News List

Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today called on Senate Democratic leaders to hold a hearing on the nomination of Service Employees International Union Associate General Counsel Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. Becker was nominated to the post in July; his nomination and others are expected to receive a vote by the Healt... Read more »

Responding to today’s announcement from the White House that 250,000 education-related jobs have been saved or created as a result of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee’s top Republican, Rep. John Kline (R-MN), issued the following statement: “Once again, the Obama Administration’s promises are not matching economic reality. Even a... Read more »

Picking up where we left off last week with the list of 10 more reasons the so-called Employee Free Choice Act must fail is an obvious indicator of legislative doom: The act has drawn the ire of elected officials on both sides of the political divide. Although the act’s supporters don’t highlight this fact, it’s not just Republicans opposing EFCA. More than a few Democrats oppose the job-killing b... Read more »

As we pointed out yesterday, there’s plenty of opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. So who has been pressuring lawmakers to keep it alive in Congress? Mostly, the heads of some of the nation’s largest labor unions. They have a lot riding on EFCA, especially their future as a major force in Washington. Bloomberg News columnist Albert R. Hunt laid it all out recently in The New York Times her... Read more »

Dear Secretary Duncan: The individuals charged with operating and overseeing our nation’s schools bear a tremendous responsibility. Our teachers and principals on the front lines and the public servants in the nation’s capital have been entrusted with shaping and influencing the lives of the next generation. As a parent and a grandparent, I expect these individuals to demonstrate sound judgment a... Read more »

Don’t even think about installing card check in California. Or for that matter, just about anywhere else. States from coast to coast have been actively working to thwart the Employee Free Choice Act or state versions of the bill that’s now sitting in Congress. One of the more recent blows happened in the Golden State. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed – for the fourth time – a card check proposal ... Read more »

Sen. Sherrod Brown is not happy with a “compromise” version of the Employee Free Choice Act – and he’s one of the act’s key negotiators. This says a lot about EFCA’s so-called compromise even though details haven’t been officially announced yet. The Ohio Democrat admitted his dissatisfaction with EFCA – and the bill’s chances – to The Hill recently here: “In an interview with The Hill, Brown said ... Read more »

For an Administration that talks a good game about transparency, recent actions by the U.S. Department of Labor certainly don’t inspire much hope about citizens’ – especially workers’ – right to information. Late last week, the Department issued a modest, six sentence notification to Congress announcing plans to rescind a series of changes made to enhance union disclosure. Issued on a Friday befor... Read more »

This hearing is about how the federal government works with all institutions of higher education to ensure that the student eligibility requirements for federal student aid outlined in the Higher Education Act are being met. I understand that there is significant history on this topic before us and I look forward to hearing more about GAO’s study and the oversight measures that are being taken to ... Read more »

Kicking off the countdown of 10 more reasons the so-called Employee Free Choice Act must fail is a look at why – when it comes to jobs and workers’ rights – there can be no compromise. With EFCA seemingly stalled in the Senate, supporters have been suggesting “compromises” to the bill – including dropping its dreaded “card check” provision. But as several observers have pointed out, these “comprom... Read more »