If changes aren't made to the benefit contributions paid by Wisconsin's nearly 300,000 public sector employees, about 10,000-12,000 workers will lose their jobs, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Sunday.How ironic. Obama's economic disaster has resulted in millions of unemployed Americans, but I don't see anyone calling him a dictator.
The Republican governor has been targeted by protesters for nearly a week for negotiating a bill now in the state Senate that would require workers to increase their contributions to pensions and health care coverage, would limit collective bargaining rules and tie raises to inflation.
But Walker said while the state enjoys a lower-than-average unemployment rate -- about 7.5 percent compared to 9 percent nationally -- about 5,000-6,000 state workers and 5,000-6,000 local government workers could lose their jobs if they don't accept changes to their benefits plan.
"I don't want a single person laid off in the public nor in the private sector and that's why this is a much better alternative than losing jobs," Walker told "Fox News Sunday."
The budget vote was supposed to take place last week, but was delayed when state Senate Democrats fled to Illinois to avoid having to vote on the plan, which would cost public sector employees about $300 million over two years, or less than 10 percent of the deficit total.
"If we're going to be in this together, (cut) our $3.6 billion budget deficit, it's going to take a whole lot more than just employee contributions when it comes to pensions and health care," Walker said. "But it's got to be a piece of the puzzle because as I saw at the local level, it's like a virus that eats up more and more of the budget if you don't get it under control."
Protesters and Democratic lawmakers have likened Walker to a dictator, and demonstrators protesting the budget bill have waived signs comparing him to ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and Adolf Hitler.
President Obama, whose group Organizing for America, has bused in some of the nearly 70,000 protesters outside the state capitol on Saturday, last week called the bill "an assault on unions."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Oh Well: 12,000 Wisconsin State Workers Could Face Budget Ax
Maybe they should have thought about this before their extended temper tantrum. I guess there's an upside for them: they'll have plenty of free time for more temper tantrums.
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2 comments:
Elections have consequences, bitches. Start with those who falsely called in sick last week
<span>Union members, especially teachers, know they are worth less than what they are paid. Because of the violence and thuggery of unions, which has resulted in political power as well as vast amounts of wealth, these greedy, violent leeches will continue to do what it is they do.
Act like a mob, all the while convinced they are "good" people fighting "evil" men, hence any and all action is justified including murder, like in <span>Greece</span>.</span>
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