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Union Busting in Wisconsin


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Seems that one of the newly elected governor of Wisconsin first moves is to attempt to bust the various public employee unions under the guise of fiscal constraint.

I could understand going to the unions in hard economic times and saying things like you need to contribute a little more to your pension plan or that we need to switch from a defined benefit program, or that you need to pay a little bit more for your medical insurance. That is at least a reasonable and even understanable negotiating position.

But he went a helluva lot farther than that. He basically has proposed eliminating the collective bargaining process. He wants to restrict collective bargaining only to salaries and to further restrict salary increases only to inflation - effectively killing collective bargaining.

Strangely, he is only "restricting" collective bargaining to those public employee unions that did not endorse him in the last election. Seems police state troopers and firefighters all keep their rights.

Seems he wants to privatize as much of the state's services as possible including prisons. ONly in america can incarcerating criminals be a profit center.

Now, Madison wisconsin looks like Cairo. thousands of protestors peacefully protesting and refusing to leave.

the republicans are doing a great job of exploiting the economic conditions (that they had a huge hand in creating in the first place) to impose some of their more extreme ideological beleifs in the guise of combatting the financial crisis. Interestingly they seem to think that the "mandate" they were given to reduce spending and create jobs, means crushing unions, losing public sector jobs and reducing government revenue as much as possible.

My My, what fascinating times.

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The Republicans dislike ANYTHING that allows the people to "dictate" to employers. Profits are all they care about, and they don't care who gets hurt in the hunt for those profits. Look at all the things the GOP proposed budget cuts back on: Anything that helps the little guy.

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Yep...they also won the Super Bowl with collective bargaining!

This is no big deal....there is no shortage of labour strife in American history.

Its no big deal if he loses this fight.

If he wins it becomes a very big deal. You'll see this in every republican controlled state.

Busting the unions has massive political implications. Have you watched the coverage on FOX? Seems these unions are nothing but greedy bums out to destroy the country, why they're almost un-american!!

The implications are indeed scary.

Since Citizens united, There is huge money on the left - e.g. the oil billionaires et al. pouring money into Rove's various enterprises, but the only big money on the left is unions. Busting the unions, would clear the field. consider the implications of that in this era of "big money elections".

all hail the Koch brothers!

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Its no big deal if he loses this fight.

If he wins it becomes a very big deal. You'll see this in every republican controlled state.

So what...Republicans are elected too. No kidding.

Busting the unions has massive political implications. Have you watched the coverage on FOX? Seems these unions are nothing but greedy bums out to destroy the country, why they're almost un-american!!

Union membership is way down...look what happened to GM and Chrysler. The states can just go bankrupt and vacate all the pension obigations if they wish.

The implications are indeed scary.

How can it be scary in Canada?

Since Citizens united, There is huge money on the left - e.g. the oil billionaires et al. pouring money into Rove's various enterprises, but the only big money on the left is unions. Busting the unions, would clear the field. consider the implications of that in this era of "big money elections".

You forgot the trial lawyers.

Edited by bush_cheney2004
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So what...Republicans are elected too. No kidding.

Union membership is way down...look what happened to GM and Chrysler. The states can just go bankrupt and vacate all the pension obigations if they wish.

How can it be scary in Canada?

You forgot the trial lawyers.

I would suspect this Bush/Cheney creature is a right-to-work advocate.

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Firing the greedy air traffic controllers did not hurt Reagan's chances for re-election.

Scott Walker should do the same.

After all, how can a parent trust his/her child in the care of a liar, who calls in sick, but walk the picket line and yells inane slogans?

Teaching is not a "JOB". It is a calling, a devotion, a dedication to the future of children and the country. If a 'teacher' can not make it on merit, if he/she needs a union thug bargaining on his/her behalf, he/she should not be a teacher. Furthermore, there should be no tenure for teachers on any level of education. Unless the country wants a generation of appropriately named Generation-X who sign their name with the twenty-forth letter of the alphabet because the so-called teachers failed to teach them anything else.

Edited by Yukon Jack
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Firing the greedy air traffic controllers did not hurt Reagan's chances for re-election.

Scott Walker should do the same.

After all, how can a parent trust his/her child in the care of a liar, who calls in sick, but walk the picket line and yells inane slogans?

After all in most civilized countries collective bargining and freedom of association and expression are basic human rights.

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Firing the greedy air traffic controllers did not hurt Reagan's chances for re-election.

Scott Walker should do the same.

After all, how can a parent trust his/her child in the care of a liar, who calls in sick, but walk the picket line and yells inane slogans?

Yah those Greedy Unions. Wait one minute, Wisconsin’s equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office — stated that Wisconsin is not in need of austerity proposals, and that the current budget shortfall is a direct result of the tax cut policies Walker put in place during his first days in office. Oh gotcha tax cuts for millionaires that is what you are for. Not for balanced budgets but tax cuts for millionaires.

Walker can't do math. No wonder he spent 4 years in collage but then dropped out because it was to hard for him. He has a rock for a brain.

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I hear they started the recall of 8 republican senators today so I guess if they can get the signatures these Unions just have to keep the fight up for another 2 months than the Dems will control the Senate.

And I hear that 14 Wisconsin State Democratic Senators (perhaps in a sudden attack of decency) decided that fleeing the state was easier than voting honestly.

Edited by Yukon Jack
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Public sector unions need to have their collective bargaining ended. Theyre not the same as private sector union which operate under the same economic realities that the rest of us operate under. Theyre basically monopolies.

It's about time they came to an end. People have seen huge rises on their property taxes year after year. And in some cases lost their homes. All because these freeloaders don't want to pay for their health benefits and pensions like the rest of us do. It's pretty disgusting, especially in these economic times. That's why the vast majority of the public us on the side of Crisitie, Cuomo, Brown, and now Walker.

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Public sector unions need to have their collective bargaining ended. Theyre not the same as private sector union which operate under the same economic realities that the rest of us operate under. Theyre basically monopolies.

It's about time they came to an end. People have seen huge rises on their property taxes year after year. And in some cases lost their homes. All because these freeloaders don't want to pay for their health benefits and pensions like the rest of us do. It's pretty disgusting, especially in these economic times. That's why the vast majority of the public us on the side of Crisitie, Cuomo, Brown, and now Walker.

You are misinformed about property taxes. Your complaint rests with your city council. By the way your anti-union rant shows your animus and a small mind.

Edited by pinko
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And I hear that 14 Wisconsin State Democratic Senators (perhaps in a sudden attack of decency) decided that fleeing the state was easier than voting honestly.

Yeah I know tough isn't it? When the minority gets in the way of the majority wants?

You'll have to ask the GOP if setting the Record for filibusters last year was awesome or not.

BTW just for the record the previous Dem left the state with projected SURPLUS this year and rocks for brains Walker got into office and created an emergency. There is a run down of how it went down on the award winning talkingpointsmemo.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/dems-closed-much-larger-budget-shortfall-in-wisconsin-without-destroying-worker-rights.php?ref=fpblg

Edited by punked
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Yeah I know tough isn't it? When the minority gets in the way of the majority wants?

You'll have to ask the GOP if setting the Record for filibusters last year was awesome or not.

Kind of like the 6-10% minority of gays getting in the way of the majority regarding just about every existing social value?

Or for that matter the 12-18% of all workers who are unionized?

Edited by Yukon Jack
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