Public-sector labor unions could bring more of our cities, counties, and states to the brink of bankruptcy. Members of Congress who proudly wear the union label are helping the effort. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disgracefully led the way in amending the war-funding appropriation bill to include language to force police officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) into “exclusive” union bargaining in every state in the U.S.
The collective bargaining legislation carries the feel-good name “The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.” It was passed by the House July 1. But its fate in the Senate is iffy. A spokesperson in the office of Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a strong supporter, said the legislation could pass before the Congressional recess or, if not, later in the year.
Unionization of government employees spells politicization of the workplace, inflexible work rules, fewer high-performance workers, and even such workplace lunacy as the New Jersey Port Authority contract with the police union that pays officers “suspended without pay” for unearned overtime during their suspension…
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