In an interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, Governor Mitch Daniels (R- IN) had strong words of criticism for public sector unions and collective bargaining.
When asked by Wallace to comment on the recent passage of laws limiting the rights of public union workers in several U.S. cities, Daniels replied, “I think the message is, the voters are seeing the fundamental unfairness of government sitting on both sides of the table and they are noticing with sadness that the fundamental services of education and health care and others are diminished because so much money is devoured by very high salaries.”
Daniels also noted that the salaries of the union-affiliated public employees were generally higher than the taxpayers, and also contained “more generous benefits and bullet-proof job protection and huge pension[s].”
Though he was critical of unions, Daniels also made it clear that there are drastic differences between public sector and private sector unions. Recognizing that not all taxpayers wish to pay for unions, Daniels gave his opinion that, “Unionism had no place in the public sector and it is a necessary freedom in the private sector and it was a bad idea in government.”
Wallace then asked the governor to comment on the recent advice Governor Scott Walker (R- WI) gave to Mitt Romney after he survived a recall attempt. In that statement, Walker warned Romney that it is not enough to attack Obama’s record, but that he must also have a feasible plan to present to rebuild the economy.
Responding to Walker’s statement, Daniels said that Walker was correct, and that “he [Romney] better have an affirmative and constructive message and one of hope, and that’s why I think he will, and he will prevail.”
Mitch Daniels is the Governor of Indiana and has made the reformation of Indiana’s public sector unions a priority since taking office.
