Dozens of US states declare war on workers’ rights = shocking full court press

[Hannah Bell]

Summary :

Arizona:

= Arizona Senate Bill 1350: Government employees banned from being member or officer/official of political party, club, can't be political candidate or hold any paid elective office, can't be involved in campaigns, recalls, etc.

= Arizona House Bill 2367 bans collective bargaining for public employees or private sector workers on state contacts (aka private sector unions)

= Arizona Senate Bill 1363 would outlaw any sort of resistance to corporations e.g. picketing, assembly, boycotts, etc.

= Arizona Senate Bill 1563 prohibits engaging in sickouts, work slowdowns, strikes.


Tennessee:

= Tennessee Senate Bill 1033 criminalizes any activity used by unions to obtain something if it stops a business from exercising its rights. Defines activities like picketing as a "riot" if it disturbs the peace through "tumultuous or threatening conduct...creating a hazardous or offensive condition"

= Another Tennessee bill bans groups of workers from giving money to any political party or candidate.

= Tennessee Senate Bill 1032 outlaws strikes, work stoppage, slowdown by state workers. Outlaws any discussion of strikes by workers.

= Twin bills pending in the Tennessee House and the Senate will abolish teachers’ unions right to negotiate with boards of education.


Other states:

= A number of states are advancing or have passed legislation that will strip collective bargaining rights from most or all of the public sector workforce, among them Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Alaska, Arizona, and Oklahoma.

= States dominated by Republican leadership are pushing bills that would decimate public sector unions (which now account for the majority of total US union membership) including Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.

The methods of doing so will include: no automatic dues check, no use of dues for politics without individual permission, requiring regular union recertification elections, secret ballots rather than card drives for union cert elections.

= Connecticut pending House bill: limitation of wage increases as a result of binding arbitration.

= Hawaii’s Senate has passed a bill out of committee making employee health contributions non-negotiable under collective bargaining. Other bills circulating to increase health, pension contributions, eliminate Medicare B reimbursements for retired government employees.


= Several legislatures including NY, IL have bills to force arbitrators to base employee awards on the state's ability to pay.

= MI: legislation to allow workers' contracts to be negated when government units go into bankruptcy/receivership.

= WA: amends constitution to allow reduction of public officials' salaries during an economic crisis.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/mar2011/stat-m12.shtml

[fasttense]

1. If unions are serious, they need to take the protest to the next level.

They need to disrupt, make people uncomfortable, get in the way of doing business as usual and it needs to be done in DC too.

[socialist_n_TN]

10. I agree. The time for being "polite" is over........

We need to get (peacefully of course) in thier collective faces. Righteous anger at your rights being taken away IS NOT WRONG! It's required.

[HereSince1628]

11. It's a nation-wide fascist putsch.

And I don't use fascist frivolously, it's the drive to permanently install government by, for, and of the corporations.

Why now? Because their professional opposition has withered to insignificance.

The conservative's ideologically based butchery has slit open the underbelly of America. It has everyone's attention. Has itbrought about the accidental cesarian birth of new political movement?

If so, WHO will rise to pull its states-focused action into a truly national movement? I don't know if anyone trusts those currently in elected office at the national level.

[Brickbat]

19. Agreed. This war will not be won at the ballot box.

[Faygo Kid]

2. It isn't "U.S. states." It's the Kochs, GOP, Murdoch and others in a coordinated assault.

It's the think tanks, the newly elected guvs recruited to run for just this purpose, the complicit media. We are losing what is left of our country. Thirty years of transferring wealth upwards has given them limitless resources.

We are screwed. Bless those trying to stop this tsunami, but every single aspect of the New Deal is going to be dismantled.

[Hannah Bell]

7. it's not just those people either. bill gates is trying to kill teachers, dem money in the mix.

let's call it the ruling class.

don't be a defeatist

[socialist_n_TN]

8. Well, IF that's the case, you've got a choice...........

Die on your feet or live on your knees. I know which way I'm going to choose. I won't do well as a serf, so I might as well be dead.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. MO - right to work vote next week. Rally in Jeff City on Monday

They are also trying to take tenure away and implement a merit pay system.

In KS they took away workers' rights to have PAC donations to a union VOLUNTARILY deducted from pay checks.

[Starry Messenger]

4. recommend.

[bullimiami]

5. Arizona Senate Bill 1350: Government employees banned from being member or officer/official of polit

So does this include Government officials?

They are paid government employees.

[Hannah Bell]

21. yeah, that one seemed to mean that no one in gov't could belong to a party.

don't know how they'd do it.

[JohnyCanuck]

6. This is not surprising

This video explains how the primary objective of the US political system is to preserve the interests and profits of the ultra rich, powerful corporations and the military industrial complex above all else.

Lifting the Veil

[underpants]

18. They've been working on this since the turn of the last century

they just never had a propaganda machine like they do now in Fox News.

[socialist_n_TN]

9. All of those bills in Tennessee will probably pass..........

The one about giving money to political candidates will probably not pass court muster and MAYBE the one redefining protest won't either. That part about discussion of strikes, I would think would be overturned. The other two I'm afraid will become law.

We've got a lot of work to do here, but we ARE trying. Rally on the 15th at Legislative Plaza! If you're close BE there between 12N and 1PM.

[Tippy]

13. Will you be there.....???

The reason I ask is, I know I can't but, I would like someone to get some pictures and post them on the TNDP web site....http://www.tndp.org/index.php...

[socialist_n_TN]

15. I will be there, but I don't get pix usually..........

I know some folks that do take pix though and I'll see if I can get them to email them to you or something. I'm pretty sure there'll be some pix posted on the MoveOn site.

BTW Tippy, I replied to your PM without seeing this post if my answer seemed a little strange. :) I'll check out the web site and thanks.

[Overseas]

12. Sad K&R. //nt

[Poboy]

14. R'd

[Snoutport]

16. keep kickin' people need to see the breadth and scale of this!

Oregon has a couple too...like getting rid of some of the elected school boards and appointing people to the ESD school board.

[spanone]

17. tennessee is moving back to the dark ages....it's pathetic

[Hannah Bell]

20. k

[barbiegeek]

22. National Strike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[leftstreet]

23. K&R

This is unreal

[WinkyDink]

24. Well, of course, boycotts cannot be outlawed! We can shop or not as we choose!

[Forkboy]

25. K&R