No-New-Taxes Budget Annoys Unions

Gregoire just got hit with a second lawsuit over her proposed 2009 budget, which--unlawfully, according to the unions suing the governor--reneges on certain contracted pay raises for state employees and home-care workers. Gregoire's office has responded, saying the money simply isn't there to fulfill the terms of those contracts. Seattlest is a union girl (we have a fraction of Irish blood coursing through our veins, and some stubborn Midwest farmer blood in there too), but we have to wonder: what exactly are the two angry unions hoping to accomplish? A different budget allocating non-existent money? A token acknowledgment that though what's done is done, what's done was illegal? Good luck with that.

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By Katelyn in News on December 30, 2008 1:00 PM

Comments [rss]

Weazul

It's called a contract, governor says alright we'll give you 1.7% or something close (because at the time they thought they could afford it) to that raise and union agrees.

If you arranged a contract with a corporation, say for instance an apartment lease, and 8 months latter the economy tanks. You go to your apartment complex and say, "yo I'm outta money.. but so is everyone else so I shouldn't have to pay this month, that's just the way it is."

What do you think their response is gonna be? is the same situation, a contract to pay money.

the government isn't (read shouldn't be) above the law.

bigyaz

What she needs to do is negotiate with the unions. You can't get out of a contract by just saying, "Hey, sorry, I'm broke!" But you can usually work something out if both sides are reasonable. (And given that one alternative is more layoffs, it's in the union's interest to be reasonable.)

No union worth its salt is just going to roll over every time the employer says it can't afford the terms of the contract both sides agreed to.

Troy Morris

You can raise taxes all day long, but at a certain point, you can't get juice from a stone dressed like a turnip.

There isn't money. The government has to cut costs like everybody else. They should be lucky to HAVE jobs.

Jeremy

They want the governor to be responsible and raise taxes to, you know, pay the bills. It's actually the smart thing to do, she's just frightened it'll be political suicide.