Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Dems continue policy of union payback

Wow...the Democrats' continue to be on the wrong side of history. Union membership has been plummeting for decades--the workers are voting with their feet. Not content with advocating for the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, now they are attempting to shove another Orwellian-monikered bill, as Katie Packer writes in an op-ed in the The Grand Island (Nebraska) Independent:

As Big Labor works feverishly to force unionization on small businesses across the country, their friends in Washington, D.C. continue the 'payback,' most recently working to secure passage of the misnamed Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.

Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the legislation would federalize the unionization process for police, firefighters and other emergency response and law enforcement personnel. And it would be a boon to union bosses because it would strip control of public safety wages from local and state governments and put them into the hands of negotiators and arbitrators on a national level.

The result would break the banks of city, county and state governments, which would be forced to abide by the outcome of these negotiated deals, which historically have resulted in lucrative salaries, fat bonuses and rich health care and retirement plans that far exceed what these local governments can afford even in good economic times.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal editorialized against this bill, saying, "All across the nation, cities, counties and states are confronting billion-dollar budget deficits and multibillion-dollar shortfalls in the retirement benefits they've promised to their unionized workers. Senator Reid's bill would worsen the burdens put on private-sector workers and businesses and heap all-new unfunded liabilities on local governments."
Municipal and state budgets are already stressed because of the recession--yet Reid and the unions want to add to the strain.

Is this a union ploy to bail out their failing pension plans?

Packer is wondering where Sen Ben Nelson (D-NE) stands on this issue. He has yet to take a stand on it.

Technorati tags:

No comments: