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
15.2% of the work force in Wisconsin is unionized.
http://www.bls.gov/ro5/unionwi.pdf
how many are government employees?
293,000 plus or minus includes both state and local government.
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/bb/07bb/pdf/740-777.pdf
overall population around 5.6 million
Wisconsin employment around 2.8 million
% of population – about 5%
% of working population – 10%
Therefore about 5% of the non-government work force is unionized.
So I am not sure why you all think there is going to be some sort of pro-union euphoria busting out all over.
Basically what it means is that 10 people are supporting 1 person.
Swarthmore mom,
I wasn’t with the drummers per se … I was noise deprived so one of the protesters found me a noisemaker … it was payback for vowing never to date a drummer!
I could have gone to Cleveland where Obama was speaking but then I would have had to be … well, you know … polite.
Sam,
A lot of people who “work hard and are worth a shit” aren’t always treated fairly…don’t have safe working conditions…are discriminated against in the workplace. Not all people view collective bargaining from their tiny little corner of the world. They understand that not all bosses and employers are created equal. They understand that there are times when it’s necessary for some employees to unite with fellow workers in order to negotiate as a group for better/safer working conditions, better pay, better benefits.
Unfortunately, not all hard-working folks are as fortunate as you.
http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/in-austin-crowds-rally-against-immigration-proposals-1274044.html Welcome back Blouise. There are protesters in Austin playing musical instruments, too. Saw your drummers on the news. Keep up the good work.
Buddha is Laughing:
“Because when more than one person asks, you are more likely to get what you ask for.
The concept of collective bargaining is not that difficult to grasp unless you are being purposefully obtuse.”
I understand collective bargaining, but maybe people who actually work hard and are worth a shit dont need collective bargaining. I hope that isnt to “obtuse” for you.
I think I missed this post at Think Progress a few days ago:
Koch Industries Slashed WI Jobs, Helped Elect Scott Walker, Now Orchestrating Pro-Walker Protest
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/18/business-teaparty-wisconsin/
Excerpt:
Koch Industries was one of the biggest contributors to Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, funneling $43,000 over the course of last year. In return, Koch front groups are closely guiding the Walker agenda. The American Legislative Exchange Council, another Koch-funded group, advised Walker and the GOP legislature on its anti-labor legislation and its first corporate tax cuts.
According to the EPA, Koch businesses are huge polluters, emitting thousands of pounds of toxic pollutants. As soon as he got into office Walker started cutting environmental regulations and appointed a Republican known for her disregard for environmental regulations to lead the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, Walker has stated his opposition to clean energy jobs policies that might draw workers away from Koch-owned interests.
Moreover, other organizers for the pro-Walker protest are from groups associated with corporate and Koch interests. American Majority, a Virginia-based front group founded by organizers funded by millionaire investor Howie Rich, is on the ground contacting Wisconsin Tea Parties to support Walker in Madison. Austin James, an American Majority official who was caught teaching Tea Party members to spam Amazon.com profiles of liberal books with negative comments, is the contact for the Facebook page organizing the pro-Walker protest. Eric O’Keefe, a longtime conservative operative who helps lead American Majority, attends Koch strategy meetings.
UPDATE Koch’s Americans for Prosperity group has launched a new website and petition called http://www.standwithwalker.com. The new site attacks all collective bargaining, not just for public sector unions. Koch’s front group also declares: “In fact, every state should adopt Governor Scott Walker’s common sense reforms.”
All hail Blouise!
🙂
Blouise,
Excellent reporting from the ground! Keep fighting the good fight, lady! 😀
And whats really going on:
Nice speech, but a poor definition of ‘middle class’
Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 2:18 AM
By Paul Mulshine/The Star Ledger
Christie on state program spending, pension reform and tax rebates
The governor’s heart may be in the right place, but his hand is still in your wallet.
I was thinking of you, dear reader, as I listened yesterday to Chris Christie work up to what was supposed to be the high point of his budget speech, a plan to cut public employee benefits and return the money to homeowners as property tax relief:
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2011/02/live_from_the_christie_budget.html
Another guy who is full of himself and when he sites my Governor as some beacon of light,reminds me why I don’t watch his show in the first place:Joe Scaborough
For the first time since Gallup began polling the issue in the 1930s, a majority of Americans believe that unions harm the U.S. economy. More broadly, Gallup reported that fewer than half of Americans approve of labor unions. That negative rating is all the more damning because it comes in the middle of an economic downturn—a time when union support should be at its highest. During the Great Depression, Gallup found 72 percent of Americans approved of unions.
And while union supporters try to expand their base by arguing that their efforts help raise the wages of all workers, that message is not getting through. Gallup’s Work and Education Survey found that 62 percent of those asked believe that labor unions hurt workers who are not members. Only 29 percent see any benefit to non-union workers. That is probably why so few Americans told Gallup that they wanted to see unions have more influence in the future.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49911.html#ixzz1EmYMERNB
Ms.B:
I knew you were missing here but I knew you were in action elsewhere, as LK said:
“Blouise, You go girl!”
And your partner in crime:
“Tex did a great job of giving us a status update, bless his heart.”
Bonnie and Clyde of activist.:=)
Blouise, You go girl! Thank you for your report and kudos for your support for the movement. It’s good to hear that the protestors know what they are in for and have been planning for it.
Tex did a great job of giving us a status update, bless his heart.
Doors opened like magic huh? Reminds me of a lyric fragment from an old Roger Miller song:
“I know … every lock that ain’t locked
When no one’s around.”
A woman of many skills you are. Welcome back. 🙂
From Huffington Post (2/22/2011)
Wisconsin’s Pension Fund Among Nation’s Healthiest
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/22/wisconsin-pension-fund-among-healthiest-us_n_826709.html
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON — While Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has painted a dire picture of his state’s pension obligations, Wisconsin’s pension fund for public employees is among the nation’s strongest, according to a report by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.
The Pew report, issued last year, concluded that Wisconsin is a “national leader in managing its long-term liabilities for both pension and retiree health care.” Walker has cited the fund’s lack of sustainability as grounds for his plan to revoke collective bargaining rights for state employees, but that proposal has sparked outrage among state employees and drawn tens of thousands of protesters to the state’s capitol.
“We’re going to ask our state and local workers … to pay a little bit more, to sacrifice, to help to balance this budget,” Walker said in a Sunday interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, adding that he would be forced to lay off 5,000 to 6,000 state employees if his budget plan was not approved, as well as a comparable number of local public employees.
But the Wisconsin pension fund is simply not in fiscal trouble. Its managers weren’t burned by subprime mortgage assets or mortgage-backed securities as the housing bubble collapsed. The fund also relies on an automated dividend system, which pays out benefits in years the system is making gains while restricting payouts in years when it takes losses. And while the pension fund had a rough year during 2008 due to stock market losses, it remains robust, both in terms of fundamental financial stability and in comparison to other state pension programs.
According to the Pew study, Wisconsin had about $77 billion in total pension liabilities in 2008. But according to that same Pew study, those liabilities were 99.67 percent “funded,” giving Wisconsin one of the four-highest of such ratios in the nation. Other states had funding ratios as low as 54 percent. For comparison, expert analysts and the Government Accountability Office consider an 80 percent level to be a good benchmark for pension fund stability, while Fitch Ratings considers 70 percent adequate.
From Think Progress (2/22/2011)
Koch Industries Front Group Americans For Prosperity Launches Ad To Support Walker’s Union Busting
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/22/koch-ads-walker/
Excerpt:
As ThinkProgress has reported, the global conglomerate Koch Industries not only helped elect Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), but is the leading force orchestrating his union-busting campaign. Koch gave Walker over $43,000 in direct donations and its allies aired millions of dollars worth of attack ads against his Democratic opponent. Then, Koch political operatives pressured Walker to crush labor unions as one of his first priorities. Tim Phillips, a former lobbying partner to Jack Abramoff and current president of Americans for Prosperity, a front financed by David Koch, told the New York Times that Koch operatives “had worked behind the scenes to try to encourage a union showdown.” A Koch-financed front group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, has prepped Wisconsin GOP lawmakers with anti-labor legislative ideas.
Today, the Koch group Americans for Prosperity announced that it will air an ad smearing the protesters in Madison and calling on the state to support Walker’s power grab. As we noted on Friday, Koch has demanded that collective bargaining rights be curtailed for both private and public sector unions, a step beyond Walker’s already extreme move. The ad disparages the pro-labor protesters for allegedly bringing in “out of state political protesters.” In fact, the small pro-Walker demonstration orchestrated by Koch operatives last Saturday included a number of out of state conservative activists, including Herman Cain (from Georgia), Jim Hoft (from Missouri), and Phillips (from Virginia).
From Democracy Now (2/22/2011)
Matt Taibbi: “Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail?”
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/22/matt_taibbi_why_isnt_wall_street
Excerpt:
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to Matt Taibbi. But before I do, let me read a sentence from a recent paper by Dean Baker, who concludes, “Most of the pension shortfall using the current methodology is attributable to the plunge in the stock market in the years 2007-2009. If pension funds had earned returns just equal to the interest rate on 30-year Treasury bonds in the three years since 2007, their assets would be more than $850 billion greater than they are today.”
And this—he quotes David Cay Johnston of tax.com: “The average Wisconsin pension is $24,500 a year, which is hardly lavish. But what is stunning is that 15% of the money contributed to the fund each year is going to Wall Street in fees,” which is why we now ask the question, “Why isn’t Wall Street in jail?”
Actually, that’s the title of reporter Matt Taibbi’s new article for Rolling Stone magazine. In the piece, Matt writes, quote, “Nobody goes to jail. This is the mantra of the financial-crisis era, one that saw virtually every major bank and financial company on Wall Street embroiled in obscene criminal scandals that impoverished millions and collectively destroyed hundreds of billions, in fact, trillions of dollars of the world’s wealth.”
Well, I interviewed Matt Taibbi on Sunday about his report. Now I want to play an excerpt of our discussion.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re seeing these mass protests in Madison, Wisconsin, and there’s other protests that are happening. We see the working poor, the middle class, under tremendous stress, and yet they’re the ones who are being hit hardest, not Wall Street. Explain what has happened. Why isn’t Wall Street in jail?
MATT TAIBBI: Well, it’s an incredible story. I mean, just to back up and provide some context, I think, for this Wisconsin thing, and especially for the Ohio thing, given what their governor used to do for a living—
AMY GOODMAN: Explain.
MATT TAIBBI: Well, he was an employee for Lehman Brothers, and he was—
AMY GOODMAN: This is Governor Kasich.
MATT TAIBBI: Governor Kasich, yeah, and he was intimately involved with selling—getting the state of Ohio’s pension fund to invest in Lehman Brothers and buy mortgage-backed securities. And of course they lost all that money. And this, broadly, was really what the mortgage bubble and the financial crisis was all about. It was essentially a gigantic criminal fraud scheme where all the banks were taking mismarked mortgage-backed securities, very, very dangerous, toxic subprime loans, they were chopping them up and then packaging them as AAA-rated investments, and then selling them to state pension funds, to insurance companies, to Chinese banks and Dutch banks and Icelandic banks. And, of course, these things were blowing up, and all those funds were going broke. But what they’re doing now is they’re blaming the people who were collecting these pensions—they’re blaming the workers, they’re blaming the firemen, they’re blaming the policemen—whereas, in reality, they were actually the victims of this fraud scheme. And the only reason that people aren’t angrier about this, I think, is because they don’t really understand what happened. If these were car companies that had sold a trillion dollars’ worth of defective cars to the citizens of the United States, there would be riots right now. But these were mortgage-backed securities, it’s complicated, people don’t understand it, and they’re only now, I think, beginning to realize that they were defrauded.
From Bloomberg (2/23/2011)
Koch Funneled $1.2 Million to Elect Governors Battling Unions
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-23/koch-funneled-1-2-million-to-elect-governors-battling-unions.html
Excerpt:
Koch Industries Inc. and its employees and subsidiaries spent $1.2 million in the last election helping to elect Republican governors who are now trying to take away bargaining rights of state workers.
Republicans Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio, who won election last November with Koch support, are pushing to limit the ability of public-employee unions to negotiate for salaries and benefits. Senate Democrats in Wisconsin walked out in protest, preventing a quorum in the Republican-controlled chamber.
Protests in Ohio and Wisconsin spread yesterday as organized labor planned rallies, vigils and press conferences in at least 27 states. Workers in Indiana protested a proposal by Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican elected in 2008, to curb collective bargaining and House Democrats stayed away from the chamber, blocking action. The Koch-backed advocacy group Americans for Prosperity joined a rally, set up a website and launched an advertising campaign backing Wisconsin’s Walker.
“This is a very well-financed, well-coordinated assault on labor unions,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the Washington-based advocacy group Public Citizen. “If they can break the backs of organized labor, they will have accomplished a great deal toward deregulating the American society.”
Blouise,
It will be a long fight, but the boots on the ground in Wisconsin and Ohio and Indiana and Tennessee are a great start! See you tomorrow.
Buddha Is Laughing,
Not anecdotal … in fact part of the overall strategy and already well in play.
This isn’t some T.V. reality show … this is real life and these people know their livelihood is being threatened for nothing more than political gain. You don’t fool around with people’s lives like that and expect them to cower in the corner.
rafflaw,
Unlike Kasich and his Republican/corporate/teabagging supporters, these people are not playing politics. They are serious and have made serious and well thought out plans. Everyone is prepared for a long battle.
Blouise,
Most excellent job at being the blog “gal on the ground”. And encouraging news about the teabaggers getting a clue as to what they were doing to rank and file Americans. Is that anecdotal evidence or is that a noticeable trend the union organizers were seeing?