Did Scott Walker And Wisconsin Republicans Just Reelect President Obama In 2012

President Barack Obama

Did the hard line and some would say union busting actions by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans in Madison, Wisconsin just reelect President Barack Obama in 2012?

What President Obama and the Democrats failed to do may have happened in slow motion in front of everyone. The old saying of give a dog enough rope and he will hang himself just occurred in real time. Walker made a miscalculation on how fast he could ram through his union stripping measure. He thought the majority he had in the Wisconsin state senate would allow him to hammer the stripping of public union collective bargaining rights though under the cover of needed budget cuts. What walker did not count on was the walkout of 14 Democrats in the state Senate that would not allow the vote on the budget bill to take place due to rules that required a quorum.

The 14 Democrats went to Illinois and did a 4 corner slowdown that allowed the facts to emerge to the public that the budget reduction had been agreed to and that Walker still kept saying that ending collective bargaining rights of public union was a budget matter. It became clear that Walker’s desire to strip the bargaining rights of public unions was a separate desire unrelated to state budget issues. Then came the fake Koch brother phone call where Wisconsin Governor Rick Scott appeared to be in league with other Republicans in a plan to bust public unions across the country for reasons unrelated to fiscal issues. Scott Walker continued to forcefully repeat the same line even after it was clear that the union had already agreed to financial concessions.

Then the Republicans maneuvered to vote on a separate bill to strip union bargaining rights that had nothing to do with the Wisconsin state budget because it could be passed without the 14 Democrats present. The measure stripping public union bargaining rights passed and then the emperor had no clothes, but he will be informed that he is naked later. The appearance of a Governor and Republicans pitting themselves against teachers and other middle class workers to side with corporate interests left a bad taste in the mouths of many and served to wake up a battered, but groggy middle class. Now the reality of what is important to the wave of Republicans that were swept in was made clear and many in the public feel it must be stopped.

Are Sweatshops Coming Back In A New Form?

Sweatshop USA

Many are too young to remember sweatshops. Sweatshops were largely in the garment industry and small groups of desperate workers worked long hours for low pay, in isolation and without any bargaining power.

The classic definition of a sweat shop was connected with industrialized America and included the following traits:

•         Prevalent in the garment industry origin between 1830s and 1850s

•         Desperate Workforce

•         Long Hours for low pay

•         Child labor may have been employed

•         Dangerous working conditions

•         Sweater/Subcontractor – had a workforce that did work for client, kept workers isolated and unsure of who the ultimate employer was, quickly replace workers for any reason

•         Workers Inability To Organize – due to isolation

•         Unions and labor laws largely ended sweatshops in the United States

•         Most garment related firms outsourced production to other countries that employ sweatshop practices

Labor laws and unions effected changes that largely did away with the practices and conditions that created an environment that was friendly for sweatshop formation. Now in the 21^st century are we set for the formation of a new type of sweatshop environment, not in sewing factories, but in corporate America, schools and government facilities? The reality is we may be already there. This is the current situation:

•         Desperate Workforce – millions of unemployed workers – Some with benefits exhausted

•         Sweater/Subcontractor – staffing firms – outsourcing – temp to perm – 6 month contract jobs etc.

•         Workers Inability To Organize – union membership low and unions being busted as in Wisconsin and elsewhere

•         This new sweatshop environment is invading all classes of work from public education, business professionals, health professionals and trade workers

What we are currently experiencing is a situation of surplus high-end workers that are becoming increasingly desperate after prolonged joblessness. The unemployment rate fluctuates as much from those giving up on searching for jobs as from new job placements. Many salaried workers have higher workloads and work longer hours than ever. Those trying to get back into the workplace often find themselves signed up with staffing firms and outsourcing companies that are the new age sweaters. Some find themselves working for companies on a temporary basis with hopes to move into a permanent position. Others find themselves getting back into the workforce on 6 to 12 month contracts that are often are not renewed because companies don’t want to take them onto their permanent payroll.

As for unions and collective bargaining, union membership is at an all time low. Unions are under attack and some are having their bargaining rights stripped like in Wisconsin. An article titled “WISCONSIN BUSTS THE UNIONS” by the Associated Press March 10, 2011 and published in The Huffington Post describes the move to strip public union bargaining rights in the state of Wisconsin. The key words are higher workloads, lower job security and little to no worker negotiating leverage, it sounds eerily similar to a sweatshop environment.

Are We Back To “Shut Up And Work” - Wisconsin GOP Strips Union Bargaining Rights

 State Flag of Wisconsin

The Wisconsin state Republicans separated the measure to strip public unions bargaining rights from the budget bill and passed the separate piece of legislation. In one move, what took decades of effort to gain was stripped in one fell swoop.

What exactly are we dealing with here in the midst of a severe economic downturn? It seems that there was the though that the harsh economic times would create a climate receptive to hardball type tactics even if it was against teachers and other public workers. An article titled “GOP rams anti-union bill through Wis. Senate” March 9, 2011 and published on the MSNBC website goes into what took place in Wisconsin.

 Why are millionaires and billionaires from all over the country sitting on the sidelines watching what should be a Wisconsin state matter, of course the answer is always money.

It’s All About Money

You see there is gold under the frozen tundra in Wisconsin and other states if those pesky unions can be moved out of the way. Just like the privatized prison system is a booming business, privatized school systems are the next big growth industry. Have you wondered about all of the recent trashing of public school teachers? With tight budgets gripping the country would it not be a relief for private industry to swoop in and say, “Let us take this budget item off your hands and allow us to run this for you.”

There is always a revenue angle to most of what goes on in this country and this is no different.

Bully Politicians Attack Teachers, Public Workers And Single Mothers

 Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels

There seems to be something new that has replaced bullies at school and that is the bully politician. The bully politician seems to be pushing around teachers, firefighters, government workers in general and single mothers.

Governor Scott Walker is kicking workers in public unions even after they have agreed to financial concessions to deal with the state of Wisconsin budget issues. In other corners teachers seem suddenly to be scapegoats for our poor education system results. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee decided to take a round house punch at single mothers.

Is this a new trend to beat up on soft targets? An article titled “Mike Huckabee’s Portman slam marks a week of controversial comments” by Holly Bailey March 4, 2011 and published in Yahoo News goes into some of Governor Huckabee’s controversial comments. The former Presidential candidate made a reference to Oscar winner Natalie Portman as possibly glamorizing unwed motherhood. Single mother have one of the toughest jobs in the country and to get a slap like that was uncalled for.

Governor Scott Walker and others involved in a head-on assault on public labor unions have manage to gain supporters that are somehow painting public employees as a privileged class in society. An article titled “Mitch Daniels on Monday: ‘The elite in American society, really, are government unions’” by Jim Geraghty February 23, 2011 and published in the National Review details how Indiana Governor Jim Daniels stated that government union are the new elite in society. He stated that their pay and benefits are much higher than the public they serve.

Consider the situation and what is missing from the story. Many public workers such as teachers have college degrees as a requirement as do workers in other areas of government service. A word force that contains a large degree of college degree holding individual should have a decent average wage level, but to call public workers elite because they have decent pay, benefits and job security is a stretch. There was a time when decent pay, benefits and job security was a good thing.

Ask public employees about their job security with state and local budget shortfall and looming layoffs. An article titled “Unemployment falls below 9%, government cuts 30,000 jobs” by Steve Chiotakis March 4, 2011 and published on the public radio.org website examines how the overall unemployment rate for February 2011 went below 9% while at the same time 30,000 government workers were laid off. It seems that the tag of elitist is misplaced and maybe it belongs on the people throwing the term around.