Down The Sewer Pipe – Politically Speaking

One of the many areas that cities and towns all across America have lost control is the public workforce.  Unions in the United States of America, originally, were designed to curb the abuses of the owners of industry, and of businesses.  These days, unions also control a vast about of the public sector.

 The blame falls, largely, on the people we elect to office.  Every year governments, all across the United States of America, are called on to present to their jurisdictions balanced budgets.  Since expenses are easer to trim than raising revenue, taxes, and because the payroll, of government, consumes about fifty eight percent of revenues, payroll is the first place that they tend to cut.  The cutting also extends to benefits and, on occasion, working conditions.

 If the public sector employee is compensated, in commiserate with the local cost of living, and given decant benefits, then the public sector employee will provide years of service

 However, if the public employee feels that the government body is out to cheat them, they will unionize.  This is precisely what happened at Friday Harbor Washington in the year 2000.  The Town council let it be known that cost of living raises, benefits, and merit raises were not stable.  In such a climate worker can, and do, unionize.

 If the Town had looked at automating what they could, as they had in the previous eight years, granted merit raises if an employee upgraded his knowledge about his job (without being required to do so), then unionization would not have happened.  You, as an elected official, cannot make statements to the effect that raises are a thing of the past.  Unless your intent is to have the public sector, in your local government, go to the union in order to seek employment protection.

 The result of this kink of thing places the voters, the very ones that placed you in office, vulnerable to crime, loss of housing, and higher taxes. Crime, when the police force goes on strike.  Housing, when the fire department goes on strike.  Higher taxes, when the local government caves to the union demands and hands the public a bill they cannot pay.

 The better part of valor would be to create a fund, out of the general fund, in which the interest pays for cost of living increases.  Then again that would take time, public debate, and makes sense.  It is easier and quicker to freeze salaries, stop benefits, and not pay overtime.

Sherman