DeMint Tells ThinkProgress He Wants To Strip All Federal Employees Of Collective Bargaining Rights

[highplainsdem]

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/28/demint-federal-workers-bargaining/

By Scott Keyes at 2:14 pm
EXCLUSIVE: DeMint Tells ThinkProgress He Wants To Strip All Federal Employees Of Collective Bargaining Rights
ThinkProgress filed this report from the Conservative Principles Conference in Des Moines, IA.


The defining political story three months into 2011 is the spread of anti-union legislation in the states. Now, a leading senator on the right wants to eliminate collective bargaining rights at a federal level.

During an interview with ThinkProgress in Des Moines this weekend, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), a leader of the Tea Party movement and veritable kingmaker for conservative candidates, made no bones about his desire to diminish the power of public employees. DeMint told ThinkProgress that he “doesn’t believe collective bargaining has any place in government…including at the federal level.” The South Carolina senator then went on to call public employees’ unions an “unelected third party” that enjoyed “monopoly power” in negotiations. “It just doesn’t make any sense,” DeMint quipped:

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Currently, most federal public employees – with the exception of the postal service and some others – are only permitted to collectively bargain to improve their working conditions (their pay and benefits are set by Congress). However, DeMint is apparently seeking to take away even the meager rights that federal employees currently have.

The South Carolina Republican’s push to strip public employees’ unions of all their collective bargaining rights is part of a larger battle by the GOP against labor unions. Currently, the right is targeting labor unions in states across the country, from Maine to Missouri and elsewhere, with nearly-identical legislation crafted by the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Earlier this month, Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) even admitted to Fox News on air that the goal is to defund labor unions and hurt President Obama’s reelection chances.

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Video of the interview there as well.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Of course, he does. It's the Republican Goal.

[arcane1]

2. Fine then

Let's roll back legislative salaries back to what they were in 2000, and from now on any congressional pay raises must be approved by the voters via ballot initiative.

[Shallah Kali]

5. also how soon after retiring can they collect retirement?

what is the rate? Maine's tea gov can collect his retirement right after he leaves office unlike state empolyees who must work decades to be able to draw any retirement. Just what do our millionaires in the House & Senate get when they finally stop sucking at the government teat?

[FARAFIELD]

3. for the MILLIONTH TIME Postal Workers and NOT Federal Workers

Hasnt been the case since reorganized in 1971, I wouldnt trust anyone with info in an article (Or politician or Citizen) that couldnt get that one fact right.

[highplainsdem]

4. kick