Michael Gruber
Sartell
On Aug. 14, I received an offer via e-mail to be considered for an endorsement from the Sartell Education Association Local #7234, our local teachers’ union through the American Federation of Teachers. I declined that offer.
While I respect the collective bargaining rights of workers, public-service unions have distorted this process. Traditional trade unions negotiate with capital owners for improved working conditions and compensation. Public-service unions are not analogous to this process because the capital owners who fund their positions are taxpayers, who are dispersed across an entire tax base. Consequently, unlike traditional labor unions, public unions negotiate with elected representatives who have no vested interest in the terms of their labor agreements or to the taxpayer monies that fund their positions.
Collective bargaining in the civil service also distorts the democratic nature of public institutions. Due to collective bargaining agreements, all civil servants, no matter how competent or poorly performing, end up receiving the same union-steward representation and collective bargaining protections. This is a violation of the Guarantee Clause of Article IV, Section IV of the Constitution of the United States, which promises each state “a republican form of government.” Civil servants should and ought to be responsive to the priorities and values of the voting public. Public-service unions are thus an impediment to this ideal and prevent the electorate from shaping and influencing its public institutions.