I am following with interest the story of the Wisconsin governor who wants to do away with the public employees unions right to collective bargaining, because unions are too expensive, despite the fact that the unions are willing to concede to all of his demands; agreeing to increased contributions to pension plans and healthcare premiums. If there were collective bargaining, the governor would have won all his demands. This isn’t about saving money. This is about dignity and respect for labor.
In a Huffington Post essay, D.C. lawyer Lanny Davis quoted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, in 1937:
“The right to bargain collectively is at the bottom of social justice for the worker, as well as the sensible conduct of business affairs. The denial or observance of this right means the difference between despotism and democracy.”