EAST HARTFORD – The Yankee Institute launched an education campaign today to help personal care attendants fully understand their rights related to the forced unionization effort being waged by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), District 1199. “No one can be bullied into this forced unionization scheme,” said Fergus Cullen, the Yankee Institute’s Executive Director. “We are letting PCAs know that they don’t have to sign the cards.”

View the informational mailer now!

The Yankee Institute sent an informational flier to more than 6,000 personal care attendants on the list provided to Yankee by the Malloy Administration after a recent Freedom of Information Act request. Unlike the union documents, it lets PCAs know that up to $780 could be diverted from their paychecks each year in union dues and that a portion of those funds will be used for political activities they may not support.

Governor Malloy set the forced unionization process in motion in September 2011 with Executive Order No. 10, which targeted PCAs for unionization. The Yankee Institute calculated that this move will be worth between $1.4 million and $5 million in dues to SEIU, some of which will go to political activities such as, for example, supporting the Governor’s agenda. According to documents filed with the Office of Labor-Management Standards, SEIU 1199 spent $15.3 million on political activities and lobbying in 2010.

“$780 might not mean much to the Governor or SEIU, but it means a lot to hard working people in Connecticut taking care of some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Instead of being diverted for political organizing, it should be going toward groceries, utility bills, and gas. We are letting the PCAs know that they can’t be bullied into signing the card.”

The Yankee Institute has also set up a hotline for PCAs to report bullying tactics as they see them. They can call the Yankee office at 860-282-0722, e-mail us at unionfacts@yankeeinstitute.org, or visit our website on the subject, www.yankeeinstitute.org/unions

Yankee Institute Policy Brief: Connecticut’s Minimum Wage

Overview:
According to recent news reports, State Rep. Zeke Zalaski (D-Southington) will host a press conference today in which he is expected to announce a proposal to increase the state’s minimum wage. Though well intentioned, this policy option is deeply misguided and will impose yet another obstacle to job growth in Connecticut.

The minimum wage is a “significant cause of unemployment”
“Overwhelming empirical evidence has convinced most economists that the minimum wage is a significant cause of unemployment, particularly among the unskilled.

Among the beneficiaries of the minimum wage law are the more highly skilled workers who remain employed and who can command higher wage in the absence of less-skilled competition. These more highly skilled workers tend to be represented by labor unions, which, not surprisingly, tend to support increases in the minimum wage.” (Stephen A. Landsburg, Price Theory & Applications 5e. United States. South-Western Thomson Learning, 2002. Page 407)

More than 50 years of academic research on the subject has found the disemployment effects of the minimum wage
A February 1995 summary of the issue by the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress identified 105 studies that supported this conclusion. (Congress of the United States Joint Economic Committee, 50 Years of Research on the Minimum Wage. February 15, 1995. Accessed online on January 31, 2012 at http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/50years.htm)

But Connecticut’s minimum wage has been increased 32 times since 1951
Connecticut’s minimum wage was increased 30 times between 1951 and 2007 (John Moran, History of CT Minimum Wage, CT Office of Legislative Research Report. June 26, 2006. 2006-R-0410)

Public Act No. 08-92 increased the minimum wage to its current rate of $8.25 an hour. The hike was implemented in two steps, from $7.65 to $8.00 on January 1, 2009 and to $8.25 on January 1, 2010. (OLR Bill Analysis sHB5105 as amended by House “A” Accessed online on January 31, 2011 at http://cga.ct.gov/2008/BA/2008HB-05105-R010727-BA.htm)

In fact, Connecticut “has consistently enacted minimum wages that are higher than the national minimum.”
“Connecticut has consistently enacted minimums that are higher than the national minimum.” (John Moran, History of CT Minimum Wage, CT Office of Legislative Research Report. June 26, 2006. 2006-R-0410)

Since 2000, Connecticut’s minimum wage has been significantly higher than the federal minimum wage (Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2012, United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Accessed online at http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/stateMinWageHis.htm)

Many other states have not followed Connecticut’s course
Connecticut is one of 18 states with a minimum wage rate higher than the federal rate. A total of 23 states have the same minimum wage rates as the federal. There are 5 states with no state-mandated minimum wage and another 4 states with minimum wage rates set lower than the federal minimum. (Minimum Wage Laws in the States – January 1, 2012, United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Accessed online at http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm)

Conclusion: Connecticut needs to create new jobs, not kill them
Piled on top of a $1.9 billion tax increase and the adoption of a paid sick leave mandate in 2011, further tinkering with the state’s minimum wage would be another job-killing measure just as the state economy is starting to rebound.

About the Yankee Institute
The Yankee Institute is a think tank that develops and advocates free-market and private sector solutions to public policy issues to improve lives through freedom and opportunity. Founded in 1984, the Yankee Institute is located at our new office in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Yankee Institute is nonpartisan research and educational organization and is classified by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit.

The reception will begin at 6pm. Tickets are $20 per person. Click here or use the ticket form below.

The Graduate Club, located at 155 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06511, lists information on directions and parking here.

All questions should be directed to Jessica at (860) 282-0722 or jessica@yankeeinstitute.org.

About the Speaker

Steve Moore is currently a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board and focuses on economic issues, including budget, tax and monetary policy. He is the founder and former president of the Club for Growth. He was also president of the Free Enterprise Fund prior to joining the Wall Street Journal.

Steve has served as a senior economist on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, as a budget expert for the Heritage Foundation and as a senior economics fellow at the Cato Institute, where he published dozens of studies on federal and state tax and budget policy. He was a consultant to the National Economic Commission in l987, and research director for President Reagan’s Commission on Privatization.

Steve is the author of five books, most recently, “Bullish on Bush: How the Ownership Society Is Making America Richer.” He graduated from the University of Illinois and holds a masters degree in economics from George Mason University.

About the Buckley Program

The William F. Buckley, Jr. Program was founded in 2010 by a group of Yale undergraduates in order to promote intellectual diversity and expand political discourse at Yale University. To learn more about the Buckley Program, visit www.BuckleyProgram.com.

**Please note: the Stamford Sheraton is at 700 East Main Street, Stamford – it was previously on Summer Street. Use the address above for directions and maps.**

Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $20 per person and include the meal and free parking. Click here or fill out the form below to register now!

All questions should be directed to Jessica at (860) 282-0722 or jessica@yankeeinstitute.org.

About the Speaker

Carlson is a political commentator and journalist, most recently hosting his own nightly program on MSNBC, Tucker. At CNN, he hosted a number of shows, including the network’s political debate program, Crossfire. During the same period, Carlson also hosted a weekly public affairs program on PBS.A longtime writer, Carlson has reported from around the world, including dispatches from Iraq and Lebanon. He has been a columnist for New York magazine and Reader’s Digest. He currently writes for Esquire, the New York Times Magazine, and The Daily Beast. He is also a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. In 2009, Carlson co-founded the news site, TheDailyCaller.com.  His first book is entitled, Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News.

“If the list of personal care attendants is public information available to the unions, it should also be available to the Yankee Institute,”said Fergus Cullen, Executive Director or the Yankee Institute.

“This is a forced unionization scheme, and the Yankee Institute will fight it. The Malloy administration is trying to force personal care attendants into unions so its labor union allies can collect more union dues to advance its political agenda. Yankee will make sure personal care attendants are fully informed about this scheme to divert money from their paychecks into the pockets of union bosses,” Cullen said.

The text of the FOIA request, which was submitted electronically to Gov. Malloy’s General Counsel Andrew McDonald and Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick Bremby, follows:

Senator McDonald and Commissioner Bremby,

Please accept this letter as a request, pursuant to Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act, as codified in Chapter 14 of the Connecticut General Statute.

I write to request the lists of personal care attendants compiled by the Department of Social Services and the workforce council affiliated with the Governor’s Office. Specifically, I request the “approved list” the state is providing to organizations seeking to become majority representative. The list I request should include all information to be released to these other organizations: names, addresses, and all other contact information, etc.

If applicable, please inform me in advance of any costs associated with this request.

If possible, please transmit the requested in electronic format (ideally, MS Excel compatible).

If you or your staff have any questions, please feel free to reach me at fergus@yankeeinstitute.org, 860-282-0720 (w) or 603-520-5450 (m).

I would also be happy to meet with a member of staff to discuss this request.

Thank you for your assistance with this request.

Fergus Cullen
Executive Director

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ABOUT THE YANKEE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY:

The Yankee Institute is a think tank that develops and advocates free-market and private sector solutions to public policy issues. Founded in 1984, Yankee has offices in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Yankee Institute is nonpartisan research and educational organization and is classified by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit.

Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m.  Tickets are $20 per person and include the meal and free parking.

All questions should be directed to Jessica at (860) 297-4271 or jessica@yankeeinstitute.org.

Register now by click here or using the form below.

Steve will be talking about the rise of the “big government coalition” in American politics. This coalition consists of self-interested public-sector unions and government-financed community activists. He will show how this machine’s goal is always bigger government and more public spending.

About the Speaker
Steve Malanga is City Journal’s senior editor, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow, and a RealClearMarkets.com columnist. He recently authored Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer, about the bankrupting of state and local governments by a new political powerhouse led by public-sector unions. He writes about the intersection of urban economies, business communities, and public policy.  He was recently cited as one of Governor Chris Christie’s intellectual influences.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for the campaigns of candidates they oppose,” said Heath W. Fahle, the report’s author.

The Yankee Institute analysis of 2010 campaign financing data found that taxpayer dollars filled the coffers of 279 of the 419 candidates who ran for office, including 74% of all incumbents, 67% of Republicans, and 83% of Democratic candidates. At least one candidate for every state office on the ballot used public funds and 95 contests featured only taxpayer-funded candidates.

Other key facts include:
• Excluding two self-financing gubernatorial candidates, taxpayer funds made up 79% of the total spent
• Incumbents were more likely to use tax dollars to run for re-election than challengers or candidates for open seats; Democrats were more likely to use them than Republicans
• CEP paid out a total of $10.9 million, or 32%, of the total $34.5 million spent in the race for Governor
• A total of $10.9 million was spent in all General Assembly contests, including $8.4 million in public funds
• Only one legislative challenger didn’t accept taxpayer funding, took on a publicly-funded incumbent and still won – Dr. Prasad Srinivasan of Glastonbury

Fahle concluded, ‘Taxpayers probably might be surprised to learn that they paid for half of most lawn signs, bumper stickers, and mailers that they saw last year – but they did.”

The study, Government’s Thumb on the Election Scales, is the second written by Heath W. Fahle, the Institute’s Policy Director. In October 2009, he also did the first independent analysis of taxpayer-financed campaigns in Connecticut, Slanting the Playing Field.

The report is available online at http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/docs/CEP2010.pdf

Visit CTSunlight.org

Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $20 per person and include the meal and free parking. Click here or fill out the form below to register now!

About the Speaker
William Kristol is the editor of The Weekly Standard. He is also a regular panelist on Fox News Sunday, a contributor for the Fox News Channel, and a monthly columnist for the Washington Post. Before starting the Weekly Standard in 1995, Mr. Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, where he helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. Prior to that, Mr. Kristol served as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle during the first Bush Administration, and to Education Secretary William Bennett under President Reagan. Before moving to Washington in 1985, Mr. Kristol was on the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.