Free Republic

ROCHESTER, NY--Four Monroe County probation officers have won relief in their protracted federal legal battle against two government unions for violating their First Amendment rights. The four officers, led by David Scheffer, filed the suit with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys. The probation officers sued the Civil Service Employees Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees for seizing forced union dues from their paychecks for illegal union expenditures. The officers charged that union officials were spending their forced dues on union organizing drives, despite the officers’ objections, according to a Right...

Republicans ran out the clock on two controversial proposals to extend collective bargaining rights to daycare and home care workers Tuesday, preventing either from getting a vote by the legislature's Labor and Public Employees Committee before its deadline for acting on bills. But those on both sides expect the proposals, which grew out of executive orders issued by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, to resurface before the session ends. "It's not dead yet," said Rep. Zeke Zalaski, the Southington Democrat who co-chairs the labor committee. His co-chair, Sen. Edith G. Prague, D-Columbia, said the proposals would be revived as amendments to...

Twin Rivers Unified School District's use of AmeriCorps volunteers has pleased parents and angered the California School Employees Association, which has filed an unfair practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board. It is the second charge the CSEA and its Twin Rivers chapter have filed with PERB since April. Both charges are in the initial review stage, a PERB official said. Parents are countering the first charge with a petition to keep the youthful AmeriCorps volunteers, who tutor kids, hold after-school activities and assist in school cleanup events. Officials at the CSEA and its Twin Rivers chapter say the...

Nearly 40 years after New York emptied its scandal-ridden warehouses for the developmentally disabled, the far-flung network of small group homes that replaced them operates with scant oversight and few consequences for employees who abuse the vulnerable population. A New York Times investigation over the past year has found widespread problems in the more than 2,000 state-run homes. In hundreds of cases reviewed by The Times, employees who sexually abused, beat or taunted residents were rarely fired, even after repeated offenses, and in many cases, were simply transferred to other group homes run by the state. And, despite a state...

Public-sector employees vs. parents in Petaluma, CaliforniaPrior to giving a speech on civic participation for a group of city and county employees just north of San Francisco, I chatted with a county volunteer coordinator about her job. “It sounds like fascinating work,” I offered. “You must interact with a lot of different people on a variety of projects.” It was an interesting job, she said. “But,” she continued—lowering her voice to a near whisper—”you have to be real careful when you bring in a volunteer to help on certain jobs, that they can’t be seen as taking work from unionized...

<p>A former accounts manager for the California State Employees Association admitted to a judge Friday that she stole nearly $1 million from the labor union to feed her gambling addiction. Gail S. Jones of Citrus Heights, who has no previous criminal record, pleaded guilty in Sacramento federal court to six felony counts of computer fraud.</p>

CA State Employees Assn (CSEA) endorses basically nothing but democrats. State workers have no choice but to belong to this union. It's like slavery; it's like extortion. You can opt out of a few dues but they force you to pay your "fair share" - money they steal from you and then turn around and use to support candidates and causes that you HATE!!! This keeps democraps in absolute power. What a racket! Fat cats at the union are getting filthy rich on the back of working families. Meanwhile over a thousand state workers - including yours truly - are...

"CSEA endorses Davis for Governor". Actually that's a bold faced LIE. The flyer SHOULD read, "CSEA's Board of Directors recently voted to endorse Gray Davis for a second term as governor." The rank and file were never afforded the opportunity to vote one way or another. If you want to get really mad, go to CSEA's web site: http://www.calcsea.org/csd Surprise - they endorsed ALL democrats with the exception of one obscure Republican (Claude Parrish, Dist 3 Board of Equalization). Suppose you're a State clerical worker which means you're pretty much at the bottom of the pay scale. However, you're forced...

<p>A quarter-million state employees can breathe easier after the state Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to hear an appeal of a case that would have cut their salaries to minimum wage absent a state budget.</p> <p>The court's decision means that the case probably won't be resolved until after the budget is signed and that state workers will keep getting full pay despite the impasse.</p>