In Massachusetts, there are Union employees:
476,000 workers - 16.6 % of the Workforce -
That means 2.9 MILLION non-union employees ( 83.4%) do not have the same pull on the Politicians and/or have the influence that the Unions do over the Govenor and the Legislature.
Figures were taken from the AFL/CIO weblink (http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/uniondiff16.cfm)
While I feel that Unions were an important force in bringing improvements to workplaces over the last 100 years, they are presently more of an impediment to progress as the sole reason they exist today is to perpetuate the UNION.....they do very little for anyone BUT their own members. At the same time, Public Employee Unions have no issue with how their demands effect the citizens of the towns or State of Massachusetts, as all they care about is getting $$$ and benefits for their members. Their only concern is keep membership high and their coffers full.
While I feel that Unions were an important force in bringing improvements to workplaces over the last 100 years, they are presently more of an impediment to progress as the sole reason they exist today is to perpetuate the UNION.....they do very little for anyone BUT their own members. At the same time, Public Employee Unions have no issue with how their demands effect the citizens of the towns or State of Massachusetts, as all they care about is getting $$$ and benefits for their members. Their only concern is keep membership high and their coffers full.
While I agree we should have decent wages & benefits, the fact that the Massachusetts Public Employee Unions will spend $ 1.3 Million dollars to attempt to defeat a repeal of the sales tax shows they only care about making sure $$$ rolls into the State to preserve their membership, not services and not jobs for regular non-union employees.
“If this referendum passes, there is no doubt it will have a devastating impact on local services that have already been cut to the bone,’’ said Stephen G. Crawford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities, which includes the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and the Service Employees International Union. " -
Let me translate that for you - If it passes, it means we'll have to see Public Union Employees lose their cushy life-time jobs where they have been insulated from the effects of the economy, effects that the tax-payers have been dealing with for the past 3-4 years......
GEE, I really don't have much sympathy for keeping the HACKS well off when the majority of the citizens have had to make major cut backs on how we live - I think it is HIGH TIME the HACKS feel a little pain too.
Seeing as the Legislature doesn't have the will or intestinal-fortitude to do what's right by the taxpayer, I'm all for taking out the long piece of lumber and whacking the democratic donkey in the Arse to get the State back to a reality based view of what we should be doing with the money we provide them. I hope & pray the Voters see it that way too.
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Unions raise $1.3m to fight ballot drive to cut sales tax
Warn of deep drop in local services
By Alan Wirzbicki, Boston Globe Staff September 21, 2010
Determined not to be caught off-guard in a volatile election year, labor unions are pouring money into an effort to fight a deep cut in the state sales tax, campaign finance reports show.
A group of unions — fearing mass layoffs of teachers, firefighters, and other state and municipal workers — has raised $1.3 million so far this year to defeat Question 3, one of two antitax measures on the November ballot. Supporters have raised $76,000.
Similar ballot measures failed in 2002 and 2008, but the money flowing into the campaign to defeat the measure shows that opponents of the ballot question are taking nothing for granted in a year that has already produced political surprises across the country.
Opponents say passage of the question, which would cut the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 3 percent, would open up a hole in the fragile state budget of more than $2 billion and lead to Draconian cuts at the state and local levels.
Draconian enough that all three major gubernatorial candidates — Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat; Charles D. Baker, a Republican; and independent Timothy P. Cahill — oppose Question 3.
“If this referendum passes, there is no doubt it will have a devastating impact on local services that have already been cut to the bone,’’ said Stephen G. Crawford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities, which includes the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and the Service Employees International Union. “Teachers, firefighters, local health care service, police officers — those services will bear the brunt of this referendum question.’’
Supporters of the tax rollback, led by longtime libertarian activist Carla Howell, gathered about 19,000 signatures this year to put the question on the ballot and are hoping to capitalize on the restive mood of the electorate.
“They will have big money; we have a grass-roots campaign,’’ Howell said.
Over a quarter of the money the antitax camp has raised this year, $22,000 in all, came from Chris and Melodie Rufer of Sacramento, who have given to other libertarian causes around the country. Chris Rufer said in a statement last night, “We believe in an open and voluntary market for all people.’’
Howell’s camp, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday, had just $17,422 on hand on Sept. 15. Opponents of the ballot measure, who have spent money on public relations and polling firms, had $861,576. Crawford declined to share more details about the coalition’s strategy.
Another tax question on the ballot, Question 1, would restore a sales tax exemption for alcoholic beverages. Backers reported raising $396,236, mostly from package stores and alcohol distributors who say they have been hurt by the new tax, which took effect last year. They had $234,283 by last week.
Restoring the exemption, which Baker and Cahill support but Patrick opposes, would cost the state about $100 million in annual revenue, which now goes to support addiction treatment programs....
Alan Wirzbicki can be reached at awirzbicki@globe.com.
Unions raise $1.3m to fight ballot drive to cut sales tax
Warn of deep drop in local services
By Alan Wirzbicki, Boston Globe Staff September 21, 2010
Determined not to be caught off-guard in a volatile election year, labor unions are pouring money into an effort to fight a deep cut in the state sales tax, campaign finance reports show.
A group of unions — fearing mass layoffs of teachers, firefighters, and other state and municipal workers — has raised $1.3 million so far this year to defeat Question 3, one of two antitax measures on the November ballot. Supporters have raised $76,000.
Similar ballot measures failed in 2002 and 2008, but the money flowing into the campaign to defeat the measure shows that opponents of the ballot question are taking nothing for granted in a year that has already produced political surprises across the country.
Opponents say passage of the question, which would cut the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 3 percent, would open up a hole in the fragile state budget of more than $2 billion and lead to Draconian cuts at the state and local levels.
Draconian enough that all three major gubernatorial candidates — Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat; Charles D. Baker, a Republican; and independent Timothy P. Cahill — oppose Question 3.
“If this referendum passes, there is no doubt it will have a devastating impact on local services that have already been cut to the bone,’’ said Stephen G. Crawford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities, which includes the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and the Service Employees International Union. “Teachers, firefighters, local health care service, police officers — those services will bear the brunt of this referendum question.’’
Supporters of the tax rollback, led by longtime libertarian activist Carla Howell, gathered about 19,000 signatures this year to put the question on the ballot and are hoping to capitalize on the restive mood of the electorate.
“They will have big money; we have a grass-roots campaign,’’ Howell said.
Over a quarter of the money the antitax camp has raised this year, $22,000 in all, came from Chris and Melodie Rufer of Sacramento, who have given to other libertarian causes around the country. Chris Rufer said in a statement last night, “We believe in an open and voluntary market for all people.’’
Howell’s camp, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday, had just $17,422 on hand on Sept. 15. Opponents of the ballot measure, who have spent money on public relations and polling firms, had $861,576. Crawford declined to share more details about the coalition’s strategy.
Another tax question on the ballot, Question 1, would restore a sales tax exemption for alcoholic beverages. Backers reported raising $396,236, mostly from package stores and alcohol distributors who say they have been hurt by the new tax, which took effect last year. They had $234,283 by last week.
Restoring the exemption, which Baker and Cahill support but Patrick opposes, would cost the state about $100 million in annual revenue, which now goes to support addiction treatment programs....
Alan Wirzbicki can be reached at awirzbicki@globe.com.
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