Pensions

• Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to Step Down
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   Nation   |   January 29, 2013
• After serving for all four years of the president's first term, LaHood is departing at a key time of transition in the transportation community.

• Collective Bargaining Likely to be a Big Issue in Legislatures This Year
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   January 28, 2013
• The AFL-CIO, a federation of labor unions, expect at least 20 states to consider some type of restriction on payroll deductions of union dues by public employers as well as restrictions to the bargaining process.

• Striking New York City Bus Drivers See a Threat to Their Culture
• Source: New York Times   |   New York City   |   January 28, 2013
• The strike, which has shut down roughly 5,000 of the city’s 7,700 school bus routes, is expected to continue this week, though the drivers’ union and the school bus companies had agreed to meet with a mediator.

• Can You Run a Government on $9.90 an Hour?
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   January 28, 2013
• There are signs that the pendulum is swinging away from the anti-public-employee rhetoric of recent years. That's good for governments and for the people they serve.
• 8 Comments

• Bucking Trend, Traditional Pensions Back in Discussion in Alaska
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   Alaska   |   January 25, 2013
• A bill before the Alaska legislature would put defined benefits for state employees back in play after pension reform in the state cut out the option.
• 2 Comments

• Kansas City Joins States, Cities with Chief Innovation Officers
• BY: Government Technology   |   Kansas City, Mo.   |   January 25, 2013
• The list of Chief Innovation Officers in public agencies is growing, as evidenced by appointments at the state and local levels -- Maryland, Massachusetts, San Francisco and Philadelphia, to name a few.

• What Darwin Can Teach Government
• BY: Emily Malina,Kara Shuler   |   January 24, 2013
• 'Positive deviants' within a workforce can be the key to solving tough problems.
• 6 Comments

• Public Union Membership Drops Again in 2012
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   January 24, 2013
• While a few states increased their union membership last year, the states where unions suffered recent political defeats saw a decline.
• 1 Comments

• Local Sheriffs Wage War with Obama over Guns
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Georgia   |   January 23, 2013
• Some 60 sheriffs from across the country have written or signed similar letters that they will not enforce any gun control laws they deem unconstitutional.
• 8 Comments

• Virtual Interns Help Solve an Agency’s Workforce Needs
• BY: Brian Heaton   |   January 22, 2013
• Instead of losing college students when they return to school, one agency has turned to technology to keep those interns year-round.

• Wisconsin's Controversial Collective Bargaining Law Upheld
• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   January 22, 2013
• A federal court of appeals upheld Wisconsin's law repealing most collective bargaining for most public employees, handing a victory to Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans who put the law in place amid tumult two years ago.

• Gov. Christie to Get Police Union's Support
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   January 22, 2013
• The Port Authority’s police union, which endorsed former Gov. Jon Corzine when Gov. Chris Christie challenged him four years ago, will endorse the New Jersey governor.

• Rahm Emanuel Urges Cities to Divert Pension Funds from Gun Makers
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Chicago   |   January 21, 2013
• Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he was asking all city pension funds -- and mayors across the country -- to examine whether they have investments in assault weapons manufacturers and sellers as the first step toward getting them to divest any such holdings.
• 1 Comments

• Student Outcomes to Factor into Tennessee School Leader's Evaluations
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   January 21, 2013
• The Metro school board is planning to overhaul the way it evaluates the director of schools’ performance annually to also include student outcomes. The change comes as the state is in the middle of its second year of teacher evaluations that factor in students’ test scores and growth.

• U.S. Judge Throws Out Right-to-Work Suit Seeking to Overturn Indiana Law
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   January 18, 2013
• A federal judge threw out a union’s lawsuit seeking to overturn Indiana’s “right to work” law, saying such a challenge should remain at the state level.