Hey, it's California's version of military Keynesianism! On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 3:26 PM, raghu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The California prison guards union is in the news again, this time > threatening to recall the Governator. That might be a worthy cause but their > stated reasons for this are typically parochial: > > http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D932POD00.htm > -------------------------------------snip > > The union also criticized Schwarzenegger for not exempting its members from > an executive order intended to reduce pay for tens of thousands of state > employees to deal with the state's budget crisis. > > Mike Jimenez, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers > Association, said the governor should have allowed overtime pay for prison > guards during the budget crisis. Many guards increase their salaries > significantly with overtime. > > This is the same union that has in the past aligned itself with the > for-profit prison companies in lobbying for senseless laws like the > California 3-Strikes Law ("The Prison Guards Employment Assurance Act") > because it is in the selfish short-term interests of its members. Even those > with radical ideas who are naturally inclined to support working-class > organizations find this union's politics quite repulsive. > > http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/centers/scjc/workingpapers/BCarassco-wp4_06.pdf > http://igs.berkeley.edu/library/htCaliforniaPrisonUnion.htm > -------------------------------------snip > > The California Prison system is the third largest penal system in the > country, costing $5.7 billion dollars a year and housing over 161,000 > inmates. Since 1980 the number of California prisons has tripled and the > number of inmates has jumped significantly. In the past few years > controversies involving prison expansion, sky-rocketing costs, and claims of > mismanagement and inmate abuse have put the California prison system under > heightened public scrutiny. > > The California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) is the > California prison guards' union. In recent years the CCPOA has become a > major player in California politics. Its political influence has grown to > the point that it is widely considered to be one of the most powerful > political forces in Sacramento. Its lobbying efforts and campaign > contributions have greatly facilitated the passage of legislation favorable > to union members. > > The CCPOA takes the position that correctional personnel perform a vital > public service that puts them under great danger and stress, and therefore > makes no apologies for its aggressive promotion of member interests and its > high-profile role in California correctional policy. CCPOA's critics argue > that the union has become too powerful in California politics, that it has > used its power to unfair advantage, and that it has been an impediment to > constructive debate and openness about the state of California prisons. > > -raghu. > > -- > Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you! > > > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > >
-- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
