Leaders of the Wisconsin State Employees Union have held off an attempt by angry prison guards and others to win key executive board seats in the wake of the failed recall attempt against Gov. Scott Walker.That is what makes unions and our democracy so great, everyone has a voice. If you do not win this election, figure it out, regroup and try again the next one. The problem that the labor unions have here is that they are upset over the wrong thing.
At least some union members continue to question the union's pre-primary endorsement of Kathleen Falk and donations to her campaign after polls showed her behind eventual Democratic Party nominee Tom Barrett, said Dan Meehan, a prison guard who narrowly lost a bid for statewide vice president at the union's annual convention over the weekend.
"Rage is what it is — absolutely, completely," Meehan said. "My members don't feel they've got a voice anymore."
WSEU and other major unions endorsed Falk after she promised to restore collective bargaining rights that were taken away in Walker's 2011 budget repair bill. Labor leaders said they consulted members, but had to move quickly. Barrett won the primary, then lost to Walker last week in the recall.
Meehan, president of WSEU Local 18, which represents 270 guards at Waupun Correctional Institution, said his members are unhappy with top union officials, including Executive Director Marty Beil.
Let's take a look at the unions endorsement of Kathleen Falk The union leader recognized that this is going to be a short election process and you can not beat a sitting governor with ten times the money in a short few weeks campaign. They also realized that we had far exceeded the threshold of signatures for recalling the Governor, and there would definitely be a recall election. They then realized how important this election would be so they became proactive. They called and talked with anyone they thought might possibly consider running. They left no one out. many politicians were wishy washy about running, some said no, some said yes, ALL wanted the endorsement and only Kathleen Falk was able to get it. She was the one candidate(according to the elected union leaders) who had the best plan to restore collective bargaining rights amongst all of the candidates.
To say that this endorsement was rushed, or that it hurt the candidates, or the recall movement is just plain false! This was a well thought out and thoroughly researched decision. The only people who were quick to judgement, were the rank and file who were upset that it was not their candidate of choice that was endorsed lashed out at the union leaders. I have no problem with anyone questioning their elected officials about anything, but to be upset about the "early endorsement" of Kathleen Falk would be akin to voting for Scott Walker because he created jobs in WI. A completely false narrative.
If we are going to be massively outspent in every election(and we know we are), then we have to be the most organized and the well informed! Knee jerk reactions just ended up playing right into the republicans hands, and left us with Scott Walker being re-elected.
We need to find a way to reach all members so that 30+ percent of union members will stop voting republicans and until we can all have honest , well thought out, civil debates that is not going to happen.
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Part of why the labor movement in Wisconsin is in trouble is the leadership's refusal to just admit they made a bad decision, learn from it and move on.
ReplyDeleteFalk's plan to hold the budget hostage to restoring collective bargaining had a lot of emotional appeal to many of us. At first, I liked it myself. But on reflection, it was a bad plan, and really, no plan at all. The Democrats didn't have the votes to pass it, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that the GOP, which would just have lost heir governor to the recall, would go along with it. There would have been gridlock and no budget, and Gov. Falk would have been powerless to reverse any of Walker's actions.
Labor's great moments in the Wisconsin Uprising came early on, when they seemed to be fighting for all the citizens of Wisconsin. Once it became a political process, much of that goodwill was squandered, allowing the GOP meme that unions are just out for themselves to gain traction.
The best way to restore collective bargaining rights is to reach out to the rest of the 99% (including that 30% of union workers who voted to Walker) and make common cause with them against the predations of the 1%, not through what appear -- rightly or wrongly -- to be cynical political deals behind closed doors.
The point is they made the best decision for Labor.
ReplyDeleteThey might have not done the best job explaining why they did it, but the rhetoric from the Barrett supporters was false, relentless and wrong.
It was understandable at first, but once the information got out there, they still did not let up.
One of the problems is that Labor attempts to coerce people through intimidation and bullying, rather than winning support through civil, reasoned debate. These are tactics of a bygone era. The recall effort was a perfect illustration of this. The constant disruption of public events by shouting down the opposition... the threats to private businesses who support the opposition... the threats to union members who disagree with the union position... the juvenile antics that took place day after day at the Capital building. People grew tired of this behavior and it actually hurt the union's cause more than it helped.
ReplyDeleteyou mean winning support through civil reasonable debate the way the republicans in this state have? Are boycotts only ok when republicans do them? should the unions support businesses who work so hard against them financially just because???
ReplyDeleteAs for the juvenile antics that took place in the Capitol, none was as egregious as the way the Fitz brothers had people thrown out of the gallery and arrested for sitting quietly. Or maybe for having a fricking camera in the gallery. Hmmm crickets from you on that?
How about when scott fitz tried to have an elected Senator actually arrested for not doing what he wanted? paychecks withheld?? crickets also there....
What about the 17 second vote in the assembly, followed by the republicans running out? crickets also on that?
Or could it be you reward the republicans, the more crazy they get the higher their approval ratings?
Your reply is a perfect example of the combative attitude Labor has towards anyone who doesn't share its viewpoint. I'd like to see somebody in Big Labor just once show respect for someone who offers an opposing view. Look at your symbol: a fist. That says it all. People are tired of this attitude and the results of June 5th were largely a reflection of this, I believe.
Deleteso the republicans can get a pass on blatantly breaking the law and completely rendering the Constitution of the US meaningless and we must not discusss that. We are too busy talking about union members protesting?????
DeleteYour blatant partisanship and hypocrisy is boring me
The funny thing is besides being a coward, Anonymous is also a hypocrite. The same ones trashing the unions in WI today are the same ones that raised their fists in Solidarity with Lech Walesa in Poland.
DeleteCan't debate when you leave the state Jeffy Boy!!
ReplyDeletethe republicans had cut off debate and made it perfectly clear that there would be no more discussion that it was time to pass the bill no questions asked, who cares what was in it.
DeleteHad the republicans actually wanted debate the Senators would not have left the state. However your trying to move the debate.
Leaving the state is not illegal as defined in the Constitution, however suppressing peacable assemble clearly is.
First, the election wasn't about labor. This election was supposedly about public employee unions, not private unions.
ReplyDeleteThen, when your side found through polls that your side was accurately being protrayed as a bunch of whiney, crybaby, thugs then your side tried to turn the issues to jobs and the John Doe investigations.
You can make all the excuses you want, but your side lost big time and whatever support public labor unions had is lost, not only in Wisconsin but throughout the country. Good job.
That seems to be a problem with public unions ... their failure, or refusal, to distinguish the difference between them and private unions.
Deleteif you think there is a difference between public employee unions and private sector unions you are sadly mistaken. This is an attack on all organized labor they are just working their divide and conquer strategy.
DeleteAlso you will have to ask Capper how he feels but since i wrote it, I personally love Democracy the more the better!!!
You obviously have some reading comprehension deficit so let me explain it to you. I love that the upset members of the union tried to elect new leaders. Have at it!
The problem is if the electorate based their vote on the early endorsement of Kathleen Falk then they based their vote on a false assumption and bad information. Similar to the people who voted for Walker because he created jobs!
Actually, the federal appellate court said that there's no difference between public and private sector unions.
DeleteI also find ironic that capper is for democratic elections, except in union elections.
ReplyDeleteThe recall election was a temper tantrum recall and the attempted take over of the WSEU was a temper tantrum reaction, though a lo tmore rational than the recall.
Capper likes the recall but not the take over the union. Go figure the hypocricy.
I find it ironic that you can't tell the difference between "capper" and "Jeff Simpson." I also find it ironic that you are putting words in my mouth. I haven't written on word about the WSEU (isn't that a radio station?) yet you think you know my thoughts.
DeleteBut the greatest irony is that Dan thinks he can influence anyone by being an illiterate liar. It is terrifying to think that you're the kind of teacher we're going to get stuck with as the good ones leave.
I was kind of hoping your vacation would temper your anger. But it shows through loud and clear in this reply. Really needed to throw in the personal attacks here?
DeleteYour an interesting writer, but you need to make it less personal.
Sorry, but if you think I will be insulted without responding, you're as naive as Danny Boy.
DeleteSo.... insults as a response to insults. Interesting...Wait, actually, kind of boring.
DeleteHeh, numbers are such fun aren't they? Right after the election the left claimed Walker outspent Barrett 8 to 1. The numbers most everyone else uses show about 2.5 to on the Gubernatorial and 1.8 to 1 on all recall elections in the last 2 years. Later I saw two different lefties 'admit' about 7 to 1 the other allowed 4 to 1. Now that the elections are final and we can gear up the spin again, it is now 10 to 1? yeah, you will probably be outspent in the next couple of elections, the PU spigot has been turned off for now.
ReplyDeleteTuerqas
The actual numbers this year were 40 million of Walker to 4 million of barrett. the Public unions money was flowing and we totaled up a whole 4 million dollars. When will the spigot of such despicable people like bob perry, foster fries and diane hendricks be turned off????
DeleteJeff & Capper,
DeleteSorry I didn't see this post yesterday and get in a timely comment, but as a Democrat an state employee, I have to say you're both wrong about this. Falk was an awkward and weak candidate. The unions endorsing her before the election was called was a huge mistake, it completely played into the false narrative of her being just a tool of the unions. Her pledge to veto a budget that didn't include restoration of CB was idiotic. It wouldn't have happened and anyone cognizant of our budget process realizes this. Then, after spending $6 million in the primary, WEAC can only come up with $500,000 for the general? Your test of purity cost you this election. Marty Beil is a TERRIBLE face for labor and Mary Bell isn't much better. Until labor updates its old-school leadership and plays smarter, we're doomed.
Why was she an awkward and weak candidate????
DeleteAgree about the false narrative about her being a union tool. They tried to use that on barrett so it matters not what reality is to the republicans we have to STOP worrying about what they say and letting them control the narrative.
If her pledge to veto the budget without collective bargaining was idiotic, then why did walker win since he took it away in the original budget.
I am not a union member so I dont vote, but they just did and their leaders are all democratically elected. I agree that we all on the dem side need to "play smarter" I dont blame any of this loss on mary bell or marty beil!
As for the early expenditure, I think that was when the race was won or lost, look how much money walker spent at that time with his silly "its working" ads.
Well, she's awkward and weak because she's not smooth, sounds so "gosh darn" insincere, is easily (if unfairly) painted as a Dane county liberal and has gotten creamed in statewide races multiple times, even more than Barrett. I was always happy to vote for her as Dane County Exec., but realized her appeal ends at the county line. The rest of the state "votes against Madison" because our public employees have benefits and pensions they can only dream of. Of course the question they should be asking is why don't they have those, but the Republicans are at their best when exploiting envy politics.
DeleteAnd I'm sorry, but Marty fits the caricature of "union thug" to a T. He's a big slob of a guy. "Decker is a whore" and "Suder is a punk" while accurate, aren't going to win the hearts and minds anyone outside of the union hall. We need those hearts and minds, those of the independents. All public employees are now paying the price; I'm crapping my pants about my not too distant pension and benefits.
Oh, and the reason her veto pledge was idiotic is it would have locked in Walker's current budget for the foreseeable future. If Falk had won and had a Democratic Senate (like we now do), she still would have faced a Republican Assembly; redistricting made sure of that. The Assembly would never pass a budget that included CB. So no matter how much great public policy the Senate's version included, it would never pass both houses. In Wisconsin, that means the current budget remains in effect, status quo. The GOP would love the gridlock and Falk would have nothing to veto. That's why the unions were idiotic for extracting such a pledge.
DeleteIncorrect, the budget is the only bill they have to pass. Do you think the Republicans would have stonewalled the budget, allowing Falk to declare her own fiscal emergency and reinstating CB?
DeleteAnd considering Barrett didn't even want to repeal the entirety of Act 10, it's no wonder he couldn't muster the same percentage as 2010. The only difference would have been a change in the governor's last name.