MASON CITY – On January 4th at 1:30 PM, AFSCME Member and Construction Technician Daryl Erickson will speak out on Governor Branstad’s double standard for political appointees and middle class state employees at a press conference at the Mason City Public Library (225 2nd St Southeast, Mason City, IA). He will join his AFSCME brothers and sisters in speaking out at six simultaneous press conferences across Iowa.
On January 5th, public employees will begin working with Governor Branstad to determine how effectively we can continue keeping our neighborhoods safe, healthy and strong. Unfortunately, Governor Branstad has chosen to vilify and attack public employees in order to score political points.
When Iowa was in the depths of the recession, state employees stepped up and made big sacrifices in pay and benefits to save jobs and assist our state. Today, the state has surplus and reserves of well over a billion dollars partly because of sacrifices made by state employees. Governor Branstad is using the surplus to reward his friends and cronies rather than investing in Iowa’s neighborhoods. He is using the surplus to pay massive bonuses to his Department Directors, pay corporations as much as $648,000 in tax incentives per permanent job created, and propose huge tax breaks for major corporations all while demanding major concessions by middle class state employees.
AFSCME will speak to how we are ready to work with the governor in the coming days, but will not stand for a double standard that puts the governor’s cronies and friends ahead of Iowa’s middle class and our communities.
In Iowa, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) represents 40,000 public employees including law enforcement and correctional officers, home health care and child care providers, firefighters, mental health workers, professional school staff, emergency responders, and many other workers. AFSCME represents 20,000 state employees covered by AFSCME’s contract with the State of Iowa.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
WHAT: AFSCME to speak out on Governor Branstad’s double standard for his political appointees and middle class state employees.
WHO: AFSCME Member and Construction Technician Daryl Erickson
WHERE: Mason City Public Library Classroom
225 2nd St Southeast
Mason City, IA 50401
WHEN: 1:30 PM
Citizen, maybe you should stop being so jealous of people who have made something of their lives and attained a good paying job with benefits and go educate yourself so you can do the same. All the time you have spent on the computer hating people who are obviously better educated than you could have been spent in a night class “trying” to make something of yourself. I’m sure the taxes generated from your job wouldn’t cover the cost of a band-aid. If you think Branstad is going to cut you a check from all this tax money collected from union workers you are fool!! Now, go crack a book or something!!
Wow, some peoples comment. Goverment should make it a law for every citizen to pass an ignrance test before voting. Hobby Lobby, good marketing ploy. You won’t make your profit off me. If I were to show my support for you , I would voice my opinion and write my elected officials. I fail to see how spending my money in your store supports you in any way outside your increase in profits. How much do you expect to gain off this issue? I support the United States of America, do you? How much of your retail is american made? How many adults over the age of 30 think this is a womens issue? This is a man and women issue regardless of which sex takes the pill. It takes a male and female to impregnant the women. Every male should use a condom if he dosent want a child or the responsibility. Some religions don’t belive in Drs. Or medicines. Here’s a tip for all business owners, adopt that religous belief and you’ll save money. Then encourage the public that spending money in your store shows who they support. Again Hobby Lobby good marketing.I think the Americain Public will buy into it.
@ a citizen, January 4th 9:33 pm. I see how you are, just because I don’t agree with you, it’s not a meaningful dialogue. So your saying that my comments aren’t meaningful, even though they are true. I’ll make a suggestion, just bite your lip when I make truthful comments you don’t like, and don’t comment on them, and I won’t comment on yours. Oh, one more thing, this article is not about your fathers sayings, it’s about Government spending and public employees, lets keep to the subject.
@Allen – This article will be about anything I want it to be about.
You people still don’t understand the problem. A business furnishes a product or service and reaps a profit from it. Any wages/benefits come from these profits. To increase either of those, the business must raise its prices and still try to remain competitive. Public sector doesn’t work like this. They don’t have to worry about raising prices because they have nothing to sell or offer. When they want more, govt just raises taxes. So it’s really not just the public sectors greed that is the problem, it’s govt allowing unions to dictate the terms and not feeling it necessary to negotiate. Again, they just raise the taxes. Taxpayers are getting tired of it. And with govt spending so out of control, politicians had better start listening to those taxpayers.
I could be wrong, but I thought that unions did negotiate contracts with employers. All tax increases are not because of union wages. All public employees are not payed with tax money, some work in departments that are self funded. When the city wanted to upgrade the waste water treatment plant to the tune of 8 million+, where do you think that money came from, union wage increases? What about the two new overpasses, the streetscape and central park refurbishing etc. It’s not all public employee wages. I’m going to make a guess and say that maybe 25-30% of the cities budget is wages. Also don’t forget that the non union employees (city hall workers, all department heads, etc) get a raise whenever a union contract is approved by city council. Look around this great town, and you will see many things that have raised your taxes besides public employee wages.
The public sector does have something to offer, and that is a service. That service works around the clock 24/7, it doesn’t quit at 5:00 or on Friday. It’s out at midnight plowing the streets, removing a tree from power lines in the middle of the night.
I am through trying to have a meaningful dialogue with you. You are obviously so brain washed with unions that you feel they walk on water and raise the dead. My father had a saying, “None are so blind as those that won’t see.” Tunnel visioned people see no more than the limits of what they want to see, because if they went beyond they might be forced to see the reality of their own ignorance. Wallow in it. Revel in it. Because, like Crystal Sugar, the truth might soon set us free.
I can’t believe all the jealous people in this area-it is sickening! If you want a state job then apply for one. Must be a reason you haven’t applied or they haven’t hired you. Your taxes will continue to go up regardless. Let these employees have a couple perks-most don’t make much of a wage for the jobs they do each day. Many put their lives on the line and provide a solid service. I’m not a state worker, wish I was but I don’t hate on other’s who might have a few benefits that I wish I had. If the so called leaders want to take away from the middle class-they will give it back to the upper class so tax payors are out either way. Don’t kid yourselves.
@ MC Resident-this is what happens when Obama started his class warfare. It worked for him and now the people who do not make as much as the state workers think it will work for them. As I said, it is unsustainable the way it is. The benefits were set up years agon under different rules. Times have changed and the unions refuse to change with them. It is happening all over the country. Our government has almost spent itself into bankruptsy and the spending must stop. States are hurting and will continue to hurt until they get the over spending under control. It is a fact whether Happy Guy wants to admit it or not.
@LVS, I agree with you, the government needs to stop spending. But the amount that the government spends on public employees is a drop in the bucket compared to other things that it spends money on, like 3 million plus, vacations. The government needs to start cutting at the top of the money pits, and then work it’s way down. It would be really hard for me to give up any of my $15.00 an hour and benefits when I read that those at the top get million dollar bonuses just for showing up.
@Allen-can’t argue with your statements at all. We need to reduce spending at all levels but really need to target the “waste” and stupid areas. They are easy to find if we just look. Look at what the Senate tacked onto the Sandy Relief Bill. They should back track to each one of the crooks that did that and impeach them as enemy’s of the country.
First off, this article concerns public employees, their benefits, and their union. People are not anti-union per se. The main issue is that the people paying the taxes which are used to pay the public employees wages and benefits are getting less pay and benefits then the public employees themselves. As I said before, all that taxpayers ask is that public employees get in line with mainstream working Americans. By this I mean wages, insurance, retirement, vacation days, and I am sure there are other issues I am not aware of. I am not anti-union, just pro equal.
Why should public employees, some union, some not, give up what the unions have fought for since unions began, better wages, better working conditions, and benefits. Why don’t the mainstream working Americans try and make their lives better by asking of their employers the things that the public employees have. Or maybe the mainstream workers could better themselves by looking for a better paying job. Just because your first job only pays $1.25 hr. doesn’t mean you have to stay at that job the rest of your life. There is no job out there that is the “ideal” job. But if you are satisfied where your at in the job market, don’t complain about people that have more then you.
you make a good point. where is your buisness? Id like to apply. I only require $25 per hour, full benifits of course. And a month vacation to start. My health isnt the best so I assume your insurance will cover me when I change jobs. please reply with your address and phone number. thanks so much
@Allen – Mainstream workers can’t keep asking their employers for more because the employers can’t keep raising their prices all the time to accomodate the wants of the employees. And I will agree that govt’s (local, state, federal) are all responsible for public sector benefits because when the union wanted more, the govt’s just raised taxes. Those times are ending. People want the govt to be more accountable. We are tired of paying money out just to have it given away. Govt’s should take a stand and tell the employees that “this is the offer, take it or leave it it”, and if the workers decide not to take it, well, there are a lot of people out there looking for work.
Allen you are so right. For some reason if you are a union worker making good wages and benifits the person not doing as well wants to drag you down to their level instead of striving to climb to the union workers level. I have been mistified by this line of thinking for years. If more people would organize they would be able to share some of the multi-millions that the upper management makes.
I’m not calling LVS out but didn’t you post about not wanting SS cut (as I did too)? What is the difference between keeping SS the same and honoring state contracts made with union workers?
@Happy Guy-I wasn’t really part of this discussion. I just agreed withA Citizen on a couple of points, but if you want my opinion there is no comparing a union contract with S.S. they are not even remotely the same I really don’t know why you would bring it up. I never said a word about voiding anyones contract. I do not believe what they are asking for is sustainable. When you have government workers getting so many more benefits that the people who are footing the bill you must expect the people doing the pying to get a little upset and that is what is happening. If you want to see a real example look at what is happening in Greece and Spain.
Why don’t the private sector people demand to get in line with what the public workers have instead? That’s the problem. Seems like they are pitting people who have it alittle better against those who make a few bucks less. And by “they” I mean the people who pulls the strings. Upper 2%
since 1978 CEO’s salaries have increased an average of 725%. The people that work for them wages have increased 5.7%. This is do in large part to the demonization of unions. As unions lost power the workers wages fell. Over the last 35 years the US workforce has been brainwashed to despise unions and now they seemed to be blamed for the shrinking working middle class. The upper management of companies must be laughing all the way to the bank. Every benifit that anyone working for a wage has now is due to unions.
I couldn’t agree with you more. The only people making money is ceo’s. They even get a bonus when the company is failing. People can not keep blaming the worker for the failure of the leaders. I don’t think Unions are perfect but without them we will all be working more and making less with no benefits.
Both you and happyguy hit the nail on the head. If they would get rid of the Unions and hire people for minimum wage. Do you honestly think that your taxes will be reduced? Hell no they won’t be!!! They will just piss it away on something else. That’s a fact.
Public employees are guaranteed pension outcomes. Those charged with making good on those guarantees do not receive the same. This is a classic lose-lose scenario for starters.
Public employees need to work till retirement age as do private sector employees and rely upon defined contribution plans – not defined benefit.
When the unions are gone, you ALL, will be making minimum wage. Look around, do you really think that any company is going to pay YOU top dollar, when they can put it in their pocket. When the unions are gone there will only be two classes, the richer, and the poor.
I think the union and state employees are more then willing to work with the state but when you have govenor branstad double dipping from IPERS and getting a state salary its kind of hard to a reason for the low wage worker to give anything up. The elected officials need to give up their free health care before they start asking working people to pay more. Hopefully this will help people realize what a puke we have for govenor in this state and make changes when the time comes.
No one likes to give up something they have,and that summarizes the public employees union. But times have changed, and now is the era for compromise. Public employees are not irreplaceable. And no amount of doomsday scare tactics are going to work. The union at Crystal Sugar tried that. Foretelling of accidents, injuries, bad product, late deliveries. There may have been some, but within a short while, it was business as usual. All we taxpayers ask is that public employees get in line with mainstream working Americans. And just because it’s tax money does not mean it’s free money.
@A Citizen-Very well put.
Show me where the unions have destroyed our economy maybe people should cut up ther credit cards and live within there means. We will not sacrifice our wages and benefits that we have fought for over a houndred years because some people think we are destroying everything so get over the whole union thing…
Unions ruined business in america im just glad we have the chamber of commerce to stand up to them. Keeping wages low will bring a lot more manufacturing jobs here just wait and see.
States all over the copuntry have realized that they just can’t afford this crap anymore and are doing something about it. Iowa is just now starting to wake up and the unions don’t like it. They can easily be replaced.
Ridiculous benefits are gonna do to Iowa what they did and are doing to auto manufactures, any federal government (dis)organization, bankrupt states like Calif, the whole northeast and now the rest of the country. Way to go Iowa, soon you’ll have nothing to draw any business or jobs to your state. The whole state/country suffers for a few(in comparison). Wake up, it doesn’t work anymore!!