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Labor's Edge Articles by Bob Balgenorth
12/2/11
High-Speed Rail Will Restore California’s “Pioneering Spirit”
by Bob Balgenorth
“This project,” the New York Times recently reported on California’s High-Speed Rail plan, “goes to the heart of the state’s pioneering spirit, recalling grand public investments in universities, water systems, roads and parks that once defined California as the leading edge of the nation.
Then, after explaining all the benefits of better transportation, a stronger economy, a boom in employment, a cleaner environment and a higher quality of life, the Times summarized the simplistic opposition of a Republican politician who said: “It’s a boondoggle.”
There, in a nutshell, is our fight.
5/24/11
Join the Fight to Support Project Labor Agreements at the California Municipal Labor Project
by Bob Balgenorth
A new website, the California Municipal Labor Project, is proving a valuable tool to proactively advocate for Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and educate the public about their benefits to local communities, schools, and cities and counties. The website is a joint labor-management effort to counteract the attempts of extreme right-wing groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), who are attacking PLAs across the country and throughout California, in hopes of profiting from public works projects without guarantees of quality or of decent pay and benefits for workers.
A PLA is a pre-hire agreement designed to facilitate construction projects. Each PLA is negotiated and designed individually – tailored to meet the needs of a specific project owner/manager, or community. By governing and establishing work rules, pay rates, and dispute resolution processes for every worker on the project, PLAs maximize project stability, efficiency and productivity.
7/6/10
Same Old Story: Rich Republican Tycoon Against Pro-Worker Public Servant
by Bob Balgenorth
A wealthy tycoon is trying to buy her way into a statewide office against a veteran public servant with a terrific record on the issues that matter to most to working people. Would that be Meg Whitman, running against former Governor Jerry Brown? Well, yes, she fits the description.
But it’s the same story in the race for U.S. Senator from California, where rich tycoon Carly Fiorina won the Republican primary by pouring her immense personal wealth into her campaign, and who now hopes that her wealth will buy her the seat currently held by a great friend of working men and women, Senator Barbara Boxer.
3/4/10
Arnold’s Furloughs Have Flopped, Hurt Workers, Businesses, and All Californians
by Bob Balgenorth
When the national recession battered California’s tax revenues and threw the state budget hugely out of balance, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to convince us that he could solve the problem with furloughs.
The plan has been a disaster. It hasn’t saved the state money. It has been a drag on the state and ultimately worsened the budget crisis. It’s disrupted state services, and, in turn, increasingly crippled the economy, slowed the recovery, and stopped job creation—especially in the construction field.