PolitiFact posts a list of earlier claims about right-to-work legislation.
All interesting, but off the mark.
The iteration being discussed now in Wisconsin just after the November election is a political power grab, a diminution of private sector union influence to match Act 10's elimination of virtually all public sector collective bargaining, a further partisan attack by Republican incumbents to weaken Democrats' allies, and promotion of a key goal of well-heeled donors and conservative advocacy groups whose financial contributions to Republicans in Wisconsin had carried the expectation of this sort of immediate quid pro quo.
Call it divide-dmd-conquer 2.0.
The bill is a payoff to Hooverite conservative funders and payback with a statutory cudgel to union members and supporters who had the temerity to use constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms in Wisconsin to recall in 2012 Scott Walker and a number of his GOP legislative foot soldiers over Walker's secretive hatching of Act 10.
These are the political and historical reasons the right-to-work bill was so suddenly fast-tracked this week by Wisconsin GOP State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald - - one of those recall targets, by the way - - after insincere suggestions from Fitzgerald and Walker that this wasn't quite the best time, strategically.
The right-to-work bill has nothing to do with a thoughtful, well-constructed economic plan or philosophy to increase jobs, wages and worker wealth and propel the state's slow-moving economy.
Just as the GOP's legislated mandatory ultrasounds and restricted access to legal abortion in Wisconsin had nothing to with women's health, and voter ID had nothing to do with preventing ballot-box fraud, right-to-work law doesn't guarantee anyone the right to work, despite the clever title.
File this right-to-work proposal under 'Reward your friends, punish your enemies.'
(Except the hard hats and unionized operating engineers Walker paraded on-stage at his 2013 State of the State speech as props for the mining bill - - 'friends' in line for a pay cut if right-to-work were approved)
Also under 'Strike while the iron is hot,' and, of course, 'Divide-and-Conquer.'
All interesting, but off the mark.
The iteration being discussed now in Wisconsin just after the November election is a political power grab, a diminution of private sector union influence to match Act 10's elimination of virtually all public sector collective bargaining, a further partisan attack by Republican incumbents to weaken Democrats' allies, and promotion of a key goal of well-heeled donors and conservative advocacy groups whose financial contributions to Republicans in Wisconsin had carried the expectation of this sort of immediate quid pro quo.
Call it divide-dmd-conquer 2.0.
The bill is a payoff to Hooverite conservative funders and payback with a statutory cudgel to union members and supporters who had the temerity to use constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms in Wisconsin to recall in 2012 Scott Walker and a number of his GOP legislative foot soldiers over Walker's secretive hatching of Act 10.
These are the political and historical reasons the right-to-work bill was so suddenly fast-tracked this week by Wisconsin GOP State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald - - one of those recall targets, by the way - - after insincere suggestions from Fitzgerald and Walker that this wasn't quite the best time, strategically.
The right-to-work bill has nothing to do with a thoughtful, well-constructed economic plan or philosophy to increase jobs, wages and worker wealth and propel the state's slow-moving economy.
Just as the GOP's legislated mandatory ultrasounds and restricted access to legal abortion in Wisconsin had nothing to with women's health, and voter ID had nothing to do with preventing ballot-box fraud, right-to-work law doesn't guarantee anyone the right to work, despite the clever title.
File this right-to-work proposal under 'Reward your friends, punish your enemies.'
(Except the hard hats and unionized operating engineers Walker paraded on-stage at his 2013 State of the State speech as props for the mining bill - - 'friends' in line for a pay cut if right-to-work were approved)
Also under 'Strike while the iron is hot,' and, of course, 'Divide-and-Conquer.'
Scott Walker told a big donor that his strategy on unions would be to 'divide and conquer'
I called into public radio on the eve of the recall election and stated that if Walker gets re-elected and he keeps a republican majority, a right to work bill will get to his desk by the end of his term. And, that he would gleefully sign it. Does anyone truly believe him when he says this isn't a good time? He's already got a good time party organized, you can count on it, with Diane H as guest speaker. I guess being fooled into voting for him not once but three times shows that there are a lot of gullible fools in these parts. Big question is are the cops and fire fighters still needed or do they get discarded now that we are conquered? I have a few friends who I tried to wake up who still voted for a snake even after I proved to them he was. Snakes always bite eventually.
ReplyDeleteGolly. The Operating Engineers thought they were his friends. Where does this leave them? Have they commented at all on this or do they support it?
ReplyDelete