The Mad City

Right now in my hometown there is some crazy stuff going on. Our elected Republican Governor is attempting to break the labor unions here in the state. There's lots of opinions and half truths flying around so it's hard to get a grasp of what's actually going on.

From what I've been able to find and look up the bottom line is Governor Walker want's to break up the unions. He's claiming it's about a budget shortfall, but the Unions have agreed to make concessions. The one thing they won't give up is their right to collectively bargain. Collective bargaining rights are essentially the unions way of negotiating as a block. Without those they would have little power to help employees.

So an example: A friend of mine's wife is a state employee in Wisconsin. She works for a county as a social worker. Most of her day is spent helping mentally ill people find the resources they need to either get better or maintain their lives. It's a hard thankless job. When she got the job it was mandatory for her to sign up for the union. In doing so she agreed to let the union negotiate pay raises for her, negotiate her benefits, and her pension.  If the bill were to pass she would be forced to take a 20% pay-cut and no longer have any right to ask for better benefits, pension or working conditions.

I see a lot of people saying how unfair the unions are and that at their jobs they are not allowed to demand better benefits, and that the way they solve the problem is to leave the job. That's a nobel idea but lets be realistic most people can't find other jobs right now. The whole point of the union is to be able to negotiate as a block and persuade large corporations to hear the voice of the few.

We live in an era where big business is getting bigger everyday, it's everywhere in our lives and has gotten to the point where it is our government now. The lobbyists of big business make the calls and the legislature bends to their every whim. Our recourse is to unionize and be sure that our voice is heard. Vote. Join a Union. Be the public that makes a change. Stop big business from running our lifes