Labor Shorts: Exposing Union Bosses One Skid Mark at a Time

This week, to give break to the weightier milieu of the union agenda we wanted to lighten things up a bit by bringing back our ever-popular Labor Shorts and share some of the usual (and not-so-usual) shenanigans of today's union bosses:

First things first:

• The NLRB Scorecard: With the new, union-controlled National Labor Relations Board finally seated, we introduced the NLRB Scoreboard on the LaborUnionReport blog over the weekend to keep an unofficial tally of NRLB decisions, as well as general NLRB "stuff" (blogs and other souvenirs from the Land of Liebman and Becker).  If you have suggestions, blogs you'd like to see posted, tips, or see a case we haven't posted, please give us a shout here.
• NLRB Blowback: The business community is on edge, as Politico notes this morning, over President Obama's appointment of Craig Becker to the NLRB, as well as the prospect of appointing the NLRB's General Counsel in the Fall.  We blogged about it here.

All About Andy...

• His 'time to leave'...Ever since SEIU top boss Andy Stern's announced "retirement" from the SEIU last week, the pundits (from yours truly to Glenn Beck) have been trying to figure out why.  Then, on Thursday, like a post-bean dip epiphany, everything became eye-wateringly clear with a story that summed it all up:  Andy changed America forever, lost interest in the day-to-day running of the SEIU and got bored.  In fact, in his pontificating-on-all-things-union interview with a fawning Ezra Klein, Stern ends the speculation (and interview) by stating that he's going to the beach (...we'll see).
• Good Riddance... says former friend and current arch rival Sal Roselli.
• A Purple Palace Coup challenges the Queen of Labor... Instead of ensuring a smooth transition for his presumed successor, Anna Burger, Andy has left Anna flailing without as much as a simple nod or endorsement. The Queen of Labor's throne very is much in play, with a challenge from inside the purple palace.  Now, in an internal letter to the SEIU Executive Board, four out of nine executive vice presidents have endorsed one of their own, Mary Kay Henry, in her bid to replace Andy Stern.
• AFSCME and I'll tell ya... Loud, foul-mouth AFSCME boss Gerry McEntee threw a splash of cold water on the hopes of a family reunion in the House of Labor, stating the SEIU's rumored re-entry into the AFL-CIO is not likely.
• Now, that's what friends are for... As Andy looked on last Friday, actor-turned-union-activist Danny Glover received a pair of shiny silver bracelets at one of the Sodexho protests.
• A most Dangerous Place... Between Andy Stern and a microphone, notes Bret Jacobson on Breitbart's Big Government.com, as Andy asserts unions don't cost taxpayers a dime...(!)

When Hypocrisy Strikes...

• Shock! Not All Unions Like Card-Check...? After hundreds of millions spent and years of hard work to pass the job-destroying and hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act, it's hard to believe (well, maybe not) that when a union's own employees want to unionize, the union-employer wouldn't just voluntarily succumb agree to recognize the union based on card-check.  Such is the case here.
• Shhh!... Don't tell the UFCW you saw this, 'cause this is not your normal UFCW strike and they'd rather not have it talked about.
• Oh Hilda! You've got picketers at your door!  Will you or won't you cross?
• An Injury to One?... AFSCME throws Solidarity Under the Bus...  (again...)

Strike That!...

• Eee Gads! That Stinks! New Yorkers may soon discover the joys of hailing their own taxis, hauling their own garbage to the curb and opening their own doors if SEIU's 32BJ pulls 30,000 doormen (and women) out on strike tomorrow.  [Factoid: NYC produces 11,000 tons of garbage every day...who knew?]
• A juicy one...? The UFCW's RWDSU might be walking out on strike at Mott's NY applesauce and juice plant.
• Week Four... The Machinists at Merrill Manufacturing Corp. have been on the lines for four weeks.  Problem is, the company is operating at full capacity with replacement workers.
• Schools Out... Teachers in the North Penn School District walked out on their students Monday, causing classes to be cancelled.
• No Contract, No Talks, but No Strike either... The Teamster still don't have a contract with Waste Management in WaSta, but they're not striking either.  (Here's why.)

And then there's this...

• The bigger they are... On the same day President Obama rewarded his union buddies with a federal PLA on construction projects, a union-owned and built high rise was condemned for shoddy construction.

If you can't do the time...

• Stealing $50,000 earns this union boss no time served ever
• Stealing $110,000 netted this CWA boss five years probation, six months home detention and 200 hours of community service
• Allegedly stealing $46,000, draining the union's bank account, a firefighter from Norwell, CT earned himself a pair of shiny new bracelets
  
  

And this...

• Dumb & Dumber? Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) call unions strongest proponent of good government.
• In space DC, no one can hear you scream...  Where are the investigations (and media)??? A week ago, it was revealed that the SEIU paid the White House Political Director (former SEIU boss Patrick Gaspard) $37,000 in 2009 and, so far, there is only...silence.

And, that, dear readers, wraps up this week's edition of LaborUnionReport.com's LaborShorts.

__________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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