Wisconsin: Striking Workers May Leave the State

Many of you may have heard but it looks like the labor protest that started in Wisconsin, is about to enter into its second week. Last reports indicate that the 12 Democratic Wisconsin state senators, who have fled the state, have indicated that they plan to stay in hiding until those 200,000 public workers have had their voices heard by the state legislature. This has been reported by "The Huffington Post."

Since the protest began, the protest had expanded to Ohio and Indiana, with various labor unions decrying this attempt to break the unions under which these workers remain protected. Even President Obama has come out in support of the public workers. This assault on the unions, through which the current bill seeks to eliminate, contains language that would effectively destroy the "collective bargaining agreements" that these public workers have and ban public workers from going on strike in an attempt to gain better benefits and pay raises for their hard work.

From everything I have read, the articles that "The Huffington Post" posted earlier today indicated that schools had shut down and that people from all walks of life, from every community, had joined in support of these workers. Some 25,000 protesters had gathered in the Wisconsin state legislature to protest this bill and even Reverend Jesse Jackson was seen (in a photograph), being hoisted into the air, in support of these workers.

This topic is in support of these workers. Use this topic to discuss this ongoing protest against the Wisconsin bill being pushed through the legislature by Governor Scott Walker.

The biggest mistake is the Governors of Wisconsin, Ohio and other States don't want to sit down and talk with the workers. Unions definitely belong in the Public sector for this very reason. It is not all about benefits. It is about fairness. Why all the tax cuts for the rich and then walk over the middle class.

I have been on both sides. Right now it is an employers market. Just like in the depths of the Great Depression. When you pushed too far, people will fight back. People need a voice in what happening in the State, Government and private sector.

The Tea Party is pushing there agenda too far, without consulting anyone else. Most of the members are just be used and being misled. The majority are hard working like the rest of us. We are afraid, this is how Hitler took control. I am not saying there the Nazi Party. They are using the same tactics for sure.

It is about the rich having everything, we have had enough!

Meet the workers at the table and listen. The Governors serve us to, just like the workers. They have the responsibility to listen to the people of the State.

That's true. However, I've found that once an elected official is voted into office by the people, that often their allegiances aren't to the people but rather to the business interests of policies of their political party that often dictate how they proceed.

Just take a look at the Health Care Reform. Now, while the law is the best thing we could ever hope for, the American People were led to believe that the law would lower health care costs if it passed. However, while health care costs will decrease for the average American, those lowered costs that they will see on their bills are just passed on to the Federal government, which pays those costs to the health insurance agencies.

Take a look at Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker was elected into office by the people. However, I seriously doubt Wisconsin voters agree with how Governor Walker is handling this whole situation and I seriously doubt that the voters of the state would ever agree to abolish the CBA and the many other 'worker's rights' to which they are afforded under union rules.

I think this is one time when the voters should be electing to get a Federal judge to halt the movement of this current bill until an independent arbiter can come in and get both sides to the table. This protest isn't doing any good for Wisconsin and it's effectively halted the government. Instead of agreeing to halt the bill and go back to the bargaining table, Walker is just content with prolonging this protest for as long as he can.

Another option is for the voters of Wisconsin to get a Federal judge to halt the bill in its tracks until both sides can present their arguments in Federal court. The only other option is that this protest expands to other states in the union and effectively shutting down the Wisconsin legislature.

Well, it's gotten bigger. Huffington Post has reported that as many as 70,000 people gathered for the largest protest ever, since this "labor strike" began. This is unprecedented as more people join the march in Madison, Wisconsin.

You can read more about Saturday's massive turnout by checking out this link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/19/madison-protests_n_825616.html

Your right, kemcha.

They need a fair independent arbiter, whether it is the Labor Department or a Federal Judge. Especially after Governor Walker refused to talk. The President should order a federal intervention of some kind. If the Governor does not come to his sense by Tuesday, he will have lost much support. Nobody wins in this situation, but the workers have no other choice.

This is happening in my state of Ohio. The former Governor Ted Strickland is inviting everyone to come on down to Columbus this Tuesday. This is going to snowball this week. Rallies are being formed in all parts of the nation. The Tea Party needs to stop these tactics. Americans are not stupid! They have stirred up a sleeping nation.

With the Federal Budget and this, many more people are going sleepless and it is not just the forgotten unemployed.

I doubt that the President could order such a move, since each state has its own sovereign powers, granted under the constitution. The only time, I think, that the President could sign a declaration is to order the military to go in to restore order but that's often used as a last resort.

I think U.S. Presidents are often reluctant to order the military to go into a city or state to restore order unless all other avenues have been exhausted. If it were to come to that, I think think the first response would be to send in the National Guard. After all, that's one of the reasons why they were created, to protect the states under which they operate.

In any event, if this continues to drag on any longer, I think that the Federal courts will step in. Governor Walker needs to realize that this bill is harming worker's rights in his own state and back down. But, it's going to either take an act of Congress, which is required before the military is sent in or an intervening act by a Federal court judge. I'm just wondering why no lawyers have come out and spoken for these public workers.

see Posse Comitatus Act - this is interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act#Recent_legislative_events

Remember when the Bush administration authorized use of the military? Although much of this legislation was overturned, states and feds still have a lot of power. We shall see. They may want to set an example.

Examples of this have been used in various big budget movies and television shows. While it was actually used in the movie "The Siege" with Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis and it was mentioned in the first episode of the TV series "The Unit."

The Posse Comitatus Act is only used as a last resort when U.S. Law Enforcement and the FBI cannot handle threats to national security.

However, in order to authorize the act, it has to be approved by an act of Congress. The President cannot authorize it without approval from Congress. It would similar to how Congress acted when President Bush requested that Congress authorized the action against Afghanistan and Iraq.

I think everyone is waiting for who blinks, next. The problem is time is not on either side. The Public is who suffers the most. I think it was illegal to have any vote on collective bargaining. That must come from the workers. I am no lawyer.

Can we all think about the propaganda that's been blathered at us from every angle - nonsense such as we have a "spending" problem. Do you think they pay Limbaugh $16 million/year, because he is intelligent? Gee, seems they've been cutting spending - except for the military - for the last 30 years - both parties cut services for people, but hand large wads to corporate welfare recipients to help fund their elections or compose legislation designed to reduce their tax burden. They've even been willing to balance the federal budget with our social security taxes until the account was drained. Now their plan is to reduce payments and raise the retirement age - all so that the people who don't rely on it can have a million dollar tax refund.

Don't you think it's really a "revenue" problem? In other words, the giant tax cuts that primarily benefit the millionaires/billionaires and huge transnationals that regularly receive tax refunds and subsidies, have severely limited the amount of gov't funds left for the general public's interest. What's worse, the so-called "free" trade agreements that have been negotiated among the global elites have destroyed once self-sufficient communities around the world so that subsidized commodities from transnationals can flood their economies with cheap crap that they can't possibly compete with. This whole scenario has severely endangered the lives of willfully ignorant Americans who will soon be "shocked" when one of these recipients of our "good will" has had enough. Now the government is doing to us what its been doing around the world for decades. We need to wake up to all their Orwellian distortions - a lot of skepticism is in order. Their "national" interests are NOT working class concerns. Increasing dividends at any cost will result in nothing but a wake of poverty, death and destruction as is plainly evident around the world including huge segments of the U.S. - once thriving industries gone. Without regulation, these corporations will devour everything in site without any regard for consequence. They must be restricted if we want to leave anything for future generations.

The whole agenda is truly immoral. The working class suffers so that the elites among us can contribute nothing, but help themselves to everything. Had enough yet?

When it comes to vital public services, I do believe that legislatures of each state come up with their own rules regarding public services.

Some states actually have banned public workers in certain areas, who serve a vital function for the general public which they are forbidden from striking. New York City has such a law but I think it's limited to certain categories of workers such as public transportation bus drivers.

YES! How much greed is enough?

You think the Governors are trying to get temporary workers like every other industry? Even management positions are now temporary. This could be their total plan. That is another reason to keep fighting.

One thing for sure they can't move the State.

Let's hold the personal remarks about real people down to a bare minimum. While some people in the media are detestable, we don't need to stoop to their level just to get a point across.

Calling them Repubs or rethugs is fine, even TP'ers. But, we want to keep personal insults out of the forums.

kemcha,

My emotions cross the line. I apologize and edit my posting. We have to show examples and keep our real feeling to ourself. Just opinions that don't hurt anyone.

It is hard when Rush can voice them without consequences. He does have some pending lawsuits and FCC investigations against him. We don't want to start problems after last week.

Remember the TP'ers and rethugs are our neighbors, even though they don't no better. Love thy Neighbor, we can agree to disagree.

Exactly. We don't want to sound like a community who attacks media personalities just because we don't agree with what they say. While we don't mind everyone voicing their discontent over what Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck says, we just want to be able to stand out and make the decision that we won't stoop to their level of petty insults just to highlight our opinion.

I think that was one of the problems that the old UFF had and that maybe the Admins didn't do enough in stomping that out. That's what draws trolls and spammers to the community because they think that all sorts of behavior like that is allowed.

Just remember, it's okay to voice your opinion, just try to keep the colorful descriptions of what you might have to say against another person ... out of the posted comments. All we're asking is for a little common sense.

I think this is a good idea and if Jobless_in_Ma has a different view or he thinks that my idea here doesn't fit, then I'm fine with it. But, I do think that we can set the standard of how our members post by not calling someone a "pig" just because they have an opinion we don't agree with.

For example, if Glenn Beck says that "unemployed workers are lazy people who could work at McDonalds" then it might follow that I might say something derogatory like "he's a pig who doesn't have a clue." Now, when I say that, I'm not offering a neutral view or even my personal opinion but instead, I'm posting my reaction to what he said. With a statement like what I have just posted, I'm stooping down to his level and I think we can rise above that.

I'm not saying that we have to totally stomp it out, but a little thought in what we're posting could just make this new UFF community even better than what it was before.

I was just agreeing with a fellow member and like many others we let our HOT BUTTONS get pushed emotionally. The news media and politicians do not do us any favors.

This what everyone needs to remember this week. That is what trolls, Glen Beck, Rush and Palin are all about. I will let my opinion stop there.

Ed Schultz is doing a great job in standing up for the middle class, but he is able to display the facts. He has gotten emotional. So far he has stuck with the facts and others opinions. Everyone says the President doesn't speak up enough. Perhaps he wants the people who attack him, sink their own ship. That is what a good lawyer does.

Tell me about it. As long as we promote the idea of a kind community then I don't think we should worry about anyone engaging in troll-like behavior as long as we encourage everyone not to lower themselves to name calling or insulting behavior.

At any rate, back on topic, and I'm sure that we're heading in the right direction.

Looks like The Huffington Post is reporting that striking workers could end up leaving that state. Could you imagine? Over 200,000 striking union workers leaving the state because of this bill that's being considered by Republicans?

There would be no way that the State of Wisconsin could recover from such an exodus of so many public workers.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/business/

It's the main article on that page.

kemcha wrote:Looks like The Huffington Post is reporting that striking workers could end up leaving that state. Could you imagine? Over 200,000 striking union workers leaving the state because of this bill that's being considered by Republicans?

There would be no way that the State of Wisconsin could recover from such an exodus of so many public workers.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/business/

It's the main article on that page.

Good read I hope the 99ers and the unions can unite. Solidarity is the answer.

Most definitely. It's just going to be disastrous to Wisconsin if their public workers leave the state. It would create shockwaves through the entire state and, more than likely, affect the rest of the country.

This is just unprecedented in our country.