South Carolina legislators' rig pensions-salary scheme to far exceed normal standards

South Carolina State Senator David Thomas decries excessive government spending except when it comes to his own excessive compensation

By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY

At age 55, South Carolina state Sen. David Thomas began collecting a pension for his legislative service without leaving office.

Most workers must retire from their jobs before getting retirement benefits. But Thomas used a one-sentence law that he and his colleagues passed in 2002 to let legislators receive a taxpayer-funded pension instead of a salary after serving for 30 years.

“Taxes are too high and spending is out of control.” Every candidate for office will say these words, but no one in Congress is willing to take a stand to cut taxes and reduce government spending.  As your next representative in Washington I will work tirelessly to reduce governmental waste, fraud and abuse of your hard earned tax dollars. --- South Carolina David L. Thomas (from his Congressional campaign website)

Thomas' $32,390 annual retirement benefit — paid for the rest of his life — is more than triple the $10,400 salary he gave up. His pension exceeds the salary because of another perk: Lawmakers voted to count their expenses in the salary used to calculate their pensions.

No other South Carolina state workers get those perks.

Since January 2005, Thomas, a Republican, has made $148,435 more than a legislative salary would have paid, his financial-disclosure records show. At least four other South Carolina lawmakers are getting pensions instead of salaries, netting an extra $292,000 since 2005, records show.

Read the rest of the report from USA Today

More about how money twists the actions of South Carolina's Republican politicians
Who owns Jim Demint?
Money and clout behind the Boeing-NLRB controversy
Nikki Haley's rewards friends while spending for South Carolina's working people
South Carolina 6th worst managed state in the USA
Taxpayers foot the bill for Haley's Parisian "party"

Haley's false drug use claims about unemployed admitted

Gov. Nikki Haley admits exaggerated claims about drug use among unemployed applicants at the Department of Energy's Savannah River nuclear facility which happens to be just a few miles upstream from Allendale County, the 10th poorest county in the United States

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has admitted that she has no evidence backing her claim that half of job applicants at a local government facility flunked a drug test. She'd used the claim to push for requiring the jobless to pass a drug test to be eligible for benefits.


But the GOP rising star persists in drug testing for recipients of unemployment insurance benefits. Read the Huffington Post article.

"I so want drug testing, I so want it." Hear Nikki Haley lie about drug test results at Savannah River nuclear facility.  With less than 2% of job applicants typically failing drug tests is the Governor pandering for votes or pursuing sound fiscal management?

"I so want drug testing. I so want it," Haley tells the Lexington Rotary Club. Read our post and see the video 
South  Carolina: 4th highest for joblessness in America
Take a tour of Allendale, South Carolina, poorest county in the State just downstream from the D.O.E Savannah River site

Haley flip-flopped on HPV vaccine: South Carolina girls less likely to receive it

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) -- As the debate over Texas Gov. Rick Perry mandating the HPV vaccine continues between Republican presidential candidates, a woman whose endorsement is coveted by all them, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, has her own complicated history on the issue.

HPV virus leads to warts and can also cause deadly oral, cervical, vaginal or anal cancers.

In 2007, shortly before Perry issued an executive order requiring that schoolgirls be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, that causes most cervical cancers, Haley was throwing her support behind a similar bill in South Carolina. At the time she was in her second term as a state representative.

State Rep. Joan Brady introduced the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act in South Carolina, and the Republican corralled more than 60 legislators, including Haley, to sponsor the bill. Unlike the executive order for which Perry is taking heat, this legislative mandate did not include a provision for parents to opt out of inoculating their daughters.

Within months, fierce opposition mounted, and legislative records back up accounts from sources who recall sponsors "dropping like flies" before a unanimous vote killed the bill on April 18, 2007.

More than a dozen legislators formally requested to be removed as sponsors from the bill, but the future governor of South Carolina was not one of them.

More on HPV vaccine controvery: Rick Perry, Michele Bachman and the GOP Presidential primary race from CNN

Why South Carolina needs a pro-active effort to protect girls from killer HPV virus

South Carolina ranked 6th in nation for cancer of cervix deaths
South Carolina teen age girls more vulnerable to HIV, other STD's and teen pregnancy
Sexual assault rates higher than average in Nikki Haley's South Carolina
Gov. Haley's budget cuts threaten progress on teen birth rates in South Carolina
Cuts to S.C. medicaid program mean fewer HPV vaccination for South Carolina girls
Lack of health insurance, poor education two reasons why S.C. ranked 46th out of 50 states for health


HPV Vaccine Information For Young Women - Fact Sheet from U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Two vaccines are available to prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV) types that cause most cervical cancers. These vaccines are Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline) and Gardasil (Merck). One of the HPV vaccines, Gardasil, also prevents genital warts as well as anal, vulvar and vaginal cancers. Both vaccines are given in 3 shots over 6 months.

Why the HPV vaccine is important
Genital HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another through direct skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. Most sexually active people will get HPV at some time in their lives, though most will never even know it. HPV infection is most common in people in their late teens and early 20s. There are about 40 types of HPV that can infect the genital areas of men and women. Most HPV types cause no symptoms and go away on their own. But some types can cause cervical cancer in women and other less common cancers— like cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, and vulva (area around the opening of the vagina) and oropharynx (back of throat including base of tongue and tonsils). Other types of HPV can cause warts in the genital areas of men and women, called genital warts. Genital warts are not a life-threatening disease. But they can cause emotional stress and their treatment can be very uncomfortable. Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 women die from this disease in the U.S. About 1% of sexually active adults in the U.S. have visible genital warts at any point in time.

Which girls/women should receive HPV vaccination?
HPV vaccination is recommended with either vaccine for 11 and 12 year-old girls. It is also recommended for girls and women age 13 through 26 years of age who have not yet been vaccinated or completed the vaccine series; HPV vaccine can also be given to girls beginning at age 9 years.

Will sexually active females benefit from the vaccine?
Ideally females should get the vaccine before they become sexually active and exposed to HPV. Females who are sexually active may also benefit from the vaccine, but they may get less benefit from it. This is because they may have already gotten one or more of HPV types targeted by the vaccines. However, few sexually active young women are infected with all HPV types prevented by the vaccines, so most young women could still get protection by getting vaccinated.

Can pregnant women get the vaccine?
The vaccines are not recommended for administration to pregnant women. Although studies show that HPV vaccines do not cause problems for babies born to women who received HPV vaccination when pregnant, more research is still needed. A pregnant woman should not get any doses of either HPV vaccine until her pregnancy is completed.

Getting the HPV vaccine when pregnant is not a reason to consider ending a pregnancy. If a woman realizes that she got one or more shots of an HPV vaccine while pregnant, she should do two things:

Wait until after her pregnancy to finish the remaining HPV vaccine doses.
Call the pregnancy registry [800-986-8999 for Gardasil or 888-452-9622 for Cervarix]. These pregnancy registries help us learn more about how pregnant women respond to each of the vaccines.

Should girls and women be screened for cervical cancer before getting vaccinated?
Girls and women do not need to get an HPV test or Pap test to find out if they should get the vaccine. However it is important that women continue to be screened for cervical cancer, even after getting all 3 shots of either HPV vaccine.

Effectiveness of the HPV Vaccines
The vaccines target the HPV types that most commonly cause cervical cancer. One of the vaccines also protects against the HPV types that cause most genital warts. Both vaccines are highly effective in preventing specific HPV types and the most common health problems from HPV.

The vaccines are less effective in preventing HPV-related disease in young women who have already been exposed to one or more HPV types. That is because the vaccines can only prevent HPV before a person it is exposed to it.  HPV vaccines do not treat existing HPV infections or HPV-associated diseases.

How long does vaccine protection last?
Research suggests that vaccine protection is long-lasting. Current studies (with up to about six years of follow-up data) indicate that the vaccines are effective, with no evidence of decreasing immunity.

What does the vaccine not protect against?
The vaccines do not protect against all HPV types— so they will not prevent all cases of cervical cancer. About 30% of cervical cancers will not be prevented by the vaccines, so it will be important for women to continue getting screened for cervical cancer (regular Pap tests). Also, the vaccines do not prevent other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). So it will still be important for sexually active persons to lower their risk for other STIs.

Will girls and women be protected against HPV and related diseases, even if they don’t get all 3 doses?
It is not yet known how much protection girls and women get from receiving only one or two doses of an HPV vaccine. So it is very important that girls and women get all 3 doses.

Safety of the HPV vaccine
Both vaccines have been licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for females aged 9 through 26 years and approved by CDC as safe and effective. Both vaccines were studied in thousands of people around the world and vaccine safety continues to be monitored by CDC and the FDA. These studies showed no serious safety concerns. Common, mild adverse events reported during these studies include pain where the shot was given, fever, dizziness, and nausea.

Fainting can occur after any medical procedure, including vaccination.  Recent data suggest that fainting after any vaccination is more common in adolescents. Falls and injuries can occur after fainting. Adolescents and adults should be seated or lying down during vaccination.  Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after a vaccination can help prevent fainting and injuries.

More than 35 million doses of HPV vaccine have been distributed in the United States as of June, 2011.  Almost all doses distributed have been Gardasil.

Why is HPV vaccination only recommended for women through age 26?
HPV vaccines are licensed and recommended for females through age 26 years.  Vaccination would have the greatest benefit when administered to girls. As in trials in younger women, a clinical trial of quadrivalent vaccine in women >26 years found the vaccine to be safe. This study also showed that the vaccine was effective in women without evidence of existing or past infection with HPV vaccine types. However, the study demonstrated no protection against disease in the overall study population. Neither vaccine is licensed in the United States for use in women over the age of 26 years.  Although women over age 26 years are not recommended to receive HPV vaccination, they should have cervical cancer screening as currently recommended.

What about vaccinating boys and men?
The quadrivalent vaccine is also safe and effective for males ages 9 through 26 years. It is licensed by the FDA for prevention of anal cancer and genital warts.  Since October 2009,  the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s guidance has been that the 3-dose series of quadrivalent HPV vaccine may be given to males aged 9 through 26 years to reduce their likelihood of acquiring genital warts.   The vaccine is not routinely recommended for administration to males.

Cost and Paying for the HPV vaccine
As of July 18, 2011, the retail price of the vaccine is about $130 per dose ($390 for full series).

Is HPV vaccine covered by insurance plans?
Most health insurance plans cover the cost of vaccines, but you may want to check with your insurance provider before going to the doctor. If you don't have insurance, or if it does not cover vaccines, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program may be able to help.

How can I get help paying for HPV vaccine?
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program helps families of eligible children who might not otherwise have access to vaccines. The program provides vaccines at no cost to doctors who serve eligible children. Children younger than 19 years of age are eligible for VFC vaccines if they are Medicaid-eligible, American Indian, or Alaska Native or have no health insurance. "Underinsured" children who have health insurance that does not cover vaccination can receive VFC vaccines through Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Centers. Parents of uninsured or underinsured children who receive vaccines at no cost through the VFC Program should check with their healthcare providers about possible administration fees that might apply. These fees help providers cover the costs that result from important services like storing the vaccines and paying staff members to give vaccines to patients. However, VFC vaccines cannot be denied to an eligible child if a family can’t afford the fee.

What vaccinated girls/women need to know: will girls/women who have been vaccinated still need cervical cancer screening?
Yes, vaccinated women will still need regular cervical cancer screening (Pap tests) because the vaccines protect against most but not all HPV types that cause cervical cancer. Also, women who got the vaccine after becoming sexually active may not get the full benefit of the vaccine if they had already acquired HPV.

Other ways to prevent Cervical Cancer
Regular cervical cancer screening and follow-up can prevent most cases of cervical cancer. The Pap test can detect cell changes in the cervix before they turn into cancer. Pap tests can also detect most, but not all, cervical cancers at an early, treatable stage. Most women diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. have either never had a Pap test, or have not had a Pap test in the last 5 years. There are HPV tests that can tell if a woman has HPV on her cervix, but the HPV tests on the market should only be used to help screen women at certain ages and to help health care providers assess women with certain Pap test findings for cervical cancer. These tests can be used with the Pap test to help your doctor determine next steps in cervical cancer screening.

Are there other ways to prevent HPV?
For those who are sexually active, condoms may lower the chances of getting HPV, if used with every sex act, from start to finish. Condoms may also lower the risk of developing HPV-related diseases (genital warts and cervical cancer). But HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom—so condoms may not fully protect against HPV.

Drug tests may be required for jobless benefits if Govenor Haley has her way in South Carolina

Unemployment insurance, paid for in part by the unemployed themselves would be denied to jobless unless they pass a drug test if Governor Haley has her way. The costly program would probably weed out only 1% to 2% of applicants according to evidence. But undoubtedly it plays well with conservative voters and those who want to blame "deadbeats" rather than a depressed South Carolina economy for the problem.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) wants the jobless to pass a drug test before they can receive benefits, but she seems to have an exaggerated sense of drug use among the unemployed.

"I so want drug testing. I so want it," Haley said during a Thursday question-and-answer session at the Lexington Rotary Club. She noted that the government had to make sure it would be feasible: "We have to make sure this works. We have to see what the return is on it. And, we have to see federally and legally if we can do it."

Haley said scads of job applicants flunked a drug test at the Savannah River Site, a nuclear reservation along the Savannah River.

"Down on River Site, they were hiring a few hundred people, and when we sat down and talked to them -- this was back before the campaign -- when we sat down and talked to them, they said of everybody they interviewed, half of them failed a drug test..."

SAVANNAH RIVER EMPLOYER MAKES CLEAR HALEY'S EXAGGERATION OF DRUG USE AMONG JOBLESS

Jim Giusti, a spokesman for the Department of Energy, which owns the River Site, told HuffPost he had no idea what Haley was talking about with regard to applicants flunking a drug test.

"Half the people who applied for a job last year or year 2009 did not fail the drug test," Giusti said. "At the peak of hiring under the Recovery Act we had less than 1 percent of those hired test positive."

The River Site doesn't even test applicants. "We only test them when they have been accepted," Giusti said.

A spokesman for Gov. Haley did not respond to requests for comment.

The unemployment rate in South Carolina, which recently trimmed benefits for the jobless, is 10.9 percent.

NO STATE DENIES BENEFITS TO THE UNEMPLOYED BASED ON A DRUG TEST

According to the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group, no state has ever instituted mandatory drug tests for the jobless to receive unemployment benefits, though Wisconsin and Indiana have passed laws that disqualify the jobless from benefits if they fail a prospective employer's drug test.

HALEY POLICY WOULD DELAY TIMELY DELIVERY OF UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION BENEFITS: WOULD VIOLATE FEDERAL LAW

"The process of referring claimants to drug tests would delay timely delivery of benefits required by federal law," said NELP senior staff attorney George Wentworth in an email. "Administration of state unemployment insurance laws is federally funded but the federal government will only subsidize reasonable administrative costs. Sending hundreds of thousands of South Carolina citizens who have just lost their jobs off to a laboratory so that their state government will be satisfied they are not drug abusers is not a cost that the federal government would or should pay, and it would violate federal unemployment law to make unemployed workers pay for the test."

Read the unabridged article from the Huffington Post


Learn more about poverty and joblessness in South Carolina
Could South Carolina's poorly performing public schools be a factor in the State's high unemployment?
Senator Jim Demint: unemployment insurance just makes the jobless lazy
South Carolina unemployment 4th highest in the U.S.A.
South Carolina 12th poorest State in America

Nikki Haley's European vacation: lots of perks but "vague" results.

European vacation or legitimate business? Haley's fiscal priorities under fire as summer 'jobs' trip detailed
BY RENEE DUDLEY, Post and Courier

Monday, September 5, 2011

Gov. Nikki Haley's weeklong trip to Europe in June in search of "jobs, jobs, jobs" cost South Carolinians more than $127,000. But the Governor and her entourage of more than two dozen returned without any finished deals to bring new employers to the Palmetto State.

"It was a great party," according to South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt seen here with Governor Nikki Haley

Haley, who captured the Governor's office preaching fiscal restraint, spent the cash so she, her husband (Michael Haley a U.S. Department of the Army federal employee) and the rest of the state's contingent could stay in five-star hotels; sip cocktails at the Paris Ritz; dine on what an invitation touted as "delicious French cuisine" at a swanky rooftop restaurant; and rub elbows with the U.S. Ambassador to France at his official residence near the French presidential palace.

The South Carolina group also threw a soiree at the Hotel de Talleyrand, a historic Parisian townhouse where they feted foreign employers in hopes they'd set up shop in South Carolina. The Department of Commerce billed the $25,000 event as a "networking opportunity for members of the South Carolina delegation."

"It was a great party," Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said in an interview last week.

Read the rest of the Post and Courier article about Governor Haley's European vacation
Big salary increases for Gov. Haley's friends while cutting budget for the rest of the State
Gov. Haley's attack on South Carolina's elderly


Latest update: Haley, Hitt claim upcoming jobs from their European junket

Demint and South Carolina Republicans put their State at severe financial risk with their extreme debt-ceiling stance

If the credit agencies downgrade U.S. debt, South Carolinians and all Americans will see their interest rates increase and more will be forced to do business with the many legal loan shark operations like this one on the outskirts of Spartanburg, that line South Carolina's roadsides.

Senator Jim Demint, the self-proclaimed Tea Party senator has stood fast to oppose raising the U.S. debt ceiling unless Congress passes a balanced budget amendment to the 50 State legislatures in just two days. He has been joined by the five Congressional Republicans that represent his State in support of the so-called Cut, Cap and Balance legislation and additional stonewalling strategies that have caused credit rating agencies such as Moody's to threaten downgrading  the country's current AAA credit rating.

Debt ceiling debacle poses greater fiscal risk to South Carolina than for other states
What is often not reported however, is that it the debt ceiling crisis also threatens the financial health of individual states that for one reason or another are highly dependent on Federal spending.

Because South Carolina is an "above average" recipient of funds for Medicaid and Federal procurement contracts, Moody's has threatened to downgrade their credit rating along with that of the Federal government if the risk to US solvency is determined to increase.

Logical Consequences, Illogical South Carolina Politicans
In one of the poorest states in the country (which explains its need for high levels of Medicaid funding), with some of the most egregious social problems that include the nation's highest violent crime rate, enormous public health problems and poor education a credit downgrade will result in immediate increased borrowing costs. Given the budget slashing passions of Govenor Nikki Haley and the conservative regime that runs her State, this will likely mean more budget cuts and more misery for South Carolina residents.

In this WSPA Channel 7 report a state official explains that South Carolina's high poverty rate makes it vulnerable for a credit downgrade if US credit is downgraded as well.

Its impossible to see how Cut, Cap and Balance is a anything but an effort to crash South Carolina's already fragile economy. It is nearly impossible to understand how the elected representatives of South Carolina can take such extreme positions in light of their State's financial vulnerability.

Who benefits from an economic strategy that is destined to cause so much pain to so many people?
Koch Brothers: generous Demint funders even when he faces no real campaign opposition
Big Boeing money goes to Senator Demint and South Carolina congressional Republicans
Demint evades blame in U.S. debt downgrade

Additional reading
Read Moody's report on South Carolina's possible credit down grade.
Read Washington Post report on South Carolina Republican congressional delegation's refusal to compromise
Read Associated Press report on how Jim Demint pulls the strings behind the right's inflexible approach to the debt ceiling debate.
Investors journal: South Carolina 6th worst run American state
South Carolina legislators pad income with excessive pension and salary scheme

South Carolina public schools among worst in US but Nikki Haley rejects spending $105 million of state surplus on education

Govenor Nikki Haley will veto South Carolina budget surplus for education even when the State's public schools perform worse than nearly any other schools in the Nation.

South Carolina public schools are among the worst in America. 

With 75% of students non-proficient and public high school drop out rate of 59% (46th in the Nation) the young people of South Carolina find themselves at a serious competitive disadvantage not just for the jobs of the future but those of the present.

Yet South Carolina Govenor Nikki Haley claims she wants to return the State's current budget surplus to taxpayers rather than invest it in South Carolina's suffering schools that will lay off teachers if they fail to get financial relief.

Haley's economic development strategy: money for corporate subsidies and a cheap, non-union labor force

Apparently, Nikki Haley would rather invest in huge corporate subsidies like the $900 million the State gave Boeing in order to lure its new airplane plant to Charleston rather than in South Carolina's children. The conservative formula is an uneducated work force remains a cheap and compliant workforce.

Get the facts: neglect of South Carolina Schools means low wages
Senator Demint and South Carolina Congressman Clyburn clash over money for education
Is poor sex education responsible for high rates of teen pregnancies, HIV and STDs in South Carolina?

5th in the US for stroke deaths, South Carolina may also rank high for memory impairment

High infant mortality is not a thing of the past in South Carolina. The State currently ranks 6th highest in the Nation for infant deaths according to the US Census. Its time to take a stand on behalf of Russell Dill, buried in a neglected Spartanburg, SC cemetary and all past and present victims of failed conservative health policies.

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Along with residents of other States in the stroke belt (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Texas and Missouri) all of which happen to dominated by conservative "Red" politics, South Carolinians may also be suffering from increased rates of mental impairment and other forms of cognitive decline. For details read the New York Times Article here.

With 53.34 deaths per hundred thousand, South Carolina ranks 5th in the US for stroke deaths according to the statistics furnished by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).


South Carolina 8th most obese state in the USA
In a related story, South Carolina ranks 8th in the US for obesity. With nearly 31% of the population suffering from a health problem that translates into heart disease, diabetes and many other serious and expensive problems.


In fact South Carolina is:
No. 7 in the U.S. for diabetes.
No. 10 in the U.S. for high blood pressure (hypertension)
No. 30 in the U.S. for physical exercise
Source


South Carolinians need health insurance and health education to help with high incidences of stroke, HIV and other health problems
South Carolina ranks 13th from the bottom in the number of people with health insurance (US Census).

So why would South Carolina conservatives like Jim Demint and Nikki Haley trash "Obamacare", consider privatizing the State health insurance exchange and endorse huge cuts to Medicaid under those circumstances?


Poor health: a fact of life in Jim Demint's South Carolina
South Carolina teen pregnancies, HIV and AIDS
Elderly and dying face Medicaid cuts in South Carolina
Senator Demint trashes Medicare
More on South Carolina's uninsured

Shared sacrifice in South Carolina? Not while Nikki Haley is there to cut the State budget and reward her friends with big salary increases

With high unemployment, violent crime and some of the Nation's worst poverty bound to get worse under her draconian budget cuts, South Carolina's Governor Nikki Haley rewards GOP elites, campaign supporters and staffers with big salary increases. This in a state where the median household income is a meager $39,316 (2005) 41st in the United States.

By Jody Barr, WIS

Haley's highest-paid staffer is her chief of staff, Tim Pearson, who rakes in $125,000 a year. Pearson also ran Haley's gubernatorial campaign.

Pearson isn't not the only Haley campaign worker to follow her into the governor's office. Haley's campaign consultant, Trey Walker, is also now on the state payroll as Haley's deputy chief of staff, earning $122,000 a year.

Haley and her spokesman, Rob Godfrey, have denied several requests for interviews to defend the increases our investigation uncovered. Late Thursday, however, Walker agreed to explain the governor's salary increases on camera.


Read more about Govenor Haley's Good Old Boy system.


South Carolina pays for Gov. Haley's European vacation, "vague" results on jobs and trade
Legislators rig South Carolina pension-salary deals in their favor

SC governor's low wage policy: keep unions out of the State

South Carolina Gov.-elect Nikki Haley says her new Cabinet pick to run the state's labor agency will lead efforts to fight unions, particularly at Boeing's new North Charleston plant.

Does a low wage anti-union policy bring prosperity? So far South Carolina's aggressive anti-labor stance has left it far behind states where organized labor is stronger. It won't work in Jim Demint and Nikki Haley's South Carolina and it won't work anywhere else in the country.

By JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. —
South Carolina Gov.-elect Nikki Haley says her new Cabinet pick to run the state's labor agency will lead efforts to fight unions, particularly at Boeing's new North Charleston plant.

Haley said Wednesday the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation will play a big role in keeping unions out of the Boeing Co. plant that assembles the company's new 787 Dreamliner. Haley notes director nominee Catherine Templeton, a lawyer who has specialized in union fights, has fought United Auto Worker organizing attempts.

Read the rest of the AP article from the Seattle Times