Opinion
Kumar discovers sensible politics
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Also by Robert Phansalkar:
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- Seat on high court should be based on merit (April 1, 2008)
- Put foot down on Florida, Michigan (March 11, 2008)
- Voting day switch misses needed fix (February 19, 2008)
- Don't snuff out state smoking ban (February 5, 2008)
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Madisonians have a habit of making a big deal out of just about every political issue, but every once in a while, we get it right and push for an issue that actually matters to everyday people and isn't just a pie-in-the-sky political ploy.
Dane County Supervisor Ashok Kumar — yeah, UW's Ashok Kumar — is planning to put a resolution before the board to allow workers to freely unionize without coercion from malicious employers who simply refuse to recognize unions. The resolution might sound familiar to a few of you who monitor the U.S. House of Representatives' docket, and that is because Mr. Kumar's resolution is based on the recently passed Employee's Free Choice Act (EFCA). The act is currently under deliberation in the U.S. Senate and is ultimately expected not to pass, possibly by presidential veto.
Should EFCA fail as expected, it means that workers who seek to unionize when a majority of employees want to collectively bargain will continue to face the risk of losing their status or recognition as a union because employers can reject their union status.
To do so, employers reveal themselves to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections, in which workers vote for their status as a union. These elections, however, leave workers subject to a variety of circumstances that could ultimately affect the outcome of the vote, including, but not limited to, the number of employees who show up for such an election and actually vote in it.
As the results are limited to those who participate in the elections, they prove to be an unreliable measure of the employees' actual interest in unions, as employers often rely on propaganda to defeat union pushes, necessitating a push in another direction for change.
The Employees Free Choice Act proposes allowing employees to attempt to formulate a union via the NLRB through a certification process requiring a majority of workers to sign a union authorization form, as opposed to the NLRB election.
When this requirement is met, employers will be forced to deal with the newly NLRB-certified collective bargaining unit and recognize the right of workers to assemble and unionize for their benefit.
As EFCA is expected to fail, Kumar's resolution hopes to capitalize on the momentum of this act and serves a great benefit to the people of Dane County, who, without this resolution, would be left with little protection from employers who choose to ignore the majority of their workers' demands.
Kumar has high hopes for the resolution and said in a press release, "I hope this resolution sends a strong signal to our senators in the federal government that workers' rights remain a priority in the heartland."
While Kumar may be wishfully thinking that such action will be the catalyst of change for the Senate, his resolution serves a purpose in that it works on the local level for people who it truly affects.
Working on this level ensures that, barring conflicts of law with greater legislative bodies, the people who Kumar and other Dane County Board supervisors represent will be protected by legislation that escapes the federal level simply because of immature posturing and politicking. When such partisanship dominates the discussion, common-sense ideas, such as allowing people to exercise their rights to assemble and voice their opinions, are defeated.
The local level promises more opportunity for the people to be connected with the democracy they want, as those affected by this resolution live in the same neighborhoods and apartment buildings as the people proposing it.
Our democracy is served best through these local leaders, such as Kumar, who take the initiative to push for resolutions such as this, instead of pushing for resolutions that barely affect the lives of the people with whom they are intimately acquainted.
Praise is due to Kumar, who has taken this chance to support Madison and Dane County citizens, rather than proposing resolutions that violate this principle of necessity and common sense.
Robert Phansalkar (rphansalkar@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in languages and cultures of Asia and political science.
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Is this an editorial, or a friend of Kumar’s spitting off a press release? Why don’t you talk about Ashok Kumar’s abysmal attendance record, literally failed policy agenda, and indifference to student issues? Do you honestly think any student is going to understand the complexities of NLRB-certified collective bargaining units? No. And you knew that, because this was not an editorial piece but propaganda.
He still won’t have a seat in a year.
Well this certainly answers the question, Ashok where you at! Back at the Dane County Board, forgetting students!
“ashok kumar’s abysmal attendance record, literally failed policy agenda, and indifference to student issues”…hahaha …I think this load of crap is written by the same person that posts crap about kumar as soon as the paper comes out online (at around 2:30AM) nearly everyday. Dude, I don’t think you will win an election against kumar next year if your strategy is limited to bullshit posted on badger herald feedback walls.
8 TO 10 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW IS EXPECTED BY EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW SHOULD FALL FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS WEDNESDAY. EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH MAY CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AS WELL.
Look what Ashok did now … idiot!
Just so everyone knows, this isn’t Ashok promoting some local policy. This is supporting a national Congressional policy and the resolution will not change that.
I’ll bet Ashok made all these posts. Even this one.
Wait, wait?
Between 2:07 - 2:50 a lonely little loser is sitting in his room between rounds of Warcraft and masturbation is posting things about an enemy who doesn’t know him….ASHOK! … then he goes to bed.
I think we’re forgetting what’s important here: only COMMUNISTS support unions!
“These elections, however, leave workers subject to a variety of circumstances that could ultimately affect the outcome of the vote, including, but not limited to, the number of employees who show up for such an election and actually vote in it.”
You mean like the kind of elections used in actual national, state and local elections for the govenrnment and stuff? With secret ballots and all?
You want to switch to a system of un-secret cards so that the union bully-boys can make sure that everybody has their mind made up for them?
OMG! check the times on all that ashok hate, between 2:07-2:50. This is crazy, one person can go on making baseless accusations against someone. Just stop it Steven.
dear 2:50 am,
thanks for the clarification. i got way too bored reading the column to figure that out on my own, and i thought for a second there i was going to have to agree with kumar.
but as long as it’s a meaningless resolution, i can still think he’s a tool.
Kumar is by far the best county board representative students have had in recent history. Keep it up, Ashok!
Yeah lets support a workers form of a “Mob.” If you dont like the wages or benefits being paid to you, then dont work there!!! its thats simple. But instead Ahole Kumar wants all employees to be under a union which forces employers to pay higher wages. I know more benefits to workers sounds great, but the drawbacks are huge. The more the company has to pay for the mob, i mean union workers, then the more the consumer pays, which is us. Im all for more benefits but unions are for those that have jobs that any monkey could learn, yet they feel like they deserve more than what they should. Ahole Kumar is pathetic for trying promote this. Thank God Bush is going to veto this crap.
to 10:39 … I love how you changed “ashok” to “ahole” that’s super clever. Hey how about more racist people try and figure out enough ways to distort and bastardize kumar’s name? Let’s do it, it’ll be super fun. Me second…How about this one… “Yo Kumar, where’s herald” bwhahahahaha….who is next?
Sorry fascists the resolution places a firm commitment by the county board to pass local policy that enforces the EFCA. What that means for all you pos(t)-ers who are really stupid …if this passes, 90% chance a companion ordinance will follow it within…ummmm… a month or so…making it the law in Dane County. Sorry neoliberals…but that’s why its called a ‘process’.
Man, I had a feeling he made it snow. Fucking, Ashok.
11:11AM, you’re lying. That’s not the case. That is a politically cute way of hiding the irrelevent nature of the resolution. It is one person (or maybe a faction) on the board calling for something. Nothing more.
Why is Eli Lewein against the Employee Free Choice Act?
10:39—
After NAFTA and shifts to China, is anything really cheaper? NO. The savings are not returned to the consumer, but to the executives and shareholders. Thus non-union wages are no longer high enough to buy basic things. Considering 11% of the workforce is union, and that many working-class people hold two jobs just to survive, explain to me how we really benefit.
Just look at 1975-1985 in Chile. After Pinochet started neoliberal reforms and repressed unions, prices shot up 2000% while wages halved.
Ashok’s resolution does a little of both. It both does kind of nothing by only “calling” for action, but it does indicate the need for something local. Without a specific policy document on how to accomplish this, it’s toothless. The writer of this editorial must not be too hard to impress.
Dammit Ashok, make the sun shine. I’m pissed my feet are wet and it’t all your fault. At least you could make sure my streets were shoveled - no wait - that is Verveer’s job.
King Austin, quit posting it all up in here, it’s getting stuffy.
Phansalkar, do a lil’ research next time before you wade into the paddies.
Just because their last names are Phansalkar and Kumar doesn’t mean they are friends, 2:07 a.m.
By your logic, every Smith and Jones must be co-conspirators putting out “propoganda” too.
Or … Kumar and the author know each other personally. Have the same major. Are involved in the same organizations (ACLU)…
i bet this guy posts half of the shit that blasts him to get publicity for himself, like nobody knows who is is anyway.
ashok, why do you like killing children by not letting the streets be plowed?
Ashok Kumar: you are an embarassment to liberals everywhere. You’re a self-absorbed little twrip and people are starting to hear about the horror stories.