Posted on 08/05/2010 11:23:26 AM PDT by GOP_Raider
One of the most polarizing figures in Idaho history is marking a triumph that changed the workplace and solidified the Republican hold on Idaho.
Gary Glenn, now 52, was the baby-faced but ruthless leader of the long campaign to make Idaho the 21st of 22 states to outlaw "union shops," where workers are obligated to pay dues as a condition of employment.
After the passage of Right to Work in 1985 over the veto of Democratic Gov. John Evans, voters affirmed the change 54 percent to 46 percent. The subsequent emasculation of a key component of the Democratic base has changed politics forever.
"It was a big victory for the Republican Party and a big defeat for the Democrats," said Roger Madsen, a former GOP state senator who leads the Idaho Department of Labor. Madsen will join his boss, Gov. Butch Otter, and others Thursday night at a banquet organized by Glenn at the DoubleTree Riverside in Garden City.
The political culture has changed so much that the current Democratic nominee for governor, Keith Allred, declines to take a stand on an issue that was once a Democratic litmus test.
(Excerpt) Read more at idahostatesman.com ...
1-When grandpa was in the operating engineers union back in the day, that union supposedly had a Republican's meeting every month and that according to him, the union's are only corrupt and Democrat fundraising arms "back East".
2-He also insists that when he was still in the construction industry 25 years ago, laborers, operators, etc. were making somewhere in the neighborhood of $25/hr and after it was passed, wages went down to $8/hr.
So any of you who were older than I was at the time (I was 4 when the law was passed), your insight would be greatly appreciated.
If unions want to show that they are worth the dues paid, then perhaps they should do it like any other business seeking payment does, offer a product or service worth buying.
The opening paragraph begins with a term that is soon headed for total meaninglessness, along with others that the liberals have used to death.
“Polarizing figure.” Like it’s wrong to be polarized, to have at least two philosophies that remain true to their principles.
I think we should be polarized. Of course, the liberal implication in using the term is that we should all be united, but only on the liberal point of view. So, any dissent or opposing philosophy becomes polarization.
Polarization is evidence of true diversity. People have a choice to allow themselves to polarize on issues or not. The more the better.
Celebrate diversity. Support polarization.
A fairly insidious manner of dealing with Unions would be to take away their ability to draw dues directly out of worker’s paychecks. Instead, make the Unions collect dues themselves. Turn ‘em into a collection agency.
Union membership, and dues paying, would plummet.
Funny you mention this. From what I've read, the very first thing any union that infects a workplace does is insist that automatic dues collection is part of any labor contract. This process, known as "check off," is the top priority for every union, as it is literally their lifeline.
I have worked with Gary Glenn, and I can tell you that he is one of the brightest, most dynamic, and capable grassroots organizers in America today. He is the best — pure and simple, no one else even close.
Had Americans for Limited Government put him in charge of its state political operations instead of the out-of-control drunk they handed it over to (the guy who single-handled destroyed the Hoffman campaign in NY23 among about a dozen others), ALG would now have the top campaign groups in every contested state and district in the country.
America needs Gary Glenn!!!
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