Posted on 07/25/2004 8:37:05 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO - As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly learned to use his office's bully pulpit to get his way.
But last month, as he sought $300 million in concessions from the state's prison guards, the governor's megaphone mysteriously went silent.
Lawmakers and others who follow corrections issues suggest that Schwarzenegger may have believed he was on the verge of securing an overall budget deal and was focused on quickly putting the prison piece of the puzzle into place. He saw it merely as another budget issue, not in the context of trimming the power of the guards union or reforming prisons.
``I think they cut such a bad deal because they were in such a rush to get a deal done by June 30. He was still under the belief that he could get a budget on time,'' said Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo.
On June 30, Schwarzenegger wound up agreeing to just $108 million in salary concessions from the guards' union in exchange for a series of controversial side deals.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Are the unions privatized? Are the guards state employees? If they are, I now what I would do.
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