The debate over public unions is more complicated than it appears.
All public employee unions are in a conflict of interest because they also act as political parties or PACs. As a result bargaining is not like private sector bargaining. The result is that unions like the AFT, Police Unions, SEIU become major contributors to the Democrats.
This does not make the GOP right, but anyone who opposes the Koch brothers for buying elections needs to understand that Citizens United strikes two ways. Even progressives get stung. The same progressives who support the AFT, NEA bcuz they are teachers’ unions oppose police unions.
In our state, Washington, one of the best paid jobs is deckhand on the state ferries. These laborers have job security and high wages mainly because a ferry strike hurts the public. Nor are unions limited to issues of pay. The schools in our state are dominated by union policies because the AFT and NEA, the major teacher unions, are dominant in financing campaigns for the Democratic Party. Even aside form financing politics, public unions support candidates with research organizations and get out the vote efforts that are not reportable so long as no specific candidate is named.
Meanwhile. the death of private sector unions is making the public sector union a political force more representative of government workers and their considerable privileges than our current work force with its tenuous connection to jobs or any sort of privilege.