Original Post: NLPC
by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 17:13
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.Union members, at times at the behest of their leaders, aren't averse to roughing up opponents in order to win concessions. Employers and especially nonunion employees often find themselves on the receiving end of acts such as assault, extortion and vandalism or the threat of these things. At least one member of Congress, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., wants federal law to end this behavior. This past May 21, he introduced legislation, the Freedom from Union Violence Act of 2009 (H.R. 2537), that would impose potentially stiff fines and prison sentences on anyone who commits an act of violence or extortion during a labor dispute. The bill was referred in June to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The unions are intent on keeping the bill bottled up, as they have in previous attempts at such legislation since 1997.
The Freedom from Union Violence Act would amend existing law. It would close a loophole in the Hobbs Act, a 1946 federal law prohibiting robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce. Without this amendment, notes Wilson, the Hobbs Act permits "violence and intimidation on behalf of labor unions...if it ruled that such coercion was to further a ‘legitimate' union objective." What he and other supporters are referring to here is a 1973 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, United States v. Enmons, (410 U.S. 396 [1973]), which interpreted the Hobbs Act as granting this "right" to unions. His measure states:
Whosoever in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion, or attempts or conspires to do so, or commits or threatens physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to do anything of this section, shall be fined not more than $100,000, imprisoned for a term of not more than 20 years, or both.
The bill explicitly exempts union conduct that is "incidental to otherwise peaceful picketing during the course of a labor dispute."
Supporters think the measure can't come soon enough. "Lawmakers on Capitol Hill need to send a clear message that any violence or intimidating during labor disagreements will no longer be tolerated," said Jerry Gorski, national chairman of Associated Builders and Contractors, an Arlington, Va.-based trade association of merit shop contractors. "This legislation is long overdue to help protect all workers in the construction industry." And the intimidation is real. This decade has witnessed union terror campaigns, for example, at the Kohler stainless steel sink factory in Searcy, Arkansas (the United Auto Workers); the nonunion Asbestos & Lead Removal Corporation, in Queens, N.Y. (the Laborers); and the AK Steel plant in Mansfield, Ohio (United Steelworkers of America). In the AK Steel case union members at various points detonated pipe bombs in mailboxes, fired gun shots, and assaulted nonunion workers. In one instance, a Steelworkers member was caught and charged with plotting to launch homemade rockets at the plant.
A 506-page report published in 1999 by the John M. Olin Institute for Employment Practice and Policy at George Mason University, "Union Violence: The Record and the Response by Courts, Legislatures, and the NLRB," reveals the extent to which union rank and file will go to terrorize employers, non-member workers, union dissidents and even third parties with no particular stake in the outcome of a strike or other dispute. Rocks, knives, guns, sledgehammers, explosives and bare fists are frequent means of intimidation. From the standpoint of psychological warfare, so are threatening phone calls, letters, emails, menacing stares, and unscheduled "visits" to the homes of targets. Using a database for the period 1975-96 assembled by the Springfield, Va.-based National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR), study authors Armand Thieblot, Thomas Haggard and Herbert Northrup counted 9,785 incidents of criminal acts or threats in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Union member or official-initiated violence accounted for nearly 250 deaths during this time, 97 of them from a single act of arson at a San Juan, Puerto Rico hotel on December 31, 1986 following a meeting by Teamsters Local 901 to discuss a strike against management. (Three hotel workers pleaded guilty to federal charges several months later in that New Year's Eve holocaust).
Critics of the study claim that the data are unreliable and unfairly lump psychological and actual violence together. Apparently it's ok for psychological violence in critic's minds when anywhere else it'd be considered extortion and intimidation. In a 2001 article for the Texas Law Review, "The Continuing Assault on the Right to Strike," University of Texas law professor Julius Getman and former (Carter-era) Labor Secretary Ray Marshall accuse NILRR and Olin researchers of stacking the deck. "It seems obvious that the methodology employed confuses those strikes most written about with those most violent," the authors wrote. "Further, the Institute includes incidents of "psychological violence; i.e., intimidation, coercion and verbal threats" - terms which it does not bother to define. It seems clear, however, that this definition would include nonviolent civil disobedience of the type used by the civil rights movement and increasingly by the labor movement." Yet the authors' use of phrases such as "seems obvious" and "seems clear" reveals empirical ambiguity on their own part not to mention a view that prosecuting threats of violence is tantamount to depriving strikers of their rights.
The distinction between psychological and actual violence is, at bottom, artificial. By its nature, a threat of violence conveys to the intended target that injury or even death may result in the absence of compliance. Imagine calling Nazi Germany's conquest of Austria or Czechoslovakia "peaceful" because the Germans did not apply military force. Quite obviously, the mere threat of war was enough to induce surrender. This principle holds true for all types of conflict, including labor disputes. If a worker speaks out against a majority union position, and then sees a couple of beefy-looking men staring at him while simulating a slashing motion against their throat with an index finger, you can be sure that dissenter is going to think twice before piping up again. Terror through communication of a body gesture or machine (e.g., phone call) is intended to produce surrender of the will.
This kind of terror is especially prevalent in a group setting such as a picket line where the atmosphere already is confrontational. Here union members and even their bosses may resort to violence. That very likelihood causes many dissenters to recoil rather than serve as the spark for an act of violence of which they might be a victim. Moreover, it's easy for someone contemplating violence in that kind of environment to disavow moral responsibility. Thieblot, Haggard and Northrup explain:
Unlike planned and delegated violence (as in a football game) or aggressive violence deliberately undertaken by one or both sides (as in a war or ambush), the source and origin of violence that breaks out in confrontational settings is uncertain. When rocks start flying in a crowd, it's likely that no one knows or will ever know who cast the first one or what act of insolence or aggression pushed the situation over the edge. Individuals in a melee become caught up in the swirl of events, showing sides of themselves that would remain hidden in more serene settings. These instincts and outcomes are so common that when active groups in confrontation do not turn violent, that fact itself may qualify as news.
The Freedom from Union Violence Act implicitly recognizes the dynamics of intimidation in labor disputes and why it does qualify as violence. Rather than undermine the letter or spirit of the National Labor Relations Act, the measure clarifies the meaning of coercion, and in so doing affirms the commitment of NLRA to a democratic workplace. The measure has been in on-and-off mode ever since 1997, when Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah and Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. first introduced it. Whether or not the problem of union violence is as bad as it was a decade ago, Congress should pass this overdue legislation.
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Wisconsin State budget wipes away structural deficit ... and lowers taxes
Original Post: Lakeland Times
Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter
The new biennial budget approved by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Scott Walker last week doesn't raise taxes, doesn't raid segregated funds, and doesn't rely on one-time stimulus dollars but will still wipe away virtually all of the state's structural deficit.
Wisconsin has run multi-billion dollar structural deficits - the difference between expenditures needed to run state government and possible revenues under the tax structure - since the mid-1990s, when the state massively increased spending on Medicaid, schools and corrections.
According to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Wisconsin will even have a little money left in the bank at the end of the two-year budget cycle, about $306 million if revenue estimates hold up.
That's the bottom line of the $66 billion budget. Not that the state won't end up spending more money. It will: State and federal spending will creep upward by $1.1 billion, or 1.8 percent, compared to the final budget under the administration of former Gov. Jim Doyle.
The Walker administration had factored in a 1-percent increase in the budget; another $154 million is due to higher estimated enrollments in Medicaid.
Nonetheless, the increase in spending is far less than the increase under Doyle's last budget, which saw spending jump by 6.2 percent. Doyle and the Legislature eventually raised taxes and fees by more than $2 billion and spent $3.4 billion more in federal stimulus money to cover a $6.6 billion shortfall.
Because of increased revenue projections, the Legislature this year is also repaying $235 million owed to the medical malpractice fund.
Gov. Scott Walker said this week he would make use of his veto-pen by "a fair amount" but he did not specify what provisions of the budget he might veto. His line-item veto makes the Wisconsin governor one of the nation's most powerful.
Savings and tax cuts
Walker and the GOP's bid to balance the budget without raising taxes is not a hat trick. The budget makes significant cuts in spending and borrowing to achieve the goal.
For instance, the Department of Health Services will trim Medicaid by a approximately $466 million over the next two years, while state aid to local school districts will decline by approximately $800 million. Officials say school districts will be able to make up the difference because of new contributions by teachers to pension and health benefit payments.
School districts with contracts in place will be bound by those contracts until they expire, however.
The state will borrow significantly less money than in the past, about $2 billion less overall. Among other things, the budget cuts bonding authority for the state stewardship program from $86 million a year to $60 million.
In addition, the budget imposes a true property tax freeze on school districts and local governments. Counties and municipalities will have to live with current levy amounts for two years - they can raise taxes only by the amount of net new construction, but that has been negligible - and after that can only raise taxes by 1.5 percent or the amount of net new construction, whichever is greater.
The budget does not raise sales or income taxes and actually reduces taxes by $24 million.
On the tax side, the budget would reduce income tax credits by $56 million for lower-income families with two or more children. Republicans say the benefit had become too generous to sustain. The Legislature would also freeze eligible income levels for qualifying for a homestead tax credit.
For businesses, a new capital gains tax deferral for investments in Wisconsin-based companies will cost $36 million over two years, while manufacturers and agricultural firms would gain a tax credit of approximately $129 million a year.
The GOP did not remove combined reporting requirements from the state tax code, but it did liberalize the tax treatment, amounting to a tax reduction of about $46 million over two years. The budget would also establish a sales tax exemption for advertising and promotional direct mail starting in 2013.
.
Nonfiscal policy provisions
While the budget helps to reshape the character of government spending, the character of the budget process itself remained unchanged, loaded with late-night votes, closed caucus meetings and nonfiscal budget items tucked here and there in the bill.
For example, the Wisconsin Credit Union League is asking Walker to veto provisions that would allow direct conversions of member-owned credit unions to shareholder-owned banks.
"The direct-conversion provisions subvert the interests of a credit union's full membership to that of a few who intend to own and profit form a stockholder-owned - and not member-owned - business structure," said Brett Thompson, president and CEO of the league.
Thompson said the provisions would allow for the direct charter conversion of a credit union to stock-bank with little meaningful notice requirements, no protections of members' voting rights and no requirement that any equity in the converted institution be returned to members.
Membership and deposits are increasing at credit unions both in the state and the country, and many say the trend is being driven not only by greater eligibility for credit union membership but by ever-larger banking fees.
However, banking officials counter that credit unions are non-profit and thus can offer more competitive rates and lower fees because they don't have to pay income taxes.
In any event, Thompson said, the provision was slipped into the budget without any consultation of credit unions and without any public debate or input by regulators.
Then too, this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for Walker to veto a provision preventing brewers, distributors and any retail outlet that sells beer from owning a license to operate in more than one of those business categories. The state craft breweries say that will cripple their ability to expand and grow because they could no longer have a brewer's license and a distribution license.
The provisions were also inserted into the budget without public hearing.
A rare coalition of conservative Republicans such as Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) and Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) and liberal Democrats such as Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) urged Walker to veto the measure.
"Wisconsin is known for its breweries, and allowing small craft brewers to own their own taverns will highlight their product," Grothman said. "This is the type of provision that should have been dealt with in a separate bill. It was complicated and the thriving craft brew industry did not participate in drafting this provision."
Hulsey said it was the wrong move at the wrong time.
"I am concerned that at this time of economic uncertainty we are sending the wrong message to these small growing businesses," Hulsey said.
Other measures inserted in the budget would weaken notice requirements to tenants living in buildings subject to foreclosure, and would loosen recent requirements on payday lenders.
Finally, the budget allows for limited expansion of the state's school voucher program to certain cities under specific conditions. Second-class cities (those between 39,000 and 149,999 population) that have 50 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced lunch could qualify for vouchers.
Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter
The new biennial budget approved by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Scott Walker last week doesn't raise taxes, doesn't raid segregated funds, and doesn't rely on one-time stimulus dollars but will still wipe away virtually all of the state's structural deficit.
Wisconsin has run multi-billion dollar structural deficits - the difference between expenditures needed to run state government and possible revenues under the tax structure - since the mid-1990s, when the state massively increased spending on Medicaid, schools and corrections.
According to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Wisconsin will even have a little money left in the bank at the end of the two-year budget cycle, about $306 million if revenue estimates hold up.
That's the bottom line of the $66 billion budget. Not that the state won't end up spending more money. It will: State and federal spending will creep upward by $1.1 billion, or 1.8 percent, compared to the final budget under the administration of former Gov. Jim Doyle.
The Walker administration had factored in a 1-percent increase in the budget; another $154 million is due to higher estimated enrollments in Medicaid.
Nonetheless, the increase in spending is far less than the increase under Doyle's last budget, which saw spending jump by 6.2 percent. Doyle and the Legislature eventually raised taxes and fees by more than $2 billion and spent $3.4 billion more in federal stimulus money to cover a $6.6 billion shortfall.
Because of increased revenue projections, the Legislature this year is also repaying $235 million owed to the medical malpractice fund.
Gov. Scott Walker said this week he would make use of his veto-pen by "a fair amount" but he did not specify what provisions of the budget he might veto. His line-item veto makes the Wisconsin governor one of the nation's most powerful.
Savings and tax cuts
Walker and the GOP's bid to balance the budget without raising taxes is not a hat trick. The budget makes significant cuts in spending and borrowing to achieve the goal.
For instance, the Department of Health Services will trim Medicaid by a approximately $466 million over the next two years, while state aid to local school districts will decline by approximately $800 million. Officials say school districts will be able to make up the difference because of new contributions by teachers to pension and health benefit payments.
School districts with contracts in place will be bound by those contracts until they expire, however.
The state will borrow significantly less money than in the past, about $2 billion less overall. Among other things, the budget cuts bonding authority for the state stewardship program from $86 million a year to $60 million.
In addition, the budget imposes a true property tax freeze on school districts and local governments. Counties and municipalities will have to live with current levy amounts for two years - they can raise taxes only by the amount of net new construction, but that has been negligible - and after that can only raise taxes by 1.5 percent or the amount of net new construction, whichever is greater.
The budget does not raise sales or income taxes and actually reduces taxes by $24 million.
On the tax side, the budget would reduce income tax credits by $56 million for lower-income families with two or more children. Republicans say the benefit had become too generous to sustain. The Legislature would also freeze eligible income levels for qualifying for a homestead tax credit.
For businesses, a new capital gains tax deferral for investments in Wisconsin-based companies will cost $36 million over two years, while manufacturers and agricultural firms would gain a tax credit of approximately $129 million a year.
The GOP did not remove combined reporting requirements from the state tax code, but it did liberalize the tax treatment, amounting to a tax reduction of about $46 million over two years. The budget would also establish a sales tax exemption for advertising and promotional direct mail starting in 2013.
.
Nonfiscal policy provisions
While the budget helps to reshape the character of government spending, the character of the budget process itself remained unchanged, loaded with late-night votes, closed caucus meetings and nonfiscal budget items tucked here and there in the bill.
For example, the Wisconsin Credit Union League is asking Walker to veto provisions that would allow direct conversions of member-owned credit unions to shareholder-owned banks.
"The direct-conversion provisions subvert the interests of a credit union's full membership to that of a few who intend to own and profit form a stockholder-owned - and not member-owned - business structure," said Brett Thompson, president and CEO of the league.
Thompson said the provisions would allow for the direct charter conversion of a credit union to stock-bank with little meaningful notice requirements, no protections of members' voting rights and no requirement that any equity in the converted institution be returned to members.
Membership and deposits are increasing at credit unions both in the state and the country, and many say the trend is being driven not only by greater eligibility for credit union membership but by ever-larger banking fees.
However, banking officials counter that credit unions are non-profit and thus can offer more competitive rates and lower fees because they don't have to pay income taxes.
In any event, Thompson said, the provision was slipped into the budget without any consultation of credit unions and without any public debate or input by regulators.
Then too, this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for Walker to veto a provision preventing brewers, distributors and any retail outlet that sells beer from owning a license to operate in more than one of those business categories. The state craft breweries say that will cripple their ability to expand and grow because they could no longer have a brewer's license and a distribution license.
The provisions were also inserted into the budget without public hearing.
A rare coalition of conservative Republicans such as Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) and Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) and liberal Democrats such as Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) urged Walker to veto the measure.
"Wisconsin is known for its breweries, and allowing small craft brewers to own their own taverns will highlight their product," Grothman said. "This is the type of provision that should have been dealt with in a separate bill. It was complicated and the thriving craft brew industry did not participate in drafting this provision."
Hulsey said it was the wrong move at the wrong time.
"I am concerned that at this time of economic uncertainty we are sending the wrong message to these small growing businesses," Hulsey said.
Other measures inserted in the budget would weaken notice requirements to tenants living in buildings subject to foreclosure, and would loosen recent requirements on payday lenders.
Finally, the budget allows for limited expansion of the state's school voucher program to certain cities under specific conditions. Second-class cities (those between 39,000 and 149,999 population) that have 50 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced lunch could qualify for vouchers.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Union thugs try to squelch free speech from the radio
WISN
You can voice your disgust at their mafia like tactics directly
Teamsters "General" Local Union No. 200
6200 W. Bluemound Road
Milwaukee, WI 53213
Phone (414) 771-6363
Toll free (800) 272-3934
Fax (414) 771-5850
You can voice your disgust at their mafia like tactics directly
Teamsters "General" Local Union No. 200
6200 W. Bluemound Road
Milwaukee, WI 53213
Phone (414) 771-6363
Toll free (800) 272-3934
Fax (414) 771-5850
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Hey you, buddy, display the union label ... or swim with the fishes
Original Post: Lakeland Times
Gregg Walker
There's an old union slogan, Labor is entitled to all it creates.
These days, we might say, Labor is entitled to all it can extort. At least that's what they apparently believe. They force workers to pay union dues so they can lavish campaign money on crony politicians who will in return richly reward them come contract time.
In tougher times, well, they just threaten to shut everybody down. That's what they have done to state government these past few weeks; that's what we now know they are trying to do to many local businesses in the Northwoods and around the state.
It's a good time to bring Jimmy Hoffa The Younger But No Less Thuggier into the column. C'mon in, Jimmy!
We have mentioned in these pages the recent appearance of America's top union boss to help lead the Madison protests. Ah, the face of American unionism.
How apt that Hoffa showed up as union bullies labored in the streets to take us all hostage and put on one of the more remarkable displays of greed and corruption in American history, a throwback to the good old days when union goons would just as soon shoot you than negotiate with you.
Of course, Hoffa didn't have to use inflammatory language to help incite the crowd. Just his appearance would do the trick. Thuggery is as thuggery does, and thuggery looked pretty active in the streets of Madison last week.
There they were, the teachers who theoretically educate our children, carrying signs portraying the governor as Hitler or Mubarak, and at one point chasing down and surrounding Sen. Glenn Grothman at a Capitol entrance.
It was an ugly scene and alarmed some people to the point that they chanted "Peaceful, peaceful," to remind their fellow protesters to keep things under control. They did, and Grothman escaped with the help of liberal leftist Demotator Brett Hulsey of Madison.
But while that crowd kept its control, union thuggery has not been so controlled elsewhere. Now businesses who publicly decline to declare their open support for the unions are being threatened with boycotts, even those who want simply to stay neutral.
That's something the public-sector unions don't want to tolerate. These days, it's display the union label, buddy - or swim with the fishes.
In Two Rivers, as has been widely reported, a stir was created when a print shop printed a pro-Walker T-shirt for a high school student ("Scott Walker My Hero" it read on the front; "He's got Nads," on the back). When the student wore the shirt to school, the head of the local teachers' union promptly threatened the print shop owners.
Wes Glenna, the union president, sent an email to owners David and Bridget VanGinkel, asking, "...have you taken the time to figure out how your recent decision could result in the loss of profits to your business?"
The owners told local papers they felt threatened by a boycott.
Glenna backed away from his written remarks, saying he was only objecting to the word 'Nads' on the back of the shirt though he later apologized for the email. The school continued to let the student wear the shirt with the offensive word covered.
Then, right in our back yard, in Rhinelander, more thuggery yet.
As Northwoods River News editor Joe VanDeLaarschot wrote , a pro-union protester threatened to put a local restaurant "out of business" because the business owner refused to put a pro-union sign in the window.
The incident took place as union members demonstrated against an Americans for Prosperity rally for Walker at Wolff's Log Cabin Restaurant in Rhinelander.
One of the owners asked if they were being blackmailed and, as we reported, was told, "you can call it what you want, but we're putting you out of business."
Four other people confirmed the incident.
In all this we see demonstrated the union's height of hypocrisy and stupidity. Union members say they are fighting for their livelihoods, but they do so by threatening the livelihoods of others - there's the hypocrisy - and, if they do manage to bankrupt local business owners, there will be less money flowing into the public trough for union bosses to slurp down. That's the stupid part.
The beat goes on. At Wausau West High School, teachers reportedly posted letters urging boycotts of local businesses supporting Walker, while teachers in Green Bay considered staying away from a major Chamber of Commerce event.
It is all a form of extortion. Either give us what we want politically, or we'll shut the state down and kidnap senators. Either express public support for us, and do what we tell you, or we'll put you out of business.
It is very important to understand the mentality behind this kind of thinking. It reeks of an old-fashioned mob mentality, as organized labor veers very close to the edge of organized crime. Too often, in the past, their paths have already intersected, which is why it's so chilling to see Hoffa mount the stage to adoring cheers from Wisconsin's teachers.
With his arrival, the union establishment, particularly the public-sector union establishment, has gone full circle, right back to the days of the real mob and of Jimmy Hoffa the Elder.
It's worth remembering how the mob really worked. In the old days especially, the mob ran local businesses with an iron fist, much like the unions are trying to do now. We'll protect you for a fee. In return, you'll get a safe neighborhood and preferential treatment. If any businesses moved in and refused to pay, they would be burned out, if the owner was lucky.
Does this remind us of anything? How about mandatory union dues? It's the same thing: Pay us whether you like us or not and we'll represent you at the bargaining table whether you want us to or not. And if you don't want to pay up, oh by the way, you're fired.
Burned out.
And it's the same tactic going with local businesses. There's no place for such union thuggery, but it is the nature of that institutional beast.
If the union's goal is to put hardworking people and private businesses out of business, then that's one more reason why this bill needs to pass - for, in the end, it is the people who are entitled to the wealth they create, not the union bosses who want to take it through lavish collective bargaining schemes or forced union dues.
It's time to put the union label away in state government once and for all.
Gregg Walker
There's an old union slogan, Labor is entitled to all it creates.
These days, we might say, Labor is entitled to all it can extort. At least that's what they apparently believe. They force workers to pay union dues so they can lavish campaign money on crony politicians who will in return richly reward them come contract time.
In tougher times, well, they just threaten to shut everybody down. That's what they have done to state government these past few weeks; that's what we now know they are trying to do to many local businesses in the Northwoods and around the state.
It's a good time to bring Jimmy Hoffa The Younger But No Less Thuggier into the column. C'mon in, Jimmy!
We have mentioned in these pages the recent appearance of America's top union boss to help lead the Madison protests. Ah, the face of American unionism.
How apt that Hoffa showed up as union bullies labored in the streets to take us all hostage and put on one of the more remarkable displays of greed and corruption in American history, a throwback to the good old days when union goons would just as soon shoot you than negotiate with you.
Of course, Hoffa didn't have to use inflammatory language to help incite the crowd. Just his appearance would do the trick. Thuggery is as thuggery does, and thuggery looked pretty active in the streets of Madison last week.
There they were, the teachers who theoretically educate our children, carrying signs portraying the governor as Hitler or Mubarak, and at one point chasing down and surrounding Sen. Glenn Grothman at a Capitol entrance.
It was an ugly scene and alarmed some people to the point that they chanted "Peaceful, peaceful," to remind their fellow protesters to keep things under control. They did, and Grothman escaped with the help of liberal leftist Demotator Brett Hulsey of Madison.
But while that crowd kept its control, union thuggery has not been so controlled elsewhere. Now businesses who publicly decline to declare their open support for the unions are being threatened with boycotts, even those who want simply to stay neutral.
That's something the public-sector unions don't want to tolerate. These days, it's display the union label, buddy - or swim with the fishes.
In Two Rivers, as has been widely reported, a stir was created when a print shop printed a pro-Walker T-shirt for a high school student ("Scott Walker My Hero" it read on the front; "He's got Nads," on the back). When the student wore the shirt to school, the head of the local teachers' union promptly threatened the print shop owners.
Wes Glenna, the union president, sent an email to owners David and Bridget VanGinkel, asking, "...have you taken the time to figure out how your recent decision could result in the loss of profits to your business?"
The owners told local papers they felt threatened by a boycott.
Glenna backed away from his written remarks, saying he was only objecting to the word 'Nads' on the back of the shirt though he later apologized for the email. The school continued to let the student wear the shirt with the offensive word covered.
Then, right in our back yard, in Rhinelander, more thuggery yet.
As Northwoods River News editor Joe VanDeLaarschot wrote , a pro-union protester threatened to put a local restaurant "out of business" because the business owner refused to put a pro-union sign in the window.
The incident took place as union members demonstrated against an Americans for Prosperity rally for Walker at Wolff's Log Cabin Restaurant in Rhinelander.
One of the owners asked if they were being blackmailed and, as we reported, was told, "you can call it what you want, but we're putting you out of business."
Four other people confirmed the incident.
In all this we see demonstrated the union's height of hypocrisy and stupidity. Union members say they are fighting for their livelihoods, but they do so by threatening the livelihoods of others - there's the hypocrisy - and, if they do manage to bankrupt local business owners, there will be less money flowing into the public trough for union bosses to slurp down. That's the stupid part.
The beat goes on. At Wausau West High School, teachers reportedly posted letters urging boycotts of local businesses supporting Walker, while teachers in Green Bay considered staying away from a major Chamber of Commerce event.
It is all a form of extortion. Either give us what we want politically, or we'll shut the state down and kidnap senators. Either express public support for us, and do what we tell you, or we'll put you out of business.
It is very important to understand the mentality behind this kind of thinking. It reeks of an old-fashioned mob mentality, as organized labor veers very close to the edge of organized crime. Too often, in the past, their paths have already intersected, which is why it's so chilling to see Hoffa mount the stage to adoring cheers from Wisconsin's teachers.
With his arrival, the union establishment, particularly the public-sector union establishment, has gone full circle, right back to the days of the real mob and of Jimmy Hoffa the Elder.
It's worth remembering how the mob really worked. In the old days especially, the mob ran local businesses with an iron fist, much like the unions are trying to do now. We'll protect you for a fee. In return, you'll get a safe neighborhood and preferential treatment. If any businesses moved in and refused to pay, they would be burned out, if the owner was lucky.
Does this remind us of anything? How about mandatory union dues? It's the same thing: Pay us whether you like us or not and we'll represent you at the bargaining table whether you want us to or not. And if you don't want to pay up, oh by the way, you're fired.
Burned out.
And it's the same tactic going with local businesses. There's no place for such union thuggery, but it is the nature of that institutional beast.
If the union's goal is to put hardworking people and private businesses out of business, then that's one more reason why this bill needs to pass - for, in the end, it is the people who are entitled to the wealth they create, not the union bosses who want to take it through lavish collective bargaining schemes or forced union dues.
It's time to put the union label away in state government once and for all.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
read the email I just received..shame on these teachers.
Original Post: Vicki McKenna
by Vicki McKenna on Monday, March 21, 2011 at 9:51am
I have asked for the letter, and will post it here as an update when I receive it. ALSO, if you have something like this happen, PLEASE call Sen. Grothman's office. He's cataloging these inane teachers politicizing their classrooms. AND contact the principal of your school IMMEDIATELY and demand a meeting with the principal AND the teacher. Demand that your child not be exposed to one sided political indoctrination. Get that assurance in writing, and an assurance your child will not be punished because of mom and dad's politics. That you all even HAVE to deal with this is outrageous.
You can all send me any info YOU have on teachers doing this in class. But please contact Sen. Grothman AND your child's princpal and teacher.
Here is the mail (and yes, I've edited out identifying info--too bad unionistas!):
I had a good friend call me last night upset over an issue that I believe is wrong and so will you.
Here daughter attends a school in the MPS system.
Last week, they were given an assignment to write an essay on How the Budget Repair Bill effects Teachers and students. Her teacher stood up in front of the class and of course ripped into Governor Walker and all disadvantages that this bill will have against their teacher and classroom. She did finish stating of course, this is just my opinion.
Yesterday, my friends 4th grader asked her Mother to read what she had started and she had written how the budget was going to be bad because of more students in the classroom and the students will not be able to learn properly, etc. My friend asked her daughter if she actually know what the bill was about and to explain it to her. Of course, she could only repeat the talking points of the teacher and my friend said that she Mommy and Daddy don't believe this way and you need to write an essay on a different subject since you don't know all the facts. Her daughter started crying and said that this was the only subject they could write their essay on, they would be graded and the essays would be sent to Governor Walker to ready.
My friend told her daughter that she could write the essay, but it would be how your mother and father believe it should be written. More tears as she's afraid of receiving a failed grade as that is not what she was taught in the classroom. I did suggest that she goes to the school and talk to the councilor, but also told her that if we can, this needs to get out into the public and of course, that is where you come in.
My friend is willing to give more details and even share the letter, just so her daughters name is not made public.
I also have a niece who was needing a ride to school. Her Mother grabbed the keys to the Van and my niece asked if they could use a different car because she was afraid to have her teachers see her in the Van that had a Scott Walker sticker on it. She's not embarrassed by Scott Walker, she's afraid she will get poor grades because she supports Scott Walker. This is also the same niece that was told by her teacher, "don't waste the staples because of Scott Walker, we won't have anymore staples when these are gone". By the way, no worries about the Scott Walker sticker anymore, someone actually ripped it off the car, although my sister is trying to find a new one to replace it.
by Vicki McKenna on Monday, March 21, 2011 at 9:51am
I have asked for the letter, and will post it here as an update when I receive it. ALSO, if you have something like this happen, PLEASE call Sen. Grothman's office. He's cataloging these inane teachers politicizing their classrooms. AND contact the principal of your school IMMEDIATELY and demand a meeting with the principal AND the teacher. Demand that your child not be exposed to one sided political indoctrination. Get that assurance in writing, and an assurance your child will not be punished because of mom and dad's politics. That you all even HAVE to deal with this is outrageous.
You can all send me any info YOU have on teachers doing this in class. But please contact Sen. Grothman AND your child's princpal and teacher.
Here is the mail (and yes, I've edited out identifying info--too bad unionistas!):
I had a good friend call me last night upset over an issue that I believe is wrong and so will you.
Here daughter attends a school in the MPS system.
Last week, they were given an assignment to write an essay on How the Budget Repair Bill effects Teachers and students. Her teacher stood up in front of the class and of course ripped into Governor Walker and all disadvantages that this bill will have against their teacher and classroom. She did finish stating of course, this is just my opinion.
Yesterday, my friends 4th grader asked her Mother to read what she had started and she had written how the budget was going to be bad because of more students in the classroom and the students will not be able to learn properly, etc. My friend asked her daughter if she actually know what the bill was about and to explain it to her. Of course, she could only repeat the talking points of the teacher and my friend said that she Mommy and Daddy don't believe this way and you need to write an essay on a different subject since you don't know all the facts. Her daughter started crying and said that this was the only subject they could write their essay on, they would be graded and the essays would be sent to Governor Walker to ready.
My friend told her daughter that she could write the essay, but it would be how your mother and father believe it should be written. More tears as she's afraid of receiving a failed grade as that is not what she was taught in the classroom. I did suggest that she goes to the school and talk to the councilor, but also told her that if we can, this needs to get out into the public and of course, that is where you come in.
My friend is willing to give more details and even share the letter, just so her daughters name is not made public.
I also have a niece who was needing a ride to school. Her Mother grabbed the keys to the Van and my niece asked if they could use a different car because she was afraid to have her teachers see her in the Van that had a Scott Walker sticker on it. She's not embarrassed by Scott Walker, she's afraid she will get poor grades because she supports Scott Walker. This is also the same niece that was told by her teacher, "don't waste the staples because of Scott Walker, we won't have anymore staples when these are gone". By the way, no worries about the Scott Walker sticker anymore, someone actually ripped it off the car, although my sister is trying to find a new one to replace it.
And the Intimidation of Private Businesses in WI by Unions Begins
Original Post: Redstate
by lineholder
This letter was written by Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Jim Palmer. Sounds quite a bit like extortion, doesn’t it?
The following is an excerpt from a letter to the owner of a convenience store, the Kwik Trip, in LaCrosse, WI. The content of this letter speaks for itself:
“The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17.
In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.
Also be advised that we are concerned about your company’s participation in Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its continued effort to support candidates who oppose collective bargaining. It makes no difference to us how much or little money you put into that effort. Your participation in that organization provides you an opportunity to halt this practice. We would also request that Kwik Trip disclose whether it makes contributions to any other organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity or the Club for Growth or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
We recognize your right to form political associations but we also believe the public has a right to know what kind of contributions or payments you make that impact the political process. As labor organizations we and our members do not care to provide profits to companies that are working directly or indirectly to threaten the livelihood of our members.
So they will “cut off” these businesses that don’t toe the line? They see themselves as being in the position to “punish” those businesses that don’t toe the line, do they? They will now proceed to “put their foot down” and “lay down the law” to the private sector businesses that they, the Unions, will control the future of the state of Wisconsin, come what may come, is that it????
The gloves are off now, folks. They aren’t going to let this be resolved in a reasonable manner.
I knew that public sector unions saw themselves as being “entitled”. I also knew that they take private sector business profits for granted as a “gimme”.
Now, they are revealing, for all of the world to see, just how vindictive, malicious, and unscrupulous they truly !!!
I used to think that unions broke collusion laws. After all, business can't get together and set the price of goods and services but unions can? Labor is a service to their respective employers. I now think unions break Rico statutes.
They are an organized entity that are organizing illegal strikes and having their police members turn their backs on felonies happening right in front of them. Now they want you to "pay" for their "protection" or else something bad might happen to you and we wouldn't want that now would we? You can just hear the Godfather music playing in the background of this letter.
The time of the Unions sticking up for the little guy and doing actual good things has long past. Now they're nothing more than extortionists and thugs. End unions and prosecute the ones who are guilty of crimes.
by lineholder
This letter was written by Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Jim Palmer. Sounds quite a bit like extortion, doesn’t it?
The following is an excerpt from a letter to the owner of a convenience store, the Kwik Trip, in LaCrosse, WI. The content of this letter speaks for itself:
“The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17.
In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.
Also be advised that we are concerned about your company’s participation in Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its continued effort to support candidates who oppose collective bargaining. It makes no difference to us how much or little money you put into that effort. Your participation in that organization provides you an opportunity to halt this practice. We would also request that Kwik Trip disclose whether it makes contributions to any other organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity or the Club for Growth or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
We recognize your right to form political associations but we also believe the public has a right to know what kind of contributions or payments you make that impact the political process. As labor organizations we and our members do not care to provide profits to companies that are working directly or indirectly to threaten the livelihood of our members.
So they will “cut off” these businesses that don’t toe the line? They see themselves as being in the position to “punish” those businesses that don’t toe the line, do they? They will now proceed to “put their foot down” and “lay down the law” to the private sector businesses that they, the Unions, will control the future of the state of Wisconsin, come what may come, is that it????
The gloves are off now, folks. They aren’t going to let this be resolved in a reasonable manner.
I knew that public sector unions saw themselves as being “entitled”. I also knew that they take private sector business profits for granted as a “gimme”.
Now, they are revealing, for all of the world to see, just how vindictive, malicious, and unscrupulous they truly !!!
I used to think that unions broke collusion laws. After all, business can't get together and set the price of goods and services but unions can? Labor is a service to their respective employers. I now think unions break Rico statutes.
They are an organized entity that are organizing illegal strikes and having their police members turn their backs on felonies happening right in front of them. Now they want you to "pay" for their "protection" or else something bad might happen to you and we wouldn't want that now would we? You can just hear the Godfather music playing in the background of this letter.
The time of the Unions sticking up for the little guy and doing actual good things has long past. Now they're nothing more than extortionists and thugs. End unions and prosecute the ones who are guilty of crimes.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Wisconsin cop does nothing to stop felony happening right in front of him
Original Post: Maggies Notebook
Wisconsin Union Thugs Destroy Recall Petition of Democrat Jim Holperin: Police Union Members Watch
By Maggie
First the Wisconsin Union rowdies completely trashed the Wisconsin Capitol lawn. No. I mean they really, really trashed it. Only mud where grass once was. Now they’ve destroyed a Republican recall petition for Democrat state Senator Jim Holperin, one of the 14 AWOL Wisconsin senators, and the police are looking into it – but – aren’t the police amont the Union thugs? I think so, in this case. Police were on the scene, but the Police Chief says they were “investigating other complaints,” and just missed this one (see second video below). In the meantime, all the signatures gathered are now void. Please don’t miss the letter Holperin wrote (see below) where he lied to the residents of Wisconsin in a major way.
WausauDailyHerald:
Recall Jim Holperin Committee leader Kim Simac told reporters Tuesday at the Lincoln County Courthouse that up to 100 pro-union protesters encircled committee members Thursday in Merrill as they sought signatures for a petition to oust Holperin, D-Conover.
A female pro-union protester pretended to be interested in signing a petition, wrote a profanity across a partially completed petition form, and ripped up completed petitions, Simac said.
Now get this, apparently there is a chance that it is NOT illegal to let people thwart other people’s right to protest their government, or destroy personal property.
Seubert [Police Chief] said Tuesday that his department still is trying to determine what law the woman might have violated. Investigators plan to review footage of the event from a Wausau television station in an attempt to identify the woman, he said.
Seubert also said that his department will forward to the Lincoln County District Attorney’s office any reports from people who claim pro-union protesters prevented them from signing petitions. So far no complaints have been made, Seubert said.
So where are those who were attempting to sign? Please come forward and tell police your story.
Armed with a bullhorn, thuggery, and the most annoying chants ever, union thugs continued their streak of ‘solidarity’.
The following took place at a recall Jim Holperin Rally in Merill, WI. As you can see, “F*ck you” is written on the ripped up petitions. The video was shot after the incident took place.
According to an eyewitness account:
This video was shot minutes after a union advocate destroyed several petitions at a recall Jim Holperin Rally in Merill, WI. The event was moved to the court house grounds because the private location originally slated to host the event was threatened with arson. It should be noted that police were present when the protestor destroyed these recall petitions, but stated to us that there was nothing they could do about it. The female protestor, who had a young child with her, approached the recall table pretending to be interested in signing the petition, then proceeded to write F— You! She then ripped up other completed petitions before being stopped. Her actions were met with great approval from the rest of the crowd, who took up the chant heard in the video.
From 620WTMJ NewsRadio:
The policemen who were there, and who were standing in close proximity to these events as they unfolded, did nothing to assist those collecting the petitions as they were being destroyed, despite such an action being a Felony under Wisconsin law. Police also did nothing to clear the walk way for citizens that wanted to sign the petitions. Recall Committee members received many phone calls the following day from Merill area citizens who stated that they showed up to sign the petition, but were too afraid to get out of their vehicles and approach the recall table.
I found this story about Holperin published on the Vilas County GOP site by Kerry Thomas:
I recalled a letter Senator Holperin wrote to the Lakeland Times on July 24, 2009.
In the letter, Senator Holperin bragged how the Democrats (who at that time controlled both houses of the State Legislature and the Governorship) had not only eliminated a $6.6 billion deficit in the State’s 2010-11 budget, but had actually left the State with a $270 million surplus.
Of course, in order to claim the budget was balanced, the Democrats had to borrow money from segregated funds (including the 911 emergency dispatch fund), raise taxes, and use $2.2 billion in federal “stimulus” funds to pay the State’s bills instead of using that money to “stimulating” Wisconsin’s economy.
Wisconsin Union Thugs Destroy Recall Petition of Democrat Jim Holperin: Police Union Members Watch
By Maggie
First the Wisconsin Union rowdies completely trashed the Wisconsin Capitol lawn. No. I mean they really, really trashed it. Only mud where grass once was. Now they’ve destroyed a Republican recall petition for Democrat state Senator Jim Holperin, one of the 14 AWOL Wisconsin senators, and the police are looking into it – but – aren’t the police amont the Union thugs? I think so, in this case. Police were on the scene, but the Police Chief says they were “investigating other complaints,” and just missed this one (see second video below). In the meantime, all the signatures gathered are now void. Please don’t miss the letter Holperin wrote (see below) where he lied to the residents of Wisconsin in a major way.
WausauDailyHerald:
Recall Jim Holperin Committee leader Kim Simac told reporters Tuesday at the Lincoln County Courthouse that up to 100 pro-union protesters encircled committee members Thursday in Merrill as they sought signatures for a petition to oust Holperin, D-Conover.
A female pro-union protester pretended to be interested in signing a petition, wrote a profanity across a partially completed petition form, and ripped up completed petitions, Simac said.
Now get this, apparently there is a chance that it is NOT illegal to let people thwart other people’s right to protest their government, or destroy personal property.
Seubert [Police Chief] said Tuesday that his department still is trying to determine what law the woman might have violated. Investigators plan to review footage of the event from a Wausau television station in an attempt to identify the woman, he said.
Seubert also said that his department will forward to the Lincoln County District Attorney’s office any reports from people who claim pro-union protesters prevented them from signing petitions. So far no complaints have been made, Seubert said.
So where are those who were attempting to sign? Please come forward and tell police your story.
Armed with a bullhorn, thuggery, and the most annoying chants ever, union thugs continued their streak of ‘solidarity’.
The following took place at a recall Jim Holperin Rally in Merill, WI. As you can see, “F*ck you” is written on the ripped up petitions. The video was shot after the incident took place.
According to an eyewitness account:
This video was shot minutes after a union advocate destroyed several petitions at a recall Jim Holperin Rally in Merill, WI. The event was moved to the court house grounds because the private location originally slated to host the event was threatened with arson. It should be noted that police were present when the protestor destroyed these recall petitions, but stated to us that there was nothing they could do about it. The female protestor, who had a young child with her, approached the recall table pretending to be interested in signing the petition, then proceeded to write F— You! She then ripped up other completed petitions before being stopped. Her actions were met with great approval from the rest of the crowd, who took up the chant heard in the video.
From 620WTMJ NewsRadio:
The policemen who were there, and who were standing in close proximity to these events as they unfolded, did nothing to assist those collecting the petitions as they were being destroyed, despite such an action being a Felony under Wisconsin law. Police also did nothing to clear the walk way for citizens that wanted to sign the petitions. Recall Committee members received many phone calls the following day from Merill area citizens who stated that they showed up to sign the petition, but were too afraid to get out of their vehicles and approach the recall table.
I found this story about Holperin published on the Vilas County GOP site by Kerry Thomas:
I recalled a letter Senator Holperin wrote to the Lakeland Times on July 24, 2009.
In the letter, Senator Holperin bragged how the Democrats (who at that time controlled both houses of the State Legislature and the Governorship) had not only eliminated a $6.6 billion deficit in the State’s 2010-11 budget, but had actually left the State with a $270 million surplus.
Of course, in order to claim the budget was balanced, the Democrats had to borrow money from segregated funds (including the 911 emergency dispatch fund), raise taxes, and use $2.2 billion in federal “stimulus” funds to pay the State’s bills instead of using that money to “stimulating” Wisconsin’s economy.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Civilized peaceful union supporter threatens blogger with opposing view
Original Post: Maggies Notebook
Wisconsin Law Prof and Blogger, Ann Althouse, Threatened in Madison by Cyberstalker
By Maggie
There’s a Wisconsin story that I’ve not had a chance to cover this week, and everyone should know about it
Ann Althouse
because a blogger has been publicly threatened with violence for supporting Republican Governor Scott Walker. Ann Althouse is a law professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She and her husband Laurence Meade were present inside the Madison Capitol building and document some unsavory and uncivil behavior at The People’s House.
Althouse dared to write about it, and film it. It didn’t take long before they both became public targets. According to the Wall Street Journal, one Jim Shankman posted the following on Scirbd.com:
“We will hang up wanted posters of you everywhere you like to go. We will picket on public property as close to your house as we can every day. We will harrass the ever loving sh–out of you all the time. . . . Because we aren’t anti-social, life-denying, world-sterilizing pieces of human garbage like the two of you. WE WILL F— YOU UP.”
That’s a small sample. There are threats with the cyberstalker asking “Who are you gonna call? Cops for Labor?” – In otherwords, cops are union and they won’t be helping you. There may be more than a little truth in that.
More from Shankman:
There is no calvary. It is us vs you on the streets of the city going as far as it has to go until A) We Win or B) Doomsday.
So the obscenity in Madison has spilled over onto a well-respected and brilliant blogger. And she has been warned that she will be ruined, her career will ruined and her “sense of safety and wellbeing will be ruined.”
When Shankman works, he’s apparently a dishwasher. And now he wants to bow out of the controversy; issue the threats to life, limb and job, and drop out. Do dishwashers usually live in “townie” houses in groups of 5-7 at a time, and …well, you don’t want to know that – what am I thinking.
The same WSJ article says another Wisconsin private citizen and supporter of Governor Scott Walker, received a threat posted from a Facebook page, that promised to leave him in pool of his own blood.
Browse through Althouse’s archives for the full story.
Then return to The Other McCain and the story on how Shankman is identified, and is quoted saying “I’m done with it,” to which McCain replies: “you’re done with it, Jim — just like a cockroach is done feeding on crumbs when somebody turns on the kitchen light.”
If you’ve been missing McCain’s Smitty, he’s writing from Afghanistan has been filling some pages with excellence. Smitty, What is a “Death-Porn Doorstop, anyway?
Wisconsin Law Prof and Blogger, Ann Althouse, Threatened in Madison by Cyberstalker
By Maggie
There’s a Wisconsin story that I’ve not had a chance to cover this week, and everyone should know about it
Ann Althouse
because a blogger has been publicly threatened with violence for supporting Republican Governor Scott Walker. Ann Althouse is a law professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She and her husband Laurence Meade were present inside the Madison Capitol building and document some unsavory and uncivil behavior at The People’s House.
Althouse dared to write about it, and film it. It didn’t take long before they both became public targets. According to the Wall Street Journal, one Jim Shankman posted the following on Scirbd.com:
“We will hang up wanted posters of you everywhere you like to go. We will picket on public property as close to your house as we can every day. We will harrass the ever loving sh–out of you all the time. . . . Because we aren’t anti-social, life-denying, world-sterilizing pieces of human garbage like the two of you. WE WILL F— YOU UP.”
That’s a small sample. There are threats with the cyberstalker asking “Who are you gonna call? Cops for Labor?” – In otherwords, cops are union and they won’t be helping you. There may be more than a little truth in that.
More from Shankman:
There is no calvary. It is us vs you on the streets of the city going as far as it has to go until A) We Win or B) Doomsday.
So the obscenity in Madison has spilled over onto a well-respected and brilliant blogger. And she has been warned that she will be ruined, her career will ruined and her “sense of safety and wellbeing will be ruined.”
When Shankman works, he’s apparently a dishwasher. And now he wants to bow out of the controversy; issue the threats to life, limb and job, and drop out. Do dishwashers usually live in “townie” houses in groups of 5-7 at a time, and …well, you don’t want to know that – what am I thinking.
The same WSJ article says another Wisconsin private citizen and supporter of Governor Scott Walker, received a threat posted from a Facebook page, that promised to leave him in pool of his own blood.
Browse through Althouse’s archives for the full story.
Then return to The Other McCain and the story on how Shankman is identified, and is quoted saying “I’m done with it,” to which McCain replies: “you’re done with it, Jim — just like a cockroach is done feeding on crumbs when somebody turns on the kitchen light.”
If you’ve been missing McCain’s Smitty, he’s writing from Afghanistan has been filling some pages with excellence. Smitty, What is a “Death-Porn Doorstop, anyway?
Civilized peaceful union supporter smashes Republican's car window
Original Post: Weekly Standard
Wisconsin Republican Senator's Car Window Smashed
By JOHN MCCORMACK
Please sign me up for The Weekly Standard weekly newsletter.
Wisconsin Republican state senator Dan Kapanke has been the subjecte of death threats and vandalism, the LaCrosse Tribune reports:
Sen. Dan Kapanke has canceled upcoming district meetings after being the target of threats and vandalism. Rose Smyrski, Kapanke's chief of staff, said the senator's car window was smashed in Madison, and his wife found nails scattered in the driveway of their French Island home.
He also received death threats.
Via Ace, a Huffington Post blogger asks, in the wake of the Giffords shooting, "Why isn't the mainstream media talking about the death threats against Republican politicians in Wisconsin?
Good question!
Wisconsin Republican Senator's Car Window Smashed
By JOHN MCCORMACK
Please sign me up for The Weekly Standard weekly newsletter.
Wisconsin Republican state senator Dan Kapanke has been the subjecte of death threats and vandalism, the LaCrosse Tribune reports:
Sen. Dan Kapanke has canceled upcoming district meetings after being the target of threats and vandalism. Rose Smyrski, Kapanke's chief of staff, said the senator's car window was smashed in Madison, and his wife found nails scattered in the driveway of their French Island home.
He also received death threats.
Via Ace, a Huffington Post blogger asks, in the wake of the Giffords shooting, "Why isn't the mainstream media talking about the death threats against Republican politicians in Wisconsin?
Good question!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Union police threaten businesses ala the Godfather
Original Post: Redstate
And the Intimidation of Private Businesses in WI by Unions Begins [Updated]
Posted by lineholder
This letter was written by Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Jim Palmer. Sounds quite a bit like extortion, doesn’t it?
The following is an excerpt from a letter to the owner of a convenience store, the Kwik Trip, in LaCrosse, WI. The content of this letter speaks for itself:
“The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17.
In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.If you don't pay us for protection, we can't come by and make sure no one throws a brick through this nice window...
Also be advised that we are concerned about your company’s participation in Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its continued effort to support candidates who oppose collective bargaining. It makes no difference to us how much or little money you put into that effort. Your participation in that organization provides you an opportunity to halt this practice. We would also request that Kwik Trip disclose whether it makes contributions to any other organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity or the Club for Growth or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
We recognize your right to form political associations but we also believe the public has a right to know what kind of contributions or payments you make that impact the political process. As labor organizations we and our members do not care to provide profits to companies that are working directly or indirectly to threaten the livelihood of our members.
So they will “cut off” these businesses that don’t toe the line? They see themselves as being in the position to “punish” those businesses that don’t toe the line, do they? They will now proceed to “put their foot down” and “lay down the law” to the private sector businesses that they, the Unions, will control the future of the state of Wisconsin, come what may come, is that it????
The gloves are off now, folks. They aren’t going to let this be resolved in a reasonable manner.
I knew that public sector unions saw themselves as being “entitled”. I also knew that they take private sector business profits for granted as a “gimme”.
Now, they are revealing, for all of the world to see, just how vindictive, malicious, and unscrupulous they truly !!!
And the Intimidation of Private Businesses in WI by Unions Begins [Updated]
Posted by lineholder
This letter was written by Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, Jim Palmer. Sounds quite a bit like extortion, doesn’t it?
The following is an excerpt from a letter to the owner of a convenience store, the Kwik Trip, in LaCrosse, WI. The content of this letter speaks for itself:
“The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17.
In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.If you don't pay us for protection, we can't come by and make sure no one throws a brick through this nice window...
Also be advised that we are concerned about your company’s participation in Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its continued effort to support candidates who oppose collective bargaining. It makes no difference to us how much or little money you put into that effort. Your participation in that organization provides you an opportunity to halt this practice. We would also request that Kwik Trip disclose whether it makes contributions to any other organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity or the Club for Growth or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
We recognize your right to form political associations but we also believe the public has a right to know what kind of contributions or payments you make that impact the political process. As labor organizations we and our members do not care to provide profits to companies that are working directly or indirectly to threaten the livelihood of our members.
So they will “cut off” these businesses that don’t toe the line? They see themselves as being in the position to “punish” those businesses that don’t toe the line, do they? They will now proceed to “put their foot down” and “lay down the law” to the private sector businesses that they, the Unions, will control the future of the state of Wisconsin, come what may come, is that it????
The gloves are off now, folks. They aren’t going to let this be resolved in a reasonable manner.
I knew that public sector unions saw themselves as being “entitled”. I also knew that they take private sector business profits for granted as a “gimme”.
Now, they are revealing, for all of the world to see, just how vindictive, malicious, and unscrupulous they truly !!!
Violent Threats Against Wisconsin Republicans Increase
Original Post: Yahoo
Kim Linton Kim Linton – Sun Mar 13, 7:29 pm ET
Several suspects have been identified, while obscene phone calls, threatening e-mails and other "thug-like" intimidation tactics continue to be used by union supporters to incite violence and anger toward Republican senators.
One particularly threatening e-mail warned Republican lawmakers to "put your things in order because you will be killed and your families will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks."
Why all the hate?
The heated battle started when Walker introduced his budget repair bill, which originally contained fiscal language designed to cover a $137 million budget deficit. Most importantly, the bill also placed limits on collective bargaining rights for state union workers, excluding police and firefighters.
Protests and death threats against Republican legislators intensified after a modified version of the bill passed the Senate and ultimately the Assembly. To make the vote possible in the absence of 14 Democratic colleagues, all fiscal language was stripped from the legislation leaving only collective bargaining restrictions.
Wisconsin protests turn ugly
Since Walker signed the anti-union bill into law, protests in Madison, Wis. have been anything but peaceful.
After causing an estimated $7.5 million in property damage to the State Capitol, Wisconsin protesters are now the stars of amateur videos springing up on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Earlier in the Wisconsin budget battle timeline, Massachusetts Rep. Michael Capauno told a group of Boston union members that collective bargaining battles were so important "every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody."
On the other side of the fence, Sarah Palin told Fox News Wisconsin union bosses were "acting like thugs" and it's their responsibility to "turn down the rhetoric and start getting truth out there so that nobody gets hurt."
What happens now?
While recall efforts, lawsuits and political strategies are being discussed on both sides of the aisle, there's one thing Republican and Democratic lawmakers can agree on -- the battle over unions and collective bargaining has just begun.
Kim Linton Kim Linton – Sun Mar 13, 7:29 pm ET
Several suspects have been identified, while obscene phone calls, threatening e-mails and other "thug-like" intimidation tactics continue to be used by union supporters to incite violence and anger toward Republican senators.
One particularly threatening e-mail warned Republican lawmakers to "put your things in order because you will be killed and your families will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks."
Why all the hate?
The heated battle started when Walker introduced his budget repair bill, which originally contained fiscal language designed to cover a $137 million budget deficit. Most importantly, the bill also placed limits on collective bargaining rights for state union workers, excluding police and firefighters.
Protests and death threats against Republican legislators intensified after a modified version of the bill passed the Senate and ultimately the Assembly. To make the vote possible in the absence of 14 Democratic colleagues, all fiscal language was stripped from the legislation leaving only collective bargaining restrictions.
Wisconsin protests turn ugly
Since Walker signed the anti-union bill into law, protests in Madison, Wis. have been anything but peaceful.
After causing an estimated $7.5 million in property damage to the State Capitol, Wisconsin protesters are now the stars of amateur videos springing up on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Earlier in the Wisconsin budget battle timeline, Massachusetts Rep. Michael Capauno told a group of Boston union members that collective bargaining battles were so important "every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody."
On the other side of the fence, Sarah Palin told Fox News Wisconsin union bosses were "acting like thugs" and it's their responsibility to "turn down the rhetoric and start getting truth out there so that nobody gets hurt."
What happens now?
While recall efforts, lawsuits and political strategies are being discussed on both sides of the aisle, there's one thing Republican and Democratic lawmakers can agree on -- the battle over unions and collective bargaining has just begun.
Scott Walker's budget repair bill
Here is Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill. It's search able and you can find whatever you want to know about it there.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Strange But True Provisions of Collective Bargaining
Original Post: Walker.gov
Go ahead, verify them for yourself. I encourage you to.
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Strange But True Provisions of Collective Bargaining
Madison—Today Governor Walker’s office released additional examples of how collective bargaining impacts government and how reforming collective bargaining can improve government. The following are some of the items contained in collective bargaining provisions:
1. Employer must provide bulletin boards to post information about union social and recreational activities. The size and location of the board is subject to collective bargaining.
2. When a local union meets the following conditions are subject to bargaining:
1. lighting,
2. vision care and examinations,
3. noise,
4. chairs,
5. desks,
6. footrests,
7. adjustable terminals and keyboards,
8. work environment design (wall cover, carpet, windows),
9. room temperature,
3. Starting of vehicles during cold weather is subject to collective bargaining.
4. Paid time off to donate blood.
Earlier today, Governor Walker’s office released some specific examples and new details to show how collective bargaining fiscally impacts government and how reforming collective bargaining can improve government.
A Year’s Worth of Pay for 30 Days of Work
Under the Green Bay School District’s collectively bargained Emeritus Program, teaches can retire and receive a year’s worth of salary for working only 30 days over a three year period. This is paid in addition to their already guaranteed pension and health care payouts.
At the average annual salary for a Green Bay teacher of $51,355, this amounts to a daily rate of pay of $1,711.83, or an hourly rate of $213.98. Since most retiring teachers receive higher than average salary, these amounts are, in practice, much higher.
Source: WLUK-TV, 3/3/11
Teachers Receiving Two Pensions
Due to a 1982 provision of their collective bargaining agreement, Milwaukee Public School teachers actually receive two pensions upon retirement instead of one. The contribution to the second pension is equal to 4.2% of a teacher’s salary, with the school district making 100% of the contribution, just like they do for the first pension. This extra benefit costs taxpayers more than $16 million per year.
Source: February 17, 2010 Press Release, Process of developing FY11 budget begins Milwaukee Public Schools
Almost $10,000 Per Year for Doing Nothing
While the Green Bay Emeritus Program actually requires teachers to at least show up for work, the Madison Emeritus Program doesn’t even require that. In addition to their pension payouts, retired Madison public school teachers receive annual payments of at least $9,884.18 per year for enrolling in the Emeritus Program, which requires ZERO days of work.
When this program began, 20 days of work per year were required. Through collective bargaining, the union successfully negotiated this down to zero days.
Source: Madison Teachers Inc. Website
Yesterday the Governor’s office released these examples of the fiscal impact of collective bargaining
No Volunteer Crossing Guards Allowed
A Wausau public employee union filed a grievance to prohibit a local volunteer from serving as a school crossing guard. The 86-year-old lives just two blocks away and serves everyday free of charge.
Principal Steve Miller says, "He said, you know, this gives me a reason to get up in the morning to come and help these kids in the neighborhood."
But for a local union that represents crossing guards, it isn't that simple. Representatives didn't want to go on camera but say if a crossing guard is needed, then one should be officially hired by the city.
Source: WAOW-TV, 1/27/10
$6,000 Extra for Carrying a Pager
Some state employees, due to the nature of their positions, are required to carry pagers during off-duty hours in order to respond to emergency situations. Due to the collective bargaining agreements, these employees are compensated an extra five hours of pay each week, whether they are paged or not.
For an employee earning an average salary of $50,000 per year, this requirement can cost more than $6,000 in additional compensation.
Source: 2008-09 Agreement between the State of Wisconsin and AFSCME Council 24
Arbitrator Reinstates Porn-Watching Teacher
A Cedarburg school teacher was reinstated by an arbitrator after being fired for viewing pornography on a school computer. The school district ultimately succeeded in terminating the teacher only after taking the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court at great cost to the taxpayers.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/23/08
‘Outstanding First Year Teacher’ Laid Off
Milwaukee Public Schools teacher Megan Sampson was laid off less than one week after being named Outstanding First Year Teacher by the Wisconsin Council of English Teachers. She lost her job because the collective bargaining agreement requires layoffs to be made based on seniority rather than merit.
Informed that her union had rejected a lower-cost health care plan, that still would have required zero contribution from teachers, Sampson said, “Given the opportunity, of course I would switch to a different plan to save my job, or the jobs of 10 other teachers.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/14/10
Union Opposes Cost-Saving Lawn Mowing Program
As a cost cutting measure, Racine County began using county inmates to cut the grass in medians and right-of-ways at no cost to the taxpayers. A county employee union filed a grievance indicating it was the right of government workers to cut the grass, even though it would cost the taxpayers dramatically more.
Source: Racine Journal Times, 5/12/10
The $150,000 Bus Driver
In 2009, the City of Madison’s highest paid employee was a bus driver who earned $159,258, including $109,892 in overtime, guaranteed by a collective bargaining agreement. In total, seven City of Madison bus drivers made more than $100,000 per year in 2009.
"That's the (drivers') contract," said Transit and Parking Commission Chairman Gary Poulson.
Source: Wisconsin State Journal, 2/7/10
$150,000 Correctional Officers
Correctional Officer collective bargaining agreements allow officers a practice known as “sick leave stacking.” Officers can call in sick for a shift, receiving 8 hours of sick pay, and then are allowed to work the very next shift, earning time-and-a-half for overtime. This results in the officer receiving 2.5 times his or her rate of pay, while still only working 8 hours.
In part because of these practices, 13 correctional officers made more than $100,000 in 2009, despite earning base wages of less than $60,000 per year. The officers received an average of $66,000 in overtime pay for an average annual salary of more than $123,000 with the highest paid receiving $151,181.
Source: Department of Corrections
Previously the Governor’s office released these examples of the fiscal impact of collective bargaining:
Paid-Time off for Union Activities
In Milwaukee County alone, because the union collectively bargained for paid time off, fourteen employees receive salary and benefits for doing union business. Of the fourteen, three are on full-time release for union business. Milwaukee County spent over $170,000 in salary alone for these employees to only participate in union activities such as collective bargaining.
Surrender of Management Rights
Because of collecting bargaining, unions have included provisions in employee contracts that have a direct fiscal impact such as not allowing management to schedule workers based on operational needs and requiring notice and approval by the union prior to scheduling changes. As County Executive Walker attempted to reduce work hours based on budget pressures and workload requirements by instituting a 35 hour work week to avoid layoffs, which the union opposed. Additionally, government cannot explore privatization of functions that could save taxpayers money.
WEA Trust
Currently many school districts participate in WEA trust because WEAC collectively bargains to get as many school districts across the state to participate in this union run health insurance plan as possible. Union leadership benefits from members participating in this plan. If school districts enrolled in the state employee health plan, it would save school districts up to $68 million per year. Beyond that if school districts had the flexibility to look for health insurance coverage outside of WEA trust or the state plan, additional savings would likely be realized.
Viagra for Teachers
The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) tried to use a policy established by collective bargaining to obtain health insurance coverage that specifically paid for Viagra. Cost to taxpayers is $786,000 a year.
Reference: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/milwaukee-schools-ban-viagra-teachers-union-sues-discrimination/story?id=11378595
Unrealistic Overtime Provisions
On a state level, the Department of Corrections allows correctional workers who call in sick to collect overtime if they work a shift on the exact same day. The specific provision that allows this to happen was collectively bargained for in their contract. Cost to taxpayers $4.8 million.
Go ahead, verify them for yourself. I encourage you to.
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Strange But True Provisions of Collective Bargaining
Madison—Today Governor Walker’s office released additional examples of how collective bargaining impacts government and how reforming collective bargaining can improve government. The following are some of the items contained in collective bargaining provisions:
1. Employer must provide bulletin boards to post information about union social and recreational activities. The size and location of the board is subject to collective bargaining.
2. When a local union meets the following conditions are subject to bargaining:
1. lighting,
2. vision care and examinations,
3. noise,
4. chairs,
5. desks,
6. footrests,
7. adjustable terminals and keyboards,
8. work environment design (wall cover, carpet, windows),
9. room temperature,
3. Starting of vehicles during cold weather is subject to collective bargaining.
4. Paid time off to donate blood.
Earlier today, Governor Walker’s office released some specific examples and new details to show how collective bargaining fiscally impacts government and how reforming collective bargaining can improve government.
A Year’s Worth of Pay for 30 Days of Work
Under the Green Bay School District’s collectively bargained Emeritus Program, teaches can retire and receive a year’s worth of salary for working only 30 days over a three year period. This is paid in addition to their already guaranteed pension and health care payouts.
At the average annual salary for a Green Bay teacher of $51,355, this amounts to a daily rate of pay of $1,711.83, or an hourly rate of $213.98. Since most retiring teachers receive higher than average salary, these amounts are, in practice, much higher.
Source: WLUK-TV, 3/3/11
Teachers Receiving Two Pensions
Due to a 1982 provision of their collective bargaining agreement, Milwaukee Public School teachers actually receive two pensions upon retirement instead of one. The contribution to the second pension is equal to 4.2% of a teacher’s salary, with the school district making 100% of the contribution, just like they do for the first pension. This extra benefit costs taxpayers more than $16 million per year.
Source: February 17, 2010 Press Release, Process of developing FY11 budget begins Milwaukee Public Schools
Almost $10,000 Per Year for Doing Nothing
While the Green Bay Emeritus Program actually requires teachers to at least show up for work, the Madison Emeritus Program doesn’t even require that. In addition to their pension payouts, retired Madison public school teachers receive annual payments of at least $9,884.18 per year for enrolling in the Emeritus Program, which requires ZERO days of work.
When this program began, 20 days of work per year were required. Through collective bargaining, the union successfully negotiated this down to zero days.
Source: Madison Teachers Inc. Website
Yesterday the Governor’s office released these examples of the fiscal impact of collective bargaining
No Volunteer Crossing Guards Allowed
A Wausau public employee union filed a grievance to prohibit a local volunteer from serving as a school crossing guard. The 86-year-old lives just two blocks away and serves everyday free of charge.
Principal Steve Miller says, "He said, you know, this gives me a reason to get up in the morning to come and help these kids in the neighborhood."
But for a local union that represents crossing guards, it isn't that simple. Representatives didn't want to go on camera but say if a crossing guard is needed, then one should be officially hired by the city.
Source: WAOW-TV, 1/27/10
$6,000 Extra for Carrying a Pager
Some state employees, due to the nature of their positions, are required to carry pagers during off-duty hours in order to respond to emergency situations. Due to the collective bargaining agreements, these employees are compensated an extra five hours of pay each week, whether they are paged or not.
For an employee earning an average salary of $50,000 per year, this requirement can cost more than $6,000 in additional compensation.
Source: 2008-09 Agreement between the State of Wisconsin and AFSCME Council 24
Arbitrator Reinstates Porn-Watching Teacher
A Cedarburg school teacher was reinstated by an arbitrator after being fired for viewing pornography on a school computer. The school district ultimately succeeded in terminating the teacher only after taking the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court at great cost to the taxpayers.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/23/08
‘Outstanding First Year Teacher’ Laid Off
Milwaukee Public Schools teacher Megan Sampson was laid off less than one week after being named Outstanding First Year Teacher by the Wisconsin Council of English Teachers. She lost her job because the collective bargaining agreement requires layoffs to be made based on seniority rather than merit.
Informed that her union had rejected a lower-cost health care plan, that still would have required zero contribution from teachers, Sampson said, “Given the opportunity, of course I would switch to a different plan to save my job, or the jobs of 10 other teachers.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/14/10
Union Opposes Cost-Saving Lawn Mowing Program
As a cost cutting measure, Racine County began using county inmates to cut the grass in medians and right-of-ways at no cost to the taxpayers. A county employee union filed a grievance indicating it was the right of government workers to cut the grass, even though it would cost the taxpayers dramatically more.
Source: Racine Journal Times, 5/12/10
The $150,000 Bus Driver
In 2009, the City of Madison’s highest paid employee was a bus driver who earned $159,258, including $109,892 in overtime, guaranteed by a collective bargaining agreement. In total, seven City of Madison bus drivers made more than $100,000 per year in 2009.
"That's the (drivers') contract," said Transit and Parking Commission Chairman Gary Poulson.
Source: Wisconsin State Journal, 2/7/10
$150,000 Correctional Officers
Correctional Officer collective bargaining agreements allow officers a practice known as “sick leave stacking.” Officers can call in sick for a shift, receiving 8 hours of sick pay, and then are allowed to work the very next shift, earning time-and-a-half for overtime. This results in the officer receiving 2.5 times his or her rate of pay, while still only working 8 hours.
In part because of these practices, 13 correctional officers made more than $100,000 in 2009, despite earning base wages of less than $60,000 per year. The officers received an average of $66,000 in overtime pay for an average annual salary of more than $123,000 with the highest paid receiving $151,181.
Source: Department of Corrections
Previously the Governor’s office released these examples of the fiscal impact of collective bargaining:
Paid-Time off for Union Activities
In Milwaukee County alone, because the union collectively bargained for paid time off, fourteen employees receive salary and benefits for doing union business. Of the fourteen, three are on full-time release for union business. Milwaukee County spent over $170,000 in salary alone for these employees to only participate in union activities such as collective bargaining.
Surrender of Management Rights
Because of collecting bargaining, unions have included provisions in employee contracts that have a direct fiscal impact such as not allowing management to schedule workers based on operational needs and requiring notice and approval by the union prior to scheduling changes. As County Executive Walker attempted to reduce work hours based on budget pressures and workload requirements by instituting a 35 hour work week to avoid layoffs, which the union opposed. Additionally, government cannot explore privatization of functions that could save taxpayers money.
WEA Trust
Currently many school districts participate in WEA trust because WEAC collectively bargains to get as many school districts across the state to participate in this union run health insurance plan as possible. Union leadership benefits from members participating in this plan. If school districts enrolled in the state employee health plan, it would save school districts up to $68 million per year. Beyond that if school districts had the flexibility to look for health insurance coverage outside of WEA trust or the state plan, additional savings would likely be realized.
Viagra for Teachers
The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) tried to use a policy established by collective bargaining to obtain health insurance coverage that specifically paid for Viagra. Cost to taxpayers is $786,000 a year.
Reference: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/milwaukee-schools-ban-viagra-teachers-union-sues-discrimination/story?id=11378595
Unrealistic Overtime Provisions
On a state level, the Department of Corrections allows correctional workers who call in sick to collect overtime if they work a shift on the exact same day. The specific provision that allows this to happen was collectively bargained for in their contract. Cost to taxpayers $4.8 million.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Madison Firefighters Local 311 forming a STRIKE COMMITTEE
Original Post: Vicki McKenna
by Vicki McKenna on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 9:44am
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 2:42 PM
To: FD GROUP
Subject: PRIVALEDGED UNION COMMUNICATIONS
Local 311 members,
Local 311 is looking for members to serve on three different Committees. The Committees are listed below. If you are interested in serving on any of the Committees, please e-mail (deleted) as soon as possible. We would like to schedule meeting dates starting possibly as soon as next week. Along with the participation on these commitees we would like all members to be ready and hopefully willing to assist these committees in helping them with the actions and assistance that may be needed in the near future.
Thank you.
Recall Elections Committee - This Committee will explore the logistics and assist others with the planning and infrastructure of running Recall Elections for certain Legislators, and to assist "labor friendly" legislators that are facing possible Recall Elections.
Job Actions Committee – Discuss and assemble a list of possible job actions. Also discuss the possible impact of such actions or that of a general strike.The Budget Repair Bill specifically excludes police and firemen for this very reason. FYI it's illegal in Wisconsin for them to strike. Apparently the firemen of Local 311 don't care if houses and people get burned up. Unbelievable.
Boycott Committee - This Committee would discuss sending questionnaires or calling on contributors to Walker's campaign asking whether they still support Walker's anti-labor agenda or whether they no longer support his over-stepping agenda. Compile a list of businesses who are Walker supporters that we, and other Unions, can use to boycott, and compile a list of "labor friendly" businesses.Nice. I'm pretty sure I just saw this on an episode of "The Sopranos".
Sincerely,
Local 311 sec./tres.
I no longer believe that unions only violate monopoly laws by their very nature. I now belive they should be brought up on RICO statutes.
by Vicki McKenna on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 9:44am
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 2:42 PM
To: FD GROUP
Subject: PRIVALEDGED UNION COMMUNICATIONS
Local 311 members,
Local 311 is looking for members to serve on three different Committees. The Committees are listed below. If you are interested in serving on any of the Committees, please e-mail (deleted) as soon as possible. We would like to schedule meeting dates starting possibly as soon as next week. Along with the participation on these commitees we would like all members to be ready and hopefully willing to assist these committees in helping them with the actions and assistance that may be needed in the near future.
Thank you.
Recall Elections Committee - This Committee will explore the logistics and assist others with the planning and infrastructure of running Recall Elections for certain Legislators, and to assist "labor friendly" legislators that are facing possible Recall Elections.
Job Actions Committee – Discuss and assemble a list of possible job actions. Also discuss the possible impact of such actions or that of a general strike.The Budget Repair Bill specifically excludes police and firemen for this very reason. FYI it's illegal in Wisconsin for them to strike. Apparently the firemen of Local 311 don't care if houses and people get burned up. Unbelievable.
Boycott Committee - This Committee would discuss sending questionnaires or calling on contributors to Walker's campaign asking whether they still support Walker's anti-labor agenda or whether they no longer support his over-stepping agenda. Compile a list of businesses who are Walker supporters that we, and other Unions, can use to boycott, and compile a list of "labor friendly" businesses.Nice. I'm pretty sure I just saw this on an episode of "The Sopranos".
Sincerely,
Local 311 sec./tres.
I no longer believe that unions only violate monopoly laws by their very nature. I now belive they should be brought up on RICO statutes.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Resturant refuses to serve republicans
Political rally rescheduled for Seabird Restaurant in Sheboygan
Original Post: Sheboygan Press
Why did the “Stand Against spending — Stand with Walker” bus tour and rally change locations several times in the hours before its 4:30 p.m. kickoff Thursday?
The answer depends on who you ask.
If you ask Linda Gabrielse, owner of Nino’s Steak and Seafood — the original site of the rally — it’s because what she actually booked was a dinner reservation for 45 people in the restaurant’s banquet room. It wasn’t until the next day that Gabrielse found out the dinner was to be accompanied by a pro-Walker rally sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition.
Not wanting her restaurant to become the site of a partisan political rally, Gabrielse cancelled the group’s reservation and sent them looking for another site.
Several hours and at least one false start later, the group announced the rally would be held at the Seabird Restaurant at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center.
However, rally organizers gave a completely different reason for the change
According to a press release sent out by the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition, it’s because “The union thugs are hard at work in our own county. They threatened Ninos, where SLC and AFP had planned on holding their event today. The owner received so many calls including threats to shut their business down, that she canceled our event.”
Not so, Gabrielse said.
Though she did receive many calls Thursday from people on both sides of the political aisle, and some of them did threaten to never patronize Nino’s again, no one threatened her or restaurant, she said.
“I never got a call specifically at all from someone in a union saying they were going to shut me down,” she said. “We do not want to be seen as taking sides in political debate at all and that is what it appeared to be. If you want to have a rally, say that. If you want to have a dinner, say that.”
Oriannah Paul, one of the organizers of the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition, said the rally was moved because of the phone calls Nino’s management received, but “I don’t know if it was union people.”
Original Post: Sheboygan Press
Why did the “Stand Against spending — Stand with Walker” bus tour and rally change locations several times in the hours before its 4:30 p.m. kickoff Thursday?
The answer depends on who you ask.
If you ask Linda Gabrielse, owner of Nino’s Steak and Seafood — the original site of the rally — it’s because what she actually booked was a dinner reservation for 45 people in the restaurant’s banquet room. It wasn’t until the next day that Gabrielse found out the dinner was to be accompanied by a pro-Walker rally sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition.
Not wanting her restaurant to become the site of a partisan political rally, Gabrielse cancelled the group’s reservation and sent them looking for another site.
Several hours and at least one false start later, the group announced the rally would be held at the Seabird Restaurant at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center.
However, rally organizers gave a completely different reason for the change
According to a press release sent out by the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition, it’s because “The union thugs are hard at work in our own county. They threatened Ninos, where SLC and AFP had planned on holding their event today. The owner received so many calls including threats to shut their business down, that she canceled our event.”
Not so, Gabrielse said.
Though she did receive many calls Thursday from people on both sides of the political aisle, and some of them did threaten to never patronize Nino’s again, no one threatened her or restaurant, she said.
“I never got a call specifically at all from someone in a union saying they were going to shut me down,” she said. “We do not want to be seen as taking sides in political debate at all and that is what it appeared to be. If you want to have a rally, say that. If you want to have a dinner, say that.”
Oriannah Paul, one of the organizers of the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition, said the rally was moved because of the phone calls Nino’s management received, but “I don’t know if it was union people.”
Union teacher thinks pedophile joke will endear Wisconsin voters to their side
About an inch to the right of the reporter's head is a sign with a cartoon bear known as "pedo bear". This is an iconic image from /b. You can figure out why pedo bear got his name. I'm not sure why a teacher who claims to be a professional, would think that just a joke is at all appropriate. Are they going to bolster the moral of teachers, who work with children, with pedophilia jokes? Are they going to turn Walker supporters to their cause with memes from /b? If I had thought as lefties do, I would say it's a call for child rape against Scott Walker's children. But I do not suspect that is actually the case since I'm a rational individual. No, I suspect it just goes to show the crudeness and the lack of forethought that these teachers are exhibiting.
Mob of Angry Protesters Corners Wisconsin GOP Senator
Original Post: The Blaze
Wisconsin state Republican Sen. Glenn Grothman found himself in a frightening situation at the Wisconsin State Capitol after being tailed and cornered by a large group of angry protesters who screamed and hurled curses at him as he tried to enter the building. Fortunately, a Democratic state assemblyman — Rep. Brett Hulsey — stepped in to help.
I'd like to thank Brett Hulsey. There are very few Democrats representing their constituents and it's good to see that there are those across the isle who still care about law and Democracy.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Unions vs. the Right to Work
Original Post: WSJ
By ROBERT BARRO
How ironic that Wisconsin has become ground zero for the battle between taxpayers and public- employee labor unions. Wisconsin was the first state to allow collective bargaining for government workers (in 1959), following a tradition where it was the first to introduce a personal income tax (in 1911, before the introduction of the current form of individual income tax in 1913 by the federal government).
Labor unions like to portray collective bargaining as a basic civil liberty, akin to the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and religion. For a teachers union, collective bargaining means that suppliers of teacher services to all public school systems in a state—or even across states—can collude with regard to acceptable wages, benefits and working conditions. An analogy for business would be for all providers of airline transportation to assemble to fix ticket prices, capacity and so on. From this perspective, collective bargaining on a broad scale is more similar to an antitrust violation than to a civil liberty.
In fact, labor unions were subject to U.S. antitrust laws in the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which was first applied in 1894 to the American Railway Union. However, organized labor managed to obtain exemption from federal antitrust laws in subsequent legislation, notably the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
Remarkably, labor unions are not only immune from antitrust laws but can also negotiate a "union shop," which requires nonunion employees to join the union or pay nearly equivalent dues. Somehow, despite many attempts, organized labor has lacked the political power to repeal the key portion of the 1947 Taft Hartley Act that allowed states to pass right-to-work laws, which now prohibit the union shop in 22 states. From the standpoint of civil liberties, the individual right to work—without being forced to join a union or pay dues—has a much better claim than collective bargaining. (Not to mention that "right to work" has a much more pleasant, liberal sound than "collective bargaining.") The push for right-to-work laws, which haven't been enacted anywhere but Oklahoma over the last 20 years, seems about to take off.
The current pushback against labor-union power stems from the collision between overly generous benefits for public employees— notably for pensions and health care—and the fiscal crises of state and local governments. Teachers and other public-employee unions went too far in convincing weak or complicit state and local governments to agree to obligations, particularly defined-benefit pension plans, that created excessive burdens on taxpayers.
In recognition of this fiscal reality, even the unions and their Democratic allies in Wisconsin have agreed to Gov. Scott Walker's proposed cutbacks of benefits, as long as he drops the restrictions on collective bargaining. The problem is that this "compromise" leaves intact the structure of strong public-employee unions that helped to create the unsustainable fiscal situation; after all, the next governor may have less fiscal discipline. A long-run solution requires a change in structure, for example, by restricting collective bargaining for public employees and, to go further, by introducing a right-to-work law.
There is evidence that right-to-work laws—or, more broadly, the pro-business policies offered by right-to-work states—matter for economic growth. In research published in 2000, economist Thomas Holmes of the University of Minnesota compared counties close to the border between states with and without right-to-work laws (thereby holding constant an array of factors related to geography and climate). He found that the cumulative growth of employment in manufacturing (the traditional area of union strength prior to the rise of public-employee unions) in the right-to-work states was 26 percentage points greater than that in the non-right-to-work states.
Beyond Wisconsin, a key issue is which states are likely to be the next political battlegrounds on labor issues. In fact, one can interpret the extreme reactions by union demonstrators and absent Democratic legislators in Wisconsin not so much as attempts to influence that state—which may be a lost cause—but rather to deter politicians in other states from taking similar actions. This strategy may be working in Michigan, where Gov. Rick Snyder recently asserted that he would not "pick fights" with labor unions.
In general, the most likely arenas are states in which the governor and both houses of the state legislature are Republican (often because of the 2010 elections), and in which substantial rights for collective bargaining by public employees currently exist. This group includes Indiana, which has recently been as active as Wisconsin on labor issues; ironically, Indiana enacted a right-to-work law in 1957 but repealed it in 1965. Otherwise, my tentative list includes Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska (with a nominally nonpartisan legislature), Kansas, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The national fiscal crisis and recession that began in 2008 had many ill effects, including the ongoing crises of pension and health-care obligations in many states. But at least one positive consequence is that the required return to fiscal discipline has caused reexamination of the growth in economic and political power of public-employee unions. Hopefully, embattled politicians like Gov. Walker in Wisconsin will maintain their resolve and achieve a more sensible long-term structure for the taxpayers in their states.
By ROBERT BARRO
How ironic that Wisconsin has become ground zero for the battle between taxpayers and public- employee labor unions. Wisconsin was the first state to allow collective bargaining for government workers (in 1959), following a tradition where it was the first to introduce a personal income tax (in 1911, before the introduction of the current form of individual income tax in 1913 by the federal government).
Labor unions like to portray collective bargaining as a basic civil liberty, akin to the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and religion. For a teachers union, collective bargaining means that suppliers of teacher services to all public school systems in a state—or even across states—can collude with regard to acceptable wages, benefits and working conditions. An analogy for business would be for all providers of airline transportation to assemble to fix ticket prices, capacity and so on. From this perspective, collective bargaining on a broad scale is more similar to an antitrust violation than to a civil liberty.
In fact, labor unions were subject to U.S. antitrust laws in the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which was first applied in 1894 to the American Railway Union. However, organized labor managed to obtain exemption from federal antitrust laws in subsequent legislation, notably the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
Remarkably, labor unions are not only immune from antitrust laws but can also negotiate a "union shop," which requires nonunion employees to join the union or pay nearly equivalent dues. Somehow, despite many attempts, organized labor has lacked the political power to repeal the key portion of the 1947 Taft Hartley Act that allowed states to pass right-to-work laws, which now prohibit the union shop in 22 states. From the standpoint of civil liberties, the individual right to work—without being forced to join a union or pay dues—has a much better claim than collective bargaining. (Not to mention that "right to work" has a much more pleasant, liberal sound than "collective bargaining.") The push for right-to-work laws, which haven't been enacted anywhere but Oklahoma over the last 20 years, seems about to take off.
The current pushback against labor-union power stems from the collision between overly generous benefits for public employees— notably for pensions and health care—and the fiscal crises of state and local governments. Teachers and other public-employee unions went too far in convincing weak or complicit state and local governments to agree to obligations, particularly defined-benefit pension plans, that created excessive burdens on taxpayers.
In recognition of this fiscal reality, even the unions and their Democratic allies in Wisconsin have agreed to Gov. Scott Walker's proposed cutbacks of benefits, as long as he drops the restrictions on collective bargaining. The problem is that this "compromise" leaves intact the structure of strong public-employee unions that helped to create the unsustainable fiscal situation; after all, the next governor may have less fiscal discipline. A long-run solution requires a change in structure, for example, by restricting collective bargaining for public employees and, to go further, by introducing a right-to-work law.
There is evidence that right-to-work laws—or, more broadly, the pro-business policies offered by right-to-work states—matter for economic growth. In research published in 2000, economist Thomas Holmes of the University of Minnesota compared counties close to the border between states with and without right-to-work laws (thereby holding constant an array of factors related to geography and climate). He found that the cumulative growth of employment in manufacturing (the traditional area of union strength prior to the rise of public-employee unions) in the right-to-work states was 26 percentage points greater than that in the non-right-to-work states.
Beyond Wisconsin, a key issue is which states are likely to be the next political battlegrounds on labor issues. In fact, one can interpret the extreme reactions by union demonstrators and absent Democratic legislators in Wisconsin not so much as attempts to influence that state—which may be a lost cause—but rather to deter politicians in other states from taking similar actions. This strategy may be working in Michigan, where Gov. Rick Snyder recently asserted that he would not "pick fights" with labor unions.
In general, the most likely arenas are states in which the governor and both houses of the state legislature are Republican (often because of the 2010 elections), and in which substantial rights for collective bargaining by public employees currently exist. This group includes Indiana, which has recently been as active as Wisconsin on labor issues; ironically, Indiana enacted a right-to-work law in 1957 but repealed it in 1965. Otherwise, my tentative list includes Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska (with a nominally nonpartisan legislature), Kansas, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The national fiscal crisis and recession that began in 2008 had many ill effects, including the ongoing crises of pension and health-care obligations in many states. But at least one positive consequence is that the required return to fiscal discipline has caused reexamination of the growth in economic and political power of public-employee unions. Hopefully, embattled politicians like Gov. Walker in Wisconsin will maintain their resolve and achieve a more sensible long-term structure for the taxpayers in their states.
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