Some city and county employees and school districts are taking dramatic steps to try to solve their budget problems.Union Fear Mongering Amounts to ExtortionThe Sacramento County, Calif., sheriff's deputies union is using mobile billboards, mailers and radio and newspaper ads with vivid images and messages in a bid to avert more layoffs. The campaign includes a photo of a child with an adult's hand over its mouth and the words, "Your child could be at risk!" Another shows a masked man breaking through a door and asks, "Do you feel safe?"
"We felt it was necessary to grab people's attention," says Kevin Mickelson, president of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association. He says 122 deputies were laid off last year and more cuts would make it "impossible to do our job."
Billboards put up this month in Stockton, Calif., by the Stockton Police Officer's Association read, "Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California," and "Stop laying off cops!"
Mayor Ann Johnston calls the billboards "very inappropriate" and says they are "attempting to strike fear in the hearts of the community."
This kind of fear-mongering is nothing more than extortion. Tax dollars go to unions whose members are overpaid and whose benefits are absurdly out of line with the private sector.
To top it off, whether the union members personally agree with such tactics, they cannot opt out of the union or these tactics. In essence taxpayer dollars support these fear-mongering ads, just so the gravy train can continue for hugely overpaid public workers.
The proper solution for cities is bankruptcy where courts can decide to throw ridiculous union contracts and union salaries in the ashcan where they belong.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 2376 vs. Vallejo
Inquiring minds are very interested in the ongoing case of Vallejo vs. Local 2376, electrical union which did not settle in the bankruptcy proceedings.
06/15/2010 - ORDER signed by Judge John A. Mendez on 6/14/10, ORDERING that IBEW's appeal of the Bankruptcy Court's Order granting the City's Motion for Approval of Rejection of IBEW's Collective Bargaining Agreement is DENIED, and the Bankruptcy Court's March 13, 2009 Memorandum decision and August 31, 2009 Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law are AFFIRMED.(Kastilahn, A) (Entered: 06/15/2010)In simple English, if I understand this ruling correctly, the Federal judge just tossed out the union's collective bargaining rights into to ashcan where they belong.
Given that there are very few municipal bankruptcy cases in the US, this was a major, major victory for common sense over union thuggery. Hopefully this will make the bankruptcy card much more acceptable for cities to play.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
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