Cocktails & Popcorn: FBI, UAW, GM, FCA, Ford & Other Unions In Full Heraldry - Labor Day 2019 In Detroit

The arms of the UAW

The right to peaceable assembly has one, very important concept.

Peace.

Peace is the right to civility, as they bear their arms, in full heraldry, to bear witness in the public square to the breach of public trust of the office holders of the "Elected Ones", the original function of the Second Amendment.

This is part of due process.

This is Detroit.

Do not believe the #coloredrevolution crap bussed in by the DNC, probably contracted by the RNC.

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CONYERS Condemns Mississippi Governor's Anti-Union Remarks

Detroit, MI – Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement in response to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant’s anti-union remarks:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Detroit paved the first mile of road, made the automobile a household good, and built the Middle Class.  General Motors, Ford, and FCA are only three of the more than a dozen auto makers in America—but they employ two-thirds of American autoworkers.  They have invested billions of dollars over the past few decades in Southeast Michigan.  They do the majority of their design, manufacturing, and surrounding services right here in America—and they offer their employees a much larger voice in their workplace than Governor Bryant apparently wants for his own citizens.

“Governor Bryant’s statements are a typical cheap shot.  I would be offended if he was not so transparent: he is simply parroting what the anti-worker special interests he serves want him to say.

“As someone whose own family fled Jackson, MS for opportunity in Detroit—and who still has some family in Mississippi—I wonder why is it that Bryant does not think workers in his state should have a voice?  The Mississippians I know are smart and sharp.  They should have the same say in their workplace as anyone else. Perhaps as the Governor of a state ranked 51^st in household income—Bryant should focus more on empowering workers—and less on doing the bidding of anti-union billionaires who reward him for keeping wages low and workers silent in his state.”

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Gov. Rick Snyder to appeal return of $550M to Michigan school workers

What an arse this Snyder be.

LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder will appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court the ordered return of more than $550 million collected from school employees to fund retiree health care, despite Attorney General Bill Schuette's refusal to provide state attorneys to fight the case, a Snyder spokeswoman said Tuesday.

“These payments are necessary for the long-term financial stability of the retirement system teachers rely on for health care benefits after their years of hard work come to a close," said Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton. "Keeping the money in the system will help their investments continue to grow and benefit Michigan educators for decades to come.”

Snyder's appeal is at odds with several court rulings — including two from the Michigan Court of Appeals — that say the 2010 law used to collect the money from school employees was unconstitutional.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/07/05/schuette-wont-continue-school-employee-court-fight/86710950/

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Take Five: Rep. John Conyers

It’s time again for Take Five, when HOH talks with a member of Congress about topics relatively unrelated to legislative work.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

This week, the Dean of the House, Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., who has been attending States of the Union since being elected in 1964, talks about hearing Lyndon B. Johnson speak, Detroit and his long tenure in public office.

Q: Which president do you think gave the best State of the Union speeches?

A: In my first term as a member of Congress, I had the honor of hearing President Lyndon B. Johnson deliver the 1965 State of the Union Address, in which he described his domestic agenda and vision for a “greater society.”  The Democratic Party was in the majority at the time and the address was his blueprint for a more progressive America that included topics we still debate in Congress today — such as earning a livable wage, access to affordable health care and federal support for education. Most notably, President Johnson’s address expressly focused on the need to enact a law to prohibit racial discrimination in voting and protect the voting rights of African-Americans. The president’s call for this legislation would later be introduced as the Voting Right Act of 1965, the first major piece of legislation I voted on. Restoring the VRA remains a pivotal focus of my legislative priorities, especially after the Supreme Court gutted critical sections of the bill in 2013.

Q. When it comes to Michigan cars, are you more of a Ford man or a Jeep man?

A: I am a Ford and General Motors man.

Q: What is the best quality of the city of Detroit?

A: Detroit is the epicenter of organized labor, the birthplace of Motown music and where Rosa Parks, a civil rights hero, eventually called home. When you have a truly American city that is full of hardworking and good people, great food, striking architecture and immense hope toward the future — it is hard to narrow down what is the “best” quality of the Motor City.

Q: If someone was traveling to Detroit and wanted a food recommendation, where would you send them?

A: Be sure to grab a bite to eat at Eastern Market. One of the largest farmers’ markets in the country, you can pick up a variety fresh and specialty foods raised by local farmers at affordable prices.

Q: What do you like to read?

A: Both The New Yorker and The Nation.

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Conyers Honors Metro Detroit Veterans in D.C.

Conyers honors veterans and the unions who support vets in D.C.

Metro Detroit Veterans Coalition

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Michigan Union Dues Child Welfare Scam Busted

For the history of Michigan's union scam, click here.

These caregivers, babysitters, only made $2.25 an hour and were charged union dues.

I can personally attest to the fraud going on in the SEIU.  

Just another example of Medicaid fraud in chilid welfare.

SEIU Affiliate’s Revenue Cut in Half After 'Dues Skim' Ended

SEIU Healthcare Michigan dues collection went from $11.3 million to $5.4 million

The union that exploited Michigan’s home-based caregivers for the best part of a decade has seen its revenue tumble since the scheme that enabled the exploitation ended. SEIU Healthcare Michigan reported $5,398,383 in dues and fees in 2014. That's just 48 percent of the $11,307,314 it reported for 2012, the last full year during which the union's dues skim was in place.

The information was contained in a financial disclosure report the union submitted to the federal government 57 days after the March 31 deadline it is apparently required to meet. The disclosure finally took place shortly after Michigan Capitol Confidential brought the absence of the report to the attention of the federal Office of Labor-Management Standards.

The roots of the dues skim reach back to the mid-2000s when SEIU moved to grab a share of the benefit checks of Michigan residents enrolled in the Medicaid Home Help program, which lets elderly and disabled individuals receive care in their homes. The operation involved creating a pretext to unionize the caregivers, and on that basis have union dues and fees “skimmed” from the Medicaid checks of the program's homebound beneficiaries. The unseemliness was aggravated by the fact that most of the caregivers were friends and relatives of those receiving care.

In 2005, during the administration of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, SEIU was allowed to carry out the forced unionization scheme by creating a dummy employer and executing a stealth mail-in union certification election. The operation went on from 2006 until its state contract endedon Feb. 28, 2013. Overall, the scheme poured more than $34 million into the union's coffers.

SEIU Healthcare Michigan's required financial disclosure report for 2014 is significant because it covered the first full year in which the union received no money from the dues skim. Its previous (2013) report revealed that more than 80 percent of its members fled when the dues skim ended. However, because the dues skim was still active in early 2013, it wasn’t clear whether that year's report reflected the entire membership loss or a partial, prorated figure.

The recently disclosed 2014 report indicates that the previous report probably indicated the union’s actual membership at the end of 2013, which was mostly real employees of private sector medical facilities. Union rolls did fall by a modest 190 members according to the latest report, from 10,918 in 2013 to 10,728 in 2014.

The headline number in the 2014 report is the impact of terminating the dues skim on the union's revenue and membership. Here are the relevant figures going back as far back as records are available:

• 2008: Dues and Fees — $10,497,917; Membership 53,533
• 2009: Dues and Fees — $10,871,481; Membership 57,239
• 2010: Dues and Fees — $11,508,410, Membership 56,972
• 2011: Dues and Fees — $11,974,000; Membership 55,359
• 2012: Dues and Fees — $11,307,314; Membership 55,265
• 2013: Dues and Fees — $7,119,322; Membership 10,918
• 2014 Dues and Fees — $5,398,383; Membership 10,728

The dues skim contract officially ended on Feb. 28, 2013, but it allowed the union to collect dues for one more month.

Unions are also required to annually disclose their “Total Receipts,” which in addition to member dues and fees show other money received. The annual disclosures show that after dues and fees, most of SEIU Healthcare Michigan's remaining revenue is listed under “Other Receipts.” The source for most of this is probably SEIU International, the larger union of which SEIU Healthcare Michigan is an affiliate.

In general, those amounts correspond with the size of an affiliate’s membership and the amount of dues and fees it collects. Only a few years ago, SEIU Healthcare Michigan was boasting that it was the fastest growing union in Michigan. Here are the state affiliate's “Total Receipts” as far back as records are available.

• 2008 — $15,003,971
• 2009 — $15,372,055
• 2010 — $16,465,288
• 2011 — $21,523,734
• 2012 — $18,929,050
• 2013 — $12,078,838
• 2014 — $8,419,245

In 2011, the union’s most lucrative year, it reported receiving $3,372,657 for what it described as funds “On Behalf Of Affiliates Transmittal to Them.” This was in addition to the $6,174,801 that was listed under “Other Receipts.”

According to Vincent Vernuccio, the director of labor policy with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the dues skim and its aftermath reveals that the primary motive behind this union’s actions has been and continues to be money, not the best interests of its members.

“The dues skim filled SEIU coffers at the expense of people who were taking care of disabled and elderly friends and relatives while giving them nothing in return,” Vernuccio said. “With schemes like the dues skim and more recently its failed attempt to unionize fast food employees, the SEIU repeatedly proves that it does not consider serving its dues-paying members to be a top priority. No wonder its members are leaving the union in droves.”

SEIU Healthcare Michigan disclosure reports over the years identified several officials receiving six-figure and high five-figure salaries. In 2008, union President Marge Robinson (formerly Marge Faville) collected a base salary of $122,700 and $133,987 overall. The amounts varied in subsequent years but the trend was generally upward.

By 2013, the union president’s base salary was $188,208, and the total amount she was paid was $199,859. In 2014 Robinson's base salary was $183,781, and her total pay was $196,195.

SEIU Healthcare Michigan did not return a phone call giving it the opportunity to comment.

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Conyers: To Truly Celebrate Labor Day We Must Emphasize Full Employment and a $15 Minimum Wage

Rep. Conyers to March in Solidarity Alongside UAW and AFSCME on Labor Day

(DETROIT) – This weekend, Detroit will celebrate Labor Day with two marches, one by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and another by the Detroit Chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). These marches down Michigan Avenue will honor the hard work and dedication of workers across the country. These marches also come on the heels of employees  in the fast food and restaurant service industry who went on  strike yesterday in more than 60 metropolitan areas, calling for fair wages and the fundamental right to organize. Concurrently, Ford Motor Company announced yesterday the relocation of a Ford Fusion production plant to Flat Rock, Michigan that will create 1,400 well-paying jobs for the Detroit metropolitan area. Reflecting on these events in the time leading up to Labor Day, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

"As we prepare for the Labor Day weekend marches and festivities, I applaud the resilience and organization of the labor movement. Over the past week alone, we have witnessed fast food workers around the Nation going on strike for decent wages, and the UAW garnering hard-earned jobs for the Detroit community. It is my sincere hope that these developments indicate a better future ahead for organized labor that will put more people to work,” said Conyers.

“In the aftermath of the Great Recession, millions of Americans continue to struggle through unemployment or underemployment. As we march, it is critical that we continue to advocate for a full employment economy. This can be best accomplished by continuing to grow support for H.R. 1000, the ‘Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act.’ Through two public trust funds, this legislation is designed to both rehire individuals who seek to work and to provide training for the many new types of jobs being created. Now more than ever this country needs public service workers, in fields ranging from highway improvement, to waterways infrastructure, and at schools in all grade levels.

“As President Obama declared in his speech at the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington, ‘The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own.’ In celebrating the hard-fought gains by organized labor this weekend, I call for a renewed commitment not only to the rights of workers already employed, but for all who seek to join them. I look forward to participating in the weekend’s festivities, and to continuing the long march towards economic justice.”

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Conyers: Governor Snyder’s “Right-to-Work” Policy an Affront to Michigan’s Proud Labor History

(WASHINGTON) – Yesterday afternoon, the Republican Majority in the Michigan House of Representatives approved two pieces of legislation drastically limiting collective bargaining rights in the state. House Bill 4003, which was approved 58-51, instituted “right-to-work” for public sector unions. A companion bill, Senate Bill 116, applied the same “right-to-work” limitations to private sector unions. This legislation was approved 58-52.  These bills also included an appropriation, which has the effect of immunizing these bills from being repealed via referendum at a later date.  Late yesterday evening, Governor Rick Snyder signed both of these bills into law. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement in response:

“This past February, I witnessed Governor Snyder testify on Capitol Hill that so-called ‘right-to-work’ legislation was not the best course for Michigan, and that the proposal was far too divisive. In less than a year, Governor Snyder has pulled a complete about-face,” said Conyers.

“I am appalled by the actions of Governor Snyder and the Republicans in the State Legislature, forcing through inflammatory legislation during the lame duck session.  It is clear that they have ignored the lessons of Michigan’s history. Our state’s economy was built on a foundation of mutual respect between labor and business, not misguided Tea Party ideology that Governor Snyder has recently signed on to.

“The ‘right-to-work’ bills signed into law are an attack on the civil and human rights of the people of this great state and serve as an inspiration to we who believe in creating an economy that works for all.  As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, as far back as 1961, the ‘right-to-work’ law, ‘is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.’”

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The wrong answer for Michigan’s economy

In light of right-to-work legislation passing in Michigan’s House and Senate on Thursday, reporters have turned to EPI associate Gordon Lafer’s research examining the claim that right-to-work laws will boost the state’s economy.

In his report, Lafer explains that the legislation restricts workers’ rights by making it illegal for them to enter voluntary contracts with unions to collect union dues. He also shows that right-to-work laws do not boost job growth in states that adopt them—and actually lower wages and reduce benefits for both union and non-union workers. ‘RIGHT TO WORK’ The wrong answer for Michigan’s economyVoting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

The Epidemiology of Public Pensions

With many cities there are financial situations manifesting, dealing with legacy costs in pensions.  Many cities typically address the increase of health care costs with their retirees through investment strategies of the pension fund.  Some cities adopt administrative remedies of reviewing eligibility criteria to qualify for city benefits.  Not the City of Detroit, and neither Wayne County for that matter.

It seems the City of Detroit and Wayne County are now insisting that employees secure copy of their federal tax filings to cross reference with their benefits packages.  For some time these employees were listing anyone and everyone as qualified dependents for health care coverage, even extending to retirees as there was no administrative oversight in place.  What this means is these local governments have been providing unnecessary health care coverage for individuals who were never eligible as dependents.

There is an interesting piece of information that was delivered to me for my analysis.  It seems the City of Hamtramck is in the speculative process of changing the benefits of retired public safety members.  Of course, the unions will bring forth litigation because it is an interference of union collective bargaining contracts and the City is prepared to loose in court.  The City will appeal and loose, again.  By that time the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) will have been fully implemented and cover any of the coverage the public safety retirees have lost, leaving the City in the clear to fill wholes in its budget.

In assessing this scenarios of a city benefiting in the short and long term from attacking collective bargaining, it seems to put into perspective the activities of many states of in dismantling collective bargaining powers of union contracts because in a few years, the federal government will pick up the unexpected burdens of legacy and health care costs.

Let's look at it this way.  So far the manufacturing unions have been faced with accepting cuts in benefits and so have local and state government employees.  The next in the chain of events seems to be the pensions and benefits of federal employees.

The pay and pensions of federal employees have just recently come up for examination.  For example, the Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue has put on the table early out deals for some 9,000 employees.  In light of the increase in disability claims and baby boomer applications for Social Security Benefits, it leaves the field office staff short handed.  As one field officer and union stewart told me last month,

"The Administration wants us to do $10,000 worth of work for $100 pay.  That is just not possible and alot of claims are going to be delayed.  Children (SSI cases) who are aging out, turning 18, automatically come up for review.  This means their determinations and payments will be delayed."

In the long run the Administration will be able to invest in streamlining its operations and save on legacy costs.

Congressional staffers can easily make more than a state governor or a mayor, making them uniquely prime to be political volunteer test subjects on how the nation will be moving forward in the rethinking of benefits and pensions.

The starting pay for a Detroit Police Officer is about $12.50 an hour and with a child or two, that officer now qualifies for Supplemental Food Benefits and subsidized daycare.  An FBI agent starts at about $60,000 a year with the cre'me de la cre'me benefits package.  So what makes a federal law enforcement officer so different from a municipal law enforcement officer?  Quite simple, the pension and benefit cut epidemic has yet to fully infect federal discussions.

Simply put, federal employees benefits and pensions are next up on the chopping block.

No matter how loud the opposition soap boxes its ad hominem arguments on the evils of Obamacare,   the Act is on its way to full 2015 implementation and will be the fodder for the epidemiology of pensions, with the help of those who want to get rid of collective bargaining.


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President Obama To Come To Detroit Labor Day Parade

President Obama Comes To Detroit Labor Day Parade 2011

Conyers: Michigan Bill Attacks the Hard-Earned Contract Rights of Public Workers

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Conyers:  Michigan Bill Attacks the Hard-Earned Contract Rights of Public Workers and Hurts Minority Communities by Stripping Away Collective Bargaining Rights and Removing Elected Leaders

                                                               

(Washington) Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) criticized the Michigan Senate for passing yesterday an amended version of Michigan House Bill 4214 that would authorize the Governor to appoint an “emergency manager” who could then replace duly elected local officials and terminate contractual obligations, including collective bargaining agreements, if a so-called “financial emergency” exists.

Mr. Conyers released the following statement:

This bill is an opportunistic power-grab by Republican state legislators who are taking advantage of Michigan’s temporary financial distress in a thinly disguised attempt to attack hard-won public worker protections and benefits, including their right to organize and represent themselves.

The takeover provision of the legislation – allowing the dissolution of locally elected bodies -- implicitly targets minority communities that are disproportionately impacted by the economic downturn, without providing meaningful support for improved economic opportunity. 

Worse yet, this bill raises serious constitutional concerns.  Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibits any State from impairing a contract, which is exactly what this legislation does.  As the Supreme Court has held in Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell (1934), the sanctity of contracts cannot be impaired by a state law “which renders them invalid, or releases or extinguishes them. . . .  Not only are existing laws read into contracts in order to fix obligations as between the parties, but the reservation of essential attributes of sovereign power is also read into contracts as a postulate of the legal order.” 

            Further, the bill empowers this financial czar with the Governor’s approval to force a municipality into bankruptcy, a power that will surely be used to extract further concessions from hardworking public sector workers.  And, by making the risk of bankruptcy a reality, the bill will make it more not lessexpensive for municipalities to obtain financing given this risk, which will make the financial circumstances of municipalities even worse.

###

"Kids Aren't Cars" trailer - kidsarentcars.com

They Only Make $2.25 An Hour

Read the history of the case to find out why the Michigan is allowing the unions to assess dues for people who are paid $2.25 an hour. here.

Michigan Supreme Court asked to take child-care union dispute

A conservative legal foundation is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to get involved in a lawsuit that challenges union dues paid by 40,000 at-home child-care providers.

The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation says the dues paid to two unions are illegal, but the state appeals court has twice rejected a lawsuit.

The Midland-based foundation says the child-care workers are independent business owners, not public employees.

The United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees get slightly more than 1 percent of the millions in state subsidies paid to providers. The unions say they were properly elected to represent them.

A separate lawsuit is pending in federal court in Grand Rapids.

Michigan Babysits Fraud and Waste

Please keep in mind while reading this article that a home child care provider is paid $2.25 an hour.

Child care agency still receives payments after being defunded by Michigan legislature

Lawmakers question funding to Michigan
Home Based Child Care Council

By Christopher Behnan • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
March 22, 2010

Payments to the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council, which serves as an intermediary between the department and a controversial union for home-based care providers, were eliminated in the 2010 budget the Legislature adopted in November.

But state officials notified lawmakers that a $200,000 contract with the council remains in effect and is being funded from alternative sources in the DHS budget.

State Rep. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, said at a news conference last week that the DHS needs to be more transparent and accountable.

"We don't yet know what their purpose is. I can't tell what they do," Proos said of the council...more

But wait, it gets better.

See, behind the scenes you have the reason why the union was formed. See, the Auditor General did an audit. If you are a fan of my work, you should know what the audit found.

$23 million in fraud.*

AFSME comes in to protect the right of home child care providers to make sure they keep working, at the rate of $2.25 an hour (before union dues). 

All I know is that I see hundreds of thousands of dollars being wasted by the state on top of the millions in fraud, all because Michigan refuses to care for its future citizens.

Normally, I would upload the audit report but Michigan has started the nasty little habit of locking its PDFs when they do not come out the way they want them to. Keep checking back, it will be unlocked and uploaded shortly.