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
I need some sleep – BADLY!
Step one – open mouth!!!!
Blouise,
Jeff Cox – step one, insert foot; step two, start updating that resume …
Of course, in true republican fashion, Rhodes, like George and Dick who followed in their own time, was comfortably sitting in his mansion. Republican politicians aren’t exactly what one would call brave men … unless it’s women and children they’re fighting.
rafflaw,
The Teamsters were standing smack dab in front of the trucks within feet of the guardsmen.
Once again proving why you are the blog’s poet in residence, Elaine.
rafflaw,
After reading about the deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana suggesting live ammunition be used on demonstrators and watching the “Ohio” video I posted a couple of times–I was inspired to write the following:
Shoots the workers.
Let them fall.
We must quell their clarion call.
Shoot the workers.
Let them bleed.
We can’t let them spread their seed.
Shoot the workers.
Let them die.
Leave their bodies where they lie.
Shoot the workers.
We’ll find more.
Haven’t you heard, boys? This is war!
Elaine,
Excellent. No need for forensics if the truth of the conversation is stipulated. Why my day keeps getting better and better.
Blouise,
you are correct, but the kids with rocks were about 100 yars away from the Guardsmen. Madness is the only word I can come up.
rafflaw,
What I always found most interesting about that week from the end of April into the beginning of May was the change from rubber bullets to be used against Teamsters in Cleveland and live ammo to be used against students. It’s a little over an hour drive from downtown Cleveland to the KSU campus … the same troops used in Cleveland were just moved down the road a piece and then issued live ammo when they reached the campus.
Teamsters had guns … students had rocks. Made sense to republicans but not to anyone else.
Stamford Liberal,
There is that element of the union membership to consider … maybe Vito can bring Hoffa with him.
In any case, Jeff Cox is stuck with his live ammo comment … sucks to be him.
Thanks Nal! That song and the pictures make me feel young again and old, at the very same time. The 4 victims will always be remembered along with the wounded. We should also remember the kids killed at Jackson State shortly afterwards. So Sad and we still have not learned.
Blouise,
“a couple Teamsters, maybe a few Steel Workers, maybe a couple Chargers from the NFL Players Association and 1 or 2 Longshoremen can drop by Jeff Cox’s office, …”
Maybe I can call my mother’s cousin Vito 😀
—————————————————————
Elaine M,
“Read the comment I posted at 11:54 am today.”
I saw that after the fact – I’m a little slow today … too much work and not enough sleep
Elaine,
Thank you for the song. Hearing it again and seeing the pictures just shakes me up all over again. Maybe the protesters in Ohio should wear Kevlar jackets!
My copy of Ohio was ripped from a CD so, this is the best I can do:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQE1GK2ALE0&w=480&h=390]
rafflaw,
This one’s for you and Blouise:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI7-m919ynU&w=480&h=390]
Blouise,
I was feeling good and you had to go and remind me of Kent State! I was arrested shortly after Kent State at demonstrations at my campus. That whole experience haunts me to this day. It will be 41 years this May! I think it would be time for Nal to provide us with some Crosby Stills Nash and Young with “Ohio”!
From U.S. News & World Report (2/23/2011)
Public Dislikes Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s Union Busting
By ROBERT SCHLESINGER
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2011/02/23/public-dislikes-wisconsin-gov-scott-walkers-union-busting
Excerpt:
More bad polling news for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker—not to mention other conservative chief executives, like Ohio’s John Kasich and New Jersey’s Chris Christie, who seem determined to use state budget crises to smash public sector labor unions.
Gallup and USA Today issued a new poll yesterday which found broad public disapproval of the idea of stripping public unions of their collective bargaining rights. According to the survey, 61 percent of adults across the country oppose Walker plan to strip public workers of their rights (maybe people are stuck on that word—“rights,” as in something that can’t be taken away by fiat). Drilling down a bit, not only do Democrats oppose the idea overwhelmingly (18 percent in favor, 78 percent oppose), but independents line up against the idea by a 2-to-1 margin (31-62). Only Republicans like it, and that by a relatively close margin (54-41). This is the second poll released this week showing that Walker’s idea is unpopular. As I noted yesterday, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner had a survey with broadly similar results.
This is, as I said, bad news not only for Walker but for other GOP chief executives. As USA Today notes, “Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa, and other states with Republican governors are considering similar laws.” The protests made Wisconsin the national face of this anti-union blitz. Walker’s obstinacy—refusing to accept the unions’ offer to agree to his benefit cuts in exchange for leaving their bargaining rights alone—has made him the national face of Republican over-reach.
Elaine,
I don’t know if I could still fit into my bell bottom jeans, but I will give it a shot!
On a slightly more serious note … keep in mind that Republican governors in Ohio have a history … it was Gov. James Rhodes, a republican, who decided to introduce live ammunition to the KSU student demonstrators on May 4, 1970. The National Guard troops had spent just several days in Cleveland dealing with a Teamster’s strike and protecting truck movement … in Cleveland they’d been armed with rubber bullets … Rhodes made the switch when he sent them onto the KSU campus. Yeah … live ammunition ain’t new to republicans.
Nal,
The more the merrier!
😉