By Ambrose M. Bennett – Activist
THE Truth Be Told, I have nothing against the Independents Rep. Attao & Speaker Villagomez but like many I’m still waiting to see WHAT they are going to do FOR the People & Commonwealth. While I commend Rep. Attao for taking an interest in employees (government & private) being organized under unions, the Bill he proposed was NOT necessary, as it is Federal Law that every American employee has the “Right-to-Organized for Collective Bargaining.” Heck, Herman Guerrero trying to stop me from organizing teachers and poli-tricked all-the-voters into erasing Teachers’ collective-bargaining Rights in the CNMI’s Constitution by bundling the initiative with the 25% for PSS that he knew would pass — a Bundling Poli-Trick! In fact, “bundling Constitutional Amendments is UNETHICAL and should even be ILLEGAL,” as bundling makes its ALL or Nothing! However, Teachers still have the RIGHT to Collective Bargaining under Federal Law — so I really get the last LOL Herman once teachers finally do organize which is just a matter of Time being on Myside Again given the present push for UNIONS! No amount of “political skullduggery” will ever stop the desire for the American Dream.
For me and I’m sure for many, the Bill by Rep. Attao is just another “Poli-trick to gain the support of government employees” because the Bill wasn’t needed. If he truly wants to be Governor he should have “deployed a leadership pledge, as part of his Governor’s Platform, to promote Unions & the American Dream in the CNMI” which would do a lot to address the need for more Accountability in government entities & Reforms throughout the CNMI’s Government Operations, which would be a real demonstration of leadership! Heck, the Firemen organized into a Union without the Bill which further illustrates & PROVES that Ambrodamus is RIGHT about the Bill being a “Poli-trick” to get votes. The Bill is just a “poli-tricking-way of gaining voters without having to directly face the accountability, specially form those in opposition to Unions” — a POLI-TRICK! Unions can do WONDERS for the CNMI, as there will be real accountability EVERY DAY opposed to only during election season, which is why WE see Senate President Karl King-Nabors and Senate Vice President Corina Magofna coming out against Unions and they are not alone. But their refusal to empower employees is just one example of WHY the American Dream is handicapped in the CNMI.
Unions have proven to be a big part of the foundation for America’s Labor Force helping People to achieve the American Dream and I adamantly disagree with Deleon Guerrero, as 1. Union dues and fees are worth-it when your job & future are on the line. 2. Individual negotiations are powerless & worthless, as there is Real Power & Accountability in Collective Bargaining. 3. Yes, there is a risk of strikes that are sometimes NEEDED to get the powers-that-be to listen and to be fair. 4. His claim of “workplace rigidity” is just an exaggeration of employer’s hands being tied and FORCED to respect Union Policies, as Unions are almost always responsible for “wages, safety & efficiency improvements.” 5. The Seniority-based system of Unions has proven to be the BEST system for cultivating, maintaining and growing a highly skilled workforce on fair & equal basis. 6. I don’t where he got the idea that Unions create adversarial relationships in management when Unions are all about the collective. 7 Unions do not protect underperforming employees, as it is Unions who set the Standards. 8. Yes, Unions may slow down the decision making especially when things are being shoved-down-employees’-throats — duh! FYI, every teacher on the mainland enjoys the American Dream due to Unions, unlike PSS Teachers can still be FIRED without cause due to no Union. In fact, a Teachers-Union will finally be a “daily check & balance on BOE & PSS” in the BEST interest of their clients — OUR Children & the Commonwealth! PSS is where the American Dream is first cultivated in the hearts & minds of our youth and WHY they can’t wait to go to the mainland where the Dream is very much ALIVE!
But it takes real LEADERSHIP to fix problems, as trying to create “Legislation only as a means for one to win the Executive Office” is NOT leadership, as WE saw this Movie in the Bill by Rep. Camacho that he introduced at the PEAK of the last election season that “eliminated government employees from marijuana testing” that got him the most votes in his precinct. However, due to his lack of LEADERSHIP to even follow up on the passage as employees continued to be tested in violation of the Law he authored, and he didn’t say nor do anything to stop the unlawful testing of HIS People! Legislation without Leadership is a “Poli-trick,” as it was clear to me that it was just a “Poli-tricking Bill to garner votes” for the author that worked, but it didn’t do a darn thing to fix the industry’s dysfunctionality which continued to function in the RED until the Governor finally dissolved the Commission. Voters must stop falling for the “Poli-tricks” and look behind the motives of Bills like I just exposed with the Bill for Unions & the Poli-trick Bill to eliminate testing but didn’t solve the problems.
I also noticed Rep. Attao has been authoring far more Bills than normal and some are even good Bills but I hope he isn’t thinking that writing legislation will make him win, as the CNMI needs a real LEADER who is NOT afraid to “take-the-bull-by-the-horns” (take on the challenges) and lead-the-way to Progress & Prosperity! WE can get anyone to write Legislation but Leading the CNMI is not a job for just anyone, as I have “high hopes & high expectations for the next Governor & LT, especially with Ralph running thinking WE the People are STUPID! So, I hope & pray all the candidates will start bringing their “A-Game” because the CNMI needs leaders who will work to resurrect the American Dream! I’m also hearing that the Democrats may yet have a candidate for Governor, which I pray is TRUE to give All-Of-Us some level of Real-HOPE-for-CHANGE & IMPROVEMENTS but only time will tell that story. “Heep Hope Alive for the Dream CNMI Voters,” as Rev. Jackson might say, as it’s our BEST chance for Progress & Prosperity!
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays-Lifetime Humanities & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
