Interview Alert: 69 Senators Vote to Cripple State Budgets
69 Senators Vote to Cripple State Budgets
Forced Collective Bargaining Bill Passes Cloture; State Fiscal Crisis Looming
Washington, DC – Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) condemned the recent Senate cloture vote to proceed to consider HR 980, the so-called “Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007.” This bill will mandate that states engage in forced bargaining with public-safety unions. A push that AWF executive director Brian Johnson says will result in state budget bankruptcies and the forced reduction of volunteer firefighter programs.
“Collective bargaining is nothing more than a vehicle used by the union-bosses to hold state budgets hostage. And worst of all, it is now being forced upon the states by an overbearing federal government pandering to union contributors. As evident from the recent bankruptcy filling by Vallejo, CA because they could not afford the public safety union workers salaries which made up 74 percent of the city budget – everyone loses” says Johnson.
Those who voted to proceed to consider a bill that will cripple state budgets are:
Akaka (D-HI) Chambliss (R-GA) Gregg (R-NH) Leahy (D-VT) Nelson (D-NE) Stabenow (D-MI)
Baucus (D-MT) Clinton (D-NY) Hagel (R-NE) Levin (D-MI) Obama (D-IL) Stevens (R-AK)
Bayh (D-IN) Coleman (R-MN) Harkin (D-IA) Lieberman (ID-CT) Pryor (D-AR) Sununu (R-NH)
Biden (D-DE) Collins (R-ME) Hatch (R-UT) Lincoln (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Tester (D-MT)
Bingaman (D-NM) Conrad (D-ND) Inouye (D-HI) Martinez (R-FL) Reid (D-NV) Thune (R-SD)
Boxer (D-CA) Dodd (D-CT) Johnson (D-SD) McCaskill (D-MO) Rockefeller (D-WV) Voinovich (R-OH)
Brown (D-OH) Domenici (R-NM) Kennedy (D-MA) McConnell (R-KY) Salazar (D-CO) Webb (D-VA)
Byrd (D-WV) Dorgan (D-ND) Kerry (D-MA) Menendez (D-NJ) Sanders (I-VT) Whitehouse (D-RI)
Cantwell (D-WA) Durbin (D-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Murray (D-WA) Schumer (D-NY) Wyden (D-OR)
Cardin (D-MD) Feingold (D-WI) Kohl (D-WI) Mikulski (D-MD) Smith (R-OR)
Carper (D-DE) Feinstein (D-CA) Landrieu (D-LA) Murkowski (R-AK) Snowe (R-ME)
Casey (D-PA) Grassley (R-IA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Nelson (D-FL) Specter (R-PA)
National Press & Talk Radio Alert:
To schedule an interview with Brian Johnson, call 202-785-0266 or
email jkartch@atr.org
Alliance for Worker Freedom special project of Americans for Tax Reform dedicated to the protection of workers rights.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact John Kartch at (202) 785-0266 or at jkartch@atr.org.
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