State governments taking steps to "abolish" collective bargaining rights for workers is similar to slavery, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) contends.
Speaking Monday at a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) event about GOP-proposed budget cuts, Rangel brought up Republican governors' plans to target public sector workers, as in the case of Gov. Scott Walker's budget-fix plan in Wisconsin.
“It doesn’t really make any sense at all for the president of the United States to talk about creating jobs in order to improve the economy and find out that mayors and governors are talking about laying off people," Rangel said. "Collective bargaining is something that is so close to slavery in terms of abolishing it, that it is not an American concept to tell people that they cannot discuss their economic position."
Rangel's statement is one of the strongest rebukes of Republican-controlled state governments' efforts to cut spending and go after public-employee unions.
Walker's plan would not entirely abolish collective bargaining for state workers, but it would limit their ability to collectively bargain over everything but wages. The plan does not apply to police, firefighters or state troopers. Walker's proposal would also force workers to pay an increased share of their pension and healthcare benefits.
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[Note to Rep. Rangel: Anyone who doesn't like their compensation or working conditions is completely free to seek other employment. --Editor]
Speaking Monday at a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) event about GOP-proposed budget cuts, Rangel brought up Republican governors' plans to target public sector workers, as in the case of Gov. Scott Walker's budget-fix plan in Wisconsin.
“It doesn’t really make any sense at all for the president of the United States to talk about creating jobs in order to improve the economy and find out that mayors and governors are talking about laying off people," Rangel said. "Collective bargaining is something that is so close to slavery in terms of abolishing it, that it is not an American concept to tell people that they cannot discuss their economic position."
Rangel's statement is one of the strongest rebukes of Republican-controlled state governments' efforts to cut spending and go after public-employee unions.
Walker's plan would not entirely abolish collective bargaining for state workers, but it would limit their ability to collectively bargain over everything but wages. The plan does not apply to police, firefighters or state troopers. Walker's proposal would also force workers to pay an increased share of their pension and healthcare benefits.
More
[Note to Rep. Rangel: Anyone who doesn't like their compensation or working conditions is completely free to seek other employment. --Editor]
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