Listening to Governor Christie of New Jersey, I am speechless. He is saying that the health care package of public employees in NJ is $24,000. WHAT???!!!!! What does that do for someone? In PWC, which is probably higher than much of the rest of the state, the health care package is around $6,000 a year per person. Now why is New Jersey’s health care package 4 times higher? Unfortunately, when people hear about unions breaking the middle class, etc, they assume that is what is happening to them here in Virginia. No it isn’t. Virginia public employees cannot do collective bargaining.
What is the big issue with collective bargaining? If both sides sit down at the table, isn’t it a situation of you give/I give? You cave here/I cave there? That’s how it is supposed to work. However, in the past, many jurisdictions have just acquiesced to the unions. So, who owns that problem? Is it because the unions gave to their campaign funds? Has there been complicity and wink wink nudge nudge from legislators? Have union demands been ok’ed by negotiators at the direction of those who are elected in exchange for big union bucks next election campaign?
Let’s think about redefining the role of collective bargaining so that it really is exactly that…bargaining. Many people are very uncomfortable with union busting. Many people are uncomfortable with union excesses. Perhaps this is the time to seek balance rather than the time to kill off unions. The American worker will not go quietly to the union grave. Too many people gave up their lives for the right to form unions.
