May become a reality. Brought to you by the Teapublicans.

http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2014/01/grothman-finds-new-group-to-insult.html

Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Grothman Hates That You Have Weekends
Once again, State Senator Glenn Grothman, the asocial Teapublican from West Bend, has put his foot into it.

In his latest escapade of Grothmann has joined forces with State Representative Mark Born to announce that they don't think you need a day off of work and plan to outlaw weekends:

Wisconsin manufacturing and retail workers could volunteer to work seven days straight without a day off under a bill two Republican lawmakers are circulating on behalf of the state’s largest business group.

The bill promises to ratchet up tensions between the GOP and Democrats and their organized labor allies, who are still stinging after Republicans passed Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to strip most public workers of nearly all their union rights in 2011.

The measure’s authors, Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend and Rep. Mark Born of Beaver Dam, say the bill brings Wisconsin in line with federal law, gives workers a way to make extra money and employers a way to boost production. But Democrats and labor leaders insisted bosses would use the bill to force their employees to work longer and effectively erase the weekend.

“Even God said rest on the seventh day,” said David Reardon, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 662, a union that represents about 10,000 workers across various industries in west-central and east-central Wisconsin, including manufacturing, transportation, government and food service.

“I would hate to see that Republican bill pass. Some employers would really take advantage of that,” Reardon said.

Current Wisconsin law requires employers who own or operate factories or stores to give workers at least 24 consecutive hours off every seven days.

Under Grothman and Born’s proposal, workers could volunteer to work seven straight days without a rest day.

Ah, but it gets even better as their rationale for such a heinous bill falls apart and it becomes obvious that their only reason is that it is what their corporate masters wish:

In an email to lawmakers seeking support for the bill, Born and Grothman said they had heard from businesses with employees who want to work the additional time. But when asked for names, Born said the only people he met with to discuss the bill were from WMC.

“We should have worded that differently,” Born said. Grothman said he has talked to a business but declined to name it.

WMC spokesman Jim Pugh didn’t return messages.

Born said the bill gives workers a chance to make some extra dollars and their bosses a means to increase production.

“Here’s an opportunity for folks to work together to get things done in a positive way for the employer and the employee,” Born said. “It just seems like a win all the way around.”

But opponents warned the only choice employees will have is work the extra hours or lose their jobs. The measure also would give workers who can work the extra day an advantage over workers who want to spend a day with their family, they said.

Now, if they were really interested in allowing the employees to earn more money, they would jump on board with the Democrats' proposal to raise the minimum wage in the state (although what they are proposing still isn't high enough, it's a start). Imagine, being able to make more money and still get to spend time with your family - what an unique concept!

And if the employers want to increase productivity, they could do it the old fashioned way - by hiring more workers. Yes, I do realize that would mean actual job creation instead of the lip service version that the Teapublicans are spewing now.

It is rather telling that such simple solutions to the problems facing the state is still beyond the grasp of these corporate puppets.

Of course, like most of these stories goes, the money quote comes at the end of the article:

Grothman dismissed their concerns, saying he’s never heard of any business where pressuring employees to work extra hours has been a problem. He, too, insisted the bill would help workers make extra cash.

“It’s ridiculous when people want to work extra hours why Democrats would stand in the way of that,” he said. “I don’t know why some people want some people to remain poor.”

It's rather mind-boggling in its hypocrisy, isn't it?

It's not surprising though, that Grothman hasn't heard of any businesses trying to screw their workers. Heck, he hasn't even heard of any African Americans that celebrate Kwanzaa either.

So much bullcrap, I don't even want to step in it. Good grief.

Meanwhile, Christie wants a longer school day and longer school year for kids.

Brilliant! Keep the peons and their kids slaving away and they won't notice how they are screwing them over. They think crime is bad now..........

Current Wisconsin law requires employers who own or operate factories or stores to give workers at least 24 consecutive hours off every seven days.

I bet we don't have that law. I am betting the Macy's employees over Christmas did not have 24 consecutive hours off.

I am not terribly against a longer school year or school day. I think there is a mandatory 180 school days. I think we can bump that up. Kids would have something to do so they aren't on the street killing each other. (Atlantic City just had a very senseless murder of a 13 yo by a 14 yo). There are subjects like dance and the arts that actually engage kids and make them love school. The jocks could chose some of the different sports outside of their own. They could have semesters trying Rowing or Lacrosse. My Trans Math kids hated the academic subjects, but were very jazzed by Dance. Build the after-school programs into the school programs and pay the teachers well.

I do agree with this, but don't hold your breath:

Build the after-school programs into the school programs and pay the teachers well.

i think middle America should push for a 36 hour workweek. ;]

New teachers make $50K in NJ. The first year is horrendous. Tons of work, but then they are working 180 days. I think that they've have to hire more auxillary teachers actually.

The hospital does a lot of three twelves so they use a 36 hour work week. They insure anyone over 24 hours. The nurses like to put their 3 twelves together and have eight days off in a row.

i know a nurse out here that does precisely the same thing.

Lengthening the school year comes with unintended consequences. One would impact your tourism industry. Amusement parks, boardwalk food stands, lifeguards,all use teens. Family owned beach businesses use the entire family to keep the shop going. If your kids go back to school before other jurisdictions you will have to find other kids to work. Maryland has a problem with this and imports young workers from a few Eastern European countries yet the Ocean City businesses try every year to get the legislature to prohibit schools from opening before Labor day. Virginia does have a law prohibiting schools from opening before Labor Day.

It can also impact athletes from attending the highest level tournaments and college camps, many of which are scheduled in June before coaching staffs go off to vacations or to run residential camps. If you are looking for a sports scholarship or even to make the team at some schools, you have to show up for those ID camps.

Also for the teachers, even if school is in session only 180 days most public school teachers work an additional 10-20 days- they usually have two to five days at each end of the school year as well as having to work those inservice days during the year when the kids get the day off for teacher training.

Even though most kids are not as over scheduled as mine is, she barely has enough time to do her homework as it is. Last weekend she had to go to cheer practice after school on Friday, cheer at the basketball game Friday night, cheerleading competition on Saturday, and dance recital that was her final exam for her phys ed class Saturday night. All were school sponsored activities. That left her five hours of homework for Sunday.

Most NJ lifeguards are 18 and beyond. You can apply between the ages of 16 to 35 and then you go to 80 hours of training. I'm guessing the 16 year olds are per diem.

Our kids generally don't go back to school until after Labor Day and they are in school until late June.

Most of the Ocean City, NJ waitresses already have Eastern European accents. High school kids are ride attendants and work in the food stands on the boardwalk. I don't see that changing with Christie's (or my plan).

My plan would have Cheering as a class with classroom credit and part of the school curricula. I went to my students' Dance Recital final, too. It's part of the dance curricula. I'd have the plays and pit band be part of the curricula, too.

Football practice started Aug 10. Cannot legally start earlier.

I just think that with the above proposed 7 day work week and extended school hours/days, we'll end up with people who are more stressed than they already are.

An example is the story today of the man who shot and killed someone in a Florida movie theater because the person was texting.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/man-shot-de ... -1.1638226

People are at a breaking point already. Job loss, poor economy.. Added job or school hours and we may see more crime like that.

Children need time to BE children since "change comes 'round soon enough to make us women and men"

This was a 71 yo retired police captain who shot a 43 yo man for texting in a Florida movie theatre. I don't think you can blame school or work stress for that.

I am mostly angry about the 13 yo who was shot and killed by the 14 yo in Atlantic City. It was after school a little before 3Pm in the afternoon. I think some of this gang, punk stuff could be prevented if they had positive influences and not just being a kid out there in a voide.

That cursing 2 yo in Omaha whose family tormented him and the cops put it on youtube? He and his mother (age 17) will live with a foster family but without tons of help I fear he will go down the danger path, too. I think it's hard out there being a kid if no one's got your back.

He may be retired from the police department, but he could still be working. These days that is the rule and not the exception for many seniors. OTOH, maybe his wife is working long hours to supplement his retirement funds. We don't know his stressors.

I just used him as an example of a stressed person, nothing more. It doesn't take much these days for people to snap.

As for the kids, I think that there are more kids who have someone to "get their backs", than there are who don't.

I personally don't care what his stressors were. He shot a guy in a movie theatre. 71 year old retired police captain carried a gun into a theatre, and he shot a guy because he was texting to his three year old's daycare. The shooter's been retired since 1993. (20 years!!!!!) There is NO excuse for that. NONE.

All people have stressors. This guy's did not appear to be his work schedule.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/usandworld ... 54521.html

From the article Kathy linked to:

"The alleged victim attacked him," Escobar said, adding that Oulson threw something, possibly popcorn, at Reeves. "At that point in time he has every right to defend himself."

The judge said that throwing "an unknown object does not equal taking out a gun" and shooting someone.



It's not an "alleged victim" you moron-the guy is DEAD he IS a victim!
And nobody needs a friggin' GUN to "defend themselves" from popcorn!
I also saw somewhere else that the theater wasn't even close to being full. Was it impossible for Mr. Quick Draw to move to another seat if he was so irritated?

We had a movie theatre incident once. It was a decade ago and up in Cherry Hill. I have no memory at all of what we were seeing. Jeff and I were in the back of the theatre and Jason, Jon and Turner were seated up front. Jeff and I waited in the hall for them and some jerk was screaming at Turner and wanted to fight him for kicking his seat. I told him that Turner was a 16 year old idiot and he is sorry for kicking your seat but there is no fighting on my watch. Jeff tried to shhhh! me, but that's how it played. I told Turner walking out that he was an idiot and don't kick people's seats or aggravate people. What the heck!

Can you image if we'd run into Reeve? We'd all be dead.

Our movie theaters employ lots of teens. They are just not going to tell anyone to do anything. Even the managers are pretty young. The property owner should prohibit guns on their property- then they might be less afraid to ask someone to be polite to those around them.

Here's an idea, modeled on the North Carolina right to carry law- You can prohibit guns in your establishment as long as you have a sign outside. Businesses are reluctant to put the signs up, because they fear they will lose business. Well, what if everyone who is sick of being surrounded by trigger happy knuckleheads decided to ONLY frequent businesses that prohibit firearms...
We could have sensible gun policies that come from consumers, not the government. Obama isn't coming for your guns- leave them at home.

That's a school board issue. They define the class size maximums for their districts.