RALEIGH – Even for North Carolina’s current crop of Keystone Cop politicians, who are manifestly adept at shooting themselves and our economy in the foot, the cause of public-sector unionism has never been a high priority.
Oh, Democratic legislators have said nice things about unions and occasionally filed bills to lift restrictions on collective bargaining among state and local government employees. Given the role that labor donations and organizers played in the Democrats’ 2006 and 2008 electoral gains in North Carolina, party leaders have felt obligated to go through the motions of promoting the labor movement’s policy agenda, including public-sector unionization.
But it’s obvious that for many of the Democratic politicians in question, their hearts are just not in it. Facing fiscal deficits now and the possibility of vote deficits in the fall, they are loathe to do anything to 1) jack up the cost of delivering current state and local services by 10 percent or more, 2) drive Democratic-leaning business donors and organizations into the waiting arms of the Republicans, and 3) create even stronger political organizations outside the direct control of Democratic politicians and party committees.
Certainly the recent attempt by the State Employees Association of North Carolina, the local arm of the Service Employees International Union, to run third-party candidates against Democratic incumbents such as 8th District Rep. Larry Kissell didn’t help matters. The stunt annoyed and angered Democratic partisans.
Still, if Nevada Sen. Harry Reid has his way, the objections of North Carolina leaders of all parties and persuasions won’t matter. As Carolina Journal reported a few weeks ago, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate has filed legislation to overturn the state’s prohibition against collective bargaining within state, county, and municipal workforces.
While union officials declined CJ Associate Editor Donna Martinez’ repeated requests for comment, other capital-area players with Democratic leanings expressed great concern about how Reid bill might affect North Carolina governments. From the story:
Rebecca Troutman of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners says local law enforcement officers receive a competitive salary, a 5 percent 401(k) contribution by their employers every year, a robust pension plan, and a separation allowance.
S. 3194 is an expensive, unfunded mandate, according to Ellis Hankins of the League of Municipalities. “It’s going to result in the same services being delivered at a much higher cost,” Hankins said. Like the county commissioners’ group, the league views collective bargaining and S. 3194 as a major threat that would create an adversarial relationship between employee and employer and lead to collective bargaining with other public employees.
Hankins points to Vallejo, Calif., as the poster child for what can happen when officials have no flexibility to cut budgets. In 2008, Vallejo declared bankruptcy after unions refused to renegotiate contracts. Three-quarters of Vallejo’s general fund budget went to public safety worker compensation. A bankruptcy appellate panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed the city was insolvent and ordered changes to the agreements.
As Hankins and I are friendly but often on opposite sides of policy debates, I am pleased to discover this opportunity to make common cause. North Carolina has more than enough fiscal and economic problems with which to contend. Whether it would be the result of an encroachment by Washington or a self-inflicted wound by the General Assembly, public-sector unionism would be a calamity for our state.
Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.