A Matter of Trust

There is a vast difference between employees in the public and private sectors. Public employees are paid out of tax payer dollars while those in private business are paid a share of the company’s profits. If private companies don’t make a profit, they can’t pay their employees and rapidly go out of business. It is popular to believe that private companies have altruistic motives, but they cannot benefit society unless they are profitable. I’m not talking about price gouging and other unscrupulous practices. Even civic minded companies, however, must measure their success against the bottom line.

Public agencies, on the other hand, are not in business to make money and have no bottom line against which to measure success. Public employees get paid as long as their agency is funded, and funding is based on the public’s perception of need. What is the public value of fire protection? We can’t measure the value of all the buildings that would have burned if the fire department wasn’t there. The same is true of police and public schools. We know that public education is important, but how can it be measured? What is the actual value of law enforcement? All public employees provide a service whose value is a matter of perception, and citizens trust those agencies with their tax dollars. Therefore, public employees should be held to a higher standard of conduct that those in the private sector.

Two months before my eighteenth birthday, I took an oath before God to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. As a public servant, I swore to accept a higher standard of conduct. I further swore to obey the special set of rules that apply to military service. This set of rules has the force of law and ensures all military men and women serve honorably. The rules also have provisions to weed out those who, for whatever reason, bring discredit on their service.

Teachers are in a position of special trust as they prepare our youth to control the future of our nation. I remember an ad on TV showing a dedicated teacher at the kitchen table grading papers after the rest of the family were in bed. That image of selfless public service was one reason I became a teacher after retiring from the Air Force. My first teaching job, however, revealed a different reality. I had a one semester contract to replace a teacher following surgery. Not long after I began, our school advertised an open house for parents. When I showed up, I was informed that our contract did not include the open house, and I was sent home. I was at my desk after school grading student writing assignments when our local union representative came into my classroom. I was informed that the contract said I was to be at my desk 30 minutes before school, and I was to leave 30 minutes after my last class. I could not voluntarily come in early or stay late. I was prohibited from being dedicated. If, however, I would conduct myself in a less than honorable manner, the union would protect me from being terminated. The union supports teachers regardless of their conduct or dedication.

Other public employee unions function much the same. There has been a lot of publicity following the death of George Floyd. I saw the videos, and those officers were wrong and bring discredit on themselves, the Minneapolis Police Force, and law enforcement in general. But, those officers will be represented by their union.

Something is wrong with this picture. Police officers and other public employees should be held to a higher standard of conduct than those who work for profit. Those who do not meet that standard should be eliminated from the ranks. Public employee unions work against the best interests of the community by making it difficult to maintain high standards. Public employ unions’ primary function is to increase tax payer funded pay and benefits. We would be better off without them.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.