by Ron DeLord | Dec 5, 2016 | Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Years of ill-timed investments and a refusal to abandon questionable strategies have left South Carolina’s government pension plans on the ropes, with a massive funding gap that threatens promised benefits to future retirees. The plans serve roughly one out of...
by Ron DeLord | Dec 5, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Memorial, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
A couple weeks before the Nov. 8 election, 10 Milwaukee public school teachers staffed the phone bank at their union office with two goals in mind. Both involved winning. The first aim was to help Democrat Russ Feingold regain the U.S. Senate seat he lost in the...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
He may be right. A half-century ago, more than a third of those Rust Belt workers were unionized, and their unions had the clout to win them a decent wage, benefits and pensions. Their unions also had the power to turn out the vote. They did — for Democrats. White...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
LANSING, MI — Retired Washtenaw County Deputy Sheriff Harry Valentine broke bones and got stitches in the line of duty. Now it’s not crime he’s fighting, but a potential move from the Michigan legislature to change retiree health care for municipal...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
State officials want to remove health insurance benefits from new union contracts with state and local government workers, eliminating those items from Iowa’s collective bargaining law for public employees. Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday the proposal is...
by Ron DeLord | Nov 27, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Mayor Lenny Curry threw down the gauntlet earlier this month by proposing to eliminate pensions for all future city employees, upending what is widely viewed as a bedrock of government service, particularly for higher-risk employees like cops and firefighters. The...
