Minn. Nat'l Guard Replace Strikers

October 2, 2001 6:55 PM

Minn. Nat'l Guard Replace Strikers 22,000 state workers on strike and the media isnt reporting it? Odd in these propaganda filled times?
posted by Niahmas (30 comments total)

Do a search for Jesse Ventura on CNN. Or MSNBC. What ever became of the video of kids and candy that was on the news?
posted by Niahmas at 6:57 PM on October 2, 2001

1: Minneapolis StarTribune
2: St. Paul Pioneer Press
posted by mrbula at 7:07 PM on October 2, 2001

You ripped this off the AP wire and you claim the media isn't reporting it?
posted by aaron at 7:12 PM on October 2, 2001

"The media isn't reporting it", but the link is to an associated press story? Hows that?
posted by phatboy at 7:13 PM on October 2, 2001

The story is available for people to find, but it isn't getting the media coverage that, say, the debut of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is getting. I think that's what Niahmas is trying to say.
posted by Doug at 7:21 PM on October 2, 2001

There's a critical difference between having a story on file and giving a story its due publicity. This story has been just plain buried by national media. It should be front page news, or at least a front page link on CNN and MSNBC and one of the top 3 stories on the evening broadcast. There is no journalistic excuse for this obfuscation.
posted by fleener at 7:23 PM on October 2, 2001

Buffy debuted?!
posted by mathowie at 7:23 PM on October 2, 2001

I got it as a headline on my pager's news service....
posted by hockeyman at 7:30 PM on October 2, 2001

Who's this Buffy person?
posted by allaboutgeorge at 7:52 PM on October 2, 2001

Not to mention it's only the second day of the strike.

Didja know Washington State employees went on strike this summer? We do here. But I wouldn't fault anyone in Minnesnowda or New York for not.
posted by crasspastor at 7:56 PM on October 2, 2001

Buffy.
posted by swift at 7:57 PM on October 2, 2001

Clarification from Minnesota: The Nat'l Guard is not replacing 22,000 state employees. My wife did not arrive at work this morning to find a dismayed & confused 28-year-old man in full camo answering the phones, anyway.
posted by lileks at 8:33 PM on October 2, 2001

Well Doug, *duh*. Buffy died, and then there was this robot or something, and then she was reborn, or something. Strikes happen all the time--how often is there a robot/slayer/rebirth thing?
posted by rodii at 8:33 PM on October 2, 2001

I think I've heard about this the past two mornings on NPR...anyone else?
posted by 7sharp11 at 8:51 PM on October 2, 2001

I have to wait a whole `nother week for the Gilmore Girls premiere, and this is what you monkeys are talking about?
posted by dong_resin at 9:30 PM on October 2, 2001

7sharp11, yea I heard it this morning on NPR too, it's no secret.
posted by ArkIlloid at 10:06 PM on October 2, 2001

And if you're lucky enough to be here in Minnesota, it's well known. Personally, if Nebraska had the exact same thing happen, I wouldn't probably care too much about it. You know, because I'm in Minnesota. And because these are the last 70 and 80 degree days we're going to get for a whole LOT of months.
posted by fnirt at 10:26 PM on October 2, 2001

The Guard is replacing only essential personal, like at the veterans hospital and such. Other things like license renewals and restaurant inspections simply are not being done. The same year we recieved a huge tax cut in Minnesota they offered workers 2% pay increase and a real cut in health insurance. And it has been covered heavily around here of course.
posted by chrismc at 10:30 PM on October 2, 2001

The story was in Tuesday's USA Today, with about as much space devoted to it as it deserved. This is a Minnesota issue; outside of there coverage will be sporadic.
posted by aaron at 11:04 PM on October 2, 2001

I am not claiming that its not available. I just thought it odd that they keep rehashing the same old stuff on tv when something big like this is going on.
posted by Niahmas at 11:06 PM on October 2, 2001

Labor disputes are fairly ordinary, really.
posted by kindall at 11:13 PM on October 2, 2001

Niahmas:
"that they keep rehashing the same old stuff on tv when something big like this is going on."

Keep in mind that your priorities might not match everyone elses. For a lot of people, the "same old stuff" (I assume the WTC bombings, the upcoming war, and the looming recession falls into this category) is much more important than "something big" (a local level stopgap measure to ensure continuation of essential government services.)
posted by phatboy at 12:06 AM on October 3, 2001

What I said might have come off a bit strong there. This story is important, however I think that it is quite easy for a good story to get lost in all the "noise" of the WTC happenings. I disagree that this is censorship.
posted by phatboy at 12:29 AM on October 3, 2001

I read about the possibility of this months ago, and saw it covered on CNN and FoxNews yesterday.
posted by revbrian at 2:10 AM on October 3, 2001

Unfortunately, I'm one of the striking workers. I knew when I took this job that something like this was a possibility, but now that it's here - it's more than surreal. It sucks.

Not being a union advocate, nor a 'full' union member (though still expected to adhere to the strike), I'm stuck here contemplating the strike's duration, logic, strategy, and when and if I'll have to cross the line - and I don't like the look of any of them.

I never thought I'd be in this situation - having the notion that "this kind of thing" only occured to 'blue collar' jobs, older generations, or Steinbeck characters - not to a 26 web developer.

So here I am - hitting the Angry stage after each new morsel of the dualing rhetoric between Ventura and the Unions hits the news - and feeling damn weird about this longing of getting back to work...
posted by mecawilson at 6:01 AM on October 3, 2001

A few newspapers is nice, but the vast majority of Americans do not read newspapers. You're talking about a 10-15% share of the population in a particular city. If Katie, Matt, Ann & Al don't report it, it might as well never have happened.
posted by fleener at 7:11 AM on October 3, 2001

Oh, come on. With all due respect to people in Minnesota, why should I care about this in Massachusetts? I'm much more concerned about how people can still sneak things onto planes at Logan Airport.

In any case, I don't tend to watch the evening news (I get home too late, most days). But I heard about the strike on NPR before I saw it here.
posted by agaffin at 7:28 AM on October 3, 2001

The "man on the street" issue up here has been something like this: Why should we be forced to use National Guard troops to replace striking workers when the guardsmen are needed in a national crisis (patrolling MSP Airport, getting called overseas, etc.)? In theory, it could be a big issue, and could make the striking unions look awfully bad. In practice, there haven't been any real problems yet. Presumably, someone is still feeding the Siberian tigers at the Zoo.
posted by gimonca at 7:50 AM on October 3, 2001

It is an interesting story because
1. It shows how some people, like poster Mecawilson, don't really support the union activity
2. It may be suicidally stupid for the union to be on strike when we are at a historically significant crisis for our economy. Does it make sense to strike when there's a 50/50 chance of entering a depression?

I am personally rather anti-union. Nonetheless, I wonder how unions would fare if a lot of Joes and Janes - who never wanted to join the union but were given no choice - find their jobs are eliminated because, quite conveniently, all state workers were on strike when the depression hit, and the state found that they could live without them . . .
posted by yesster at 7:53 AM on October 3, 2001

It was on the 7pm news here in Boston last night ... quite a ways from MN, and it was a prominent story.
posted by Johannahh at 11:43 AM on October 3, 2001