Texas city taxpayers front tab for firefighters’ weekend away

Texas Watchdog, an investigative journalism group based in Texas, clued us into a story of unions using taxpayer money to cover the tab for what should be funded by private dollars.

McAllen, Texas taxpayers will send four firefighters on an all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego next month for a union convention guaranteed by their contract with the city. McAllen Firefighters Association Local 2602, which represents 142 of the city’s firefighters, have done this before: they billed taxpayers more than $7,000 for the union’s 2008 convention in Las Vegas. The firefighters receive regular wages from the union’s “business leave pool,” according to the union contract. This year, the San Diego trip will be at rooms at the International Association’s “headquarters hotel,” the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, which start at $259 per night.

“I’d say it’s very generous and it’s not the norm,” said an expert on union contracts.

This may not seem like a lot. After all, $7,000 is nothing in the great scheme of things. For example, Texas is facing a budget shortfall of up to $18 billion dollars. $7,000 compared to $18,000,000,000: not much.

But perhaps that attitude is how every state in the country but three has a budget shortfall. The event is benign, and the money isn’t a lot. But is it appropriate for this trip to come out of public funds? The question is not whether the actual conference is offensive; the question is whether this is a proper use of public money.

While this is certainly not the only case of misuse of taxpayer dollars, it is important for citizens to consistent be scrutinizing these actions. This time it’s $7K for a weekend away for heroes. But next time, it may not be so small a tab and so easy to justify.

And a misuse of taxpayer funds, is a misuse of taxpayer funds.

Obama transparency update: unions exempt from rules, data guru to advise board

Today, the Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is rolling back rules proposed by the Bush administration that expanded the financial disclosure statements required of labor unions.

Critics note the rules were rolled back while the Obama administration was seeking more stringent regulation of corporate America. This is inconsistent, making some charge that the administration is giving “preferential treatment” to unions.
Besides that, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota notes that rescinding and revoking those rules makes it more difficult for union workers to see how their dues are spent. Mr. Kline said to Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis that Mr. Obama had “made it a point on a number of occasions to talk about this administration wanting to be the most transparent and open administration in our nation’s history.”

Mrs. Solis told the congressman that transparency was the goal, but the department did not want to “overburden a system where information that was previously asked for may not be of much importance or significance.” We’ve heard that before. The focus of transparency and open government is empowering citizens with information, not giving public officials an easy time.

Because the President has made a point to promise to claim he’ll have “the most open and transparent” administration in history,” several times, it is important for citizens like you and I to hold him to his promise and continue reminding him of it.

But all isn’t cloudy on Obama’s sunshine promises. Last week, President Barack Obama announced that he would be appointing Edward Tufte to the independent panel that advises the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Many people are excited about this, including the nonpolitical. Tufte is a renown information designer, which means the White House’s transparency effort may see some of that innovation we’ve been waiting for.

Union sues to stop Education Action Group’s FOIA request

The Michigan education unions have a terrible problem. You see, education unions prefer to operate in the dark, with no real oversight, and no actual transparency or accountability to the taxpayers they rely on for jobs. It’s kind of one of those deals that if everyone gets paid, nobody gets hurt.

The folks involved in the Education Action Group (EAG) think it’s high time to turn the lights on to see how tax dollars are spent in schools, how funds might be maximized, and to bring it all out in the open- teacher pay vs. union negotiator pay, contract negotiations, benefits agreements, political plays by unions… all of that juicy stuff. They’ve caused quite a scuffle, which is a good thing if you pay into the Michigan school system.

Recently, EAG filed a FOIA to obtain emails from Wayne-Westland Education Association president Nancy Strachan’s taxpayer-funded e-mail account. EAG is curious to find out the role the union is playing in a recall election of a couple of school board members that aren’t giving the union all they want, and also information on a recent illegal strike. Today, the Michigan Education Association filed a lawsuit against the school district to stop them from releasing the emails.

Filing a lawsuit to stop transparency? So predictable. Opening up school spending to parents, vendors, watchdog groups, and taxpayers? Now that’s the (high) road less traveled. Michigan Education Association, I suggest you look here for ideas.

To find out how to file Freedom of Information Requests (and really, all things FOIA), go to the WikiFOIA portal on Sunshine Review.

ALEC to EFF: Mind if we borrow that?

The American Legislators Exchange Council (ALEC) recently gave thumbs up to the Evergreen Freedom Foundation‘s model language aimed at opening up government labor negotiations to the public. The language would expand existing Open Meetings laws to include contract negotiations that include taxpayer dollars.

From ALEC’s presser:

The model bill is the latest to apply a greater degree of transparency to public meetings. While all states have some form of open public meetings laws, only 13 allow for some form of transparency for government labor negotiations. The ALEC model language would expand state open meetings laws to encompass these negotiations, which include public officials and public employees discussing public contracts funded with public money.

The suggested language also clarifies that documents exchanged during collective bargaining negotiation sessions are available for disclosure to the public. The bill recommends the establishment of a state government website to act as a clearinghouse for the public to access copies of all public-sector collective bargaining agreements.

More transparency for tax dollars- who can be against that?