On July 18, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
On June 14, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
Foreign companies possessing some of the world’s most advanced oil skimming ships say they are being kept out of efforts to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf because of a 1920’s law known as the Jones Act — a protectionist law that requires vessels working in US waters be built in the US and be crewed by US workers.
Waivers to the Jones Act were granted by the administration of George W. Bush in the days following hurricane Katrina. And today, the Obama White House said waivers might again be considered.
“If there is the need for any type of waiver, that would obviously be granted,” said White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs. “But, we’ve not had that problem thus far.”
On June 13, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama defended last year’s huge economic stimulus package, saying it helped break the economy’s free fall, but argued that more spending is urgent and unavoidable. “We must take these emergency measures,” he wrote in an appeal aimed primarily at members of his own party.
The letter comes as rising concern about the national debt is undermining congressional support for additional spending to bolster the economy. Many economists say more spending could help bring down persistently high unemployment, but with Republicans making an issue of the record deficits run up during the recession, many Democratic lawmakers are eager to turn off the stimulus tap.
On June 7, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
Spurred by state budget crunches and an angry public mood, Republican and some Democratic leaders are focusing with increasing intensity on public workers and the unions that represent them, casting them as overpaid obstacles to good government and demanding cuts in their often-generous benefits.
Unlike past battles over the high cost of labor, this time pitched battles over wages and pensions are being waged from Sacramento to Springfield to New York City and the conflict is marked by its bipartisan tone, with public employee unions emerging as an intransigent public enemy number one in cities and state capitals across the country.
On June 7, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle and Victoria Kennedy, the late senator’s wife, are expected to be named co-chairs this week of a $125 million campaign White House allies are rolling out to defend health reform amid growing signs the party is failing to get political traction on the issue.
The extraordinary campaign reflects urgency among Democrats to defend health reform.
The estimated budget is $25 million a year, for five years. Grossman has begun raising money from unions, foundations and corporations.
On June 6, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
Soon after Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess, liberal House Democrats and teacher unions will make one last push to pass a $23 billion fund to prevent teacher layoffs.
Democrats are looking to package the fund with war and disaster spending in a supplemental appropriations bill the House will vote on as early as this week.
The House approved the teacher fund in December as part of a jobs bill, but that legislation stalled in the Senate. With lawmakers wary of moving big spending measures, the upcoming bill may be the last vehicle that could carry the teacher money before the November elections.
Read more…..
On May 22, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
At least two influential unions will spend close to $100 million on the 2010 election, with most of those funds going to protect incumbents.
Union officials told The Hill they plan to help endangered members — particularly freshmen — who made politically difficult votes in a year during which an anti-incumbent mood has filled the country.
And the number will be even higher since the AFL-CIO declined to give its figures.
While the labor movement has displayed an aggressive tack in Democratic primaries, including supporting some challengers over incumbents, it remains concerned about the party retaining its congressional majorities.
As a result, it plans an enormous spending spree to help ensure Democratic control of Congress.
Read more…..
On April 13, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
There’s almost a direct correlation these days between the Obama Administration’s complaints about “special interests” and its own fealty to such interests. Consider its latest decree that federal contractors must be union shops.
The federal rule, which went live yesterday, implements an executive order President Obama signed within weeks of taking office. It encourages federal agencies to require “project labor agreements” for all construction projects larger than $25 million. This means that only contractors that agree to union representation are eligible for work financed by the U.S. taxpayer.
Only 15% of the nation’s construction workers are unionized, so from now on the other 85% will have to forgo federal work for having exercised their right to not join a union. This is a raw display of political favoritism, and at the expense of an industry experiencing 27% unemployment.
Read more…..
On March 27, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
President Obama on Saturday gave organized labor a big payback for its help in pushing his health-care reform across the finish line, unilaterally appointing a controversial pro-union attorney to the body that arbitrates the rules for union elections, after his nomination attracted bipartisan opposition in the Senate.
Coming just a few days after the president’s health-care plan was passed into law despite opposition from Democrats and Republicans in Congress and strong disapproval in most public opinion polls, the move promised to only heighten political tension in Washington.
The Obama administration has increasingly looked to the NLRB as the forum in which to accomplish its pro-labor goals, rather than through Congress, after support for the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as “card check,” dissipated last year.
Obama search for TSA chief continues
On March 6, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin
President Obama’s decision to appoint his close political ally, union leader Andrew Stern, to the newly created National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has set off a firestorm of criticism from business and conservative groups who charge he is a political radical who should be investigated for failure to register as a lobbyist.
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Walk for Work with Joel Pollak
Mr. President, Stop Playing Golf! (all the time)
Joel Pollak
Joel Pollak
- Guest Blog: Marine vet on the Walk For Work
- Streets of Tears
- Why I’m offering my own, independent plan
- Well done in Korea, President Obama
- Reflections on the Walk For Work
- Coming soon: “SchakowskyCare”
- Women and the Recession
- Cubs tickets winners announced!
- The full quote I gave to CNN
- How will we “makeup” the jobs?
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