Posted on 01/11/2005 10:39:23 AM PST by ZGuy
Gov. Matt Blunt began making good on campaign pledges during his first full day in office Tuesday, rescinding the collective bargaining rights of thousands of state workers and ordering agencies to make several cost-cutting policy changes.
Blunt halted the purchase or lease of new cell phones, office space and non-emergency vehicles. He also closed the state's office in Washington, D.C.
Those were among the first pledges Blunt made when he began campaigning for governor nearly a year ago. The 34-year-old Republican was sworn in at noon Monday — becoming the nation's youngest serving governor and the first Republican governor to take office with a GOP Legislature in Missouri in 84 years.
As secretary of state, Blunt had criticized former Democratic Gov. Bob Holden's June 2001 executive order granting collective bargaining rights to thousands of state employees and allowing unions to charge bargaining fees to employees who aren't union members.
Blunt fought an administrative rule change allowing the fees, but lost a court battle with the unions when a judge said the secretary of state's office must publish the rule, allowing it to take effect. It was to finally go into effect at the end of this month.
But on Tuesday, Blunt rescinded the executive order and withdrew the new rule. Several state employee bargaining units already have the fees included in contracts negotiated by unions. But Blunt said those provisions will have no effect — an interpretation unions may challenge.
and keep MO doctors in the state
Ho bout keeping good nurses in state too! About fifty percent of graduating nurse leave to surrounding states for better pay for equal work.
On the side, why is it when ever I ask can no one ever answer why nurses have to put in sixteen to eighteen hour shifts? They walk around like zombies after the 12th hour, make mistakes, mix up patience and medicine charts. A person can't run on empty.
This was a one-term-bob rule. part of his payoff to the unions for helping support his million dollar welcome to JC 4 years ago.
Go Matt Go!!
He had the words, as Mark Twain might say, but he didn't have the music.
IMO Holden had neither. Found him to be excrutiatingly bland.
BTTT - thanks for the ping Joe!
I was very aggravated this morning to hear the losers on Y-98 making fun of Matt's wife's inaugural ball dress. Good grief - the poor woman is PREGNANT! They were going on about her being the "Mothership" ad nauseum. Last time I venture away from The Bull & WIL. Ack!!
don't listen to moron FM jocks in the morning...that's when you need a CD in the player.
Holden could've used a hair transplant and a voice coach (nothing personal).
The governor is younger than I am. Wow.
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He has brass ones too.. you know why? Because he knows what needs to be done. Doesnt take a genuis. Oh I can hear the state dems wailing in pain now. lol.
Yeehaw! Actions speak louder than words...something some politicians need to realize.
~~I thought there was no difference between repubs and rats...~~
News to me.
Missouri will be a tough nut to crack. St.L/KC are pretty much unionized. I believe it to be worth the fight...
OOOHHHAAAHHH!!!
I don't understand your comment about the long hours that nurses work. My sister retired recently (as a RN) and she never worked more that the 8 hours she was scheduled to work unless she traded some time with another nurse and my daughter-in-law works in a hospital rehab unit and never works over 40 hours a week. Two of my nieces are nurses and they are never required to work over 8 hours unless there is a major medical need.
Again, I do not understand your assertions.
Essentially, a worker is not 'forced' to join a union or pay union dues even if the labor force of the working place is organized. Should more aptly be labelled 'Right to Choose'.
Hey Joe, keep me on your list. Great start for Blunt.
I worked in Missouri government for over two decades. My experience with these unions is that they are next to worthless and a royal pain in the rear end. They are great for protecting the "rights" of incompetent workers but for little else.
Also, Catharine Hanaway was a FANTASTIC Speaker of the House and had the back-bone to stand up to Gov. Holden and the Dems. She received a lot of coverage in the capital city area, but very little in the rest of the state. Had Ms. Hanaway received fair (or, any) reporting of her actions in the legislature, I believe she would have won, despite Ms. Carnahan's name-recognition. Alas, the news media knew the citizenry would support Ms. Hanaway, and since they didn't like her (conservative) positions, they simply didn't report much.
I think the answer to your suspicion is taht many of the state workers who work in Jeff. live in rural Missouri.....and they're church-going traditionalist Americans. I would bet that there is a different story told by State workers in St. Louis.....but the big concentration of state workers live around Jeff. City ---- in rural Missouri.....and Unions didn't impress many
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