Wisconsin Republicans Pass Right-To-Work Bill, Walker Plans To Sign

[Purveyor]

Source: Huffington

Posted: 03/06/2015 11:34 am EST Updated: 59 minutes ago

Following a heated, all-night debate between lawmakers in Madison, the Wisconsin state assembly passed right-to-work legislation on Friday morning, sending the controversial bill to the desk of Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Once Walker signs the anti-union bill, as he has promised to do, Wisconsin will become the 25th right-to-work state in the country, further weakening an already-diminished labor movement in the state.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO called the legislation "reckless."

“The GOP is more concerned with advancing the rights of out-of-state special interests who write their campaign checks than protecting the rights and protecting the wages of hard-working Wisconsinites,” Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the state's AFL-CIO, said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/06/wisconsin-right-to-work_n_6816672.html

[Still In Wisconsin]

1. Damn.

This was inevitable given the current makeup of our state legislature but still. Wisconsin just became a bit more unlike the state I've lived in for all but two of my 50 years.

Damn.

[yeoman6987]

27. Why can't unions talk to their members

And tell them that opting out is a bad idea and give specifics. We can still win this issue by not having one member quit. Not easy but doable. I don't see how this has to hurt unions at all.

[JohnnyRingo]

2. Follow the money.

The number one largest source of funding for the GOP are energy companies. For the DNC it's unions. The United Steel workers and the United Auto Workers used to supply a lion's share of that cash, but outsourcing beginning in the '70s has since shifted that burden to public service unions, the last line of financial defense for the Democratic Party.

Every RTW law has as it's foundation a clause that strips unions of membership dues.

[Indydem]

4. Thank you for making the Republican's argument for them

People who just want good union jobs have to pay dues to support Democratic candidates?

That is the argument the GOP has been using to push these laws.

[CANDO]

11. It does create a conundrum of sorts, but....

It already exists in labor law the ability to opt out of paying any more in union dues that is beyond the cost of representation. All you had to do is notify your employer and your union that you wished to pay the representation portion of your dues only. That way, if you were a Republican or other political sort, your dues were not going to political contributions you disapproved of. This RTW legislation deliberately strips the union of any and all fees for representation. It seeks to kill the union, period.

On the flip side, why are we allowing corporations to contribute to politicians with money they obtained through my productive labor? And without asking my permission. Goose/Gander argument certainly applies in my view.

[turbinetree]

15. IT started

Back in 1970's a worker objected that he had to pay UNION dues, but he wanted the largeness of what a union got for him, such as wage increases, health care coverage, Defined Benefit pensions and the like, so he filed suit and won.
Union representation has always been weak, you have to look no further than the TAFT-HARTLEY ACT.
As to how right to work became a brand you have look no further than at the DISSENT MAGAZINE, it fully explains where and how this form of racists work rules are enforced by republicans and there handlers from by-gone days to today.

[JohnnyRingo]

12. Those are just facts.

Politics and organized labor have been forever entwined by necessity.

I'm a die hard second generation UAW retiree, and I wouldn't want my dues to go to GOP PACs. Unfortunately, there are too many brothers and sisters who think republicans would serve them better. Those are the ones who complain that union dues don't benefit them personally, but political parties isn't the only place those dues go. Much of it is spent to reinforce the international and recruit new members. In organized labor, there is absolute strength in numbers.

Of course there's a good reason unions only donate to one party, much as a farmer doesn't feed the wolves. If unions didn't augment the coffers of good democrats, we'd only be reading about organized labor in history books.

[PeteSelman]

22. Exactly. This is why they got rid of all our jobs

Not only did they greedily increase their profits, they took away the political power of the working class.

They are truly scum.

[old guy]

3. I repeat,

elections have consequences.

[Cryptoad]

6. yeap,,,,, I hope that 67% who sat on their asses and

didn't vote enjoy !

[Still In Wisconsin]

8. All the republican union members (yes they exist!) who believed Walker

when he said he would do "everything in his power" to see that right to work never got to his desk in 2012 can go sit with the people who believed him when he said that abortion was a decision that ultimately should be made between a woman and her doctor, the people who believed him when he said he would be a strong supporter for the UW System, and the people who believed him when he said he had no intention of stripping public employee unions of bargaining power.

[Cryptoad]

5. Welcome Wisconsin as the newest state of Dumbfuckistan!

You have made all of Alabama Proud!

[Still In Wisconsin]

9. are we Ole Wiss, Wiskansas. Wississippi, Texconsin, or Wiscabama?

Maybe Nebraskonsin, or Wiscoming, or South Wisconsolina. You decide, I can't.

[Iliyah]

7. Who are the true terrorists against the economy and the American people

Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2015, 04:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Asshole Walker still won't be the GOP nom, and with this, WI will be going blue in 2016.

[groundloop]

10. What's disconcerting is that rat-fucker is a front-runner for goper nomination

Walker is very very good at doing whatever the Kochmasters tell him to do. He's sure to earn their favor (and campaign dollars) - it's going to be a hell of a fight to keep him out of the White House.

[RBInMaine]

14. They voted him in three times. They deserve it. No White House though.

[RBInMaine]

13. Wisconsinites get what they DESERVE. They voted for this asshat 3 times. Tough luck !

[Release The Hounds]

23. Once was not enough to use that idiotic cliche, was it?

Step out of your class house, LePage voter.

[SoapBox]

16. Right to Work, simply means...

Employers hold all the cards to hire and FIRE at will.

That is how it was explained to me when I took a job in Arizona in 1984.

[blkmusclmachine]

17. Koch

suckers

[indypaul]

18. How soon we forget

Remember the quote "First they eliminated the trade unions."

[Cha]

19. "You Keep Using that Phrase-Right to Work.."

[enough]

20. k&r (nt)

[PeteSelman]

21. It's sad. But this is what they voted for.

Wisconsin had three opportunities to reject Walker and his anti-labor bullshit and they failed to do so. The son of a bitch even had UNION support.

So while this is horrible and tragic there's no one to blame except the people who live there.

[Omaha Steve]

24. Also see this post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026284260

[Marthe48]

25. In other news Repugs vote to ban indoor plumbing

n/t

[still_one]

26. This should be no surprise. Walker never hid his intentions, so if the people of WI have buyers

remorse because they do not like this, who do they have to blame?

[raccoon]

28. Alas, Babylon. nt