Another Blow to Public Unions

Well, another evil Republican state legislature has voted to strip public employee unions of their bargaining rights. More evidence, no doubt, of Republican fascism.

No! Wait! It's Massachusetts Democrats! From the Boston Globe:

House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last night to strip police officers, teachers, and other municipal employees of most of their rights to bargain over health care, saying the change would save millions of dollars for financially strapped cities and towns.

The 111-to-42 vote followed tougher measures to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states. But unlike those efforts, the push in Massachusetts was led by Democrats who have traditionally stood with labor to oppose any reduction in workers' rights.

What does it mean that Massachusetts Democrats are pulling a Scott Walker? The answer, of course, is that they have no other choice. Public union contracts are unsustainable for state and municipal governments. In an era when state legislatures are having trouble balancing their books by any possible means, such contracts render large sections of the budget untouchable. That, of course, is the whole point of such contracts.

When even the Massachusetts Democrats recognize these facts, you can conclude that they are quite unavoidable in practice. It remains to be seen whether the Press outside of Massachusetts will take notice, or whether large protests will materialize, or whether anyone will liken Governor Deval Patrick a neo-fascist. Don't hold your breath.

Comments

[Donald Pay]

I'd recall the Democrats who voted for it. The war on the rights of Americans and on the middle class has been bipartisan with far too many Democrats spewing the corporate lies and toeing the corporate line. Collective bargaining didn't cause any problems. What's caused the problems are gutless politicians.

[duggersd]

What rights are being denied? And I bet you are glad to see the NLRB suing SD and AZ over their law to guarantee secret ballots? Why is it the public unions are the only ones that in your mind not have to sacrifice? PEU's have for too long been able to negotiate with the people who they bought and payed for.

[KB]

"Collective bargaining didn't cause any problems". Maybe not on Krypton. On Earth, it raises the cost of everything.

[Dave]

The middle class is the tide that raises all ships. Without it there would be no market for capitalist to sell their wares.

[Donald Pay]

Duggersd<

I believe public unions have to sacrifice when necessary. In fact they have sacrificed quite a lot during this downturn, unlike the corporate "geniuses" that drove the economy into the ditch. Have they sacrificed as much as Wisconsin's public unions (a cut of over 12% in wages and benefits)? Under Walker the cuts don't go to deficit reduction. They go to more tax loopholes for the wealthy and for corporations.

[duggersd]

Dave, then the best thing to do is get out of the way of business and let them do their thing. When they hire people, then the people buy things. All the unions do is make a business less competitive. And PEU's do nothing to make a government more efficient.
Donald, public union people on average make more than the regular working stiffs of this country. Unfortunately they are "negotiating" with the very people they have bought an paid for. In fact, that is what has the unions in MA so angry. The very people they paid for have screwed them. Sooner or later, market forces have to be allowed to take hold. BTW, was that you in the middle protesting at a Ryan townhall meeting? http://plixi.com/p/96755114