How pathetic. A month or so into the semester, faculty at the state system universities have gone on strike. How is a prolonged strike supposed to “insure quality education” as one striking professor claimed? The union wants a better health care plan than other state workers and turned down pay raises.
This strike, like public school teacher strikes, points out the incredibly destructive fealty to unions in Pennsylvania where government employees can walk off the job with impunity, disrupting lives, shutting down vital services such as mass transit and as liberals claim, the education of our youth.
But when university faculty strike state funded schools, it is the epitome of wrongheadedness. There will be no loss for the faculty as with private sector unions.
When they go back to work, the terms will be finished and they will get paid with benefits. And no doubt their health care plans are still in effect while they are on strike. So they can get on their state policy created privileged character high horse and walk off the job, leaving their students in the lurch and suffer no consequences.
What a pathetic sight. But the Commonwealth has only itself to blame. It loves its public sector unions who keep voting for legislators and governors who will protect and enhance the unions’ power. This represents an ugly and damaging violation of James Madison’s admonitions against government siding with or colluding with a powerful special interest.
Pennsylvania politicians claim they want to see economic and jobs growth, yet they do not seem to recognize the harmful public image effect these public sector strikes have on the prospects for enticing businesses to locate or grow in the state. Public sector strikes mean one thing for sure. More public spending and higher taxes. They also bring into question the quality and reliability of the delivery of government services.
As we have previously noted, that is one of the reasons Pennsylvania spends so much money on various subsidy programs trying to attract firms to the state.
This strike is demeaning for the state and for university faculty. Of course, given the extreme liberalism and political correctness being fomented on campuses, maybe some time off for all concerned would be a good thing.
