Anti-Public Employee Propaganda

My Letter to the Editor which appeared in This Week Westerville on July 27, 2012:

A letter in This Week Westerville published July 21 typifies the misleading anti-public employee propaganda being promulgated by various anti-government groups and individuals of late.

The writer, Roderick Clay of Westerville begins with the assertion that public union employee compensation (wages, benefits and perks) is out of line with that of non-government employees. As in every other attack on public employees I’ve seen, absolutely NO evidence is offered to support this claim. In fact I have seen numerous studies comparing private and public sector compensation, and none has found a significant disparity.

Then Clay proceeds to claim that public employees have not suffered along with their private-sector counterparts, who he says “have lost their jobs,” or “had wages, benefits, and hours cut.” Does Clay not know that many thousands of Ohio public employees have lost their jobs or had their wages, benefits and hours cut? For example, in early 2009 State of Ohio employee unions agreed – through collective bargaining - to a two year pay freeze, 10 unpaid furlough days per year and no personal leave accrual. Similar sacrifices, including paying a higher share of healthcare costs, have been made by local government employees across the state. What comparable sacrifices have been made by employees of Chase Bank, the Limited, or other large employers in the area? Critics of public employees never tell us this.

There has always been an element in America that has opposed workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. Today’s right-wing assault on public employees, much of it bankrolled by the billionaire right-wing Koch brothers and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and exemplified by Senate Bill 5, is just the latest chapter in the story. This November we the electorate will have the opportunity to inform the anti-government, anti-public employee movement that we appreciate the benefits of our government – our schools, libraries, police and fire protection, highways, a safety net for those in need, and the dedicated employees, our friends, neighbors and relatives, who work in state and local government. Vote to repeal S.B. 5!