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1、IfthetradeunionistJimmyHoffawerealivetoday,hewouldprobablyrepresentcivilservant.WhenHoffa’sTeamsterswereintheirprimein1960,onlyoneintenAmericangovernmentworkersbelongedtoaunion;now36%do.In2009thenumberofunionistsinAmerica’spublicsectorpassedthatoftheirfellowmembersintheprivatesector.InBritain
2、,morethanhalfofpublic-sectorworkersbutonlyabout15%ofprivate-sectoronesareunionized.Therearethreereasonsforthepublic-sectorunions’thriving.First,theycanshutthingsdownwithoutsufferingmuchinthewayofconsequences.Second,theyaremostlybrightandwell-educated.AquarterofAmerica’spublic-sectorworkershav
3、eauniversitydegree.Third,theynowdominateleft-of-centrepolitics.Someoftheirtiesgobackalongway.Britain’sLaborParty,asitsnameimplies,haslongbeenassociatedwithtradeunionism.Itscurrentleader,EdMiliband,oweshispositiontovotesfrompublic-sectorunions.Atthestateleveltheirinfluencecanbeevenmorefearsome
4、.MarkBaldassareofthePublicPolicyInstituteofCaliforniapointsoutthatmuchofthestate’sbudgetispatrolledbyunions.Theteachers’unionskeepaneyeonschools,theCCPOAonprisonsandavarietyoflaborgroupsonhealthcare.Inmanyrichcountriesaveragewagesinthestatesectorarehigherthanintheprivateone.Buttherealgainscom
5、einbenefitsandworkpractices.Politicianshaverepeatedly“backloaded”public-sectorpaydeals,keepingthepayincreasesmodestbutaddingtoholidaysandespeciallypensionsthatarealreadygenerous.Reformhasbeenvigorouslyopposed,perhapsmostegregiouslyineducation,wherecharterschools,academiesandmeritpayallfaceddr
6、awn-outbattles.Eventhoughthereisplentyofevidencethatthequalityoftheteachersisthemostimportantvariable,teachers’unionshavefoughtagainstgettingridofbadonesandpromotinggoodones.Asthecosttoeveryoneelsehasbecomeclearer,politicianshavebeguntoclampdown.InWisconsintheunionshaveralliedthousandsofsuppo
7、rtersagainstScottWalker,thehardlineRepublicangovernor.Butmanywithinthepublicsectorsufferunderthecurrentsystem,too.JohnDonahueatHarvard’sKennedySchoolpointsoutthatthenormsofcultureinWesterncivilservicessuitthosewhowanttostayputbutisbadforhigha
