Guest Post by Paul Rosenberg
I try to avoid all things political, but the recent mayhem required me to give it some attention. And I couldn’t help noticing that almost no one is addressing a fundamental factor in most of it: The unions.
Whether we like or dislike unions (I have mixed experiences, as I suppose most people do), they are a major factor in our recent events, and bear some attention. And so I’ll get the ball rolling.
The Police Unions
A few people have mentioned police unions following the sadistic murder of George Floyd, but let’s be clear on this: All the cops who kill people then get their jobs back are so privileged because of their unions. (And this, by the way, is actual privilege.)
Police unions have tremendous power over the municipalities in which they operate, and get their way nearly all the time. County commissioners and the like dare not cross them, because the union bosses will get other unions to join in opposing them, will have them portrayed in the press as hating their “heroes in blue,” and will likely ruin them.
The unions are enriched by dues, of course, and justify that by protecting their dues-paying members… the further the better.
Notice, please, that I haven’t mentioned the safety of people thus far. That’s because it’s a secondary concern. In the calculations of power, the citizenry matters only when they affect larger things, like when they riot, or when they as so stirred-up by media reports that will cost political offices. That’s when bad cops are fired, and very seldom before.
Without police unions intimidating politicians, it’s likely that George Floyd, Eric Garner, Duncan Lemp and many others would still be alive.
Teachers Unions
Not every municipality has teachers unions, but all the major urban centers do. Teachers unions, like police unions, protect their dues-paying members fiercely. There’s a reason why American schools spend $15,424. per student per year (according to Corey DeAngelis at Cato), while producing poor and declining results.
Here’s a great illustration of the problem, and in it you’ll see a parallel to police unions:
Back in the 1990s, the Secretary of Education visited the head of the Chicago Teachers Union, and they had a conversation that went about like this:
Secretary: So, how do you handle bad teachers?
Union leader: We don’t have any bad teachers.
Secretary: I understand, you train them well, but you have thousands of teachers in your union; some small percentage of them have to be bad. How do you deal with those?
Union leader: We don’t have any bad teachers.
And again, the unions have so much practical power that politicians are hopeless as a mitigating force.
Government Employee Unions
It would be hard to over-state the power of government employee unions. There will be no true “draining of the swamp” so long as these outfits retain their power. Take everything we’ve said above and multiply it, if you want to understand government employee unions.
Pension Fund Insolvency
A large number of states and municipalities are hopelessly insolvent, with the worst cases where unions hold the most power. And the real fiscal pain comes in the form of pension obligations. Unions demand rich pensions, get them locked into law, and never back down. Politicians have catered to them in hope of more votes. Union members, clinging to over-sized wages, do as the union advises. And so, state and municipal budgets are permanently broken.
The Big Picture
Having been empowered by legislation and policy over the 20th century, and riding on a series of effective narratives (Robber Barons, the Triangle Shirtwaiste fire, Caesar Chavez and so on), unions have amassed power on top of power. And like all narrow-minded and amoral power, they’ve over-fed to the point of destroying their food sources.
Bear in mind that I have no prescription for this and that I don’t want any further involvement. But if my neighbors want to deal with the present situation, seeing the structure of the problem is essential. Otherwise we’re blown from one opinion to another by each new narrative.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
The over empowerment of government employee unions while destroying blue collar trade unions and the middle class tax base that supported government employees salary and benefits is the issue . The tax base of 10 private sector union wage earners funded one government employee and their benefits .
Then came the investor class and political class waging war against industry and the union labor ! As jobs evaporated and wages depressed the tax base shrunk and union retirements were ripped off in bankruptcy . Somehow the government employee benefit and wage package must still be funded so the Circle Jerk borrowed to infinity . This scheme allowed government employees to retire with benefits and life left to live while private sector working people continue to lose economic ground and must work till they drop .
We have child labor and abusive labor practices producing products in foreign nations all over the world and all dumped on America’s door step . All with the blessing and backing of the BIG CLUB CIRCLE JERK of Wall Street to K-Street To Capitol Street .
Economic Treason victimizing every working American that is now unemployed or underemployed and indentured in a debt cycle that literally has America circling the drain !
Well done Circle Jerk Club you got it all and now your starting to choke on it !
MAGA ? I ask again with what with who and where ?
Our industrial base has been laid to waste and rust for the price of a cheap flat screen tv , a cheap pair of jeans and a tee shirt and let’s not forget the shoes !
The collapse is at hand and it would be laughable if the powers that be who are responsible were not so parasitically pathetic !
Government unions mandate higher wages from the government. This leads to increased union dues, which are then spent buying politicians who will negotiate wage and benefit packages from the people who will continue to contribute to their campaign.
They take from my pocket and share with each other for their mutual benefit, a lose-win-win situation.
If you could cut out the government employee unions you could then surgically remove the race, culture, gender and the environmental cards from the game and save upwards to 35% of budget. Bring back the civil service test and an up or out policy and save 15% more. Prevent retirees from soliciting their former services and voila another 15%
Just look at that cost savings…….if you think I’m kidding then you have never been within the belly of the beast……
As far as I’m concerned, unions are simply legal fronts that can provide cover for racketeering.
Let’s look at NJ. Almost every form of employment in the state of NJ encourages unionism. Some of the absolute WORST are the public service unions. I work for the local township part-time and in order to obtain work beyond their stated 30 hours per week, you are required to join a union. In my case, it’s the local Teamsters whom I deeply despise. In this union I had no interest in joining, I have to pay basic member’s dues PLUS an additional 20% in order to be a valid voting member.
I used to work in excess of 72-84 corporate hours per week doing full-time contract work, at will, with zero union dues. The pay was more than double and I had full control of what, where, and how much went into my retirement.
I’m under no illusion I’ll ever see a pension and, given the current state of economic affairs in the State and country, I’m using any extra funds for an alternative “Plan B” not accounted for, managed, or overseen by the government or some dirty, crooked union.
Go Teamsters , maybe you had a bad experience but I worked several jobs under permit from teamsters when the steel industry collapsed thanks to the sell out congress and senate and of course those who really own them . I was a trained licensed journeyman and America tossed me and millions like me under the bus . Now our nation discovered the lack of industry and everything produced and we are close to a food chain collapse but fuck it China has our back with a bullseye on it
I’ve worked as a manager in union plants, and as a contractor. The cop that murdered Floyd had numerous job performance issues. One fact behind this story not mentioned is unions (public and private) have a core belief to defend the indefensible. A 10, 20 year dues paying, meeting attending member who has a terrible work record, will keep their job no matter what the issue; except in the most criminal situations. As a manager, I had grown adults, with families, who acted worse than a troubled teenager. I routinely wondered if they raised the children to act as they did at work. The company officials were tired of fighting the unions, they rolled over. I guarantee the Police union protected this guy. The numerous police sergeants and captains probably tried to consequence his behavior, maybe some unpaid time off, but could not fire him. Now all their jobs are at risk over this idiot.
Working in that environment taught me I did not want to spend my life babysitting grown ass adults who acted like kids. For the record, 90% of the employees came to work, wanted to do a good job, get paid, and enjoy their life outside of work. They knew their work environment was crazy, some despised their jobs so bad they had off the job alcohol and drug issues. I would get phone calls from drunk employees. Also for the record, I was transferred out after I had HR call in the police to conduct an investigation into product tampering in order to cause injury to another human.
Real problems on union jobs come from the lack of job security why hurry , why be productive except at the minimal level when you know the CEO gets a 6 figure bonus and you file for unemployment insurance as management laughs about that and speaks of paying 2 bucks a day in some shit hole country for indentured labor a great bunch of serious American mutha fuckers !
That is a different subject that I have commented on before.
My opinion, in most large organizations (public / private) the culture at the top echelons is “I got mine, F.U. Just look at how our political leaders act. The lady governor of Michigan and RINO Repubs (McCain, Graham, Romney et. all) who sold out their voters are classic examples.
15k per student is way low. Where my camp is, its almost 45k per student, and in lake placid for 689 students the budget is just shy of 20 million and comes in at 28,966 per student, k-12. So a kindergarten student for one year costs more than my wifes entire college educstion.