Labor
Alright, there wasn’t really a fire, but since we’re talking radio, I like to imagine that there was one. Dan Yorke and I had that sort of conversation, yesterday, on 630AM/99.7FM WPRO. Those who missed it or who would like to revisit something (for kind or scurrilous reasons) can stream the whole segment (about an…
Oh happy day! Patrick Crowley has endeavored to bend numbers to his purpose, once again, and as usual, he seems incognizant of the degree to which his data actually illustrates the problem that he hopes to dismiss as a paranoid fantasy. The fact that he doesn’t provide his source simplifies matters, because we needn’t be…
Did you know that the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers opposed proposals for binding arbitration? Neither did I. But hey, now that the union has dropped its opposition, we might as well move forward with the practice, right? That’s the implication of Jennifer Jordan’s online report: A change of position by one of the state’s…
If the mob of seven wins its lawsuit, it’s lights out for Rhode Island: Rhode Island’s public employee labor unions are mobilizing to file a class-action lawsuit against the state to block pension changes the legislature adopted in June to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. The executive committee of Council 94, American Federation…
Randal Edgar has a head-shaking opening to his ostensibly objective report on the outcome in the matter of the Cranston Teamsters’ argument that 20% of healthcare actually means a set dollar amount: It has long been accepted that the terms of a labor contract continue after the agreement expires but a Superior Court judge placed…
The union’s response to the Woonsocket school committee’s approved cuts — which, as Monique suggests, it hopes the judiciary will obviate — was predictable and probably wouldn’t have merited mention except for the closing words of Woonsocket Teachers Guild President Richard Dipardo: “They’ve cut all sports but track, all extra-curricular activities,” Dipardo said. “It’s just…
Mr. Crowley has been on the attack, lately, so it’s pleasant to see him turning toward attempts to actually make a case on behalf of those for whom he advocates. Yesterday, he presented some National Education Association numbers (I know, I know) thus: This first chart shows that over the last decade, teachers [across the…
Before we let his subject drift into the vague pastures of public memory, let’s join Mark Patinkin in shaking our heads at the tale of the neighbor-killer who retired in his twenties after six months of public service: You no doubt saw that Nicholas Gianquitti, 41, now serving 40 years for murdering Cranston fire lieutenant…
Tim White’s got another video of employee malfeasance with taxpayer funded time: The video shows the janitorial office at Cranston’s Western Hills Middle School from the view of a hidden camera looking down at a time clock used by school custodians to punch in and out of their shifts. The first minute and twelve seconds…
For those who need a bright light in the lazy days of a tardy summer, here are the cuts approved by the Woonsocket School Committee last night (PDF, including other documentation): All sports except track & field: $155,903 Athletic supplies: $12,750 Athletic uniforms: $9,350 Choral, class advisors 8 through 12, RI Honor Society, band, drama…