RSSWas it good to get rid of the government worker union in Wisconsin?
Feb 28
I don’t know, but it seems to me like if the already-low wages for teachers in the US are being pushed down further, kids educations will obviously suffer. It’s a difficult position for a school board to be in, because the state government is reducing budgets, and the teachers union is (typically) pushing to maintain or increase wages.
It does seem wrong to force dissolution of a union by government mandate. I’m not a fan of most unions, myself, but this seems too heavy-handed.
Feb 28, 2011 @ 12:55:29
One could argue that it was necessary to hobble the unions in order to make the necessary cuts, except that:
. The unions had already made all the necessary concessions in pay, pension and benefits
. The new law exempts public safety unions, which voted for the Republican governor, but attacks public workers unions loyal to Democrats
. The governor had already given away hundreds of millions in tax breaks to corporations in January, a month before the so-called budget crisis began
Combine this with last years Supreme Court ruling that corporations and unions can contribute as much as they want to political campaigns and you get a direct assault on the Democrats, their base and their campaign funding. Yet another attempt to create a permanent Republican majority, which worked out so well for the country when Bush tried it.