State jobs have been a common target for governors and lawmakers looking for ways to cut budgets, as the recession has led to furloughs and layoffs in about half the states. But labor unions in many states are fighting back, sometimes winning court decisions and political concessions to stave off those cuts.
The Seattle Times reports that Democrats — who dominate the legislature and hold the governor’s mansion in Washington — face a revolt from labor unions who want the state to raise taxes rather than make deeper cuts that could result in worker furloughs and layoffs. Several major unions that have traditionally supported Democratic candidates have stopped or sharply reduced campaign donations as a way of dialing up the pressure and getting lawmakers to support the unions’ agenda.
This puts Democrats in a particularly tricky spot heading into next year’s elections, The Times notes. Raising taxes during an election year is never popular, but neither is “alienating the party’s base,” as the paper puts it.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reports that organized labor increasingly is turning its attention to the states while a key part of its agenda — the so-called “card check” bill — remains stalled in Congress. Unions already have scored a key victory on a similar measure in Oregon, and the lobbying efforts in the states “are viewed as a plan B for organized labor frustrated by its inability to get the (card check bill) passed,” the paper writes.
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By Lawrence Rosier on Nov 23, 2009 6:46:42 AM
From: Lawrence Rosier Management Consultant Clear the Way for Reforms
The states with the super majority requirement should try to mitigate the effects of the requirement by a vote to put everything on the table for cuts eliminating all sacred cows.
High powered lobbying by government employee unions should be dealt with through legislative action opening the door to the necessary downsizing required. Unless this problem is addressed you will find that only newly hired young people will be laid off leaving the high paid management staff to do the work a sure fire killer for the maintenance of public services. This is also the time to determine what functions the state should not be doing these should be shut down now because it doesn?t make since to make functions more efficient that are going away.
Why would a legislature cut education and services for the public and leave untouched a bloated state bureaucracy?
See the following relevant articles on my website:
Article 103. Reforming Bureaucratic Government the Subtle way by Bringing Innovation to Government
Article 104. Down Sizing State Government the Easy and Safe Way
Article 105. Making Lean Teams Work in Health Care
Article 106. Where do the Government Reform Savings Come From?
Article 113. Private Versus Public Budgeting Practices
Article 117. Overcoming Bureaucratic Resistance to Government Reform
Article 132. Rethinking Government- Keeping it Simple
Article 146. Cost Cutting a State Priority but Where to Cut?
Article 148. Where Less is More Efficient
Article 149. Secret and Not so Secret Methods for Downsizing Bureaucratic Management With Lean Teams
Article 153. Example of the Advantage of a Relational Database
Article 154. Streamlining Iowa Boards and Commissions Using Lean and More
Article 157. Using Lean to Balance Agency work Loads
Article 158. The Streamlining of Georgia Boards and Commissions Using Lean
Article 163. Solving New York State?s Roadblocks to Reform
Article 165. Reform of Government Legislative Practices
Article 166. Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril
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