Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am perfectly aware that we live in deeply partisan times. Partisan in not just political ideologies but also in ways we see the world and our place in it. At times, it seems all middle ground has vanished. But that discussion is for another time. Unionizing is a contentious issue not just for the employers but also for the consumers, especially when you look at how unions - in the industries and sectors where they…
> seem to always serve the interests of just the union members and in no particular way improve the experience of the consumers. Serving the interests of the union members - representing them in their negotiations with management, to be precise - is a union's reason for being. They might also hold their members to a standard of professional ethics, depending on the union, and that might or might not benefit you as a…
"...that might or might not benefit you as a consumer, but
that's not the immediate goal."
"You're focused on the wrong thing vis a vis unions.
They are there for the workers, that might or might not
play out well for the consumer."
To create another entrenched interest group whose influence I cannot hope to counter, using my already significance-dwindled vote, in a state that is already rife with the influence of such powerful unions?
In California, the biggest special interest donor, the California Teachers Association, spent more than $118 million on campaigns in the state during the past five election cycles.[1]
And what do the "consumers" get for that?
The Golden State's fourth-graders ranked 47th in the nation in both math and reading. Eighth-graders ranked 45th in math and 42nd in reading.[2]
Looking at states like California, it is not a stretch to extrapolate that unions - once they reach a critical mass - tend to indulge in a cycle of voracious self-fattening with their growing influence, election cycle after election cycle.
As a consumer, I am supposed to help create more unions and enable this kind of behavior?
[1] http://californiawatch.org/money-and-politics/states-top-100...
[2] http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_24475260/california-students-s...
edit: typo