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Government Unions Attack Free-Market Nonprofits via Pension Funds
Union Watch ^ | 04/08/2014 | Ed Ring

Posted on 04/09/2014 3:12:40 PM PDT by Rusty0604

As reported in a Washington Examiner editorial on April 4th, the American Federation of Teachers – that’s “teachers union” in plain English – has circulated a pamphlet that:

“Calls on pension fund trustees to drop any investment managers that are tainted by connection to free-market nonprofits. They also want those same trustees to force any potential new managers to have to disclose any donations they may have made to the groups on AFT’s blacklist.”

That the AFT can circulate a document like this without generating an uproar in the media reflects a monstrous and tragic double-standard. Money supporting “free-market non-profits” is tainted, which – not entirely logically – also taints any analysis they may produce, or policies they may advocate. But the money supporting public sector unions, involuntarily and automatically taken from their paychecks, ultimately funded by taxpayers, is pristine. Whatever analysis or policies they come up with, including “blacklists,” are beyond criticism.

What the AFT just did may be more explicit than usual, but it’s nothing new. In states like California, politically dominated by public sector unions, almost no businessperson or financial professional is going to identify themselves as supporting a free-market candidate or free-market nonprofit that dares criticize public sector unions or question the sustainability of public sector pensions. They risk retaliatory legislation, official harassment, strikes or “slowdowns,” character assassination, sit-ins and other orchestrated protests, shareholder revolts and boycotts. And if they represent a sufficient threat, their partners, customers, investors and vendors will get similar treatment.

(Excerpt) Read more at unionwatch.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS:
I went to a meeting where an investor from CALPERS was a speaker. He was talking about how they are such big investors that they can influence the makeup of a Board, they can invest in socially conscience companies, etc., because if they lose money the retirees will still get their promised benefits as the gov't (taxpayers) are legally bound to pay up.
1 posted on 04/09/2014 3:12:40 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604

Did you post that in the Comments of this article?


2 posted on 04/09/2014 3:25:22 PM PDT by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods.)
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To: goodnesswins

If you are referring to my comment, that was my personal experience. I worked for (not a member) a public employee union for several years. It was like working for the mafia.


3 posted on 04/09/2014 3:33:06 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604
Unions are Communist organizations.

Public employee unions should be illegal, and membership in the same should be a crime punished by loss of citizenship.

4 posted on 04/09/2014 3:47:48 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: Navy Patriot

They detest taxpayers, especially Republican ones. Their sole purpose is to get Democrats elected, because in turn Democrats will approve any demands the unions make and raise taxes to pay for them.


5 posted on 04/09/2014 4:03:35 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604

And this is exactly who I hold Gov. Walker up as such a great example of how to fight these twerps.

What he did, and the union behavior thereafter, is EXACTLY what woke up countless people I know who other wise never paid attention to how the unions roll.

Unions are the ultimate dirtbag bullies.


6 posted on 04/09/2014 4:13:21 PM PDT by AllAmericanGirl44
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To: Rusty0604
They detest taxpayers,...

Seems they do, because they impoverish 'em a fast as possible, then whine when their third world poverty creation crashes around 'em.

7 posted on 04/09/2014 4:17:09 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: goodnesswins

Looks like their pension fund will eventually tank


8 posted on 04/09/2014 4:22:45 PM PDT by ronnie raygun
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