Public Unions Win SCOTUS Case With 4-4 Ruling

#SCOTUS releases opinion in major public-unions case, Friedrichs v. CTA, 4-4 affirmed by an equally divided Court

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) March 29, 2016

With Scalia's seat open, plus the Republicans blocking any nomination, public union workers just got a big win in the U.S. Supreme Court.

#KarmaForTheRepubs

Big Endorsement For Hillary Clinton By Service Employees International Union

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

Big union endorsement for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton today by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the nation’s largest unions.

“Hillary Clinton has proven she will fight, deliver and win for working families,” SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry said in a statement.

“This movement for economic, racial, immigrant and social justice is poised to turn out to vote in November with their families and communities and keep pushing elected officials to deliver once in office,” Henry added.

The SEIU represents over 2 million union members.

It’s a big win for Clinton. The former secretary of State has more than a half-dozen national unions with memberships in the millions in her corner.

Unions Demand Apology From Gov. Scott Walker For Comparison To Terrorists

Yesterday at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker compared a president standing up against ISIS to his standing up to protesting union workers in his state:

"I want a commander in chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil," Walker said, adding, "If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world."

Once that sh*t hit the fan, he sought to "clarify" his statement saying "if I could handle that kind of a pressure and kind of intensity, I think I'm up for the challenge for whatever might come, if I choose to run for president."

Today, however, AFSCME (the country's largest public service employees union) issued a press release demanding an apology for comparing American union workers to terrorists:

We’re not going to stand by and let Scott Walker smear hard-working Americans, simply because the exercise their first amendment freedom to disagree with him. You don’t attack good men and women who give their time every day to make this country a better place.

[snip]

To compare the 100,000 men and women who stood up in Madison and called Governor Walker out for his attack on workers’ freedom to terrorists is disgusting. That’s the desperate act of a craven, career politician, not a leader whose values are aligned with what this country stands for. In Madison, we marched alongside military veterans, firefighters, police officers, nurses, librarians and teachers. There were senior citizens and children. College students and clergy.

This cannot stand, Governor Walker, and the nation deserves an apology.

Meet The Koch Sisters

From the clip description: Meet Joyce and Karen Koch – two ordinary everyday Americans who share the last name. They are not related to David and Charles Koch... or to each other.

But they are sisters where it counts – in spirit, in union solidarity, and in their shared values.

(h/t JMG)

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone has a fab Labor Day!

And please remember, this holiday (and the minimum wage and fair treatment by employers and weekends and sick days and 30 hour work week and employer health care and more) brought to you by the labor movement and unions.

signed,

proud union member

Fox News switches results of poll

This morning, during a segment regarding the current protests happening in Wisconsin with that state's Governor Walker working to strip workers of the right to collective bargaining, co-host Brian Kilmeade referenced a poll by Gallup in today's USAToday in a discussion with Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman.

KILMEADE: Wow. But is President Obama out of step with history? Joining us now to debate it, knock it around just a little bit, Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman and Jim Glassman, Director of the Bush Center and author of the book Safety Net. First things first, Robert, do you think the president is taking a big risk here?

ZIMMERMAN: Not at all. I think he's showing respect for history and respect for our history of supporting the rights and safety of workers, but more than that, he's speaking for the mainstream of our country and the main stream of Republican governors that are not siding with Governor Walker in his efforts to overturn right to work -- collective bargaining.

KILMEADE: I think Gallup, a relatively mainstream poll, has a differing view. And here is the question that was posed, should you take away--will you favor or are you in disfavor of taking away collective bargaining when it comes to salaries for government workers? Sixty-one percent in favor of taking it away. Thirty-three percent oppose. Six percent up in the air. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/23/11]

The "network" even made a pretty graphic showing the "results" of the poll:

The problem was: the "network" switched the results. 44 minutes later, in the very last minute of the broadcast, Kilmeade corrected his misstatement saying a quick "I apologize." Here's the correct results of the Gallup poll:

I'm sure it was all just a silly error. I'm also sure I just saw a unicorn.

Majority of Americans support bargaining rights

In a poll released today in USA Today, a strong majority - 61% of those polled - support Americans right to collective bargaining.

For eight days now, the country has focused on the fight happening in Wisconsin where Gov. Scott Walker has urged passing a bill stripping workers of their right to collective bargaining. In response to that, 14 state senators have left the state leaving the senate without a quorum to pass legislation.

While Walker contends that ending collective bargaining will help balance the budget, union negotiators say they have already agreed to the concessions originally sought by the Governor. State Democrats say the Governor is pursuing this legislation in an effort to "break" the unions due to the traditional union support for Democrats.

Similar protests have broken out in Indiana and other states. Union workers across the nation have organized protests in their own state to show support for Wisconsin union members.