Warner Todd Huston
The end of our legal system: judges joining unions?
By Warner Todd Huston
Unions are meant for one thing and one thing only: to "get" for its members. They have one purpose and that is to take as much from an employer as they can take, to get as much money and benefits as they can get away with. Unions are not interested in assuring quality workmanship, they are not interested in offering quality to customers, and they most certainly aren't interested in efficiency and modernization. Unions have but one purpose, to extort as many goodies as possible from an employer regardless of what it does to a business or a profession. Unfortunately, in the State of New York, judges are looking to "get" from the Empire State's taxpayers regardless of what it might do to our legal system.
The New York Post reports that New York judges are toying with the idea of throwing in with the New York teachers union, New York State United Teachers, so that they can engage in collective bargaining.
One activist judge in particular is behind this effort according to the Post. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack is a former teacher, member of the United Federation of Teachers has been agitating for a pay raise for quite some time.
The state's 1,300 judges make $136,700 per year and Schack wants that pay rate raised to $174,000, the same level that federal judges make.
But just imagine what this could mean? Going back to the actual purpose of a union what could happen if the judiciary ends up organized? The resulting "contract" agreements with government could slow the wheels of justice to a crawl as judges negotiate contracts with all sorts of goodies that would be antithetical to speedy justice.
And what if there is a dispute? Who settles it? Why they do! They'd be in the perfect position to adjudicate their own cases to assure that they get everything they want.
And what of government? Will the judiciary find its employers acting the role of the tough negotiator? Why should we expect our elected officials to be tough on the judges unions? After all, politicians have worked hand in pocket of the teachers unions and public employees unions to the point that government has failed miserably, government workers have become the most handsomely remunerated workers in America, and state and federal budgets have soared to unfathomable and unsustainable heights. Why should we expect that greedy politicians all of whom will gleefully have their hands out to a new union benefactor might have those boring, old ideas of "justice" at the heart of their negotiations with this proposed new judges union?
If you think our legal system is off track now, wait until judges become unionized!
One of the most important government reforms that Americans could undertake would be to eliminate public employees unions. The sort of incestuous relationship between greedy unions and greedy politicians are antithetical to good government and undermine democracy because the cozy relationship completely cuts out the voters from being able to have any influence at all. And if our judges also get unionized, our legal system will cease to serve justice in any way whatever.
Unionized judges will be the end of the rule of law in America.
© Warner Todd Huston
May 26, 2010
Unions are meant for one thing and one thing only: to "get" for its members. They have one purpose and that is to take as much from an employer as they can take, to get as much money and benefits as they can get away with. Unions are not interested in assuring quality workmanship, they are not interested in offering quality to customers, and they most certainly aren't interested in efficiency and modernization. Unions have but one purpose, to extort as many goodies as possible from an employer regardless of what it does to a business or a profession. Unfortunately, in the State of New York, judges are looking to "get" from the Empire State's taxpayers regardless of what it might do to our legal system.
The New York Post reports that New York judges are toying with the idea of throwing in with the New York teachers union, New York State United Teachers, so that they can engage in collective bargaining.
One activist judge in particular is behind this effort according to the Post. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack is a former teacher, member of the United Federation of Teachers has been agitating for a pay raise for quite some time.
The state's 1,300 judges make $136,700 per year and Schack wants that pay rate raised to $174,000, the same level that federal judges make.
But just imagine what this could mean? Going back to the actual purpose of a union what could happen if the judiciary ends up organized? The resulting "contract" agreements with government could slow the wheels of justice to a crawl as judges negotiate contracts with all sorts of goodies that would be antithetical to speedy justice.
And what if there is a dispute? Who settles it? Why they do! They'd be in the perfect position to adjudicate their own cases to assure that they get everything they want.
And what of government? Will the judiciary find its employers acting the role of the tough negotiator? Why should we expect our elected officials to be tough on the judges unions? After all, politicians have worked hand in pocket of the teachers unions and public employees unions to the point that government has failed miserably, government workers have become the most handsomely remunerated workers in America, and state and federal budgets have soared to unfathomable and unsustainable heights. Why should we expect that greedy politicians all of whom will gleefully have their hands out to a new union benefactor might have those boring, old ideas of "justice" at the heart of their negotiations with this proposed new judges union?
If you think our legal system is off track now, wait until judges become unionized!
One of the most important government reforms that Americans could undertake would be to eliminate public employees unions. The sort of incestuous relationship between greedy unions and greedy politicians are antithetical to good government and undermine democracy because the cozy relationship completely cuts out the voters from being able to have any influence at all. And if our judges also get unionized, our legal system will cease to serve justice in any way whatever.
Unionized judges will be the end of the rule of law in America.
© Warner Todd Huston
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