The Bulletin
08/07/2008
It seems that Democratic Montco Commissioner Joe Hoeffel has plans to organize Montgomery County employees, and is doing so with the support of Commissioner Chairman Republican Jim Matthews. This should come as no surprise, since Mr. Hoeffel was successful in his effort to unionize county employees when he was commissioner in the late 1990s.
(If I am correct, shouldn't supervisors, bosses, i.e. the commissioners keep out of the affairs d'employees as far as organizing is concerned? The courts have said that a supervisor cannot interfere in the forming/organizing of unions, but, does that encompass interference from both sides of the table?-someone versed in occupational law help me here!)
After several years being represented by AFSCME, however, the county employees voted to scrap the union. Republican Commissioner (then District Attorney) Bruce Castor was opposed to the union as not being in the best interests of the county's employees, and remains opposed.
Mr. Hoeffel's activities put Mr. Matthews in a tight spot since Mr. Matthews previously opposed unionization, but he now depends on Mr. Hoeffel's vote to remain commissioners' chairman.
If Mr. Matthews refuses to support Mr. Hoeffel in any major initiative, he runs the risk that he will lose Mr. Hoeffel's support and thus be unable to remain chairman.
One wonders when Mr. Hoeffel will require something of Mr. Matthews that he is unwilling to provide. Or if there is anything Mr. Matthews will not agree to in order to remain on Mr. Hoeffel's good side now that he has burned his bridges with Mr. Castor.
It looks like the ball is in King James' court right now...does "the Turd" side with the democrat and say effyou to good government or does he do the right thing by the taxpayers of Montgomery County and not support the union.
I guess we'll have to wait and see if James Rex has flip-flopped his position on the unionization of county employees and thus finally gone completely over to the dark side.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Unionizing Montco Government?
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3 comments:
Is anyone giving odds on whether King James will act for good government over his own self interest? I say it's got to be at least 3:1 against.
100% chance he acts in his self-interest. King James has never done anything else, why should that change now?
Bruce Castor has been consistent in opposing government unions for all the right and obvious reasons. Unfortunately, other Republicans in MontCo, have been financed and supported by unions. Coercive unionism can only lead to bigger, less responsive government and higher property taxes. Municipal unions benefit from bigger government and use their growing political strength to grow government, not the economy.
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