In his Sunday column, fiction writer David Yepsen said, "Democrats have no mandate to do it [improve public employee collective bargaining laws]. When Iowa voters gave them control of both houses of the Legislature and the governorship in 2006, they were voting for better jobs, health care and education, not more power for unions."
If collective bargaining leads to better jobs (i.e., wages and benefits, working conditions) and health care, excuse me, but DY, didn't you just sunk your own battleship? You just said Iowans want these things and, frankly, unions seem to help Iowans to get them.
When the free market doesn't do the right thing, binding arbitration is a useful tool. David Yepsen seems to forget who keept little kids from working in meat packing plants, that the weekend is a 20th century innovation (Thanks unions!). Those of us who are not in unions do not dismiss the need for them.
As for whether Governor Culver vetos this bill, let him wrestle with his own conscience on whether he is doing what is right for Iowans.
No comments:
Post a Comment