Wisconsin, Thank You: Arizona’s New Senate Bill 1485 Targets Public Employees’ Unions, Will Ban Collective Bargaining & Stop Automatic Payroll Deductions for Union Dues (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on February 1, 2012
One of many disgusting Hitler signs carried by Wisconsin teachers and government workers at the Madison, Wisconsin protest in February 2011
Think back to a year ago in Madison, Wisconsin. If you thought the pre-OWS liberal protests, vandalism, garbage, filth, and death threats in Madison against Gov. Scott Walker for his efforts to save the state from going belly up by pruning Wisconsin’s bleeding state budget, by dismantling the collective bargaining power of the state’s “gimme more, dammit” unions was great entertainment… well then, invest in more popcorn.
Arizona will be jumping into the union-busting fray to further torque off the public employee union fat-cats. The outcry against Senate Bill 1485 may end up making the filthy squatting, mayhem, destruction of government property, and chaos that radical Nanny State liberals did in retaliation against Gov. Walker look more like a pleasant afternoon on the porch swing with a frosty, salty margarita.
We’re now in post-OWS mode. Union-embracing liberals have had more practice in perfecting their thuggery since Madison.
Hate-fest in the Southwest about to explode…
From Tucson Citizen, Arizona bill targets public employee unions:
Arizona public employee unions would lose collective bargaining power under a sweeping legislative effort by Republican lawmakers to limit the influence of such unions at the state, local and school levels.
Arizona, a right-to-work state, does not collectively bargain with its employees, but other sectors of the government, such as schools and local governments, allow labor groups to negotiate pay and other benefits.
Senate Bill 1485, sponsored by Sen. Rick Murphy, R-Phoenix, would ban collective bargaining and would allow taxpayers to bring a special action against a state agency or political subdivision if collective bargaining occurs.
Three other bills also tackle the issue. They would: ban withholdings of any portion of workers’ wages to pay for labor dues; immediately ban third-party deductions from employee paychecks without annual authorization; and ban public employers from paying employees or third parties for union activities.
The Senate’s Government Reform Committee is hearing the bills this morning.
Sheri Van Horsen, president of the Arizona chapter of the Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said her organization is notifying its 9,000 members statewide to come out in opposition of the bills.
Sidenote: I’ve gotta give props to good buddy Glen Shulfer (you may remember his hard-hitting, “gimme more” music video “Union Man”).
Glen is bravely trudging through the murky, mucky Wisconsin political trenches. He, and many other American patriots from all over the country, are helping with the daunting task of signature verification on the union-supported, bribing-kids-with-cigarettes “Recall Gov. Walker” petitions.
More on that to follow this week — Glen has been sending me jaw-dropping updates on what’s going on with the Walker recall petitions.
Arizona’s new union bill may be tougher than that of Wisconsin’s — Gov. Jan Brewer has already finger-wagged Pres. Obama, so she will be in the Dems’ crosshairs without a doubt.
From Arizona Daily Star, AZ Senate panel OKs ban on collective bargaining:
PHOENIX — State lawmakers launched a broad attack today against public unions, including an absolute ban on state and local governments and school districts from bargaining with organizations that represent public workers.
The party line vote in the Republican-controlled Senate Committee on Government Reform came after extensive testimony by the anti-union Goldwater Institute.
Steve Slivinski, lobbying on behalf of SB 1485, told lawmakers that just eliminating collective bargaining alone could save Arizona taxpayers $550 million a year within seven years.
Slivinski based that on figures which show union workers make more than those in the private sector. And he said that in Virginia, which abolished collective bargaining years ago, public employees now make less than those in private industry.
But Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said all that is a smoke screen.
“At the end of the day, this bill is about union busting,” he said.
The 4-2 vote for SB 1485 vote came despite testimony from several union officials who pointed out that, technically speaking, Arizona has no collective bargaining. And public employee strikes are illegal.
Instead, various levels of government have “meet and confer” agreements, which include not only issues of salary and benefits but working conditions.
Jennifer Loredo of the Arizona Education Association, told lawmakers that, for teachers, these talks include preparation time, class size and supplies. All of that, she said, helps create better schools.
There was similar testimony from Mike Colletto representing the Professional Firefighters of Arizona.
But Nick Dranias of the Goldwater Institute said if this all really benefits the public in the long run, there is no need for the private negotiations that now take place.
“It is obvious they’re not engaging in these negotiations so that they can achieve cost savings or have whistle blowers address problems in government,” he said. “This is a secret negotiation conducted by a labor cartel protected by laws that compel the government employer to bargain with them until they’re happy.”
From AZCentral.com, Sweeping bills attack public employee unions:
Arizona’s Republican Legislature could virtually wipe out public employee unions in a sweeping new package of legislation far broader than the collective-bargaining bills that shut down Wisconsin’s Capitol last spring.
The bills would:
– Make it illegal for government bodies to collectively bargain with employee groups. Public safety unions would be included in the ban.
– End the practice of automatic payroll deductions for union dues.
– Ban compensation of public employees for union work.
Wisconsin’s collective bargaining law enacted last year made unions effectively irrelevant by limiting issues that could be bargained by a government and an employee group. Arizona’s bills would do away with collective bargaining entirely and also go beyond Wisconsin law by including public safety unions.
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air weighs in on Arizona’s plans…
Now that Arizona has dropped this bombshell, unions will want to spend as much money and time as possible in defeating it. That will, however, require a diversion of increasingly scarce resources from elsewhere — perhaps from Wisconsin, where the Walker recall has begun to bog down in majority-approval ratings for Wisconsin’s reforming governor. It might also mean spending less time and money organizing for the presidential election this fall, as it certainly will in Arizona. Big Labor has plenty of cash for one big fight, but three simultaneously?
To Wisconsin, thank you — you’ve served as a blueprint for the nation on how to effectively neuter the power of the self-serving, trough-gobbling, bloated unions. Arizona salutes you as it enters the next level of battle to return our debt-ridden states to the people, to be more fiscally responsible, and to spend within our means.
Teachers, come on down for your fake medical excuses! Wisconsin protest last February that WI taxpayers paid for, thanks to bogus medical excuses allowing for paid 'sick time' to attend the demonstrations
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[...] a huge blow to what relatively few rights organized labour already has in the state (hat tip: Frugal Café): Arizona public employee unions would lose collective bargaining power under a sweeping [...]
Good luck to AZ and WI! The union goons will fight them with everything theyve got.
Arizona and Wisconsin are such an inspiration for the rest of the country! Great post!
The unions taking over the state of Wisconsin is what all of America could end up being if we don’t fight back. The money grubbing socialists must be defeated or America will die.