NYC Opera union seeks unfair labor practice charge (AP)

NEW YORK – A union representing workers at the financially troubled New York City Opera says it will file unfair labor practice charges after the board voted to move out of the Lincoln Center and cut staff.

National Executive Director Alan Gordon said Saturday that the American Guild of Musical Artists will also consider seeking an injunction preventing the production company from continuing to use the name New York City Opera.

On Friday, the board voted to leave the Lincoln Center, cut staff across the board and scale back its performance schedule. The opera's general manager, George Steel, says the changes are necessary to keep the opera afloat and build "a foundation for sustainable growth."

The 68-year-old organization is revered as a pillar of American culture. But in recent years, it has been struggling with a dwindling endowment and a multimillion-dollar deficit.

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Palin Supports Wisconsin's Governor as Protests Continue Over Labor Law

April 16: Supporters cheer as they listen to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speak at a tax day tea party rally in Madison, Wis. (AP)

MADISON, Wis. –  Sarah Palin defended Wisconsin's governor at a tea party tax day rally Saturday, telling hundreds of supporters that his union rights law is designed to save public jobs.

Braving snow showers and a frigid wind outside the state Capitol building, the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate told tea partyers she's glad to stand with Gov. Scott Walker. Hundreds of labor supporters surrounded the rally, trying to drown Palin out with chants of "Hey-hey, ho-ho, Scott Walker has got to go!" and "Recall Walker!"

"Hey, folks! He's trying to save your jobs and your pensions!" Palin yelled into the microphone. "Your governor did the right thing and you won! Your beautiful state won! And people still have their jobs!"

Walker, a Republican, signed a bill into law last month that calls for almost all public workers to contribute more to their pensions and health care coverage, changes that amount to an average 8 percent pay cut. The plan also strips them of their right to collectively bargain on anything except wages.

Walker has said the law will help balance a $3.6 billion hole in the state budget and give local governments the flexibility they need to absorb deep cuts in state aid. Democrats, though, think Walker wants to weaken unions, one of their strongest constituencies.

Tens of thousands of people descended on the Capitol to protest nonstop for weeks against the plan and minority Democrats in the state Senate fled to Illinois to block a vote in that chamber, drawing national attention to the controversy.

Republicans eventually passed the plan without them and Walker signed the measure in early March. Democrats managed to win a temporary court order blocking the law from taking effect, but tensions are still running high over the measure.

Capitol Police estimated about 6,500 people converged on the building Saturday, but said it was impossible to tell how many were tea partyers and how many were labor supporters. The Capitol Police is a division of the Wisconsin Department of Administration, a Walker cabinet agency.

The tea partyers appeared clustered in front of the building, waving "Don't Tread on Me" flags and signs that read "Public workers

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Judge Dismisses 1 of 3 Lawsuits Challenging Wisconsin Labor Law

Associated Press

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A judge has dismissed one of three lawsuits filed challenging Wisconsin's divisive law restricting collective bargaining rights.

Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Democratic Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk saying she does not have standing to bring the action. The judge says state law forbids an agency or arm of government like a county to challenge the constitutionality of state laws.

Another lawsuit brought by the Dane County district attorney remains. In that case, Sumi blocked enactment of the law earlier this month while she considers whether state open meetings law was violated in the process of passing the bill.

A third lawsuit challenging the law pushed by Gov. Scott Walker has been brought by firefighters and other public workers.

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Labor Department Reports 382,000 Unemployment Claims Last Week

FoxNews.com

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WASHINGTON -- Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, extending a multi-week downward trend that gives hope employers will continue new hiring.

The Labor Department says the number of people seeking benefits dropped 10,000 to 382,000 in the week ending April 2. However, that 392,000 was revised upward by 4,000 from initial reports. 

Even so, benefit claim reporting for the week ending April 2 showed the third drop in claims in four weeks. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, declined to 389,500.

Applications near 375,000 are consistent with a sustained increase in hiring. Applications, which reflect the pace of layoffs, peaked during the recession at 659,000.

The number of people seeking benefits has fallen for several months. The four-week average has dropped by 28,750, or nearly 7 percent, in the past eight weeks. At the same time, businesses are stepping up hiring.

Employers added a net total of 216,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said last week, and the unemployment rate fell from 8.9 percent to 8.8 percent. Private employers added more than 200,000 jobs in both February and March, the biggest two-month gain since 2006.

The number of people collecting benefits also dropped. The total dipped slightly to 3.7 million during the week ending March 19, one week behind the applications data. That's the lowest total since October 2008. But that doesn't include millions of people receiving aid under the emergency unemployment benefit programs put in place during the recession.

Overall, 8.5 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ending March 19, the latest data available. That's down sharply from the previous week, when nearly 8.8 million people collected benefits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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