BETWEEN THE LINES: Public unions must go along with their supporters
When I graduated from college in 1969 and took on my first full-time job as a public school teacher, I had no illusions about being highly compensated. I felt fortunate at that time to have been hired by the third highest-paying school district in the Texas.
Employee benefits did not register on my youthful 22-year-old mind. Health insurance benefits did not seem particularly important since I seldom got sick, and retirement plans were too far into the future to have any meaning.
As a student, my budget was minuscule. Because my seven-day meal plan did not include the Sunday evening meal, the highlight of my week was getting a chicken-fried steak at the College Grill.
Needless to say, my life after college had to be on the up and up. It seemed appropriate to me as a professional to join the Texas State Teachers Association. As a new member, I voted against TSTA’s being merged or affiliated with the National Education Association.
Like most employees, I have no objection to being paid more for my work, but I understood the educational system was designed to reward longevity, not creativity. That the head basketball coach, who worked next door to me, taught four study halls and got paid more than I did seemed to me to be a tad inequitable. However, I never lost sleep over it.
I left the teaching profession after 10 years and entered the insurance business. I worked in the private sector for the next 26 years. The entire time, I understood my future employment was not guaranteed, and that my boss could fire me without cause at any time. So my response was to create value so that unpleasant fact of life would not happen to me.
As I turn to the Wisconsin public school crisis, I am troubled. In my six decades of living, I have learned an individual is either principally guided by reason or emotion. Losing one’s job is problematic, but not necessarily anyone’s fault. If a business is losing money and is in need of letting go of employees to sustain itself, it should be allowed to do so without government interference.
There was a time when public employees were not allowed to unionize, but in 1963, President Kennedy issued an executive order which made the act legal. Executive orders carry the weight of the law in spite of the Legislature not passing them. They should have been declared unconstitutional because they bypass the legislative process, which allow prospective laws to be publicly debated.
The right to collectively bargain is the law. Unfortunately, public unions greatly differ from those in the private sector because of the symbiotic relationship between the union members who seek benefits from the politicians who want their votes. This creates an uneven playing field and an atmosphere that promotes an attitude of "if you scratch my back, I will scratch yours."
As a public school teacher, I am offended by the conduct of teachers’ unions that refer to the Republican governor of Wisconsin as a "Hitler" or a terrorist for attempting to solve a financial crisis in his state that in November the voters of Wisconsin elected him to do. In addition, creating a "sick-in" and failing to show up for work is unprofessional.
In the past, the solution was simple. If you do not think you are being fairly treated, then change jobs. Since jobs will be drying up in the public sector, one might want to try the private.
I am not surprised President Obama chimed in on the side of the unions, a constituency that helped get him elected. Quite frankly, what goes on in Wisconsin is none of his business, especially that when it comes to finances he has no clue how to manage them other than by raising the debt ceiling and creating a tax burden for future generations to pay.
The United States is losing its identity as we continue to abandon the rule of law and are ruled by elitists who ignore the will of the people. It just makes me sad watching it unravel before my very eyes.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, e-mail ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.