by David Chavern
 
There has been a lot of public discussion recently about the need for a "rejuvenated" union movement to help more people get into the middle class. This is despite the fact that the traditional union movement in the United States has been amazingly effective at destroying jobs in so many industries. The automobile industry being our current Exhibit A. (And note that the work rules imposed by these unions probably mattered more than additional wages and benefits they garnered. After all, Japan and Germany are highly unionized, high wage economies – and yet they were still able to flexibly adjust their manufacturing and remain very competitive exporters.)

However, there has been one industry where unions have consistently represented a large portion of the employees – government. Currently, unions represent something over 36% of all public sector employees, including 42% of state and local government employees. These unions are also among the most vocal, militant and politically active in organized labor. California is but one example of a state where public sector unions are the largest single political force (and we have seen how well that has worked). New Jersey and New York follow close behind.

Public sector unions are – and have been -- mad as hell and want more. But who are they mad at, and who do they want more from?  Unlike their private sector counterparts, they don’t have the easy straw man of the "greedy businessman" to fight against. In fact, they want lots more money from the taxpayer – and the elected officials who are supposed to represent those taxpayers. In other words, public sector unions want more from YOU.

One could question why we need public sector unions in the first place. The conflicts of interest abound and I would be highly skeptical of any suggestion that states with public sector unions are better off than states without. (My own home state of Pennsylvania has had a horrible time with teacher’s unions and, in fact, my high school was subjected to one of the longest teacher strikes in history. As a former City Council member of Falls Church, Virginia – where teacher’s unions are prohibited by state law – I can assure you the teachers are treated much better there than they ever were in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.)

Nonetheless, we still have lots of public sector unions and two recent articles – one by Steve Malanga, and one by Newt Gingrich, make the case that these unions are forcing government serve their interests rather than the public interest. In almost every instance, public sector unions want higher taxes and more government, no matter what the economic condition of the community or the capacity of the public to pay. Further, they generally don’t care about local business climate or private sector economic growth because that is not where their jobs come from.

As we enter into legitimate debates about the future of the middle class and the role of unions, we need to keep in mind that all unions are not created equal. Some want more opportunities for their members. Some just want more from you.