Lets finally get rid of all unions!

...but, lets pass some legislation that protects the rights of all workers, like European countries. We need more jobs that pay living wages, not less.

Sorry. Public jobs are changing and are the same as private jobs, aka "at will employment". Basically it's a free country, and you can accept it and go to work or reject it and look for another job. That's the way it will be from now on.

this is a classic - from a protest in Ohio. A guy retires before he is 50 and is complaining. The unions will get exactly zero sympathy with clowns like this.

“Are they going to be standing on our doorstep to help with foreclosure?” said Monty Blanton, a 50-year-old retired employee who worked for 31 years in a facility for the mentally retarded as a food service worker and an electrician. “We’re barely making a living wage.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/us/23ohio.html?hp

And in a humanitarian sense - what kind of life is that to be retired at 50? Seriously. A healthy system does not encourage people to stop working with 30 years left on the earth - it will kill their souls.

No one is forced to accept any conditions, that why they call it collective BARGAINING.

The only good coming out of the whole situation is that it has resulted in certain Republican leaders revealing themselves and their basic lack of concern for the middle class. People are catching on to this and already the tea party is losing popularity. Palin has had to cancel a recent speaking engagement because not enough people were interested in attending. Glenn Beck's audience has been reduced by 39% during the year.

I'm hopeful that this attack on unions will back fire. Some Republicans have short memories.

(Sorry - this thread will now be deleted)

In NJ, the Police and Fire Unions have to accept the same treatment. In Wisconsin the Tea Party exempts Police and Fire. But that's all we have in the state budgets. Either accept the end of collective bargaining or states will have to let go even more employees in order to make room for budget overages caused by union work rules. States are now becoming the same as private employers. That's how it is. I.E. it's the end of taxpayer paid pensions and medical insurance for public sector employees.

No Funds wrote:

In NJ, the Police and Fire Unions have to accept the same treatment. In Wisconsin the Tea Party exempts Police and Fire. But that's all we have in the state budgets. Either accept the end of collective bargaining or states will have to let go even more employees in order to make room for budget overages caused by union work rules. States are now becoming the same as private employers. That's how it is. I.E. it's the end of taxpayer paid pensions and medical insurance for public sector employees.

I do not follow your logic. Keeping collective bargaining does not necessarily lead to layoffs. The unions in Wisconsin gave into the Walker's requests. You are probably right about pensions and health care but isn't it better for that to come through an agreement between parties who can fully realize the issues on both sides through negotiations?

Walker isn't qualified to run a state government and that is becoming clear. He's doing everything he can right out of the box to alienate the very work force that he will need to carry out his future initiatives. Rather than drawing a line in the sand and threatening to lay them off by the thousands, a good leader would convince the workers to help solve the budget problems with him.

You are right and latest opinion polls have his approval rating well below 50%. However some like NO FUNDS believe that this is a financial not a political move.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/opinion/23wed1.html?_r=1&hp

A state employee wrote:

Walker isn't qualified to run a state government and that is becoming clear. He's doing everything he can right out of the box to alienate the very work force that he will need to carry out his future initiatives. Rather than drawing a line in the sand and threatening to lay them off by the thousands, a good leader would convince the workers to help solve the budget problems with him.

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Public sector Unions are the worse because they are negotiating with administrators who are not using their own money and aren't mortivated by the profit motive.

But all unions have a negative influence and we need to get rid of them. If companies did what unions do it would be called price fixing and they would be arrested. Unions just protect the incompetents.

Unions vote against Republicans and have weakened this country.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am a member of the NEA and I have not voted democrat since Jimmy carter.

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Its why America is no longer internationally competitive.

Is this true?

Is America no longer internationally competitive?

What does that mean?

The US has by far the highest GDP in the world.

Is it the trade deficit?

The trade deficit grows when the economy grows and has decreased during recessions.

What competition are we talking about?

X-Runner wrote:

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Its why America is no longer internationally competitive.

Is this true?

Is America no longer internationally competitive?

What does that mean?

The US has by far the highest GDP in the world.

Is it the trade deficit?

The trade deficit grows when the economy grows and has decreased during recessions.

What competition are we talking about?

I think he is referring to the poor US Olympic record in the mid and long distances.....

Really!? Amazing lack of judgement for a working/union person. Sometimes try voting in your own financial best interest and ignore all the talking points that flood the talk shows each election. Odd that you chose Jimmy Carter of all people.

Racehorse wrote:

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am a member of the NEA and I have not voted democrat since Jimmy carter.

X-Runner wrote:

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Its why America is no longer internationally competitive.

Is this true?

Is America no longer internationally competitive?

What does that mean?

The US has by far the highest GDP in the world.

Is it the trade deficit?

The trade deficit grows when the economy grows and has decreased during recessions.

What competition are we talking about?

Maybe he's referring to the fact that we can't make a better car than the Asians, who work for half of what our (union) workers do, despite their technology deficets. Or what about the great new teacher who gets canned because he/she is 3 weeks from tenure, while the older/lazier teacher gets to stay and make twice as much for half the effort. And I don't even think I have to get into airline workers, dirty cops, and supermarket employees who think they should be making 20$/hour.

Make that $20/hour.

nailed itEntitlements

In question wrote:

X-Runner wrote:

Is this true?

Is America no longer internationally competitive?

What does that mean?

The US has by far the highest GDP in the world.

Is it the trade deficit?

The trade deficit grows when the economy grows and has decreased during recessions.

What competition are we talking about?

Maybe he's referring to the fact that we can't make a better car than the Asians, who work for half of what our (union) workers do, despite their technology deficets. Or what about the great new teacher who gets canned because he/she is 3 weeks from tenure, while the older/lazier teacher gets to stay and make twice as much for half the effort. And I don't even think I have to get into airline workers, dirty cops, and supermarket employees who think they should be making 20$/hour.

I'm ready to concede that Walker is a moron:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/24/scott-walker-governer-wisconsin-prank-called

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Absolutely, why should someone keep their job just because they are older, make more money, and are probably less efficient that the younger worker. Its all backwards thanks to unions.

No wonder schools are failing.

OK, if that's the argument then why is Walker saying that he wants to abolish unions that didn't support him in the election (teachers, public workers) but keep unions that supported him (police, fire fighters).

If unions and collective bargaining are the problem then all public unions should go, but this is clearly just a naked power grab and has nothing to do with the issue at hand, cost. The unions have already agreed to negotiate on cost, as they did with the car companies, and the airlines.

The point that you and other typically simple minded conservatives are missing is that unions NEGOTIATED the terms and conditions they are operating under today. What you and Walker are saying is that conservatives (and business leaders) are either such c*** lipped pussies that you can't negotiate, or are so inept at business that you don't understand the business terms.

So it comes down to those that can't deal with unions are either ball-less twats or incompetent fools. So which are you?

You are a moron! Corporate executives aren't sucking at the teat of the taxpayer. Amazing ,well not really, how many runners are liberal, so-called educated, smartest person in the room useful idiots. And you think public educators are doing their job? Just rad these posts. It's pretty obvious they aren't.

SamuelAdams3 wrote:

Its why America is no longer internationally competitive.

Ummm...our lack of international competitiveness might have something to do with our refusal to use simple apostrophes.