Resetting union contracts appears on the way to Iowa next

New/old governor Branstad says union healthcare benefits need to be amended.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Gov. Terry Branstad said he will press the Legislature to overhaul state labor laws that he said have become too friendly for unions. Branstad said he will ask lawmakers to remove health insurance from the list of topics over which the two sides must bargain, and would give the governor and Legislature the authority to overturn a decision reached by an arbitrator. "A lot of state employees are going to get 15% increases over the next two years and pay nothing towards health insurance. We need to get back to a system that is more equitable and more fair," said Branstad. Branstad said the state's collective bargaining law was approved in 1974, and many things, such as the cost of health insurance, have changed since then.

Who was running the unions in 1974?? Same guys that built Vegas.

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I see nothing unreasonable about this. What I find amazing are the people who are ok with these public employees receiving incredibly generous benefits while the gov who represents the people ask them to contribute more to their health insurance so the citizens don't have TOO much of a financial burden on them. Some must be reminded that these gov employees are in fact employed at the convenience of the tax payers. Everyone is tightening their belts and now it's time for the unions to follow.

I agree that the fiscal issues force action. I also think a combination of increased corporate tax would make the union cuts easier to swallow. It really does not matter though. The states are too far in debt, and the dollar is too far lost. Only a matter of time before state pensions, social security, welfare, unemployment, and other subsidies end. I heard someone on the news say, "We arguing over the bar tab on the titanic as it sinks." That is about right. Unless you froze all national defense spending and entitlement programs today, and then raised taxes a great deal our country will default. Not that even if you did you could ever pay back the debt because it can never be repaid in the current federal reserve system. All roads of economic hardship lead back to the Fed.

Government employees need to start living in the real world. Work hard, play hard, and pay for services. Oh...and retire at 70.

Originally posted by stephinrazin
I agree that the fiscal issues force action. I also think a combination of increased corporate tax would make the union cuts easier to swallow. It really does not matter though. The states are too far in debt, and the dollar is too far lost. Only a matter of time before state pensions, social security, welfare, unemployment, and other subsidies end. I heard someone on the news say, "We arguing over the bar tab on the titanic as it sinks." That is about right. Unless you froze all national defense spending and entitlement programs today, and then raised taxes a great deal our country will default. Not that even if you did you could ever pay back the debt because it can never be repaid in the current federal reserve system. All roads of economic hardship lead back to the Fed.

I think a federal default is the in works anyway. How else can one continue on these spending binges with no end in sight. Our debt is at around 100% GDP. Default will allow the dollar to be removed from reserve holdings of other countries to purchase oil and we are kaput. New world currency on its way. Maybe other countries will now invest in the private industry in the US instead of buying up treasury bonds as they won't be worth doodly. Fed will only be able to spend what it takes in.

I am enjoying how every poster in this thread seems to have fallen for the whole 'workers are slaves' thing.

Can't you see that you're all being conditioned? The corporate elite are subjugating the middle-class (or whatever's left of it) and turning the working class into slave-laborers. And you all can't see past "them unions are bad!" to pull your heads out of your collective asses and realize what's going on here. This union crackdown is a crackdown on the people. You may feel that the unions are greedy, but once they're gone you'll realize who's truly pulling the strings.

reply to post by drwizardphd


I don't believe unions are bad. In fact they are an important development in workers rights. The issue though is not corporate vs. union power, or Democrat vs Republican. It is whether the ship of state can function much longer in the red. The unions can raise hell, but they are too little too late. They might even save their pensions for what a couple years? It might be easier if it as gradual a decline in services as possible instead of an over night bank holiday collapse. Maybe ten years ago this debate might have had relevance, but today it is kind of pathetic. The currency has been destroyed, and there is no saving it. Blame unions, blame corporations, blame politicians, but never look in the mirror. I am young, and it is kinda #ty that the older generations were completely negligent. Now I gotta live in a mad max movie.

reply to post by stephinrazin


Sadly, you are correct.

The country probably is doomed, but I still believe we should fight this tooth and nail. The fact remains that there is enough money in this country to balance these budgets and support the middle class. The problem is all of that money is congested and stagnating in the hands of the wrong people. We know now that Gov. Walker created the deficit in WI as an excuse to bust the unions. ( source )The same could be happening in Iowa.

The simple fact remains that the war on the unions is being engineered to turn the working class against itself.

reply to post by drwizardphd


Yea it is across the board. Powerful people see the writing on the wall. They want to privatize pensions, and take what little is left. This is pretty low down considering that it is clear what the future will bring.

The Banks destroyed the US economy - did everyone forget that ? Is that something which has fallen into the memory hole ?

So the taxpayer had to bail them out. So now - not only is the taxpayer being forced to repay these repugnant bailouts - there is also an ongoing, well orchestrated push by the Republican right to blame the whole financial problem on the UNIONS.

And ignorant, gullible sheep believe every word of the propaganda - they lap it up, ....why ? Because they are ignorant in the extreme. They do not understand why Unions are so important and what they mean and stand for. They do not see that they are being led astray by well directed political smear campaigns - they just bleat the message - "unions bad".

For those that think Unions are bad - just a word, a warning, something to take on board - if you are against unions - you are against middle class America, you against freedoms, you are against the workers and you are Pro Bankers, Pro Wall St and pro the enslavement of American people. There is no other way to see it.