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Government against Itself: Public Union Power and Its Consequences
As workers in the private sector struggle with stagnant wages, disappearing benefits, and rising retirement ages, unionized public employees retire in their fifties with over $100,000 a year in pension and healthcare benefits. The unions defend tooth and nail the generous compensation packages and extensive job security measures they've won for their members. However, the costs they impose crowd out important government services on which the poor and the middle class rely. Attempts to rein in the unions, as in Wisconsin and New Jersey, have met with massive resistance. Yet as Daniel DiSalvo argues in Government against Itself, public sector unions threaten the integrity of our very democracy.
DiSalvo, a third generation union member, sees the value in private sector unions. But in public sector, unions do not face a genuine adversary at the bargaining table. Moreover, the public sector can't go out of business no matter how much union members manage to squeeze out of it. Union members have no incentive to settle for less, and the costs get passed along to the taxpayer. States and municipalities strain under the weight of their pension obligations, and the chasm between well-compensated public sector employees and their beleaguered private sector counterparts widens. Where private sector unions can provide a necessary counterweight to the power of capital, public employee unionism is basically the government bargaining with itself; it's no wonder they almost always win. The left is largely in thrall to the unions, both ideologically and financially; the right would simply take a hatchet to the state itself, eliminating important and valuable government services. Neither side offers a realistic vision of well-run government that spends tax dollars wisely and serves the public well. Moving beyond stale and unproductive partisan divisions, DiSalvo argues that we can build a better, more responsive government that is accountable to taxpayers. But we cannot do it until we challenge the dominance of public sector unions in government.
This carefully reasoned analysis of the power of public sector unions is a vital contribution to the controversial debates about public versus private unions, increasing inequality, and the role of government in American life
DiSalvo, a third generation union member, sees the value in private sector unions. But in public sector, unions do not face a genuine adversary at the bargaining table. Moreover, the public sector can't go out of business no matter how much union members manage to squeeze out of it. Union members have no incentive to settle for less, and the costs get passed along to the taxpayer. States and municipalities strain under the weight of their pension obligations, and the chasm between well-compensated public sector employees and their beleaguered private sector counterparts widens. Where private sector unions can provide a necessary counterweight to the power of capital, public employee unionism is basically the government bargaining with itself; it's no wonder they almost always win. The left is largely in thrall to the unions, both ideologically and financially; the right would simply take a hatchet to the state itself, eliminating important and valuable government services. Neither side offers a realistic vision of well-run government that spends tax dollars wisely and serves the public well. Moving beyond stale and unproductive partisan divisions, DiSalvo argues that we can build a better, more responsive government that is accountable to taxpayers. But we cannot do it until we challenge the dominance of public sector unions in government.
This carefully reasoned analysis of the power of public sector unions is a vital contribution to the controversial debates about public versus private unions, increasing inequality, and the role of government in American life
- GenresPolitics
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 11, 2018
It is tempting for someone who is pro-union to be critical of this book, but DiSalvo is not anti-union: rather, he injects sorely needed nuance into a discussion of labor and politics that is absent almost everywhere. Even law schools often fail to delve this deeply into the subject, with classes usually equating public sector unions with their private sector counterparts. But a key, inescapable point the author makes is that the proven benefits of private unions in the free market are often conspicuously absent in the public sector.
DiSalvo also shows front and center how public unions in their current state distort not just economics, but perhaps most importantly, the political process. He reveals how they can indirectly damage the legitimacy of unions in the private sector. And he does all this, not as an open condemnation of labor movements, but as a call for reexamining the current climate of unions in government. If you have any interest in current politics, economics, or employment, this is a powerful and persuasive read regardless of your stance on public sector unions.
DiSalvo also shows front and center how public unions in their current state distort not just economics, but perhaps most importantly, the political process. He reveals how they can indirectly damage the legitimacy of unions in the private sector. And he does all this, not as an open condemnation of labor movements, but as a call for reexamining the current climate of unions in government. If you have any interest in current politics, economics, or employment, this is a powerful and persuasive read regardless of your stance on public sector unions.
January 21, 2021
Excellent book; a well balanced academic and policy examination of the growth of government employee unions and their relationship to government mission. The author rises above partisan ideology to deliver even-handed analysis of a very complicated set of topics most relevant for those who believe well functioning government can do good. I’d recommend this as required reading for local school board members and other state and local elected officials.
April 7, 2015
Important and valuable thoughts on state of our nation's relationship with government and public unions. This definitely is a scholarly approach, NOT a right-wing polemic. Most leftists certainly are going to disagree with that characterization, and also with the author's analysis, but they would be hard-pressed to deny the key points, one of which is stated in the book's subtitle.
DiSalvo, a public employee himself, gives even-handed treatment of arguments for and against public unions and collective bargaining with state, federal, and local governments. In the final analysis, just about all of the pro-public-union points come down to being positives for the union members and negatives for everyone else. Public unions elect their own bosses and thus it's really not a fair negotiation.
DiSalvo, a public employee himself, gives even-handed treatment of arguments for and against public unions and collective bargaining with state, federal, and local governments. In the final analysis, just about all of the pro-public-union points come down to being positives for the union members and negatives for everyone else. Public unions elect their own bosses and thus it's really not a fair negotiation.
January 27, 2015
Decent book, but bites off way more than it can chew. General idea is fine, but the analysis and arguments are sloppy at points, the writing sometimes repeats itself, and the organization of the book could be improved.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews