Public Sector Unions Give Workers No Voice, No Choice
By Robert Alt
Every
morning, hardworking men and women across this country
pour their morning coffee and diligently go to work on
our behalf—working in our neighborhoods as public school
teachers, home care workers, engineers, and in agencies
protecting the environment. Unfortunately, while these
civic-minded professionals go to work for us, the labor
unions that they must join in order to teach our
children or serve our communities do not always work for
them.
Once a
public-sector union is certified, it remains the
workers’ representative—potentially forever. In Ohio,
for example, the Columbus Education Association has
represented Columbus public school teachers since
1968—back when the Beatles were still together and
before many of today’s teachers were even born.
Heirloom unions inherited from the Nixon-era are
depriving today’s public workers and civil servants of
any meaningful voice or choice in the workplace. Many
public employees did not vote for their union if only
because they could not vote for their union.
They were never given the chance or the choice.
Fair
and open elections promote accountability. To borrow a
popular advertising jingle, “everyone knows this.” Less
known, however, is that these inherited public unions
are currently denying their own employees the ability to
vote.
Even
with overwhelming majorities of workers dissatisfied
with certain aspects of their representation or the
accountability of their union leaders, there is little
to nothing union members can do to improve or change
their situation—they are simply left with no voice and
no choice.