Video: Rep. Thede States Removing Collective Bargaining Could Cost Taxpayers More

DAVENPORT, IOWA - - Friday February 25, 2011
Phyllis Thede Iowa District 81 State Representative, discusses what the worst case scenarios could be if Collective Bargaining is removed from the public sector worker's employment. 

Thede, who has "been a union steward for a long time," is interviewed after the Quad City Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon. 

During the Legislative Luncheon, Thede had stood up and addressed the fifty to sixty people in attendance and asked them to have a dialog regarding the happenings in Wisconsin and specifically the "middle ground" regarding Collective Bargaining.  ( See this video clip for her statements to the chamber luncheon attendees:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lP5QF2a3s )  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lK_6BWV3Cw

When asked what the worst case scenario is for a public worker without collective bargaining, Thede responded: Where will public workers go to have "that conversation, who do they talk to?" 

Q: How does it hurt the public worker if they have to go the same remedies that the private sector has to go to with regards to resolving a problem? 

A: It's not so much hurting, it's the cost, the potential cost. If had no other recourse, as a public worker, I will now seek an attorney. I will go to an attorney thereby costing the place of my employment high dollars of money to solve a case that I could probably solve in a short amount of time. Doe that make sense? 

Q: So you're saying that if collective bargaining is removed that the cost is imparted back on the state for that worker to defend themselves? 

A: Well, I think it would be, I think it could be. It could be. 

If we eliminate this, pretty soon we will start eliminating other things too. 

Thede explained that in her view, without collective bargaining, "People who are not strong, what they are going to do is give up and quit. I don't want people doing that. What I want people doing is to be able to have a process. And that's what this is. This is a process so that they're able to talk to someone. It may be that such a thing that maybe they did not look at this correctly and we may be able to point them in a right direction. It's not that they're always right. Cause that's not always the case. It could be that they could have a different view and we need to help them get along with this." 

When asked if she would support a measure to have the 84% of the Iowa state public sector workers who now pay 0% of their health care premiums, pay something more than 0%, Thede stated: 

"I don't know that, it's hard to know that. You don't know what that bill looks like. I don't know what that bills going to look like.  You can throw me numbers but they are not going to be realistic.  I don't mind (paying) because I know the cost of health care goes up. So if you're asking me to pay something, if it's reasonable, then I totally understand."