After years of congressional and legislative gridlock, the most exciting development in politics has been the shift toward implementing progressive policy at the local level. Of course, the City of SeaTac’s historic $15 minimum wage initiative comes to mind. But here in Seattle, recent moves toward mandatory paid sick leave, a $15 minimum wage, and universal preschool provide a replicable roadmap for achieving a progressive agenda one city at a time.
But I guess, what’s good for the goose is good for the far-right-wing corporatist union-busting asshole.
The execrable Freedom Foundation has been kvelling in recent weeks about a pair of anti-labor initiatives that have been filed in Sequim, Shelton, and Chelan, that would severely curtail the rights of public employees to organize. One initiative would require that all contract negotiations with public employee unions be open, a Freedom Foundation fetish that has no discernible function other than to disrupt the negotiating process. The other initiative would permit public employees to enjoy all the benefits of a negotiated contract while opting out of paying any union dues—essentially transforming these cities into so-called “right to work” cities for public employee unions, with the goal of destroying the public employee unions entirely.
Both initiatives are boilerplate ALEC proposals, the same good people who brought you “Stand Your Ground,” “Voter ID,” and other reactionary legislation.
It’s a strategy that has so far slipped by under the radar, because honestly, who in their right mind would read the Freedom Foundation’s blog (and you thought my Seattle Times editorial page reading habit was weird)? But it’s a strategy that organized labor and its allies would be advised to push back against before it gains any traction.
[HAtip: Randy]
Freedom from what?
Affluence?
Opportunity?
@1 Affluence and opportunity are already gone. They’re after your last nickels now.
Just so you all know the Spady family, who’s patriarch Dick is the “Dick” of the Dick’s Drive-In chain, is totally enmeshed in the former ‘Evergreeen Freedom Foundation’ (“Because People Want To Be Free!”) now just the Freedom Foundation and right-wing state republican politics.
Spady’s are long time advocates of the charter school ripoff and staunch opponents of of teacher’s unions and unions in general.
I grew up loving Dick’s burgers (and FRIES!!!) and I just refuse to eat there.
I know they treat their own employees well, but that is no reason to screw over teachers, schoolchildren and other workers in Washington.
@2…
…and my children’s grandkids.
@3 Money and success do strange things to people’s empathy for their fellow human beings.
@5 at some point most of the ones we hear about have psychologically bought into a form of social wealth evolution: “i’m rich because i’m superior, or ‘work harder/better’, so i shouldn’t feel badly about those inferior to me”. this despite study after study that shows most of the 1%ers got there starting with a substantial inheritance. most of them are lottery winners, it’s just that all the other sperm died.
Unions are an oppresive force that use fear to force workers to give them money to fund their poitical machines, not for the good of any workers but to advance an ultra-left wing agenda and to fatten the Union leaders wallets.
@3…I’ll buy a burger at Dick’s in your name.
@7…
That’s total total bullshit, you right-wing moron.
Fucking cheap-labor assclown.
@9 My advice is don’t reward trolls by feeding them when they deserve to be ignored.
100 years ago, the fight was to be in a union. Now the fight is to not be in a union.
All the democrats do is implement REGRESSIVE taxing policies, because they want the individuals and households with the least to suffer the greatest adverse financial impacts. Why is that? The democrats here are cocksuckers because they want to suck the cocks belonging to the rich techies and urban property speculators. That way Jamie Pedersen and Frank Chopp and Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine don’t face strong reelection challenges.
Around here the fiscal policies are FAR more regressive than in any metro region where republicans have any control. Fuck the democrats.
Unions are like the NRA, there was a time they represented their members. Now both organizations use their members as useful idiots in order to further their own political agenda/power.
@13 The difference is the NRA doesn’t use the law to extract dues from workers who are not members and do not wish to be members.
The union’s biggest mistake is codifying all the worker’s protections into law. Now they are obsolete, with no purpose other than to suck the blood of the worker for their own enrichment. “But we gave you the 5-day work week!” Meh. What have unions done in the last 30 years other than chase jobs away? Spend dues on junkets, bonuses, conventions, and waste, that’s what!
@14…
Boy, that’s real smart commenting there, yes sireee bobby!!!
I’m a proud lifelong Democrat, but I’m sorry, the public sector unions in our country are totally out of control.
It has gotten to the point that the unions are bankrupting historically blue-collar working class cities like Detroit and progressive states like California.
Once established, if run inproperly (they usually are for public sector unions unfortunately), their only goal is to swell the ranks of the bureaucracy without need or purpose — all so that they can collected more forced dues and grow their political power. This cycle repeated for long enough and you have cities like Detroit.
Too often they forget the working class on whose shoulders the tax bill settles. In this country, people who do meaningfully contribute to the economy are the ones who pay the price for out-of-control public sector unions.
Although it pains me to show appreciation to an organization that was founded by Bob Williams — way to go EFF!
Awww come on Goldy, you can’t be serious about unions today? Well maybe you are. They are now money grubbing entities who only care about themselves, not the workers. As mentioned above they destroyed Detroit and other progressive locations due to their give me attitude. You conveniently forgot the the SCOTUS case where unions can not extract monies from people BECAUSE they want to! http://www.nationaljournal.com.....s-20140630
Richard Trumka inspires people to be in a union.
And here in Wisconsin it left a mighty tasty sweetness for Scott Walker… hence the witch hunt in other circles… http://online.wsj.com/articles.....1406811890
HiJacking this
Think Media Matters (Media Morons) Then for some reason no one remembers how Media Morons (think David Brock – forked tongue DUMMOCRETIN) objected to its’ employees be unionized. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....29343.html Yet, Media Morons is at the forefront of union thought except when its’ employees want to unionize! Now why would a progressive DUMMOCRETIN org not want to be unionized Goldy? No HA head DUMMOCRETIN would ever answer that. Puddy knows why. Don’t speak bad about other DUMMOCRETINS!
Meanwhile, Holy Union HorsesASS Manure,
Look at all those above who don’t think like ruprick@1,3,4,9, & 15 on unions. BTW charter schools were how inner city blacks were getting out of the WA DC school district and having their children move onto a better life until Obummer came in and killed the program. Now inner city WA DC children have to deal with one of the worse run DUMMOCRETIN led school systems in the world! So why does ruprick hate inner city black and hispanic children? It’s hate 24×7 with ruprick!
Puddy put forth how the AFT only are in it for themselves. Need to see the national union preznit comments on tape again where he admits students are secondary to their union aspirations? Or you leftist can grow some balls and ask the monomaniacal one to replay those links from the crazed databaze!
Sux to be union loving DUMMOCRETINS!
Awww come on Goldy, you can’t be serious about unions today? Well maybe you are. They are now money grubbing entities who only care about themselves, not the workers. As mentioned above they destroyed Detroit and other progressive locations due to their give me attitude. You conveniently forgot the the SCOTUS case where unions can not extract monies from people BECAUSE they want to! http://www.nationaljournal.com.....s-20140630
Richard Trumka inspires people to be in a union.
And here in Wisconsin it left a mighty tasty sweetness for Scott Walker… hence the witch hunt in other circles… http://online.wsj.com/articles.....1406811890
HiJacking this
Think Media Matters (Media Morons) Then for some reason no one remembers how Media Morons (think David Brock – forked tongue DUMMOCRETIN) objected to its’ employees be unionized. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....29343.html Yet, Media Morons is at the forefront of union thought except when its’ employees want to unionize! Now why would a progressive DUMMOCRETIN org not want to be unionized Goldy? No HA head DUMMOCRETIN would ever answer that. Puddy knows why. Don’t speak bad about other DUMMOCRETINS!
Meanwhile, Holy Union HorsesASS Manure,
Look at all those above who don’t think like ruprick#1,3,4,9, & 15 on unions. BTW charter schools were how inner city blacks were getting out of the WA DC school district and having their children move onto a better life until Obummer came in and killed the program. Now inner city WA DC children have to deal with one of the worse run DUMMOCRETIN led school systems in the world! So why does ruprick hate inner city black and hispanic children? It’s hate 24×7 with ruprick!
Puddy put forth how the AFT only are in it for themselves. Need to see the national union preznit comments on tape again where he admits students are secondary to their union aspirations? Or you leftist can grow some balls and ask the monomaniacal one to replay those links from the crazed databaze!
Sux to be union loving DUMMOCRETINS!