U.S. Postal Workers' Union Criticizes Staples-Run Post Offices; French Air Traffic Controllers Strike Again; PATCO Solution

Here is a pair of related posts, one from California, the other from France. Union nonsense is at the heart of both.

The LA Times reports Postal Workers' Union Criticizes Staples-Run Post Offices.

California leaders from a national postal workers' union are criticizing a Staples pilot program that has installed dozens of small post offices in the office-supply stores.

American Postal Workers Union leaders said that opening retail units staffed by Staples employees is a "disservice to postal workers and the nation's mail service."

Staples Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service announced late last year an arrangement to allow 82 small post offices to operate at Staples stores in California, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Who Doesn't Want Lower Prices?

In general, if it lowers costs (with quality constant), as long as it does not impede on rights of others, I am all in favor of the idea. So is any rational thinking person.

So, who doesn't want lower prices?
Only three groups.

1. Unions and Union Supporters
2. The Fed
3. Economic illiterates in academic wonderland (Paul Krugman types)

Even union workers want lower prices (on everything they buy) but certainly not everything they sell. That's the nature of union hypocrites, especially those who shop at Walmart or buy online from Amazon.com.

Let's now turn our attention to France to pick up the second part of this story.

French Air traffic Controllers Strike Again

Via translation from Les Echos, please consider Air Traffic Controllers Strike Again in Late January

Air traffic controllers are on strike from January 27 to 31, with a black day 29. They oppose a proposed Brussels lower royalties.

Three months after strike against the plans of the European Commission for the "Single European Sky", the French air traffic controllers will strike again, for the same reasons, from 27 to 31 January. SNCTA, the main union called a five day strike that should significantly disrupt traffic to and from French airports. Other European unions controllers also call for strike on January 29.

Launched in 1999 with the aim to remove the air borders in Europe, a source of huge cost overruns, the single European sky is still divided into 27 national systems, sixty control centers and 650 airspaces.

As in previous strikes in June and October 2012, air traffic controllers reject a draft Brussels to impose a cost reduction of air traffic control, two times higher in Europe than in the United States.

PATCO Solution

Gee, who coulda thunk that 27 national systems, 60 control centers, and 650 airspaces would raise costs?

And of course unions don't want those costs lowered. Unions never want their costs lowered. So they go on strike.

They have union sympathizers in their pockets (primarily politicians like president Obama and governors of states like California and Illinois). Those politicians are generally willing to bankrupt taxpayers to keep the unions afloat.

I happen to like the PATCO solution: Firing every air traffic controller who went on strike was the single greatest thing president Ronald Reagan ever did.

To understand the implications, please see a Wikipedia Report on PATCO.

I recommend the same solution for police officers, firefighters, prison guards, and teachers. If you do not show up for your public union job, you are fired on the spot and lose all accrued pension benefits.

Roosevelt and Unions

It's high time we break the backs of public unions and the influence they have on cities and states. Even president Roosevelt, the bastion of liberal presidents, understood the problem of public unions.

Message From FDR

Inquiring minds are reading snips from a Letter from FDR Regarding Collective Bargaining of Public Unions written August 16, 1937.

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management.

The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees.

A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com