-By Ken Marrero of Blue Collar Muse

There are issues which arise from time to time on which principled adults must take a stand. Collective Bargaining for public sector employees and the impact it has on the various economies of our nation is such an issue. It is not a Labor issue; how states deal with teachers. It is an Economic issue; how states deal with economies and tax bases.

In Wisconsin, this was lost in the emotional Union response. It remains to you, here in Tennessee, to look at the facts and the issues and not be intimidated or manipulated, for or against HB 130, by the emotion.

Stripped of emotion and hype, at issue are two questions: 1) Does Collective Bargaining provide Tennessee with the best teachers at a cost we can afford? 2) If not, what do we do about it?

Every election cycle Education tops the issues list. Education always asks for more money and always gets it. But where is the analysis of why it hasn’t done better with all that “more?” The quality of Public Education has declined for decades. What responsible rationale exists for spending more on failure? Teachers want their budgets changed every year, always going up. But changes that would make them accountable for those increased budgets? Things like vouchers, funding private education options and home schooling; these are changes which cannot be permitted. It’s time Public Education be responsible and responsive to the public which pays for it. Changing the way contracts are negotiated by eliminating Collective Bargaining would be a good start.

Why have this conversation in the first place? Tennessee faces a budget shortfall and must make cuts to balance our budget. Teachers have enjoyed sweetheart deals in the past as taxpayers agreed to pay for Education. That system is now strained and taxpayers must look for ways to fund necessities. But those who have received the most over the years won’t even consider giving some back or sacrificing. A small percentage of workers should not have power to force taxpayers to give them more via Collective Bargaining if those paying the bills choose otherwise. If Collective Bargaining is the issue, taxpayers should be able to bargain back. That’s what HB130 represents.

Collective Bargaining by teachers is often referred to as a “right.” It’s not. It’s an ability granted by previous legislatures. On the other hand, taxpayers determining how their money is to be spent is a right; a bona fide, found in the Constitution kind of right. If Public Sector teachers dislike public discussion and cost/benefit analysis of their work, they should look for Private Sector teaching jobs. If it’s paid for by tax dollars, only taxpayers have “rights.” Collective Bargaining permits real rights to be ignored, replacing them with pretend “rights” which are merely claimed without merit.

This public discussion is not an attack on workers. It is a thoughtful consideration by taxpayers as to what they are able and willing to pay for. That should happen from time to time even if the economy is good! Public sector employees are line items in the state budget, funded by tax dollars provided by taxpayers. Teachers should present the case they provide an indispensable service which must not be changed. But once they make that case, they need to sit down and wait to find out what their bosses have decided. If there is an attack here, it is unions savaging the hand which has fed them so well for so long. A few workers are using Collective Bargaining to attack the far larger community of workers on which they depend.

There are more arguments which could be made. But if you are not persuaded by these simple truths they will not sway you either. Your job is to secure the rights of all Tennesseans. If you do so, if you support HB 130, unions will bluster and teachers will sulk and taxpayers, the ones who sent you to Nashville to clean up the mess from the past, will support you. We are ready for legitimate and shared sacrifice. We have no problem if you insist teachers do their part.

We put you in office. We trusted you and believed in you. We depend on you to stand up for us against special interests. The most sacred pact you will ever have beyond that with your God, your spouse and your children is the one you asked us to make with you. We did our part. We expect that you will do yours.

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