The Truth about the Union/Republican Fight in Wisconsin

Here’s a column that sets the facts straight about the union fight with Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans of Wisconsin – George Will is one of the last great masters of the art of sarcasm. 

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011

Liberals’ Wisconsin Waterloo

By George F. Will - Washington Post

http://www.thestate.com/2011/08/25/1945534/will-liberals-wisconsin-waterloo.html#ixzz1W3ZwcFS4

MY favorites from Will:

·         Part of the new Wisconsin law despised by unions bars the union health insurance company which is especially expensive.  This is saving millions of dollars, and reducing teacher layoffs.

·         The law also bars teachers unions from automatically deducting dues from members’ paychecks.

·         After Colorado in 2001 required public employees unions to have annual votes reauthorizing collection of dues, membership in the Colorado Association of Public Employees declined 70 percent.

·         In 2005, Indiana stopped collecting dues from unionized public employees;  in 2011, there are 90 percent fewer dues-paying members.

·         In Utah, the end of automatic dues deductions for political activities in 2001 caused teachers’ payments to fall 90 percent.

·         After a similar law passed in 1992 in Washington State, the percentage of teachers making such contributions declined from 82 to 11.

·         Democrats furiously oppose Walker because public employees unions are transmission belts, conveying money to the Democratic Party.  

·         Last year, $14 million in union dues was withheld from the paychecks of Wisconsin’s members.  This year, due to massive spending on the recall elections, the Wisconsin teachers union is firing 40 percent of its staff.

I think four things should be true everywhere in America:

1.      No one should be required to join any organization as condition of employment.

2.      No one should be required to contribute money to any organization as a condition of employment.

3.      No organization that spends money on political candidates or on influencing government legislation should be allowed to collect money from the unwilling.

4.      Government employees should never be allowed to collectively bargain for any aspect of compensation, benefits or work rules.  Such arrangements are corrupt by definition.

In my view, aspects of the 1935 Wagner Act [aka National Labor Relations Act] violate the Constitution by clearly interfering with our founding principal of individual rights.  Fortunately, people everywhere are waking up to these facts and deserting unions in ever larger numbers.  It cannot not happen too soon.