Buckeye Institute Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 20, 2022

Lisa Gates, Vice President of Communications, (614) 224-3255

The Buckeye Institute Files Suit Against Government Unions for Illegally Taking Wages from Workers’ Paychecks Columbus, OH – On Monday, The Buckeye Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of ten hardworking Ohio public employees who have had money illegally taken out of their paychecks by their employers and given to a government union. Darling v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) was filed in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.   “In Janus v. AFSCME, the U.S. Supreme Court clearly stated that the First Amendment protects public employees from being forced to ‘subsidize private speech on matters of substantial public concern’ without consent,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case. “But, once again, the government unions are trying to claim that these public servants—whom everyone acknowledges are no longer members of the union—are nonetheless obligated to continue paying union dues. Ohio law simply does not allow this unethical practice, and we are asking the court to tell the unions and the government to stop illegally taking money from these workers’ paychecks.”   The Buckeye Institute represents ten public employees from across Ohio: Lukas Darling of Campbell was a property enforcement officer for the Boardman Township Planning and Zoning Department. He was a member of AFSCME before he resigned on November 4, 2020. Tonya Iannarino of Toledo is an OMB specialist for Toledo Public Schools. She was a member of AFSCME before she resigned on November 13, 2020. Chelsea Kolacki of Toledo is an office assistant for the Maumee City School District. She was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees before she resigned on September 24, 2020. Kristy Kolacki of Toledo is a secretary for the Maumee City School District. She was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees before she resigned on September 24, 2020. Laura Langsdale of Akron is a custodian for the Springfield Local School District. She was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees before she resigned on October 20, 2020. Barb Larrow of Maumee is a bus driver for Toledo Public Schools. She was a member of AFSCME before she resigned on March 11, 2021. Ronnie Legg of Galloway is a driver for the Columbus City School District. He was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees before he resigned on August 20, 2020. Deborah Pinion of Upper Sandusky is a highway technician with the Ohio Department of Transportation. She was previously a member of AFSCME before she resigned on March 20, 2020. Stephen Tulga of Columbus is a bus driver for the Upper Arlington City School District. He was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees before he resigned on May 6, 2021. Christin Wilkins of Bowling Green was an eighth-grade science teacher for the Columbus City School District. She was a member of the Ohio Education Association before she resigned on August 25, 2020. # # #

Founded in 1989, The Buckeye Institute is an independent research and educational institution – a think tank – whose mission is to advance free-market public policy in the states. The Buckeye Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit, and tax-exempt organization, as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. As such, it relies on support from individuals, corporations, and foundations that share a commitment to individual liberty, free enterprise, personal responsibility, and limited government. The Buckeye Institute does not seek or accept government funding.

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AFL-CIO President: Flooding U.S. Labor Market via Amnesty ‘Would Benefit’ Working Class Americans

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler says the United States must give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, claiming such a policy “would benefit” working class Americans across the nation.

During an event at the White House on Wednesday, Shuler and President Joe Biden touted House and Senate Democrats’ plan to slip amnesty for illegal aliens into a $3.5 trillion so-called infrastructure package.

Shuler said:

Every working person in every state would benefit in some way, child care tax credits, the first ever federal paid family and medical leave benefit, a long overdue path to citizenship, infrastructure investments, apprenticeship programs, American made industries, American supply chains made with good union jobs. That is the Biden-Harris vision for America’s future. [Emphasis added].

In August, Senate Democrats unveiled a budget resolution framework which includes spending about $107 million in taxpayer money to flood the U.S. labor market with millions of newly legalized illegal aliens.

The language of the framework is vague, asking the Judiciary Committee members to give “lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants.” Those who would qualify for such an amnesty remain unclear.

With Shuler’s endorsement of the amnesty, the AFL-CIO — meant to represent the interests of union workers — joins the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, Koch brothers network, tech corporations, and former President George W. Bush, among others, in lobbying for the legalization of millions of illegal aliens to compete against America’s working and middle class for U.S. jobs................To Read More...

Get Off My Property!

John Stossel

Before dawn, dozens of union activists invaded a strawberry farm, shouting through bullhorns. This frightened workers and infuriated the farm's owner, Mike Fahner, who thought that in America, owning property means you have a right to control access to that property — your home is your castle, and all that.

Not in California, where politicians allow union organizers to raid farms.  "If I didn't allow them, I'm the one going to jail," says an outraged Fahner in my new video. "That is asinine."

The property invasion law's supporters say the United Farm Workers union deserves the exception to property rules because rich farmers abuse migrant workers.  I threw their argument at Fahner, who replied that it's absurd to say he abuses workers, because they keep coming back: "450 people travel 400 miles. ... Why in the world, if they were being abused, would they continue to return year after year?"

Because they don't know they have other options, says the union. They also don't know about their right to unionize, so unions must come onto farms to tell them about union benefits.  The union's predawn farm invasion didn't win over many of Fahner's employees. Fewer than 10% joined the union. Fahner already pays almost double California's minimum wage.

But the protests themselves impose a cost. He only has six weeks to harvest, pack, ship and process his strawberry plants. "If we miss that window, you destroy the fields."  In response to the farmers' complaints, California Deputy Attorney General Matthew Wise claimed, "Any access to the property is brief, unobtrusive..."

But the law allows union organizers to enter a farm three hours a day, up to 120 days a year. That's hardly "brief" or "unobtrusive." This week, Fahner and another business, Fowler Packing, challenged the law at the Supreme Court. I hope the Court sends a strong message to California's union-owned politicians: Get off people's private property!  In earlier court battles, Wise said the exception to private property rules is justified because "workers remain isolated ... from the flow of information that is characteristic of modern society."

But that's not true. Maybe it was true in 1975 when the law passed, but now there's the internet. And cellphones.  "Every person has a cellphone in their pocket," says Fahner "All have phones?" I ask. "Yes," Fahner replies. "They know how to communicate through Facebook and through Twitter, much better than most!"  Even if they didn't, the union could always approach workers after work at their motels.

"All those union people had access to (the motel rooms). They could knock on their door and talk to them about their agenda."  Plus, the union has two radio stations.  But it's much more fun to intimidate businesses with predawn protests.

California officials now argue that this Supreme Court case "threatens ... public health." Leftist media like Vox quickly agrees, claiming that denying access to farms "could endanger government functions like fire inspection and workplace safety."   But that's not true, says Fahner's pro-bono attorney from the Pacific Legal Foundation, Joshua Thompson. He points out that "Those types of routine government inspections are searching in a reasonable manner. What happened here is the government is taking our property... just giving that to a third party to come on to proselytize. To use bullhorns to intimidate."

I asked the United Farm Workers union for their side of the story. They didn't respond.  So, in my video, Fahner gets the last word.  

He uses it well, saying, "This is trespassing. You should be going to jail for doing this."

Ex-UAW Prez Pleads Guilty to Racketeering

By Steph Willems on June 3, 2020 

 

Gary Jones, the former United Auto Workers president who stepped down last November amid growing suspicion of wrongdoing, pleaded guilty Wednesday to involvement in a racketeering scheme that saw UAW officials soak themselves in funds earmarked for workers. 

 

Jones is the biggest fish thus far caught in a wide net cast by federal investigators — a net that’s captured nearly a dozen current or former UAW execs with their hands in the till. In the former UAW prez’s case, more than a million dollars’ worth of union dues flowed not into training programs or other benefits, but into lavish living and high-priced toys.

Will Jones see a lengthy term in the clink, you ask? What do you think?


As reported by The Detroit News, prosecutors could have gone for a 5-year term, but instead suggested a jail sentence of up to 57 months. Jones’ cooperation in the ongoing probe into union corruption earned him a shot at a reduced sentence.

Federal agents arrested Jones in early March, charging him with embezzlement, racketeering, and tax evasion. With the assistance of four co-conspirators, prosecutors say Jones conspired to divert funds earmarked for workers towards trips, expensive villas, golf equipment, cigars, and high-end (up to $400 a bottle) booze. Jones and others hid the goodies in the expenses of official UAW conventions and certainly didn’t inform the IRS of the side income at tax time.

From The Detroit News:...........To Read More....

 

EPA beset with taxpayer paid union organizers

By Rick Manning

 The Environmental Protection Agency revealed in response to a Freedom Of Information Act request by Americans for Limited Government that seventeen employees in the Agency do nothing but labor related activities at a cost of more than $1.6 million in annual salary.

The FOIA response provides the names and salaries of each employee revealing an average salary of $95,560 per union employee.  When benefits are included the average employee nets more than $120,000 a year. To see the Federal worker benefit package, click here.

This Appeared Here.....