A couple items from Wisconsin. Menzie Chinn points out how governor Scott Walker, who claims a deficit to be the compelling reason for eliminating collective bargaining rights for public workers, also thinks the way to save money is to have government ignore cost vs. benefit analyses when making decisions. Actually, Walker doesn't even want the … Continue reading Wisconsin Increasingly Looks Like Bizarro World
collective bargaining
How Come Conservatives Only Hate Some “Unions”?
Michael Perelman writes an excellent post on the roots of the current conservative efforts to roll-back collective bargaining rights for public workers. (See the Michael's full post after the 'more" button). Namely, the target right now is public sector workers but the effort is the same effort that traces back to the 1960's as concerted … Continue reading How Come Conservatives Only Hate Some “Unions”?
Union-busting In The Past
Since unions and collective bargaining rights are in the news lately, here's an event of interest for students of economic history. Ninety-seven years ago, union-busting meant murdering. Twenty-five people were shot and killed in Colorado on orders of the Governor of Colorado and John D. Rockefeller. The Ludlow (Colorado) coal strike massacre (from About.com): In … Continue reading Union-busting In The Past
Shock Doctrine, Neo-liberalism, and Current Events
Primarily for my Comp Systems and Political Economy students (this is part one): As previously noted here, the events in Madison, Wisconsin are not unique. There appears to be a concerted effort to roll-back collective bargaining rights for many workers and roll-back social programs all because of a supposed "fiscal crisis"- the idea that government … Continue reading Shock Doctrine, Neo-liberalism, and Current Events
Where’s Obama?
The President is missing. Could we get the candidate back? The concerted effort to eliminate collective bargaining rights has spread well beyond Wisconsin. So have the protests. Reports have protests in 38 state capitols this week, including even Montana. Heck, even the protesters in Cairo are expressing support and solidarity with the workers in Wisconsin. … Continue reading Where’s Obama?
Observations on Wisconsin
I'm noticing that the media is being somewhat slow to pickup on the real story happening in Wisconsin and not spreading to Indiana and Ohio. It's not about fixing state deficits or finances. It's about busting unions, pure and simple. As such, it's part of an long-term effort that the right wing of American politics … Continue reading Observations on Wisconsin
Why Collective Bargaining Is Necessary
Collective bargaining and unions are necessary and beneficial to society, even for those who are not members of the society. It's not because unions are always in the right or that the positions they espouse are always the best They aren't. But then neither are the positions or policies of large corporations, or churches, or … Continue reading Why Collective Bargaining Is Necessary
On Wisconsin
For those who are unaware, street protests have come to Wisconsin. Literally tens of thousands (a local Fox news affiliate admitted they numbered at least 70,000 on Saturday) for what is now at least 4 consecutive days of protests in Madison, Milwaukee, and other cities. The issue that has brought them out is a proposal … Continue reading On Wisconsin
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