Jan. 27, 2013 By Joseph Perkins The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the national union membership rate (the percentage of wage and salary workers who are members of a union) fell to 11.3 last year from 11.8 percent the year before that. BLS also reported that actual n...
Posts Tagged ‘Joseph Perkins’California, the union stateSaturday, January 26th, 2013Gov. Brown turns attention to immigrationSaturday, January 19th, 2013Jan. 18, 2013 By Joseph Perkins California is home to nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 11 million or so illegal immigrants. So it is understandable, laudable even, that Gov. Jerry Brown intends to be a player in upcoming discussions back in Washington on comprehensive immigration reform. ... Real Culprits in CA Housing CrashFriday, January 11th, 2013Jan. 11, 2013 By Joseph Perkins As the California economy continues slowly to recover from the collapse of its once-thriving housing sector, the banking industry is trying to close its books on the financial disaster. This week, Bank of America agreed to pay Fannie Mae $11.6 billion to sett... CA strikes blow for privacy rightsSaturday, January 5th, 2013Jan. 5, 2013 By Joseph Perkins Randi Zuckerberg made news recently when a family photo she posted on her Facebook account was reposted on Twitter without her knowledge or consent. The big sis of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not amused. “Digital etiquette: always ask permission before ... Solar power fries ratepayersSaturday, December 29th, 2012Dec. 29, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Most lawmakers in Sacramento have no idea who Robert K. Merton was. But they almost certainly are familiar with terms the late great American social scientist introduced into the popular lexicon, including “unintended consequences.” An apt example of ... California encourages business flightFriday, December 21st, 2012 Dec. 21, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Employees at Chevron’s San Ramon corporate headquarters received an unexpected email yesterday. It notified them that a quarter of their jobs are being moved from California to Texas. The oil giant, the Golden State’s largest corporation, offered no detai... Much required of Democratic LegislatureFriday, December 14th, 2012Dec. 14, 2012 By Joseph Perkins I met Darrell Steinberg last week. The state Senate president pro tem said that he and his fellow Democrats recognize the awesome responsibility that comes with the supermajorities they now enjoy in both chambers of the Legislature. To which I say, facta, non... The Tobacco Settlement Bait-And-SwitchSaturday, December 8th, 2012 Dec. 08, 2012 By Joseph Perkins “California’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry has reached a successful conclusion that provides a major victory in the fight against smoking.” So said Bill Lockyer, then the state’s attorney general, back in 1999. The settlement guaranteed the st... Lawmakers seek probe of CA refineriesFriday, November 30th, 2012 Nov. 30, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Taking time out from negotiations over the fiscal cliff, a half-dozen U.S. senators asked the Justice Department this week to investigate whether “market manipulation” by California oil refineries led to the run up in gasoline prices the Golden State’s mot... Reality show hides California realityFriday, November 23rd, 2012Nov. 23, 2012 By Joseph Perkins My wife turned me on to a new reality show, “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley.” It airs on Bravo, between installments of the cable network’s “Real Housewives” franchise, which chronicles the lives of too-well-to-do ladies in places like Beverly Hills and Or... |