The fight to balance Wisconsin’s state budget intensified yesterday as Governor Scott Walker issued an ultimatum to Democratic Senators who have refused to return to the capital to vote on the budget repair bill. The ultimatum comes as Wisconsin approaches a crucial deadline to restructure its debt. But while the fight has become more intense, there has never been a shortage of heat in this debate. Union leaders have been especially vocal, with SEIU President Mary Kay Henry characterizing Walker’s proposal to weaken collective bargaining, as part of a “struggle for economic justice”. Even President Obama weighed in, calling it an “assault on unions”. But while the controversy continues to attract national media attention, there has been little focus on what exactly collective bargaining is and how it works in a system with government unions. And with a majority of union members now in government rather than the private sector, this is an important issue to understand.
Our new video is a helpful primer on the rise government unions and the monopoly power given to them through collective bargaining. Along with our helpful factsheet on the subject, they form a powerful tool to combat misinformation and educate friends and family about what is at stake in Wisconsin.
Let us know what you think about collective bargaining in the comments. And please take a moment to help us get the word out by sharing the video on FACEBOOK and sending it out on TWITTER.
People are carrying signs that say "unions = power to the people." Minds of influential coercion obviously, as people who think without influence know
FREEDOM = POWER TO THE PEOPLE!" unions take individual freedom away and replace with socialism, collectivism which are conflicts of freedom's interest.
Personal strength doesn't come with union backing. Personal strength comes within.
STRENGTH = POWER
Wonderful video. Well done!
Call public union collective bargaining what it is, extortion of taxpayers. For state employees wanting to bargain, I say privatize. Stop beating up today's and future taxpayers. Above all, quit promoting these union bosses' self-serving interests and become informed of the truth.
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Excellent comment that FREEDOM = POWER. Too bad so many find strength and security in Uncle Sam instead of themselves. I am a state worker in a right-to-work state. We do not have collective bargaining. SEIU tried to rally support a few years back and it all fizzled. State workers do not have high salaries compared to private workers, and we can not get bonuses and so forth, but the benefits are excellent and the job security is tremendous. In fact, it is almost impossible to fire anyone, no matter how little work they do. Because we do not work in a competitive environment, there is always wasteful spending and inefficient work. If we had collective bargaining on top of the waste we have, it would be a disaster. Governments need the ability to set reasonable budgets, and collective bargaining stops that. I fully support Gov. Scott Walker.
Concise and clear. I would love to see the source for the data to back up the various statistics provided so that when I share this with my excessively liberal and uninformed friends here in Portland I can shove the facts in their face (not that it would help convince them).
Thanks.
The days of employer abuse of working conditions, hours of work and wages are long gone. It may be that such abuses have never existed in public jobs.
In any case, there SHOULD NOT BE ANY PUBLIC JOB THAT HAS THIRD PARTY INFLUENCE. No public employee union should be recognized.
Cities and states should pay a reasonable wage with appropriate benefits commesurate with comparable private jobs and no more. Contract the work to private entities if no one wants to work under these conditions.
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The voters in the Democratic states are waking up to why they pay such high taxes. One major reason is the growing pensions and benefits negotiated by Public Unions of State/Local employees. The stories from California are a nightmare. You better stop it now, or those taxes will just keep going up, up, and away!
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@ Bobbie Honestly the saying is "United we stand, divided we fall" In cause you are confused a Union is a number of persons, states, etc., joined or associated together for some common purpose. That purpose is for individual strength through unity. Individual strength is abolished without collective bargaining rights.
This being a Representative Democracy we have many different voices within the country and interests being played out on all sides. Don't pretend for a minute that giving civil servants a good wage and pension hasn't worked for us. There are many examples of how low income in our civil services bring forth an assortment of problems. Whether it is a corrupt police force, failing infrastructure, slow fire and rescue response or worst of all an inadequate education system.
If you do not wish to have the burden of paying civil servants a generous wage in return for a life's work to support your needs, move to the country. Find a place without a fire station, police station, school, roads and utilities and enjoy your new found Tax Freedom. Just be sure not to call for help when you can't find any work, school, police, fireman, water, electricity but at least you will have FREEDOM.
Shame on all of you that support stripping worker rights to keep the wages and pensions they are under contract to receive. Where will you turn when they come to strip you of your wage?
I've been a union member in the past, and seen how they protect the lazy and incompetent workers. I can only imagine how much worse it is in a public sector union.
We stand united under common law. We stand united when leaders are respectful to the freedoms and liberties of the people under common law. We stand united when the leadership of this country has dignity for the people government serves. We stand united when the government displays strengths not encourage petty, frivolous weaknesses. We stand united when the people's Constitution of America is common knowledge to defend under American leadership. To show true integrity, if people want to CHOOSE to SERVE THE PUBLIC, it's fair wage would be minimal. United we stand? Not anymore.
One union head speaks for all members regardless of what the members think or WANT TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SAY. Now you go back to your overpaid, government make-work, union strong (with the weak hiding behind them) job.
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Public service unions are wrong and remove the taxpayer from the negotiation process something unions have long wanted. Without the bother of the taxpayer the unions can negotiate directly with the politicians they have bribed with campaign funds with the taxpayer having to pay for this charade. Good for Wisconsin and Governor Walker thank you for your stance for a balanced budget.
Great video. Gives me chills!
Collective bargaining in the public sector is non-sensical. Public employee negotiators bargain with politicians who not only have no skin in the game but who actively seek political contributions from the public employee unions whose increased compensation they are passing judgement upon. The more they grant in compensation increases the more they anticipate in campaign contributions. The loser in this charade are "all"taxpayers including the many fine public employees who are pawns in the process. I congratulate Governor Scott Walker and the Republican State Congressmen in Wisconsin who are demonstrating the political courage to place reasonable limits on the future power of public unions.
Nicolai: Your logic is somewhat distorted. You don't seem to understand that Unions in the public sector are an anachronism. Unions did some good work in the past in the private sector, but they never belonged in the public sector as the Union leadership then winds up dictating public policy through a blatant use of power over elected representatives. To require that public service workers pay Union dues which can then be used to directly pressure those in government to capitulate to Union demands in order to curry the favor and support of the Union hierarchy is not in keeping with the principles this Country was founded on.
I am glad to see that people are standing up to the unions. It's about time. The bill mentions that the public workers will have a choice if they want to be a member of the union or not. If the worker doesn't want to be a member, will he have to pay a collective bargaining fee? That's what happened when I was working for a local agency in Ohio. We didn't have to join the union, but we were forced to pay a fee. It was a little less than union dues. The fee was taken out of our paychecks.
This was a great video . i am sending it to many of my contacts
thanks again
keep up the good work
correct information is power !!!!!
Great video, Don't these people realise for the unions to get more money, they will have to pay more? I'm not in a union, but it cost me a lot more for everything I buy, because the unions want more. I hope Wisc. and other states succeed in controlling union wages.
Even the simpleminded can understand this video. Thank you for producing it.
While we are at it, why not take a look at the Federal Civil Service Commission rules and regulations!!
I agree with Scott Walker
We cannot afford to negotiate when we have no money to negotiate with. Unions are the largest contributors to politicians who follow their lead so they control those polititians. They will still have the right to negotiate wages, but benefits cannot be fully funded by the general public.
The video on Unions was very informative.
Thanks to those who provide this information.
Thanks for providing a very informative video.
Cheryl
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