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Republican Governors Demonize Public Workers

Posted by: Tom Campbell on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich and Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, as well as a number of politicians around the Nation - including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo - are running campaigns to either demonize Public Employees or lay the blame for their State Budget Problems at their feet.  In fact, in Wisconsin, Republican Governor Scot Walker's proposed budget targets Union Members and - if passed - would lower the Standard Of Living for all in Wisconsin. Walker's also gone as far as to announce the National Guard in his state is prepared for possible unrest among State Employees. What in the world is going on here? With that said, what must Organized Labor do to combat these anti-Union/anti-Worker elected officials who are pursuing such action and taking the tack they have taken when it comes to Public Employees?

Comments

History repeats itself - In 1951 Wisconsin introduced it's first Public Sector Bill in the Assembl. They were mavericks in leading the way for Public Sector Unions. AFSCME was founded there on those issues, but it took them nine years to get the first law signed by Governor Nelson. Let's hope this fight doesn't undo all the hard work and time invested in doing the right thing. Are we about to turn the clock back 52 years? It was the right thing to do back then and now it's even more relevant. With the decline in wages and benefits that is besieging our Nation, the race to the bottom only leads to exactly that - the bottom, where Working Men and Women have no rights in the work place. Is that where Working Men and Women should be? I don't think so.
Posted by: Tom Campbell on February 27, 2011 at 4:26:00 pm
The demonization of Public Employees is a calculated strategy to steer the political spotlight away from those who brought us the recession. If the focus is not shifted back to the root causes of the crisis, in the words of the commission, it will happen again.

Mark Erlich is Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.
Posted by: Wayne on February 23, 2011 at 11:33:00 am
I find it funny that if Unions only account for around 13% of the workforce in the United States, how is it possible that they are targeted as the main financial problem? Maybe some of these politicians should take a look at the big picture.
Posted by: Bob Casella on February 19, 2011 at 2:52:00 pm

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