All The Union’s Men
(Hartford, CT) – It is odd, perhaps inevitable, but certainly noteworthy that organized labor plays such a critical role on so many issues in so many states. Most often, standing in the way of what some elected leaders believe to be progress. Or at the very least, standing in the way of what some elected leaders believe they were elected to do.
It could be that with 29 Republican governors trying to push legislative agendas that unions are playing a more prominent role simply because union leadership mistakenly views the GOP as its natural perpetual enemy. Since there are more Republicans to do battle with – labor unions get more notice.That would explain what is happening in places like Wisconsin, but it does not explain what is happening in places like New York, Connecticut and California.
It’s also noteworthy that in these political battles between labor, governors and legislatures, the clear loser is often the common citizen. The ordinary working families – to use a union term – who pay the taxes out of their hard earned paycheck to make government work, to pay the salaries of public employees and who have some right to expect a break even return on their “investment” – as Democrats often like to describe