| K-16 Coalition; Looks like a vote. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 22 2006, 03:42 PM (2,862 Views) | |
| cmic | Mar 12 2006, 01:30 PM Post #46 |
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Just curious, but is there another source? The Mackinac source is isolated. I'd love to hear of others. 
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| Grant1 | Mar 12 2006, 02:37 PM Post #47 |
We have just begun to fight!
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Isolated?...in what way?. It is the largest and most recognized source for non biased, non affiliated, non partisan research information and is staffed by the most highly educated and recognized experts in thier fields. All of their research and publications are supported fully by industry references, detailed analysis, and by documented fact. What makes you beleive they are "isolated"? |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 12 2006, 03:02 PM Post #48 |
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Maybe she means Mackinac Island itself is isolated?
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| cmic | Mar 12 2006, 03:21 PM Post #49 |
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Thanks for the support Nancy!  You said it before I could. I just wanted to hear from more than that source.
Thanks though for the clarification.
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| NFarquharson | Mar 12 2006, 03:36 PM Post #50 |
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More sources are good. The Mackinac Center really has nothing specifically to do with Mackinac Island. Fudge!
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| Derek | Mar 12 2006, 09:52 PM Post #51 |
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Principal
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NON-BIASED, NON-AFFILIATED, NON-PARTISAN... ??!! WTF, ARE YOU NUTZ? THEY ARE THE BIGGEST, MOST ANTI-UNION, RIGHT WING, BIASED THINK TANK PROPED UP BY BIG BUSINESS THAT THERE IS.... Ahhh but they support your anti-union sentiments very well indeed... go figure! |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 12 2006, 09:56 PM Post #52 |
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It appears to me that they are actually academic types. Most of the people who write their papers work at universities from what I can see. What makes you believe they are anti-union, right-winged and biased? |
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| Derek | Mar 12 2006, 10:00 PM Post #53 |
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I've read a lot of their research... both sides have these think tanks... they are set up to get the statistics to give the results they desire... The Mackinac Center is VERY extremeist against employees involved in collective bargaining agreements in any venue. -Derek |
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| Grant1 | Mar 12 2006, 10:04 PM Post #54 |
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We have just begun to fight!
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I would like to ask if you can please provide the documentation and facts that support your accusations. I have read much on the development and the mebers of this organization. I cannot find any links to big business or right wing associations anywhere. I do find many references to the acedemic scholars, teaching institutions, and educational universities from which thier meterial originates. Please enlighten me if you have some data or documention that proves otherwise. thanks |
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| Derek | Mar 12 2006, 10:06 PM Post #55 |
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Principal
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Here's but a few of the anti-union articles... err studies (yah right) that the bigmack has purported.... all based on eliminating Unions in this state. -Derek Proposal 3: Establishing a Constitutional Requirement Extending Mandatory Collective Bargaining and Binding Arbitration to State Government Employees Summary: On Nov. 5, 2002, Michigan voters will consider Proposal 02-03 ("Proposal 3"), an amendment to the state constitution that, if passed, would fundamentally alter the relationship between the State of Michigan and its employees. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Sep. 26, 2002. Type: Study. The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Economic Development Summary: The right to decide for yourself whether or not to support a union in your workplace: union officials dismiss it as "the right to starve", but for the last thirty years Right-to-Work states have been outperforming compuslory unionism states such as Michigan. This report demonstrates how individual freedom and higher productivity give workers in Right-to-Work states the edge in job opportunities, employment, and purchasing power. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Jun. 5, 2002. Type: Study. Keeping Michigan on Track: A Blueprint for a Freer, More Prosperous State Summary: New legislative opportunities will come with the fall elections for the Michigan House, Senate, and governorship. Read the Mackinac Center's policy recommendations for the next Legislature and governor below. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: May 6, 2002. Type: Study. The Michigan Union Accountability Act: A Step Toward Accountability and Democracy in Labor Organizations Summary: Unions in Michigan represent over 900,000 workers and take in more than $250 million in membership dues annually. But in spite of their expansive wealth and political power, requirements that unions disclose their financial dealings are minimal. Reform of the federal reporting system, which governs private-sector unions, is needed but unlikely in the current political climate. Michigan can take the lead by passing its own Union Accountability Act, requiring annual financial disclosure reports and independent audits of public-sector union affiliates active in the Great Lakes State. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Dec. 15, 2001. Type: Study. Religious Liberty and Compulsory Unionism: A Worker's Guide to Using Union Dues for Charity Summary: Many employees in unionized workplaces do not know that if they harbor religious objections to joining, financing, or otherwise associating with labor unions, they have legal recourse if their union or employer or both violate those rights. This report explains the statutes and developing case law that protect religious employees' freedom of conscience in the workplace by allowing them to refrain from union membership and divert their compulsory dues to a charity of their choice. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Jun. 7, 2000. Type: Study. Michigan's Prevailing Wage Law and Its Effects on Government Spending and Construction Employment Summary: Michigan's Prevailing Wage Act of 1965 requires contractors to pay artificially high union wages on all state-financed projects from road repair to school construction. This study examined the performance of Michigan's economy for two 30-month periods prior to and during the law's suspension by a federal district court and found that taxpayers could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually if the law were permanently repealed. The study also reveals prevailing wage laws' negative effect on job creation in the construction industry and their discriminatory impact on black and other minority workers. 21 pages. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Sep. 2, 1999. Type: Study. Michigan Labor Law: What Every Citizen Should Know Summary: Michigan is one of the most unionized states in the country, with a long and sometimes troubled labor history that powerfully affects every citizen in the state from blue-collar factory workers to suburban soccer moms. Yet few understand how modern labor unions and state and federal labor laws operate. This study clearly and concisely explains the history of organized labor in America, how government unions affect the democratic process, how compulsory unionism interferes with workers' rights of free speech and association, and much more. Several recommendations for reform point the way toward restoring a more balanced, government-neutral approach to Michigan labor relations. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Aug. 24, 1999. Type: Study. The Impact of School Choice on School Employee Labor Unions Summary: As school choice heads for the 2000 ballot in Michigan, it is important for citizens to understand how proposals including K-12 vouchers and tuition tax credits will affect the school employee unions that exert such a powerful influence on the state’s public school system. This study examines union membership rates among Michigan’s public, charter, and private school teachers and found that while teachers in every public school district are represented by-and pay dues to-a union, only 5 out of 139 charter and 2 out of over one thousand private schools employ unionized workforces. The study concludes that school employee unions-including the Michigan Education Association and the Michigan Federation of Teachers-have powerful political and financial incentives to spend millions of dollars to prevent more parents from being able to choose non-unionized charter or private schools for their children. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Jun. 23, 1999. Type: Study. Keeping Michigan on Track A Blueprint for Governor Engler and the 90th Legislature Summary: The close of the twentieth century finds Michigan in a position that seemed impossible barely a decade ago: record low unemployment, a thriving economy, growing educational opportunities, and a sense of accomplishment and high spirits. But much can be done to make Michigan an even better place to live and work. This report's five sections offer the Governor and the Legislature 41 specific recommendations that will strengthen property rights protection, reform labor law to protect worker rights, improve education for Michigan children, spur economic growth and development, and enhance the state's transportation infrastructure. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Jan. 1, 1999. Type: Study. Paycheck Protection in Michigan Summary: The U. S. Supreme Court's 1988 landmark decision Communication Workers v. Beck established the rights of employees working under union contracts to pay only those union dues or fees necessary to cover the costs of a union's employee representation duties. However, the majority of Michigan's nearly one million union workers are unaware of their rights under the Beck decision for the simple reason that their unions neglect to inform them. This report shows how "paycheck protection" legislation would help safeguard worker Beck rights by requiring unions to obtain up-front, written approval from individual workers each year before they could spend the dues money on political or other non-workplace-related activities. The report recommends that Michigan policy makers adopt a paycheck protection proposal to help union workers enjoy their freedoms of speech and association as they refrain from involuntarily contributing money to union causes with which they disagree. Details: Match Rating: 50. Posted: Sep. 1, 1998. Type: Study. |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 12 2006, 10:07 PM Post #56 |
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Principal
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Are you saying that simply because they suggest things like outsourcing non-instructional jobs, managing health benefits better and reforming collective bargaining to restore what are typically considered management rights in their "Six Habits" report or is there something else that makes you believe that? I have not read anything about them being extremist but would like to know more. |
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| Grant1 | Mar 12 2006, 10:07 PM Post #57 |
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We have just begun to fight!
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Ummm...I don't think this is what I asked for. It is something of your opinion on how they are documenting issues and is subject to personal interpretation. |
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| Derek | Mar 12 2006, 10:17 PM Post #58 |
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Principal
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I frankly don't care what you asked for... I have been reading their anti-union spin for years and don't need to show you anything.... The PROOF is in their rhetoric and your support of it CLEARLY shows where YOU stand. Unions are responsible for many advances in workers rights in this State and this country. Non-union wages would be much lower if not for the strong Unions in this country. Unions are not some big mob infilitrated organization, rather a group of workers that seek fair and honest treatment and wages for their labor and choose to bargain collectively for this benefit. Your disdain for American workers is obvious... you should change your screen name to Mr. WalMart. |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 12 2006, 10:28 PM Post #59 |
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Principal
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Derek, Name-calling, whether to Grant1 or about the people at the Mackinac Center, is probably not going to help people to understand your views. I can tell you that I am 100% in support of the right of employees to be represented by a union. I don't see your point about the Mackinac Center either. It seems to me that they are academics and would likely represent a wide variety of policial views. You have no obligation to prove anything, but it would help everyone to understand your position on this. Nancy |
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| Administrator | Mar 12 2006, 10:30 PM Post #60 |
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Administrator
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Voters likely to decide school plan Web-posted Feb 21, 2006 Legislators expect guaranteed funding proposal to be on ballot By DAVE GROVES Of The Oakland Press Oakland County legislators on both sides of the aisle anticipate that Michigan voters, rather than state lawmakers, will determine whether public schools win guaranteed annual funding increases. Members of the K-16 Coalition for Michigan's Future are expected today to file about 300,000 petition signatures supporting such a guarantee. If and when the signatures are certified by the State Bureau of Elections, legislators will have 40 days to approve the proposal. Otherwise, its fate will rest with voters in the November general election. "I really support hearing from the people on this one," said state Rep. Paul Condino, D-Southfield. He said he has concerns about the plan's estimated $1 billion price tag and how it could come at the expense of other state programs. Still, Condino said, "I think people are able to understand the issues and make an educated decision on it." Rep. Shelley Taub, R-Bloomfield Hills, said that while public education is considered a top priority in Michigan, the notion of guaranteed funding increases has insufficient political support to win approval from the Legislature. "On the face of it, it sounds wonderful," she said. "But what it really does is tie the hands of legislators when it comes to appropriations. What will it mean we can no longer fund? The state police? Jobs programs for unemployed workers?" Brian Whiston, legislative affairs director for Oakland Schools and a key figure in the K-16 Coalition campaign, said supporters hope the Legislature will pass the proposal as written and negotiate changes that could later be approved by a simple majority in the Legislature. If voters approve the referendum, he said, any changes would require supermajority support. Whiston said he and other petition supporters had hoped lawmakers would address inadequacies of the 1994 school funding initiative called Proposal A before the coalition was forced to submit signatures. "I think there's a lot of discussion taking place but not enough action," he said. "Hopefully, this will generate more interest. Any legislation requires tuning up from time to time, and I hope they'll use this as an opportunity to tune up Proposal A." The outcome of a November referendum is difficult to predict, analysts said. The 300,000 petition signatures show considerable support. At the same time, powerful opposition is forming. Early this month, a conglomeration of Michigan business and municipal groups announced a campaign to thwart the measure. Leading the Coalition to Stop the K-16 Spending Mandate is the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which argues the plan would lead to tax increases or cuts in essential state services. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said local municipal and business organizations will likely join the opposition. "When you provide one thing a guarantee, something else has got to give," he said. "We're definitely going to be opposed to this because it pushes everybody off the plate." |
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