Daniel Kanter

Public Workers: Still Not Your Rich Uncle.

Normally when public workers are demonized in the media, it’s taking place in cash-strapped cities where public sector union members try desperately to hold onto their well-deserved benefits, while politicians turn the upset of disgruntled constituents against public workers. They're easy targets and, on paper, a big portion of the budget. Instead of thinking, “I should really have health benefits at my job,” people follow a logic that runs more like: “well, if I don’t have it, they shouldn’t either.” It’s infantile, but that’s the way it goes.

Suburban areas aren’t immune to this sort of squabbling, either. According to the Boston Globe in an article entitled “Suburbs Skirting Layoffs,” small cities north of Boston have recently been sorting out their own budget nightmares and, you guessed it, public sector unions got the short end of the stick. After heated rounds of negotiations resulting in massive concessions, here’s what William Manzi, the mayor of Methuen had to say:

“Negotiations came down to the wire, and were contentious at times, but the truth of the matter is, [unions] did a wonderful thing for the city.”

Of course, the unions did do a generous thing in the face of difficult decisions: layoffs or concessions. But at the same time, the Globe and Mayor Manzi could have made more of an effort to get across how devastating the concessions are to already-struggling public employees rather than glorify stripping benefits from unions who have their hands tied. It’s unsettling, but not unexpected, that it’s framed more like a Robin Hood-esque victory-- the rich public worker giving of themselves to the poor masses. The problem is, those public workers have been woefully miscast.

The article does point out that layoffs did take place, and in significant numbers. In Lawrence, MA, 23 firefighters were let go, leaving “enough firefighters to cover a city half the size of Lawrence.”

The cycle of demonizing and subsequently disenfranchising public workers is toxic. Not only does it threaten public safety, it also lowers the standard of living for everyone-- public and private employees alike.

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Posted at 4:54 PM, Jul 13, 2010 in
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