Wisconsin’s fight against the public unions was yet another battle in the war to prevent government from remaining self-perpetuating; regardless of the outcome of those pesky things called elections. The victory Scott Walker won against the Wisconsin public employee unions has spawned similar efforts in Alabama, Idaho, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska, and Tennessee. James Shrek of National Review gives us an extraordinary look at how state public union reform is spreading like wildfire.
A commonly popular reform involves prohibiting the use of state payroll systems to transfer money to political organizations. Alabama has passed this law and is fighting the Alabama Education Association in court to keep it in force. Florida has bills to duplicate this reform in their state in the appropriate committees of their legislature. Kansas has passed similar legislation in one state house but not yet the other.
Tennessee and Idaho now consider legislation to limit the power of state education unions in other respects. Idaho has limited their bargaining power to salary and wages as well as prevented them from collecting dues via state payroll systems. They and Tennessee both are attempting to limit tenure and seniority based layoffs.
Ohio and Oklahoma work on legislation to reform both striking rights and arbitration practices for public unions. Nebraska seeks similar relief from binding arbitration.
What all of these plans have in common is the return of unelected and unaccountable governmental organizations to the control of elected civil authority. What each reform would accomplish would be to make democracy at the state and local level more important. It would render the daily usurpations of these various and sundry local bureaucracies less inevitable. The cat has just leapt forth from the bag in many locations. Scott Walker stood tall and won that victory. Now people all over America reap the benefits.
Steve Maley
Caleb Howe
Jeff Emanuel
It will take a while to see the results. . .
msctex (Diary) Thursday, March 17th at 5:31PM EDT (link). . .but the toll this will take on the Democratic Party will be tremendous. The gears in the Party machinery are about to have a giant wooden shoe tossed inside. They have been legally (in the loosest sense) laundering money for generations, and an enormous amount of money they have come to count upon in any number of ways is about to suddenly dry up.
It is incredible how historically the worst things that happen to Progressives from a political standpoint occur immediately after they assume real power. They can subsist indefinitely below the surface, but their head tends to be chopped off whenever it is above the water long enough to be recognized.
Forget the wooden shoes --
rickbull Thursday, March 17th at 8:22PM EDT (link)Let’s toss massive quantities of jelly beans into the gears!
Hat tip to Ronald Reagan and Everett T. Marm — two of my heroes.
WE ARE THE 53% (who actually pay taxes).
The greatest loss the union itself faces
Deskpilot (Diary) Thursday, March 17th at 5:50PM EDT (link)is the sudden realization of their members how much has bee confiscated out of their paychecks. With the government (at whatever level) no longer serving as the collection agent, members whill have to stoke a check to pay thier dues. But with thier paycheck increasing by the amount that is no longer confiscated, they will see the painand the union will become the lowest priority in the bill pile.
A the family of a public union employee might decide to go out to dinner supporting a small business rather than pay that pay periods’ dues.
ALL GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can still read it in English, You’re Welcome
Deskpilot, AM(H)1 (AW), USN (Ret)
Join the RedState Strike Force
I agree!
cari Thursday, March 17th at 6:14PM EDT (link)Now, if we can stop income tax from being with held so that that people would have to pay that “out of pocket” too…
True. When my dad was young you still had to
davesinsanantonio (Diary) Friday, March 18th at 6:13AM EDT (link)actually “pay” your income taxes. It made people much more aware of what the government was actually doing with with your money.
Analysis I'd like to see:
f2000 (Diary) Thursday, March 17th at 6:06PM EDT (link)With half of all union members this ought to be big but I’m wondering just how big. First, I expect that the unions will go on a spending binge this cycle, available funds or not. The impact then could be felt more after the 2012 elections instead of the lead up to it with the unions in serious hock.
But:
What percent of unions/public unions membership is affected?
Is there data on non-membership rates that can predict membership impact?
When do the de-certification provisions start kicking in, and is there data to guess at those outcomes?
What sort of costs are the unions likely to incur for the collection of dues and other administrative functions such as regular elections?
As a minimum the unions will have to hire staff to
davesinsanantonio (Diary) Friday, March 18th at 6:20AM EDT (link)process the checks, credit accounts, and bill the delinquents, and send the long term delinquent accounts to collection agencies. And, with the history of some unions underpaying and even mistreating their own employees (not to say anything about the abuses they sometimes heap upon their member, or non-members who still have to donate to them) they will probably have lawyer and court costs defending their actions in front of a judge.
Or use other automated payment systems
wdgf Friday, March 18th at 2:07PM EDT (link)A whole lot of these payments could be handled by automated payment systems. They could take payments by bank-draft and credit card, and I’m sure there are other such options. These really wouldn’t require much in the way of additional personnel. They won’t cover everything, but quite a bit.
That said, this will still make these payments much more visible to the members and puts them more in control of those payments. I’d be willing to bet the unions will lose a substantial amount of cash from this.
LIBERAL [lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl]: Gives freely of others; Values intentions over results; Claims undue credit; Accepts no responsibility; Demands draconian rules for others; Governed by emotion over thought; Offended by truth; Resents achievement & success; BULLY.
RMJ, FWIW, thank you
lineholder (Diary) Thursday, March 17th at 6:34PM EDT (link)I appreciate the viewpoint you have presented in this. Maybe, just maybe, it will curtail some of the dishonesty, bribery, extortion, and lawlessness that has been going on.
We need a return to higher accountability.
Why Didn't Walker
punditpawn Thursday, March 17th at 7:19PM EDT (link)Why don’t Republican’s retroactively nullify any Statewide union-negotiated contracts that occurred between the period that the union-crushing legislation was introduced and the Secretary of State actually recognized the final law?
Simple.
The New Law Permits Alterations if the Locals Want
flannery Thursday, March 17th at 11:41PM EDT (link)The new law removes most terms and conditions of employment from collective bargaining and limits changes to wages to a vote and formula based, in part, on the CPI. Once the law is in effect the Locals can change those non-negotiable terms and conditions if they want.
Two wrongs don't make a right
lgbpop Thursday, March 17th at 11:49PM EDT (link)I read the Secretary of State’s explanation for waiting until March 25 to declare the law in effect, and while somewhat doubtful of his true motive his explanation is valid. Many contracts were already under negotiation and it wouldn’t be quite fair to forcibly change the rules of the game after the game had started, and those cities already negotiating with the unions were already within their rights not to give away the store – although they had to know that they were now on the hook to fund any raises they granted, since Madison was not likely to underwrite any cost overruns that the cities attempted to force to the state level.
Frankly, I look forward to seeing what happens when and if a city or two decides to play Santa Claus, then cry poormouth when the bill comes due. I doubt there will be much sympathy offered from the state – let alone bailout funding!
This is one
RetiredFF Thursday, March 17th at 9:42PM EDT (link)“wildfire” that I would never attempt to extinguish. Let the flames roar as they may. A nation saving conflagration. Gov. Walker you are my HERO and you could very well be our nations hero. Thank you!
President Palin, Vice President Walker
nickel Friday, March 18th at 10:24AM EDT (link)Now that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?
It does indeed! NT
wdgf Friday, March 18th at 2:10PM EDT (link)LIBERAL [lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl]: Gives freely of others; Values intentions over results; Claims undue credit; Accepts no responsibility; Demands draconian rules for others; Governed by emotion over thought; Offended by truth; Resents achievement & success; BULLY.
One of the wonderful ...
cam1 Friday, March 18th at 3:05PM EDT (link)results of the Tea Party revolution was in the state legislatures, Secretaries of State and Governor’s mansions. It’s showing. Hopefully, the House is awaken.
UNIONS
sirjason (Diary) Saturday, March 19th at 5:20PM EDT (link)Every state should have a ‘RIGHT to WORK’ law that prevents unions from forcing employers and employees to join unions!
The union bosses do not give a rats biblical donkey about the union members or their families! The forced union dues are supposed to support the union members during strikes! However, the union bosses give this money to progressive socialists for election and reelection.
The union bosses do NOT lose a penny during strikes while the union members lose their homes, family and their vehicles and the perks continue for the bosses.
Wise up union members, the ONLY PEOPLE who remain wealthy during socialism or communism are the kingpins at the top of the unions and the progressive socialists, professional, political parasites…ALL OTHERS SUFFER!
–
Jason Leverette, Patriot
Whatever evolves was first, created-
Semper Fidelis