Today, when a government (or public-sector) union protests or goes on strike, private sector unions cheer them on and support them in interviews and statements. That was not always the case. In In 1959, the AFL-CIO Executive Council had previously said “government workers have no right [to collectively bargain] beyond the authority to petition Congress—a right available to every citizen.” George Meany, the first chairman of that union, said that it was impossible for unions to bargain collectively with the government.
The reason for this was plain; the point behind unions was to give workers power to better their plight, to avoid abuse and exploitation by employers, and to get them more reasonable working hours, pay, and benefits. When the union leadership and members looked at government workers they saw people who were in no conceivable way being abused, ill treated, paid poorly, or exploited. They saw people who were doing pretty well.
