As we struggle to get in our tax returns before the April 15 deadline, it's worth considering Big Labor's impact on state and federal taxation. Private sector union membership is dropping dramatically, and union bosses have now turned to federal and state governments to make up the difference. In 2009, more unionized workers were employed in the public sector than by private employers for the first time in history. As a result of these trends, union bosses are more committed than ever to big government and higher taxes to expand the available pool of dues-paying public sector union members. To quote the National Institute for Labor Relations Research:

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On Tuesday, the Obama Administration implemented a new policy -- initiated by an early executive order signed by President Obama -- encouraging federal agencies to adopt so-called "project labor agreements" (PLAs) on large-scale federal construction projects.

Some of the typical conditions demanded by unions in PLAs include monopoly bargaining, forced dues and fees for all “represented” workers, exclusive union hiring halls, and inflexible union work rules which strictly separate job functions into exclusive union jurisdictions based on craft.

The Wall Street Journal strongly criticized the new policy, which effectively discriminates against the 85 percent of all construction workers who are not under union monopoly control. Moreover,

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New Obama Administration Contracting Policy "Nothing More Than Payback" to Big Labor So-called "project labor agreements" discriminate against the 85 percent of construction workers who have opted against unionization

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Here's an update on the case of Sean Beightol, a veteran Miami chemistry teacher denied access to private counsel at a school disciplinary hearing.

Although union members are allowed to consult with advisers from the United Teachers of Dade (UTD) union during similar proceedings, school administrators prevented Beightol from bringing an adviser from his voluntary teacher association to the meeting, a clear-cut case of workplace discrimination against nonunion teachers.

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Right to Work President Mark Mix appeared on The Frank Beckmann Show in Detroit yesterday to discuss the Foundation's legal program and why Michigan would benefit from a Right to Work law. Click here to listen or use the embedded player below:

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In Stranglehold, Reed Larson
reveals the astonishing story of how organized labor has acquired incredible, hidden power over local, state, and national government in America.

The results of this power grab include:

• Higher taxes on businesses and families

• Bloated bureaucracies increasingly obstructing the everyday lives
  of Americans and job-producing businesses

• Control of our schools by radical union chiefs rather than parents, taxpayers, and classroom teachers.

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Jackson, MI (April 8, 2010) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, four local workers have agreed to a settlement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 164 union after union officials obstructed their attempts to opt-out of certain union dues.

Michael Vetrovec, Robert Harris, Ken Low, and Larry Kunk are employed by Perfection Associates L.L.C. in Jackson, Michigan. All four workers objected to Teamster membership and attempted to opt-out of paying full union dues last summer.

Because Michigan lacks a Right to Work law, employees can be forced to pay certain union dues as a condition of employment. However, the Foundation-won Supreme Court decision Communication Workers v. Beck guarantees the right of workers to opt-out of forced dues intended for purposes other than workplace bargaining, such as lobbying, political activism, and members-only activities.

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The National Right to Work Foundation has submitted formal comments opposing proposed rule changes that would dramatically undermine union transparency at the Obama Department of Labor (DoL). The full comments can be found here, but the long and short of it is that the Obama DoL is proposing two major changes to union disclosure under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) of 1959:

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Labor Board Announces Prosecution of SEIU Union Bosses for Illegal Union Membership Opt-Out Policy Illegal union procedure forces nursing home workers to pay full union dues

Princeton, WV (April 6, 2010) – The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina has issued a federal complaint against a local union for maintaining an “annual objection” policy designed to force nursing home workers into full union dues payments against their will.

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Today, Craig Becker - Associate General Counsel for the AFL-CIO and radical SEIU - officially took his seat on the National Labor Relations Board. For a rundown of Craig Becker's controversial recess appointment to the NLRB, listen to these two recent radio interviews featuring National Right to Work President Mark Mix.

First, Mark Mix sat down with nationally-syndicated radio host Lars Larson for a short primer on Becker's forced unionism agenda. Click here to listen or use the emebedded player below:

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Take it with a grain of salt, but some Big Labor activists appear to be nervous about “Democrat defections” on the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill. The liberal Huffington Post quotes a union lobbyist as saying:

Taking the secret ballot away from workers so they can be identified, pressured and coerced into forming a union is a primary goal of the union bosses, but don’t forget — it isn’t the only goal.

Big Labor has let the cat out of the bag. Their strategy is simple — get supporters to vote to move the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill to the floor of the Senate and they will get a free pass if they oppose the measure. Why?

The Oklahoman newspaper takes aim at the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill:

How does Big Labor plan to pass the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill through the Senate? With threats, coercion and intimidation.

Was the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, built four years late and $350 million over budget, a payoff to Big Labor lobbyists? A Washington Times commentary by former U.S. Department of Labor senior counselor Nick Geale provides some insight.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has a choice to make. He can stand with the workers of his state, or the union bosses. It’s that simple.

Another union boss of the besieged Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is under federal scrutiny.

From ground zero in Big Labor country — Detroit, Michigan — the Detroit News demands that Congress save the secret ballot: