There is a big difference between private-sector employees and public-sector (government) employees (school teachers, firefighters, police, etc.). That difference means that public-sector employees should not be allowed to unionize. With respect to private-sector employees, there is a balance of interests when business owners negotiate employment contracts with their employees. Employers have to decide whether or […]
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Posted inMaine
Fact check: Gov. LePage statements on right-to-work and income incorrect
LEWISTON — Republican Gov. Paul LePage boldly invited the audience Wednesday at his town hall meeting to check his facts if they wanted to when he made the claim that workers in so-called “right-to-work” states make more money than those where labor unions hold more sway. “I will just tell you the honest truth and […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
U.S. Supreme Court deadlocks on union fees dispute
WASHINGTON — A tie vote from the Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a win to labor unions in a high-profile dispute over their ability to collect fees. The justices divided 4-4 in a case that considered whether public employees represented by a union can be required to pay “fair share” fees covering collective bargaining costs […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Fairpoint unions go on strike
PORTLAND — More than 1,700 FairPoint Communications workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont went on strike early Friday after a failed attempt hours earlier by two unions to re-engage the company in negotiations. The unions have offered “significant concessions” but the company wasn’t interested, said Peter McLaughlin, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Rich Lowry: Union trouble comes to the Metropolitan Opera
The fat lady will sing — but only in strict keeping with the work rules set out by the American Guild of Musical Artists. The Metropolitan Opera has a labor problem. Personnel expenses account for $200 million of the financially struggling Met’s $327 million budget. In the interest of survival in an era more attuned […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine Senate rejects LePage’s business zone bill
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has voted down Gov. Paul LePage’s bill to offer business tax breaks and workers the freedom not to pay labor union fees in an effort to attract big companies to the state. The Republican governor’s bill would set up pilot project areas in Brunswick and Limestone. Businesses that invest more […]