The Role of the Prison Guards Union in California’s Troubled Prison System
The Role of the Prison Guards Union in California’s Troubled Prison System
Jailing is big business. California spends approximately $9 billion a year on its correctional system, and hosts one in seven of the nation’s prisoners. It has the largest prison population of any state. The number of correctional facilities, the amount of compensation for their unionized staffs, and the total cost of incarcerating a prisoner in...
By Tim Kowal
The Differences Between Public and Private Sector Unions
The Differences Between Public and Private Sector Unions
Many supporters of public sector unions suggest there are no meaningful differences between public and private sector unions when it comes to collective bargaining. As I explain below, however, there are in fact several fundamental differences, many of which have been pointed out since the inception of public sector collective bargaining. Prior to the rise...
By Tim Kowal
Why Public Sector Unions Are Not Typical Unions
Why Public Sector Unions Are Not Typical Unions
The left’s alignment with unions is more than merely political—it is ideological. The major justification for continued existence of unions, particularly public sector unions, borrows heavily from a liberal conception of redistributive jus cialis 10mg tice, as follows: <ul> <li>As a matter of first principles, all Americans are entitled to a minimum standard of living.</li>...
By Tim Kowal
The Left’s Belated Defense of Public Sector Unions
The Left’s Belated Defense of Public Sector Unions
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed limits on public employee collective bargaining—and Republican election victories in November more generally—have uncorked a backlog of opposition from the left to criticisms against public sector unions. More complete responses to that opposition will follow this post (though Ezra Klein has already kicked out the legs from under his own...
By Tim Kowal