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Looks like Lingle got her way regardless of the legislative veto override.
Starting July 1 all state employees including University of Hawaii,Department of Education and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation will either have a furlough of 3 days a month for the next "2 years"....or their departments budget cut an equivilant amount. That's a 36 day a year furlough...which means about a $5,000 cut in the average full time employees yearly salary!
It was either that or cut up to 10,000 state jobs.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...1/90601065
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the legislative leaders said after lingle's news conference that they already addressed the shortfalls in their budget, so they basically said lingle was lying when she said she had no choice, they said this was a ploy by lingle to try and lower wages and have the unions make concessions, if true she is in deep crap, oh by the way why wasn't duke standing behind her? lol
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It’s about time a politician has the guts to stand up to these unions.
I’ve already taken a 20% pay cut since January 1st and I don’t have a problem with that as long as we stay in business. As time passes and the field staff work Davis Bacon projects they are guaranteed two pay increases a year no matter what the downfall of the economy is, that’s part of that union mentality.
Moreover, look at the effect the UAW has had on American made cars.
How come Honda, Toyota and other non union manufactures can do well?
It’s simple they don’t have the union burden the American manufactures do.
Idle a plant and get paid 85% of your wages for 4 years, you gotta’’ be kidding.
Idle my company and it’s off to the soup line.
I watched construction come to a stop in the mid 70’s in NYC because the unions had a strangle hold on the developers.
I know the furlough is going to hurt a lot of people including my neighbor but you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do to stay a float.
Cut wages not jobs!
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it cost when it’s free...now here come the taxes.....
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Now it looks like the state employee unions might go to court against the governor to fight the state employee furloughs. Which means a potentially long drawn out court battle and the possibility that the governor might then go to option 2 (lay off up to 10,000 employees). And the governor doesn't need union agreement for terminations.
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/2009060...brews.html
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Lets be fair:
First, The UAW is not the cause of GM's demise or current predicament. It was the economy that caused the problem. Had the fiscal/housing crisis not occurred, GM would be as profitable as it was before with the same union labor contract. GM was making millions in profits even with the labor contract so obviously the labor contract wasn't an issue for GM before the current fiscal meltdown. And remember GM agreed to all the terms and conditions in the contract. If they didn't think they would make money following it, they wouldn't have agreed. But they knew that they would be making money and they were making money until the current situation collapse many industries.
Second, Toyota is not making money. They are in the red for something like $28 billion. Only a massive subsidy from the Japanese’s government is keeping it afloat. So yeah it looks good on paper and to they are good to investors, but if the government decides to pull funding, Toyota will be standing next to GM.
Third, comparing a government employee labor union to a trades union like UAW is unfair. Laws allow a government entity to change the terms of a labor contract in an emergency so long as the government follows the requirements of the contract during that emergency. If Governor Lingle followed the conditions of the contract and law in furloughing state employees, the union's case won't go anywhere. But, if the Governor made up the rules and ignored both the law and the contract, the union will prevail.
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quote:
Originally posted by Bob Orts
Lets be fair:
First, The UAW is not the cause of GM's demise or current predicament. It was the economy that caused the problem. Had the fiscal/housing crisis not occurred, GM would be as profitable as it was before with the same union labor contract. GM was making millions in profits even with the labor contract so obviously the labor contract wasn't an issue for GM before the current fiscal meltdown. And remember GM agreed to all the terms and conditions in the contract. If they didn't think they would make money following it, they wouldn't have agreed. But they knew that they would be making money and they were making money until the current situation collapse many industries.
Second, Toyota is not making money. They are in the red for something like $28 billion. Only a massive subsidy from the Japanese’s government is keeping it afloat. So yeah it looks good on paper and to they are good to investors, but if the government decides to pull funding, Toyota will be standing next to GM.
Third, comparing a government employee labor union to a trades union like UAW is unfair. Laws allow a government entity to change the terms of a labor contract in an emergency so long as the government follows the requirements of the contract during that emergency. If Governor Lingle followed the conditions of the contract and law in furloughing state employees, the union's case won't go anywhere. But, if the Governor made up the rules and ignored both the law and the contract, the union will prevail.
Lets be fair and get rid of the UAW:
The United Auto Worker’s greed have held the manufacturers and the consumers hostage. The current American auto industry business model is a failure, and to allow it to follow this path and pump billions of dollars into a model that will continue to fail is insanity. I have concluded that I would rather see GM, Ford, and Chrysler die this year than watch the death rattle drag on into the next decade at the taxpayers’ expense.
In the mid 80’s I had a good friend that worked on the racking crew at a GM plant in metro NY.
Closed in the late 80’s because it was too expensive to operate. The racking crew installed the equipment that made up the assembly line. These were the only workers that really had a trade; he called the rest of the workers “screw turners”. He made $58/hour in 1983, and he drove a vett. He would laugh out loud that he never worked a job, did so little and got paid so much.
The mismanagement of car companies force huge odds in making profits. The fact the UAW prices its labor and benefits at extreme rates forces the price of these cars higher and higher each year.
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it cost when it’s free...now here come the taxes.....
I'd be curious how many folks on Punaweb would cop to admitting that they did vote for Lingle? I can be honest and say that I did as I was stoked about the possibility of having a "female haole governor".
She opened the doors for a lot of young ladies in these islands believe it or not.
Who would have thought a Female Haole would be the governor of Hawaii 20 years ago?
Some respect needs to be given... although I don't like what she's done since taking office.
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I voted for Linda Lingle, too. In the current economy, she says she doesn't have an alternative to the fuloughs to balance the State budget, a constitutional requirement. Could it be done without the full amount of furloughs she proposes? Probably, but hefty tax increases would be required, and Hawaii already has one of the highest state tax burdens. My own theory is that she is posturing to set up a negotiating stance and would probably take less when it's all said and done.
As much as I don't want to see more families' economic situation deteriorate, it is highly unrealistic for state employees to expect no sacrifices when so many in the private sector have had lay-offs, wage cuts, or hours cuts. Furloughs (instead of lay-offs) at least keep people on the payroll with benefits until things get better. Of course some people think we could get by with 10-15% fewer state employees anyway, but that's another topic.
Cheers,
Jerry
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Perhaps not THE cause, but a major role player.
I'd be curious to see a listing of contract terms, especially regarding pay and benefits, since unionization of the auto industry.
Any of our proficient researchers want to provide?
quote:
Originally posted by Bob Orts
Lets be fair:
First, The UAW is not the cause of GM's demise or current predicament. ....
David
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I voted for her also, and given the legislature in power, she hasn't done that poorly.
While, I'd hate to see friends and neighbors hurt economically, I'm even more opposed to this philosophy the state and county workers (and their programs) are held out as untouchable - just make everyone else pay more. IMHO, any new program or program increase less than 5 years old should be automatically on the chopping block. Seems like whenever government adds something new, it's automatically treated like we can't get along without it - forever.
David
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