The disturbing protests that are spreading across Europe are setting the table for similar showdowns across America in the coming months and years. Public employee unions and their socialist allies will take to the streets of Washington, D.C. and state capitals as the federal and state governments finally deal with out of control spending.
It’s largely because, for the longest time, our elected leaders were more interested in courting unions for money and votes than keeping government spending in check.
And some are still putting the problem off – and actually making it worse – by continuing to negotiate multi-year contracts with unions with no real way to pay for them. That’s particularly true in our nation’s public schools.
In Anderson, Indiana, the union-controlled school board recently tried to pull a fast one and actully negotiated an unheard-of 10-year contract with the teachers union. Community outrage led to court action and the length of the contract was cut to 5 years – still way too long in this economic climate.
More recently, news surfaced that the state could be taking over that district because it could be insolvent within two years. But who cares? The union now has a signed contract that carries the weight of law. The children may not be learning, but at least the adults know somebody has to come up with their pay and benefits!
Elsewhere, another school district in fiscal shambles, Milwaukee, just inked a four year contract with its union. This district is already over a billion dollars in the hole when its pension obligation is factored in. The new governor and legislature will likely be trying to reign in out-of-control costs in schools across the state, but with this new four-year contract, Milwaukee’s union will be immune.
In states and school districts where the union doesn’t call the shots, we’re likely to see serious spending reform: performance pay, employees paying a bigger share of health insurance costs, 401(k) type retirement plans and other concepts that in effect erode union power. Because of that last fact, unions will take to the streets and will likely attempt to maintain their power and perks by any means necessary.
If our leaders are serious about saving America, this clash is unavoidable. We might as well deal with it now. States and school districts ought to begin the process of bankruptcy soon. It’s time to deal with the very real, unsustainable spending commitments that don’t stand a chance of actually being met, short of dramatic increases in taxes or severely rationing student programs. That way they can get out from under the unsustainable contracts and bloated pension systems that have no chance of being fully funded.
We know how the unions and their socialist allies will react so we might as well get on with it. Hard-working Americans will stand with the leaders like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie that are making the tough decisions for the good of taxpayers.
Americans stood with the Tea Party in the recent election and sent a clear message: get spending under control.
But doing that requires standing up to brute thugs. Let’s meet the AFL-CIO, SEIU, NEA and AFT in the streets. Our financial security depends on it.
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