Obama: Wis. Bill Is 'Assault on Unions' (of course he thinks that)

President Obama has accused Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, of unleashing "an assault" on unions by pressing legislation that would end collective bargaining rights for public employees and sharply increase their health care and pension payments.

"Some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions," Obama told WTMJ-TV in a White House interview Wednesday. "And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends."

"I think everybody's got to make some adjustments, but I think it's also important to recognize that public employees make enormous contributions to our states and our citizens," Obama continued.

But Walker said the demands on public employees are "modest" compared with those in the private sector, and are meant to prevent a shutdown, which could result in 6,000 state workers not getting paid. "We're at a point of crisis," the governor said, adding that he would call out the National Guard if needed to keep state operations, including prisons, running.

Republicans who swept into power in state capitols this year with promises to cut spending and bolster the business climate now are beginning to usher in a new era of labor relations that could result in the largest reduction of power in decades for public employee unions.

Source: www.foxnews.com...

Everybody is talking but nobody wants to do what needs to be done.... unless it is to put the screws to the Non-Union working people.

This is it Folks. The start of a needed revolution. A revolt against the non-stop and ever growing union masses of the public sector. It can not be substained at the rate it is going. Gov't continues to grow but the public sector *The ones who acutally pay for those employees pay & benifits & retirments.

Go ahead, stick with the Dems on this one. See what happens.

At least with the Gov's plan (which is being downplayed greatly), no employees would be furloughed. Since the Dems are refusing, the Gov will be forced to do lay=offs to maintain the budget and to keep his promises of what he got elected to do.

I think Obama's quote (in yellow) should end with "public employess make enormous contrubutions to the Democratic Coffers of our State & Nation Democratic Committees"
God Bless and Good Luck !

There was a surplus in the budget. Around 120 million. The govern gave out 140 million in tax breaks. Now he is trying to get it back. I know they should pay more but they are taking away their rights to negotiate. What have all these tax breaks done? Companies sitting on massive hoards of cash and the little guy getting screwed. That doesn't seem fair. They should stop giving the tax breaks, make the union employees pay their fair share, and invest more in actual education that will produce jobs.

Something no one on here has mentioned yet about these public unions is how much they give to democrats. I worked at a store that was part of UFCW. They collected dues out of my paycheck for 5 + years. They also gave many campaign contributions to their candidate of choice. Which usually wasn"t my choice. When the unions first started they were there to protect the worker. Now they are nothing more than huge political machines. They all should be busted up, public and private.

reply to post by ohioriver


How then would workers have rights? If I remember correctly from history class years ago we had a country without unions before and the workers didn't fair well it went as far as people being pretty much enslaved by their employers! So I guess you either have to do a better job policing and taking care of the organizations that protect you or suffer. I know in my Local we vote on where we spend the money but by the standards of unions is pretty new. In any case though I would shutter to see a country where once again the people are really enslaved by corporate masters!

reply to post by anon72


So you're advocating a revolution for the express purpose of removing your own rights as a worker.

Jesus f'ing christ, no wonder the rest of the world laughs at us. We're like crack addicts; we KNOW what's bad for us, but there you are, pipe in hand asking for more.

reply to post by RickyD


That just reinforces my point. When did the unions decide on expanding their mission of protecting the worker to include giving money took out of workers paychecks to political campaigns? How is that protecting working conditions at jobsites? There is alot of laws already on the books that protect workers today.

www.osha.gov...

And as for negotiating salaries, if they don't pay enough they would have a tough time finding employees. Unions are nothing but corrupted anymore.

reply to post by ohioriver


How do you think those laws got enacted? How do you think those laws stay enacted? Which political party do you think is most likely to stand behind those rules? Ergo which political party should a labor organization consider first for donations?

Don't tell me you think OSHA just popped out of thin air and is magically inalienable.

reply to post by TheWalkingFox


Yes when unions first started they did alot of good things for the workers. No doubts about that. They have overgrown there mission of protecting workers. Where I live many plants have been shut down due to the unions excessive greed. Big Government, Big Business, Big Unions are causing too many problems. All three need to be cut down to size.

Unions have NO Place in the Public Sector.

These are State employees, They work for “We the People”, paid by “We the People”. If they don’t like the compensation plan, let them find work in the Private sector, where the free market dictates if Unions are applicable.

Like Ron Regan the Governor should fire every employee that violates their contract. You call in sick, and you show up at a protest… FIRED.
Sick Days are NOT just another paid day off, sick days are a benefit that the good people of Wisconsin allow their employee so that they won’t fall behind on their bills just cause the employee was ill. The Teachers who called-in sick and were not, FIRED !

Public Employees work for US, We are the Boss, and to have just one of our employees SPIT in the bosses face is intolerable.

These are not Private Sector employees.

reply to post by TheWalkingFox


I have no clue what you are indicating.

I'm not asking for anything. I agree with the Wisconsin Gov attempts and desires to take this problem on.

Just saw this one on Drudge. The GOV's response, so to speak.

Wis. governor: GOP won't be 'bullied' by union bill protesters

Source: thehill.com...

You Go GOV.

I sure hope the rest of the Republican Govs take suit, as did Mr. Christie.

Yes, I am in one of the states planning to do the same.

The Dems are about to be struck in the side of their fund raising ship with about 23 torpeados.

reply to post by brokedown

Unions have NO Place in the Public Sector. These are State employees, They work for “We the People”, paid by “We the People”. If they don’t like the compensation plan, let them find work in the Private sector, where the free market dictates if Unions are applicable.

If what you say is true, then why are the unions that supported the Wisconsin governor, not effected by the new law.

So let me get some things straight.

For those of you who are against Unions...you want the following.

- Lower wages
- Longer hours
- Less benefits
- Unsafe working conditions

Remind me folks...do you love huge corporations? Do you love the Walmart model...which is very anti-union??? Because that is what we will have EVERYWHERE if Unions are done away with.



Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot....I'm amazed at how well propaganda and rhetoric works on some of you people...no wonder Fox News has such high ratings.

reply to post by ohioriver


You can opt out of your union dues. If you can't, let me offer you some advice as most right-wingers will often tell some of us working stiffs, 'just find a different job.'

If a union gives money to a candidate who is favorable towards unions how is that 'wrong' anymore than a corporation giving money to a candidate who is favorable towards corporations?

The Wisconsin bill is an assault on unions. How could you view it as anything less than that? By stripping them of every right to bargain on everything except their pay and forcing them to vote on their existence on an annual basis is a direct assault on them, the unions.

Imagine if your employer told you that you can't negotiate on anything except pay raises that match the CPI. Sound like a good job to you?

Some of you fail to realize that public sector employees also pay taxes, in fact, pay more taxes than some in the private sector. Not on salary alone, but the mere fact that their income is entirely derived from the state.

Some people need to take a critical thinking class. As asked before, why only these unions and not the police union or the firefighter union? You know that the Senate majority leader calling for the Democrats to be dragged back to WI is the son of the head of state police who was appointed by Walker, who also happens to be the father of the speaker of the house? Corruption at its finest. All you can do is quote Republican talking points with no real substance. Putting big before everything and instantly labeling it bad is DUMB. How about big tax cuts? Big oil? Big outsourcing?

Originally posted by MindSpin
So let me get some things straight.

For those of you who are against Unions...you want the following.

- Lower wages
- Longer hours
- Less benefits
- Unsafe working conditions

Remind me folks...do you love huge corporations? Do you love the Walmart model...which is very anti-union??? Because that is what we will have EVERYWHERE if Unions are done away with.




Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot....I'm amazed at how well propaganda and rhetoric works on some of you people...no wonder Fox News has such high ratings.

That alone has inspired me to encourage my kids to join a union that represents their best interest.
I am a proud member of AFTRA/SAG mainly because the production houses won't give us any retirement, health benefits and the group plans thru the union are affordable. In Unity there is Strength.

www.rawstory.com...

I think Mr. Walker, if he can pull this off, has a great possibility in national politics. I mean look what happened with Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge in 1919 when he took on the Police Union.

en.wikipedia.org...

He told them they had absolutely no right to go on strike and put the city's safety at risk, they went on strike anyway. In the end he called in the National Guard, all the police were fired, and new officers were brought in made up largely of returning veterans from World War 1. He gave them basically all the things the striking police officers were demanding.

He rose to such a superstar status across America for taking on the Unions that he was nominated to become Vice President of the United States just 1 year later.

"Your assertion that the Commissioner was wrong cannot justify the wrong of leaving the city unguarded. That furnished the opportunity; the criminal element furnished the action. There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time. ... I am equally determined to defend the sovereignty of Massachusetts and to maintain the authority and jurisdiction over her public officers where it has been placed by the Constitution and laws of her people." (emphasis added)
Telegram from Governor Calvin Coolidge to Samuel Gompers September 14, 1919.

The unions were thugs then and are thugs now. It is high time their power be stripped, specifically public employee unions. These teachers unions do nothing but protect worthless teachers, create new regulations, strip freedom out of our education system, take lucrative pensions, and when they are forced to help out their state economy by contributing more to their pensions and health care costs, they go on strike.

However I would also like to mention that loopholes for corporations in Wisconsin are pretty abundant, many argue to close them and make corporations pay, while I understand the sentiment the economic logic of it is a failure. Wisconsin needs jobs to help stimulate their economy and put people back to work, last time I checked unions and the poor do not create jobs, the wealthy do. So taxing job creators in an effort to create more jobs is like hammering a nail into your hand to get the nail out.

reply to post by Misoir


Misoir

last time I checked unions and the poor do not create jobs, the wealthy do

Sorry, gotta disagree here. Wealth does not create jobs, demand creates jobs.

No matter how much money you have, if no one wants what youir selling, you don't hire anyone. You just fill your coffers, tighten the belts, trim the budget (usually by laying off workers) and sail your yacht to better waters.

RickyD

That just reinforces my point. When did the unions decide on expanding their mission of protecting the worker to include giving money took out of workers paychecks to political campaigns? How is that protecting working conditions at jobsites? There is alot of laws already on the books that protect workers today.

Since you can only protect workers with laws, it only makes sense to lobby those who make laws. You don't think big buisnesses lobby/support their candidates? So the People are not allowed to pool their resources and campaign for those who protect the interest of workers?

Are buisnesses the only ones allowd to organize themselves for their own benefit? We organize to protect our interest, the interest of the people working in the pits, the cashier, the drivers. Just as buisness protect thei interest....www.uschamber.com...

You all should be giving thanks to the Unions.

brokeown

Unions have NO Place in the Public Sector.

I disagree. shpould you be penalized because you are a worker of the State? Every worker who is a Citizen should have the right to organize to make their situation better. Its the American way.

reply to post by ohioriver


No, the reason that unions aren't particularly strongl is because of a joint effort between right-wing oligarchs and ignorant workers to destroy them. Unions are perfectly useful, you just have to actually use them and support them. When something's broke, you fix it, not set it on fire.