Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackbass
Because they are union. Individual employees do not have the ability to negotiate on their own regardless of performance etc. Regardless of how good a current deal is, it's only value is for how long the contract is offered. I am not a huge fan of unions but in some areas it is helpful. Currently public work force is full of nepotism and politics. Can you imagine how bad it would be if managers were allowed to spend public money with out contractual boundaries. I realize the system isn't perfect but it's better than having individual managers handing out raises carte Blanche to brothers sisters etc. With little recourse.
I also understand the unions perspective because in this day and age with so much of our manufacturing base etc. Being sent over seas there are few jobs left for the middle class American worker. It is a difficult balance. More and more private companies are contracting out former skilled labor jobs at a reduction to the bottom line but losing in quality and customer service.
Look at the cable company for example. How often does your cable TV signal degrade or go out completely? How often do you lose electrical or telephone service for no reason? One industry works almost exclusively with contractors the others have trained employees that maintain the service and know the trade inside an out.
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"Individual employees do not have the ability to negotiate on their own regardless of performance etc"
Because they are union. Get rid of the union, let them negotiate individually, the way everyone else does.
"Currently public work force is full of nepotism and politics. "
Individual negotiating works for the private sector, which for now at least, is larger than the public saector. There is no reason why the public sector cannot work in the same model.
"With little recourse. "
Then fix that as well. In the real world, if somene is pumping money to a friend or relative who is not deserving, they get fired.
"there are few jobs left for the middle class American worker"
There are LESS middle class jhobs for those who don't go to college, I'll grant you that. There are plenty of middle class jhobs for those who work hard and make goiod decisions. You bring up manufacturing, that's private sector. This article was about public sector unions. In the past, unions were necesary to save employees from life-threatening working conditions. We don't have that anymore, not in the same scale. In the public sector, the union's boss is "us". "We" aren't trying to have those people killed in work accidents.
I see you failed to mention the financial impact that union contracts have on the towns and states that are impacted...namely, unfunded liabilities for retirement and healthcare benefits that can never, ever be paid for. We all see that some places are declaring bankruptcy, forcing municipalities to slash poension payments (see Central Falls, RI).
You tell me, how does THAT help the union members.
Here's how public unions work, and I am not wrong here. Unions give big money to politicians. Those same politicians then, once in office, get to decide what level of benefits to reward the unions (their benefactors) with. Politicians like to stay in office, so they give the unions whatever they ask for. Fast forward to today, when the demographic trsunami called "the Baby Boomers" causes the pyramid to collapse. Municipalties go bankrupt. Retirees get benefits slashed. Taxpayers see huge spikes in tax rates.
The politicians don't care, because they retired and moved to Florida. The union bosses don't care, because they retired and moved to Grand Cayman.
Our kids get stuck with the bill.
It makes no sense, none at all, for public servants to receive benefits that dwarf what's available to the public they serve. And any 9 year-old sees the conflict of interest that exists when the politicians who decide on union benefits, only got elected with backing from that same union, and who are therefore beholden to that union.