Will Scott Walker's "Divide and Conquer" Union-Busting Strategy Work In Other States?

[FJO]

Liberals/Democrats love to blame Republicans for the demise of Unions when in reality the corrupt, maniacal and mostly exclusive association with Democrats and their failed progressive policies has spelled the death knell for Unions.

Oh bullshit. Republicans believe the pant load they're sold by corporations who want to bring the middle class down to suck the last ounce of blood they can from workers. Worker safety? Forget it. Reasonable benefit plans? Forget it. It's a right wing race to the bottom. The right, with their corporate puppet masters, want a third world, slave labor economy.

I guess the right to bargain collectively, and be represented by adept negotiators, is something that the right wing was told to believe is right. Too bad these dweebs can't think for themselves.

When you need somebody "adept" to negotiate on your behalf, you are an inept dweeb.
And you are proving it by paying the ransom called union dues.

 

[OldUSAFSniper]

funny because I thought it was the Crash of our economy that caused these states to be going bankrupt.

Willow says its that public employees are paid too well.

It doesn't surprise me that you do not understand that the BIGGEST expense of a state, corporation, or anything else for that matter is PERSONNEL EXPENSES. Wages, salaries and benefits are the largest expenditure of any entity, whether it is private or public. A government entity pays these expenses through taxation and fees. When businesses do very well, such as the 80's under Reagan and 90's under Clinton, receipts rise. When businesses do poorly as since 2008 under Obama, then receipts decrease.

What becomes a problem is when government employees are BETTER PAID than those in the private sector who do the exact same job. Not only is this wrong, but it borders on being criminal. Additionally, public sector unions in some states (Wisconsin, until Walker), have gained a stangle-hold on those state governments and they were unable to rein in these wages and benefits.

You see TM, government is BAD. The larger it is, the more expensive it becomes, the less effective it is, and the less freedom it's citizens have. There's a reason why "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" is the pinnacle in dark humor. Because it is NEVER true...

 

[barry1960]

Liberals/Democrats love to blame Republicans for the demise of Unions when in reality the corrupt, maniacal and mostly exclusive association with Democrats and their failed progressive policies has spelled the death knell for Unions.

Oh bullshit. Republicans believe the pant load they're sold by corporations who want to bring the middle class down to suck the last ounce of blood they can from workers. Worker safety? Forget it. Reasonable benefit plans? Forget it. It's a right wing race to the bottom. The right, with their corporate puppet masters, want a third world, slave labor economy.

I guess the right to bargain collectively, and be represented by adept negotiators, is something that the right wing was told to believe is right. Too bad these dweebs can't think for themselves.

When you need somebody "adept" to negotiate on your behalf, you are an inept dweeb.
And you are proving it by paying the ransom called union dues.

Workers gather together in unions because collectively workers have more power than individually. Why do you think Walmart is so anti-union? I am not saying unions are perfect, I am just against dweebs who make dumb comments.

 

[NYcarbineer]

You fail to explain this recall was not about unions, rather PUBLIC SECTOR unions. The unions that are funded and exist on the backs of the taxpayer.

Private sector unions remain completely unaffected by any of this.

When all the public service workers around you, teachers, police, city workers, county workers, sanitation workers, the guys who plow your roads, the people who work in the courts, etc., etc., etc.,

are poorer,

how is that going to make your life better? Seriously, specifically, how will your life get better when those people are poorer?

poorer.............fuck them. Greedy assholes. Most of these mofu's dont pay a dime into their healthcare costs while I sit here in New York and shell out huge sums of money each paycheck for it. Fuck that the taxpayers pay for it........and as time moves on and more people become aware of it, more of these public sector unions will get teh ball kicks they deserve.

You're lying. Why would a dumbass like you from NY try to lie to a NY'er who's about 100 times smarter than you are?

btw, employees pay for every nickel of their healthcare...

...with their WORK.

 

[naturegirl]

Oh bullshit. Republicans believe the pant load they're sold by corporations who want to bring the middle class down to suck the last ounce of blood they can from workers. Worker safety? Forget it. Reasonable benefit plans? Forget it. It's a right wing race to the bottom. The right, with their corporate puppet masters, want a third world, slave labor economy.

I guess the right to bargain collectively, and be represented by adept negotiators, is something that the right wing was told to believe is right. Too bad these dweebs can't think for themselves.

When you need somebody "adept" to negotiate on your behalf, you are an inept dweeb.
And you are proving it by paying the ransom called union dues.

Workers gather together in unions because collectively workers have more power than individually. Why do you think Walmart is so anti-union? I am not saying unions are perfect, I am just against dweebs who make dumb comments.

So with your train of thought the government would take advantage of it's employees if they weren't unionized. Gotcha!!

 

[ClosedCaption]

Will public sector unions continue to choke the life out of the rest of America or will they learn that to exist they need to not kill the host?

How so? It seems that many are suggesting that the unions are to blame for states not having money....Recession? No?

 

[Truthmatters]

funny because I thought it was the Crash of our economy that caused these states to be going bankrupt.

Willow says its that public employees are paid too well.

It doesn't surprise me that you do not understand that the BIGGEST expense of a state, corporation, or anything else for that matter is PERSONNEL EXPENSES. Wages, salaries and benefits are the largest expenditure of any entity, whether it is private or public. A government entity pays these expenses through taxation and fees. When businesses do very well, such as the 80's under Reagan and 90's under Clinton, receipts rise. When businesses do poorly as since 2008 under Obama, then receipts decrease.

What becomes a problem is when government employees are BETTER PAID than those in the private sector who do the exact same job. Not only is this wrong, but it borders on being criminal. Additionally, public sector unions in some states (Wisconsin, until Walker), have gained a stangle-hold on those state governments and they were unable to rein in these wages and benefits.

You see TM, government is BAD. The larger it is, the more expensive it becomes, the less effective it is, and the less freedom it's citizens have. There's a reason why "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" is the pinnacle in dark humor. Because it is NEVER true...

This is what these clowns have been trained to think.

They hate democracy because they were trained to think that.

They hate the government our founders left us because they have been trained to think this.


who trained them to think this?


the republican party.



Who wants our governmnet dead and replaced by the will of the wealthy?

the republican party

 

[Truthmatters]

the unions are nothing but people.


the corporations are nothing but people.


You just choose the wealthy people over the average joe.

Fuck the people they can work for a scrap of food and a blanket for a tent.

But the wealthy NEED their 400 times that scrap and blanket.

 

[ClosedCaption]

A farmer who had a quarrelsome family called his sons and told them to lay a bunch of sticks before him.

Then, after laying the sticks parallel to one another and binding them, he challenged his sons, one after one, to pick up the bundle and break it.

They all tried, but in vain.

Then, untying the bundle, he gave them the sticks to break one by one. This they did with the greatest ease.

Then said the father, "Thus, my sons, as long as you remain united, you are a match for anything, but differ and separate, and you are undone."


Repubs believe that the bundle of sticks called corporations will treat the single stick (employees) good because corps are good. Repubs dont see that employees joined together are stronger. Why champion one bundle (Corps) over another (Employees)?

 

[naturegirl]

the unions are nothing but people.


the corporations are nothing but people.


You just choose the wealthy people over the average joe.

Fuck the people they can work for a scrap of food and a blanket for a tent.

But the wealthy NEED their 400 times that scrap and blanket.

Unions are not poor, they extort money from their members to use as they please. Yes, they extort money from the poor working class. Then the public sector unions extort money from the taxpayers to give benefits over and above the private sector. Yes they extort money from taxpayers through dues to use those funds as they see fit.

Yes, a government too big is BAD. I learned that in Middle School when I had to pass the US Constitution test to go to High School. Then it was reenforced when I had to pass yet another US Constitution test to graduate.

From your favorite founding father, Thomas Jefferson:

Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.

Yep, I learned that in a PUBLIC school.

 

[FJO]

Oh bullshit. Republicans believe the pant load they're sold by corporations who want to bring the middle class down to suck the last ounce of blood they can from workers. Worker safety? Forget it. Reasonable benefit plans? Forget it. It's a right wing race to the bottom. The right, with their corporate puppet masters, want a third world, slave labor economy.

I guess the right to bargain collectively, and be represented by adept negotiators, is something that the right wing was told to believe is right. Too bad these dweebs can't think for themselves.

When you need somebody "adept" to negotiate on your behalf, you are an inept dweeb.
And you are proving it by paying the ransom called union dues.

Workers gather together in unions because collectively workers have more power than individually. Why do you think Walmart is so anti-union? I am not saying unions are perfect, I am just against dweebs who make dumb comments.

People who gather in unions are those who think that everyone should be getting the same pay, regardless of diligence, effort and output. People who demand the most for the least. People who regard hard workers as scabs and suckups. People have no courage to seek another employment when they are unhappy with their current one. People who would happily slash your tires and/or break your legs if you aren't willing to pay ransom (commonly known as union dues) to their millionaire slave holders like Richard Trumka and Leo Girard. People who would rather see their jobs disappear, than compromise and not go on a strike that will invariably be long enough so they never make up for what they lost because of it.

If you think that you will be able to go to a unionized WallMart and save as you do now, than you are a typical blind and selfish unionist.

 

[Papageorgio]

I'm not against any union, private or public, I do object to public collective bargaining as was FDR, why? Because the power of controlling costs is completely lost when the economy down turns, it also leads to potential corruption. When the economy down turns, businesses start cutting cost, labor,

Wisconsin was looking at layoffs of state workers, the union was not going to bend enough to cut costs. The state was tied into the union owned insurance company and the cost was 50% than other bids, but collective bargaining did not allow for the state to look out for it's business. In the end, collective bargaining was going to cost the state, the workers more, the cut in insurance cost alone put more money in the employees pocket, because even though they paid a higher percentage, they paid less out of pocket for their health insurance because the price of insurance was dropped, because the union owned health care had to drop their rates or lose a contract.

Everyone has had to cut back, this economy is strapping all of us and we need solutions of employees, unions and government working together. Cost cutting is the rule, if you can have everyone take a little less, everyone keeps their job and services are not lost. It is a win/win.

 

[ClosedCaption]

When you need somebody "adept" to negotiate on your behalf, you are an inept dweeb.
And you are proving it by paying the ransom called union dues.

Workers gather together in unions because collectively workers have more power than individually. Why do you think Walmart is so anti-union? I am not saying unions are perfect, I am just against dweebs who make dumb comments.

People who gather in unions are those who think that everyone should be getting the same pay, regardless of diligence, effort and output. People who demand the most for the least. People who regard hard workers as scabs and suckups. People have no courage to seek another employment when they are unhappy with their current one. People who would happily slash your tires and/or break your legs if you aren't willing to pay ransom (commonly known as union dues) to their millionaire slave holders like Richard Trumka and Leo Girard. People who would rather see their jobs disappear, than compromise and not go on a strike that will invariably be long enough so they never make up for what they lost because of it.

If you think that you will be able to go to a unionized WallMart and save as you do now, than you are a typical blind and selfish unionist.

"People who join unions think...."

C'mon dude let be serious here

 

[Dick Tuck]

funny because I thought it was the Crash of our economy that caused these states to be going bankrupt.

Willow says its that public employees are paid too well.

due take note of Walker's success.. instead of a deficit his state now has a surplus.

"due take note"? Is grammar your second language?

 

[Lakhota]

Does anyone know, for a FACT, whether Scott Walker exaggerated and/or manufactured the Wisconsin budget crisis to bust unions? I've heard and read conflicting reports, so I honestly don't know. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but I'd really like to know the truth.

 

[Conservative]

Does anyone know, for a FACT, whether Scott Walker exaggerated and/or manufactured the Wisconsin budget crisis to bust unions? I've heard and read conflicting reports, so I honestly don't know. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but I'd really like to know the truth.

Does anyone know for a fact that Walker is the actual subject of the John Doe investigation, or if charges are being filed?

 

[oreo]

By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel

Madison - A filmmaker released a video Thursday that shows Gov. Scott Walker saying he would use "divide and conquer" as a strategy against unions.

Walker made the comments to Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks, who has since given $510,000 to the governor's campaign - making her Walker's single-largest donor and the largest known donor to a candidate in state history.

The filmmaker has done work on Democratic campaigns and gave $100 in 2010 to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker's challenger in the June 5 recall election.

In the video shot on Jan. 18, 2011 - shortly before Walker's controversial budget-repair bill was introduced and spawned mass protests - Hendricks asked the governor whether he could make Wisconsin a "completely red state, and work on these unions, and become a right-to-work" state. The Republican donor was referring to right-to-work laws, which prohibit private-sector unions from compelling workers to pay union dues if the workers choose not to belong to the union.

Walker replied that his "first step" would be "to divide and conquer" through his budget-adjustment bill, which curtailed most collective bargaining for most public employee unions.

Much More: In film, Walker talks of 'divide and conquer' union strategy - JSOnline

It already has. Look what San Diego and San Jose recently did.

(CBS/AP) SAN DIEGO - Voters in two major California cities overwhelmingly approved cuts to retirement benefits for city workers in what supporters said was a mandate that may lead to similar ballot initiatives in other states and cities buried under mounting pension obligations.

Public employee unions that aggressively fought the measures weren't able to overcome the simple message supporters used to attract voters in San Diego and San Jose: Pensions for city workers are unaffordable and more generous than many private companies offer. The result is reduced public services in the form of such things as limited hours at public libraries and unfilled potholes.

"The public is frustrated," said San Diego councilman Carl DeMaio, a Republican who staked his mayoral bid on the pension measure and advanced to a November runoff in Tuesday's election to lead the nation's eighth-largest city.

In San Diego, two-thirds of voters favored Proposition B while the landslide was even greater in San Jose, the nation's 10th-largest city. With all precincts counted, 70 percent were in favor of Measure B.

"The voters get it, they understand what needs to be done," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, a Democrat who has called pension reform his highest priority.

San Diego, San Jose voters embrace pension cuts - CBS News

So if it's happening in California a very liberal blue state--it's going on EVERYWHERE.

 

[westwall]

By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel

Madison - A filmmaker released a video Thursday that shows Gov. Scott Walker saying he would use "divide and conquer" as a strategy against unions.

Walker made the comments to Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks, who has since given $510,000 to the governor's campaign - making her Walker's single-largest donor and the largest known donor to a candidate in state history.

The filmmaker has done work on Democratic campaigns and gave $100 in 2010 to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker's challenger in the June 5 recall election.

In the video shot on Jan. 18, 2011 - shortly before Walker's controversial budget-repair bill was introduced and spawned mass protests - Hendricks asked the governor whether he could make Wisconsin a "completely red state, and work on these unions, and become a right-to-work" state. The Republican donor was referring to right-to-work laws, which prohibit private-sector unions from compelling workers to pay union dues if the workers choose not to belong to the union.

Walker replied that his "first step" would be "to divide and conquer" through his budget-adjustment bill, which curtailed most collective bargaining for most public employee unions.

Much More: In film, Walker talks of 'divide and conquer' union strategy - JSOnline

I sure hope so!

 

[rhodescholar]

They are not overpaid, everyone else is underpaid, wages have stagnated for 10 years or longer and fringe benefits are becoming a thing of the past to the cheers of republicans.

Ugh, more nonsensical drivel talking points from the far left. Even the private sector unions recognize that the public sector ones are a cancer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/n...group-show-fracture-in-labor-movement.html?hp

"Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, sits on the committee’s advisory board.

The council joined “because we believed it was important to support the governor’s agenda of bringing fiscal responsibility to New York and attracting private investment and job creation to our state,” said Paul Fernandes, a spokesman for Mr. LaBarbera.

“It should come as no surprise,” he continued, “that we would want to work with other civic and business leaders to support efforts to get our state on sound fiscal and economic footing.”

One labor official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the unions’ decision, said that unlike public workers, union members in the building trades — electricians, construction workers and plumbers — could not qualify for benefits unless there was private sector work to be had."

============

Even the private sector unions get it - how come the far leftists still don't?

 

[rhodescholar]

Oh for chrissakes don't drag out that nonsense that somehow conservatives are only anti-labor when it comes to public sector unions.

You're a fucking idiot. I despise and wish to eliminate all public employee unions, and am 100% behind private sector unions.