Unions to show support for Wisconsin workers in Daley Plaza

Chicago Sun Times ^ | April 9, 2011 | Abdon M. Pallasch, Political Reporter

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Union members from Illinois and other nearby states will gather in Daley Plaza at 1 p.m. Saturday to show support for workers in Wisconsin, where the governor has signed legislation ending their collective bargaining rights.

Wisconsin state Sen. Chris Larson spent three weeks on a friend’s air mattress in Chicago hiding out with other Dairy State Democratic legislators hoping to kill the legislation by their absence. He will be here to warn workers that similar legislation is headed for their states.

“Illinois may be the next state they go after,” Larson said. “In Indiana and Michigan, things like this are happening. In Iowa, Democrats have a two-seat majority in the state Senate. That’s the only reason it’s not happening there.

Republicans who have long wanted to attack unions are seizing upon the national economic downturn to introduce legislation in state capitals around the country drafted by the corporate-funded, conservative American Legislative Exchange Council cutting back on unionized workers’ rights to bargain collectively, Larson said.

“They say, ‘We should get rid of unions and blame the budget dilemma on them’ — it’s pretty obvious when you see the exact same legislation cropping up everywhere,” Larson said

Wisconsin Republicans eventually realized they could pass the bill without Democratic votes. Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill, saying the Wisconsin’s fiscal crisis demanded sacrifice from unionized workers. But the bill has stalled in the courts.

Democrats thought they scored a victory this week when....

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Public sector union members are being groomed to riot.

[kearnyirish2]

In our towns here in NJ at least 70% of our municipal taxes are for the school system (and we have among the highest property taxes in the nation). The Asbury Park Press released ALL public school teachers’ salaries a few years back (as public information), and the impact was immediate: more school budgets started to fail at the ballot box, more American taxpayers and the companies that hired them fled the state, and the teachers themselves were even more alienated from the people they “serve”.

Governor Christie was elected because without quick action the only thing left in NJ would be our permanent (non-working) underclass, a LOT of illegal aliens (who work, but without the burden of taxes), and the public employees that would administer the government reservation.

I see customer service jobs in Jersey City are hiring, but you need to speak either Spanish, Hindi, or Urdu; the sanctuary policies of these states are implemented because without them whole states would de-populate (as is happening in upstate NY). Law enforcement, all the way up to the judges, know their jobs would leave too if all the people do...

[kearnyirish2]

“Public sector union members are being groomed to riot.”

No need to worry about that; they’re not exactly “physically imposing”. In fact, you’d be surprised how much they’ll concede rather than be forced into the private sector. Here in NJ the public sector union employees were neatly separated into those who lost their jobs, and those who caused it by granting no concessions to save them. At this point the most anti-teachers’ union people I know are young teachers (mid-20s) who lost their jobs (with little hope of finding related work) due to the seniority stuff. NYC’s mayor wanted that policy changed, citing that it doesn’t necessarily retain the best teachers, but I believe he was just being practical in terms of cost; like the NYC police union, newer members are shafted so senior members can enjoy benefits & pay that will never be seen in those fields again.

[chickadee]

. . . but also because they wouldn’t grant concessions that would have saved the jobs of a lot of policemen, firemen, town clerks, and OTHER TEACHERS.

---

It’s important to keep in mind that when trying to fight this battle, there are two opponents arrayed on the other side: the union members AND the unions themselves.

It’s the unions which keep members from sacrificing benefits to avoid layoffs or discharges. Unions will always sacrifice their individual members for the greater good of the union. This is why the protests in WI are so virulent - because the new law requires recertification of the unions each year and because the state will no longer launder union dues through its system on behalf of the unions.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Once you’ve rigged the pay, employment and retirement of public union workers, you pretty well control their lives. It isn’t much of a stretch to get them in a frenzy (especially when they are surrounded by others doing the same thing).

[Cincinatus' Wife]

And they’re getting their students wound up and positioned in the front lines along side of them, marching and yelling against their country

[kearnyirish2]

In NJ the battle pitched more senior union members against newer ones; the union itself probably couldn’t do much either way (there was simply no more money to extort). In the battles for fixed sums of government expenditures, senior teachers granted no concessions; the resulting pay increases guarenteed that a lot of “other people” were going to lose their jobs. In Paterson & Camden, those people were 1/3 of their police forces, Newark & Jersey City lost many policemen as well (these places need police more than teachers). In many towns, this also included many untenured teachers; in some cases, the tenured teachers that had the least seniority were let go as well.

This opened the eyes of a lot of people in NJ; the image of Wisconsin policemen siding with teachers’ union members won’t be repeated here, and the prospective young teachers know they’ve been basically shut out of teaching by people earning incredible salaries for their 180 days of work who won’t sacrifice anything to add more “union brothers” (or sisters) to the job.

[kearnyirish2]

They also know they have no value whatsoever in the private workforce - they wouldn’t even recognize it, given the decline of the standard of living in the private sector.

They have no choice but to toe the official line, like Nazi party members who had to do the same to keep their positions. They’ve sold their souls, and non-teachers will barely speak to them at this point.

[chickadee]

Thanks for sharing the NJ experience. If it’s any consolation, we in WI were inspired by NJ’s courage in confronting its teachers’ unions. It’s been ugly, and it will probably get uglier, but the fight will be worth it, if we get our government back.

[kearnyirish2]

The younger dupes are just looking for a day trip; their futures are the ones being sacrificed to fuel the beast that is public employee unions.

How many 20 year-olds will be voting for Obama in 2012? The 3% that found jobs?

The other 97% will be much more motivated to vote.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

In a sane world, the eventual outcome of all these public sector “screw-ups” would be to pull back from big government by getting rid of tenure and collective bargaining; by letting people spend their education dollars where they want — FREE market.

However, in today’s insane world, the idea of communities having police to keep them safe and teachers to educate for a strong society and economy can not be, if the future the union-progressive borg believe in is to be achieved.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Well, they don’t actually support the “workers”. They REALLY support the workers’ “right” to be forced into paying “union dues” to the jackbooted, fatcat commie thugs.

[BobP]

Well, they don’t actually support the “workers”. They REALLY support the workers’ “right” to be forced into paying “union dues” to the jackbooted, fatcat commie thugs.

--------------------------

Spot on FlingWing Flyer!

I'm glad the entire country can see how the Democrat party operates.

Public Sector Workers Union Dues = Democratic Campaign Contributions.

In effect every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.

Conservative Americans are starting to catch on to the 'us vs. them' attitude of the unions.

Libs can't get elected in this country without the spoils. Union dues are funneled to Dems as political campaign contributions (Can you say 'kickbacks'?). Union officials fight tooth and nail against 'paycheck protection' laws that give members a choice about how their money is spent.

View these leftist union leaders as thieves in the night. They won't stop until the money stops.

Union-bought judge blocks Wisconsin union law.

[onevoter]

Most of these “illinois Workers” probably already showed their support for Wisconsin Unions by crossing the state line into Wisconsin to vote last Tuesday.

[CPOSharky]

...spent three weeks on a friend’s air mattress...

Why do I find that hard to believe?

[madinmadtown]

Exactly. The Unions could care less about their members...it is all about the dues and the power and perks that are attained with those dues. I doubt that many of the teachers in Wisconsin have thought about this, but if the state no longer siphons the Union dues directly from the taxpayers to the Union coffers and the teachers are expected to write their own checks to pay for their own dues to the wonderful union, what sort of nasty, strong-arm tactics will the Unions use against them to force them to pay? Will they picket other teachers houses and write nasty threatening notes to them and their families? Will they shove them and key their cars and rock the cars as they try to leave the school parking lot? Will they scream at the top of their lungs and call them racists and beat drums endlessly outside their classroom until they comply to their demands? Will they post signs outside their classrooms and compare them to Hitler and camp in sleeping bags for days on end until they smell and the pizza boxes pile up in front of the door?

[sbMKE]

Call in an air strike.

[Feckless]

“Illinois may be the next state they go after,”

"They" being the citizens, you know taxpayers. "They" who are expected to provide more to others than the can hope for themselves. Commie bastards.

[saneright]

You can check out any NJ govt. employee or retiree at the link below.

Many teachers are pikers compared to the cops. I mean $140k a year in Springfield or $110k a year in Mountainside? Yeah real dangerous towns to be a cop. These are just base salaries. It doesn't even include medical benefits, overtime or part time work (or as they are better known to cops, “projects”. You know things like getting hired at $70 an hour to provide security at a basketball game or town fair).

Don't forget pensions 65% of base salary + medical benefits + annual COLA increases for life. If you retire after 30 years it's 70% of base plus the rest of the goodies.

http://www.app.com/datauniverse

[saneright]

The older, more senior level cops in Camden and Newark refused to forgo a raise nor would they agree to a few furlough days a year. If they had not one cop or firefighter would have been laid off. The senior union members said f u to the junior members. They then got pissed because they had to walk a beat again instead of doing there more senior level desk jockey job. At the end of the day they of course blamed Governor Christie.