Wisconsin Senate Taliban Strips Workers of Collective Bargaining Rights

Wisconsin's Taliban chief Scott Walker and his Taliban sidekicks in the state Senate voted just a short time ago to take away collective bargaining rights from public workers. the Taliban voted 18-1 for this assault on Wisconsin public workers.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights,and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later. The lone Democrat present on the conference committee, Rep. Tony Barca, shouted that the surprise meeting was a violation of the state's open meetings law but Republicans voted over his objections. The Senate then convened within minutes and passed it without discussion or debate. Spectators in the gallery screamed "You are cowards."

for whatever reason the damned link will not show. I'll try to correct this as soon as is possible.

Palm Trees anyone?

UAW Dumping Stock

It is about time that the United Auto Workers take a little action against the automobile manufacturers and dumping some of their stock is a decent move.
As my link software is not working at this time, I have to type out the source URL for you. That would be: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/blog/2009/05/uaw-plans-to-dump-chrysler-stock.html
I hate having to post links in that way. Really, I do!

Dollars & Sense
It appears that the worker takeover of what remains of industrial America will be short lived. The other day the Senate shot down the possibility of bankruptcy judges being able to alter the terms of first mortgages, citing the "sanctity of contracts." Considering that the big worry here is how to finance the commitments to retired workers, it will be interesting how much concern these same Senators for the contracts of auto workers.

From the wires:

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. - The United Auto Workers union has no intention of keeping its 55 percent stake in the new Chrysler and will sell the shares to fund a trust that will take over retiree health care costs next year, the union's president said Monday.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference in suburban Detroit, Ron Gettelfinger said the trust, called a voluntary employees beneficiary association (VEBA), will struggle at first. It is starting with $1.5 billion from an existing company health care trust, and will get $300 million from the company next year. The total retiree health care obligation is $10.9 billion for about 82,000 retirees, as well as current workers who eventually will retire.

While he said he is confident in the trust's funding, Gettelfinger warned that the VEBA may need to make additional cuts. Benefits such as dental and vision coverage already have been cut.

"The VEBA will be on life support initially," he said. "We took a lot of risks here."

Although the trust has a seat on Chrysler's new board, it essentially has no voting rights because it must vote with a majority of independent directors, he said. Retirees have the right to object to the VEBA settlement in bankruptcy court.

The union endorsed a deal for Fiat to run Chrysler and potentially take a controlling stake because it was the best option, Gettelfinger said.

"Of all of the alternatives that were out there in front of us, clearly this is head-and-shoulders above anything else," he added.

Gettelfinger said that critics who think the union is getting a better deal than Chrysler's secured debtholders are wrong because the UAW is taking a big risk with Chrysler stock funding the trust. The stock is worthless today, he noted.

"Let's be honest, it's zero today. The equity is going to be stressed," Gettelfinger said. "This isn't about finance, it's about people that expected health care benefits for life."

Gettelfinger said the union made concessions in 2007 and this year that have helped the company, although he would not place a specific number on how much the concessions are worth.

"It is billions and billions of dollars in relief to the corporation from the standpoint of cash flow," Gettelfinger said.

Some of Chrysler's secured creditors, however, are objecting to the deal in bankruptcy court and the UAW's larger ownership stake.

After the automaker and Treasury couldn't come to an agreement with certain debtholders, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday and is trying to emerge in 30 to 60 days as a stronger company that could eventually end up majority owned by Italy's Fiat Group SpA.

Employee Free Choice Act: Maine's Republican's Get It

With the EFCA finally starting to come to light in our government offices, it's so nice to see a few Republican's coming out in favor of this bill/law.
Two of those GOPers are from the state of Maine. They would be James J. Campbell Sr. and Penni Theriault. James Campbell serves on the Health and Human Services committee, while Penni Theriault is owner of Lots of Tots Child Care, and both of these persons favor the Employee Free Choice Act.

We write as a state legislator and a small business owner who share Mainers' deep concerns about the state of our economy.
Historically, no institution has been as effective at improving the quality of life for working families as membership in a union.

Union members earn better wages, have better health-care coverage and can count on a more secure retirement than non-union workers.

As current and former union members ourselves, we know that unions work.

Who brought us the weekend? Unions. Who rose with unions? The middle class. It just makes sense. Tens of millions of workers would join a union if they could. The problem is that if they try, and their employer resists, workers have only about a 20 percent chance of success.

This is because the current system for forming a union is unfairly tilted in the employer's favor.

That's just wrong. It's un-American and one more example of greed and power run amok.

Not all of the business owners in the United States are morally fucked up when it comes to their employees.

That is why we believe it is essential for Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which will help Maine's economy get back on its feet by removing barriers to union membership and allowing workers, not just CEOs, to share in the economic success they help create on the job.

The bill would enable workers to form a union when a majority of their co-workers sign cards indicating they want one. This puts the choice of how to form a union in the hands of workers, not corporations.

Just as importantly, the act ensures that workers can freely choose to form a union without intimidation or harassment from their employers.

The final word?

We are also both Republicans and some in our party oppose this bill. However, we do not view this issue through a partisan lens.

We believe enabling more workers to form unions is about justice and fairness – bedrock principles that have guided our nation since its birth.

For too long, big corporations have shunned these ideals and enriched themselves at the expense of America's working families. Today, the average CEO makes 344 times more than the average worker. So it is not surprising that CEOs and their Washington lobbyists oppose employee free choice.

On another note, my blogging software is still not working on my new system, as you can tell. Hopefully this will be corrected soon. Just in case the link for this doesn't show as it is supposed to: pressherald.mainetoday.com and you'll find the article.