Socialist Prez Of Chicago Teachers Union Owns 3 Homes, 1 in Hawaii May Run For Mayor

Karen Lewis, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, was out there with the best of them during the heyday of the "Occupy" movement. At a protest on October 10, 2011, she was rallying the troops talking about the 'inequitable redistribution of wealth" and the "robber baron mentality." She's also considering a run against current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, calling him "Mayor 1%", and labelling herself neither "egotistical or rich."  But Lewis makes over $200,000 a year, and with her husband owns a $450,000 condo in Chicago, a $240,00  home on the Big Island of Hawaii, co-owns with her sister a vacation home in Union Pier, Michigan worth $305,000, and has time shares in New York, Mexico and Colorado, and two in Hawaii.

She's nowhere near as rich as multimillionaire Rahm, but what she makes 'aint too shabby, so her criticism of the wealthy smacks a tad hypocritical.

“Why do people of wealth and privilege try to convince the world they have neither?” she said on Twitter last year. “Be honest that you don’t have a clue about poverty.”

Though she hasn't yet decided whether she will run (there's a 50-50 chance she will), polls have her leading Emanuel by 9 percentage points.

She might not be in the top 1% but she's up there in the top 5, and admittedly so.

 “I don’t live extravagantly. But if you look just at the numbers, then, absolutely, I am in the 5 percent.

“We are comfortable." “We are not poor. We have never been poor. Does that mean I don’t have the pulse of [the poor]? I don’t live in luxury. I don’t hang out with wealthy people. I have always been solidly middle class.

“You cannot put me in the same class with Rahm Emanuel or [Republican gubernatorial candidate] Bruce Rauner.”

Solidly middle class, I think not. Maybe upper middle class, but more like rich.

Liberal hypocrisy at its best.

More on Lewis here.

Obamacare Could Prompt 10,000 Las Vegas Union Workers To Strike

Unions were instrumental in getting Barack Obama elected, but now many members are squawking about his prized Obamacare because it isn't turning out to be quite what they expected.

One of those unions (that was probably pushing hard for its membership to vote for Obama - both times)  represents Las Vegas workers, and about 10,000 of those unhappy campers are poised to strike because they want to keep the benefits they have, including no-cost health coverage, and that 'aint gonna happen under Obamacare.

The Culinary Union Local 226 - representing a slew of Las Vegas workers including maids, porters, cooks etc. -  has curtailed negotiations with management and ended a contract extension because they don't want to pay a penny for their health insurance, and don't want any changes to their pension and guaranteed 40 work hours per week.  Obamacare would change all that.

According to BuzzFeed, union honcho Donald "D" Taylor said:

“The biggest hurdle to reaching settlements in Vegas is the new costs imposed on our health plan by Obamacare," “Even though the president and Congress promised we could keep our health plan, the reality is, unless the law is fixed, that won’t be true.”

Oops.  Fools for believing the oh-so obvious lies.

BuzzFeed explains the reason unions are balking:

Union leaders have long voiced concern over the health care law’s effect on their Taft-Hartley plans, which are collectively bargained plans maintained by multiple employers and a labor union. Under the Affordable Care Act, Taft-Hartley plan recipients (like the members of CU 226) are not eligible for tax subsidies. That makes some union employees more expensive for employers who provide health care, making employers less agreeable when it comes time to foot the bill.

Taylor is so pissed about the situation he actually approached a Republican: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Washington Post quoted Taylor as saying:

“You can’t just order people to do stuff." “If their health plan gets wrecked, why would they then go campaign for the folks responsible for wrecking their health care?”

The CU Local 226 has made some leeway with MGM Resorts, Caesars and Tropicana, all of which have said members will continue to receive free health insurance. But others are still pending.

More info on Buzzfeed.

More on how union members will be hurt.

Granted, there are some happy campers who have benefited from the ACA, but many more people haven't, and this straight from the lips of  Democrat friends who voted for Obama.

Ding Dongs Are Dead- Hostess Bakery Folds- 18,500 Strikers Out Of Jobs

It's the end of an era. Hostess and makers of everything from Wonder Bread to Twinkies and Ding Dongs is dead, thanks- in part- to a Union that refused to make concessions with a company that was failing during a bad economy. Hostess corporate warned its striking employees, members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), that if they did not return to work the company would be forced to fold, and that's exactly what happened. Now 18,500 people will be out of jobs and lining up for unemployment.

Hostess, which had already filed for bankruptcy twice- including this past January- was asking the following from its workers:

The new contract cut salaries across the company by 8% in the first year of the five-year agreement. Salaries were then scheduled to bump up 3% in the next three years and 1% in the final year.

Hostess also reduced its pension obligations and its contribution to the employees' health care plan. In exchange, the company offered concessions, including a 25% equity stake for workers and the inclusion of two union representatives on an eight-member board of directors.

Not so bad when the unemployment numbers are so high.  Now, instead of an 8% decrease in salary, they received 100% decrease, along with no prospects for work and a loss of their pension and healthcare.  Way to go.  Did they really think that a company already in its death throes was bluffing?  Ironically, the Teamsters union had accepted a new contract (though by a slim margin) in September and was urging the Bakery union to take a secret vote to determine if the workers wanted to save their jobs. Didn't happen, and I'm sure they're all now wishing they had.

With people choosing to eat in a more health conscious way, Hostess might have eventually folded, but at least those 18,500 people would still have a job for a while longer.

The sequence of events is posted on the Hostess website.

On Nov. 12, Hostess Brands permanently closed three plants as a result of the work stoppage. On Nov. 14, the Company announced it would be forced to liquidate if sufficient employees did not return to work to restore normal operations by 5 p.m., EST p.m., Nov. 15. The Company determined on the night of Nov. 15 that an insufficient number of employees had returned to work to enable the restoration of normal operations.

The BCTGM in September rejected a last, best and final offer from Hostess Brands designed to lower costs so that the Company could attract new financing and emerge from Chapter 11. Hostess Brands then received Court authority on Oct. 3 to unilaterally impose changes to the BCTGM’s collective bargaining agreements.

Hostess Brands is unprofitable under its current cost structure, much of which is determined by union wages and pension costs. The offer to the BCTGM included wage, benefit and work rule concessions but also gave Hostess Brands’ 12 unions a 25 percent ownership stake in the company, representation on its Board of Directors and $100 million in reorganized Hostess Brands’ debt.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” said Gregory F. Rayburn, chief executive officer. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”

Hostess will be attempting to sell its brands, but in case they don't, all you junk food addicts might want to stock up before they're all gone.

Hostess®, Drakes® and Dolly Madison®, which make iconic cake products such as Twinkies®, CupCakes, Ding Dongs®, Ho Ho’s®, Sno Balls® and Donettes®. Bread brands to be sold include Wonder®, Nature’s Pride ®, Merita®, Home Pride®, Butternut®, and Beefsteak®, among others.

Other sources: The Republic

AL Utility Crew Told To Join Union In Hurricane Sandy Cleanup

Hurricane Sandy has caused mega damage in the north east. As is customary, utility companies from other regions will send their people to aid  areas that have been hard hit by natural disasters. I've seen those caravans of utility trucks from different states heading off to help others.  It's a good thing. So after the wrath of Sandy left New Jersey and New York a mess, six men from Decatur Utilities in Alabama headed on up to Seaside Heights, New Jersey to volunteer to help.  When they arrived, they were met with union goons who told them to either sign up or get out.  Yes, six men willing to help were turned away because they were non-union and had no intention of joining. And why should they?  I'm a union gal, a proud member of all my acting unions, but what they did was shameful. Turning away help is unconscionable.

The general manager of Decatur Utilities, Ray Hardin told Fox Business they were presented documents from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers at a staging area in Virginia. The documents stated they had to affiliate with a union to work, which the crews could not agree to.

Hardin said the crews were told this was a requirement to work.

As they waited for confirmation on the documents, crews received word that Seaside Heights had received the assistance they needed from other sources.
They attempted to look for work in other areas but because a resolution could not be reached, they made the decision late Thursday night to return home.
Moore said they're frustrated being told "thanks, but no thanks."

Huntsville Utilities said they were not turned away and are up in storm ravaged areas working.

Joe Wheeler EMC said they did not respond to New Jersey, but did go up to Maryland and headed home once they were done.

Union Members Fined For Not Supporting Dem Elizabeth Warren

Union members are getting fined for not showing up at Democratic debates for Senate wannabee Elizabeth Warren.

The video shows a Springfield, Massachusetts union member admitting to the videographer they can get fined up to $250.00 for not showing up. Wow.

The cameraman asks the union member if he was at an earlier debate between Warren and her Republican opponent, Senator Scott Brown.

"Uh-huh," the union member says, nodding.

"Did you guys get fined if you weren't there?" the cameraman asks.

"Yeah," the union member replies.

"How much did you get fined?" the cameraman asks.

"A hundred and fifty," the man says, although he later adds, "It's two-fifty if you don't go."

Totally outrageous.

This poor guy's gonna be in big trouble.

More Lies From DNC- Steelworker Did Not Work For Bain

More lies from the Democratic National Convention.

According to ABC News (and kudos to them for breaking the story), David Foster- one of several steelworkers speaking at the DNC- was introduced as one of three “former employees of companies controlled by Bain Capital” who had been mercilessly fired from the company when it went bankrupt.

Trouble is he was actually a union organizer who wasn't even on GST Steel's payroll other than being a union lead negotiator, so was never  "fired", so to speak.

“David Foster was never an employee of GST Steel’s Kansas City plant. He was employed by the United Steelworkers of America as their regional union director to represent GST Steel, but was not employed at our facility,” according to BC Huselton, who was head of HR at GST.

Lumping in Foster with two former employees, if they indeed were, makes one assume he too worked at Bain. He did not!

Independent Journal Review is spot on when it says:

Leave it to the Democrat Party to get a union negotiator to give a prime-time speech to the American people, who then misrepresents his position with a company for political purposes, and acts as if people are entitled to a job and a certain salary at a private company.

The Democrats will do anything to win, and the people who vote for them are too ignorant or blind to question.

L.A. Union StageHand At Obama Rally Fired For Wearing USS George H. W. Bush T-Shirt and Hat In Honor Of His Navy Son

AS a union actress I don't consider myself anti-Union. At least not anti-actors' unions. SAG, AEA and AFTRA, for the most, have created working and safety standards that were and are very necessary. However, I have never appreciated the fact that unions often get involved in politics where they have no place, but they often do, and unfortunately some of my union dues goes to issues that I am opposed to.

That said, the stage workers' union, IATSE, just fired an L.A. stage hand, Duane Hammond, because he happened to be wearing a USS George H. W. Bush T-Shirt, which he refused to turn inside out, and a cap that he refused to remove. The union took offense, apparently, to the fact that he was wearing wardrobe that mentioned the "Bush" name at a location that was setting up for an Obama rally, in spite of the fact that it wasn't a pro-Bush logo, but simply the logo of the ship his son happens to be serving on in the U.S. navy. All this poor man wanted to do was honor his son's service for the past 3 years on the ship that was named after Bush senior. Even though he tried to explain the reasons for wearing the shirt to his union bosses he was unceremoniously sacked.

According to an update, and obviously after much unwanted publicity, the union apologized to Hammond and apparently are "bending over backwards" to make up for their reprehensible actions. This should never have happened, even if Hammond had been wearing a pro-Bush T-shirt. This is a free country, at least I thought it was.

Iran Clamping Down on Labour Activists

Although I've made my case for the need for unions (at least my various Unions) on this blog before, I realize that, traditionally, conservatives abhor them for some unknown reason. However, in some countries, like Iran, trade unions have a far greater importance. Remember Poland's Lech Walesa and his Solidarity movement in the 1980s? He (and his trade union activities) was the catalyst which ultimately led to democracy and freedom from Soviet-style communism not only for Poland but all other Eastern Bloc countries in Europe. As Bob from Brockley states:

"The labour movement in Iran is important in its own right: as the expression of the working class of Iran. And it is important as a central plank of Iran's repressed civil society and future democracy. The union
that Osanloo represents has 17,000 members: that represents a formidable force for change in Iran."

The "Osanloo" Bob is referring to is Mansour Osanloo, an Iranian labour activist who has been in and out of jail since 2005, after he and his 17,000-strong fellow members of the Syndicate of Workers of Teheran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) went on strike to protest an edict relegating female passengers to the back of the bus. You see, unlike the U.S., where unions might be be scorned by a certain sector of the government but not threatened, union members in countries like Iran are often jailed, harassed, beaten or killed. Osanloo has been beaten on several occasions and his tongue sliced as a warning to keep mum. This past July, 2007, he was sent back to prison, no specific charges, after he was beaten and abducted from a bus in Teheran. It is thought that what prompted this latest, unwarranted arrest was a recent trip to Europe to meet with officials from the International Transport Workers' Federation:

In Brussels, Mr Osanloo described the intimidation which union members had faced, with some members having been arrested 10 or more times, and family members, including children, being beaten, detained and subjected to inhumane treatment. Asked how he coped with arrests and harassment, he replied: "We decided it is better to die than to live like this."

While in jail this past month, Osanloo almost lost the sight in one of his eyes (as a result of his beating) because the government refused to give him medical treatment. Thanks to a major campaign by Amnesty International, some labour organizations and union members worldwide, Osanloo finally received the surgery he desperately needed. However, against doctor's orders, he was just sent back to prison and sentenced to 5 years, merely for exercising his right to be in a trade union. He has said that unlike other 'political prisoners' he has no political agenda, and has suffered all this harassment simply because he wants better working conditions for transport workers.

He's not the only labour activist in jail: Mahmoud Salehi and Ebrahim Madadi have also been incarcerated. And grocery worker and activist, Majid Hamidi, was recently attacked and shot seven times by several masked assailants. The attack is believed to have been government sanctioned. He is in critical condition.

Although Iran is a member of the International Labour Organization, they have no love or tolerance for labour organizations. Iranian hardliners obviously feel threatened, so are escalating their attacks and persecution of any group/s that might pose a threat to the Islamist status quo, from union activism to the recent student protests.

Regardless of how you feel about Unions, what is happening in Iran is shameful, though not surprising. We are so very fortunate, in the western world, to be able to exercise our right to belong to a Union or not, and to rest easy knowing we won't risk our lives by making that choice.

If you are a member of a any union you can click here to send an urgent message to the International Labour Organization (ILO) calling on Ahmadinejad and others to stop the persecution, harassment and attacks on workers. As I have.

Also blogging about: A second Hand Conjecture

H/T: Bob from Brockley

Egyptian actor faces ban for acting with Israeli

I had always thought that in Sports and the Arts, participants were somehow able to transcend all their bigotry and hatred, at least for the duration of the event. The Olympic Games brings together so-called enemies for friendly, competitive sports, and the transformative power of the Arts also allows people to bond in quite amazing ways, without friction (other than the usual personality problems one might encounter). So, when I read that an Egyptian film actor faces being banned by his union, because one of the other stars in the film is Israeli, it sickened me. When those in the Arts, people who are usually a little more enlightened and inclusive than others, are just as backward and intolerant as much of the rest of the Arab Muslim world, then there truly is no hope for that region.

Amr Waked, a young and up-and-coming Egyptian film actor, shooting a joint BBC/HBO docudrama in Tunisia about Saddam Hussein, faces censure by his union, and a ban from ever working in Egypt again if he doesn't drop out. Waked plays Hussein's son-in-law, and the Israeli (who is said to be of Iraqi origin), Yigal Naor, plays Saddam. Waked claims he had no idea that Naor was an Israeli when he signed the contract, and has told his union reps (in an obvious effort to dissuade them from forcing him to quit) that the film is pro-Arab and anti-U.S. foreign policy. Not surprising, considering the production companies involved.

Although quitting would constitute a major breach in contract, and the actor has told his union that there would be severe consequences, the union is not backing down, and has said it would help him financially if he did quit. I'm going to assume that most actors just want to act, they could care less about politics or anything else (except for the few of us who do care), and being forced to make a decision like this is despicable. Either way, whatever he decides, he's committing artistic suicide. If he quits the film, this young actor (who was also seen in SYRIANA, with George Clooney and Matt Damon) faces being blackballed in Hollywood. If he doesn't, he faces never being able to work in Egypt again.

And why unions involve themselves in such matters, in the first place, is a bone of contention for us, in this country as well. That is one of my major gripes with my unions. They should concern themselves with matters only related to actors, not dabble in politics. I resent having my dues being doled out to political causes that I do not agree with. But at least our unions don't dictate who we can or can not work with. Ashraf Zaki, head of the Egyptian Union for Actors said

"The position of the union is clear in its rejection of normalization [with Israel] and requires that members abide by this position."

In spite of the 1979 Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel, there is still great antipathy for the Israelis and reluctance to expand and normalize relations.

How pathetic and sad, when religion and nationality become factors in artistic endeavours.

British Journalist Union calls for boycott of Israeli goods

As a protest against the "savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel" last year, the British 'National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) voted 66-54 in favour of boycotting Israeli goods, "similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid South Africa led by trade unions," and called for the Brit Trade Union Congress to demand "sanctions be imposed on Israel by the British government and the United Nations." And although many of the 40,000 members were not in agreement:

"former Guardian reporter and Yahoo Europe news director Lloyd Shepherd quipped that he now looked "forward to similar boycotts of Saudi oil (abuse of women and human rights), Turkish desserts (limits to freedom of speech) and, of course, the immediate replacement of all stationery in the NUJ's offices which has been made or assembled in China",

the fact that it passed, at all, is a disgrace, considering there are countries far worthier of boycotting than Israel. And why are journalists calling for a boycott of goods in the first place? They're journalists, right? Wouldn't they be better served to call for a boycott of countries that censor their press? Like Russia, that has just demanded, of the Russian News Service, that at least 50% of all news about Russia be "positive" and that "opposition leaders could not be mentioned on the air and the United States was to be portrayed as an enemy." What about China? And most, if not all, countries in the Middle-East? In that region, Israel stands out as an oasis of democracy in a wasteland of intolerance; bereft of both personal and press freedom. Why are they singling out Israel?! The NUJ also condemned the "slaughter of civilians in Gaza" in recent years," and "the motion condemning Israel's "savage" behavior toward Palestinian civilians in the wake of "the defeat of its army" by Hizbullah passed by a wide margin." What about all the carnage that the Palestinians, Hizbullah etc. have been perpetrating on the Israeli people, for decades? Does that not count, too? And what about the fact that those terrorist groups use civilians as shields, so if there are civilian casualties it is often a direct result of those vile and cowardly tactics?!

In response to the NUJ vote, Chas Newkey-Burden writes a blistering critique of British Journalism and its blatant hatred of Israel saying:

"The BBC refuses to describe suicide bombers who blow up buses full of schoolchildren as "terrorists" and one of its correspondents told a Hamas rally that he and his colleagues were “waging the campaign shoulder-to-shoulder with the Palestinian people”

Criticized by fellow journalists for a trip to Israel, he relates how, upon his return, he

"met up with some journalists for some drinks in the West End of London. I was again abused for my trip. Their hatred of Israel was matched only by their adoration of the Palestinians. One of them gushed: “Boy, those suicide bombers have got guts. I wish more people in the world had their courage.” Another of them erupted when I told him that most people in Israel wanted a peaceful settlement to the conflict. “So why,” he asked, “did they murder their most peaceful Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?" Well, I guess if you’re going to get your facts wrong you might as well get them spectacularly wrong – I wonder if anyone else has ever got Netanyahu confused with Yitzhak Rabin?"

It looks like Britain is going to slip, very easily, into the hands of radical Islam (and without as much as a fight), when their own 'western' journalists glorify suicide bombers as "courageous." Whether any of this has to do with the fact that BBC correspondent Alan Johnston was kidnapped 5 weeks ago, by Palestinian gunmen, is up for debate.

And, once again, the asinine comparison to Israel as an apartheid state is brought to the fore, with the call for a boycott. The following video sets the record straight in terms of what truly constitutes "Apartheid":





For more on press censorship go to Reporters Without Borders.

PIZZA DELIVERY DRIVERS UNIONIZED!

Domino Pizza drivers in Pensacola, Florida formed a Union.

Not very Republican, I know, (see my profile) but I'm a proud member of SAG (Screen Actors Guild), AEA (Actors Equity Association) and AFTRA (American Federation of TV and Radio Artists). Without our unions we would probably be working 24 hour days for no pay. And yes, it can happen. I worked a 22 hour day on a commercial shoot once. However, thanks to SAG, we were well compensated when you factored in all the penalties and overtime payments. If it had been a non-union shoot the actors would have been paid a flat rate, no matter how many hours they worked.

The actor unions are there to make sure that we work in safe and sanitary conditions, and that we are compensated fairly for our time. The SAG website includes a section that explains the history of how actors became unionized.

That said, the idea of a Pizza Delivery person's Union seems downright crazy. Granted Jim Pohl, the guy who was instrumental in 'organizing' his fellow pizza delivery guys at this particular Domino's Pizza in Pensacola, Florida , was compelled to do so when the drivers were "declared as tipped employees" and were therefore not eligible, any longer, to be paid Florida's minimum wage of $6.40 an hour. I probably would have been angry, as well. $6.40 isn't much to begin with, although the 37 year old Pohl had obviously been happy working there for that amount of money for the 12 off and on years he was with the company. Who knows what they were offering as a base salary and how much do you tip a pizza delivery guy? But, a Pizza Delivery Union? What are they going to negotiate? Seems like overkill to me, but we now have... drum roll....
The American Union of Pizza Delivery Drivers! The first in the nation.

Some Unions are worthwhile, like ours, others are useless, like the Union for secretaries I was forced to join when I got a job at a Film Studio in Los Angeles when I lived there decades ago. They collected their dues from each paycheck and that was it.