Even if this budget repair bill is ultimately allowed passage by the courts the damage to unions will be minimal for the time being as most teacher unions and their respective communities have extended current contracts out covering the next couple of years. The wage and benefit concessions were probably inevitable due to the economic climate, and it seems as though most teachers accepted that part of the equation.
Wage and benefit concessions have become a part of the sacrifice a majority of the middle class has had to accept, union or non-union, not withstanding. I work in the retail sector and I'm currently in the 3rd year of a wage freeze. Three years ago our hours were cut from an 80 hour (two week) pay period to 75 hours, resulting in approximately $142 cut in gross wages per month.
I'll be honest, while I'm not a fan of giving up the hours and the resulting wage losses, I'm not hurting. Other people are but my situation is different. I've always been relatively frugal and my kids are now adults so I'm not trying to raise a family. It doesn't make it right though.
The retail sector took a great hit in 2008 through the first half of 2010. The corporation I work for has rebounded nicely and are among the multitude of corporations reporting record profits to their shareholders and Wall Street. Right after announcing their 2010 year end results to shareholders they also announced wages will still be frozen this year and the hours cut will remain in place permanently. Naturally these sacrifices were made by the middle and poor working class currently working for corporation I work for. It would be easier to accept if the top officials in the corporate office were also sacrificing as well. Alas, not the case. They took a wage freeze in 2009 and no bonuses were paid out as well that year. Last year and this year they received pay raises and significant year end bonuses. This isn't an isolated case as many corporations are doing the same thing.
State and the Federal governments still cater to corporations at the expense of the middle class. Bail outs, tax cuts, tax loop holes are provided to ensure corporations make a profit, which indeed is essential to remain in business. What are the corporations doing with their record profits? Not hiring is one thing. They're hoarding a record amount of money. Yet, we still allow our government to give in to them when it comes to actually paying taxes. Too many legislators have bought into "trickle down economics." In theory it made sense, had corporations actually allowed the windfall of tax cuts and tax loop holes result in hiring.
Who benefited from "trickle down economics" was foreign countries that many corporations fled to. American tax payers in part, financed the overseas moves corporations made. The middle class got to watch jobs trickle overseas, and adding insult to injury, partially financed it.
The most important thing we can do now is to recall every corporate shill which resides in our Wisconsin government. The protests and boycotts quite frankly aren't going to do this. We've got to be pounding the pavement getting recall signatures. When this is accomplished we've got to get the vote out to actually remove these parasites from office. The damage done by Walker and his cronies in our state government can definitely be undone, but only by removing them from office, and ensuring none of their kind ever get back into office again.
Recall is the real solution, not protests, nor boycotts. I think it wold be great to see not one single person protesting in Madison until we have the necessary signatures to recall all 8 state republican senators who backed Walker and this travesty of a budget repair bill. Let them wonder what we're doing by not protesting but having every single protester gathering signatures. Or let them become complacent and think the battle is over if they see no one in Madison protesting. Let them think whatever they want, but get the necessary signatures. We have plenty of time for protests and boycotts. Recall efforts have a 60 day timeline.
Our first failure was allowing these parasites into office. Our biggest failure would be not getting them recalled. That's how we'll ultimately win.
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