Buyers Remorse Part II

The following letter to the editor (Hampshire Review) was written in response to Vogt's reply to my previous letter about  right-wing legislative assaults on citizens in several states.  See Buyers Remorse in August Archives.  To be expanded.) 

In response to Mr Vogt’s letter , you should heed the saying “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts”.  You are free to opine that state governments can best deal with their budget woes by cutting taxes on the rich and on corporations while cutting jobs, pay, and benefits for public workers.  But be careful with your facts.  The wealthy are lauded for having accrued to themselves millions and billions of dollars from the backs of the working class, while teachers, those deluded souls who have spent their lives--their blood, sweat, and tears--to educate our children, are vilified because they seem to think they should get fair wages and benefits.   Upon being hired, teachers, like all workers, have to negotiate with their employers for their salaries and benefits.   Because teachers belong to unions, they do not have to negotiate individually, but depend upon their union reps to undertake this task.  They do not, of course, always get what they want.  Wages and benefits are a package, the union may settle for more pay and then pay more for their benefits.  Or they may balance less salary against being able to pay less or nothing for their benefits.  Employer and employees settle for what they conceive to be a mutually beneficial package.

After giving more tax cuts to the wealthy and to corporations, Gov Walker proceeded to make the public sector pay for it.  He required teachers to take wage cuts and to pay more of their benefits, and repealed their collective bargaining rights.  Contrary to your assertions, teachers had already agreed to the wage and benefits issues, but did not choose to give up their union rights.  Senate Democrats left the state in order to avoid giving the Senate a quorum to pass the flawed bill.  Walker split the bill, passing the collective bargaining section separately, because it did not require a quorum. 

Republicans set out to recall eight of the senators who had fled the state, but were only successful in getting three on the ballot; all three retained their seats.  Democrats set out to recall six Republicans, and succeeded in getting all six on the ballot; two lost their seats.  This is a total of five out of nine wins for the Democrats, and leaves the Republicans with only a one seat majority in the Senate.