“It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.”

When the government retains the right to use the court as a weapon or, guns to enforce bargain, well, hmmm

Government, good government that is just like any good company or organization enlists the input, feedback and cooperation of its emploees. The military does this also. There are military orgs outside of direct channels as well as orgs in virtually every government agency that assist in this feedback and collection of data, complaints etc from the rank and file. That is good all around. Government employees are not and should not be drones or slaves.

He is correct, they found an alternative. Government bought and paid for by the unions with taxpayer money.

In the private sector, unions negotiate with management to make agreements for the employees -- management may or may not accept the terms because the company must remain profitable for the shareholders, too. But in the public sector, we see politicians promising unions better benefits in order to get elected to office -- this is completely opposite of the private sector. In the public sector, 'management' are the politicians who are not trying to make government more efficient and 'profitable' -- they are interested in getting into office and staying there. This is reason enough that there is no place for public-sector unions -- just look at how much money the unions have given to the Democrats to put them in office -- this is a conflict of interest, and since the government produces nothing but eats everything and more, with unions we have little recourse to reduce the size and scope of government which never ceases to load the rest of us up with more debt in order to give unions better wages and benefits than private sector workers.

The military may be the prime example why collective bargaining and government don't mix. Can you imagine a commander in a battle field situation needing to get approval from a civilian or a subordinate union rep before commencing an action; or, a strike in time of need? In a de jure representative republic, lawfully secular services are limited by a very narrow in scope protection of rights and essential activities - supporting justice and order (not a want list as would be available from religion or the private sector - another imagining, unionization of welfare recipients). De jure representative government is an united extension of self. To consider government as an independent 3rd party, aloof from We The People, is the only scenario at which collective bargaining with government would make sense. It is psychotic for an individual to unite with conflicting perspectives and representations of self at the same time (kinda like starting your own business and then joining a union to negotiate for a higher salary). Unionized education proves the dichotomy - collectivist dummying down replaces the sanity of individual sovereignty's freedom and liberty. De jure representative government in a free society is not the same as a for profit, or otherwise private endeavor. Commercial activities can come and go (depending on many factions, such as the cost of labor). Extensions of self, government, will always exist, no matter if that is in accordance with the laws of nature and of nature's God or in conflicting tyranny.

It is asinine to think that collective bargaining is even possible for govenment workers. Anyway, it isn't about wages so much as it is about control. The unions have state governments by the shorts and it's all because union dues have bought the DemocRATs.

Government workers (especially teachers) who are guaranteed their positions do not have any other incentive than to bargain for more money for less work. There is no sense of honor or pride in the performance of their jobs. Those conservatives who are going along for the ride are not vocal about how much the unions are screwing the public. As far as I'm concerned they are all cowards.

Public and Private Unions are damaging to our country. They never should have been allowed to exist. They started out to be a good thing and to help get people out of sweat shops and help them to better their lives. Now they have turned into a bunch of unhappy, ignorant, socialist, bunch of people who wants to be taking care of by the government and the other Americans that do not want to work for the unions to pay the Fat Cats money, which makes them rich, and instead of putting their workers money into their pensions they use it to hire non-union people to protest, they hire mean people to beat up and throw other people, including Journalist with cameras on the ground and at some townhall meetings they were caught knocking people down and stomping them in the ground. One of them ended up in the hospital. When Tea Party People Protest they are respectful, clean and pick up their own trash. When these people that have been protesting in Wisconsin and now in Detroit and they are not respectful or clean nor do they pick up their trash. They should all be jailed and the key thrown away for just being rude and disrespectful. The ones in Detroit are Socialists and say there are no borders and our Great Nation, they say belongs to everybody. I DON'T THINK SO!! This is our country and I do not want to share with a bunch of idiots who want to change or destroy it!!!

Mike the military constantly surveys the opinions and attitudes of its members, offficers, and rank and file. Soldiers can and do complain to their congreesman or the inspector general. Mike is totally against "collectivism", I guess he is also against Jesus' dictum "Wherever two or more are gathered together......."

Waffler WHAT? Again your misdirection - off topic rhetoric and ineptitude at not understanding the most basic of concepts or what you're even saying shows you have no ability to accurately analyze or describe anything outside your perverted statist theocracy's box. Your military scenario describes well why unions are not useful in the representative's republic, have no place in government and, supports the quote's accuracy.Waffler, in your Matthew 18:20 reference, Jesus is speaking of the quality of the individual (being as humble, teachable, etc. as a small child and, "How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray" (Matt 18:12, 13)) The 2 or 3 gathered is a reference to Christ's church and/or priesthood, not a dictum of any stretch of the imagination. Are you trying to equate unions with Christ's church or, individuals are nothing to the Lord unless he/she are gathered in multiples or, are you trying to say that the 2 or 3 should unionize so as to be able to approach Jesus the Christ or, his Father that is in heaven in collective bargaining negotiations, or what? Your collectivist god is a good example of a double minded man, he is unstable in all his ways - see James 1:8.

Waffler, so you might comprehend, in the slightest manner, the double minded reference - I'll write an example real slow: You first start a business or other legal extension of self (possibly government). You are the sovereign head with all rights inherent in you personally. Since you have the right to unite with others in any just relationship you wish, you join a union so that you can use your collective right to bargain with yourself for higher wages and better working conditions. I said to my self, self - hmmm; double minded