St. Patrick’s Day and the Labor Movement

This year, St. Patrick’s Day will have a special significance. Irish-Americans’ history is closely tied with America’s labor movement. Now that we’re seeing the most vicious rightwing attacks on working people since the early 1900s, St. Patrick’s Day has a dual meaning this year.

Patrick J. Lynch, leader of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said:

“Union jobs, civil service jobs have always been the ladder out of poverty for working people in this country. The faces may have changed. The countries they're coming from may have changed. But the ladder is the same.”

And that ladder is getting yanked away in state after state.

Lynch said remembering the struggle of Irish-Americans is “especially important this year when unionism is under attack across the country.”

John Kilbane, business manager of Laborers’ Local 310 in Cleveland, said:

“We have gained our place through labor activism and political activism all across the United States. The old adage goes, 'A rising tide floats every boat.’ If collective bargaining is attacked and collective bargaining rights are weakened, or lessened or obliterated, it certainly is the beginning of a race to the bottom economically, not only for union people, but for those who are not fortunate enough to be represented by a union.”

Ohio State Rep. John Carney said a lot of people unloaded on him at a St. Patrick’s Day parade last weekend, about Ohio’s union-crippling legislation:

“If I had taken a straw vote, I would have said that it was overwhelmingly 'no' based on the people along the parade route, that's for sure.”

Peter and John Vaughan are third-generation members of the iron-workers’ union. Peter Vaughan said:

“We built this city. Labor has been good for the people, the masses. We're not going back to the old ways.”

And there’s always the exception that proves the rule. Two of the ringleaders of Wisconsin’s Destroy All Unions legislation are Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. Let’s see, a black person who’s white on the inside is an Oreo; an Indian who’s white on the inside is an Apple. I’m sure the Irish have some colorful names for Irish-In-Name-Only assholes like the Fitzgerald brothers.

Wisconsin Union-Crippling Vote is All About the 2012 Election

You already knew that of course. But this time it’s not just a bunch of liberal tinfoil-hatters saying it. This time it’s straight out of the Koch-cum-infested mouth of Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

On Fox News, the Koch Whore said:

“If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you’re going to find is President Obama is going to have a much difficult, much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin.”

Any questions?

For now, Wisconsin is locked in a He Said She Said argument over whether the union-crippling vote violated Wisconsin’s open meetings law. Democrats say the open meetings law was violated; Republicans say it wasn’t. Maybe the new law will be tied up in the courts for awhile.

Hopefully a few Wisconsin Republicans will have been recalled by the time the issue is settled.

And here’s one for the books: a lobbying firm, BGR Group, will be holding a fundraiser for Wisconsin’s Corporate Republicans. They need a fundraiser? What’s next, an emergency relief drive for Wall Street CEOs? Donating a slingshot to Goliath?

The Death of Unions in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s sleazebucket governor and corporate-owned state senate have just used their Nuclear Option. They found a way to delete union workers’ collective bargaining rights even without any State Senate Democrats present — and now it’s a done deal.

There have been rumors that Wisconsin Republicans might use this exact gimmick, but most people assumed they wouldn’t go through with it because of the resulting firestorm.

The state senate needs a quorum in order to pass any legislation having to do with the budget. But by turning the crippling of unions into a separate bill, unrelated to spending or the budget, they were able to vote even with no Democrats present.

Before the vote, Democratic Sen. Bob Jauch said if Republicans “choose to ram this bill through in this fashion, it will be to their political peril. They're changing the rules. They will inflame a very frustrated public.”

Bring on the flames.

Governor Scott Walker responded. It was hard to understand him because of David Koch’s cum dribbling out of his mouth, but it sounded something like:

“I applaud the Legislature's action today to stand up to the status quo and take a step in the right direction to balance the budget and reform government.”

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said:

“In 30 minutes, 18 state Senators undid 50 years of civil rights in Wisconsin. Their disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten. Tonight, 18 Senate Republicans conspired to take government away from the people. Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government.”

Earlier today, Wisconsin’s State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald was whimpering about the looming recall vote against Wisconsin Republicans, basically saying “it’s not faaaiir.”

Give that little shitbird something to cry about.