House Democrats Votes to Restrict Unions in Massachusetts

It is nice to see Democrats backstabbing the unions. It is music to ones ear. LOL

(Boston.com) House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last night to strip police officers, teachers, and other municipal employees of most of their rights to bargain over health care, saying the change would save millions of dollars for financially strapped cities and towns.

The 111-to-42 vote followed tougher measures to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states. But unlike those efforts, the push in Massachusetts was led by Democrats who have traditionally stood with labor to oppose any reduction in workers’ rights.

Unions fought hard to stop the bill, launching a radio ad that assailed the plan and warning legislators that if they voted for the measure, they could lose their union backing in the next election. After the vote, labor leaders accused House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and other Democrats of turning their backs on public employees.

“It’s pretty stunning,’’ said Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. The same Democrats who tell us over and over again that they’re with us, that they believe in collective bargaining, that they believe in unions. . . . It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber.’’

Wisconsin Ballots are now totaled, Prosser wins by 7,316

The election for State Supreme Court in Wisconsin is extremely important. By putting a conservative back into the high courts, the Wisconsin residence can be assured that the laws will be adhered to the letter; unlike, liberals legislating from the bench. While the Associated Press deemed Liberal justice Kloppenburg as the winner by 204 votes, a new twist using the Democrat playbook made GOP candidate David Prosser as the winner. In a honest mistake, not all of the ballots was counted leaving a conservative county to propel Prosser from a 204 vote deficit to a 7000 vote lead. This is called good Karma!

(Milwaukee-Wisconsin JS) State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser emerged as the winner Friday over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in a heated election that drew national attention because of the fight over collective bargaining and a ballot reporting error in Waukesha County.

A canvass of vote totals from the state's 72 counties finalized Friday afternoon shows Prosser beating Kloppenburg, an assistant attorney general, by 7,316 votes. Initial results in the election had showed Kloppenburg leading the race. The final canvass of the April 5 vote was completed 10 days after the election, the maximum allowed by state law.

The margin - 0.488% - is within the 0.5% limit that would allow Kloppenburg to request a statewide recount at taxpayers' expense.

The deadline for calling for a recount is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Although counties have certified their results, by law the Government Accountability Board can't certify the statewide results and declare an official winner until after that recount deadline passes or after completion of a recount, the state agency noted.

The Kloppenburg campaign has not decided whether to seek a recount, and it has not conceded the race, either.

Prosser spokesman Brian Nemoir declared victory for the incumbent, issuing a statement that said, "Today, the will of the electorate is clear with the last canvass now completed and Justice David Prosser re-elected to another 10-year term to the Supreme Court.

State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser emerged as the winner Friday over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in a heated election that drew national attention because of the fight over collective bargaining and a ballot reporting error in Waukesha County.

A canvass of vote totals from the state's 72 counties finalized Friday afternoon shows Prosser beating Kloppenburg, an assistant attorney general, by 7,316 votes. Initial results in the election had showed Kloppenburg leading the race. The final canvass of the April 5 vote was completed 10 days after the election, the maximum allowed by state law.

The margin - 0.488% - is within the 0.5% limit that would allow Kloppenburg to request a statewide recount at taxpayers' expense.

The deadline for calling for a recount is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Although counties have certified their results, by law the Government Accountability Board can't certify the statewide results and declare an official winner until after that recount deadline passes or after completion of a recount, the state agency noted.

The Kloppenburg campaign has not decided whether to seek a recount, and it has not conceded the race, either.

Prosser spokesman Brian Nemoir declared victory for the incumbent, issuing a statement that said, "Today, the will of the electorate is clear with the last canvass now completed and Justice David Prosser re-elected to another 10-year term to the Supreme Court.

Legal challenges to the new collective bargaining law are expected to reach the high court. The court has split 4-3 on major issues in recent years, with Prosser voting in the majority with other conservatives. Prosser was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Tommy G. Thompson in 1998 and was elected to a 10-year term in 2001.

Even President Reagan and FDR was Against Collective Bargaining and Public Unions

FDR and Ronald Reagan understood the negative impact with public unions. I just can't understand why Obama and the Liberal elitist don't get it? Reagan was right to fire the air traffic controllers in 1981. The government has an obligation to the public. Reagan said it best by stating, "we cannot compare labor-management relations in the private sector with government. Government cannot close down the assembly line. It has to provide without interruption the protective services which are government's reason for being."


In a letter to the President of the National Federation of Federal Employees, FDR said,

The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances, and other objectives of a proper employee relations policy, is basically no different from that of employees in private industry. Organization on their part to present their views on such matters is both natural and logical, but meticulous attention should be paid to the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government.

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It
has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable. It is, therefore, with a feeling of gratification that I have noted in the constitution of the National Federation of Federal Employees the provision that "under no circumstances shall this Federation engage in or support strikes against the United States Government."

Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can’t Read Proficiently

If teachers stop complaining and protesting with unions about salary and benefits, our kids would be less likely to be stupid when they enter high school. It proves my point that many teachers don't know how to teach, but rather, they bide their time till they reach tenure, which make teachers impossible to fire.

(CNSNews.com) Two-thirds of the eighth graders in Wisconsin public schools cannot read proficiently according to the U.S. Department of Education, despite the fact that Wisconsin spends more per pupil in its public schools than any other state in the Midwest.

In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009—the latest year available—only 32 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned a “proficient” rating while another 2 percent earned an “advanced” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic.”

The $10,791 that Wisconsin spent per pupil in its public elementary and secondary schools in fiscal year 2008 was more than any other state in the Midwest.

Neighboring Illinois spent $10,353 per student in 2008, Minnesota spent $10,048 per student; Iowa spent $9,520 per student. Among Midwest states, Nebraska was second to Wisconsin in per pupil spending in its public schools, spending $10,565 per student.

Nationwide, only 30 percent of public school eighth graders earned a rating of “proficient” or better in reading, and the average reading score on the NAEP test was 262 out of 500.

Wisconsin Democrats Are a Bunch of Cowards

The Egypt revolution finally landed on American soil. Wisconsin is the new battle ground between Conservates and the Unions. The Democrat Legislators are bunch of cowards not wanting to vote on a bill. Instead, they got on a bus and cross states lines to a nice resort. It seems the Democrats didnt want to vote on a bill to eliminate union ollective bargaining rights, and making public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage, which is comparable with those in the private sector. The benefit is win-win situation to all Wisconsin resident because the savings the bill would achieve -- $30million by July 1 and $300 million over the next two years and it will balance the budget by fixing a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

(WTMJ News) MADISON - Democratic State Senators who protested the budget repair bill by leaving the state have been found.

The lawmakers are in the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford Illinois.

Law enforcement officials have been looking for at least one Democratic senator to bring in for a quorum required for a fiscal measure, but Democratic Senator Jon Erpenbach confirmed to Newsradio 620 WTMJ that he and all of his Democratic colleagues boarded a bus and left the state.

"We're not in Wisconsin right now," Erpenbach said. "The reason why we're doing this is because there are some jurisdictional issues that we'd be dealing with."

The Senate's Sergeant at Arms cannot compel Senators' attendance in an open session if they are outside of state lines.

With the Democrats gone, not enough Senators are available for a quorum to vote on the bill.

The wait could happen for as long as hours, or even days, until a Democratic senator comes in.