Public sector in the crosshairs of anti-union politicians

[Skip_In_Boulder]

Big Business the driving force behind attacks

By Jeff Bigelow
JANUARY 24, 2011

A new wave of legislative proposals to cut back public-sector bargaining rights, eliminate pension rights and cut pay has spawned articles in nearly every major newspaper in the country. The message in this “news” is that public-sector unions must accept the same concessions that were forced on private-sector unions over the last 25 years.

Right-wing demands for layoffs, furloughs, wage cuts and the elimination of programs serving people’s needs continue. But as terrible as each of those attacks is, the attempt to slice off a right here or a wage there is not new. What is new is a much more determined push to go to the center of remaining union power and gut it.

Those who control the media outlets are cheering this on. Their “analysis” concludes that pensions and wages of public employees cannot be afforded and that public-employee unions have become too powerful for the good of the community.

In Wisconsin, a Republican governor is talking about taking away collective bargaining rights. In the first two weeks of January, Illinois Democratic Party leaders pushed hard for bills to severely limit collective bargaining rights for educational employees and to take away bargaining rights from thousands of others. In Ohio, the governor is planning to take away the bargaining rights of thousands of child care and home health care workers. In Missouri and Minnesota, there are legislative plans to pass anti-union “right to work” laws, bringing them in line with Mississippi.

In New York City, the mayor has issued a 23-point program that calls for eliminating seniority in layoffs and making other changes that will increase favoritism and discrimination. The New York governor wants to impose a one-year wage freeze on hundreds of thousands of state workers.

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/public-sector-unions-targeted.html

[Historic NY]

1. Its time to take them out and expose them for what they are..despots.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

2. Yes it is. In fact I would argue, it's past time.

However, WI gives me hope. Maybe people are finally starting to catch on.

[jillan]

3. As Randi Rhodes said on her show today - let's call it what it is -they are going after the Dem Base

They are going after the people, the Unions that fund the Democratic party.

I guess the repukes and the corporatists didn't know the workers of this country are not going to stand for it.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

4. Yep, I am listening to her now. I get it delayed here

But that is what I love about Randi, she tells it like it is and this is an attempt to destroy the Democratic Party.