Tuna Delight

The governor's pension proposal guarantees that State retirees will receive a pension cut every year.

Limiting the pension C.O.L.A. to 2% guarantees nearly a 2% cut every year. Inflation has averaged over 3% yearly since 1929. The only exceptions are the last two years, but don’t forget Bush took the cost of many foods and fuel out of the figure. I know my gas hasn’t gone up this year, how about you?

Maine's Governor, former Mardens employee Paul LePage’s proposal to destroy the "full faith and trust of the State of Maine" by stealing  employees benefits and future income earned over decades of service, while attempting to rule as a CEO not a governor shows his contempt for collective bargaining rights. While he said State employees will be making more next year, he forgot to mention that he intends to take back all of the pay returned by the ending of furlough days by gutting benefits without negotiation --so far not as bad as some governors who want to strip employees of even the right to collective bargaining. LePage's attack is still the most vicious and ill thought out plan by any governor since the beginning of collective bargaining.

This attack as angered labor, but more importantly is the fact that his methodology, rule by order has outraged even the legislature. The growing buzz is that not only Democrats but also Republicans are angry that LePage has not talked to them, has taken no interest in the concerns of their constituents, Republican legislators face reelection in two years. An election that is certain to raise the number of Democratic voters.  

In meetings across Maine unions are calling on members and allies to join together, meet their legislators, and fight against pension cuts, and the destruction of our environment in the name of jobs. The recently announced budget is not a model of austerity; it is a listing of theft from pensioners, employees, the sick, and the children of Maine all to shift the tax dollars to private corporations.

Republicans remain unsure and are growing dissatisfied with the new Governor's attitude towards the legislature also. A senior GOP state Senator saying in confidence that the Governor has to learn that there are THREE co-equal branches of government.

Governor LePage's budget reading more like a memo from the CEO, is a thinly disguised plan to gut the pension system, and destroy the pensions of all future retirees is so bad he is using it as a club to force early retirements this year. "If you don't want to live under what I am going to do to you, you better get out by the end of the year". The plan rather than save money will cause older higher paid employees to stay on for years during which they would have been replaced by newer, lower paid employees.

Another proof of the nature of this attack is that while the governor says this will be a temporary situation, that we can fix this, his attack on retirees is intended to be permanent.

After complaining that State Employees were over paid, and then complaining that he could not hire commissioners because the pay was too low, he now proposes to freeze all raises for at least two years and six years for retirees. Funny how supposedly ex-Correction Corp employees found commissioner of correction jobs in several states to be just fine.

This is not an attempt to deal with the budget, as it is a plan to bloody Unions for the benefit of corporate cronies.

By blaming State Employees and attacking their pensions, he avoids making tough decisions that might require critical thinking. For decades, Maine has respected the right of workers to bargain for wages, benefits, and retirement security. The governor wrong to blame public employees and teachers for the budget problems, he is using a false excuse to reach into their retirement years, cut their current pay and benefits while handing tax breaks to corporations and handing the bill to the State cops and the plow truck drivers.

If LePage succeeds in his strategy the legislature can just go home, he will be ruling by executive order. If he gets his way this will only be the first bite at the apple, there are billions in the pension fund and make no mistake, if he can grab it all and hand it to the likes of the Correction Corp. of America to outsource prisons, he will. His commissioner of corrections, a so called former employee of CCA might think it is a good idea too. .

The claim in Maine, in Wisconsin, and nationally, is that things are so bad that public employees must take a hit, but never the corporations, the banks, or the richest Americans..

The hit Walker hatched ignores the harm these cuts will bring to Maine. By creating further economic instability among our retirees, by guaranteeing as they get older their incomes will steadily drop, not even stay even he is ignoring economic science in the name of a political pay back agenda.

This is just an opening salvo on workers’ rights in Maine, next comes not the Department of Labor, but the Department of Employers, the right to work legislation proposed is a step in that direction. Maine cannot be "open for business" unless business can hire the best employees. Industries cannot hire the best employees. Once the State is known for hostile employee relations, employees will not want to move here.  

Despite concerns by even some conservatives, LePage is trying to ram through a Majority budget requiring only Republican support. The word is that the Republicans don't want to take all the blame for this as they know it will revitalize tens of thousands of retirees and employees with one goal; Elect Democrats. There will be some changes, as the legislature is not taking well to being treated like an at will employee in a right to work State.

The governor not only hates State employees, he fears their knowledge. They know where the waste is, and he fears those dirty secrets becoming known. That is part of the reason his budget that does not reach out to engage State Employees, does not offer to  discuss any concessions that State Employees may be willing to offer, the governor is wasting the knowledge and the resources of those that know State Government best and have the most motivation to help find a solution.

By ignoring over 60 years of honest bargaining in Maine, he willingly ignores every State retiree, and all current public employees, State cops, teachers, nurses, plow truck drivers and bridge repair, and nurses and food safety inspectors. These are our friends and neighbors; these are Mainers, they are not the problem, but they can be part of the solution.

 

A governor who seeks to rob steal the future from the retired, those who honestly earned their security, who placed their trust in Maine, is not acting as a "fiscal conservative." He is acting as a dictator.

For more information about the CCA, the many, many law suits, accusations, and huge profits you can read more at the California Correctional Peace Officers Association site.

Don’t miss this if you want to know where your tax dollars are headed when 600 out of state prisoners are housed in Milo.

The county pays CCA $53 per day per inmate. CCA figures that it needs 560 inmates to break even; on Tuesday, there were about 530 inmates.

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