By Matthew Boyle, The Daily Caller

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has authorized new posters featuring first lady Michelle Obama to be placed in elevators throughout the Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C.

These new posters feature a large photo of Michelle Obama and a picture of Solis, along with a few choice quotes about Memorial Day.

“In January, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Secretary Solis to announce proposed revisions to the FMLA that will expand military family leave provisions to support caregivers,” the poster reads. “Through our work, we honor our service members, veterans and military families every day.”

The poster then quotes the first lady saying, “We all have an obligation to serve our troops and veterans as well as they’ve served us.”

http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/29

By Anna Driver and Matt Daily, Reuters

The head of New York’s state pension fund urged shareholders of Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.N) to withhold votes to re-elect two members of the natural gas producer’s board.

Chesapeake’s board is under increasing fire from investors who want to see tougher oversight of Chief Executive Officer Aubrey McClendon. The company, in the midst of governance crisis, is also struggling financially as low natural gas prices take a toll.

In a letter on Tuesday, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said withholding votes from board members V. Burns Hargis and Richard K. Davidson was a “necessary first step toward reconstituting a board that is currently entrenched and unaccountable to shareholders.”

On Friday, activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed that he had taken a 7.6 percent stake in Chesapeake and called on the company to replace at least four directors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/29

The State Journal Register

Marty Celnick, AFSCME member, is obviously quite upset by the state of affairs in Illinois, judging by his recent letter.

The question is, why? AFSCME has endlessly supported the so-called Democrats who have been running the state for years now. Pat Quinn is their guy. Politically, Quinn and AFSCME are birds of a feather.

Why bash the private sector? It is the private sector that generates the taxes that make your paycheck possible. It is private-sector businesses that were hit with a big tax increase — just like unions like. Unions have anti-trust exemptions that private companies do not. Unions are not subject to income taxes like private companies are.

http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x1898620955/Letters-Quinn-is-AFSCME-s-guy

By James Poulos, Forbes

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is poised to survive next week’s vote on his recall. If Walker’s edge holds — as the White House, for one,seems to expect — the result will mark a landmark defeat for the partisan agenda of organized labor leaders.

Yet in Louisiana, two teachers have launched a now-high-profile effortto recall Gov. Bobby Jindal. Jindal recently and enthusiasticallycampaigned for Walker, telling one Wisconsin audience that he “literally opened our legislative session quoting Gov. Walker” and urging them to “[i]magine how different our country would be if everybody we elected to represent us in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.” had Walker’s “attitude.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamespoulos/2012/05

By Joel Anderson, DC Velocity

In previous blog postings I have discussed unwarranted attacks on our industry by leftwing front groups for the labor unions who have targeted the third-party warehouse industry in Illinois, New Jersey and California.

At IWLA we felt, the campaigns were too similar in action and words to not be orchestrated from a single source. All of these attacks had two things in common: They target temporary employment in the warehouse industry as being inherently abusive, and all accuse Walmart by name of forcing third-party warehouses to resort to these abusive employment practices even when the retail giant is not one of their customers. This has made these campaigns appear like the union front groups were simply targeting warehouse operators in order to continue waging their so-far unsuccessful war on Walmart by other means.

Some readers may have thought I was being paranoid, or at the very least exaggerating the extent and aim of this conspiracy. If so, you should take a close look at an article published at the end of March by Labor Notes, which is the name of both a monthly magazine of the union movement and an organization that holds annual union organizer meetings and training conferences.

http://blogs.dcvelocity.com/policy/2012/05

By Mary Ann Spoto, NJ.com

Hundreds of thousands of retired public employees are not entitled to cost-of-living adjustments, a Superior Court judge has ruled, upholding a segment of the new pension regulations that suspend the increases indefinitely.

Friday’s ruling by Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd in Mercer County affects all current and future retirees in pension systems funded by the state, including police, firefighters, teachers, judges – and their local counterparts who are in those systems.

In changes to the state’s pension laws effective last June 28, the Legislature said current and future retirees will not get cost-of-living adjustments to their pensions until the systems reach their “target funded ratios.”

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/judge_upholds_suspension_of_pe.html

By John Gizzi, Human Events

Whether they are from such durable publications as the New York Times or international outlets such as the BBC or the French publication Le Figaro, correspondents are descending on Wisconsin for what is increasingly being billed as the “dress rehearsal for November.”

With days to go before Badger State voters decide the fate of Republican Gov. Scott Walker on June 5, the outcome of the third recall election of any governor in U.S. history is being carefully monitored for political tidal waves that could have an impact on the November elections.

Should Walker be ousted in favor of Milwaukee Mayor (and 2010 Democratic opponent) Tom Barrett, Democrats from Wisconsin to Washington, D.C. will certainly have something to cheer about.  Almost from the time he took office last year in January, former Milwaukee County Executive Walker has been a target for his successful efforts to end collective bargaining for most public sector employees and to require them to pay a greater share of their retirement and health care benefits.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=51804

By Henry Payne, National Review 

In attacking Mitt Romney’s business record, President Obama has laid claim to the high ground (in typically high-handed Obama style), lecturing that government is about more than “maximizing profits.”

“If your main argument for how to grow the economy is, ‘I knew how to make a lot of money for investors,’ then you’re missing what this job is about,” he patronized this week from the NATO summit in Chicago. “It doesn’t mean you weren’t good at private equity, but that’s not what my job is as president. My job is to take into account everybody, not just some.”

But Obama’s own record directly contradicts his statement.

The One’s first term in office has been an exercise in unfairness — favoring the politically connected few over the majority. A few highlights:

#*# In handing voter 50 percent ownership of Chrysler to his UAW campaign contributors, Obama not only stripped secured bondholders of their legal rights, but gutted — to use just one example — Indiana teachers and firefighters of their pension earnings. Fair?

http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/301031/obamanomics-few-henry-payne#

Forbes

The Department of Labor is suggestion legislation where any unemployed person, whose benefits are running out, can apply for an additional six months of benefits providing they can support a credible plan to start a new business. Is this idea good or bad for small business? Can government please stop expanding its reach and let the free markets work? From the canals of Solyndra have we not seen enough of the government playing venture capitalist and being a Bain Capital wanna be?

I think the government and the Department of Labor (DOL) play an important and vital role – providing a safety net for unemployed Americans as they transition to a new job, career or get the training required to function in a ever changing economy. Another debate can be had on the length of benefits and what conditions should be met to receive them. Today’s debate should be centered on the following: Let risk takers raise private dollars to start their own projects or new businesses; it is most efficient and only the better businesses will get funding. The national debt growth is off the charts and government spending must slow. We have record amounts of people on unemployment, with record duration on the program and it is not helping people find jobs or correct the problem.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba

By Andy Conlin, The Truth About PLAs

On Tuesday, May 22, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) continued putting bread on Big Labor’s table by issuing an administrative directive requiring the use of project labor agreements (PLAs) on five upcoming construction projects with a total estimated cost of $520 million.

As of today, the administration has not released the directive itself, or the rationale for selecting these projects, to the public for review.

Despite the lack of transparency on the specifics surrounding this directive, Gov. Abercrombie has not been shy about promoting it. On Tuesday, he held a press conference with union leaders during which he touted the directive as a job creator.

http://thetruthaboutplas.com/2012/05/29