Comments on: Why government is so expensive in California http://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/why-government-is-so-expensive-in-california/ California Political News, Contra Costa and East Bay Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:16:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: John Gardnerhttp://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/why-government-is-so-expensive-in-california/comment-page-1/#comment-2861 John Gardner Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:32 +0000 http://halfwaytoconcord.com/?p=1919#comment-2861 The legal right for unionization of public employees in California began with the Meyer-Milius-Brown Act of 1972. As a human resource professional at the time, I remember the predictions at the time that this inappropriate extension of a private sector right to the public sector would eventually bankrupt the state (after all, state "management" hasn't the incentives to resists exorbitant union demands which private sector employers have; public employees, who are never laid off and who basically can't be fired, don't need the same level of "protection" private sector employees do).After a 15 year absence from the state, I shocked to find upon my return that the premium payer in the county where the oil company for which I was HR Director was based was the county itself! There simply was no way we could justify matching the pay and benefits enjoyed by our public servants! On the happier (?) side is the fact that some of the people laid off during the oil industry downturn of the late 80's and early 90's were able to go to work for the city or the county or the state. There they enjoy the highest pay and benefits available in overstaffed organizations and look forward to retirement benefits which are almost criminal! The legal right for unionization of public employees in California began with the Meyer-Milius-Brown Act of 1972. As a human resource professional at the time, I remember the predictions at the time that this inappropriate extension of a private sector right to the public sector would eventually bankrupt the state (after all, state “management” hasn’t the incentives to resists exorbitant union demands which private sector employers have; public employees, who are never laid off and who basically can’t be fired, don’t need the same level of “protection” private sector employees do).

After a 15 year absence from the state, I shocked to find upon my return that the premium payer in the county where the oil company for which I was HR Director was based was the county itself! There simply was no way we could justify matching the pay and benefits enjoyed by our public servants! On the happier (?) side is the fact that some of the people laid off during the oil industry downturn of the late 80’s and early 90’s were able to go to work for the city or the county or the state. There they enjoy the highest pay and benefits available in overstaffed organizations and look forward to retirement benefits which are almost criminal!

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