wisconsin is a poor state. It is trying to avoid becoming as much of a ****hole as the rest of the midwest by attracting businesses. The unions may have conceded to the cuts in this instance, there are many more cuts that are going to be made. When the unions freak out about every little thing as they have a pattern of doing in Wisconsin, the Gov decided enough was enough. Yes, this will make the teachers poorer. but guess what, everyone else around them is poor too.
There is probably something to this. He might also be looking at the political calculation that going after the police and firefighters unions will be less popular than going after teachers and prison guards. Anyway it looks like that calculation isn't working so much as the firefighter union has come out and said they regret supporting Walker.
That is correct. The teachers aren't getting paid 100K per year. Anyone who claims they are is flat out wrong. add to that a comparison between employees who have a bachelor's degree plus 2 years of post graduate education and continue to take post graduate work like teachers do. They are under compensated.
No it's not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income The bottom of that list is a who's who of states that are anti-union, by the way.
Do you know Studs Terkel? An appropriate little clip. I wish I could find the whole forum. Studs Terkel and William F. Buckley, "Wisdom of Sages," at The Connecticut Forum <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OPybdfY0L4g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A much as I like my liberal friends, I am going to disagree. $75,000+ is a lot of money. CBA must be controlled. This all about correcting unsustainable expenditures...something has to give or break...! ! Generous public free benefits is a part of what an unbridled union has created...Free no longer works... Teachers deserve good compensation, but those in private sectors can no longer provide a sustainable path for business as usual ...and that's what it is Deck...sorry...The salary is really not the issue so much...it is controlling unjustifiable future increases at tax payer expense...It is controlling free retirement and pension at tax payer expense... I just want to protect the tax payers...as one, the squeeze/strain/conflict is too much in this country, heck...world. . . Shame on the teachers as well for the strike. Put the kids first and everything they can get while the country goes to hell under Obama second. . .
No it's not It's about weakening one of the major obstacles to republican electoral victory in future elections.
As others have said the teachers union has already agreed to pay money towards their benefits and pension. They aren't fighting for it to be free. When it was free that was something the state agreed to pay them. They didn't stick a gun to anyone's head and rob it from them. Again these teachers are getting paid less than the average person with the same amount of degrees post graduate education and training. That is true even with benefits packages that were free. In addition Walker's tax cuts to corporations drove the deficit up. It wasn't like that before his tax cuts to corporations. Once he did that the only people he asked to sacrifice to pay the deficit were the working folks. He didn't ask the wealthy to sacrifice anything, only workers who were part of the public unions. Also as has been shown two of the states with the worst budget problems are non-union states.
The financial/compensation issues is not the absolute issue...The real issue is fixing the unsustainable state budget by preventing unions to be business as usual at the expense of tax payers when the money is gone. . . Everybody has to make concessions, and unions must as well...The well is dry from the private sector...Obviously, tax payers made "change" happen in Wisconsin because of the need to correct. . .The Governor is doing just that for the sake of his state... 1. End government collection of union dues, why have the government do more when doing more requires resources? 2. let workers opt out of unions ...why not? be pro-choice if unions don't do anything of merit to the individual 3. require unions to hold recertification votes every year. ..Let them be enabled through majority choice and to prove themselves like the rest of us. . . 4. Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation...During this economy that is reasonable..
Not everybody is being asked to sacrifice at all. In fact only group of people is being asked to sacrifice anything at all. They are also being asked to sacrifice more because Walker sent the state into more debt because of his tax cuts to corporations. The reason why the union gets dues automatically is because every worker whether they want to be in the union or not has benefits and the salary they do because of the work of the union. It isn't fair for them to reap the rewards of union work and negotiation while contributing zero.
So, according to Walker, the very existence of union power means future government will be bullied into giving them all kinds of goodies? They are not able to stand up for their citizens and only Walker can do it? And if unions are such successful bullies, why not fix it with the cops and firefighters, too? Don't we need protection from these unions, too? Like I said, we can have an honest debate about the merits of unions, but this is not what Walker is doing. I think studies have shown that public sector unions increase employee wages/benefits in the public sector by 5 or 6% compared to situations in which there are no such unions. Does that saving potential exist? Sure. Is that money enough to balance the budget or otherwise impact the fiscal health of state government? No. In fact, non-union states are very much in financial troubles, too. So this "fix the budget" thing, whether short or long term, is very much a pretense. I don't really feel strongly about unions one way or another, but I do think politicians should have honest debates rather than simply plot against opposing tribes under pretext.
I disagree, those in the private sector ARE sacrificing when the company announces no more Christmas bonus..or that raise?...nope not this year. Or that anticipated position being created in the printing business...not going to happen...Now if more corporations such as that large employer in Sussex gets the corporate tax cut, they might not have to shut down the acquired plant in Clarksville, TN,...eliminating jobs, jobs, jobs... Now this is where I kinda agree with you here...Freeloading has to stop, but these salaries and benefits should be also based on demand and competitiveness. The state can easily calculate employment demand and competitive salary/benefits. Afterall the Fed. govt. can do this without union necessity...
Just donated 5 pies Anybody wanna help The pizza shop called Ian’s, located on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin, is getting calls from people who want to donate pizzas to the protesters, notes Politico. The calls are coming from countries around the world. Callers from around the US are donating pizzas, too.
