Time For Me To Fix Wisconsin, Ohio ....

What You Can and Can't Do In Dealing With Unions, CBA's..


     You have to give Gov.'s Walker and Kasich credit.  At least they're attacking the root cause of their states budget shortfalls.  Mainly, because they're required by law to do so, but at that's more than Washington does.  While Congress ignores Social Security , Medicare and the interest on the National Debt, Wisconsin and Ohio - states that are the last strongholds of Union America - are going full bore at them.  The problem is, we're not sure everything they're trying to do is legal, or at least right...


   Yes, we almost fully agree that unions are a major cause of local and state government being broke now. They've caused entire sections of the country to raise property taxes to unliveable levels.  Need an example?  The local police department here is taking applications for new cops.  The pay? Over $42,000 to start, with a guarantee of $100k plus in five years. That's about a 20% pay raise every year.  I'm seriously thinking of taking the exam, except that I may be too old now, and I don't think I'd be a good cop. If you can't beat 'em....



   Of course, the worse concern are benefits. Cadillac health benefits, and retirement pensions (does ANYONE get a pension anymore?) that are non-contributory are what are killing taxpayers.  On these points, we absolutely agree that cuts - and steep ones at that - are needed to relieve financial pressure on state and local governments.  God forbid a state employee should have to contribute to their own retirement....



   We don't think there is much debate on these parts, but the issue of denying state employees collective bargaining rights is contraversial - and in our view, wrong.  I'm going to get a little flag-wavy here, so deal with it for a moment... While we consider ourselves to be a country that is uncompromising, it's America's ability to compromise is what makes us different, and great.  We may not think we have any rights with regards to pay, but we actually do.  I deal with new pay plans out of the blue on a semi-annual basis. I am not in a union, I am not under contract, and I technically have no collective bargaining rights. But, when I get a pay plan that sucks, guess what? I go to my boss with a counter offer.  I know my pay better than they do, and sometimes, they don't get it, but the ability to negotiate is there.


    Unions are more rigid to these rules than I might be.  Taking away the right to negotiate a fair wage is Un-American.  Does it open the door for unions to exploit wages? Slightly, but these are the desperate last cries of a dinosaur group.  Unions have almost no power today.  Only 15% of employees today are union - the rest of us wield the power now.  They still do have the right to negotiate, but state and local governments have the right to take a jackass union proposal and say 'F**k You' - politely, of course.  


    It's pretty simple: cut the benefits, laugh at any pay raises, retire the most overpaid and any others that might be wanting to leave, and bring in new people with good, more sensible benefit and retirement plans.  It's not an overnight fix - it took 70 years to get to this point. It will take a while to correct it, but it can be done.  Still, extreme times do not mean we should strip all rights for people...

.