×

Efforts regarding unions should shift focus

An array of efforts in the state Legislature, reported on in Monday’s edition of the Sun-Gazette, address the power of labor unions in Pennsylvania.

One measure would amend the state Constitution to ban “card check” elections. Others would prohibit the deduction of union-backed political contributions from public-sector employees’ paychecks and mandate regular reminders to public-sector employees that under the Supreme Court’s Janus decision they have the right not to join a union. A third bill would require public-sector unions to recertify by election every six years, “a process that would regularly put organizers on the defensive,” the report in Monday’s Sun-Gazette said.

We share in the concerns of state Rep. Torren Ecker, R-New Oxford, who is sponsoring the ban on card-check elections. The card check process removes anonymity from the vote to unionize. The concept that Americans have a right to vote without disclosing how they vote to the family, friends or neighbors is a hallmark of our democracy and part of the reason we, as a nation, have successfully governed ourselves as a democratic republic.

Moreover, the public nature of the card check process invites political wrangling into the workplace in what we fear would be a disruptive, counterproductive manner, only further eroding relationships between labor and management.

While we remain open-minded about the other proposals, we are disappointed they seem to dwell on the membership and political activism of public-sector unions rather than address what is perhaps the biggest flaw of a unionized public-sector workforce: job security measures.

The consequences of the difficulty in firing bad teachers, bad police officers and bad civil servants are seen in the headlines and in the frustrations of parents and the public. We would argue the efforts of unions to keep ineffective teachers and police officers in their jobs has become an obstacle itself to unions securing better pay and retaining strong health insurance and retirement plans.

We hope rather than focus on fighting the concept of unionizing and collective bargaining themselves, our lawmakers can turn their attention to working with the unions and with advocates for reform. We hope such efforts can make it easier for school districts to fire bad teachers and municipalities to fire bad police officers. It would be to the benefit of everyone — skeptics of public-sector unions who have seen unions protect public servants who abuse their authority, supporters of public-sector unions tired of good police officers and good teachers unfairly maligned due to others’ defects and most of all, the public to whom these teachers, police officers, public servants and lawmakers all are supposed to be accountable.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today