Public Sector Unions

[Teemu]

Again. From one isolated point to a trend is a fallacy.

ETA: Why are you linking the Heritage Foundation?

"Private sector is more efficient than public sector" is the default trend . The burden of proof is on why something should be publicly owned.

 

[Emperor_Gestahl]

While many public unions appear to be taking advantage of the taxpayer, it's true that they're not really to blame for the economic crisis. My view is that if republicans want to replace the asbestos insulation on the titanic while it sinks, it may not fix anything but it's certainly nothing to freak out and suspend representative democracy over. Bad form, Democrats.

Having the right idea at the wrong time is no better or worse in practical terms than no idea at all. And uh.. believe me I haven't seen a plan by either party with a prayer of ever closing the total deficits if one were to add the levels o government together.

Yeah, Wall Street and our regulatory bureaucracies that they dazzled with BS over the decades really got the ball rolling, public unions are just part of the snow that gets stuck to the sides as that ball grows. While I agree with the conservatives on this one, they need to have some perspective.

 

[Kestrel]

The income for participation to that voucher program is 175% of poverty federal poverty level, so participants certainly can't afford to pay additional $5-6k out of their own pockets.

The real question is what is the total cost per student to run the alternative school. Include tuition, voucher subsidies and charitable donations.

 

[geni]

We're cutting services to the poor, elderly, and sick while public unions get raises and job guarantees. Once again, this cartoon hits it on the head...

Given that those services are generaly delivered by union memebers your claim seems unlikely.

 

[geni]

"Private sector is more efficient than public sector" is the default trend . The burden of proof is on why something should be publicly owned.

1)there were other issues in the communist states
2)Trying to establish a trend from a single point is mathmaitcaly unsound.

 

[geni]

There are no state teachers or firemen.

Every cent of the state budget goes through the corrupt legislature, whose sole reason for being is to enrich their cronies like Bill Daley and Bob Kjellander and Bill Cellini.

So your problem isn't actualy unions but a failed legislature.

 

[Malerin]

But teachers work for the municipality/township/whatever you have there, not the state.

We still get lumped in with state workers. It doesn't help that CTA is omnipresent in California politics.


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[carlitos]

Given that those services are generaly delivered by union memebers your claim seems unlikely.

Really? What percentage of services to the poor, elderly, and sick are delivered by union workers?

ETA - If you must pick a place, let's say Illinois, or a comparable state.

 

[stokes234]

"Private sector is more efficient than public sector" is the default trend . The burden of proof is on why something should be publicly owned.

Nope, that's opinion, not fact. Many people believe that the public sector is more efficient at delivering vital services than the private sector, due to reduced costs in areas such as advertising, executive pay etc. There is also the question of efficiency - while private sectors will make it their mission to run the cheapest possible costs, public sectors will be focusing on quality, and as a result, private versions may be cheaper but will often also be lower quality where it can be gotten away with. And since increased efficiency is running the same service at a reduced cost, the term efficiency doesn't always apply.

It certainly isn't a trend you can just throw out there and declare to be the default position.

 

[geni]

Really? What percentage of services to the poor, elderly, and sick are delivered by union workers?

ETA - If you must pick a place, let's say Illinois, or a comparable state.

Well in the UK it would be close to 100%.

I assume but the amount of complaining about public sector union workers in this thread that is it much the same in the US.

 

[carlitos]

Well in the UK it would be close to 100%.

I assume but the amount of complaining about public sector union workers in this thread that is it much the same in the US.

You assume incorrectly.

For health care and "personal assistance and care", the percentage of union workers is under 10%. For the broader Health care and social assistance industry category, it's under 7%.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t03.htm

ETA - By contrast, Local Government workers are 45% represented by unions, State gov't is 35% and Federal gov't is about 30%.