Wow, collective bargaining threatened in Iowa!

[CoffeeCat]

It appears that the calamity in Wisconsin has energized other Republican-dominated legislatures to
take up the cause. It's happening in Iowa, as we speak. I can't believe this.

A bill which forces public workers to pay for their healthcare benefits--would strip all public workers of their
collective bargaining rights.

According to this article, the bill is expected to pass the Iowa House.

http://www.kcci.com/politics/27141162/detail.html

It's almost as if these corporatist Republicans are energized and emboldened by the situation in Wisconsin.

[Skidmore]

1. I have posted stories to this forum every day for the past several days and

they have sunk like bricks. Yes, our governor is trying to gut our collective bargaining rights and there were meetings last night about it and debates in the legislature. We stand a chance only because the state senate is in the hands of Democrats at this point.

THanks for noticing.

[CoffeeCat]

4. I'm sorry I didn't see your posts...

...I just saw the story on KCCI. This is totally crazy. Branstad is horrendous.

Our only saving grace is, as you said, the Democratic majority in the Senate.

The same thing is currently happening in Michigan, as reported by another DUer. Of course the MSM is mum
on all of this--so we're forced to do their job and connect the dots on messageboards.

It's really sick what the Republicans are doing. They're hurting working people and they're also attempting
to bust the unions and destroy the organizational and fund-raising capabilities of the unions. This is
about winning elections.

[Blue Meany]

2. I think this was a pre-planned national Republican strategy:

using the deficits as pretext for union bashing, a priority they have long had as part of their campaign to defund the Democratic Party. I just don't think this would simultaneously emerge as a priority in a number of states when it does not directly impact the deficit.

[Skidmore]

3. I do too.

And in Iowa, Branstad made nice saying he would not take collective bargaining away from the union and then the next thing we hear is that the Rs in the state house put forward proposals to do just that. And further, it pisses me off that the President appointed him to the Governor's Council as the R on that group.

I agree with you.

[Corgigal]

10. Its being pushed by some Organization called

Crossroads GPS. I just saw a commerical on CNN about ten mins ago.

http://www.crossroadsgps.org/

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Crossroads is a Koch front

but I am sure you are not shocked by that either.

[highplainsdem]

16. And a group called ALEC is also involved. See another of my replies here

for a link to the topic about what the American Legislative Exchange Council is doing.

[brentspeak]

18. Crossroads GPS is part of American Crossroads, Karl Rove-run front group (n/t)

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Without a doubt.

I will never under-estimate the scheming ability of the GOP. They are very very good at coordinated attacks.

[OneGrassRoot]

Absolutely. K&R n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. It appears to be a world wide strategy, happening in Europe, too.

[highplainsdem]

5. The legislation is coordinated, much of it based on model legislation from one organization. Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x591230

[Poboy]

9. Yes. Its all planned and coordinated, while our Nero is flatfooted and capitulating again.

[myrna minx]

7. It's a coordinated war on workers. K&R n/t

[Bandit]

8. I think I saw on the Rachel show last night, there are about fifteen states doing the same thing

Almost all were Northern states. Republicans stripped southern states of their bargaining rights a long time ago and if you compare wage scale differences, they are substantial...Republicans love cheap labor and having no one talk back to them or be in any position where they can argue. Republicans want to Dictate and not Govern..

[highplainsdem]

11. See the link I posted above, which goes to a topic about the group writing

the model legislation used as the basis for the rightwing legislative blitz we're seeing now. Keith mentioned the group by name in early January, about two weeks before his last show. (I quoted what he said about it in one reply there.) Not sure Rachel or Ed have ever named the group.

[Elwood P Dowd]

20. It was 17 states. This is like some plague spreading across the nation.

:mad:

[mod mom]

12. GOP fascist clusterfuck!

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Short of a general strike

they will not care about the anger

It cannot be limited to WI, it has to be regional, and it has to have a 100% compliance, or as close as you can get to as possible. Oh and Scabs, I know it will get ugly.

Oh and i hate to say it, but it has to include everybody, including emergency services.

[Angry Dragon]

14. Isn't collusion against the law??

[highplainsdem]

21. Believe it or not, the organization drafting the model legislation is classed as a charity.

See my reply # 17 here, on the Fortune magazine article about this group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x591230

[Poboy]

19. .

[Poboy]

22. .