Car title lending is the target of a re-opened discussion in the Wisconsin legislature. Image: Flickr / teegardin / CC-BY-SA

Last year, Wisconsin became the final state in the union to regulate payday and title lending. The original bill would have prohibited banning car title lending, but the governor vetoed that item to entirely ban title lending. Now, a joint committee is taking action to end the ban on title lending, which would de-regulate the industry.

Current regulations on Wisconsin’s payday lending industry

Currently in Wisconsin, short-term loans secured by an auto title are not legal. The selective vetoing of the 2010 legislation banned loans of this type. Payday loans in Wisconsin are also limited to 35 percent of a borrower’s monthly income. Once a loan comes due, additional interest cannot be charged, even if payment is late. In 2009, Wisconsin’s 527 short-term lender locations lent out $600.5 million.

Wisconsin GOP tries to rescind changes

Senate President Mike Ellis, a Republican, has been pushing this year for tighter regulations on payday loans. Despite his surprise at the recommendation of the Joint Finance Committee, Ellis agrees that the recommendations should be debated on the merits, rather than as a knee-jerk reaction. The committee’s co-chairman, Rep. Robin Vos, responded by saying “You can make a case that it was done wrongly the first time. We’re correcting his error and actually adding some better provisions in,” referring to the fact that the original bill as passed by last year’s legislature was significantly re-shaped by the governor’s vetos.

The difference between payday lending and title lending

Title lending and payday lending are often lumped in with check cashing and other short-term financial solutions. These financial products all cater to the underbanked community, but they each do so differently. Payday loans are short-term loans intended to be paid back in two to four weeks. Title lending, on the other hand, offers higher loan amounts, but puts the collateral, a vehicle, at risk. Check-cashing services charge a fee for cashing checks for customers. Each of these services is different and should be regulated and discussed differently.

Sources

WTAQ
JS Online

A court ruling has preserved Wisconsin workers rights – for now. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Will Collette/Progressive Charlestown)

Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order Friday that blocked Wisconsin Republicans’ anti-collective bargaining law from taking effect. Wisconsin political insiders see this as a major setback for the potential future of the law – and a step closer to a recall election for Republican Gov. Scott Walker, reports the Associated Press. For working class Wisconsinites, the restraining order represents a small victory in the battle for workers’ rights.

Calling out Republicans’ collective bargaining gamesmanship

Gov. Walker has maintained that eliminating the collective bargaining rights of the working class is a necessary step to make up for Wisconsin’s $137 million budget shortfall. Not only would state workers lose their right to collectively bargain for fair pay, health benefits, overtime pay and safe working conditions, they would be ceding the dignity that comes with taking firm hold of their economic well-being.

The stay of the Wisconsin anti-collective bargaining law was requested by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat. Ozanne had filed a lawsuit contending that the Republican committee that voted to pass the bill into law had not given the minimum 24-hour notice required by the state’s open meetings law. The Republicans contended that because the 14 Democratic senators had already fled the state to eliminate the possibility of an earlier voting quorum on the collective bargaining bill, the Republican quick vote was a proper case of turnabout.

Tens of thousands of protesters who stormed the Wisconsin State Capitol did not agree. Neither did Judge Sumi, based solely upon the open meetings law, rather than the merit of the legislation. A new court order could still put the anti-collective bargaining law back on the menu, however.

Collective bargaining and workers’ rights

Regulating suitable working conditions is what collective bargaining is all about. Without the ability to fight for wages, hours, proper training, benefits, safety provisions and avenues through which to file grievances, employees do not have the power to form a legally binding contract with an employer. As corporate profit tends to be paramount for the employer in a class war, extra pay and benefits to employees fall farther down the list. Businesses seek to strike a balance that would keep workers productive while maintaining a health profit margin. Labor unions and collective bargaining agreements help protect employees and keep employers honest.

Sources

Associated Press

Channel 3000

Wikipedia

Republican governors vying for the ‘Dick Cheney prize’

A majority of people in the U.S. support collective bargaining rights. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Andrew Glidden/California Patriot)

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll indicates a majority of people in the U.S. support the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions. Poll results also show that a majority oppose cutting pay to reduce state budget deficits. The nationwide poll surveyed 984 adults, the majority of whom did not have a union member in the household.

Collective bargaining popular among Americans

Numerous Democrats from the Wisconsin Senate recently ducked a vote that could demolish collective bargaining, and the majority of U.S. residents who participated in the New York Times/CBS News telephone poll supported collective bargaining. However, only a third of the 984 polled supported labor unions, and a quarter were opposed. The rest were undecided.

Support for public employee unions was strong. By a two-to-one margin, poll participants objected to the “extreme” deficit recovery efforts of Republican governors like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Democrats and Independents outnumbered the slim majority of Republicans who favored the loss of some collective bargaining rights, and as a result, poll results were 56 percent against and 37 percent for public employee pay cuts.

Governors say public workers are overpaid

Governors on both sides of the political aisle have presented concerns that public employees are overpaid or have overly generous health insurance and pension plans. Yet 61 percent of phone respondents – including a simple majority of Republicans – believed pay and benefits were “about right” or “too low” for public employees. Results were divided regarding whether private sector employees, such as firefighters and teachers, should enjoy government-style benefits like early retirement and pension collection.

Collective bargaining: ‘A job that needs to be done’

Retired 67-year-old Democratic poll respondent Phil Merritt of Crossville, Tenn., told the New York Times that collective bargaining is essential for U.S. families.

“I feel they do a job that needs to be done. If you work hard, you should be able to have a home, save for retirement and send your kids to college,” Merritt said. “Most public employees have to struggle to do those things, and generally both spouses must work.”

Republican view: Toppling labor union power

Representative of those who supported the dissolution of collective bargaining rights was Republican Warren Lemma, 56, an electrical contractor from Longview, Texas. States don’t have the money to pay such benefits, he said.

“Retirement benefits shouldn’t be taken from those near retirement, but the system should be changed for workers just starting out,” Lemma said. “The only way the system will change is to do something about union control, and the only way to do that is to remove collective bargaining.”

USA TODAY/Gallup Poll showed similar results

Protecting collective bargaining rights was also on the minds of the majority of respondents to a similar USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sixty-one percent opposed an anti-collective bargaining law like the one Wisconsin is attempting to pass, while 33 percent were in favor. While two-thirds of respondents recognized budget problems in their states, they were split on how to solve those problems, whether it be through tax hikes or other government spending cuts.

Sources

New York Times

The Caucus NYT blog

USA Today

Fascism and its effect on collective bargaining rights

Drawing of Casimir Pulaski from Flickr.

Every day on the calendar marks some sort of holiday or another, and today is Casimir Pulaski Day. Many made up holidays celebrate food, drinks or customs such as talking like a pirate. A lot of these are dreamed up by manufacturers of certain products to promote sales. Perhaps we should create National Online Cash Advance Day? Casimir Pulaski Day is a different sort of holiday. Casimir Pulaski Day is a legally recognized holiday in just a few states, where there are varying degrees of observance.

Who was Casimir Pulaski?

On the first Monday in March, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana recognize Casimir Pulaski Day. Casimir Pulaski was a Polish immigrant to the United States who served as a general in The American Revolutionary War under George Washington. According to Wikipedia, Casimir Pulaski saved George Washington’s life, but there aren’t any further details.

Casimir Pulaski was quickly recognized as a brilliant military tactician, and he became Brigadier-General in charge of Four Horse Brigades, according to Pennsylvania’s Polish-American Center. It’s generally believed that certain states recognize Casimir Pulaski Day because of their relatively large Polish immigrant populations.

Father of the American Cavalry

Casimir Pulaski is perhaps most widely recognized for his contributions to the inception of the American Cavalry. The Polish-American Center writes that “in 1773, through Washington’s intervention, Congress approved the establishment of the Cavalry and put Pulaski at its head.”

This earned Casimir Pulaski the title many use to recognize him today, “the father of the American cavalry.” According to the PAC, even when military loans weren’t available, he insisted on the best for his men:

Pulaski often used his own personal finances, when allocations from Congress were scarce, in order to assure his forces of the finest equipment and personal safety.

Observing Casimir Pulaski Day

Because Casimir Pulaski Day is only a holiday in certain states, no federal services, such as mail, are interrupted. However, Chicago Public Schools and some surrounding districts are closed, and all school districts in Illinois have the option of being closed. The same goes for Wisconsin and Indiana school districts. Also state government buildings in those states are closed today.

Other states, including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan, observe General Pulaski’s Day on Oct. 11. Pulaski died from battle wounds he received during the Siege at Savannah on Oct. 9, 1779. Many Polish-Americans also consider General Pulaski’s Day and Casimir Pulaski Day a celebration of their heritage.

California company Tanimura & Antle Inc. has recalled a batch of romaine lettuce after the Department of Agriculture found lettuce in Wisconsin that was contaminated with salmonella.

Agriculture industry news blog The Packer reports:

The traceback was swift because of the Tanimura & Antle’s use of technology. … The cartons of bulk and wrapped lettuce have the lot code 531380, and the lettuce was harvested June 25 to July 2. The company shipped the romaine to retail, foodservice and wholesale customers.

29 states affected by recall

Portions of the possibly contaminated lot, which was past its shelf life at the time of the recall, were shipped to 29 states as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. Are you ready for the list of states? Here it is:

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Product recalls are always expensive, so Tanimura & Antle might need a small loan to recover from this. Luckily, no illnesses have been reported. The salmonella was found as the result of a random Department of Agriculture test.

Random test finds salmonella?

I don’t know about you, but the fact that a totally random test turned up salmonella poisoning makes me a little nervous. If the Department of Agriculture randomly discovered that the company had to issue a romaine lettuce recall, how much contaminated food is out there?

Then again, if there is a lot of contaminated food out there but no one knows, that must mean it isn’t really hurting anybody, right? If everything is business as usual, I suppose there’s no use worrying. I’m not going to just quit eating vegetables.

About Tanimura & Antle

The company that issued the romaine lettuce recall is one of the largest lettuce growers and distributors in the United States. Tanimura & Antle publicized the lettuce recall on the company web site. In a press release regarding the romaine lettuce recall, the company said it is exercising “an abundance of caution.” CEO Rick Antle said:

“We will continue to review opportunities for improvement. Although the recalled product is well beyond the 14-16 day shelf life, we are voluntarily issuing this recall because we want to ensure that we minimize even the slightest risk to public health.”

The company also stressed that no other produce grown or distributed by Tanimura & Antle is affected by this recall.