they had more votes...

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John Celock

Voters To Decide Fate Of Controversial Ohio Law

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 01.08.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Issue 2, John Kasich Collective Bargaining, Issue-2-Occupy-Cleveland, Labor Unions, Ohio-Public-Employees, Ohio Politics, John Kasich Union Bill, Ohio SB 5, Ohio Issue 2, Video, State and Local Government, Sb 5, John Kasich, Occupy Cleveland, John Green, Unions, Politics News

Ohio voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of the state's controversial collective bargaining law. Issue 2, a referendum on Senate Bill...

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Time to Occupy Voting?: Progressive Upsurge Faces Tough Test in Ohio

Van Jones | Posted 01.07.2012

Read More: Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, Issue 2, Nurses, Police, Senate Bill 5, John Kasich, Teachers, Politics News
Van Jones

In the first major election since Occupy Wall Street swept the nation, Ohioans have a chance on Tuesday to repeal draconian restrictions on labor rights.

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John Celock

Future Of Ohio Collective Bargaining Law Discussed

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 12.31.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, Issue 2, Ohio Collective Bargaining Bill, Harriet Applegate, Local Government, Ohio Issue 2, Ohio SB 5, Video, Merit Pay, State and Local Government, Sb 5, John Kasich, John Green, Unions, Herb Asher, Politics News

A defeat of Ohio's controversial new collective bargaining law in the Nov. 8 referendum may not be the final death blow to parts of the bill. Polit...

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Ohio's Middle Class Squeezed During Kasich Administration

Mother Jones | Mac McClelland | Posted 12.17.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Ohio, Employment, Ohio Labor, John Kasich Ohio, Kasich Collective Bargaining, Ohio Public Employees, Ohio SB 5, Labor, Unemployment, Sb 5, John Kasich, John Kasich Unions, Kasich, Kasich Union Bill, Ohio Union, Ohio Jobs, Politics News

Erin blames the governor for her doubts now. She calls him some unsavory names. A lot of people are doing that. A couple of weeks ago, a poll showe...

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Rahm Faces Tough Questions, Hecklers At Second Town Hall

Posted 11.01.2011

Read More: Mayor Emanuel, Public Employees, Chicago Traffic Aides, Chicago Public Schools, Tax Increment Financing Districts, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Tifs, Chicago Budget, Chicago Budget Townhall, Seiu, Chicago Unions, Chicago Budget Deficit, Chicago Teachers Union, Jean-Claude Brizard, Tifs, Chicago Teachers, Chicago News

While Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's second town hall meeting this week was reportedly less heated than a Monday meeting where Emanuel was briefly booed...

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Madison Labor Leaders Join Chicago Teachers Union Rally

Posted 10.31.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Longer School Year, Karen Lewis, Teachers Strike, Chicago Public Schools, Rahm Emanuel, Scott Walker, Madison Teachers Union, Madison Teachers, Chicago Teachers Union, Labor Unions, Jean-Claude Brizard, Madison Protests, Wisconsin Protests, Chicago News

After standing at the forefront of massive, unprecedented protests over collective bargaining and workers' rights on their home turf earlier this year...

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GOP Lawmakers Move To Limit Health Coverage For Michigan Employees

AP | KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN | Posted 10.24.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, Collective Bargaining Rights, Financial Managers, Democrats, Health Care Payouts, Politics News, Anti-Union Laws, Governor Rick Snyder, Michigan Unions, Schools, Organized Labor, Michigan, Unions, Health Care, Rick Snyder, Republicans, Politics News

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Republicans dealt another blow to public employee unions Wednesday as they pushed ahead with a plan to force local gov...

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GOP Governor Looks To Stop Effort To Repeal Controversial Anti-Union Law

AP | JULIE CARR SMYTH and ANN SANNER | Posted 10.17.2011

Read More: Political News, Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, John Kasich Union Bill, Strikes, Collective Bargaining Rights, Ohio Collective Bargaining Bill, We Are Ohio, November Election, Ohio, Repeal, Governor John Kasich, John Kasich, Union Rights, Ohio Union Law, Unions, Public Employee Unions, Republicans, Politics News

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. John Kasich and top Republican lawmakers said Wednesday they're offering to discuss weakening a new law limiting coll...

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Public Pension Funds Lose Billions Amid Stock Market Volatility

AP | MICHAEL GORMLEY | Posted 10.12.2011

Read More: Volatility, Public Employees, Retirees, Dow Jones, Unemployment, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Stock Market, Economic Crisis, Business News, Jobs, Public Pensions, Health Care, Pension Funds, Business News

ALBANY, N.Y. — Wall Street's volatility has hit state pension funds just as they were beginning to recover from the recession, turning what was ...

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William Alden

SEC Late To The Game In Wisconsin Fraud Suit

HuffingtonPost.com | William Alden | Posted 10.11.2011

Read More: Stifel, Fraud, Public Employees, Retirees, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Schools, Economic Crisis, Business News, Financial Crisis, Sec, Collateralized Debt Obligations, Securities and Exchange Commission, Business News

NEW YORK -- The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a brokerage firm of duping five Wisconsin school districts into placing highly risky be...

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Joseph Erbentraut

Union: Gov. Quinn Cancelling Raises Worse Than Scott Walker

HuffingtonPost.com | Joseph Erbentraut | Posted 08.31.2011

Read More: Illinois Budget, Public Employees, Collective Bargaining, Chris Christie, Illinois Unions, Afscme Council 31, Pat Quinn, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Illinois, Schools, Medicaid, Illinois Federation of Public Employees, Worker's Rights, Public Employee Unions, Afscme, Chicago News

In a move that has ignited the ire of labor groups statewide, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced on Friday the cancellation of pay raises for thous...

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