Saturday, June 9, 2012

A Collective Issue......



 Pension "reform" is not the the only problem California faces in November.
Collective Bargaining rights are perhaps the most important issue to any Union . I believe that they are essential.  Recent attempts at "reform" pension plans only demonstrate that big government with it's amount of debt can't no longer pay for "extravagant" plans that only bankrupt the state's coffers. I believe that Unions are entitled to seek "reasonable" benefit packages for it's members .  The Recent moves by Republican Gov. Scott Walker to go up against "union bosses" is a two way candle burning on Gov. Scott Walker's desk . Gov. Scott Walker still has to deal with the Public Employee sector, that won't go away even if bargaining  rights are gone.   While I was against his recall only because the "people" elected him fair and square, and chose to keep in office only demonstrates the fact that  Public Employee Union members in Wisconsin may also be blamed for his election to that office . I compare what was going on in California in the recent decade with it's Total Recall . Union Members threw out Gov. Gray Davis , and blamed him for the "mess" , they did it going against their own union political agenda and voting ahead for the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger . The Union Political Machine can be kinda schmoozed  when dues paying members don't go with the union agenda . The California "Paycheck Protection" Initiative (2012)   is probably the most anticipated and feared law if it's voted in by the union members themselves , not the general public at large would cause a another California meltdown . The Pressure would fall on Gov. Jerry Brown to veto.If approved, the initiative will:
  • Prohibit the government from deducting union dues from government employee paychecks that will be used for political purposes.
  • Ban contributions to candidate-controlled committees by corporations and labor unions.
  • Ban contractors who receive government contracts from donating to the officeholder who awarded the contract.[2]
 Thad Kousser, a political-science professor at UC San Diego, says that the Paycheck Protection Initiative could have a strong impact on the public sector (government employee) unions in the state: "Defeating this has got to be the top goal of labor. If they don't, they could become almost extinct in California politics."[7]

 WATCH OUT FOR BROWN.
I believe if you work hard and are a Union Member you are entitled to the wages and benefits your union has fought and negotiated for   . However Gov. Jerry Brown has sneaked into the November Ballot . California Pension Reform (CPR) is the name of an ambitious political group that’s promoting an initiative, the “California Government Employee Pension Reform Act Initiative of 2012,” to go on the November 2012 state ballot. If the Pay Check Initiative is fighting enough, the Pension reform act of 2012 will spell out many more problems .  Sundheim credited Gov. Jerry Brown for raising public awareness of the state’s pension liabilities, but he said the governor’s own proposal would relieve just five percent of the state’s pension debt. By contrast, a CPR initiative would trigger broad systemic changes that could solve the problem of public employee pensions in California and point the way to other states that can no longer afford union-dictated pension benefit systems.

NOTES & COMMENTS:

Police and Fire fighters in San Jose were mostly betrayed by their Union  Members . I feel sorry for them , but their salaries and benefit packages are "huge" . They are like CBO packages . If  California "Paycheck Protection" Initiative (2012) passes what will happen to the non-Union members who opt out? Likely they will lose all benefits of unionized members . Lower wages and a non-unionized benefit plan , but who is in the right frame of mind to no pay union dues and protection . In this day in age I would rather pay my union dues . Considering the predatory actions of employers anyway. 

 There is a provision that says you either have to belong to a union or not.  Its called the Dills Act.  State employees were not given a choice.  However, the Dills Act gives them a choice as to whether or not they have to pay the extra dollar.  The union decides whether or not you get to vote without paying the $1.00.  It appears you're saying the $1.00 is no big deal to an employee, however despite the fact it does not provide any extra money towards bargaining and representation, it appears to be a big deal to a multi-million dollar organization otherwise they wouldn't be denying the right to vote just to collect it.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_state_worker/2011/10/paycheck-protection-initiative-a-step-closer-to-statewide-vote.html#storylink=cpy


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