Unions under Attack...

[frae]

While that may be true in Pennsylvania, please note that union dues for a full-time teacher in Wisconsin are $96/month. Roughly $1150/year is a significant chunk of change.

$25 a pay, twice a month for $50 a month. I am happy to pay the $600 and the $1150 in WI does not off set the losses in benefits. I am sure the WI teachers would be happy to pay the $1150 instead of taking the benefit contributions from roughly 6% to roughly 12% added in with pension contribution raises. Anyway my point to the original post was simple, no one is going to be happy getting their new paycheck, those $97 dollars are not going to offset the other new deductions.

Anyway you know where I stand and I know where you stand so I won't bother with anymore rebuttals again. Back to self imposed exile from this thread and time for a beer.

[Lucky]

15 year Steward of AFGE Local #4042.

I was specifically challenging that the US would be a source of cheap labor to the rest of the world.

As to the existence of a middle class, be serious. It is made possible by three things principly: Education, Commerce and Entrepeneurship. Partly because of Carnegie and the like, US heavy industry provided the base for the economy. However, there would always have been a middle class of shop keepers, sales people, small business owners and professionals. What Unions did was establish minimum standards for employers.

The Triangle fire was like the Berkley bombing, ie the most visible flash point. It was also, in both cases, a clear sign that the momentum was moving the other direction.

J

Sorry. You had the whole statement highlighted, so I thought you were challenging the whole statement. But, on second thought, you are probably right that we would not wind up the source of cheap labor for the world. We are much too "European" for that.

I respect the AFGE, but I have never viewed public employee unions quite the same as private sector unions. I've worked for governmental entities in various capacities over the last thirty years, and the employer/employee dynamic is definitely different in my experience.

I read today where Jim DeMint said that all public employee unions, especially those for federal employees, should be abolished. As Union Steward, how do you feel about that?

In the meantime, I'm going to join frae in self-imposed exile from this thread.

[Lucky]

A conservative think tank in Michigan has made a Freedom of Information Act request of at least three in-state universities to pore through emails written by those in departments that specialize in the study of labor relations.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/in-michigan-conservative-think-tank-seeks-labor-prof-emails.php

It will probably come as a huge shock to learn that this think tank has been funded by the Koch brothers (and Wal-Mart and others).

I see you are using a quotation from Richard Dawkins as your sig line. Isn't that the guy from Hogan's Heroes?

[Catfishkid]

That's pretty impressive that an evolutionary biologist can also act.

[PaleoMan]

A clear case of foot-in-mouth disease:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/30/961666/-WI-07:-GOP-Rep-Sean-Duffy-struggles-on-only-$174,000-per-year

GOP House freshman Sean Duffy of Ashland found himself explaining his congressional salary and benefits to a struggling local builder at a town hall meeting in Polk County last month, saying, “I struggle to meet my bills right now.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee highlighted the exchange in a press release Tuesday, accusing Duffy of complaining about a salary ($174,000) that is far higher than what the average Wisconsinite earns.

A Duffy aide said Tuesday the congressman was not complaining, but relating to the financial pressures that constituents are feeling.

[onejayhawk]

I see you are using a quotation from Richard Dawkins as your sig line. Isn't that the guy from Hogan's Heroes?

Richard Dawson was best known for kissing other men's wives on camera.

J

[onejayhawk]

This comes under black comedy. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/n...r-felony-theft

Details are murky, but Vrabel is in danger of being charged with a Class D felony just two days before he's scheduled to appear on the players' behalf for Wednesday's antitrust lawsuit against the owners.

J

[Judge Jude]

Democrats drop the gloves on having "secret donors" for big campaigns - if you can't beat 'em.....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0407-dem-disclose-20110407,0,1206052.story

[Judge Jude]

ok, now to August

6 Wisconsin Republican state Senators up for recall, Dems needed 3
only 2 won
I think next week 2 Dems up for a recall as well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/us/politics/10wisconsin.html?_r=2&src=tp

what do partisans here say?
Dems picked up 2 seats off controversy, but now have to defend 2
Repubs kept control for sure, but does this weaken the cause?

Haven't seen an insightful piece on what to make of this yet

[chancellor]

The two Dems up for recall are almost certainly going to win - one's an absolute shoo-in, and the second shows a solid lead. All the recalled incumbents received a higher percentage of votes than they were polling, so I don't see a way for either to lose barring a serious brush with the law before the election.

But not retaking the Senate is a huge blow (one of the losses was almost certain, Kapanke was in a majority Dem district and got in trouble with the law along the way), plus voters are sick and tired of the recall efforts. If the Dems try to recall Walker next year, I think they'll get body slammed.

[Bernie Brewer]

The two Dems up for recall are almost certainly going to win - one's an absolute shoo-in, and the second shows a solid lead. All the recalled incumbents received a higher percentage of votes than they were polling, so I don't see a way for either to lose barring a serious brush with the law before the election.

But not retaking the Senate is a huge blow (one of the losses was almost certain, Kapanke was in a majority Dem district and got in trouble with the law along the way), plus voters are sick and tired of the recall efforts. If the Dems try to recall Walker next year, I think they'll get body slammed.

While I'm not in Wisconsin, I still closely follow this stuff from beyond the Cheedar Curtain. I agree that it sounds like both Dems up next week are safe. I also agree that the people of Wisconsin are getting fed up with the Recall Process and the outside intervention. I saw an article that $35 million was spent on the recalls, mostly by unions. I believe the estimate was $31 million of that came from Unions to fund the Dem causes. Not too wise of an investment if I were a unionite, especially one that was losing my job as a result of the ongoing posturing.

I thought it was interesting that the Milwaukee Journal waited to release a very positive article on Walker's impact on the Milwaukee area until the night after polls closed. I think the Dems will try to recall Walker, but I think there will be huge push back from the voters. Its getting less and less about Walker and more and more about outside influences trying to force change.

[senorsheep]

I can only assume that the same folks who feel compelled to rail against the outside influence of The Republicans and Fox and their allies in the affairs of the Tea Party movement will be along any time now to condemn with equal ferocity the outside influence The Democrats and the unions and their allies in the affairs of this local "grassroots" recall movement. LOL

[B-Fly]

I don't particularly care whether it's grassroots or not. I've never liked the idea of recall elections. If someone engages in criminal or unethical conduct worthy of impeachment, that's one thing. If you don't like the policy choices of someone who was democratically elected, work your arse off to defeat them in the next election to deny them another term.

[Bernie Brewer]

I can only assume that the same folks who feel compelled to rail against the outside influence of The Republicans and Fox and their allies in the affairs of the Tea Party movement will be along any time now to condemn with equal ferocity the outside influence The Democrats and the unions and their allies in the affairs of this local "grassroots" recall movement. LOL

100% in agreement! The Outside influences are out of control...across the board.

[Lucky]

While I'm not in Wisconsin, I still closely follow this stuff from beyond the Cheedar Curtain. I agree that it sounds like both Dems up next week are safe. I also agree that the people of Wisconsin are getting fed up with the Recall Process and the outside intervention. I saw an article that $35 million was spent on the recalls, mostly by unions. I believe the estimate was $31 million of that came from Unions to fund the Dem causes. Not too wise of an investment if I were a unionite, especially one that was losing my job as a result of the ongoing posturing.

I thought it was interesting that the Milwaukee Journal waited to release a very positive article on Walker's impact on the Milwaukee area until the night after polls closed. I think the Dems will try to recall Walker, but I think there will be huge push back from the voters. Its getting less and less about Walker and more and more about outside influences trying to force change.

I've also read estimates of spending between $30 Million and $35 Million, but nothing that is remotely close to saying that unions spent $31 Million. Do you have a reference on that?

I can see why Wisconsin voters would be sick of recalls, but I don't see evidence of that, either. The voter turnout was massive. If they were truly sick of recalls, wouldn't they have stayed at home?

I think you'll find that as much of the outside money came from right-wing PACs as from left-wing organizations. I would expect that unions would spend a lot, since unions had been attacked directly by the legislation which prompted the recall.