The Union Debate

The Union Debate

Most folks have a hard time understanding what all the hoopla is about, when it comes to unions. It does not help that there is a plethora of misinformation out there. The Left loves to muddy the waters, because they know the average person is too busy trying to stay afloat, and that they just don’t have the time to really research the issues. So, in the interest of trying to help you understand the issue, we offer the following article.

There are two types of unions; the private sector unions and the public sector unions.

Private sector unions are those unions that represent workers in private businesses. Some examples would be; the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents many truck drivers in various freight companies or the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represent many electricians. These unions fight for better pay and benefits for their members. Basically, they try to acquire more share of the profit that the company makes. This profit comes from the buying of goods and/or services offered by the company for sale to the public.

This is a completely “free-will” situation. The company tries to identify what the public wants and to provide that with a margin of profit for their trouble. Consumers are free to buy, or not buy, the product or service offered.

Public sector unions are those unions that represent state and federal government workers. Some examples would be; Service Employees International Union, which represents many state government workers in New Hampshire or the National Education Association, which represent many teachers in public schools. These unions function much the same as private sector unions, but with an important difference- with a few exceptions, they do not generate a profit. Basically, they are almost wholly supported by tax dollars. What that means is that the more pay and benefits they receive, the more money that is necessary to have in the state treasury to cover the costs.

This is a “non-profitable” situation. With exceptions like the Liquor Commission or the State Lottery Commission, there is no incoming profit to share with state workers. They are almost exclusively a drain on taxpayer funds, because they only provide types of service and not something profitable for sale.

This is not to argue that services provided by state workers are unnecessary. To the contrary, many services are very necessary and should be protected. Where would we be without such positions as police, firefighters, teachers, and road crews? We simply cannot do without them. The argument is not whether they should exist, but in what measure the taxpayer can afford to sustain them.

Public sector unions argue that they pay taxes too and are thus supporting the system. They use this argument to justify their demands for more pay and benefits. Yet the very taxes that they pay come from the taxpayer’s pockets and not from any profit generated by their labor.

The state worker’s generous paychecks, funded health care plans, and secured retirements were once affordable. In times of plenty, taxpayers were most generous. That is not where New Hampshire, or the nation, is right now. When a state worker’s pay and benefits greatly exceed that of the taxpayers from which it is derived, one must reasonably argue that it is time for state workers to sacrifice in the same measure as the taxpayers. That is only fair.