Sunday, March 29, 2009 | Public sector unions now monopolize the labor force of the city of San Diego. Simply put, city governments are legal monopolies and city worker unions now control many of them.
By controlling the elections of public officials to whom they report, it is impossible to stop their drive to control government policies toward what they want. We seem to be at the point where there is no way to oppose them, because they have gained too much political power.
Public sector unions are highly motivated and organized. They easily prevail over the poorly informed and disorganized constituency of taxpayers. Unions support candidates with cash and activists.
The continued failure to outsource city operations is a good example. Affirmatively voted on by the taxpayers, the city worker unions use their clout and money to elect sympathetic council members who have successfully thrashed any effort to bring competition into the system.
How do taxpayers protect themselves? Consider the following:
- Businesses should file anti-trust suits against the mayor, City Council and city worker unions to require outsourcing.
- Outlaw allowing elected officials who negotiate with unions from accepting union campaign contributions.
- Outlaw union representation in city operations that do not permit outsourcing in order to break the effective union monopoly.
- Taxpayers should push for the city to file bankruptcy to force rewriting of excessive benefit contracts and work rules.