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State Worker Contract Hearings as Theater
Other under circumstances, Thursday’s tense state legislative hearing on the State of Minnesota’s contract with its workforce, could be mistaken for an entry in this year’s Fringe Festival. It was weird. It was funny. And, it took itself way too seriously. What works as off-beat theatrical performance, however, isn’t entertaining as responsible public policy.
In a nutshell, conservative policymakers are determined to bash government, government employed workers, and almost anything related to government except policy swinging government’s authority behind powerful, wealthy interests. Rather than address Minnesota’s real challenges, conservative policy leaders seek to distract Minnesotans from the issues that matter. Thursday morning’s hearing was no exception.
Here are the basics. Minnesotans collectively decide how we want our state to function. We authorize our state government to carry out our collective will. The State, in turn, hires workers, negotiating a contract with the workforce. Contracts are generally good for two years. Governor Dayton’s administration negotiated the current contract, the subject of the legislative hearing, with the state’s two largest public worker unions.
Reflecting Minnesota’s slow economic recovery, the contract is actually kind of stingy. On an economics level, that’s to be expected. The low-interest/slow economic growth environment keeps labor costs low and stable. This creates a different, long term problem as the larger state economy keeps putzing along rather than growing. But, under the circumstances, it’s an adequate contract for everyone concerned.
Conservative policy makers, however, have a different agenda. They want to crush the public employee unions and are determined to drive wages down to minimum wage levels. At the hearing, conservative legislators wasted little time getting to the bashing.
There’s the rub, they’re interested in bashing and distracting, not in creating a path forward which is why the hearing felt like a Fringe Festival play. Conservative legislators’ standard line is that State workers earn more money than their private sector counterparts. It’s an easy, old claim. It’s just not true. Minnesota public sector workers earn less than private sector employees.
Consider this differently. Minnesota is already getting a heckuva good deal from its workforce. I would think that conservative legislators would be trumpeting this outcome. Instead, they’re working hard to create another public policy distraction that does nothing but hold back growth and prosperity. The Subcommittee on Employee Relations may stage a good show but it’s not doing much for Minnesota’s real needs.
Posted in Economic Development | Related Topics: Conservative Policy Working / Middle Class Issues
4 Comments
August 16, 2012 at 8:49 am
It seems that with the Republican majorities in Washington and so many states we are seeing the culmination of the War Against Workers Who Dare to Organize that began in the 1980s.
Glenn Greenwald will shortly release a documentary on the Koch Brothers. I hope it helps many Americans become more aware of the corporate efforts—with unlimited billions available to them—to take over our government and our democracy.
August 10, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Wow, Sen. Parry really has some anger management issues. He also looks very stressed. I hope some time away from the State Senate will help him become more calm, mindful and happy about Minnesota. This is a great state to explore, I hope he gets out and about. I wish him all the best.
August 10, 2012 at 10:38 am
I would think conservative legislators would be “trumpeting that outcome” too, but these people are incapable of looking beyond the next election; their only goal, state and local level, is to bash public employees and their unions, and to defeat all Democratic candidates, and destroy the governor and president. That is their only policy.
I take some heart from the bumbling way they are doing this. Perry is a prize. The GOP should display him more often.
Our only hope and antidote is to get rid of every single obstructionist on the state and local levels.
ChristeenStone says:
August 16, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Having been a State Employee for 16 years
I can vouch for the idea, I could have made more income in a private setting but
I liked what I was doing. A relative sent me a Quote from President Ike Eisenhower that explains the Tea Party that has taken over so well: “Should any political party
attempt to abolish social security,
unemployment insurance, and eliminate
labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in political history. There is a splinter group,of course that believe you can do those
things…Their number is negligible and
they are stupid.” He hit the nail on the head for this years session, all over the USA. This is found in eisenhowermemborial.org
A 1954 quote. Very much what has happened to the Grand Old Party.