Well, the Wisconsin Republicans have found a way to strip collective bargaining rights from government employees over the objections of the Democrats. They’ve managed to set union legal rights back by 5 to 10 decades in the state. That’s awful. And I have nothing good to say about it.
But…
It’s not the end of the world. Really.
Unions once had no bargaining rights, and they managed to do a lot, and obtain those rights to boot. They can do it again. It would be hard. If the members of the union really act in concert, they can do it. They can strike. It may be illegal, but they can do it. They can do their jobs by the book. Politically, the Republicans are not likely to win re-election or even defeat a fair number of their recall elections because Wisconsinites support unions generally. What I’ve read indicates a lot of buyer’s remorse.
If Egyptians and Libyans and 100 years ago union members can face down guns, public employees in Wisconsin can fight back and win against stuff that’s much less threatening. But it’ll be ugly.
Sorry to reply here but do you know it’s impossible to reply to your messages on LJ?