Do Big Unions Buy Politicians? | 5 Minute Video
Who poses the biggest threat to America’s economy by striking deals with crooked politicians? Big Oil, Big Pharma, or Big Unions? Daniel DiSalvo, political science professor at the City College of New York, gives the answer.
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Script:
Ever hear complaints about Big Banks, Big Oil and Big Pharma? I’ll bet you have. But there’s another “Big” that you rarely hear about — Big Unions.
And I’m not talking about private company unions — like auto and steel workers. Only 6.7% of workers belong to private sector unions. No, I’m talking about Public Employee Unions.
They’re very big. And very powerful. Far bigger and more powerful than most people know. In fact, the impact they have on how state and local governments operate makes Big Banks, Big Oil and Big Pharma look small by comparison. But before I explain why, I should explain who the Public Employee Unions are. They are the unions that represent policeman, fireman, sanitation workers, teachers, and the vast army of others — the bureaucrats — who administer city, state and federal governments.
The public service unions negotiate on behalf of these workers for their wages, benefits, and working conditions. And who is the on other side of the table? Our elected representatives, the people in charge of spending the money we pay to government in taxes.
Think about this for a moment and you will immediately realize that the goal of the public employee unions is to negotiate with union-friendly politicians.
And the way to get friendly with a politician is to help him get elected. Which is exactly what the unions do. First, they have a lot of money. In many states, working for the government is a closed shop: that is, to work for the government you have to pay dues to the union. This guarantees these unions a large membership and a large pot of cash. Spreading this money around, especially in local elections, goes a long way.
Second, unions provide union-friendly candidates, at no charge, with seasoned political activists to help run campaigns. These activists marshall other union members to put up campaign signs, work the phones, and gather up loyal voters on election day.
This is a proven strategy. And candidates, especially in the big cities where there are a lot of public employees, know it. Courting union support is critical to victory.
“We will fight for a fair contract!” New Jersey gubernatorial candidate, Jon Corzine, said to a rally of 10,000 public workers in 2006. But fight who for a fair contract? The person the unions would be “fighting” if Corzine were to win the election (he did) is . . . Corzine!
The Speaker of the New York State Assembly once told a United Federation of Teachers rally “I and my colleagues in the Assembly majority will be your best friends . . . in Albany.” Exactly right.
In California in 2010 an official of the Service Employees International Union, known by its initials, the SEIU, told elected officials: “We helped to get you into office, and we got a good memory . . . Come November, if you don’t back our program, we’ll get you out office.”
Again, exactly right. As Dan Walters of The Sacramento Bee wrote, “public employee unions wield immense, even hegemonic influence over the Democratic majorities in the [California] state legislature.”
What is the consequence of all this power? The most obvious consequence is that cities and states overpay their workers — by a lot.
Trash collection in Dallas, Texas, a state whose government workers are not unionized, costs $74 per ton. Trash collection in Chicago, whose government workers are unionized, costs $231 per ton. These kinds of inefficiencies exist everywhere public unions dominate.
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I’m a teacher and I’m anti union for these reasons. Thankfully I work in a state where you aren’t forced to join a Union. Not gonna give my money to people who are gonna try to destroy America with their leftist policies
Don't carry their water. If you're falling for this you are being thoroughly brainwashed
Not as much as big business does. 60 years ago, the Democratic Party relied far more on Union donations than they do now that American private sector unions have been decimated. Now both the Democratic and Republican parties, after 40 years of embracing neoliberalism, rely hugely on donations from corporations. Back when the Democrats relied on Union donations, workers had a much better time in America. If anything we need more unions buying politicians, not less.
Truth
The hell you say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😮
Police and firemen are always told by their union representatives to vote for Democrats. That’s akin to voting for Democrats to protect the border from drug cartels. The people the Democrats want police and firemen to serve are not the citizens that pay taxes. Fortunately for the people, most of us do not listen to them. But, unfortunately, some do. It is impossible to stop corruption in everything. But we should at least make an effort. As the video points out, Democrats controlled states like NY, CA, and IL have the most corruption.
Hell yes they do.
Sad part is so many of these people take these public jobs because they know when they retire they're going to be setting pretty and yes some other jobs are dangerous but I hate to say there's a lot of jobs out there that are just as dangerous if not more dangerous and there's no Union in there helping them they do it on their own and I don't agree with pensions 401K is like everybody else
Unions have never been good to me. I remember working as a contract employee for a municipality for 5 years (with no benefits) and whenever I applied for a position in the union it was either "Yes you're on the list to hire" or "Yes your on the list to write an exam for the job". I remember going into an office at a public work and ask why I didn't get a job, a manager told me "union rules, we had to give it to someone who was already a full time employee". When I later meet an employee for a position I wanted, he spend 20 years in a different department:
Him: No degree and no certification or commercial truck license (the union paid for all this)
Me: B.Eng Tech, all certification and a commercial truck license (paid out of my own pocket)
When I told him it was only because of the union he got this job, he went from smirking "oh yeah" to getting scared saying "Hey I get why your upset but us older guys need union, if we worked private we can easily get fired, you're young you should be able to adapt".
Since then I saw unions for employees that are uneducated, lazy and need a babysitter. I gave up a union environment for a position in sales and service. Since then, I took responsibility for myself by developed an entrepreneurial mindset, further educating and develop my mind and skill set with books and udemy courses and create my own source of wealth. Freedom and happiness came after I left the union.
Unions are just there for the same reasons as politicians: control, money, power and privilege. They only really care about themselves, actually. Thank you.
YES!!! A BIG FAT YES!!! Besides Destroying the new generations with low quality, ignorant education, they buy politicians to gain grants to enrich themselves…. And buy more politicians, all w taxpayers money….
wow, what a load of horse shit
Just remember that this is from the same people that produced and released a video where they took an anti-Abolishionist stance on the Civil War. That makes them pro-Slavery.
Parasites eventually kill the host =(
end collective bargaining in public unions…. Cant claim to be a public servant while fleecing at the same time – makes one either a liar or a thief or both.
I work for a unioun so awesome. Who cares about performance review we get set raise lol. I could careless about making some corperation money. If u can hustle more pay for less work good on u.
Unions are legalized organized crime syndicates!
https://youtu.be/tUtrg4tmYTw
Mate, take a look at Alexis Tocqueville to understand a bit of his ideas, you would understand the relevance of unions balancing the powers.
"Public workers" have far more invisible benefits than those working in private sector? This sounds so similar to… Communism…
I am NOT nearly as concerned about big unions as I am about big banks and big oil, here is why. Spending money on subsidizing (directly or otherwise) Big oil, or big banks, drains the economy, because the CEOs and boards of major companies, use a way smaller percentage of their money, then do ordinary taxpayers. Money that's paid to big oil doesn't move a lot, money that doesn't move, doesn't create employment. The thing about Big unions is that the money spends on them, is spend on ordinary people; Trash removal, teachers, librarians… When these people get a raise, they spend their money. This creates demand, which creates production, which creates employment and more money and a stronger economy. Big oil taxcuts are an expense, big union wages is an investment. The only reason conservatives hates big unions and loves big oil, is because big Oil buys climate change denial, big unions dont.
Yes of course
union lobbying
corruption for poor people
My salary comes from taxes, not from people paying directly for whatever my business does.
OVER paid?…nah remember unions exist because non union workers are UNDER paid.
Unions = Organized Crime
3:00–3:18 sounds like blackmail/extortion!