Governor Thompson Stands Up To Public Employee Unions

This week there has been wide-spread reporting of the teacher's strike in Wisconsin in response to the actions undertaken by the Wisconsin State Governor in order to address the out of control public employee unions, particularly the teacher's union.

Under the federal and state Constitutions, of course, which is used by union organizers and their organizations, it is the "right to assemble" and petition that is used as the basis for this supposed "right" of public and government employees to form unions and then "elect" a representative (their union) to represent them at the collective bargaining table for their "contract" negotiations.

Only problem is, those who are paying their salaries are not at all a part of those negotiating sessions.

The taxpayers.

The right to assemble and petition was given to the private citizens in this country clearly under our Constitution in order to bring their grievances to the attention of their representatives.

Not government employees.

Would that it be that teacher, firemen and police salaries were determined as they should be, by the voters of their respective districts. Their benefactors and true employers.

If the salaries are not what they should be, then "free association" and fundraising efforts should be undertaken collectively in order to fund their members in their retirement years, as with any private sector "special interest" or benevolent group. Nonprofits could be then formed in order to also give a boost to those underprivileged schools through local churches and other civic organizations.

Not guaranteed employment with tenure, but base voter approved salaries with incentives based on length of service to the community, supplemented and guided by the local school boards within those communities and district elected personnel.

Public employee unions are nothing more than government employees organizing in order to lobby for more American tax dollars, without any real accountability to those paying many of those lofty salaries, which exceed many of the salaries and benefits of those whom they serve.

Here's a quote, the "liberal" element will not at all like, but was made by Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding public employee unions:


Please Read the Following Paragraph Carefully and Guess Who Said It

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management.

The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable. It is, therefore, with a feeling of gratification that I have noted in the constitution of the National Federation of Federal Employees the provision that "under no circumstances shall this Federation engage in or support strikes against the United States Government."

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In my former home state of Arizona, a right to work state mind you, public employee teacher can "double dip" retiring after a mere 20 years service with full pension benefits, and then obtain employment in another district earning a full salary. Police and fire officials also make sums which afford them to invest in high price real estate, and retire with full benefits - although granted those government employees are putting their very lives on the line for the citizenry each and every day due to the increases in violent personal and property crimes in most metro cities.

Instead of providing pension, retirement and all those other perks of public employment which are now breaking the parents of those children, maybe recognizing once again that public employees work for the people whom they serve, and should clearly be accountable not only for their performance, but for the salaries and benefits they earn for doing a job that was never supposed to be a high paying job to begin with. The one room school room and school marm of years ago appears turned out more leaders than we are today, and without 10(K) plans.

Just what are our children learning with over 40% of the teachers in Wisconsin now calling in sick, a job that actually has more days off also than many in the private sector to begin with?

Twenty year retirement plans? In what other occupation can you retire in a mere 20 years, with full pension benefits?

Seems the increasing number of homeschoolers may be right.

Public or private, the school room is the new war zone.

Reading, writing and arithmetic will have to wait for the bureaucrats and union foremen to settle their differences at their parents and their own ultimate expense.