For those of you who were inclined to believe that my recurring virulent criticisms of The New Hampshire State Liquor Commission were the words of a disgruntled employee, please note:
Last Thursday the NH State Employees Association filed two unfair labor complaints against the liquor commission alleging the commission has illegally cut pay and benefits for part time workers, and harassed the union representatives trying to represent them.
After announcing the complaints, union officials picketed outside liquor commission headquarters.
The commission employs 1200 part time workers, with a ratio of part timers to full timers of 6 to 1. Earlier this year the liquor commission arbitrarily declared the part timers as not public employees, and therefore have none of the rights legally afforded to the state's 10,000 public employees. The union alleges that this decision is in violation of personnel rules and state law.
The union alleges that the commission has harassed union reps who work in the stores by relocating them to stores that require long commutes and by making it hard for certain employees to return to work after being out on sick leave and by delaying payment of supplemental sick leave pay to employees who exhausted their regular sick time.
The union has been negotiating with the commission for four months on these issues to no avail so they felt they had no recourse but to file the unfair labor complaints.
Bear in mind that the liquor commission was just investigated by a legislative study commission for a laundry list of alleged violations and mismanagement.
In addition, Law Warehouses Inc. has filed a right-to-know petition against the liquor commission alleging the agency improperly negotiated with a competitor. The company recently lost a 20 year liquor warehouse contract that could put 80 jobs in jeopardy.
Where there is smoke there is fire, baby.
As employers, The New Hampshire State Liquor Commission are the lowest of the low. Cretinous, scurrilous dogs all. But they are by no means unique.
A Right To Work law was just signed by the governor of Michigan. The law is exactly the opposite of what it is titled. That's how republicans work. They cannot deal in straight ahead truth so they try to dupe people into believing they are working for them when they are not. The law is designed to destroy unions and strip workers of the protection of collective bargaining rights.
The governor of Michigan says the law will increase employment in Michigan based on results in other states because businesses want to do business in that environment. What he doesn't tell you is the reason business like that climate is because they can exploit employees mercilessly
The New Hampshire State Liquor Commission is the perfect example of that. Creating fantasy labor classifications so they can strip workers of their rights and their dignity and eliminate any possibility of improving their lives financially. Using intimidation and sleazy tactics to punish employees who speak up. These are Dickensian tactics, baby; tactics I wouldn't believe could exist in the 21st century if I wasn't living them.
Unions evolved to protect workers from immoral employers who would stop at nothing to exploit their labor and minimize their pay and rights. Union activism became high profile in this country in 1866. 146 years later and the vicious, manipulative mentality of employers has not changed.
It is unconscionable to me that an employer could be so callous, so cold and devious in the treatment of their employees at a time when people are fighting with everything they have just to get by.
It's payback time, baby. The pigeons have come home to roost. Let's hope the commission is appropriately punished, employees are appropriately rewarded and permanent worker protection is put into place so that employees at least have a chance of surviving in this shaky economy.
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