Contributor

John Campbell

John Campbell (R-Irvine) is an Assemblyman representing the 70th District in Orange County. Mr. Campbell is the Vice-Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. He is the only CPA in the California State legislature and recently received a national award as Freshman Republican Legislator of the Year. He represents the cities of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest. He can be reached through his Assembly website and through the website for his California Senate campaign.

Sacramento’s Union Label
Just two weeks of unionized monopoly at the Legislature
by John Campbell 5/24/03

I have no problem with union members. I have no problem with unions themselves and even extensively worked with one when I was affiliated with Saturn Corporation. But many union bosses have a different agenda than the health of their members and their industry. And I have a major problem with any group that continually uses the power of government fiat to give themselves advantages or a monopoly in the marketplace.

A very small fraction of the workforce in California is unionized. But you wouldn't know that by the volume and severity of union bills running through the Legislature these days. Here is just a sampling of union-mandate bills (with their partners the trial lawyers) that have passed the Assembly in just the last 2 weeks!

AB 1141 - Requires government supervisory and management employees to join the union or pay union dues if any of the "rank and file" employees they supervise are in a union.

AB 1230 - Creates and certifies a union amongst employees of the University of California without an election if a majority of the employees have indicated by some other method that they want to join a union.

AB 274 - Forces employers to prove with a preponderance of evidence that they had reason to discipline their employee. This bill encourages workers to file lawsuits as a way to preempt an employer from taking any type of disciplinary action.

AB 1715 - Prohibits binding arbitration clauses in employment contracts (except for unions) thereby requiring court adjudication.

AB 276 - Increases penalties for administrative labor code violations by up to 500%.

AB 1506 - Requires union labor on any project funded in any part by the High Speed Rail Act.

AB 1538 - Requires construction contractors to display their name and license number on any vehicle they drive to the job site so that trial lawyers have a new "shakedown lawsuit" opportunity and unions can harass nonunion contractors.

ACR 80 - Asks the Superintendent of Public Instruction to fire the state administrator of the bankrupt Compton school district because he has refused to accept union demands for a 6% pay increase.

AB 1028 - Reinstates the $6 million/year California Apprenticeship Council which discriminates against nonunion workers and is in the process of being decertified by the US Department of Labor therefore.

AB 1281 - Further increases retirement benefits for public employees in the midst of a fiscal crisis.

AB 671 - Union-sponsored bill to allow revocation of a private security firm's license for violations of the labor code.

AB 1020 - Creates new ways to sue public water agencies and awards attorneys' fees but only to the plaintiff, not the defendant.

This is just a partial list from the last 2 weeks. Enough said.

This weekend, enjoy the holiday but take time to remember those for whom the Memorial Day Holiday was established to keep in our memories.