Overview for unions

Great Leap Backwards

The head of a major union lauding a model where striking gets you shot? Lord I miss George Meaney and Lane Kirkland.

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Written by John Vecchione on Friday December 2, 2011

Austerity Comes to Britain

Dagenham is an industrial suburb east of London, hard-hit by the decline of manufacturing in the United Kingdom. It was the site of tonight's Question Time program on BBC, where I occupied a chair hoping that I wouldn't get asked too many questions about the British educational system. Question …

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Written by David Frum on Friday December 2, 2011

Britain's One-Day Strike

British public-sector workers engaged in a one-day strike today to protest government plans to reduce the generosity of public-sector pensions. I witnessed the big protest march down Whitehall toward Parliament. The crowd was thick, but generally orderly--although past such protests have seen …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 30, 2011

Res Judicata: Union Wages Hold Back Job Growth

The Department of Labor recently enacted a new rule requiring employers to post a notice advising employees of some of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. I say some, because the notice gives a one-sided presentation. Employees are told only what unions want them to know: they …

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Written by Howard Foster on Monday November 21, 2011

Winning the Next Ohio

In my column for The Week I explain why voters rejected John Kasich's anti-collective bargaining bill and what can be done to allow bills like that to succeed in the future: Republicans have been looking to cuts in future retiree benefits as a way to avoid future tax increases. In the …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 9, 2011

Res Judicata: I Want To Sue the Teamsters

Last year I moved my law firm from one high-rise building in downtown Chicago to another one a few blocks away. Because the move was a short one, I shopped around for a mover who could get the job done for under $500. And there were small movers in the suburbs willing to do the job at that cost. …

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Written by Howard Foster on Monday October 24, 2011

DC Fiddles While the Country Burns

Do you remember the howls that reverberated across the nation when Sarah Palin’s famous bullseye map appeared? Or the tut-tutting and headshaking that accompanied Michele Bachmann's  calls for Americans “to take our country back”? Look in the Washington Post local edition, the New York …

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Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Hospitals: The New Teachers' Unions?

In the 80s and 90s, teachers’ unions resisted measuring education progress with student testing. Now hospitals are opposing similar efficiency tests. Are hospitals the new public-school teachers' unions? From the New York Times today : More generally, [hospitals] are apprehensive about …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 31, 2011

Big Labor Pushes for a Judicial Coup D'etat

In Wisconsin, opponents of Gov. Walker's union bill are backing a leftist candidate in hopes of unseating a conservative Supreme Court justice. Will their power play work? The election of judges has a long and storied history in the United States.  While federal judges get lifetime appointments, …

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Written by John Vecchione on Tuesday April 5, 2011

Regs: Sometimes There Really is a Slippery Slope

Mandating carbon monoxide detectors may not mean tyranny, but its important to remember that regulations aren't always about the public interest. Frum Forum 's Noah Kristula-Green raises an eyebrow at conservatives or libertarians who oppose mandatory carbon-monoxide detectors. Fine. Carbon-mo…

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Written by Jean Granville on Monday March 14, 2011

Why This Teacher is Rooting Against the Union

Like most conservatives, I’m excited that public sector unions are, for now at least, on the ropes. But there's a catch: I'm also a teacher. Like most conservatives, I’ve watched the recent events in Wisconsin with great interest.  I’m as excited as the next GOP voter that public sector unions …

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Written by Will Barrett on Saturday March 12, 2011

Watch Frum: Walker Will Be a Hero to GOP Governors

On The Last Word , Frum and host Lawrence O'Donnell discuss Newt's appeal to values voters and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's future. Wednesday night, David Frum appeared on MSNBC's The Last Word .  Frum and host Lawrence O'Donnell discussed whether probable GOP presidential candidate Newt …

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Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday March 10, 2011

Fenty Endorses Walker

Adrian Fenty, the Democratic former mayor of D.C. says he agrees with what Scott Walker is doing in Wisconsin. Do other Dem leaders feel the same? This seems to me a hugely important fact: Adrian Fenty, the Democratic former mayor of the District of Columbia says he agrees with what Scott Walker …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 8, 2011

Can Rahm Tame Chicago's Unions?

As he enters office, new Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel faces a $1 billion budget deficit, a gap he won't be able to cover without public union concessions. Rahm Emanuel's victory in Chicago's mayoral election marked a number of firsts.  He is Chicago's first Jewish mayor, some would argue the first …

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Written by Gavin E. Campbell on Friday March 4, 2011

WI Dems Launch State Recall Effort

WI Dems Push State Recall Effort Sam Stein at Huffington Post reports: The Wisconsin Democratic Party has launched a fundraising campaign to recall state Senate Republicans who have supported the budget bill by Gov. Scott Walker (R) that would strip collective bargaining rights …

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Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday March 2, 2011

Poll: Voters Back Union Bargaining Rights

Poll: Most Voters Back Union Bargaining Rights The Wall Street Journal reports: Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and …

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Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday March 2, 2011

Will Taxpayers Gain from Public Workers' Pain?

Governors are fighting hard to curb the power of public sector unions. Taxpayers may benefit, but there's a catch: weakening unions could harm the economy. Across the country, governors are fighting to curb the power of public sector unions. Taxpayers may benefit, but as my latest column for …

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Written by David Frum on Monday February 28, 2011

Michael Pollan: I'll Still Shop at Whole Foods

CEO John Mackey's views on health care, much as I disagree with them, will not prevent me from shopping at Whole Foods. Whole Foods is not perfect, however if they were to disappear, the cause of improving Americans' health would suffer. John Mackey's views on health care, much as I disagree with …

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Written by Michael Pollan on Friday August 28, 2009

The Whole Foods Dilemma

Now two unions are joining the campaign to boycott Whole Foods, in order to punish the company for the free-market healthcare beliefs of its CEO. I know how I will respond: by buying an extra half-gallon of grass-fed milk at the store. But something more is called for here, a counter-boycott. And I …

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Written by David Frum on Thursday August 27, 2009