That's the one factor in all of this that I think maybe a lot of our members are not seeing.
In the private sector, union representatives deal with the business owners and have an interest in demands not rising to the level that the business owners will have to lay off people, curtail operations, or shut down entirely. The business owner who will be paying the wages and benefits and who has to show a profit to stay in business is at the table.
In the public sector though, union representatives deal with politicians that can be bought and sold. Politicians have interest in being re-elected or just getting things done most especially when the cost can be pushed on down the line for somebody else to deal with. As a result, public sector union wages and benefits on average now substantially exceed private sector union wages and benefits on average.
The tax payer who will be paying the wages and benefit does not have a seat at the table during negotiations. And THAT is why collective bargaining in the public sector is such a bad deal.
