Unions: Raise Taxes For Our Raises

Most people look at a recession as a time to cut back on expenditures and expectations. Our unemployment rate has topped 25% in some areas of Alabama, and it's topped 40% in some areas of the country. In such an environment, when most of us are glad to keep our jobs at our current salary level, one might expect unions to feel the same way. Well, one would be wrong.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/what_union_bosses_think_Em4qoD4qx9ei7QLeYk8v6I

Oops. An Albany cop-union boss just let the protect-and-serve mask slip.

Albany Police Officers Union President Chris Mesley says that, regardless of the faltering economy, a no-raise new contract is unacceptable.

And to hell with the public.

"I'm not running a popularity contest here," Mesley said. "If I'm the bad guy to the average citizen . . . and their taxes have go up to cover my raise, I'm very sorry about that, but I have to look out for myself and my membership."

Mesley added: "As the president of the local, I will not accept 'zeroes.' If that means . . . ticking off some taxpayers, then so be it."

Isn't that just lovely? Many people have no jobs and the rest of us are cutting back in order to make ends meet, but Mesley says to heck with the rest of us. If we have to pay more taxes so he can have a raise, then we'll just have to suck it up and pay the extra taxes... whether we can afford them or not.


This is just another example of what is wrong with unions, especially government unions.

Look, if a private business is unionized, the unions can only push so far for benefits... because if they push too hard they could bankrupt the company and then nobody has a job, and that union group is gone. But with a government union, they can push as hard as they like... profitability doesn't enter into the equation. As Mesley pointed out so eloquently.

The message? Sacrifice is for suckers -- not unionized government employees.

Thus do taxpayers end up working longer and harder to pay for the guaranteed salaries and plush benefits of union members.

Mesley admits that he understands that. He just doesn't care.

It says something when the major growth sector for employment right now is the government. We're cutting back because we have to, but despite state and federal budget woes, they are increasing the size of the government workforce.

And make no mistake, from the viewpoint of economic prosperity, this is a bad development.