CI-97 backers slam unions, use deception

Billings Gazette - September 2, 2006

Letter to the editor

In recent negative advertising, an out-of-state group is charging that Montana public employee unions are ripping off the public with excessive salaries. This is being done because of the unions' opposition to Cl-97, the Save-Our-State ballot initiative.

Frankly, I think it should be called the Sink-Our-State initiative. It's nothing more than a shell game that, if passed, will lead to higher local property taxes, user fees and severe cuts in essential public services. The Colorado experience, where they passed a similar initiative some 13 years ago should teach us, if anything, that the citizens there woke up in 2005 and threw the initiative out.

Fourteen hundred union families make up Teamsters Local 190, including some public employees, workers at Pepsi, United Parcel Service, Sysco employees, power plant workers and warehouse workers, to name just a few.

The executive board and membership of our union voted to oppose CI-97 because they saw it as bad for all working families. We joined an effort to oppose CI-97 with AARP, American Diabetes Association, Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies, Montana School Boards Association, equipment dealers and dozens of other non-union groups. Even the Montana Chamber of Commerce announced that CI-97 is bad for Montana.

I have a firm belief that Montana voters are smarter than those out-of-state shysters and that we'll throw CI-97 on the trash heap of failed ballot initiatives when the votes are counted.

Rocky Kramlich - President - Teamsters Local 190 - Laurel