California votes on public employee union benefits even more lopsided than the Wisconsin recall
Jun6 by Thomas Mitchell
If you thought the failure of the Wisconsin governor recall effort was a bust for public employee unions at a 7-point margin of victory, wait till you see how they voted in two California cities on whether to slash public union benefits.
Two-thirds of voters in San Diego approved a plan to cut retirement benefits for city workers, while 70 percent of voters approved a similar measure in San Jose.
The San Diego initiative shifts new workers out of a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan. San Jose's inititive cuts benefits for current workers.
The AP reported: "Public employee unions that aggressively fought the measures weren't able to overcome the simple message supporters used to attract voters in San Diego and San Jose: Pensions for city workers are unaffordable and more generous than many private companies offer. The result is reduced public services in the form of such things as limited hours at public libraries and unfilled potholes."
"The voters get it, they understand what needs to be done," the AP quoted San Jose's Democrat Mayor Chuck Reed as saying.
Those margins from liberal California may be even more telling than the recall vote in Wisconsin and what it bodes for this fall.
