Originally Posted by
dawg80
Not much discussion on this pending showdown on this forum. Find that curious. Some of you (not me, of course) are very opininated and don't shy away from expressing your view points.
If the polls are accurate, it looks like Walker will survive the recall. If, the polls are right! And, if he does, can that be taken as a mandate, or a license for other states to "declare war" on public sector labor unions?
I'm doing this part from memory, so I might be off a little. But, as I recall, Walker ran on a platform of balancing Wisconsin's state budget by mandating that state employees contribute to their own benefits (health insurance and retirement). But, after being elected, he went further by advocating banning unions for public employees. If true, I don't agree with the abolition of unions for public sector employees. ALL Americans have the right to collective bargaining. However!!! that does mean that unions should be able to hold taxpayers and administrations hostage. Reagan got it right with the air-traffic controllers. He said, yep! you have the right to go on strike, and I have the right to fire you all.....which he did.
Unions served a real purpose 50-80 years ago, winning rights for labor. In more recent times, unions have been able to act as a check-and-balance to big business. Turnover is so very costly, businesses don't want to lose the trained and experienced workforce they have. That is the leverage unions hold. But....only to a point.
As for the public sector, I advocate ending civil service, tenure for teachers, and especially tenure for college profs, and other such perks. But, given that, public employees must have a vehicle to protect their rights. Therefore, I think public labor unions should not be banned.