University of Wisconsin-La Crosse faculty members Thursday approved forming a union, despite the prospect that state action soon could take away any collective bargaining rights gained from the move.

The faculty voted 249-37 to organize as part of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. The 286 ballots cast represented an 87 percent turnout.

The two-day vote would have been canceled had the state Legislature passed Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, which

calls for repealing collective bargaining rights that Wisconsin faculty and staff gained only two years ago.

UW-L faculty members said they weren't daunted by the threat of losing bargaining powers.

"I think it's galvanized the faculty to maybe push back a little bit," said Darlene Lake, an associate professor of modern languages.

"I think we're much better off with a union than without it, particularly if the bill passes," history professor Deborah Buffton said.

Michael Abler, an associate professor of biology and an AFT-Wisconsin representative who has worked for years to gain bargaining rights, said the state battle "helped crystallize" the issue on campus.

"Unions aren't just about collective bargaining," said Susan

Crutchfield, an associate professor and chairwoman of the English department. "Unions can make a lot of waves, because they're organized."

La Crosse becomes the third UW faculty to unionize, after UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior.

"I think it's very healthy that our faculty are expressing their preferences regarding collective bargaining," said UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow, who Thursday was en route to Madison for a UW Board of Regents meeting. "It's difficult at the present time to know what will happen, so we'll all need to keep an eye on developments in the Legislature."


http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/state-and-regional/article_456cd18c-40a0-11e0-89f3-001cc4c03286.html

I thought that was an interesting turn which shows how supportive the general population is of the Tea Publicans and Walker policies!

The general population did not vote...

Just those that are employed at that university.

"For the first time in American history, a majority of union members are government workers rather than private-sector employees, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday.

In its annual report on union membership, the bureau undercut the longstanding notion that union members are overwhelmingly blue-collar factory workers. It found that membership fell so fast in the private sector in 2009 that the 7.9 million unionized public-sector workers easily outnumbered those in the private sector, where labor’s ranks shrank to 7.4 million, from 8.2 million in 2008. "

Unions are actually a small percentage of the voting public...

roughly 12%...

Lots of noise and smoke but not that big a percentage of the American lifestyle as the 'noise' would indicate.

Real noise will be in 2012 when more 'cut' and 'balance' politicians get into office.

Want a hanky?

This post is a lot of smoke and noise. Along with a lot of wishful thinking.

Who cares about the labor department statistics?
The article above shows a dwindling support of Tea Publican radical policies, as well as an increase in Union membership because of them.

Labor’s ranks shrank to 7.4 million, from 8.2 million in 2008 mainly because of the economy. (ie. plant closings and layoffs)

Most Americans know the economic condition of this country today are a direct result of Republican policies and most know the Tea Parties policies are no more than a radical version of these policies.

You really can't expect to give tax-cuts to the richest Americans and then strip more rights and income from the middle class to be taken as sound economic policy. Nor can you expect Americans to buy into these policies and take them lying down. (example Wis.)

The Tea Party is a failed attempt at corporations furthering their interests and you can't seriously expect their interests to create more jobs here in America.
Their interests lie in outsourcing American jobs to obtain cheap labor, with less worker rights, and fewer environmental laws.

Most Americans are seeing through the Tea Party BS, and most Tea Publicans are beginning to see that they were duped by the rhetoric.

Of course there will always be that few who fail to distinguish between the rhetoric and reality.
For these few I will cry a tear of sadness.
Can I have that hanky now?

Actually Fanta... You continue with your fantasy...

Most americans see through the propaganda...

the Union numbers I posted earlier are for 2009... they lost another HUGE bunch of people in 2010.

as November 2011 union numbers (in the private sector) were below 7% of working population...

However in the public sector... Yeah there the unions did increase... They increased their numbers in the past 2 years, they increased the 'slice' of taxes they get in the last 2 years, they increased their benefits in the last 2 years...

and Americans are sick of being ripped off...

by a group that represents but a small 6.9% of the entire working population of the US...

but gets paid the equivanent of between 31% and 80% of the available tax base.

Oh My.. 300 teachers.. what a rebuke!!!!

I'll have to write this down..

The day 300 teachers changed the asskicking the liberals took in November 2010..

I am certain now that obama will win 99% of the vote and the libs will take the house 435-0 and will win every seat in the Senate that is being contested..

Thanks for the "wake UP" call..

You're welcome!