I wrote about this over at Milwaukee County First. It is indeed good news that Scott Walker has come to his senses about the EMS funding and have restored the full funding for it.
That said, it is still unbelievable that such a vital service would be on the chopping block in the first place.
It also raises an interesting question: Is this a new common sense approach to the county budget, or is this just a sign that some other vital service will be sacrificed in its place? Given Walker's pattern of behavior, I would guess the latter.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
The Real Losers In The Mercury Marine Affair
Unless you live in a cave or under a rock, you have heard that the union at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac managed to get a third vote on the collateral (damage) contract to keep their jobs.
It is hard to say if the union did the right thing or not, since it is painfully obvious that we are not being told the whole story. We probably never will know the entire story either. What we do know is that the union agreed to massive concessions including wage cuts for new or rehired employees. We also know that the union conceded to taking hits on their health care coverage and to a no pay freeze agreement which lasts seven years.
We also know that the City and County of Fond du Lac are also planning on giving MM a ton of corporate welfare to help sweeten the deal even further for the company.
In exchange, MM is stating that not only keep the company in FdL, but that they are going to close their Oklahoma plant and move those jobs up here. There is no word if this is part of the contract agreement that was just ratified.
Being up north over the weekend, the news was more newsy and less commentary as it is down here. Some of the things that I had heard was that the company did alter the proposal to some degree, to clarify language or something, I would presume, before the third vote. I also learned that some of the equipment in the FdL plant is highly specialize and expensive, and would have been very difficult and costly to move to Oklahoma, making it less appealing, especially if the unions gave in even just a little.
I will not condemn the union for voting the way they did, since all of the details are unknown at this time. They made their choice and now we will have to wait and see what the actual end results are going to be. If there is not specific language in the contract, there is little to keep them here if they seriously considering a move again in the future. This would mean that the unions slit their own throats for nothing.
As the right likes to point out, even a crappy job is better than no job. However, I do think that the unions are getting the shaft by having to agree to a seven year contract. The economy does seem to be improving, even if rather modestly. It is difficult to believe that things won't be getting better in a year or two, leaving the company to reap more profits but slowly financially strangling the workers. But the unions aren't the biggest losers in this to do.
The citizens in Stillwater, Oklahoma are also losers due to the fact that, if what MM is claiming is indeed true, they will all be out of work soon. Brew City Brawler and Jay Bullock are both correct in pointing out that the non-union workers in Oklahoma lost in no small part due to the fact that they weren't able to have the impact of several hundreds of union members working together. But even though they were unable to or unwilling to work as one to save their jobs, and now are going to be unemployed, the people in Stillwater are not the real losers. Even though their situation is bad, very bad, they at least know where they stand.
The real losers in this deal are the people of Fond du Lac. The store owners and other business people were terrified of what would happen if MM left the state for Oklahoma. Not only would the workers be out of their income, but the businesses that cater to the workers would lose money due to the MM employees not having the cash to spend.
The store owners and business people of FdL are counting on the workers going out and spending freely again. This is not a likely scenario, as that even if the current workers do get to keep their full wages, they are probably going to be too gun shy to make anything but the absolutely necessary ones. The new workers or recently rehired workers will also not be able to do much to support the local economy as they are paying off bills that they accrued during their layoffs, especially for the ones of whom have been laid off for several months. Their ability to dig themselves out will only be hampered by the fact that they also will be collecting 30% less money.
Not only will the people of FdL have to deal with the shrunken money flow, but they are going to get hit twice as they lose services and/or pay higher taxes due to the money the city and county will be dishing out to sweeten the deal for MM.
I admit that I don't know how I would have voted if I were in their shoes. As I said at the beginning of this post, we don't have all the details of what was proposed and counter-proposed between the company and the unions nor do we know what is in the contract that was ratified.
I also am not willing to make some offhand comment about their vote since we already know that things appear much different when it is your family's future on the line as opposed to some stranger's.
I think almost everyone would agree that Mercury Marine was the biggest winner in this whole shebang. They were able to successfully pit these two communities against each other to maximize any benefits they could get.
I also recognize that almost everyone would agree that the people of Fond du Lac, and of Wisconsin as a whole, are winners since the jobs not only appear to be staying here for now, but there is supposedly going to me a few hundred jobs added as they move their Oklahoma operations here.
But considering what the unions and the citizens of Fond du Lac are giving up, I sometimes wonder if people will still consider it a win a few years down the road, or if this in indeed just a Pyrrhic victory.
It is hard to say if the union did the right thing or not, since it is painfully obvious that we are not being told the whole story. We probably never will know the entire story either. What we do know is that the union agreed to massive concessions including wage cuts for new or rehired employees. We also know that the union conceded to taking hits on their health care coverage and to a no pay freeze agreement which lasts seven years.
We also know that the City and County of Fond du Lac are also planning on giving MM a ton of corporate welfare to help sweeten the deal even further for the company.
In exchange, MM is stating that not only keep the company in FdL, but that they are going to close their Oklahoma plant and move those jobs up here. There is no word if this is part of the contract agreement that was just ratified.
Being up north over the weekend, the news was more newsy and less commentary as it is down here. Some of the things that I had heard was that the company did alter the proposal to some degree, to clarify language or something, I would presume, before the third vote. I also learned that some of the equipment in the FdL plant is highly specialize and expensive, and would have been very difficult and costly to move to Oklahoma, making it less appealing, especially if the unions gave in even just a little.
I will not condemn the union for voting the way they did, since all of the details are unknown at this time. They made their choice and now we will have to wait and see what the actual end results are going to be. If there is not specific language in the contract, there is little to keep them here if they seriously considering a move again in the future. This would mean that the unions slit their own throats for nothing.
As the right likes to point out, even a crappy job is better than no job. However, I do think that the unions are getting the shaft by having to agree to a seven year contract. The economy does seem to be improving, even if rather modestly. It is difficult to believe that things won't be getting better in a year or two, leaving the company to reap more profits but slowly financially strangling the workers. But the unions aren't the biggest losers in this to do.
The citizens in Stillwater, Oklahoma are also losers due to the fact that, if what MM is claiming is indeed true, they will all be out of work soon. Brew City Brawler and Jay Bullock are both correct in pointing out that the non-union workers in Oklahoma lost in no small part due to the fact that they weren't able to have the impact of several hundreds of union members working together. But even though they were unable to or unwilling to work as one to save their jobs, and now are going to be unemployed, the people in Stillwater are not the real losers. Even though their situation is bad, very bad, they at least know where they stand.
The real losers in this deal are the people of Fond du Lac. The store owners and other business people were terrified of what would happen if MM left the state for Oklahoma. Not only would the workers be out of their income, but the businesses that cater to the workers would lose money due to the MM employees not having the cash to spend.
The store owners and business people of FdL are counting on the workers going out and spending freely again. This is not a likely scenario, as that even if the current workers do get to keep their full wages, they are probably going to be too gun shy to make anything but the absolutely necessary ones. The new workers or recently rehired workers will also not be able to do much to support the local economy as they are paying off bills that they accrued during their layoffs, especially for the ones of whom have been laid off for several months. Their ability to dig themselves out will only be hampered by the fact that they also will be collecting 30% less money.
Not only will the people of FdL have to deal with the shrunken money flow, but they are going to get hit twice as they lose services and/or pay higher taxes due to the money the city and county will be dishing out to sweeten the deal for MM.
I admit that I don't know how I would have voted if I were in their shoes. As I said at the beginning of this post, we don't have all the details of what was proposed and counter-proposed between the company and the unions nor do we know what is in the contract that was ratified.
I also am not willing to make some offhand comment about their vote since we already know that things appear much different when it is your family's future on the line as opposed to some stranger's.
I think almost everyone would agree that Mercury Marine was the biggest winner in this whole shebang. They were able to successfully pit these two communities against each other to maximize any benefits they could get.
I also recognize that almost everyone would agree that the people of Fond du Lac, and of Wisconsin as a whole, are winners since the jobs not only appear to be staying here for now, but there is supposedly going to me a few hundred jobs added as they move their Oklahoma operations here.
But considering what the unions and the citizens of Fond du Lac are giving up, I sometimes wonder if people will still consider it a win a few years down the road, or if this in indeed just a Pyrrhic victory.
AFP, Sheboygan and TEA (Twisted Enough Already) Parties
The Chief did some homework and found that one of the speakers at AFP's Sheboygan TEA (Twisted Enough Already) Parties was a perfect fit for the lunatic fringe.
The speaker in question, Dr. Phil Zimmerman* is not only involved in a group that endorses seceding from the union (channeling the Palins, no doubt) but is also a 9/11 Truther.
Given their jubilation over the weekend over the resignation of Van J0nes, one would think that they could at least show a modicum of consistency. But then again, they haven't for a while now, so why should I expect them to start now?
*Not to be confused with that other crackpot Dr. Phil.
The speaker in question, Dr. Phil Zimmerman* is not only involved in a group that endorses seceding from the union (channeling the Palins, no doubt) but is also a 9/11 Truther.
Given their jubilation over the weekend over the resignation of Van J0nes, one would think that they could at least show a modicum of consistency. But then again, they haven't for a while now, so why should I expect them to start now?
*Not to be confused with that other crackpot Dr. Phil.
Happy Labor Day
Even to the right wing union bashers who quickly forget that there wouldn't be a Labor Day or a weekend if not for the unions.
Come down to Laborfest at the Summerfest grounds and look for me and some of my colleagues at the Milwaukee County First table.
Come down to Laborfest at the Summerfest grounds and look for me and some of my colleagues at the Milwaukee County First table.
True Story
As the gentle reader might have surmised, we took a quick break and enjoyed part of the holiday weekend up at the northern castle. As might be expected, a lot of other people also took advantage of the beautiful weather for one last summer getaway.
While up there, I stopped by a neighbor's house to pay a visit. I found them outside with another couple who turned out to be new neighbors that had recently retired and moved up to their cabin to live.
The old neighbor, Neighbor 1 (N1) introduced me to the new couple and told them that I live in Milwaukee and am a social worker. It turned out that the woman (N2) had been a social worker in Washington County.
The conversation went something like this:
N1: Ya, Chris is a social worker for Milwaukee County. But they are having a heckuva time down there with that Scott Walker screwing everything up.
N2: Who's Scott Walker?
N1: I don't know too much about him, except what I see on the news or read in the paper. All I know is he's pretty much an a**hole and he wants to be governor. But he keeps messing things up in Milwaukee.
N2: Oh, now I know who you're talking about. Didn't he drop out yet?
Me: [...] (I couldn't say anything. I was too busy laughing.)
While up there, I stopped by a neighbor's house to pay a visit. I found them outside with another couple who turned out to be new neighbors that had recently retired and moved up to their cabin to live.
The old neighbor, Neighbor 1 (N1) introduced me to the new couple and told them that I live in Milwaukee and am a social worker. It turned out that the woman (N2) had been a social worker in Washington County.
The conversation went something like this:
N1: Ya, Chris is a social worker for Milwaukee County. But they are having a heckuva time down there with that Scott Walker screwing everything up.
N2: Who's Scott Walker?
N1: I don't know too much about him, except what I see on the news or read in the paper. All I know is he's pretty much an a**hole and he wants to be governor. But he keeps messing things up in Milwaukee.
N2: Oh, now I know who you're talking about. Didn't he drop out yet?
Me: [...] (I couldn't say anything. I was too busy laughing.)
Family Bonding Done Wrong
It'd good to be involved in your kids' lives, but not in this manner:
A Montana woman charged with driving around her 16-year-old son and six others while they broke into cars in April has changed her plea.Lisa Dilley pleaded guilty Thursday in District Court to accountability to theft.
Court records say Dilley drove a group of teens around while they stole more than $3,600 worth of items from vehicles. Dilley's husband called police the next morning after finding a pile of items in his back yard that he suspected had been stolen, including a set of golf clubs and power tools
She Did It For The Taxpayers
Sarah Palin's resignation costs Alaskan tax payers over $40,000. And that was just for the festivities. It doesn't include the money spent on having a special session of the legislature, which is running at least $100,000.
Although most tax payers in Alaska probably shouldn't grumble too much. That's a bargain to what she would have cost them if she had stayed.
Although most tax payers in Alaska probably shouldn't grumble too much. That's a bargain to what she would have cost them if she had stayed.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Walker Predicts A Democratic Governor For WI
He did. He tweeted it the other day:
Either that, or he is gearing up to announce that he is dropping out of the race earlier than expected.
Either that, or he is gearing up to announce that he is dropping out of the race earlier than expected.
Double The Hypocrisy, Double The Dumb
On Twitter, Scott just gives us a plethora of things to use.
One of the latest is when Walker tweeted:
The first example of hypocrisy comes from the fact that he is disparaging any kind of "climate bill." He shouldn't really be shooting off his tweet just the day after he was exposed as being unable to run a simple recycling program*, or while there is an ongoing concern about the high level of toxic PCBs in the Estabrook/Lincoln Parks area.
This is also coming from the guy who said he wanted nothing to do with the stimulus program, which has been having a great effect for Milwaukee in both cleaning up tainted sites and creating new job opportunities for people.
The other fun fact that Walker hopes no one is paying attention to is the fact that Wisconsin leads the country in manufacturing jobs.
Given that he is criticizing these things, apparently his plan really is to do to the state what he did to the county, if he were to get elected.
*He might have been able to have had a better track record if he had ever hired a Director of Public Works, a position that has been vacant for eight months now.
One of the latest is when Walker tweeted:
The first example of hypocrisy comes from the fact that he is disparaging any kind of "climate bill." He shouldn't really be shooting off his tweet just the day after he was exposed as being unable to run a simple recycling program*, or while there is an ongoing concern about the high level of toxic PCBs in the Estabrook/Lincoln Parks area.
This is also coming from the guy who said he wanted nothing to do with the stimulus program, which has been having a great effect for Milwaukee in both cleaning up tainted sites and creating new job opportunities for people.
The other fun fact that Walker hopes no one is paying attention to is the fact that Wisconsin leads the country in manufacturing jobs.
Given that he is criticizing these things, apparently his plan really is to do to the state what he did to the county, if he were to get elected.
*He might have been able to have had a better track record if he had ever hired a Director of Public Works, a position that has been vacant for eight months now.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Please Support Your Local Blogger/Author
Seeing as I am now too a published author, of sorts, I just wanted to take a moment for a shameless plug for a friend and fellow blogger, Elliot Stearns of From Where I Sit.
Stearns had his friend (actually alter ego, Michael Caughill) right a book about Stearns and a case he was struggling to solve.
Caughill name the book "The Abortionist," whereas I would have called it something like "Heck on Wheels." Stearns/Caughill and whoever else is in that creative head of his also has a little clip to promote the book:
I cannot say that I have read the book. Yet. But even though I am not a big fan of this type of novel, I think that this novel would be novel enough to entertain royalty such as myself.
I am just holding out for a signed copy and some free time.
Stearns had his friend (actually alter ego, Michael Caughill) right a book about Stearns and a case he was struggling to solve.
Caughill name the book "The Abortionist," whereas I would have called it something like "Heck on Wheels." Stearns/Caughill and whoever else is in that creative head of his also has a little clip to promote the book:
I cannot say that I have read the book. Yet. But even though I am not a big fan of this type of novel, I think that this novel would be novel enough to entertain royalty such as myself.
I am just holding out for a signed copy and some free time.
Where's The Belief In Wisconsin, Scott?
Three months ago, Scott Walker presented some good laughs and entertainment when it was discovered that he hired a company from Ohio to build his gubernatorial website. The story was so hot for the moment that even local TV covered the story.
It was a perfect example of Walker's hypocrisy, given that the tag line of his campaign is "Believe in Wisconsin Again."
Apparently Walker didn't feel that enough people understood how hypocritical he really is. To help emphasize the point, his campaign has now hired a new communications director all the way from Tennessee. Apparently, he felt that there were no experienced mouthpieces in Wisconsin that could help him and his wont for verbal miscues.
Cog Dis is currently working on trying to verify if her main job will be to take over his tweeting for him.
It was a perfect example of Walker's hypocrisy, given that the tag line of his campaign is "Believe in Wisconsin Again."
Apparently Walker didn't feel that enough people understood how hypocritical he really is. To help emphasize the point, his campaign has now hired a new communications director all the way from Tennessee. Apparently, he felt that there were no experienced mouthpieces in Wisconsin that could help him and his wont for verbal miscues.
Cog Dis is currently working on trying to verify if her main job will be to take over his tweeting for him.
For Milwaukee County, It Ain't Easy Being Green
This morning's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has another story of the short comings of the Walker administration.
This time, under Walker's watch, the County has failed to meet its own policy, one which Walker signed off on in 2007, regarding recycling. Not only is Walker failing to follow County rules, but is again in violation of state and federal laws, both with recycling and protecting confidential information. The details are at Milwaukee County First.
This time, under Walker's watch, the County has failed to meet its own policy, one which Walker signed off on in 2007, regarding recycling. Not only is Walker failing to follow County rules, but is again in violation of state and federal laws, both with recycling and protecting confidential information. The details are at Milwaukee County First.
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