Poke_the_Bear asked:
There is a fundamental difference between private- and public-sector workers. A private-sector labor dispute is a clear clash of competing interests, with management representing shareholders and unions representing workers. In the public sector, as George Will notes, taxpayers–whose position is analogous to that of shareholders–are usually denied a seat at the table:
Such unions are government organized as an interest group to lobby itself to do what it always wants to do anyway – grow. These unions use dues extracted from members to elect their members’ employers. And governments, not disciplined by the need to make a profit, extract government employees’ salaries from taxpayers. Government sits on both sides of the table in cozy “negotiations” with unions.
Collective bargaining in the public sector thus is less a negotiation than a conspiracy to steal money from taxpayers. The notion that this is “in the economic interests of the middle class” for government employees in Wisconsin and elsewhere to get above-market wages and extremely lavish benefits is just laughable. Sure, government employees are “middle class,” but so are the vast majority of taxpayers who don’t enjoy the special privileges that come from owning the means of coercion.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703529004576160273318213558.html
?- Dismiss it out of hand, huh? How convenient for you. That way you can avoid any of the points that have been made. Coward.
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“In the public sector, as George Will notes, taxpayers–whose position is analogous to that of shareholders–are usually denied a seat at the table:”
That is patently untrue. Tax-payers do have a seat at the table, in their various elected representatives (Senate, House, School board) etc.
Public unions are different in that their employer is the Government and that they have a constitutional right to assemble and petition their employer for a redress of grievances.
WSJ is the most far right newspaper you can use….I wouldn’t take them very serious. They are basically far right propaganda.
All labor unions blow!
oh yes.one is legal.and the other is not.but since NO ONE is enforcing the law.what the hell.any thing goes.
No I don’t. Public sector union members are just ex private sector emplyees now working for the government doing the same job for the same wages minus public sector employees pay into their insurance and most do not recieve social security benefits for the years the work for the government yet private sector employees do. A private sector union workers pension is nearly twice that of the public sector employee. Many people do not know these things.
The problem with public sector unions is they are always a monopoly. They can go at strike whenever they want and not pay for it….when a private union decides to go on strike, they risk strengthening their competitors and hurting their business. Public sector union teachers in Wisconsin just stopped teaching at their schools for 3 straight days….with no excuse.