Chris Reed on Loosening the Union Chokehold on California
The state can make reforms that are both better for governance and fairer to union workers than the status quo.
Union power in the Golden State helps the few and harms the many. In schools, the interests of unionized teachers trump the needs of students. In local government, the compensation given to unionized workers often reflects their political clout, not the pay and benefits necessary to keep them on the job. In the Legislature, public employees are so powerful that union lobbyists have been known to openly browbeat lawmakers who don't do their bidding. So how can Californians loosen this union chokehold? Chris Reed says by adopting a reform that's both better for governance and fairer to union workers than the status quo.