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More ALEC News

The Two Faces of Janus: The Billionaires Behind the Supreme Court Case Poised to Dismantle Public Sector Unions

The Roman god Janus was known for having two faces. It is a fitting name for the U.S. Supreme Court case scheduled for oral arguments February 26, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31, that could deal a devastating blow to public-sector unions and workers nationwide.

In the past decade, a small group of people working for deep-pocketed corporate interests, conservative think tanks and right-wing foundations have bankrolled a series of lawsuits to end what they call "forced unionization." They say they fight in the name of "free speech," "worker rights" and "workplace freedom." Read the rest of this item here.

Arizona "Ground Zero" for Koch Attack on Public Education

The annual Koch donors summit took place at the five-star Indian Wells Resort and Spa in the California desert at the end of January. The millionaires and billionaires called to the posh resort from all parts of America by the Koch brothers pledged $100,000 or more for a $400 million effort to keep the U.S. House and Senate in Republican hands in 2018.

At the same time, the donors pledged to go to war with parents and teachers in Arizona who are fighting to block the state's massive school voucher expansion. Read the rest of this item here.

The ALEC Emperor's New Clothes

ALEC named Republican North Carolina state representative Jason Saine its new national chairman late last year.

Saine, who took office in 2011, has co-sponsored many bills held dear to ALEC, including those on charter schools, limits to speech on campus, a constitutional convention and federal preemption of state and local rules governing fracking.

For pushing the ALEC agenda, Saine was awarded the 2014 ALEC "Legislator of the Year," an award that seems to be a requirement for its top post. Read the rest of this item here.

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-<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/01/21/railroads-fund-alec/ Why Are Railroads Funding ALEC?]</h3>
+<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/02/24/Janus-v-AFSCME-union-lawsuit The Two Faces of Janus: The Billionaires Behind the Supreme Court Case Poised to Dismantle Public Sector Unions]</h3>
-Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors on state laws that govern your rights. By looking at the [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ALEC_Task_Forces task forces] on which ALEC corporate members sit, it is not difficult to determine some of the corporate interests putting forth "model" bills, but four railroads are also part of ALEC: CSX, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Gennese & Wyoming, and Norfolk Southern.
+The Roman god Janus was known for having two faces. It is a fitting name for the U.S. Supreme Court case scheduled for oral arguments February 26, ''Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31'', that could deal a [http://inthesetimes.com/article/20119/the-public-sector-on-trial-janus devastating blow] to public-sector unions and workers nationwide.
-Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/01/21/railroads-fund-alec/ here].
+In the past decade, a small group of people working for deep-pocketed corporate interests, conservative think tanks and right-wing foundations have bankrolled a series of lawsuits to end what they call "forced unionization." They say they fight in the name of "free speech," "worker rights" and "workplace freedom." Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/02/24/Janus-v-AFSCME-union-lawsuit here].
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-<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/12/20/influence-watch-website-launched-berman-alec-heartland-copy-cmds-sourcewatch-org-site/ 'Influence Watch' Launched: Copies CMDs' Sourcewatch.org Site]</h3>
+<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/02/08/arizona-ground-zero-koch-attack-public-education/ Arizona "Ground Zero" for Koch Attack on Public Education]</h3>
-The [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Capital_Research_Center Capital Research Center] (CRC), a right-wing opposition research group with deep ties to PR spin doctor Richard Berman and bankrolled by the $800 million Bradley Foundation, launched an "Encyclopedia of the Left" inspired by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD)'s Sourcewatch.org this month called [https://www.influencewatch.org/ Influence Watch].
+The annual Koch donors summit took place at the five-star Indian Wells Resort and Spa in the California desert at the end of January. The millionaires and billionaires called to the posh resort from all parts of America by the Koch brothers pledged $100,000 or more for a $400 million effort to keep the U.S. House and Senate in Republican hands in 2018.
-CRC "conceived of this project after identifying a need for more fact-based, accurate descriptions of all of the various influencers of public policy issues," says the website, but internal documents from the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation tell a different story.
+At the same time, the donors pledged to go to war with parents and teachers in Arizona who are fighting to block the state's massive school voucher expansion. Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/02/08/arizona-ground-zero-koch-attack-public-education/ here].
+----
+<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/01/29/alec-emperors-new-clothes/ The ALEC Emperor's New Clothes]</h3>
-Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/12/20/influence-watch-website-launched-berman-alec-heartland-copy-cmds-sourcewatch-org-site/ here].
+ALEC named Republican North Carolina state representative Jason Saine its [http://nsjonline.com/article/2017/12/saine-tapped-to-chair-alec/ new national chairman] late last year.
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-<h3>[https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/12/08/alec-gives-top-award-to-legislator-jailed-for-trying-to-sneak-loaded-gun-on-a-plane/ ALEC Gives Top Award to Legislator Jailed for Trying to Sneak Loaded Gun on a Plane]</h3>
-Colorado State Representative Lori Saine (R-63) arrived a little later than expected to this week’s American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) States & Nation Policy Summit in Nashville, but she had a great excuse.
+Saine, who took office in 2011, has co-sponsored many bills held dear to ALEC, including those on charter schools, limits to speech on campus, a [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/12/06/alec-backs-extreme-climate-denial-constitutional-rewrite-corporate-wish-list-nashville-summit/ constitutional convention] and federal preemption of state and local rules [https://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/11/13173/fracking-special-interests-spent-big-2016-elections governing fracking].
-Saine was arrested Wednesday at the Denver International Airport for trying to bring a loaded semi-automatic handgun through security. Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/12/08/alec-gives-top-award-to-legislator-jailed-for-trying-to-sneak-loaded-gun-on-a-plane/ here].
+For pushing the ALEC agenda, Saine was awarded the 2014 ALEC "[https://www.alec.org/press-release/rep-jason-saine-awarded-legislator-year-american-legislative-exchange-council/ Legislator of the Year]," an award that seems to be a requirement for its top post. Read the rest of this item [https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/01/29/alec-emperors-new-clothes/ here].
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