As Wisconsin's Scott Walker, unions do battle, a primer on the crisis

[steve2470]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-midwest-collective-bargaining-20110224,0,24193.story

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and unionized public employees have squared off in a battle that mixes economics and politics with labor and management rights. Similar battles have spread to Indiana and Ohio. Here is a primer to understanding the crisis sweeping parts of the Midwest.

What is happening in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker proposed charging public employees more for their health insurance and pension benefits, setting off a firestorm of demonstrations, now in their second week. It also prompted all Democratic senators to flee the state, in effect blocking any action on the proposals. As part of the package, Walker also called for eliminating the right of unionized government workers to bargain collectively. Ohio and several other states with new Republican governors and legislatures are considering similar measures as a way to solve budget woes.

Why are the governments proposing the changes?

Walker argued that Wisconsin was broke and needed to pass some of the costs of the benefits back to its employees. Unions have said they are willing to talk, but Walker insists there is no point in such bargaining since he has nothing to put on the table. Eliminating collective bargaining rights would allow all levels of government some flexibility in coping with rising health and pension costs without having to deal with the unions and without having to impose new taxes, he has said.

What are public employee unions and when did they begin?

Unions representing government workers, ranging from teachers to clerks to scientists, date from the 1930s as opposed to private-sector unions, which go back to before the 1880s. Though far younger, public employee unions are far larger today, a testament to the growth of government over the years and to the decline of unionization in the private sector as recession and technology have reshaped the manufacturing sector.

[Angry Dragon]

1. Perhaps walker could propose to cut his salary, his benefits,

the salary of his staff, cut the pay of the legislature, cut their benefits
cut the perks of the legislature. They were the ones that caused the budget mess.



edit: spelling