Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
There’s been a lot going on in Wisconsin in the past week. I hope most Americans are aware of the reason why so many Wisconsinites have converged on the state capital to hold demonstrations.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, claims that the state is in financial trouble. He’s asking teachers, plow drivers, janitors, nurses, garbage collectors, and other public sector workers to contribute more to their pensions and to pay a larger amount of their health premiums. It appears many of those workers are willing to negotiate with the governor and to consider having more money taken out of their paychecks for their pensions and health insurance. What those employees are not willing to do is relinquish their right to collective bargaining.
I can understand why Governor Walker is asking public employees to have more deductions taken from their paychecks during these fiscally difficult times. What I question is his budget-repair bill that would strip public employees of their right to collective bargaining. If the governor believes that taking away that right will help with the state budget shortfall, why isn’t he demanding that police, firefighters, and state troopers give up their right to collective bargaining too? Could it be political payback? Does that sound like a possibility to you?
Here is an excerpt from an article that Todd Richmond wrote for Bloomberg:
Walker has introduced a bill that would strip public employees across the board — from teachers to snowplow drivers — of their right to collectively bargain for sick leave, vacation, even the hours they work. But absolutely nothing would change for local police, fire departments and the State Patrol.
The bill smacks of political favoritism for public safety unions that supported Walker’s election bid last year and sets up new haves and have-nots in Wisconsin government, said Paul Secunda, a Marquette University professor who specializes in labor law.
“That’s called ‘thank you, I got your back,'” Secunda said. “There’s no surprise there. This is the worst type of favoritism there could be.”
Well, Wisconsin firefighters are showing their solidarity with their fellow public employees. There’s a post at Mother Jones about an interview that Uptake’s Oliver Dykstra had with Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin. (Mother Jones also posted a video of the interview.)
Here are some of the highlights of that interview—which I’ve taken from Mother Jones:
- “The reason that we are here is because it’s important that labor sticks together. There was a message from the governor’s office to conquer and divide…collective bargaining is not just for us, police and fire, it’s good for all involved. It’s a middle-class upbringing.”
- “When firefighters see an emergency, one thing we do is respond. And we see an emergency in the house of labor, so that’s why we’re here.”
- “Every day, if you notice, we lead the AFSCME employees, the SEIU employees, all the public sector employees into the building, because we are here to fight with them.”
- “Collective bargaining is not about union rights; it’s about rights of workers…We ask Gov. Walker to come back and negotiate with the people, negotiatie with the state workers’ unions, and get things worked out, as opposed to just putting out this bill and we don’t hear from him again.”
- “Us as firefighters, we have been exempted from this bill…There’s a 5.8 percent pay into the pension, there’s a 12.4 percent pay into the health care premium benefits…For the betterment of the government, for the betterment of the state, we don’t mind helping to pay for that. We don’t want to price ourselves out of a job. Ever. What we want to do is have a fair and equitable treatment among our members.”
I have great respect for the Wisconsin firefighters who are supporting their fellow public employees—even though they have nothing to gain politically or financially by doing so.
“We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” ~Benjamin Franklin
Sources
Gov. Walker needs to come up with some new justifications.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/22/wisconsin-pension-fund-among-healthiest-us_n_826709.html
Tennessee teachers fight bill to end collective bargaining
By Reuters (2/21/2011)
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/tennessee-teachers-fight-bill-to-end-collective-bargaining/
Excerpt:
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – A Tennessee teachers group is calling a Republican-backed state bill that would end collective bargaining an “attack” on teachers’ rights.
“We don’t view this as education reform. It’s an attack on the rights of teachers to have a voice regarding their working conditions, which are also the learning conditions of students,” said Alexei Smirnov, spokesman for the 52,000-member Tennessee Education Association, which represents 92 state school districts.
The Republican-dominated Tennessee Senate Education Committee voted last week to deny Tennessee teachers the right to negotiate their working conditions with boards of education across the state through collective bargaining.
lol.
Damn that Stewart! Beat me to the punch again! (Buddha Shakes Fist at Sky) But then again, he has a team of writers and I’m just one guy.
Sure, Bob. It’ll probably be tomorrow though. Cooking for company tonight. Teriyaki chicken.
it just seems to me there is something wrong with government employees having the ability to collectively bargain. And I have not seen a proper justification written here for collective bargaining.
Bromides about the middle class are not arguments in favor.
What do they need to bargain for? They receive cost of living raises (at least during good times) and have a certain number of days off and a certain number of sick days and health care and retirement.
The union isn’t even protesting the reduction in pay nor the additional amount of retirement expected from each worker. So exactly what is the union doing? And why is collective bargaining so important to them? It seems to me it isn’t doing anything at this point to help the state employees.
“A union without collective bargaining is just a bunch of people hanging about”
… with matching T-shirts — Jon Stewart.
Hey Buddha,
I’m looking for a few good articles that are keeping score on all the instances in which Obama is treating the constitution like a urinal puck; as well as those instances are specific approvals of the Bush policies he said were deplorable.
Could you email me what you’ve got?
Sam in Sheboygan:
Was that a serious question? Why are judges so intransigent about ruling on cases? Why are taxi drivers so intransigent about collecting their fares? Why are you so intransigent about eating each day?
Gyges,
It would be nice if I could spell “statement” correctly!
A union without collective bargaining is just a bunch of people hanging about.
Gyges,
To add to your correct statemen. Collective bargaining is how the middle class was built and the reason why we have 5 day work weeks and benefits, etc. Without it, the gap between the wealthy and the poor would be even greater than it is now.
“Because it’s
athe necessary tool of the Union to do its job?.”Sam,
Because it’s a necessary tool of the Union to do its job?
Elaine M:
Why is the union so intransigent on the collective bargaining?
Elaine,
Walker has no intention on negotiating anything with the unions or anyone else for that matter. His power grab is not only losing the battle, he is seeing people in the streets in several other capitals. Maybe this anti-union power grab will be the catalyst for progressives to hit the streets on even more issues in the near future.
Sam,
Why not put any of the blame for the demonstrations on Gov. Walker? The unions have already said that they’d be willing to pay more into their pensions and for their health insurance. What they are asking for now is to be allowed to keep their right to bargain collectively. But Walker refuses to budge on that issue.
Mike Spindell:
I am not against unions or collective bargaining for private sector employees. It is their right to do so.
I think government employees should be treated fairly but they should not have the ability to shut down a sector(s) because they think they need more money or don’t have enough holidays, etc. People depend on their services and so there is much room for abuse.
Someone send Blouise a Blackberry so that she can give us on the spot reports from the front line!! Way to go Blouise.
Sam,
With all due respect, your suggestion for a citizen vote on pay raises is ludicrous. Not only cumbersome and super expensive, it still strips workers of the right to collective bargaining. Mr. Walker tried this same power play when he was on the County Board and he lost that battle and his attempt to kill the unions cost the County thousands. He is just trying to repeat his unsuccessful performance in Madison.
Elaine M:
it also probably had something to do with the anti-Semitism of the time. I am pretty sure you can change that statement of Roosevelt’s not being thrilled with immigrants to not being thrilled with Jews.
No supporting data but a hunch.
Tex, Thanks so much for the update, Blouise is one helluva’ gal and it’s a joy to have her posting on this blog.
Elaine M:
I don’t agree with anything FDR did, from the New Deal to the Japanese internment to turning the Jews away. But that doesn’t mean you cant agree with him on his sentiment about government unions and for the same reasons.
As I said above let the tax payers vote on pay raises for government employees, we pay their salaries. Since they vote, that seems fair. People might even be willing to give them cost of living raises. I know I would if they were reasonable and in line with what a commensurate private sector position provided.
I really don’t see how you can differentiate between federal and state workers, the principle is the same.