July 30, 2009
Nailing Off the Coffin but Quick
If the mob of seven wins its lawsuit, it's lights out for Rhode Island:
Rhode Island's public employee labor unions are mobilizing to file a class-action lawsuit against the state to block pension changes the legislature adopted in June to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.The executive committee of Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, officially voted last week to file a lawsuit, according to President J. Michael Downey. And Council 94 has been joined by a coalition of other unions representing 26,000 public school teachers and state workers affected by new pension rules, which among other things, establish a minimum "target" retirement age of 62.
"All the public employees unions are in," said Marcia Reback, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals. "We had a meeting of all the lawyers who represent the public employees ... Now we're in the process of selecting our lead attorney."
The coalition of at least seven labor unions expects to file suit by "the early fall," according to National Education Association executive director Robert A. Walsh.
This against pension changes that didn't come close to sufficient in the first place. What's the state-level equivalent of canceling sports and not buying any supplies or textbooks? Whatever it is, the headline after a union victory should read, "Leave Now."
>What's the state-level equivalent of canceling sports and not buying any supplies or textbooks?
They've already been doing some of it, for years now.
Skipping infrastructure maintenance (e.g., precipitating the premature replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge; weight limits on other bridges and of course the ubiquitous craters in our road surfaces) ...
Not adequately funding, on an ongoing basis, pension liabilities and OPEB (Other Post Retirement Benefits) such as retiree health care. Wwe've come full circle on that one, haven't we? ...
Burning through the tobacco money, and now stimulus money, rather than enacting critical structural reforms ...
Underfunding local education aid.
My, my - that water gurgling up around our ankles here on the RI-tanic sure feels chilly!
Posted by: Tom W at July 30, 2009 10:01 AMShouldn't you be supporting this "mob's" 1st Amendment right to petition the government? Maybe you got the abridged version of the Heritage Foundation marketing material, eh?
Posted by: Russ at July 31, 2009 2:37 PMI wasn't aware that anybody was threatening the mob's First Amendment right to petition the government. The fact that they have that right means neither that they are correct nor that their victory is to the social good.
Posted by: Justin Katz at July 31, 2009 4:20 PMRuss, don't bother trying to get Justin to keep his message consistent.
Posted by: Pat Crowley at July 31, 2009 7:37 PM