13,000 protest Governor's plan to change collective bargaining for public employees

[GoodWitch58]

The Wisconsin Senate Chair is at least being honest about why the unions in Wisconsin are being destroyed:

State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald set everyone straight last night:

If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you?re going to find is President Obama is going to have a much difficult, much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin.

Power, Baby, Power | Mother Jones

 

[30ashopper]

The worst that government employees will endure is a requirement that they pay 12.6 percent of their own health-insurance premiums and 5.6 percent of their own pension contributions. And they all will receive something of value: a regularly scheduled vote about whether to be represented by their unions, which often serve no one?s interests but those of the union bosses themselves.

And that is the real source of the rage on the left: Mandatory union representation, empowered by mandatory collective bargaining and mandatory dues deductions enforced by the state, creates an enormous flow of cash for Democratic political candidates and their pet causes. From 1989 to the present, five of the ten biggest donors to American political campaigns have been labor unions, including public-sector unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. The overwhelming majority of those donations go to Democrats. The union bosses and their Democratic patrons know that giving workers more of a choice about union representation will diminish that power and reduce that cash flow. That is what this is about, for all of the cheap talk about ?civil rights? ? as though federal employees in Washington were being treated like second-class citizens because their unions do not enjoy the same princely powers until now wielded by Wisconsin?s.

A Very Modest Victory in Madison - The Editors - National Review Online

Follow the money... it's not about rights.

 

[Bob]

government of the people, by the people, for the people

The only basic rights I consider are those afforded under the Bill of Rights. Your confusing what you think should be rights vs what are. If the will of the people wish to amend rights they will be added.

This isn't a monarchy. Ridiculous...it's not a basic right simply because you think it is.

you have no rights. they can be taken by an unchecked power at any moment. what do you think martial law is?

 

[30ashopper]

Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Friday that repeals most collective bargaining by public employee unions.

He signed the bill privately in the morning and will hold a news conference later in the day to tout the signing and talk about the tumultuous past few weeks. Also Friday, Walker directed the Office of State Employment Relations to rescind layoff notices because the Legislature had passed the bill.

"The Legislature helped us save 1,500 middle-class jobs by moving forward this week with the budget repair," Walker said in a statement. "The state will now be able to realize $30 million in savings to balance the budget and allow 1,500 state employees to keep their jobs. The reforms contained in this legislation, which require modest health care and pension contributions from all public employees, will help put Wisconsin on a path to fiscal sustainability."

Walker signs budget-repair bill, rescinds layoffs - JSOnline

On the road to fiscal responsibility.

 

[Rita]

.
I just read where the Wisconsin Firefighters came up with a peaceful way to inflict some damage on a bank whose executives and board members were among the highest donors to Gov Walker's campaign. This bank, Madison's M&I, also received almost $2 billion in bailout monies from troubled assets relief program.

They created a sort of tsunami of people taking $$ out of the bank - which closed early yesterday to stop it. Something close to $800,000 got moved out and no blood shed. ...


.

 

[scooterbug44]

I thought the firefighters were big contributors to Walker and one of the few groups exempted from the recent bill.

The reports I am reading say it was only $200K from individual firefighters's accounts, not a large pension fund that was moved - as they don't have an account.

Do you have a link?

 

[30ashopper]

I thought the firefighters were big contributors to Walker and one of the few groups exempted from the recent bill.

That was manufactured by the democrats. One firefighter local in Milwaukee apparently supported him during the election, the rest endorsed the democrat. Walker chose to exclude high risk employees from the pension contributions. That seemed pretty reasonable to me.

 

[Rita]

I thought the firefighters were big contributors to Walker and one of the few groups exempted from the recent bill.

.
The firefighters have been supportive of the protests all along even though they were exempted presumably because they donated to Walker's campaign. They aren't exempt now. In the current bill revision, only state troopers are exempt.

edit: so I guess state troopers are the only "high risk" employees now?

Interesting how state politics plays out:

Fitzgerald pick to head State Patrol smacks of favoritism

"At a minimum, this pick looks bad and will cause lingering suspicion as the state budget plays out. That?s because Fitzgerald?s two sons are Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald."

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/editorial/article_b0884557-ba54-5230-90f9-5eab74dffc25.html


.

 

[Matt J]

Walker signs budget-repair bill, rescinds layoffs - JSOnline

On the road to fiscal responsibility.

Can you explain why that road must be paved with the poor and middle class?

 

[scooterbug44]

.
I just read where the Wisconsin Firefighters came up with a peaceful way to inflict some damage on a bank whose executives and board members were among the highest donors to Gov Walker's campaign. This bank, Madison's M&I, also received almost $2 billion in bailout monies from troubled assets relief program.

They created a sort of tsunami of people taking $$ out of the bank - which closed early yesterday to stop it. Something close to $800,000 got moved out and no blood shed. ...
.

Per the WSJ, the bank closed because of hundreds of protesters causing security concerns at the branch near the Capitol, not the amount of money taken out. $192K seems to be the amount withdrawn, though the internet campaign to withdraw money from M&I continues.

M&I Bank branch on Capitol Square closes after protests