R i g h t a r d i a: Newsy.com: Unions Unfairly Blamed in Wisconsin?

February 21, 2011(3:30)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
ANCHOR: CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multisource politics news analysis from Newsy

It’s a showdown critics are billing an all-out political war on unions. Crowds continue to swarm Wisconsin’s capital -- where the state’s governor is showing no signs of backing down over public sector union benefits.

Still at large - 14 Democratic state lawmakers who fled the state last week in protest over Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. Walker’s proposal -- strips public sector unions of some collective bargaining rights -- and ups state workers’ pension and health insurance contributions.

GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R-WI): “As I saw at the local level, it's like a virus that eats up more and more of budget if you don't get it under control. ... And I think right now, uh, frugality is in. People expect us to make tough decisions...” (Fox News Sunday)

Governor Walker says he has to address the state’s $3.6 billion budget deficit. Critics aren’t buying it -- and say he’s exploiting budget issues for political gain.

And among crowds that swelled to as many as 50,000 over the weekend - CBS’ Cynthia Bowers found out - the governor has his supporters.

REPORTER: “This weekend, for the first time, conservative and Tea Party groups showed up to support walker.”

WALKER SUPPORT: “This is not a power grab. This is about making it fair between private sector workers who are struggling, and public sector unions that frankly have had a cushy deal.”

But for The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein - the real question is simple: Are government workers overpaid to the point of burdening taxpayers? He says - no -- because on the whole -- public sector workers trade lower pay for retirement benefits -- the ones Governor Walker’s going after now.

“...the accompanying narrative that they're greedy and overcompensated ... makes it seem as if the decisions that have to be made ... can be shunted onto an interest group that some of us, at least, don't like. It's the Republican version of when

But within The Washington Post - an entirely different perspective - from the Post’s Jennifer Rubin -- who says it isn’t about whether state workers are overpaid -- but whether taxpayers have a say in how the state spends its money.

“On this I'll defer to the liberal icon FDR who warned against collective bargaining being ‘tranplanted’ into the public sector. (‘A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government.’)”

And unions across the country aren’t taking the wider implications of the debate lightly.

Legislators in Indiana are considering a similar measure to strip unions’ bargaining power -- and thousands plan to protest in the capital Indianapolis.

So what does Wisconsin mean by reigning in collective bargaining? Fox News says - the governor is on a PR blitz to convince taxpayers it affects them.

“But you might want to call this the Viagra scandal. An example he cites it to collective bargaining out of control. Last year teachers unions sued the Milwaukee school district because they wanted to cut off payments to give teachers Viagra. $786,000. Teachers were using it to enhance their performance, but not in the classroom.”

Still - the unions have agreed to Walker’s financial demands -- and are only asking to keep the right of collective bargaining. The Economist notes - Governor Walker is picking a fight with a politically unpopular group -- and it isn’t a fair fight.

“...an individual teacher who tries to bargain with the City of Milwaukee for a higher wage than her peers is going to be laughed out of the superintendent's office. … Through what mechanism are civil servants supposed to bargain for wage increases if they don't have unions?”

Wisconsin Republicans say they have the votes they need to pass the bill -- but will need at least one Democrat to come back for the vote.

This is a complex issue because the teachers' union negotiates wages for all teachers as a group. Republicans would prefer to individually rate teachers and only a percentage would get raises.

This easier that done because English, Math, special ed and science teachers are high demand and teachers in history and the arts are in low demand.

The best teachers also have jobs in the newest schools and the most affluent areas. The newbie teachers usually work in the disadvantaged areas.

When teachers are laid off, the disadvantaged schools suffer the most. Of course, the union protocol is "first in , last out" (FILO) while conservative school boards and business want "first in, first out" (FIFO) because they know the old timers are pulling higher salaries.

Rightardia beleives the Republican governor Walker "jumped the gun." We think Walker is part of a nationwide GOP conspiracy to bust public unions.

What the GOP is doing is a form of class warfare. Conservatives have been attacking blacks, Hispanics, gays for years and now its government workers turn in the conservative populist scapegoat barrel.

You can count of Fox news and talk radio to stroke the fires of hatred against government workers. Hate is what they do best.

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Sources: KOVR Fox News CBS The Washington Post The Economist