Northeast Assembly Thread

[Purple State]

Just letting you guys know, if you have any questions for me on the budget, I'll be watching the discussion. You can also PM me.

[Purple State]

Just a quick thought: The current rules for this body make it difficult for emergency matters to be addressed. It does provide a certain amount of equity, in that everything gets its proper turn, but it also makes it difficult for you to respond to short-term events (as exemplified by taking up the current resolution long after the matter has ended).

Perhaps this is something to look into.

[Purple State]

Just a quick thought: The current rules for this body make it difficult for emergency matters to be addressed. It does provide a certain amount of equity, in that everything gets its proper turn, but it also makes it difficult for you to respond to short-term events (as exemplified by taking up the current resolution long after the matter has ended).

Perhaps this is something to look into.

I think that the mover, Rep Kalwejt, could withdraw the motion if he so desired.

Even if he did, it would take quite a while to get to legislation dealing with current issues. Just makes my job hard when you can't react to my reports in a timely fashion (not that most people react at all ).

[Purple State]

If you guys disagree with the bill (or just think it is worded poorly), might I advise offering amendments that essentially gut the legislation and use the bill's "shell" to address the issue of obesity (if you actually believe the government should address the issue)?

Seems foolish to waste this opportunity because the initial bill lacks syntax or is not thought out well enough. Just amend it.

[Purple State]

The bill is useless meaningless garbage holding up the queue and preventing real legislation from being discussed.

So gut it with an amendment.

You have a shell. Why waste the time to vote this down and bring up a new bill when you can remove the current language, put in language you do like and actually accomplish something with this?

Unless you don't believe the government should have anything to do with reducing the region's obesity rate, in which case voting this down as quickly as possible without amending it is the intelligent thing to do.

[Purple State]

The bill is useless meaningless garbage holding up the queue and preventing real legislation from being discussed.

So gut it with an amendment.

You have a shell. Why waste the time to vote this down and bring up a new bill when you can remove the current language, put in language you do like and actually accomplish something with this?

Unless you don't believe the government should have anything to do with reducing the region's obesity rate, in which case voting this down as quickly as possible without amending it is the intelligent thing to do.

Stop barging in. The Populares have work to do. We have to get these amendments on the damn ballot so we don't have to wait four months longer. This unnecessary and poorly-written trash needs to be tossed out so we can get some actual work done. Please, Speaker, let the Assembly focus on some much needed amendments before the opportunity is lost for four more months.

I thought this was the Northeast Assembly. What does the work of the Populares have anything to do with service to your citizens?

As the one that recommended that the Northeast take note of its obesity epidemic, I hardly consider it "barging in" for me to prompt this legislature to take the time to look at the issue. If you decide it's not something you believe government should do, that is fine. But to do away with it because you have more important things to do is a disservice to the people of this region.

[Purple State]

Just a GM-related point on the Senate amendment when it comes up: While I neither support nor oppose the amendment, please take into consideration the increased expenses of running another chamber. That should be reflected in some sort of budget adjustment.

If the cost of running a legislature is not already taken into consideration, it should be as well. Your offices don't furnish themselves ya know.

[Purple State]

Just a GM-related point on the Senate amendment when it comes up: While I neither support nor oppose the amendment, please take into consideration the increased expenses of running another chamber. That should be reflected in some sort of budget adjustment.

If the cost of running a legislature is not already taken into consideration, it should be as well. Your offices don't furnish themselves ya know.

The cost of a three-man legislature would be negligible. We could use the space freed up from limiting the size of the assembly if the budget is that tight.


But LOL at you pretending to be some impartial outsider commenting as a GM rather than a passive-aggressive partisan hack abusing your position in an attempt to undermine your political opposition.

Holding a non-partisan appointed position, I don't exactly have political opposition. Would you give it a rest? I'm not trying to be political every time I comment here. I have said similar things about government size to the Pacific as well, but since they are inactive nothing ever happens. I'm hoping this Assembly may be able to actually act.

Anyway, I haven't read the amendment, so I don't have an opinion on it. But I imagine that building a second chamber for the bicameral legislature, as well as staffing, supplies, security and other essentials will cost some amount of money. Something for the Assembly to consider since I will eventually be crunching the numbers for the regional budgets.

[Purple State]

Thank you and I yell the floor.

Only crazy people yell at the floor...

[Purple State]

Sorry to interrupt. I'm not sure whose responsibility this is, but your legislative Wiki hasn't been updated since the gas leasing legislation. Makes it harder for me to figure things out.

So I'll just ask, was anything ever done about the region's obesity rate?

[Purple State]

Sorry to interrupt. I'm not sure whose responsibility this is, but your legislative Wiki hasn't been updated since the gas leasing legislation. Makes it harder for me to figure things out.

So I'll just ask, was anything ever done about the region's obesity rate?

No.  Lt. Governor Smid voted against the Health Act, breaking a 4-4 tie.  Therefore, the bill failed under our rules.

It is the Lt. Governor's job to update the wiki.

Thank you for that. I'll go back to my lair now.

[Purple State]

For reference, here is my full report on the Free Highway Access Act of 2009. Not sure if it will be helpful, but good to have since it's all the way back on page 8 of the GM thread.

[Purple State]

Your region has a budget report out as well (and you are now the largest economy in Atlasia). It can be found here.

I know you all just passed a budget with numbers not reflected here, but this now takes into account the massive population growth in the region since the first budget report. It may be useful to have the new governor craft a budget based on these updated figures.

[Purple State]

Practical Labor Policy Act

The Northeast Government shall review and re-negotiate existing public employee contracts, benefits and pensions and work towards making more realistic and cost-effective contracts. The Northeast Government shall not enter into any contract that does not expire after a two-year period.

If a strike persists for one month, or if such a strike interferes with the ability of the Northeast Government to carry out its basic daily functions, the Northeast Government shall have the power to hire non-union replacements, either temporarily or permanently.


What do you guys think about this amendment?

Quick question, and this may spur the need for regions (all of them) to actually write labor laws, but...

Can't any employer, public or private, always hire permanent non-union replacements in the event of a strike? It seems like this is hamstringing your government, not helping it. Of course, no one in Atlasia has any formal labor laws, so I'm basing that off the grandfathered US laws.

[Purple State]

^^^

If that is the case then I don't want to make us have to wait a whole month.

I mean, it also matters whether it is a ULP (unfair labor practice) strike or an economic (hours, wages and other terms/conditions of employment) strike. These sorts of nuances really need a full-blown labor policy.

This Assembly has written some pretty hefty pieces of legislation on random things. This sort of thing seems one of those things that especially deserves an intricate and lengthy law.

[Purple State]

I likely have very different ideas about labor than many of you, so I will refrain from recommendations as to what policies you should implement. I would recommend, however, that you skim the US policies on labor, specifically the National Labor Relations Act and the amending Taft-Hartlet Act.

Also, a review of the Employee Free Choice Act and the arguments for/against should give you a pretty good idea of where to go.

Here are things a law would consist of:
Definition of who may unionize and who may not
Definition of the rights of all workers and the rights of all employers
Definition of unfair labor practices (by both the employer and the union)
Definition of what the punishments for ULPs are
Outlining how to unionize
Defining what topics unions and employers may bargain on, how they may bargain, what happens if they cannot agree, etc.
Strikes

That should give you plenty to chew on.

[Purple State]

Here are things a law would consist of:
Definition of who may unionize and who may not
Definition of the rights of all workers and the rights of all employers
Definition of unfair labor practices (by both the employer and the union)
Definition of what the punishments for ULPs are
Outlining how to unionize
Defining what topics unions and employers may bargain on, how they may bargain, what happens if they cannot agree, etc.
Strikes

Laws covering these areas would also be blatantly unconstitutional. They can't to much more than introduce USC's (which don't exist in the Northeast in real life, and maybe not in fantasyland). They have as much a right to undermine Unions as the Pacific does to restrict gun ownership...

I gather that the guy when stuck a constitutional protection for collective bargaining into the Constitution used a picture of a miner as his avatar on the forum where the Constitution was drawn up. Not sure where is his these days.

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, the Constitution is saying that anyone in Atlasia may join a union and bargain collectively. Public vs. private employment, assembly line vs. supervisor vs. management, etc. are all able to unionize?

Also, why can't a region define ULPs and how they are to be punished, the rights of workers, outlining a process to unionize?

[Purple State]

Realpolitik full well knows how close that vote was at the CC, and I know that almost didn't sign the Constitution as a result (along with the right to bear arms, which was corrected later, as I suspected it would be).  It wasn't "slipped in".  I abstained from approving at the Regional level precisely because of it.

That being said, the simple fact is that, in my view, that amendment basically sends most attempts to regulate unionization out the window.

The problem is that "unionization" is a pretty meaningless term without a law defining what it is and how it occurs. If it is impossible for anyone to define unionization, unfair labor practices, rights of employees and employers, and subjects of bargaining, isn't the result anarchy?

[Purple State]

Richard Stern from the UNEPSE neither understands the Practical Labor Policy Act nor the plight of ordinary hard-working private sector Atlasians who are having hard times making ends meet.

The bill calls for contract renegotiations.  It does not mandate them.   Current contracts will be honored until their terms expire.  Any strike would be a breach of current union contracts - and this Assembly will take whatever action is necessary to stop any illegal UNEPSE strike. 

Nor does the bill MANDATE any penalty for strikes.  Instead, the Northeast will be asking that future public employee union contracts PROVIDE FOR a penalty for strikes in upcoming contract negotiations.  That requirement is waiveable if the Assembly and governor agrees.

What this bill does is set minimum standards for the upcoming contract renegotiations.

Richard Stern doesn't get it.  There are millions of unemployed Northeasterners who would LOVE to have a government job right now.  There are millions of Northeasterners who are struggling to make ends meet.  The Northeast Government can no longer afford to lavish public employees with salaries and benefits that are far in excess of what's available to Northeasterners in the private sector. 

Just for the record, "shall" implies mandating an action.

[Purple State]

And just letting you all know, for full disclosure, I will be acting as the "voice" of the union.

I hope that's okay with you all. I will try to be as honest and unbiased as possible in the portrayal of the situation.

[Purple State]

Richard Stern can go pound sand.  I have no problem with 1, but will not be bullied by union thugs into amending laws. 

If his workers go on an illegal strike, we should just fire them all and replace them.   It's not like there aren't enough unemployed workers in the Northeast who would love to have a job right now.  They have a contract - and should live up to it.

I'm not sure if you really believe that the Northeast government can find enough replacement workers fast enough. *shrug*

[Purple State]

Now please, see if you can irk out some kind of compromise on the Union demands.  I have provided for their first grievance, and now it's up to you for the rest, no matter what you decide to do.  I am up for anything that would make life less painful for everyone.  Marokai, even if we may disagree, I thank you for your input.

On this note, the union has agreed (the governor was informed late last night) that a strike will be unnecessary so long as negotiations make progress and are conducted in good faith by all sides.

As GM, I should make clear that this is a negotiation, not a list of demands. The point is to share ideas, talk and provide offers/counter-offers until a deal is struck. While rhetoric may be nice, it doesn't solve the issue.

[Purple State]

6 million public employees are now on strike. The lights in the Assembly chamber have been turned off.

[Purple State]

6 million public employees are now on strike. The lights in the Assembly chamber have been turned off.

I think I know how to flip a switch and turn lights on.  We'll have to decide what to do about this illegal strike.  Probably sue for an injunction to get the union back to work.

Whatever works for you.

[Purple State]

By the way, what should we be doing about the strike?

Just a note:

I will be on a bus for the most part of tomorrow and will be away for a holiday from Monday night to Wednesday night. As such, I'm going to just declare those worker "holidays" where there is no strike, but no work either.

Basically, an eventual tally of impact will not include the days that I could not further the story line. Just want to make sure that my absence does not negatively affect your region.