Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Readies National Guard Against Unions

What is so wrong with me having a living wage so that I can support my family?

cause you support terrorism and want to make America Maoist thats all

reply to post by ~Lucidity


I agree. Jobs are gone. The Plan to bring back the work,at 1/3 the pay is already here. You see it in the News all the time. Employer tells Union we have to cut costs,decrease pay,take benefits away.Union and Employees tell Employer No. Employer moves all the jobs away.Cheap labor,means cheap product. 2-3 years later, Company moves back,but all the work is now non-Union,at half the wage.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


I agree it's already underway. Most of the anti-Union people have never been in one or been in a crappy one. Companies or Gov'ts shouldn't enter into agreements they don't plan on honouring? It's as simple as that. I used to run a shipping union out here and handled contract negotiations. Same old song and dance, no money. But magically there was enough money for a 16% wage increase for management and salaried staff as well as an increase of 8% for pension compensations to those positions as well as an average of $2000 signing bonus. Needless to say I served them with a strike notice.

It was during a tough economic time and all we were asking for was a 3 year contract at 1%, 1.5%, 2%. Didn't even cover cost of living increases for our members but we understood that we had to help them weather the tough economic times. Well we got what we asked for as a strike is damaging to both parties.

I added it up once and if your on strike for 6-8 weeks it takes nearly 8 years to make back the money you lost individually over the duration of even a relatively short strike.

This reminds me of before the depression i think, early to mid 30's, at a GM plant i thin it was, may have been chevy. Workers went on strike, and the compnay was screwing them over. The president then, sent in the national guard...not to help the company, but to back up the labor union employees, becuae the compnay had hired thugs basically, and the police to screw witht he workers..the presient sent in the national guard to help prtoect the workers... Theodore roosevelt? i think was the president then. thsi was around 1934? remember it from michal moores doc capitlaism a love story.
boy are things different today..speak yuor right to protest and freedom, and no one, a business or corporation want you removed ASAP. goes to show whos hidding secrets

Originally posted by MMPI2
reply to post by FarArcher

 

Well, you have to admit that the unions have put millions of people to work....

In mexico, india, indonesia, pakistan and china!!!!

No it's the greedy company owners that move the jobs over there. Why pay people a fair wage here when we can have a wage slave overseas that's cheaper.

Originally posted by Oaktree
The fact that there are unions set up for government employees is, in itself, wrong.

Why do bad cops get away with everything they get away with? F.O.P.

Why does the DMV suck?
Unions.

I could continue on, but won't.

Perhaps unions once served a purpose, I don't know,
but I do know that one of the major reasons the U.S. is losing jobs, gone forever, never coming back, forever, is because companies can no longer be competitive in the world economy while attempting to meet union demands.

Unions are known for their strong arm tactics when they don't get their way, and since law enforcement is also represented by a union, I don't see a lot of options other than The Guard.

I certainly don't like the precedent it sets, though.

No unions are not the reason the U.S. is losing jobs. The profit motive is the reason why the U.S. is losing jobs. Why run a company here in the states for a good profit and you can outsource and double your profit. Many of these companies and the GOP have been crying for years about how the high cost of unions forced them to outsource overseas but they never can explain their record profits before doing so. Outsourcing is only done to increase short term profit.

Originally posted by Flatfish

Originally posted by againuntodust
Maybe if these government servants didn't make 45 % more than the average private sector employee in the same field (whose tax dollars fund the government employee salary, mind you), this issue wouldn't exist, and these unions who helped create this issue wouldn't be threatened. Government worker pay needs to be knocked down to size, as does the pay of every elected government official.

These are not government officials, they are working people. I don't about you, but I don't know any ultra wealthy teachers, policemen, firefighters, nurses, mass transit operators, highway workers etc...

They are government employees. This thread is not about unions being good or bad, and it's not about a governor sending the National Guard to beat people up. It's about government employees making more money than private sector employees, and the National Guard replacing their positions in the interim if the government employees want to go on a union strike to keep their above-private-sector pay.

reply to post by Black_Fox


Has the state outlawed Union membership? That seems like an outrageously drastic measure, even if I do believe that Unions need to be kept in relative check...

Originally posted by Janky Red

What is so wrong with me having a living wage so that I can support my family?

cause you support terrorism and want to make America Maoist thats all

Wow, either you are a complete troll - or you actually do live on a Pomegranate as your location states.

Go back to your controlled little state of being, and let the rest of the world progress please.

I've only read the first page so far, but I have to comment.

Aren't the National Guard Units state employees as well? Aren't they under collective contracts as well? Does the Governor really expect them to support his wishes?

While I am not a fan of collective bargaining or modern day unions, I am a big fan of our ability and right to protest, and using force against protestors will not go down too good for the Governor. This much I can guarantee!

Even mentioning that he is willing to take this drastic measure should mean the end of his career. I suggest everyone in this state begin calling your local TV and Newspapers and mount a media frenzy against his bone-headed statement!

Unions are a relic of the past and were needed 100 yrs ago. They are no longer relevant. The state and federal govt have thousands of laws to protect a worker and ensure their rights. Please explain why they are needed.

Originally posted by dragonridr
reply to post by Rockerchic4God

 

Your MOS in the military is 68X - Mental Health Specialist so yes they can do your job as well.

Look, if you think that the National Guard has enough manpower to fill all the vacancies in the event that the unions refuse to work, well you'd have another think coming. They may be able to replace a few but they could never pick up the ball and run with it. If they had that kind of manpower, they would have their own economy. Their only tactic would be one of force.

Unions across America need to orchestrate a nationwide walkout for a day as a show of strength and solidarity. It was working people in Egypt, maybe I should say non-working people, who led the uprising and it will be that same group of people who stand up and lead it here.

I'm curious to see how much work gets done with capitol alone, minus the workers that actually do the work. Money doesn't get a damn thing done on it's own, it's working people that make the world go around. On top of that, more often than not, it's not even the business owners capitol that is utilized to create business, it's borrowed money. Borrowed and not paid back to the very banks that the working taxpayer is required to bail out. So just exactly whose capitol was it in the first place?

Most of you who worship people for their money were probably born with a silver spoon stuck up your ass and have never worked a day in your lives. When the labor that makes you successful walks out, you will find yourself standing around picking your noses, wondering what the hell just happened.

Money is money and it gets nothing done by itself. Furthermore, according to Ron Paul, your money is virtually worthless anyway. I can't wait for the day when money is totally worthless and a man is judged by his works. How will you greedy money huggers get by then? Maybe you can get Monsanto to genetically modify your money into something edible.

Gotta love the reaction here--I guess it's okay to mobilize the National Guard against citizens of a state who are just striking for better pay and treatment as long as the citizens are in a union. If there's anything that reeks of "NWO" to me, it's a government mobilizing troops to stop strikes and protests (that doesn't just REEK of communist countries)...in fact, wasn't it just Egypt who mobilized their military in response to citizens protests regarding the poor economy and it's handling by their government?

I see posts on here every day ranting about how Americans need to "stand up" and protest for their rights. But apparently union members aren't included in that. ATS makes a joke of itself everyday.

Originally posted by MMPI2
The unions as they currently exist are nothing more than highly organized criminal enterprises.

I truly hope the worst for them.

Oh really? And specifically what crime. Give the statute number and the name of the person commiting the crime. Or was your post just a mindless repitetion of Chamber of Commerce slogans?

Originally posted by FarArcher
This action will only pertain to State employees and state employee unions.

To date, unions have destroyed every industry they've taken deep root in.

They destroyed the steel industry, most manufacturing, and did wonders for the auto industry - where they haven't yet completed that destruction.

They've priced themselves out of the market.

Now it's time to go.

So True, Slaves are indeed cheaper...

It was not the Unions that destroyed our country, it was the trust that was placed in corporations and their purchase of our public officials who in turn sold us out globally. All in the name of excess and profits at the cost of good American jobs.

The USA is transitioning to one where people work for pennies on the dollar with no benefits or hope for retirement. All the while a management class will continue to rule with excessive profits and being protected by their loyal minions who sing praises unto them for feeding them and their children their trickle down vomit and excrement.

Standards of living, world-wide will continue to equalize, and for the USA and other industrialized nations, will fall significantly. As there is only so much resources on our finite planet to go around, and with the elite controlling a vast majority of it, those of us who are left must rely in them allowing us to continue our survival while they gorge themselves on the excess and labors of the working class.

Technologies and medical breakthroughs that could free humanity will continue to be suppressed, all in the name of greed, excess, and control. And sadly, there will still be those who will defend to the death the power that the corporate war lords have, all in a vain hope that they themselves will someday become a high ranking, well compensated enforcer for the one world corporate communistic order that has already taken a stronghold globally.

Enjoy the world we live in today, go out to eat, take vacations, because I tell you the truth, in a generation these common activities will be seen as unbelievable excess, and in still another it will seem a dream for those who currently live in the first world...

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by Flatfish

 

People who've never been in an union will poo-poo it until the day they have to face management.

That's the mentality in this country.

Actually I have been in the union and I will say that they suck. When I was selling insurance we had to be union members to work for the company. They did absolutely nothing to address any concerns the salesmen had. However, with every check we had to pay dues.

Then you have the unions that completely fight against anything that resembles competition. It was either Detroit or Chicago where the teacher's union threatened to strike if the city let a man open a school in competition with public schools. A millionare wanted to open a school. He would take half as much for each student as the public schools. Then he would make up any difference with his own money. It would operate much like a "charter school." He wanted to help kids get out of a failing system. The teacher's union was going to force a shut down of all of the schools in the city. Finally the city backed away from the guy's offer. The guy offered to hire a certain percentage of union teachers for the school. That still wasn't good enough. They said he was trying to break the union and destroy schools. So, to protect the students they were going to shut down school as long as necessary in the middle of the school year.

Then there are unions that don't understand the idea that not everyone can make top dollar. A friend of mine worked in a Kroger store that was union. Eventually Kroger had to close the store. The union contract had gotten so out of hand that baggers were making $11 an hour to start. They were not allowed to perform any task besides bagging groceries and getting carts out of the parking lot. Starting pay for a cashier was $12.50 and they were not allowed to bag the groceries. So, if a cashier called out a bag boy could not step up and do it. A manager had to take time away from running the company and run the register. If a bag boy had to take lunch during peak hours a manager had to bag groceries. There was also bonus pay for evening and weekend work. If you happened to work during the peak hours you got 10% incentive pay. It was very inefficient and the wages made it so that the store could not compete. They had to keep raising prices to cover cost.

Food Lion put in a store three blocks away. The prices were about 20% cheaper. Within twelve months the Kroger had lost nearly 60% of their customers.

Unions are great in theory and helped give Americans a lot of the work place protections they have today. However, many of them have became grievance based fiefdoms. If they don't have anything to complain about they cease to exist. So, they have to manufacture issues in the short term even if they are detrimental in the long run.

ETA:
I know that $12.50 an hour doesn't sound like much to some people on ATS. Different regions of the country have higher costs of living than other regions. So, to put it in to perspective. At the time this Kroger store was paying cashiers $12.50 - $13.75 per hour to start a new teacher made $27,000 a year. In other words the ashier at Kroger was making as much as a teacher.

Now, I hear people saying "raise the techer's salary." That is how the cost of living gets pushed upward by artificially inflated wages.

Add this to the slew of strange stuff going on, mix well and bake at 325° for 45 minutes and what do you get? "Wisconsin Surprise".

Originally posted by jjkenobi
Unions are a relic of the past and were needed 100 yrs ago. They are no longer relevant. The state and federal govt have thousands of laws to protect a worker and ensure their rights. Please explain why they are needed.

Try telling that to the union member who was immediately fired because of a false accusation by a customer. The business had the monetary and legal resources to defend itself; the employee could not have those resources to mount a defense without the strength of a union on his side.

The employee who was fired due to a false accusation was re-hired with back pay, and continues to work free of recrimination. Thanks to his brotherhood who stand behind him, a brotherhood willing to protect the dignity of a worker.