Private and public unions – a mismatch?

By: centraljersey.com
Having dealt with both private and public sector unions, especially those involving the skilled trades, I am amazed by mass demonstrations purporting to show common purpose and solidarity. It is a mismatch that will not withstand a time of testing as private and public sector unions are fundamentally disparate and ultimate outcomes for the two, favorable or unfavorable, are not necessarily linked.
To understand the disparities, a few facts are of import. Private sector union membership in New Jersey has declined in recent years to just 9 percent (280,000 of 3.1 million workers). In contrast, unionized workers held some 60 percent of the state’s public sector jobs (350,000 of 600,000 workers in 2010). There are more public sector union workers than private sector!
In terms of responsibility for providing the most valued benefits of union membership, private sector unions assure and provide for their own in their labor contracts, while the public sector workers depend on the government as civil servants. Further, labor-management negotiations so essential to balance legitimate interests of employee and employer, while providing a fair, competitive living wage and benefits, are totally different. For example, trade unions have longstanding relationships and negotiations with longstanding labor-management committees. Contractors and their trade associations, and the trade unions, deal with each other directly over many years, negotiating contracts for hourly rates of pay, including large contributions to a spectrum of benefits. Also, labor and management work together to deliver health care, retirement and other benefits which are funded through the labor contracts.
In stark contrast, public sector unions often are negotiating labor contracts with themselves! Those charged with protecting the taxpayer interest representing management are frequently individuals who benefit directly or indirectly from public sector increases in salaries or benefits, the opposite of the business owner’s positions on their side of the table. For example, in my experience with a Board of Education dealing with their unions, many of those negotiating were members of what might be called the Education Establishment. Basically, they really were in a conflict of interest, since many of the contracts set precedent and trends for what is accepted state-wide as fair and reasonable for teachers, professors, administrators. What makes anyone think that Rutgers or Princeton professors, retired teachers or administrators, etc., can exercise the board’s fiduciary roles and be fully objective at the negotiating table in protecting the taxpayers’ interest? They themselves may well be the beneficiaries of favorable outcomes for the public sector employees with whom they are negotiating.
This public-private union mismatch and conflict of basic interests will not withstand a time of testing.
John Clearwater Princeton Township
Arts and Transit section would be a benefit
To the editor:
As a member of the Mercer Hill Historic District Association (MHHDA), I strongly urge the borough and the township to move forward with concrete plans for implementing Princeton University’s proposed Arts and Transit neighborhood.
The Mercer Hill Historic District is adjacent to this proposed cultural center and we will feel the impact of the development first hand. The MHHDA has met, studied and discussed the university’s plan and reconfiguration of the Dinky station, and concluded this project would have a positive impact on the district and on the borough and township.
The Arts and Transit neighborhood will be a beautiful asset to the university and a lively center of creativity for the students but it wll also be a gift to the community – from the youngest artists to the oldest patrons of the arts.
Rob Robertson Princeton
Conservatives plan to destroy democracy
To the editor:
In Naomi Klein’s book "The Shock Doctrine" she suggests that since the 1970s "right wing ideologues have exploited crises to push through an agenda that has nothing to do with resolving those crises and everything to do with imposing their vision of a harsher, more unequal, less democratic society."
Today conservatives are mounting attacks on labor unions, the rights of minorities and women, protection of the environment, health care, pensions, public broadcasting and the arts to push toward such a society.
Do budget deficits really matter to Republicans and tea partiers? If they do, why didn’t we hear from them during the administration of Bush-43 when many of those deficits were being generated? In just a few weeks, Wisconsin’s new governor has turned a budget surplus into a deficit by giving tax breaks to corporations and is now trying to use that deficit to destroy labor unions. It’s time for a reality check.
Only five states do not allow collective bargaining for educators. Those states and the ranking of their students on the ACT/SAT tests are: South Carolina (50th), North Carolina (49th), Georgia (48th), Texas (47th) and Virginia (44th). Wisconsin, which allows collective bargaining, ranks second in scores.
There is plenty of money in the U.S. to provide the necessities of life in a civilized society. However that wealth is concentrated in the top 1 percent (largely because of the Bush tax cuts) while middle class wages have been flat for 30 years.
The same conservative values that caused the economic collapse through lack of regulation (again due to Bush) are now hoping to lock in their economic domination. Rather than balancing the budget on the backs of workers and the poor, a just solution requires tax increases for the wealthiest Americans.
Ronald A. LeMahieu West Windsor
Three police officers should be replaced
To the editor:
Recently I heard from a very reliable source that the Princeton Township government has decided that there are currently no plans to replace the three officers who recently departed from the Princeton Township Police Department.
I feel very strongly that the Princeton Township government should reverse its position. If anyone who reads this letter agrees with my position I am urging those individuals to contact Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner or the four other members of the Princeton Township Committee.
Ethan C. Finley Princeton
Thank you residents of Plainsboro Fire District
To the editor:
I’d like to express a deep and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the residents of Plainsboro for their time and effort during the recent Plainsboro Fire District election.
The friendship and effort that so many invested in my campaign meant the world to me. While the election results were not as we liked, it was an incredibly humbling experience to have carried your hopes. I ran this campaign the best way I knew how, with honor and integrity. Despite the negative social networking site comments and the written attempts to discredit me distributed by a group of individuals identified as firefighters, I continued to focus on what I could do, not on what others can’t do. My campaign was solely based on what I can accomplish for Plainsboro. Instead of pointing fingers, I shared with Plainsboro what I could do; my plan was clear.
Awareness. Accountability. Communication. Representation.
Concepts so simple, yet so rarely demonstrated. These are the ideals I believe in. Over the last several months, I’ve had the opportunity to truly see the heart of this community. I’ve seen the spirit of democracy. I’ve seen the compassion of our residents and the will for change. I’ve seen the wish to not accept excuses such as "we have always done it this way."
If there is one note I would like everyone to remember, it is that, in our democratic society, change is only a vote away. The only important prerequisite is your will. Again, I want to acknowledge and thank each of you who looked at what I stand for and realized I was a candidate worth voting for. Thank you to my volunteers for the countless hours and creativity. Thank you to my neighbors who provided continued support. Thank you to my family and friends for cheering me on.Thank you to my children and my husband who sacrificed family time to allow me to pursue this position.
In the words of William Shakespeare, "I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks."
Michele Holder Plainsboro