The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Repeat after me "Unions protect workers"

    By Flavius on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 1:13pm |

    Polls seem to show that the unions are winning the PR war over collective bargaining by public service employees. No thanks to the media.

    Joe Lunchpail probably dislikes Obama and thinks the Government's spending too much  on Welfare. But he knows how things work on the shop floor. Where the boss says the day ends when he says it ends, And only pays as much as he's forced to by the law or the contract.

    As to the law, Joe may not follow politics that closely but he knows what the Republicans think about regulation. 

    As for collective bargaining  well here's Daniel Disalvo yesterday on All Things Considered ...............

    ..."in so far as collective bargaining processes negotiate work rules, they can induce rigidities into the way that government employees carry out their jobs on a day-to-day basis. And this can stifle innovation and, in the long run make government less efficient...."

    Translation DiSalvo into English:

    "my way or the highway"             

    So when the Republicans say they're against regulation. And Scott Walker wants to end collective bargaining. Joe gets it.

    No thanks to the media where the accepted narrative is that Wisconsin Republicans just want to dry up union contributions to the Democrats. But Joe knows it the same old, same old. Just another employer trying to screw him out of his overtime.

    Comments

    Unions protect workers, better than Corporate CEO's


    by Resistance on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 2:52pm

    They're a lot better than nothing.

    Workers have 3 alternatives: protection by regulation, protection by the unions or accepting the wages and working conditions in the current favorite underdeveloped dictatorship.That famous pot of cash american CEO's are hording ain't gonna go into bricks and mortar here. Not  when Thailand's a fraction of the cost. 


    by Flavius on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 4:50pm

    To state the obvious:

    Repubs are for regulating drug traffic unless that traffic involves the parmaceutical companies.

    Repubs are for regulating medical care for those without funds, for women who seek reproductive freedom, for men who seek to purchase rubbers.

    Repubs are for regulating access and egress to certain communities by those who are  guilty of linguring with intent to loiter.

    Repubs are for regulating prayer in public places, not banning it. That is, the prayer must be sanctioned by the proper religious group.

    And I have not even discussed the repercussions of a vacuum, that is when the government does not regulate the corporations do regulate:

    The corps regulate how much poison is in your drinking water.

    The corps regulate how much poison is in your air.

    The corps regulate what documents are necessary to complete a transaction involving land.

    repubs love regulation!!!


    by Richard Day on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 4:41pm

    I stand corrected.


    by Flavius on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 4:52pm

    Looks like there is some kind of action in WI. At least according to this twitter feed.

    http://twitter.com/jenayres

    Looks like things are going to take a turn in SOME direction.


    by kgb999 on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 8:20pm

    I was discussing Wisconsin with a friend last nite when I hit upon something unexpectedly.

    • First, there was a surplus of cash in the Wisconsin budget that disappeared when the new governor gave away tax incentives to the business sector.
    • Second, union activity, especially the teacher's union, was singled out as costing the state too much taxpayer money. So the governor had to resort to draconian measures in order to meet the state's debt obligations. And we all know what those measures were so no need to repeat them.
    • Third, teacher's and staff are being presented with pseudo-pink slips of the demise of their institutions if the state Democrats refuse to tow the governor's line.

    Of course the good governor created the problem out of thin air. Odd that the legislator's had no say in how he disbursed those funds to the business sector creating the budget crisis in the first place. Anyway, from that point forward, the teacher's union has been in the governor's cross-hairs which got me thinking why. Then it hit me.

    Privitize the school system.

    What better way to fix the budget shortfall! Sell off the state educational assets for a tidy sum to keep the state afloat for a couple of years and be rid of them. And the state can reduce the public's tax burden by cutting back on the taxes necessary for running it. And the taxes saved by the individual can be used to pay for their childrens education so the move wouldn't be costing the public a penny...just shifting the responsibility from the state to private industry.

    It's simplisitc and stupid, but that's what sound GOPer policy is.


    by Beetlejuice on Sat, 03/05/2011 - 7:06am

    Just to your first point- Wisconsin's pension system was one of the most solvent in the nation.

    As to your sound proposal for budget repair. After Walker sells the schools, why not sell the children ?. Probably get a good price for them in Shenzhen . Replace the workers who are committing suicide 


    by Flavius on Sat, 03/05/2011 - 8:28am

    But according to the good governor, it was that  god-awful, expensive pension system the taxpayers were footing the entire bill for that broke the state's budget (BullenScheiße).

    As to your second proposal...didn't you hear? the GOPer's are working hard at relaxing child labor laws. Better to pay pennies on the dollar rather than having to take ownership and their families most likely could use the extra income.


    by Beetlejuice on Sat, 03/05/2011 - 10:00am