In a decisive blow to union power, Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from the state's public workers (Associated Press).
The state's Assembly passed Republican Gov. Scott Walker's explosive proposal 53-42 Thursday. The state's Senate approved it the night before after using a procedural move to bypass its AWOL Democrats (Associated Press).
An issue that has aroused emotions and stirred throughout the media, while placing Wisconsin on the legislative map, collective bargaining is now a done deal in Wisconsin (Fabian). The Republican politicians used a strategic measure, removing any financial terminology from the bill, in order to vote on it without the AWOL 14 (Associated Press). Since the 14 Democrats have grown comfortable in Illinois, they should make the state their new home. It is easier to run away than debate something through the process.
Wisconsin has set a tone for the rest of the nation in the area of collective bargaining. With the crunch of budget shortfalls, many state governors will have to make unpopular decisions to reign in spending and reduce deficits. This takes leadership that has to stay at home to get the job done.
Why the enormous battle over this issue?
In Governor Walker’s quest to balance Wisconsin’s state budget, the issue began when “[t]he legislation . . . stalled in the state Senate because its 14 Democratic members fled the state to deprive their Republican colleagues of the quorum they’d need to vote on the bill” (Bauer, 1).
Those who oppose Governor Walker’s position espouse class warfare and worker’s rights. According to Terry Smith, this issue relates more to private-unionization versus public-unionization. In essence, Smith argues that “[a] victory by anti-union Republicans in the current battles would hollow the American labor movement, and corporate influence in elections would become almost irrebuttable” (Smith). In essence, Smith argues that Republicans have already had their say in private unions and now they are taking away public worker’s rights.
Yet, Thomas Sowell, provides a rebuttal to arguments such as Smith’s position. First, Sowell targets the chant from unions that they protect rights when Sowell states: “The actions of union mobs in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere give us a free home demonstration of how little they respect the rights of those who disagree with them and how much they rely on harassment and threats to get what they want” (Sowell, 1).
Second, Sowell relays that labor unions are not effective, because they do not have the ability to generate wealth: “The most fundamental fact about labor unions is that they do not create any wealth. They are one of a growing number of institutions which specialize in siphoning off wealth created by others, whether those others are businesses or the taxpayers” (Sowell, 1). Instead, unions rely on taxpayers to fund their bargaining efforts (Sowell, 1-2).
Finally, Sowell exposes the unions’ bread and butter: “That is why government unions continue to thrive while private sector unions decline. Taxpayers provide their free lunch” (Sowell, 2).
The Wisconsin Governor and state legislatures have taken a strategic move to address their budget shortfall and remove the unions’ burdening power. Wisconsin citizens will prove thankful (if not already) in days ahead. Now, public and private workers have more of an equal opportunity to work rather than the government parceling out equal working environments. In which the latter never proves equal.
References
Associated Press. “Wisconsin Lawmakers Pass Anti-Union Bill as
Police Remove Protesters.” Fox News.com. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/10/police-remove-protesters-wisconsin-capitol/ (accessed March 12, 2011).
Bauer, Scott. “Supporters of Wisconsin Anti-Union Bill Hold Rally.”
The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/06/AR2011030603086.html (accessed March 12, 2011).
Fabian, Jordan. “Wisconsin Gov. Walker Signs Controversial Union Bill into Law.”
The Hill. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/148971-walker-signs-controversial-union-bill-into-law (accessed March 12, 2011).
Smith, Terry. “Opinion: Labor’s Last Stand.” AOL News.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/07/opinion-labor-unions-last-stand/ (accessed March 12, 2011).
Sowell, Thomas. “Union Myths.” Townhall.com.
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/03/08/union_myths (accessed March 12, 2011).
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