This issue about union busting, plain and simple. And the teachers in Wisconsin are not buying it. The union has agreed to 2 of 3 concessions and were flat out refused.
My DH and I are employed by DoD. My husband is a wage grade worker, a union steward and has bargaining rights. I am a GS worker, I do not. For the first three years of my employment, I was “career conditional”, I could be terminated within 3 yrs for poor performance. There is a myth going around that the average government worker makes $120,000.00 a year. And people get riled up. Let me enlighten you as to WHO makes that much money and WHERE they live.
SES government workers living in DC make that and more. The GS worker, myself is no where near that amount. Why? Location, location and GRADE. Government workers salaries by grade are posted on the OPM website. You can find GS and WG wages there as well. It also depends on WHERE you live and WHERE you work.
My DH and I do “pay” into health insurance and our wages have been frozen for the next two years while our health insurance premiums have risen 7.2%. My DH is in a different retirement plan (CSRS) and I am in FERS. I “contribute” to my retirement plan as do workers in the private sector. Did I mention that my husband cannot strike?
If Wisconsin loses their bargaining rights, you will see overcrowded classrooms, high turn over of teachers and the quality of education will decline.
I have read posts regarding the swarming of industry to the south where bargaining rights are few, far between or non-existant. Now, take a look where these states rank in education compared to Wisconsin and the Northeast. Get the picture?
My mother remembers when the unions came to the mills in the south and were looked upon harshly. Those were the good 'ol days weren’t they? Good 'ol managers who would pay you what “they” wanted to pay you and replace you with their brother in a minute. Or sleep with your wife, or else you are fired. Or sleep with your daughter or else she is fired. You will work 7 days a week “if I say so”. No breaks, no lunch and if I need your kids to work, they will work too. Irish need not apply. Blacks need not apply. It was the labor movement that brought you the weekend, a lunch break, an 8 hour day, 40 hour week and time and half for overtime. It paved the way against sexual harrassment and anti discrimination in the workplace.
Some forget the Catholic Church and the organized labor have been married for quite a long time. Think what religion made up the “working class poor” in the northeast and midwest. Oh, yeah…Catholics.
As for the comment about unions contributing to the Democratic party/campaign. I will say yes they have, just as much as the Christian Right (the evang/fundy type) has contributed to the Republican party/campaign.
