The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: formerlurker on March 13, 2011, 09:14:45 AM
-
As very little attention has been paid to the good Governor's legislation he filed when he rolled out his FY12 budget proposal in late January, I feel it is my duty to bring this union-busting outrage to the cyber-world so the misfits in Skinner's world can start planning their protests accordingly.
I will try to make this short for those lurkers with limited attention spans.
The problem? municipalities can no longer sustain health insurance premiums of public employees' cadillac plans. Cities and towns in the Commonwealth of MA are bleeding out.
The governor's solution? cut state local aid to municipalities in the FY12, and then force public employee unions to drop their cadillac plans and join GIC (which is a group of private health insurance carriers who offer greatly reduced rates to municipalities -- fixed risk pool, up until Congress passed Obamacare the yearly premium increases were tracking at 3%, that has since skyrocketed to 12% for most plans under GIC, however this is still far lower than the 18%-26% increases that the cadillac plans are tracking).
The legislation filed by coupe deval:
MUNICIPAL HEALTH INSURANCE
SECTION 6. (a) Each municipality shall provide health insurance coverage to its subscribers either through the group insurance commission or through other means with benefits of comparable actuarial value to those provided by the group insurance commission.
(b) Notwithstanding chapter 32B of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, if a municipality’s health insurance benefits do not comply with subsection (a), the chief executive of the municipality shall give notice to its public employee committee, established or which shall be established under section 19 of said chapter 32B, of its intention to enter into negotiations to provide health insurance coverage to its subscribers and to enter into a written agreement within a period prescribed by regulations to provide such coverage.
(c) If no agreement is reached within the prescribed period, the municipality shall transfer its subscribers to the group insurance commission or provide health insurance coverage to its subscribers in a manner prescribed by regulations and which complies with subsection (a).
http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H00036
Translation: You sit down at the table and negotiate (what exactly, I don't know as there are NO independent policies for municipalities that can offer the low premiums that GIC can). If the union does not agree to go to GIC, then guess what? they are going to GIC.
Statehouse news:
The State House rollout of the proposal served to set parameters on the debate scheduled to formally resume on Beacon Hill Tuesday when the Legislature hosts a hearing on Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to achieve cost reductions by forcing unions and communities to negotiate immediately for savings or join the state's Group Insurance Commission.
The unions, representing teachers, firefighters, police and other employees, said there plan would save $120 million, the same figure being sought by Patrick and the MMA, without eroding collective bargaining rights.
The plan agrees to a 45-day window for expedited coalition bargaining, like the governor's bill, toward a benchmark for savings on health care premiums with higher co-pays, deductibles, or other changes. Those benchmarks have not yet been established, but the governor has proposed using the GIC as a threshold for cost.
If unions and management could not agree, an independent third-party could decide whether local employees must join one of the state's group health insurance plans or set the framework for a local plan to achieve similar savings.
http://66.105.150.70/cgi/as_web.exe?REV2011+D+2540825
Unions response:
Union leaders said they hoped the altered process would be a one-time compromise, and unions and municipal managers would go back to bargaining health care under traditional coalition bargaining rules when the new contracts expire. The unions also called for labor representation on the state Group Insurance Commission to be increased to 50 percent of the governing board, giving them enhanced power at the state bargaining table.
Paul Toner, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said aggressive efforts to limit GIC cost increases by the state have "negatively impacted many employees most in need of treatment." The state last week announced that GIC plan premiums would increase on average 2.4 percent, far below average increases at the municipal level.
Note: The state's announcement on GIC is misleading -- the individual plans under GIC are all over the place, with the most popular (Fallon Select) rising 12% alone.
Well misfits, the Governor's legislation is not a one time deal. Your heads are so far up his ass you can't see what he is doing -- which is good. I hope the other governors in our union are taking notes here. Unions will accept the shaft is the shaft is presented by a Governor with a (D) after their name.
This will pass. Collective bargaining rights for health insurance will be stripped away from unions by the far left MA legislation under the guise of the governor's creative writing that both sides will sit at the table, go through the motions, come to no agreement, then force the move to GIC.
See kids? it's all good when you mandate the entire script for the "collective bargaining" process. :-)
-
Maybe Patrick isn't quite the moron as he seems to be.
Unions - like a scab on your ass, they leave a scar.
-
Good for this governor!!! If other governors follow suit, that would be a good thing. Governor LePage is thinking of doing something similar, I believe.
The stick in my craw is , these people make twice as money as I do, and pay out less in benefits and still whine. These people should be glad they have jobs!!!!
I love my job, and I know that retail doesn't pay very well, but it is the career path I chose. People hopefully do some research on their careers, the pros and cons.(ex: Are the employees in that sector part of a union? if so what are the pros and cons of a union, so on and so forth....)
As Evil Conservative mentioned( Pretty sure it was her) that unions have outlived their usefulness.
-
It is obvious, to me, that Governors Patrick of MA and Cuomo of NY have presidential ambitions, so they copy Chris Christie of NJ. They decide to take a tough stance against unions so if they someday (like 2016) win the democratic nomination, they can run as fiscal conservatives despite being progressive on a host of issues. Now, I am glad they are doing something, but I still would argue it MIGHT not be because they are on behalf of the people. Hopefully, I am wrong.
-
"I will try to make this short for those lurkers with limited attention spans".
formerlurker it also helps to type very very slowly because they can't read too fast... :naughty:
-
It is obvious, to me, that Governors Patrick of MA and Cuomo of NY have presidential ambitions, so they copy Chris Christie of NJ. They decide to take a tough stance against unions so if they someday (like 2016) win the democratic nomination, they can run as fiscal conservatives despite being progressive on a host of issues. Now, I am glad they are doing something, but I still would argue it MIGHT not be because they are on behalf of the people. Hopefully, I am wrong.
Having lived in New York all my life I have to disagree about Cuomo, carbon copy of his dear old daddy that he is. He has obviously been being groomed for the Governor slot for a long long time and Prince Andrew will make no moves against his union constituency, they are his base.
The municipal unions enjoy a firm grip on state politics in New York. Everyone from your garbage man to the toll collectors on the Thruway, the troopers, virtually all town, county and state workers are union. It is a piece of cake to predict who will win a Gubernatorial race in this state even more than a year before election day, that being whoever the unions endorse. Infallible means to predict every time.
The dems already had the Governor's mansion with Paterson in office so why throw him under the bus? Because Paterson was a genuine fiscal conservative who was making deep and necessary cuts to the massively bloated state budget -more than $8 Billion in the hole by then- and the unions were screaming bloody murder. Among the pigs at the trough squealing the loudest were the teachers union.
Common opinion has it that Paterson lost the backing of the dems because of such scandals as witness tampering allegations and some dirt on Yankee's season tickets. Big deal. If they loved him that stuff would have never seen the light of day. He was sacked because he had the balls to say "NO!" to the unions.
Prince Andrew will most definitely not, no matter how bad the budget gets blown. He may talk the talk but he will walk the union walk.
He is certainly a possible future contender for the White House.
The last Republican Governor of New York didn't win without the unions-
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/10/06/2002-10-06__carey_backing_pataki__ex-go.html
-
UNION BUSTING LEFTISTS GONE MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"If cities and towns can't meet or beat the GIC, they will be forced to join it," DeLeo said, according to his prepared remarks, adding, "If we want to do what's right for our children who attend public schools; if we want to provide public safety protection at adequate levels; if we want our streets plowed and our trash collected - it's high time we give cities and towns the tools - through legislation - to make more than a dent in the cost of municipal health insurance."
http://66.105.150.70/cgi/as_web.exe?REV2011+D+2770926
Oh freakin-frackin my!!!!!!!!
For those playing the home game, DeLeo (D) is the leftist leader of the house.......
Just too damn delicious for words my friends.
-
Add Maryland to the fray, that idiot Governor has been kissing up to the unions but now he realizes there's 19 billion in unfunded pensions and wants the unions to contribute more but the unions don't want to! :hammer:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/14/union-rally-targets-democratic-maryland-governor-pension-reforms/
-
The thing with the unions and the dem legislature here in Massachusetts is that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. For years there's been wailing and gnashing of teeth about a couple of holidays that some government union workers get but nobody else does. Last year, with great fanfare, the state house voted to eliminate them.
Then it came out that since these holidays are already in the union contracts, these union folks are getting time and a half or double time to show up to work. Depending on how the probation department scandal shakes out, the unions will be offered some HUGE concession for going along with this.
-
Having lived in New York all my life I have to disagree about Cuomo, carbon copy of his dear old daddy that he is. He has obviously been being groomed for the Governor slot for a long long time and Prince Andrew will make no moves against his union constituency, they are his base.
The municipal unions enjoy a firm grip on state politics in New York. Everyone from your garbage man to the toll collectors on the Thruway, the troopers, virtually all town, county and state workers are union. It is a piece of cake to predict who will win a Gubernatorial race in this state even more than a year before election day, that being whoever the unions endorse. Infallible means to predict every time.
The dems already had the Governor's mansion with Paterson in office so why throw him under the bus? Because Paterson was a genuine fiscal conservative who was making deep and necessary cuts to the massively bloated state budget -more than $8 Billion in the hole by then- and the unions were screaming bloody murder. Among the pigs at the trough squealing the loudest were the teachers union.
Common opinion has it that Paterson lost the backing of the dems because of such scandals as witness tampering allegations and some dirt on Yankee's season tickets. Big deal. If they loved him that stuff would have never seen the light of day. He was sacked because he had the balls to say "NO!" to the unions.
Prince Andrew will most definitely not, no matter how bad the budget gets blown. He may talk the talk but he will walk the union walk.
He is certainly a possible future contender for the White House.
The last Republican Governor of New York didn't win without the unions-
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/10/06/2002-10-06__carey_backing_pataki__ex-go.html
I do not like Andrew Cuomo, I hope I did not make that impression. Whether or not he acts on what he says, Prince Andrew is trying to sound fiscally conservative because of political ambition. George Pataki cut spending and taxes in NY, so I give him credit for that in the climate he led in. We have the opposite situation here across the river from NY, we had past governors of both parties who borrowed, spent, and taxed way too much and now the cuts have gotten the unions angry. In NY, the state's finances went south under the democrats. Please correct me if I am wrong.
-
I do not like Andrew Cuomo, I hope I did not make that impression. Whether or not he acts on what he says, Prince Andrew is trying to sound fiscally conservative because of political ambition. George Pataki cut spending and taxes in NY, so I give him credit for that in the climate he led in. We have the opposite situation here across the river from NY, we had past governors of both parties who borrowed, spent, and taxed way too much and now the cuts have gotten the unions angry. In NY, the state's finances went south under the democrats. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I don't care if you like Cuomo or not. Pataki did what he could, being up to his ass in an alligator infested swamp. Paterson aimed to drain that swamp, and he meant it, so he had to go.
Cuomo will keep true to Vampire State dogma and pull out the stops, allowing the slop to once again flow unimpeded to the union troughs. New York has a disproportionately bloated number of state and municipal workers, all of them union. They comprise an elitist class in this state. If you are fortunate enough to be among the Proletariat of the People's Republik of New York as a state or municipal employee or on welfare, you're fine, part of the "in" crowd.
If you are unfortunate enough to be employed in the private sector and non union or (gasp) be fool enough to attempt running a small business in this state, you're decidedly not fine, you're screwed. Pay up & shut up, comrade.
Prince Andrew will do here as he did at the helm at HUD, give lip service in endearing speeches and then run the place into the ground.
-
I don't care if you like Cuomo or not. Pataki did what he could, being up to his ass in an alligator infested swamp. Paterson aimed to drain that swamp, and he meant it, so he had to go.
Cuomo will keep true to Vampire State dogma and pull out the stops, allowing the slop to once again flow unimpeded to the union troughs. New York has a disproportionately bloated number of state and municipal workers, all of them union. They comprise an elitist class in this state. If you are fortunate enough to be among the Proletariat of the People's Republik of New York as a state or municipal employee or on welfare, you're fine, part of the "in" crowd.
If you are unfortunate enough to be employed in the private sector and non union or (gasp) be fool enough to attempt running a small business in this state, you're decidedly not fine, you're screwed. Pay up & shut up, comrade.
Prince Andrew will do here as he did at the helm at HUD, give lip service in endearing speeches and then run the place into the ground.
Well, people fear candidates who are blunt, and Carl Paladino is blunt. They also want their politicians to be perfect, and Carl did not come across as attempting to be perfect while Andrew, who has more issues, came across as perfect.
-
Public sector workers should not be allowed to be in a union.