Some Reminders About the Wisconsin Debate

B-DaddyB-Daddy 3 Comments

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To clarify a few points on the debate in Wisconsin.

  • Collective Bargaining is not a “right.” If it was, federal workers would have the right, they do not.
  • Collective Bargaining is not a “right.” If it was, then all state employees in the U.S. would have the right, they do not.
  • Collective Bargaining is not a “right.” Nowhere is it enshrined in the Constitution, it was granted by legislation in Wisconsin, by executive order in some other states.
  • State workers are protected from arbitrary firing and have numerous other protections in Wisconsin.
  • Collective bargaining, combined with pay check deductions and public employee union contributions to political candidates forms a taxpayer subsidy to the Democratic party. That is unfair. If I don’t like Walmart’s political views, I can boycott their stores, but I can’t stop paying taxes to slow the flow of my money to a party I intensely dislike.
  • Scott Walker has been criticized for wanting to bust unions. They say that like it’s a bad thing, it is not.

Cross posted to the The Liberator Today.

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Comments 3

  1. To clarify a few points on the B-Daddy Article.

    •Collective Bargaining is not the cause of Wisconsin’s budget deficit. If it was, then please explain Texas. They have no collective bargaining rights, republican Governor and Legislature for the last 10 years yet they have a $26B deficit.

    •Collective Bargaining has given public safety their safety equipment. Not the benevolence of the elected officials.

    •Collective Bargaining protects public safety members when they contract infectious diseases through airborne and blood borne pathogens along with all the other issues that come along with working in public safety. Without collective bargaining, the State/City/County would not pay for their medical treatment. Costs too much.

    •Collective bargaining, combined with VOLUNTARY pay check deductions and public employee union contributions to political candidates forms a taxpayer subsidy to the Republican Party since most public safety unions support Republican candidates. Is tha unfair too? If you don’t like the public safety union then don’t join.

    Brian R Marvel
    President, SDPOA

  2. Brian,
    Except for the last point, what you are saying is true, but irrelevant to today’s debate.
    Pay check deductions are unfair, regardless of which party is supported by the union. The problem is that union contributions are required of employees in Wisconsin.

    I work for the Federal government and have all the protections you mention, including workers’ compensation. Federal law provides for medical treatment for job related injuries, for example. All of these protections were made available without collective bargaining, through the legislative process.

    It doesn’t matter if collective bargaining is the cause of the budget deficit or not, it is within the authority of the legislature and the Governor to remove the privilege. My point is that there is no inherent right of collective bargaining for public employees.

  3. I have to admit my shock at the attitude portrayed by Brian’s comments. Maybe his passion has clouded his opinion. However, people often have opinions based upon what is best for themselves and their self-image.

    Public servants do a vital duty for the country. Military members, for instance, perform their duty with honor, integrity and we are all proud of them. They portray some of the best qualities of our country. They are asked to lay down their lives and live in unspeakable conditions for the good of our country. Our military service people do not require unions nor do they require collective bargaining. They are serving the public.

    Brian’s comments remind me that the government employee unions are negotiating with other elected and assigned government employees over money neither of them earned. In effect they are unionized against the public and justifing their actions to make the public serve the government.

    The government employees make more than their private counterparts and have no market forces to compete with. The regressive nature of forcing those who make less to pay more to those earn more with less risk is beyond even the most liberal view of society and moves into the realm of elitist entitlement. Merit and value are the basis of American society, not entitlement!

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