More than 50,000 students in San Francisco sat at home this week learning nothing because their teachers, who are members of the United Educators of San Francisco, refused to work until they won higher pay and more generous benefits. San Francisco teachers are already among the highest paid in the nation, even though more than a quarter of students are chronically absent and more than half fail math and reading. More and more students are abandoning public schools and going to private ones. Who can blame them?
Across the country in Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Democratic majorities in the state General Assembly want to import California’s chaotic, bloated, and corrupt mess. In April 2020, former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation giving Virginia localities, including counties and cities, the ability to adopt collective bargaining agreements with public-sector employees. Fairfax County, once a fiscally responsible jurisdiction that ran regular surpluses, entered into its first collectively bargained contract with the Fairfax Education Union. Teachers got a 7% pay raise, and taxpayers got stuck with a $300 million deficit.
Spanberger’s new collective bargaining bill, which is being bankrolled by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, would force collective bargaining and binding arbitration on all Virginia governments. It would bring a big payday for the Democratic Party and union leaders, for it would increase the cost of government workers, and unions would reward Democratic politicians with more electoral support. It would, though, be a huge loss for taxpayers and everyone who relies on efficient and reliable public services…