Thursday, March 17, 2011
FDR Opinion on Government Unions
FDR Quote
“The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service,” Roosevelt wrote in 1937 to the National Federation of Federal Employees. Yes, public workers may demand fair treatment, wrote Roosevelt. But, he wrote, “I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place” in the public sector. “A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government.”
Labels: Comments on the day, Unions
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Unions in Government
Unions should not be allowed to operate within government organizations.
Collective bargaining by unions has no place in the government sector.
Government wage scales and benefits are set by Legislatures and the Administrative sector of government, both of which are elected representatives of the people.
If you allow unions to muscle into this picture, you have totally subverted the role and mission of the Legislature and the Administration, and hence, the fundamental citizen-representative relationship of a Republic. For some, the union members, you have added a citizen-union-representative relationship; but for the majority you have forced non-union members to accept and pay for the wage negotiations conducted solely between the representatives and the union. Further, it is obvious that union contributions in the form of funds and votes can sway the Legislators.
Unions have self-preservation as their primary goal, not service to the nation or state. Thus, the very objectives of unions are antithetical to good order in the state, so that when the state needs to proceed in a certain direction that turns out to be against the union’s objectives, there is a an unnecessary and wrenching fight.
Unions can and do call for strikes when they are not succeeding in their mission to up the ante for their people, and themselves. A union strike or walk-out in a government sector operation is injurious to all of the citizens relying on that operation. This is unacceptable.
Labels: Unions
