"The counter-argument I've heard is that many fields only offer employment in the public sector (teachers spring to mind). This means that the same dynamic exists as existed between the Company Town bosses and the laborers."
Bullshit.
There are thousands of private schools around the country at all levels of education but even if there weren't this could not set up a "company town" atmosphere because Schools are run at the local, or in some cases the State level so there is not just 1 employer, there are 52 different states and over 15,000 separate school districts that a teacher could work for.
Compare this to the job of an Aerospace or Automotive engineer, you've got something like 6 different companies you could work for in the US and maybe 50 globally.
With the way that schools are set up in this country there are more than enough different employers to set up a true competitive market for the services of teachers.
As far as Social Workers, no they are not only hired by the government, there are a lot of private "Employee Help Line" services that hire social workers as well but even if we restrict it to just the government you still have 50 different states, the Federal Government and a couple hundred cities, towns, and counties large enough to hire them. Once again there are more many more hiring agents than exist for a great many private sector careers.
In the end the only way you can grant public employees collective bargaining rights is if you restrict their voting rights, if not then you create a situation by which the Union wields hiring and firing power over those in management and with no need to make a profit and no risk of "going out of business" the unions can essentially demand and be guaranteed to receive any pay and benefits package that they want.
Credits & Style Info
Talk Politics. A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 17/2/11 15:40 (UTC)Bullshit.
There are thousands of private schools around the country at all levels of education but even if there weren't this could not set up a "company town" atmosphere because Schools are run at the local, or in some cases the State level so there is not just 1 employer, there are 52 different states and over 15,000 separate school districts that a teacher could work for.
Compare this to the job of an Aerospace or Automotive engineer, you've got something like 6 different companies you could work for in the US and maybe 50 globally.
With the way that schools are set up in this country there are more than enough different employers to set up a true competitive market for the services of teachers.
As far as Social Workers, no they are not only hired by the government, there are a lot of private "Employee Help Line" services that hire social workers as well but even if we restrict it to just the government you still have 50 different states, the Federal Government and a couple hundred cities, towns, and counties large enough to hire them. Once again there are more many more hiring agents than exist for a great many private sector careers.
In the end the only way you can grant public employees collective bargaining rights is if you restrict their voting rights, if not then you create a situation by which the Union wields hiring and firing power over those in management and with no need to make a profit and no risk of "going out of business" the unions can essentially demand and be guaranteed to receive any pay and benefits package that they want.