The American Spectator, a conservative opinion website, is just the latest media outlet to publicize the fact that the government unions-v-the people battle has moved from Wisconsin to Michigan. At issue: A proposed constitutional amendment called “Protect Our Jobs.”
The proposed amendment is “already being billed as an anti-right-to-work measure, but the major impact would be the reversal of reforms to government union privileges.” So says F. Vincent Vernuccio, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Mackinac Center, two of my favorite policy shops.
Having worked for government, and having known people who work for government, I understand that workers should have some protections against corrupt and destructive bosses. But there are plenty of protections built into laws and civil service procedures.
While government unions can be another tool at keeping public managers honest, as a whole they work against the taxpayer–which is to say, all of us–and for the benefit of a few, especially the “1 percent” of top dogs in the union and their political pals.