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Obama coming to Milwaukee for Laborfest By Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel Aug. 27, 2014 A spokeswoman for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Wednesday that President Barack Obama will be in Milwaukee on Labor Day. No further details were available for Monday's visit, but multiple media sources said that Obama will be attending Laborfest at Maier Festival Park. A White House official later confirmed the president would visit the city for an event Monday. Obama was a frequent visitor to Milwaukee and Madison during the 2012 campaign, and was here in 2010 for Laborfest, speaking to a crowd of...

In one of Minnesota’s largest labor organizing efforts since the Depression, home care workers across the state on Tuesday voted to join the Service Employees International Union, giving that organization the power to bargain on their behalf. The vote is the culmination of one of the most sweeping union expansion efforts in Minnesota history and represents a victory for Gov. Mark Dayton and the DFL-controlled Legislature, who pushed through legislation that enabled the certification vote. Workers and those they care for erupted in cheers and chants of “When we fight, we win!” when results were announced at the labor pavilion...

Vote tallies on whether Minnesota home care workers will create a large union should come next week after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that an ongoing union election can continue. In July, nine home care workers brought a challenge in federal court against Gov. Mark Dayton and other state officials, claiming that unionization efforts in the state are violating constitutional guarantees of free expression and association. Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is trying to organize some 27,000 home care workers, also was named as a defendant in the case. Plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to block a union election...

The following statement was released by Keith Kelleher, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri & Kansas, in response to the shooting of Ferguson, MO, resident Michael Brown and the unrest that is occurring there:The aftermath of the tragic shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, reveals the urgent need for justice to prevail in order to bring a level of calm back to the community. The initial lack of information coming from the Ferguson Police Department and its militarized response to protesters has clearly erased any faith in local authorities to uncover the truth. To that end, the members...

"Justice is too often elusive in a society that remains segregated and divided by race and class. These divisions are coming to the surface in Ferguson, Mo., and we are encouraged that the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI are intervening with an eye toward easing tensions, guaranteeing civil rights and protecting and serving that community and its residents. "On behalf of the 2 million members of the Service Employees International Union, I extend thoughts and prayers to the family of Michael Brown. May all parties involved in this tragedy find justice and peace."

WAUWATOSA, Wis. — A home health-care company contracted with the Milwaukee County Department of Family Care is accusing a local labor union of forging workers’ signatures to collect more money for political activity. Art Beck, a Milwaukee attorney representing Sally Sprenger, owner of Supportive Homecare Options Inc., told Wisconsin Reporter two employees have come forward since April alleging they were signed up to make contributions without their authority. The contributions were for the Committee on Political Education through the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Wisconsin. After reviewing their forms for voluntary COPE deductions, which help fund union causes for political...

he California Teachers Association (CTA) has quietly started to prepare its members for life after extortion. It has put together a report titled “Not if, but when: Living in a world without Fair Share,” in which it acknowledges that the days of being able to extort teachers to bribe Democrats may be fast coming to an end. Automatic, compulsory union membership for teachers is being challenged in court and the thugs that run the state’s biggest teachers union can see the outcome will lead to an end of their cushy lives. They have prepared a slideshow outlining the “terrible consequences”...

Would you like to own a small business someday? If so, sorry — the Service Employees International Union would rather you didn’t. SEIU has convinced the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to eviscerate the franchising model that many small-business owners rely on. Under the current model, these small-business owners pay for the right to use a corporate brand. The franchising corporation researches appealing products. It also does marketing to promote the brand. In return, the local franchisees agree to produce those products to fit certain price and quality specifications. The local franchisee handles all the hiring and employment. This division...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, sparked massive protests and led to Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall election and rise to national prominence.

A low-profile Google Group used by over 1,000 state and national leftwing leaders and activists has been discovered thanks to Wisconsin’s open records law. A Media Trackers inquiry into the actions of a University of Wisconsin professor turned up records and communications from “Gamechanger Salon,” an online community that provides a forum for leftwing activists and leaders to share tactics, strategies and opinions. Operating as a closed Google Group, much of what the network does is unavailable for public review. However, a document listing the network’s membership and a policy manual describing the mission and ground rules for the entity...

VILLA PARK, Ill. — Comparing their campaign to the civil rights movement, fast food workers from across the country voted today to escalate their efforts for $15-an-hour pay and union membership to include nonviolent civil disobedience. More than 1,300 workers gathered in a convention in center in suburban Chicago to discuss the future of a campaign that has spread to dozens of cities in less than two years. Wearing T-shirts that said “Fight for $15” and “We Are Worth More,” the workers cheered loudly and said they would win if they stuck together. “People are just fed up,” said Cindy...

First, Howard Dean wanted to ship all Republicans to the Ukraine or Russia. Now, unions and at least one elected official are calling for the GOP’s death. As The Colorado Statesman reports, state Rep. Crisanta Duran marched with a Latino group and the Service Employees International Union as they chanted “Death to the Colorado GOP.” At a rally on Tuesday in downtown Denver led by the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, Latino leaders and community groups held a mock funeral procession in which they declared, “Death to the Colorado GOP for killing immigration reform.” Joining the demonstration was state...

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) likes to present itself as the champion of the little guy. But officials of SEIU Healthcare—“the fastest-growing union of healthcare, child care, home care and nursing home workers in the Midwest”—aren’t averse to a little high-living. For example, in FY 2013 officials of SEIU’s Illinois-Indiana healthcare division (SEIU-HCII) chalked up more than $1.1 million in travel expenses—$13,000 of it on D.C. hotel expenses rung up at President Obama’s second inaugural. The union designated all that travel as “representation activity.” Also claimed as a “representation” expense: a $6,000 liquor store tab for “beverages for...

Half a Billion Dollars. That’s how much the California Teachers Association and the powerful Service Employees International Union have spent on California politics since 2000. The unions’ return on that “investment”? A legislature totally beholden to them for political support and campaign contributions. Here’s another mind-boggling number: Half a Trillion Dollars. That’s an estimate of the unfunded public pension liabilities racked up by California’s state and municipal governments due to overly generous pay and defined benefit pension plans lavished on unionized government employees. If you thought the bankruptcies of Stockton, San Bernardino, and Vallejo were entertaining, break out the popcorn...

Supreme Court: Obama Is Out of OrderPosted By Matthew Vadum On July 3, 2014 @ 12:58 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 5 Comments The Supreme Court has wrapped up its 2013-2014 term by handing stinging defeats to the increasingly unpopular President Obama.Doing its job for a change, the high court reined in the power of the Executive Branch of the federal government, striking down a forced unionization scheme, an abortifacient mandate, and improper recess appointments. The Court also rejected the Obama administration’s contention that police be allowed to search Americans’ cellphones without warrants.In the nearly five and a half...

One of the nation's most powerful labor unions could face a costly onslaught of lawsuits seeking tens of millions of dollars in dues, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the money was collected improperly, legal experts said. In a ruling Monday, the high court held that Service Employees International Union cannot force people who care for loved ones to be union members and deduct dues from the government checks of those they care for. The practice has gone on for several years in a handful of states, creating a lucrative stream of cash for the powerful labor organization, which represents...

An Illinois woman who took her fight against one of the nation's most powerful unions all the way to the Supreme Court and won, said all she ever wanted was to care for her ailing son. Pam Harris, the lead plaintiff in the landmark Harris v. Quinn case, in which the high court ruled people who care for loved ones in their home can't be compelled to join the Service Employees International Union, said the ruling was a victory for her son Josh, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder. "It means no third party intrusion, it means that there's...

Six immigration activists were arrested for protesting outside of Rep. Ed Royce's (R-Calif.) district office late Friday after they stopped traffic in the middle of a busy street near Los Angeles, according to reports. The protest, organized by the Service Employees International Union, was one of dozens held around the country Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Senate passing a sweeping immigration bill, which would pave the way for 11 million illegal immigrants to stay in the country. But House Republicans have refused to take up similar legislation, angering many immigration activists. In Washington, immigration activists also occupied...

Six immigration activists were arrested for protesting outside of Rep. Ed Royce's (R-Calif.) home office late Friday after they stopped traffic in the middle of a busy street outside Los Angeles, according to reports. The protest, organized by the Service Employees International Union, was one of dozens held around the country Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Senate passing a sweeping immigration bill, which would pave the way for 11 million illegal immigrants to stay in the country. But House Republicans have refused to take up similar legislation, angering many immigration activists. In Washington, immigration activists also occupied...

The Supreme Court will make its most important ruling in labor law in decades next week when it weighs in on a right-to-work case that could determine whether non-union workers can be compelled to pay public sector union dues. Courts for years have recognized the rights of unions to ask non-members to pay dues for union negotiating costs, but a group of home healthcare workers in Harris vs. Quinn are challenging dues they pay to a branch of the Service Employees International Union as a violation of free speech. The case is pitting business groups and the National Right to...