A Union-Approved Candidate
Here at Labor Pains, we often talk about the political clout of unions, how they funnel millions upon millions of dollars into elections, the vast majority of which goes to Democratic candidates. But it’s not often that a union makes a power play this blatant: A government studies teacher at Washington Irving High School in [more...]

Posted Tue, 31 Aug 2010 .

What They Are Really Thinking
The recent kerfuffle over the Los Angeles Times releasing scads of data on LA’s teachers has provided some interesting insights into how defenders of teachers unions think. The head of the LA teachers union, for example, said he was “outraged” that the Times would publish data revealing which teachers were effective and which teachers weren’t [more...]

Posted Mon, 30 Aug 2010 .

Big Unions Are Fighting Us

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Decades after organized labor came into its own by improving working conditions for Americans, the movement is adrift. It is reeling from decades of corruption, embezzlement, internal rifts, and a record of customer service that makes the phone company look good.

Right now, labor is a mere shadow of its past. The kind of labor union that most of us grew up knowing just isn't there anymore. Membership has been declining for decades, and despite economic realities, labor leaders continue to cling to the belief that Americans accept this idea of paying dues in order to keep their job.

Today, union officials have drawn up a new political agenda that should give all Americans shivers. It centers around stealing voting rights from employees and rigging federal laws to monkey-wrench business operations.

Labor leaders say they're working for America's employees, but their actions indicate otherwise.