Prying The Fingers Out Of Our Wallets
By Mitch Berg
For want of 8,000 more votes…
Scott Walker is doing what governments at every level should do – ending collective bargaining for public union employees :
Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that he wants to end collective bargaining for nearly all public employees because the state is broke and there’s no point negotiating with the unions when there is nothing to offer.
Union leaders and Democrats, powerless to stop Walker’s plan from passing the Republican-controlled Legislature next week, were reeling. They blasted the proposal as a naked power-grab that will gut Wisconsin’s deep organized labor tradition and result in layoffs that devastate the economy.
If I were a Wisconsin taxpayer – and a place in Hudson is looking better and better every time I look at the Dayton “budget” – I’d say “screw your tradition”.
As to the layoffs? If the jobs aren’t actually needed to run the state’s government, then why are we paying them? Why is a public-sector job more sacrosanct than a private sector one?
Walker, a Republican who took office in January, argued that his proposal is an alternative to ordering furlough days and laying off 12,000 state and local public employees over the next two years to balance a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
“The state’s broke,” Walker said. “Local governments are broke. They don’t have anything to offer.”
Walker wants to remove all collective-bargaining rights, except for salary, for roughly 175,000 public employees starting July 1. Any requests for a salary increase higher than the consumer price index would have to be approved by referendum.
He also wants – gasp – to require public employees to pay half the cost of their gold-plated public employee pensions, and pay 12.5% of their healthcare costs.
I caught MPR’s coverage of the protests “sweeping” Wisconsin today. Standout note – a Minnesota public-employee union leadership stooge whinging that the changes will “cost union employees’ …”
I was ready for the next word to be “jobs”.
“…money toward their retirement”.
I wished, fervently, that I could have met that woman face to face, and showed her what I – a self-employed guy – pay for retirement.
8.000 more freaking votes.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Been following this….a protest in Milwaukee area yesterday….someone had a sign that said “don’t retreat, reload”, and had a picture of Governor Walker as seen through a gunsite.
You know, there are a lot of conservatives who support public schools and, in spite of WEAC, public school teachers. But the behavior of this week is turning many people against the teachers. If I can give them some advice….some teachers are calling for boycotts of Wisconsin businesses whose owners supported Scott Walker. If you go ahead with this, you will lose all support except for the usual hard left. Example, one is a locally owned car dealer in a mid-sized Wisc city. A guy who has employed many people, paid huge property tax (his location is on prime property), sponsered many school events. Guess who is going to get more sympathy.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I want a constitutional amendment prohibiting public employee unions. They have no competition. We have no real executive control. It’s simply extortion by government fiat, and it has to end.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Okay, I just did a search for boycott…..teachers unions web sites are listing contributors to the Walker campaign. Funny thing is…..it’s starting to look like almost every company is Wisconsin donated to his campaign. The Breweries, the convience stores, meat packers, cheese makers, banks, one teacher called for a boycott of Green Bay because the CofC supports Walker. So they want to put all of these taxpaying businesses out of business….ummmm……so who is going to pay the taxes to pay for teachers salaires and benies?
February 17th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
CNN on-line had a story today with this little tid-bit:
“Syke earlier said about 40 percent of 2,600 teachers, assistants, social workers and psychologists in the bargaining unit called in sick late Tuesday, forcing the district to cancel Wednesday’s classes for 24,500 students.”
Walker might consider a Reagan approach to this BS:
“It is for this reason that I must tell those who fail to report for duty this morning they are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.”
Don’t allow the teachers to come back to work without a doctors excuse! Gloves off, fight fire with fire!
February 17th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Look for the Union Libel.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
I think walker’s plan re the public employee unions is a good one.
The idea is that public employees should have to live like the rest of us. This is good for all Americans (except the union members of course).
They should have 401k’s, for which they are responsible, not defined-benefit pensions. They should not receive promotions merely for seniority; virtually no one in the private sector does. They should have the same health plan workers in a similar private sector job would have.
The system that is so beloved by public employees is a relic of Roosevelt’s progressivism. That system is a failure. It cannot survive. It can no more address the needs of the United States in 2011 than Victorian Colonialism could address the post-WWI world.
I, for one, will not work until I am 70 so public employees can retire at 55.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
So do you suppose the swells would have had more money in their pockets if their union hadn’t blown so much of their dues money on Tom Barrett’s campaign?
February 17th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Terry Says: “I, for one, will not work until I am 70 so public employees can retire at 55.”
Bravo!!
February 17th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Mr D.
One way Big Business is smart (were talking the largest of the large) is that they contribute to both Democrats and Republicans. Usually slightly more to which ever party is in power. They then get favors no matter who is in legislatures or executive office. Public employee unions are hard left (you may have read the AFSCME newsletters that seem to get left around town) and only contribute to Democrats. And are quite nasty about it (I have read some internal WEAC letters that were sent to teacher relatives of mine). Perhaps the public employees unions need to buy some favors from Republicans. I believe the word is “hedge”.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Hmmm, let’s imagine the school adminsitrators’ reactions if students had a massive, suspicious absence from school, like a purely hypothetical Senior Skip Day.
No doubt it will identical to what will happen to the teachers in a similar situation even though we might be able to argue that teachers should, at least in theory, know better.
February 17th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Chuck,
I have plenty of family in the public sector. I see all the stuff AFSCME sends out and you’re right, it’s foul.
February 17th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
I.m guessing that the teachers will expect the “sick day” to be a paid sick day from their contract. VERY SLICK
February 17th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Time to post this again . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ydqjqZ_3oc&feature=player_detailpage
February 17th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
It may be time for the public to strike against the public employee unions. Large mobs, tar and feathers, the whole radical demonstration bit.
If they are this clueless, a clue might be in order.
February 17th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
In their defense…..the newspapers are reporting that their pay will be docked for this no-show.
Talked to an aunt last night (Wisc school teacher). She said my sister and a cousin had said that they may have trouble making their mortgage payments if this goes through. Teacher salaries and benies are public record. You can look them up online. I felt a little dirty doing it, but I looked up both of theirs salaries. Not bad. It is similar to what someone with experience and a little ambition would make working for a large corporation (say Target HQ or 3M). You can definitly live comfortably with this salary, even after making the proposed changes (which aren’t that big) to the pension and health care contribution. And if you are sort of cash, how about a summer job? Or even a weekend job?
February 17th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
8.000 more freaking votes.
Someone kick Tom Horner in the jimmy, please?
February 17th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
One of my colleagues is in town today from Milwaukee. He has kids that are students in one of the suburbs. They reported to him that on Monday and Tuesday, the teachers were telling the kids to wear red yesterday to support them. They both reported that they only saw a couple of students wearing red, but almost everyone wore blue.
On another note, some union goon snowplow driver from MNDOT got quoted yesterday (apparently speaking in front of a group of his fellow entitled co-workers) stating; “Do they want me to park my plow? Let them dig themselves out of a snow storm.” Even though he couldn’t hear me, I replied “Go ahead. Make my day! I’l bet we can find twenty other people that we can train to replace you!”
Finally, on Bob Davis’ show this morning, a Federal employee called in and said that she’d be happy if she only had to contribute 5% and that she pays a $25 co-pay for a doctor visit and considers it a bargain. In other words, she had no sympathy for the WI teachers.
February 17th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Word is the Dims of the WI Senate have gone on the lam in order to avoid a vote. Seems the bill is assured to pass but they need 1 demoncrat in attendance in order to reach the 3/5th requirement for a quorum. They’ve sent out the Mounties to find at least one of the absconders.
You just can’t make this stuff up!
February 17th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
“You just can’t make this stuff up!”
To quote Dan Cole the Common Man; “No, you really can’t!”
That said, isn’t it just like liberats to duck and cover when their economic stupidity has been exposed?
February 17th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
You just can’t make this stuff up!
The Democrats did the same thing in Texas a few years ago. A judge ordered them back.
February 17th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
A teacher ranted against Walker in public, to which, someone looked up his salary and posted this on the Milw Journal web site comments:
Ryan12 – Feb 17, 2011 3:17 PM» Report abuse 1
John Bausch, Elementary School Teacher
Salary: $57,239
Benefits: $30,377.
Hey John, go F yourself.
February 17th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
“If I were a Wisconsin taxpayer – and a place in Hudson is looking better and better every time I look at the Dayton “budget” – I’d say “screw your tradition”.”
I’d say “we can no longer afford your tradition”, and I wouldn’t be talking exclusively about the money.
February 17th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Mitch, not to dominate your blog with out-of-state stuff, but I think you will like this comment:
This is a numbers game. 50% of students at MPS don’t graduate. No big deal, no marches, no sit ins, no camping at town hall, no nothing. 5% & 12% contributions and they’re marching on the capital. They certainly are acting like true professionals!!
February 17th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I’d be less than honest if I didn’t agree that I’m enjoying those union stooges get theirs, but I wonder if anyone could appreciate how rewarding it is for me to see teachers union scumbags getting their asses kicked.
Their protest has been compared to Egypt…I can only hope that like Egypt, the beautiful spectacle of states freeing themselves from union hegemonies spreads and spreads!
February 17th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
If I were a Wisconsin taxpayer – and a place in Hudson is looking better and better every time I look at the Dayton “budget” – I’d say “screw your tradition.”
That place in Hudson doesn’t look too good now that reciprocity has been revoked. Now you’d have to file 2 returns and separate out your income from both states to try and figure out what’s taxable where.
February 17th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Is the State of Wisconsin currently suffering a deficit or is it enjoying a surplus? Opinions seem to differ – based on who’s side you are taking on this issue.
February 17th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Wisconsin is projecting a $3+ billion deficit. They are pikers compared to the Minnesota DFL.
February 17th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Yeah you wingnut mitchkateers yuck it up all you want about gov’t employees here at shot in the onion. But a certain commenter, the Sorosphere and us folks in the moderate centristy know how undervalued the hardworking, thoughtful and damn’t downright better than the rest of us government employee’s, uh, er, (http://consumerist.com/2011/02/government-employee-dies-at-desk-no-one-notices.html) are.
February 17th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
There are a few outliers, but most states are having budget shortfalls of 10%-20% over revenue.
This can’t be coincidence; if these states could go back to 2006 funding they would be fine.
The truth is that there is never enough money. The demand by the clients of government will always exceed the taxes the citizens are willing to pay.
If California could get $35 billion or so to deal with its current deficit, in a year or two they would be right back where they are now.
No matter how much money you give the state, it is never enough, and they can always — always — come up with reasons why your money should be in their bank account.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
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