Tag: Unions

Take for example one of the new Michigan Board of Education members, elected in 2012 for an 8 year term.  Michelle Fecteau, is (according to the state's site) currently the Executive Director of the Wayne State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.  The site also notes her position is "jointly affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers," making her recent actions straight up incestuous. As reported by EAG:

"But that's not stopping one board member, Michelle Fecteau of Detroit, from using her position to try to intervene on behalf of a local labor union that's negotiating a contract with a privately-operated charter school.

This is an unusual situation in more ways than one. First of all, Cesar Chavez Academy in Detroit is one of a very few charter schools in Michigan with union teachers. The staff was converted last year through an ongoing campaign by the American Federation of Teachers.

But the Chavez union and the charter operator have yet to come to a contract agreement. That's not surprising, because many of the items that teachers unions bargain for tend to have a paralyzing effect on schools, allowing them less flexibility to make academic inroads. It's hard for a charter school to maintain the positive characteristics of a charter school with union rules and pay scales in place."

What a shame that the MIGOP wouldn't spend more than $265 cash and $16.95 worth of food in 2012. Charter Schools work better in many cases because the rules don't hamstring innovation and proper resource allocation.  Fecteau's efforts are designed to make them fail, and drive students back to an imploding public school system.

"Any personal issues he is working through have not, in any way, affected his performance as State Treasurer."

Pure Bee-esS.  Meet current Treasury Department "Executive Assistant," and former Dillon House staffer ($56,000.00), Amy U. Hichez.

State Treasurer Andy Dillon's secretary sued his ex-wife for defamation Wednesday for claiming she had an affair with her boss.

In a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Amy U. Hichez denied having an affair with Andy Dillon - allegations Carol Owens-Dillon publicly leveled in a July 7 posting on her Facebook page.
....

Owens-Dillon stood by the allegations Wednesday.

"I'm surprised she is doing this because she will be putting her boss negatively in the press and I'm quite sure he doesn't need that," Owens-Dillon said in a statement to The News.

Indeed.  What further defamation is possible with those who sit in government with Andy and his buddy, Miles Handy?  Yet, much like Hillary Clinton, and Huma Abedin, the slovenly attired self-invented Nerd persona is going to stand by his man.  Frillant move for the Executive branch of state government that is the flagship of the MI-GOP.

Pure Schadenfreude.

Dillon has acknowledged a bout with alcoholism while being the governor's point man for handling financially distressed cities and school districts.

But now the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is considering a domestic assault charge against Dillon stemming from a July 13 confrontation with his ex-wife, Carol Owens-Dillon, at their Redford Township home.

Dillon, a former Democratic speaker of the state House of Representatives, and the Snyder administration are not answering questions about his alleged actions.

"We do not believe it is appropriate to respond to speculation," Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said Tuesday in a statement. "Gov. Snyder believes Treasurer Dillon is doing a good job on behalf of the people of Michigan."

Again, zero transparency from Rick Snyder.  Sure Dave Murray, we little people "believe" you too.  Just try boozing as a "point man" in the Private Sector, and see how long it takes to be shown the door.  And, this is a so-called Executive's decision?  Amazing.  Fact remains that Rick Snyder owns that appointment, and isn't man enough to deal with his can of worms - but, he'll have to before long.  There's more...

"Treasurer Dillon is in the office and on the job every day, working diligently as always for the people of the State of Michigan," spokesman Terry Stanton said in an email. "Any personal issues he is working through have not, in any way, affected his performance as State Treasurer."

12 years of taxpayer funded professional turd polishing just can't be wrong, yes?  Survey says...

A Wayne County Family Court judge has issued a mutual restraining order against Dillon and his ex-wife after they filed competing personal protection orders against each other.

The acrimony stems from a July 13 incident at the Dillon residence in Redford Township where Carol Owens-Dillon alleges her ex-husband hired a tow truck driver to break into a vehicle she was driving that contained her divorce files. In court records, Owens-Dillon claims she had "racially-charged text messages" in the file that she intended to deliver to Snyder.

As August rounds the mid-mark, any Teachers in Michigan wishing to terminate dues paying to the union they might feel does NOT represent them should take note. The MEA is going to make it as hard as possible to consider your options.  The statement by MEA President Steve Cook that the union would use

"any legal means at our disposal"

Cook should note that some of those within the union might well have been willing to wait and see if the union would attempt to be more representative, given the circumstance.  Instead, it doubles down, and drives home the reason that Freedom-To-Work is now law; that an out of touch overpaid political machine exists within its (the MEA's)ranks. Cook is an example of lousy leadership that has no expectation of capitulating to law or common sense with regard to the treatment of those who pay his six-figure income.

OK. Fine.

For those of you who feel pressured to make that decision within the next two weeks?  The Mackinac Center has provided a means by which you can tell Cook to go to the back of the lunch line. A prepared and downloadable opt-out letter that tells him where to stuff it. (here is a sample I did in 30 seconds)

Outside of the progressive politics, corruption related to same, and a lack of respect for what USED to be the jewel of the Midwest, it was greed.  Greed, that is explained no better than by Bill Johnson:

"History, however, shows this looming crisis might have been averted if the employees unions and pensioners had shown more flexibility forty years ago in restructuring city pension benefits. Instead, the intractable opposition demanded the city stay on a dead end course to default.

As far back as 1974, then-Mayor Coleman Young proposed what was considered reasonable changes to Detroit's pension programs. Because labor and retirees are a potent political force, the City Council shot down the mayor's changes."

Not so much.

Read the rest at Johnson's blog.

Shortly after the surveillance was revealed, Rep. John Conyers, the panel's ranking Democrat, said he feared "that we are on the verge of becoming a surveillance state."

"Over the past decade - under the leadership of four chairman with diverse political views - the members of this committee have vigorously debated the proper balance between our safety and our constitutional right to privacy," Conyers said in remarks prepared for Wednesday's hearing. "We never - at any point during this debate - approved the type of unchecked, sweeping surveillance of United States citizens employed by our government in the name of fighting the war on terrorism."

Because, Comrade Johnny always reads EVERY word...

Workers at a fast food restaurant on Detroit's east side have walked off the job as part of an effort to push for higher wages.

Detroit pastor Charles Williams II says workers want $15 and hour, better working conditions and the right to unionize. The one-day protest starting Friday morning at a McDonald's on the 10000 block of Gratiot is one of about 50 that organizers say they've planned around Detroit.

The D15 campaign says many workers make $7.40 an hour or just above it.

Fire every damn one of them for walking off.  They're at an inflated wage as it is for saying, "want fries with that?"

The possibility of Right-To-Work legislation in a state considered so incredibly 'hands off' was too unbelievable, that even the national right to work folks scoffed at those of us conferencing in Lansing were preparing it.  They were planning some help for Indiana and possibly Ohio, but Michigan? No way.

We persisted, and believing the governor's pre-election pledge that if it came before him, he would sign it, daily efforts were made to advance this important freedom, and relief from organized labor's non-accountability. It was focused, and had too many parts that would eventually lead to its successful passage, to give credit to one entity, or idea or effort. All hands were on deck, and the trick was getting it in front of the governor to sign.

Which he did.  And we thank him for honoring his promise.

While the fight to KEEP it will go on for a couple of years, we should celebrate this point in time with vigor.