The Legislature’s passage of bills raising and indexing legislator pay starting next year prompted one of my Twitter friends to wag, “So collective bargaining does work!”
That line got a good laugh from Patrick Lalley yesterday, in light of all the anti-collective bargaining sentiment among many of the Republicans who voted for their own pay raise. Of 16 Republican Senators who voted for House Bill 1199 to ban university employees from negotiating together for better pay, only one, Sen. Neal Tapio of Watertown, voted against better legislator pay.
But let’s take a picky moment and point out the imperfection of the analogy between collective bargaining for university faculty pay and legislator pay. In collective bargaining, labor as a group meets with management, and they actually negotiate. The Legislature was going to do that, kind of, with House Joint Resolution 1001, which would have put labor’s—i.e., the Legislature’s—request for a raise to a vote of management—i.e., us! But then the Legislature decided to cut management out of the picture. They nixed HJR 1001 and the public vote and decided to raise pay themselves.
Boy—my professor friends wish they had “collective bargaining” power like that!
Both the House and the Senate have passed identical bills raising and indexing legislator pay. The House passed Senate Bill 214 on Monday; the Senate o.k.’ed House Bill 1311 yesterday. Both bills were passed in different versions in each chamber, so the two chambers will have to decide which bill to conference and advance to the Governor’s desk. Governor Dennis Daugaard has said since December that he supports the proposal to raise and index legislator pay to one-fifth of median household income.
Maybe it’s time our teachers to follow the example set by their compatriots in West Virginia.
West Virginia is a powerful example of how legislatures cannot legislatively silence the voices of the people. West Virginia (like SD) has made it illegal for teachers to strike. West Virginia (as SD seems to be moving toward) has eliminated collective bargaining for teachers. It is a lesson that those in power cannot succeed through eliminating the voice of others.
To Buckobear’s point, I think it might be more our public/state employees that may soon find a collective voice to speak out for how they are treated in this state. Ask that group how being remanded to silence has affected their well-being.
Oklahoma and Arizona teachers are ready to strike as well. http://newsok.com/union-sets-date-for-teacher-strike-if-raises-not-approved/article/5585990 West Virginia showed the way, come on South Dakota, show your chops. With West Virginia’s new pay raise, where does that put you on the list of lowest paid in the country. Daugaard has the loot, Liz May showed him where to get it.
The teachers definitely deserve the pay !
What is missing is the voice of the people who are paying for that raise, the poor. Medicaid is going to be raided to pay for the raises.
This is why social programs never lift people out of poverty , Government keeps raiding them. In addition Government just created more anti union sentiment. Last night people who knew that the money was coming from medicaid already were on twitter railing against unions.
This is how Trumpism is born-
We need to raise wages but we also need to hold Government accountable for where that money comes from.
O, is West Virginia’s strike ban as explicit as South Dakota’s (SDCL 3-18-10)? How did WV teachers get around it? Could they still face legal repercussions?
Oklahoma just told the state legislature that they want a raise by April 1, or they are gonna shut’r down! http://ktul.com/news/local/state-teachers-union-to-hold-teletown-hall-after-releasing-demands-for-lawmakers This is not only about teachers, this is the same that just happened in West Virginia, this is about all state workers and agency’s. Big stuff once again. South Dakota, don’t be the bottom of the list for how state workers and teachers are paid. They are showing you a roadmap, take a long hard look at it.