Unions
Old Vegas lives
“Free” tax money is available, but integrity is hard to find
Board members of the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency (LVRDA) and those who are dependent on them for taxpayer subsidies apparently have little shame. In response to recent public opposition to the LVRDA and its use of tax dollars to build lavish public facilities and subsidize big developers, board members of the LVRDA have jettisoned adherence to the state's ethics laws.
NPRI's Recommendations for Cost-Cutting and Reform
In the face of today's fiscal challenges, Nevada policymakers must recognize the need to enact sweeping reforms that transform how state government conducts its business.
Union attempts to hold essential services hostage
Bosses flex muscle in attempt to extort taxpayers
Union bosses recently tried to hold emergency-response services hostage in Clark County. Service Employees International Union Local 1107 – the union representing a portion of the county's emergency medical response workers - recently threatened to strike because the county's contract service provider refused to negotiate with unauthorized representatives.
Playing with fire
Getting burned by the firefighter union
Residents of Clark County who want to invest in the future of their children should take away their schoolbooks and buy them a box of matches. Why? Because in Clark County, knowledge of fire and fire suppression is apparently of more value than is knowledge in specialized academic fields such as law.
NSEA sticks it to Culinary
Room tax hike sought by the teacher union would kill Culinary union jobs
It's been clear for a long time that little love is lost between the state teacher union and Southern Nevada's Culinary local. The hostility spilled into public view earlier this year during the state's bitter presidential preference caucus. While Culinary backed Barack Obama, the Nevada State Education Association teacher union backed Hillary Clinton, even going to court in an attempt to block Culinary members from voting at sites set up on the Las Vegas Strip.
Minimum wage and unemployment
An increase in the former causes an increase in the latter.
As Nevada's unemployment rate goes up, one wonders if the voters who said "yes" to a higher minimum wage in the November 2006 election are having second thoughts.
New approach needed on public pensions
Do Nevada's political leaders have the courage to act?
To reform NVPERS, our politicians would have to look beyond their next elections and selflessly put the greater good above their own retirement planning.
Big Labor's favorite tool
Intimidation is at the heart of unionism.
During and after the Nevada Democratic Party's divisive caucuses last week, both camps — Clinton/teacher union and Obama/Culinary union — accused the other of attempting to intimidate voters.
Significantly, however, the very caucusing system that permitted union members and others to be subjected to threats and intimidation had earlier been approved by the leadership of both unions.
Follow the labor money
Financial transparency is needed on the public labor front.
Attention public-employee union members … Ever wondered what your union officials spend your dues on? Odds are you probably have, and you still don’t know. But wouldn’t you like to?
When minimizing wages is union policy
Culinary co-parent UNITE has 50-year history of working to lower benefits
It sounds far-fetched: Union bosses working to push wages below the legal minimum? But that is what’s allowed by Subsection B of the unions’ proposed minimum wage constitutional amendment that will be on your November ballot.
