Obama - CEO of the least union friendly shop in the USA

Politics • February 2011 • Views: 1,762

It will no doubt surprise you to learn that President Obama, the great patron of the working man, also happens to be the great CEO of one of the least union-friendly shop floors in the nation.

This is, after all, the president who has berated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to limit the collective bargaining rights of public employees, calling the very idea an “assault on unions.” This is also the president who has sicced his political arm, Organizing for America, on Madison, allowing the group to fill buses and plan rallies. Ah, but it’s easy to throw rocks when you live in a stone (White) house.

Fact: President Obama is the boss of a civil work force that numbers up to two million (excluding postal workers and uniformed military). Fact: Those federal workers cannot bargain for wages or benefits. Fact: Washington, D.C. is, in the purest sense, a “right to work zone.” Federal employees are not compelled to join a union, nor to pay union dues. Fact: Neither Mr. Obama, nor the prior Democratic majority, ever acted to give their union chums a better federal deal.

Scott Walker, eat your heart out.

If the president is so upset with Wisconsin’s labor law reforms, why won’t he allow federal workers to bargain collectively?

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28 comments

wrenchwench Fri, Feb 25, 2011 5:39:32pm

Subscription link. I can't access it.

Which part of what you posted is from the article, and which did you write?

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 5:46:48pm

It works for me and I don't have a subscription.

Other than bolding a couple of sentences it is all from the article.

Mine shows the login prompt, but doesn't stop me from seeing the article.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 5:49:22pm

Short form read the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

And then from the article:

In 1978, Democratic President Jimmy Carter, backed by a Democratic Congress, passed the Civil Service Reform Act. Washington had already established its General Schedule (GS) classification and pay system for workers. The 1978 bill went further, focused as it was on worker accountability and performance. It severely proscribed the issues over which employees could bargain, as well as prohibited compulsory union support.
Democrats weren't then (and aren't now) about to let their federal employees dictate pay. The GS system, as well as the president and Congress, sees to that. Nor were they about to let workers touch health-care or retirement plans. Unions are instead limited to bargaining over personnel employment practices such as whether employees are allowed to wear beards, or whether the government must pay to clean uniforms. These demands matter, though they are hardly the sort to break the federal bank.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:07:20pm

Oh well, I wish I could post the whole article, but I don't think it is allowed.

It is really interesting. All of the "crush the unions" and "take away collective bargaining rights" talk has been nothing but Union propaganda. Wisconsin and Walker is doing exactly what others have done. Democrat others....and the union leaders that have been yelling the loudest have known this all along.

avanti Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:15:02pm

How does this warrant the headline about Obama when it was done by Carter back in 1978 and nor does it eliminate union bargaining as much as the Wisconsin bill ?

researchok Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:16:31pm

Try this link

moderatelyradicalliberal Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:30:36pm

Well, I'm sure if somebody emails this to all of the public employees protesting across the country they will all go home having seen the error of their ways. It certainly got rid of any opposition the the health care bill once people were informed that the individual mandate was originally championed by GOP politicians like Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley, GHWB, and Mitt Romney.

///

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:34:57pm

re: #5 avanti

How does this warrant the headline about Obama when it was done by Carter back in 1978 and nor does it eliminate union bargaining as much as the Wisconsin bill ?

Obama knows that Wisconsin and Walker are not doing anything more than limiting collective bargaining rights of public service employees. There is no Union Busting/assaulting or crushing going on. Obama knows that the WI Budget Repair bill is doing nothing more than giving Wisconsin the same power that he enjoys while creating a budget.

AND actually the Civil Service Reform Act goes much further. The WI bill does not limit ALL civil service employees (police and fire fighters for example are exempt) AND the federal act restricts ALL bargaining to NON-dollar /Budget related matters. The WI bill links earning increases to no more than inflation, but still is open to exceptions to be bargained.

freetoken Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:57:03pm

re: #8 Buck

There is no Union Busting/assaulting or crushing going on.

That's just wrong. Next thing you'll try to convince us is that all that anti-union blustering/astroturfing doesn't exist.

And, regarding the issue in the WSJ article, which is blocked for me so I can only go by what you've posted here, there is a significant difference between Federal employees and teachers employed by local school districts.

The Civil Service is called "service" for a reason. Specifically at the Federal level, the US gov't employees people for the sole purpose of carrying out functions as described by and proscribed the laws of the land.

Long before Carter the concept that civil servants would be treated differently than normal employees was decided upon. In order to protect against nepotism and favoritism in the functions of governing the idea was struck that the civil servant would be offered a trade-off: reduced risk of loss of job (since the Federal gov't can generate money ex nihilo and thus doesn't face the bankruptcy risk of private companies or lesser governmental entities) in return for less options in determining status (e.g., a civil servant can't expect to be put in a better job just because they are buddies with some big-wig - jobs have to be advertised and competed.)

Thus the civil servant today knows the tradeoff: more security for less degrees of freedom. Congress is supposed to look out for the welfare of the civil service, just as they are supposed to do for military service.

School teachers are in no such position. Public school districts are local entities charted with whatever state laws govern that special type of corporation, similar to how cities and towns are incorporated. Employees of these local entities just don't have the same trade-off given US civil servants because their employers don't have the power to guarantee their employment.

So, you're guilty of a false equivalence.

moderatelyradicalliberal Fri, Feb 25, 2011 6:57:24pm

re: #8 Buck

Obama knows that Wisconsin and Walker are not doing anything more than limiting collective bargaining rights of public service employees. There is no Union Busting/assaulting or crushing going on. Obama knows that the WI Budget Repair bill is doing nothing more than giving Wisconsin the same power that he enjoys while creating a budget.

AND actually the Civil Service Reform Act goes much further. The WI bill does not limit ALL civil service employees (police and fire fighters for example are exempt) AND the federal act restricts ALL bargaining to NON-dollar /Budget related matters. The WI bill links earning increases to no more than inflation, but still is open to exceptions to be bargained.

So what? Obama made one statement about the matter, he isn't leading the charge and he's practically and non-factor, much to the dismay of the right who would love to make him the issue. These protest are coming from people who believe their best interests and the interests of middle class workers in general are being threatened and they are mad as hell about it. You think this shit matters to them? You think if Obama went down there and told them to go home and let the GOP do whatever it wants, they would? Governor Walker and his buddies were completely unprepared for any backlash short term or long term and now the tide has turned against him whether he ultimately gets this bill or not. And most of his counterparts who were looking to try the same thing are backing off because they don't want the fight that they now know they are going to get. You're just pissed because you now know that the GOP's plans for the country aren't all very popular and that they will be fought tooth and nail by their opponents. Many people, including people who do not consider themselves to be liberals, don't like what they GOP is up to now that they have gotten a look at it. And that's not going to change anytime soon no matter how much evidence of hypocrisy you think you have unearthed.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 7:14:35pm

OK, So what?

I just think that more information is better than less.

Don't tell me why I am pissed. I will tell you if you ask. I just don't like being lied to. I see the unions as the master spinners here. I see the unions as the ones looking for more profit and willing to lie and cheat to get it. Bringing up the Boogie man in the Kochs is nothing more than baiting and speculation. Not facts.

The facts are that the Union bosses are very familiar with the history of their own business and they know what is really going on.

And if you are willing to be open minded and slip off the fog of their propaganda and spin, you do too.

WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.] Fri, Feb 25, 2011 7:35:51pm

re: #2 Buck

It works for me and I don't have a subscription.

Other than bolding a couple of sentences it is all from the article.

Mine shows the login prompt, but doesn't stop me from seeing the article.

doesn't work dude, fail

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Feb 25, 2011 7:46:58pm

re: #11 Buck

I just don't like being lied to. I see the unions as the master spinners here. I see the unions as the ones looking for more profit and willing to lie and cheat to get it. Bringing up the Boogie man in the Kochs is nothing more than baiting and speculation. Not facts.

Well then you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Are there issues with Unions? Definitely. But why would taking away their collective bargaining rights help that in any way? It's not a solution to a problem. It is a blind ideological "fix" that has nothing to do with the issues at hand.

And Koch campaign contributions, their power within the state, the damming "Koch" phone call, and the provisions within the bill to sell some state property in sweet no-bid deals are all facts. Get with the program.

lostlakehiker Fri, Feb 25, 2011 7:51:41pm

re: #12 WindUpBird

doesn't work dude, fail

Buck, sorry dude, but Windup is right. Your link doesn't work for non-subscribers.

If you're going to build your case on Truth, you can't depart from it when talking about the access rules for your link.

TV News had an article tonight about teachers unions. In DC, 75 workers were slated for firing, for such things as incompetence, or not showing up for work.

(I happen to know a bit more about this incompetence: there's teachers taking remedial courses to get them up to speed on 7th grade math. And not making it. )

Every last one of the 75 was reinstated by an arbitration board.

Union rules, in these instances, ensure that the good teachers cannot advance, by siphoning off all the resources that might have been allocated to recognition of merit. They ensure that bad teachers, not just sub-par, but egregiously bad, cannot be let go.

The article detailed other, similar stories from around the country. The news article then talked about how one national teachers organization, the AFT I think, expressed a willingness to rethink all that.

High time.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 8:21:26pm

re: #9 freetoken

That's just wrong. Next thing you'll try to convince us is that all that anti-union blustering/astroturfing doesn't exist.

Well. wouldn't busing in people for out of state and paying them to protest qualify as astroturfing?

And, regarding the issue in the WSJ article, which is blocked for me so I can only go by what you've posted here, there is a significant difference between Federal employees and teachers employed by local school districts.

I am sorry you can't read it. IMO she makes a very good argument. For the point that limiting collective bargaining is NOT the same thing as union busting, I think this is the same thing. Making the concept of limiting collective bargaining into something it is not (union busting) only serves to frighten people who believe it. The federal civil servants are still members of a union, still pay union dues and still are still represented collectively.

You go on to describe exactly what the state faces. They also don't face the bankruptcy risk of private companies. Jobs have to be advertised and competed. And of course their employees are also considered Civil Servants. State Government employees who carry out the functions as described and proscribed by State law.

Anyway you slice it, I think this is important news.

moderatelyradicalliberal Fri, Feb 25, 2011 8:22:16pm

re: #11 Buck

OK, So what?

I just think that more information is better than less.

Don't tell me why I am pissed. I will tell you if you ask. I just don't like being lied to. I see the unions as the master spinners here. I see the unions as the ones looking for more profit and willing to lie and cheat to get it. Bringing up the Boogie man in the Kochs is nothing more than baiting and speculation. Not facts.

The facts are that the Union bosses are very familiar with the history of their own business and they know what is really going on.

And if you are willing to be open minded and slip off the fog of their propaganda and spin, you do too.

Yes, I'm sure you are totally open minded and totally free of any preconceived biases that influence your opinions. As far as spinning goes, you've been spinning for Walker and his union busting plan for a few days now, so I know exactly where you are coming from. You even tried to spin his own words during that prank call. The man is too damn stupid to deserve such vigorous a defense from you are anyone else even if you agree with his position.

moderatelyradicalliberal Fri, Feb 25, 2011 8:24:49pm

re: #13 prononymous

Well then you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Are there issues with Unions? Definitely. But why would taking away their collective bargaining rights help that in any way? It's not a solution to a problem. It is a blind ideological "fix" that has nothing to do with the issues at hand.

And Koch campaign contributions, their power within the state, the damming "Koch" phone call, and the provisions within the bill to sell some state property in sweet no-bid deals are all facts. Get with the program.

It wouldn't. Texas has a nearly $30 billion deficit and no collective bargaining rights for public unions. We are a right to work state that has had the GOP in complete control of the state government for the last 12 years. My governor wishes he had unions to blame for the states budget woes.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 9:05:19pm

re: #13 prononymous

But why would taking away their collective bargaining rights help that in any way?

Well I can see you are not reading the material that was handed out.

No one is taking the teachers right to collective bargaining away. However limiting their salary increases to inflation would help with budgeting.

And Koch campaign contributions, their power within the state, the damming "Koch" phone call, and the provisions within the bill to sell some state property in sweet no-bid deals are all facts. Get with the program.

In a free country the Koch's can contribute to anyone they want, they have legal holdings in the state, again not a crime. There was no damning Koch phone call, and you have absolutely zero to show that the Kochs have any interest in state property that is scheduled to be sold in a Budget Repair Bill.

Buck Fri, Feb 25, 2011 9:16:35pm

re: #17 moderatelyradicalliberal

It wouldn't. Texas has a nearly $30 billion deficit and no collective bargaining rights for public unions. We are a right to work state that has had the GOP in complete control of the state government for the last 12 years. My governor wishes he had unions to blame for the states budget woes.

I of course know that as a resident of the Great state of Texas you already know that it is really really big.... but maybe you don't already know the population and GDP of Wisconsin. I will just tell you that they are not really comparable to Texas....

However it is good to know that there are examples of other states with limited collective bargaining, and that Walker is not making some kind of end run around the constitution.

jaunte Fri, Feb 25, 2011 9:19:31pm

Wisconsin GDP per capita is $36,822,
Texas GDP per capita is $36,484.

RadicalModerate Fri, Feb 25, 2011 11:20:36pm

The story referred to here is an opinion piece by Kimberly A. Strassel. She's a rabid anti-environmentalist, and anti-government oversight writer. She has penned several articles that are in no way whatsoever friendly to the labor movement, including a book "Leaving Women Behind: Modern Families, Outdated Laws" which argues that government regulation interferes with marketplace initiatives to provide women with economic opportunity. Among those government regulations that she thinks interferes with the marketplace? The Equal Pay Act of 1963.

To give you an idea on how out-to-lunch Strassel is, here's a video link where she DEFENDS Joe Barton when he made his infamous apology to BP after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last year, going as far as saying he was the only person in Washington telling the truth about the entire matter:

WSJ's Strassel defends Barton over his apology to BP

By the way, the complete WSJ opinion article is on a paid-content link, but you should be able to access the non-preview version of the story if you do a Google search for Kimberly Strassel under the "news" tab.

freetoken Fri, Feb 25, 2011 11:30:42pm

re: #21 RadicalModerate

To give you an idea on how out-to-lunch Strassel is, here's a video link where she DEFENDS Joe Barton when he made his infamous apology to BP after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last year,...

I am so surprised... Not.

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Feb 25, 2011 11:54:04pm

re: #18 Buck

Well I can see you are not reading the material that was handed out.

No one is taking the teachers right to collective bargaining away. However limiting their salary increases to inflation would help with budgeting.

Given that they have already agreed to concessions, framing it as a budgetary concern doesn't work, not even for expediency.

It is a power grab to take away rights unions already have. Casting it as a budget issue is pure propaganda.

In a free country the Koch's can contribute to anyone they want, they have legal holdings in the state, again not a crime. There was no damning Koch phone call, and you have absolutely zero to show that the Kochs have any interest in state property that is scheduled to be sold in a Budget Repair Bill.

You are right, they can contribute to whomever they like. But it is still a fact that they contributed a huge amount. And in the real world, money buys influence. Do the Koch brothers expect something in return for their generous contributions? I couldn't say, but they sure are getting a sweet deal back out of it.

Again, massive legal holdings aren't evidence of a crime. But they are evidence of influence and power. The kind of influence and power that can easily strong-arm or buy politicians. Such as a veiled "Get us something good or we will lay off even more workers in your state and not fund your next run".

There was a phone call from a person impersonating a Koch brother to Scott Walker. If you don't know about it you should keep up.

As for the power plants, they are already hiring new managers for them. You can believe anything you want. But I'm sure some nice backroom deals have already happened.

If the bill goes through in its current form, a Koch asset shortly after will own some previously Wisconsin public property. Want to take bets otherwise?

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Sat, Feb 26, 2011 12:34:54am

re: #19 Buck

However it is good to know that there are examples of other states with limited collective bargaining, and that Walker is not making some kind of end run around the constitution.

It is also an example of why removing collective bargaining rights has nothing to do with the budget. Texas public workers didn't have those rights, and they got in trouble anyway.

Even with the union boogeyman out of the way, Republicans demonstrate the same, or worse, fiscal responsibility as Democrats. They are crying over Wisconsin's deficit. But they also just gave a bunch of tax cuts.

Crying about debit and simultaneously cutting income is about as stupid as it gets.

Buck Sat, Feb 26, 2011 9:54:54pm

re: #20 jaunte

Wisconsin GDP per capita is $36,822,
Texas GDP per capita is $36,484.

Was the $30 billion amount also per capita? No? Then your numbers are apples to oranges.

Buck Sat, Feb 26, 2011 10:18:14pm

re: #23 prononymous

Given that they have already agreed to concessions, framing it as a budgetary concern doesn't work, not even for expediency.

Wanting to link the teachers wages to inflation isn't a budgetary concern?

Have you read the bill? The idea of removing wage negotiation from the collective bargaining process as a budgetary concern is hardly difficult to understand.

You are right, they can contribute to whomever they like. But it is still a fact that they contributed a huge amount. And in the real world, money buys influence. Do the Koch brothers expect something in return for their generous contributions? I couldn't say, but they sure are getting a sweet deal back out of it.

Again, massive legal holdings aren't evidence of a crime. But they are evidence of influence and power. The kind of influence and power that can easily strong-arm or buy politicians. Such as a veiled "Get us something good or we will lay off even more workers in your state and not fund your next run".

There was a phone call from a person impersonating a Koch brother to Scott Walker. If you don't know about it you should keep up.

As for the power plants, they are already hiring new managers for them. You can believe anything you want. But I'm sure some nice backroom deals have already happened.

If the bill goes through in its current form, a Koch asset shortly after will own some previously Wisconsin public property. Want to take bets otherwise?

I understand you THINK badly about Kochs, however DO YOU HAVE ANY ACTUAL EVIDENCE of this conspiracy?

I mean the help wanted ad is interesting, but can you PROVE it is KOCH industries? I might be missing that part of it, but it is an important part.

Now lets discuss the contributions and influence that UNIONS have over multiple politicians, and their ACTUAL phone calls (not a Prank call that you think proves billionaire David Koch owns the Wisconsin Gov., despite the FACT that it proves nothing of the sort ).

I will take that bet BTW.

Buck Sat, Feb 26, 2011 10:33:31pm

re: #23 prononymous

But it is still a fact that they contributed a huge amount. And in the real world, money buys influence.

Do you know what that HUGE amount is, or are you just blowing smoke?

KOCH INDUSTRIES $43,000 0.47% General Business
[Link: www.followthemoney.org...]

And how much did unions contribute to his opponent?

Do you know?

[Link: www.followthemoney.org...]

Just add up the amounts labeled LABOR, a little more than a quarter of a million.

Your evidence is getting thin.

Buck Sun, Feb 27, 2011 1:32:28pm

AND it looks like the ad posted by the Think Energy Group appears to be from Alliant energy because it contains some of the same language Alliant used in similar ads, see, e.g., [Link: www.nationjob.com...]

conspiracy? connecting the dots? Or smear job?

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