Posted on 09/18/2005 9:04:00 AM PDT by ElkGroveDan
When firefighters negotiate for higher pay and better benefits, they routinely argue that they deserve them because they "put their lives on the line" for public safety. Yet a behind-the-scenes story from the Capitol last week shows the degree to which California's unionized firefighters are willing to put union issues above everything else, even above the public's safety. In the last week of the legislative session, a seemingly innocuous bill, AB 823, was brought to the Assembly floor and received nearly unanimous support - quite a feat in a legislative body as divided as the California Assembly.
As the water was being pumped out of New Orleans, and federal and Louisiana officials were assessing the poor response to Hurricane Katrina, this bill should have had "uncontroversial" stamped all over it. But the story behind the bill was anything but uncontroversial.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Most of the heroic professionals on the front line have little or no say in what the thugs down at the union hall are doing.
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Exactly -- I listened to several of the leftist/union-sponsored commercials on television last night. Just appalling..the lies, distortion, and flat our BS these leftist maggots are saying about Arnie, his intitiatives, etc. is staggering. Arnie knows what he is up against -- that is why the measures ARE ON THE BALLOT. The leftist legislature will not clean up its ring of crime, so the people must vote it in.
All public employees unions must be eliminated. They can kill more than just wallets!
From the San Francisco Chronicle (preferred paper of the Left):
"Could it get worse? Of course it could. After all, this is California. A bill is working its way through our state Legislature (appropriately numbered SB100) that would entitle public safety employees to retire at age 50 with a pension that pays 100 percent of their final salary!"
http://www.sfgate.com
Agree. I am for outlawing unions altogether but that is not possible. California is a sample of what the left wants for the US.
Public sector unions are indistinguishable from criminal conspiracies against the taxpayer.
Well, except that their lawyers are in the legislature instead of a courtroom - stealing the public's money 'all nice and legal'.
From what I have seen of CDFG, we are about ten years past the point where "bosses" are the extent of the problem. Here, in our rural area with expensive homes amid outrageous fuel loads, the fire crew is one third women. When they arrived here, they looked around in a manner and with comments demonstrating that they had no clue what they were doing. I chatted with the crew chief. He plainly told me that he spends most of his time promoting his union.
Fifteen years ago a crew would show up here and actually help me plan a defense. They would loan me equipment for vegetation management. They celebrated the manner in which the fuel load was under control. They liked fighting fire. They were slowly forced out.
By contrast, this new gang is looking to sit and drink coffee while your house burns if they are at all scared of actually doing their jobs. As long as there is someone else to blame, they're all set.
That's fine but collective bargaining results related to money (even indirectly like pensions) should only be approved/rejected by the voters through referenda.
This may interest you.
They would be promised 100% of their final salary, but governments that don't have money won't pay it.
I know it goes against common thought but I do not think public service workers paid by the taxpayers should be allowed to unionize and/ or strike. Instead there should be an internal board made up of reps from gov't, the public and the fire fighters, etc. This board would hear complaints and also set wages. I resent the fact that my taxes continue to support workers even when they are striking.
I also believe that the rank and file are dedicated and perform above and beyond the call of duty. But when the unions call for a strike , don't these workers also have too participate?
California firefighters, if injured during a disaster in Louisiana, for example, would only be able to sue for damages under the terms of Louisiana law. California, as we all know, has more generous tort laws than other states.
(snip)
Greenhut Ping (Exposing outrageous Union actions)
BTTT!!!!!!
I'm not in favor of outlawing them, but I am strongly in favor of the so-called "right to work" rules that prevent mandatory union membership requirements. In Ohio, I had to belong to a union to keep my job in the utility industry. That should end - people have the right to freely associate with whomever they please, but they also have the right NOT to associate with other people if they choose not to.
The operant exemption was part of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. As to public employee unions in California, I believe that such was enacted during Jerry Brown's administration.
And, if the supreme court's Beck decision was actually enforced, many of these problems would go away.
As I have advocated for years.
That was then--this is now. The time has long passed when these people were behind, though they whine regularly on TV and in print that they still are. In fact, they are far out in front of the private sector.
The whole pack needs to be brought back in line, and I will be voting YES on any measure that proposes to do that.
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