http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog Employee Free Choice Act, Labor Negotiations Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:50:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en From the desk of Stephen Cabot:   It’s no secret that unions are extremely unhappy with many Democratic legislators who have failed to support the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) as well as other pro-union measures. Now those unions are supporting a host of Democratic candidates who have promised, that if ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/03/unions-investing-millions-to-elect-pro-union-legislators/ In DeWitt, New York, Magna’s Power Train division decided that the installation of surveillance cameras was an appropriate undertaking. Keeping tabs on workers’ productivity is a responsibility of management. Not according to the  UAW. It said that the cameras should not have been installed without first consulting with the union. ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/03/once-again-a-union-hurts-workers-corporate-america/ According to The Pew Research Center for People and the Press, the public has an increasingly unfavorable opinion of unions. A mere 41% of the general public has a favorable opinion of unions, while 42% expressed an unfavorable opinion of unions. Such figures contrast dramatically with those ascertained  in January ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/02/pew-research-unions-favorability-ratings-drop/   With the start of the  baseball season just around the corner, players and owners have much to consider. To wit: stadium attendance has dropped by more than 6%, and the collective bargaining agreement of the baseball franchises expires just after the 2011 season. Thus far, there has been scant news ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/02/play-ball/ In the town of Santa Maria in California, there is a popular ice cream shop: Doc Burnstein’s  Ice Cream Lab. Doc’s is not General Motors nor is it Ford. It is not Pepsi nor is it Coca Cola. It is a small establishment run by its founder, Greg Steinberger. It seems ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/02/will-doc-bernsteins-ice-cream-melt/ According to a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com), while union membership amongst private industry workers is declining, union membership for government employees is dramatically increasing.  While 7.2% of private industry workers belong to unions, more than 37% of government workers belong to unions. Since government has become the ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/02/higher-taxes-benefit-unions/   In politics, there is a great deal of name calling, disparagement of one’s opponents, and assorted calumnies spread through rumor mills. There is also a maxim that “it is easier to attract flies with honey than with vinegar.”   Attempting to defame one’s political enemies is a sure sign of desperation that ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/01/sticks-stones-can-break-your-bones-but-careless-epithets-are-self-defeating/   According to various polls, most Americans believe that unions have often been an obstacle, standing in the way of American companies being able to compete with foreign-based and non-union companies. One need only look at the sorry state of GM.   In addition, Americans have not voiced approval for President Obama’s pro-union ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/01/an-overlooked-element-in-the-great-mass-upset/ In the current political climate, Corporate America (to borrow a phrase from Rodney Dangerfield) “gets no respect.” Unions are rallying again for what they cleverly call RESPECT for supervisory personnel. At issue is the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT), which had originally been introduced in ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/01/respect-for-whom/   People are often judged by the company they keep. That is why probation officers direct ex-convicts not to associate with other criminals.   Should Corporate America judge President Obama by the company that he keeps?   Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Anna Burger, Secretary-Treasurer, have visited the ... http://www.cabotinstitute.com/cabotblog/2010/01/guilt-by-association/