The plural of anecdote is not proof.
I've seen state workers grossly incompetent who could not be fired.
Overall the system works better in an at will setting.
I am sorry if you are one of the incompetents who needs union protection to earn a salary. Maybe counseling?
Actually, I'm fantastic at my job. When I've lost jobs, it's because the morons in corner offices made horrible decisions and either the whole company went out of business or they had to lay lots of people off to stay afloat.
I'm just curious how you could see "grossly incompetant state workers who could not be fired" unless you are actually working at a state agency. Now, I haven't worked for the Government since I left the military, but I've seen as many people who were grossly incomptetant who couldn't be fired because they were sleeping with the boss or were the boss' golfing buddy. So it really cuts both ways, doesn't it.
How about this. If you want to fire someone, you need to document their negligence or incompetence. That actually sounds kind of reasonable.