This Labor Day, the United States faces unique health and economic challenges posed by COVID-19. But at every level of government (federal, state, and local), Big Labor’s government-granted powers over public employees undermine efforts to mitigate the damage being wrought by the coronavirus.

Even so, some are proposing to expand rather than roll back these powers, which are particularly crippling for governments dealing with the pandemic-induced combination of economic uncertainty, widespread unemployment, below-projected tax revenues, and the need to provide government services (including policing and schooling) while still managing health risks.