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In a two-page Oct. 29 contract, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local 1049 demanded union dues, pay hikes and benefit contributions from Florida electric utilities before its workers would be permitted to help reconnect power to Long Island communities. The demand came as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeastern United States, stranding tens of millions without electricity. The “Letter of Assent,” which The Daily Caller obtained from the Florida Municipal Electric Association, demanded 11 separate financial commitments from municipal power companies and electrical cooperatives in the Sunshine State. The agreement, for any utility that decided to...

The volatility surrounding the collective-bargaining debate spilled into the night Wednesday when police were called to a German Village restaurant after a group verbally accosted a gathering of Senate Republicans. After the vote on Senate Bill 5, seven Republican senators, including President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, grabbed dinner at the Easy Street Cafe. As the lawmakers neared the end of their meal, a group of five to 10 union supporters angry about the passage of the bill hours before burst into the restaurant and began shouting. The commotion eventually led to pushing and shoving with the restaurant staff and owner,...

Union supporters disrupt GOP senators' restaurant meal Friday, March 4, 2011 12:28 AM By andJim Siegel Kathy Gray The Columbus Dispatch The volatility surrounding the collective-bargaining debate spilled into the night Wednesday when police were called to a German Village restaurant after a group verbally accosted a gathering of Senate Republicans. After the vote on Senate Bill 5, seven Republican senators, including President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, grabbed dinner at the Easy Street Cafe. As the lawmakers neared the end of their meal, a group of five to 10 union supporters angry about the passage of the bill hours before...

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D – CA) laughs out loud when staff member from Ari David For Congress suggests that they start off their SEIU meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. The Representative and his Purple People Beater supporters got a kick out of that. Video here: http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/02/dem-congressman-laughs-out-loud-at-pledge-of-allegiance-suggestion-at-seiu-meeting-video/