Dem Gov Deval Patrick: give "unions some time to bargain before officials can impose the changes" [View All]

[madfloridian]

The MA governor said to let the unions bargain a while before they "impose" the changes. Amazingly bad attitude toward unions.

Simon Rosenberg, one of the founders of the supposedly now defunct DLC once said this:

The party is currently riven between its "governing class" and its "activist class."

Activists often describe this divide as being between "insiders" and "outsiders," but the best description I've heard came from Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic operative who runs the advocacy group N.D.N. (formerly New Democrat Network), which sprang from Clintonian centrism of the early 1990's. As Rosenberg explained it, the party is currently riven between its "governing class" and its "activist class." The former includes the establishment types who populate Washington - politicians, interest groups, consultants and policy makers. The second comprises "Net roots" Democrats on the local level; that is, grass-roots Democrats.

In fact Simon Rosenberg once pointed out the reason for forming the DLC, which may have morphed into the Third Way.

Simon Rosenberg, the former field director for the DLC who directs the New Democrat Network, a spin-off political action committee, says, "We're trying to raise money to help them lessen their reliance on traditional interest groups in the Democratic Party. In that way," he adds, "they are ideologically freed, frankly, from taking positions that make it difficult for Democrats to win."

From the American Prospect 2001

Unions were one of the main "traditional interest" groups that supported Democrats.

I think they have succeeded beyond what they ever expected. They must be rejoicing.

I have been reading about the way the Democratic majority in Massachusetts managed to slash the collective bargaining rights of public worker unions.

I was really surprised at the words of Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, who is supposedly in favor of collective bargaining as long as it doesn't give unions too much power.

Here are some of his thoughts.

Unions enraged after House backs curbs on municipal bargaining

I am posting Patrick's words, but the rest of the article is infuriating.

Gov. Deval Patrick has also argued that municipal unions should have a seat at the table for their health care negotiations but said they should not have the power to veto proposals to cut costs.

Get that? Let them sit at the table with us but not have any real power. In other words, humor them.

More.

House votes to restrict unions

I notice the article from Boston.com is only available one time, and then you have to subscribe. I hate that, and it is happening more and more.

The modifications bring the House bill closer to a plan introduced by Governor Deval Patrick in January. The governor, like Murray, has said he wants workers to have some say in altering their health plans, but does not want unions to have the power to block changes.

Let them have some say, humor them. No real power, though.

And this stance really burns me.

Unions fuming over Robert DeLeo’s ‘Wisconsin-esque’ budget

Gov. Deval Patrick, a supporter of collective bargaining, adopted a similar plan in his budget but gave unions some time to bargain before officials can impose the changes.

In other words he says let them have their bargaining time before we pull the plug.

At least in Florida we know we are being screwed by the Republicans, at least for now. The Democrats don't have any power at all.

The scary part is that those doing the governing don't care if unions are fuming or angry or whatever. They simply don't care.

Union-busting, it's not just for Republicans anymore.