Will GOP Push States to Declare Bankruptcy in Order to Smash Unions?

[andymays]

http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/12/07/secret-gop-plan-push-states-to-declare-bankruptcy-and-smash-unions/

Excerpt:

Congressional Republicans appear to be quietly but methodically executing a plan that would a) avoid a federal bailout of spendthrift states and b) cripple public employee unions by pushing cash-strapped states such as California and Illinois to declare bankruptcy. This may be the biggest political battle in Washington, my Capitol Hill sources tell me, of 2011.

That’s why the most intriguing aspect of President Barack Obama’s tax deal with Republicans is what the compromise fails to include — a provision to continue the Build America Bonds program. BABs now account for more than 20 percent of new debt sold by states and local governments thanks to a federal rebate equal to 35 percent of interest costs on the bonds. The subsidy program ends on Dec. 31. And my Reuters colleagues report that a GOP congressional aide said Republicans “have a very firm line on BABS — we are not going to allow them to be included.”

[GameTheory]

I love it -- if states like IL and CA go bankrupt, it is not because of their incredible mismanagement, it is because of the Republicans "secret plan".

Still, if they do go down, it will be painful for everybody, not just in those states. It may be necessary though.

[Native Texan III]

The race to the bottom has started.
God help America.

[boxcar]

The race to the bottom has started.
God help America.

You're a wee bit late for the party, buddy. It started in January '08. Try to keep pace, will ya?

Boxcar
P.S. When did you become a God-fearing theist?

[lamboguy]

sounds like a great plan the republican's have. i just wonder what will happen to all the public employee union workers go, they could never get a job in any other part of society. this will be KAOS

[gm10]

Unions are good. They've done a lot of good for workers throughout the last 2 centuries.

Unions are a great American invention.

[boxcar]

Unions are good. They've done a lot of good for workers throughout the last 2 centuries.

Unions are a great American invention.

Yes, they are good....for nothing. It's an "invention" that has outlived its usefulness. It's past the time to lay them all to rest for good.

Boxcar

[gm10]

Yes, they are good....for nothing. It's an "invention" that has outlived its usefulness. It's past the time to lay them all to rest for good.

Boxcar

Ah right, so business/employers will take care of their workers from now on? Of course! They always have, haven't they??

[boxcar]

Ah right, so business/employers will take care of their workers from now on? Of course! They always have, haven't they??

Yes. The market demands and employers do a very good job, overall. I know more than a few people who would never want to become part of a union. They're quite satisfied with their employment arrangements.

Unions, in this day and age, are for wussies -- for those who are too cowardly to fight for themselves and/or to work hard to get ahead. Unions, today, are for all the Minimalists in the workplace, not for the resourceful, ambitious and proud producers in our society. In short, unions are for all those who are work ethic-handicapped.

Boxcar

[cj's dad]

Yes. The market demands and employers do a very good job, overall. I know more than a few people who would never want to become part of a union. They're quite satisfied with their employment arrangements.

Unions, in this day and age, are for wussies -- for those who are too cowardly to fight for themselves and/or to work hard to get ahead. Unions, today, are for all the Minimalists in the workplace, not for the resourceful, ambitious and proud producers in our society. In short, unions are for all those who are work ethic-handicapped.

Boxcar

Bolding is mine - Unions representing the skilled trades Electricians, plumbers, steelworkers, gas-fitters etc.... are necessary to promote safety, wage uniformity, and quality of work. The bad taste left in some folks mouth (like yours I suspect) is related to the unionization of workers in the non-skilled job market. These would include the UAW, SEIU, teachers unions etc...

Paying someone #30+ to hang a bumper on a car is absurd. Paying a steelworker $40+ an hour to work on the 90th floor of a new building in downtown NYC is not unreasonable.

[GaryG]

Unions were necessary until after WW2. Since then they have gotten out of control with way too much power. The UAW is an absolute abomination. The only union workers that I have any respect for are the coal miners. They are well paid these days, but they earn every penny. If you have ever been in a coal mine you know what I mean. Then you have govt grifters like the postal service and dept of motor vehicles...an absolute joke. These people couldn't find work in the private sector if their lives depended on it.

[fast4522]

The post office is in the red 6 B, but Saturday's cost 7 B. The postal union is part of the problem curtailing Saturdays. But The Congress is the spending branch of our Government, and does NOT have to give what the Postmaster what it asks right. The real problem is there are so many blockheads that just do not understand that we are in fact broke. Here is the mean season, expect to be affected but the cuts that will in fact come. Skip the post office example because there are thousands more examples to cite, we can and will get this spending problem under control and if you think you can get in front of it to stop it from happening your a bigger fool than some of the statistic posts I have seen.

[fast4522]

The race to the bottom has started.
God help America.

I find your real bright lol!

[redshift1]

http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/12/07/secret-gop-plan-push-states-to-declare-bankruptcy-and-smash-unions/

Excerpt:

Congressional Republicans appear to be quietly but methodically executing a plan that would a) avoid a federal bailout of spendthrift states and b) cripple public employee unions by pushing cash-strapped states such as California and Illinois to declare bankruptcy. This may be the biggest political battle in Washington, my Capitol Hill sources tell me, of 2011.

That’s why the most intriguing aspect of President Barack Obama’s tax deal with Republicans is what the compromise fails to include — a provision to continue the Build America Bonds program. BABs now account for more than 20 percent of new debt sold by states and local governments thanks to a federal rebate equal to 35 percent of interest costs on the bonds. The subsidy program ends on Dec. 31. And my Reuters colleagues report that a GOP congressional aide said Republicans “have a very firm line on BABS — we are not going to allow them to be included.”


Multiple conservative blogs are simultaneously trotting out this position piece take it with a grain of salt.

[Tom]

Ah right, so business/employers will take care of their workers from now on? Of course! They always have, haven't they??

No, we take care of ourselves.
Another nice American invention - self -reliance

And yes, many 4employers DO give a crap and DO what they can for their employees.

btw, you do know that a union is a business, right?

[boxcar]

Bolding is mine - Unions representing the skilled trades Electricians, plumbers, steelworkers, gas-fitters etc.... are necessary to promote safety, wage uniformity, and quality of work. The bad taste left in some folks mouth (like yours I suspect) is related to the unionization of workers in the non-skilled job market. These would include the UAW, SEIU, teachers unions etc...

Paying someone #30+ to hang a bumper on a car is absurd. Paying a steelworker $40+ an hour to work on the 90th floor of a new building in downtown NYC is not unreasonable.

You make a valid distinction. However, in those skilled or even very high risk trades (e.g. mineworkers), I think in this day and age the things you mention to justify unions' existence, the free market and the labor market itself would handle pretty effectively. I do not believe the gradual death of unions would exactly send the labor market back to the stone age. It would be too tough to turn the clock back given all the knowledge we have amassed over all these decades. At some point in our lives, both as individuals and as society, we should strive to shed our "crutches" (whatever they may be) and learn to stand tall and walk on our own. If animals in the Animal Kingdom can survive without unions, how much more should those made in God's image?

Boxcar

[riskman]

Public employee unions donate substantial amounts to political campaigns affecting legislation and influencing elections.The unions then bargain over wages and benefits with the same local, state or federal agencies they sought to influence in the first place. Yet ,the conservatives feel that unlimited amounts of money can be given to political parties as this the "democratic" way or do I have this wrong ? Clue me in as one taxpayer who is totally fed up seeing the huge disparity between private sector benefits (lower)ie,pension, health, disability,retirement ,vacation as compared to public sector employees all funded by John Q. public.
Public sector unfunded pension liabilities are a disgrace,
but why the hell should they care if they have to find a way they will just issue some tax exempt bonds at some decent rate which the taxpayer pays for down the line. Due to the poor economy tax revenues are also down which adds to the problem.
These public sector unions are strangling NYC and many other municipals and states. NYC OTB is one current example. Ever heard of a bookmaker that is unionized?

[newtothegame]

Public employee unions donate substantial amounts to political campaigns affecting legislation and influencing elections.The unions then bargain over wages and benefits with the same local, state or federal agencies they sought to influence in the first place. Yet ,the conservatives feel that unlimited amounts of money can be given to political parties as this the "democratic" way or do I have this wrong ? Clue me in as one taxpayer who is totally fed up seeing the huge disparity between private sector benefits (lower)ie,pension, health, disability,retirement ,vacation as compared to public sector employees all funded by John Q. public.
Public sector unfunded pension liabilities are a disgrace,
but why the hell should they care if they have to find a way they will just issue some tax exempt bonds at some decent rate which the taxpayer pays for down the line. Due to the poor economy tax revenues are also down which adds to the problem.
These public sector unions are strangling NYC and many other municipals and states. NYC OTB is one current example. Ever heard of a bookmaker that is unionized?

I think either I am reading this wrong or interpreted something wrong risk....
But, it is CONSERVATIVES who are pretty much anti unions, and anti bigger, government. Cons are pro business while libs are anti business more expansion of government.
The disparity in pay you mentioned is directly suuported by democrats who are in the pockets of unions. It is my opinion that if it werent for the democratic party, unions would pretty much be non existent. Now we can talk about the pro's and cons of unions in another thread....but just my two cents!

[Native Texan III]

Unions are good. They've done a lot of good for workers throughout the last 2 centuries.

Unions are a great American invention.

Agreed, but Unions were no more of an American invention than the electric light - both came from England. The first USA Labor Union was the National LU, as late as 1866.

Were Unions to go, the hard won benefits for today's employees will rapidly ratchet downwards to the lowest common denominator. Health care, pensions, paid overtime, workplace safety. that will apply indiscriminately to the rightist and leftist employed workers - the race back to the bottom. History tells you why.

"Laissez-faire was the rule in England (18th and 19th Century). This meant that the government had accepted the doctrine that it should keep hands off business. Factory owners could therefore arrange working conditions in whatever way they pleased. Grave problems arose for the workers--problems of working hours, wages, unemployment, accidents, employment of women and children, and housing conditions.
Children could tend most of the machines as well as older persons could, and they could be hired for less pay. Great numbers of them were worked from 12 to 14 hours a day under terrible conditions. Many were apprenticed to the factory owners and housed in miserable dormitories. Ill-fed and ill-clothed, they were sometimes driven under the lash of the overseer. The high death rate of these child slaves eventually roused Parliament to pass laws limiting the daily toil for apprentices.


Rise of Labor Unions

Workers sought to win improved conditions and wages through labor unions. These unions often started as "friendly societies" that collected dues from workers and extended aid during illness or unemployment. Soon, however, they became organizations for winning improvements by collective bargaining and strikes.
Industrial workers also sought to benefit themselves by political action. They fought such legislation as the English laws of 1799 and 1800 forbidding labor organizations. They campaigned to secure laws which would help them. The struggle by workers to win the right to vote and to extend their political power was one of the major factors in the spread of democracy during the 19th century."

http://history-world.org/Industrial%20Intro.htm