Unions actually started in the Civil War era but came into real power starting in the Great Depression. They were formed because industry took advantage of workers with sweat shops and coolie wages. But these days, it seems to be the other way around at least when it comes to government workers. It's all politics and taxes. Now we are at a point that Unions don't care if we can no longer afford their lucrative benefits.
As Florida is the only State that does not require employees to pay something towards their pension plan, Gov. Rick Scott wants to cut pension benefits for state workers, teachers and many local government employees while also requiring they contribute 5 percent of their salaries to the Florida Retirement System. He also plans to lay-off about 5,500 workers or 5% of the workforce. After he does it, let's buy him a ticket to Lake Worth. Read more.
The liabilities, whether in the State of Florida or in the City of Lake Worth, stem from lousy incentives and just plain bad decisions by past officials that have now come to haunt us.
Public employees in the State of Florida have the constitutional right to collectively bargain. "Public employees" means employees of the state, counties, school boards, municipalities and special taxing districts. This includes all fire, police, corrections, school teachers and support personnel, medical personnel, state troopers, toll collectors, sanitation employees and clerical, etc. There are approximately 400,000 public employees of bargaining units throughout the State of Florida.
J. Justin Wilson, managing director of the Center for Union Facts, a corporate-backed group opposing legislation for union membership said, “Labor union membership is an outdated concept for most working Americans. It is a relic of Depression-era labor-management relations.”
Florida Sate Unions
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