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| Pictured above, Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency was hired to break the miner's union and strike |
The O'Rourke and Gov. Scott Walker Link: The Rights of Public Employees to Organize -
Breaking the Police Union
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Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.”
One of the areas where workers join to
form unions in El Paso has been in the public sector. For example, the
firefighters have a union, and this union represents the employees in
getting a contract with the City of El Paso.
On August 3, 2010, the El Paso
City Council “voted 6 to 2 to furlough police officers for up to
three days in the next fiscal year to make up for the shortfall in
the budget.” (see “Council votes to Furlough Police
http://www.ktsm.com/news/council-votes-to-furlough-police).
In the debate, the conversation focused
on the police academy. Then city council representative, Beto
O'Rourke commented on how he feared adding new police officers from
the academy because it would add “union members to the police
force.” (See Video Play of August 3, 2010 meeting of the El PasoCity Council).
It was at this meeting that O'Rourke
asked the City Attorney about the possibility of breaking the police
union: “What are the provision and opportunities for the voters of
El Paso to go back to some other form of representation.” (see Video Play)
The city attorney said El Paso is under a collective bargaining statute and that the voters would have to vote it out under state law.
O'Rourke then asked the City Attorney to “update him” on that issues. (see Video Play)
The city attorney said El Paso is under a collective bargaining statute and that the voters would have to vote it out under state law.
O'Rourke then asked the City Attorney to “update him” on that issues. (see Video Play)
It was just a simple
question but does not mean O'Rourke wanted to break the union, he was
just asking questions, right?
What happened next
opens up O'Rourke's stance on public employee's organizing. He let
his views be know about the right of employees to organize. O'Rourke
told KTSM Channel 9, "I
think the police union is out of control, and it makes me question
the need and wisdom of having a police union in El Paso.” (see
“Council votes to Furlough Police” above).
Ron
Martin, president of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers
Association, recently brought this up in his web message to member:
“I
didn’t try to remove 20 years of Collective Bargaining because you
now think it’s not fair for both sides, but when officers were
getting no pay raises you thought it was fair and brushed us off!”
(see PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
http://www.epmpoa.org/?zone=/unionactive/private_view_page.cfm&page=PRESIDENT20MESSAGE).
After
the union put out a satirical ad attacking spoofing the El Paso City
Council, “O'Rourke later told ABC-7, “"I think the police
union -- not the police force, and not the police officers -- but the
union is out of control," he said. (see Police Association's
Radio Ad Targets El Paso City Council,
http://www.kvia.com/news/24546381/detail.html
By ABC-7 Reporter Ken Molestina, POSTED:
10:18 pm MDT August 6, 2010, UPDATED:
3:09 am MDT August 7, 2010).
This
is a disturbing view. Sure the police force may have it issues,
including budget ones, but does that mean that the union should be
broken. The point is to negotiate, but some think employees should have have the right to negotiate.
Though
it seems long ago, many gave their lives for the right of workers to
unionize. Many employers, including government entities abuse workers,
then and still.
As
you know, almost every Republic president makes the decision that his administration will not negotiate with the unions that represent
government employees. This is not unlike O'Rourke's view. If I'm correct, the Democratic Party's platform always includes a stance supporting the right of workers, including public employees, to
organize.
The
recent ruckus in Wisconsin over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's
campaign to take away the right of public employees to organize is
not far from what O'Rourke's stance.
Why
question the “need and wisdom” of having a union. Having a union
-- as well as the right to organize -- is a universal human right.
Worker
rights are civil rights, except according to some politicians.
