Michigan pushes right-to-work measure(24th state in the nation to adopt R-T-W)

[RickN]

Or it could be because the police and firefighters unions still do some good instead of just trying to make themselves rich.

 

[stick4]

Some of you are more naive than I had imagined.

This RTW fight in MI, and the one in WI for that matter, has nothing to do with the rights of workers.
It's about diminishing the power of the unions that support Democratic candidates(their political opponents).

That's why the police and firefighters unions are exempt from RTW legislation because those unions give their money to Republican politicians rather than Democratic politicians.
Police and firefighters will still be forced to join their union and they will still be forced to pay union dues.
And those forced union dues will support the GOP cause.

The lawmakers in those states don't give a crap about workers' rights.
They care about consolidating their own power in office.

If it was really about workers rights the police and firefighters unions would have been the very first to fall under RTW legislation, not the last.
Those politicians would have fallen all over themselves giving the police and firefighters the RTW if it was really about workers' rights.

I don't think that's correct.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=P04
Public employee unions represent workers at every level of government – federal, state and local. Since contract negotiations for these workers are dependent not on private corporations, but on the size of government budgets, this is the one segment of the labor movement that can actually contribute directly to the people with ultimate responsibility for its livelihood. While their giving pattern matches that of other unions (which overwhelmingly support Democrats), public sector unions also concentrate contributions on members of Congress from both parties who sit on committees that deal with federal budgets and agencies.

 

[Hobbes]

I don't think that's correct.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=P04
Public employee unions represent workers at every level of government – federal, state and local. Since contract negotiations for these workers are dependent not on private corporations, but on the size of government budgets, this is the one segment of the labor movement that can actually contribute directly to the people with ultimate responsibility for its livelihood. While their giving pattern matches that of other unions (which overwhelmingly support Democrats), public sector unions also concentrate contributions on members of Congress from both parties who sit on committees that deal with federal budgets and agencies.

Public employee unions would be mostly teachers unions.
Police and firefighter unions contribute mostly to GOP candidates and that's the real reason they are exempt.

I don't have a problem with RTW.

If it's good enough for a teachers union it ought to be good enough for a firefighters union or a FOP.

Let's stop discriminating against them and give them the RTW, NOW.

 

[stick4]

I pretty much disagree with giving the RTW to police & FFs. Those ppl are a whole different breed. Much like the military they're depending on their brothers to have their back and having two classes of employment contracts (union and non-union) would be divisive. I think you're slant here is to hinge UAW and SEIU unions onto the coat tails of public service unions and that doesn't wash.
Not that I believe the public service workers 'need' to have a union, I believe it's all or none. There shouldn't be a mix since the occupations involved have so much safety risk.

 

[mons meg]

11b1776, your moniker confuses me....

As for the videos, I suppose we should not trust our lying eyes. I'm sure you will show us competing videos taken by the union side that show the REAL story.

 

[Hobbes]

I pretty much disagree with giving the RTW to police & FFs. Those ppl are a whole different breed. Much like the military they're depending on their brothers to have their back and having two classes of employment contracts (union and non-union) would be divisive. I think you're slant here is to hinge UAW and SEIU unions onto the coat tails of public service unions and that doesn't wash.
Not that I believe the public service workers 'need' to have a union, I believe it's all or none. There shouldn't be a mix since the occupations involved have so much safety risk.

Police and firefighter unions are no different than other unions.
They negotiate for pay raises and perks just the same.
They defend their members work rights the same.
They lobby to elect friendly politicians just the same.

The notion that a firefighter union or a FOP != a teachers union is laughable.

 

[stick4]

I'll stand by my statement and agree to disagree with the point about all unions are equal. The professions are the difference is what I'm saying. I could care less if I were a teacher and half the teachers thought I was a scab. My sole responsibility is to the students and my superiors as to my performance. It isn't that simple if my life may be at risk. I'd want to be sure that I could count on the #2 man on the hose or my partner riding shotgun.

 

[farmerbyron]

Police and firefighter unions contribute mostly to GOP candidates and that's the real reason they are exempt.

.

Got any evidence? Or just pulling this out of thin air?

 

[Hobbes]

Got any evidence? Or just pulling this out of thin air?

I remember it from the WI fight last year.

I'm leaving for work now but I'll find it again later and post it up.
You can google up stuff from Scott Walker's association with the police unions in WI.

 

[Mikefishman]

I was a member of the UTU and worked for the railroad for 36 years in Oklahoma. Never did have anybody take a ball bat after me or try to strong arm me. One of the earlier posts stated that the union still had to represent you even if you were not a dues paying member. He was absolutely correct, you can abstain from paying international dues and only pay local dues but you still receive the unions representation. Some of the unions work rules and employer requirements are certainly out of date, but the unions play a very large part in the safety of the work place and work equipment. I don't think it matters much who you work for if you can return home each day safely to your family and earn a descent wage as well.