The passage of H.B. 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments undermines union rights and challenges democratic principles by restricting their ability to negotiate for students, educators, and public education.
For many, the government exists to serve the people, but for others, it seems they would prefer the people to serve them. It is disheartening to witness a bill that challenges the ability of unions to negotiate for students, public education, and teachers simply because it makes some legislators feel their power to make laws is being checked.
This week, the House passed H.B. 267, a bill that strikes at the fundamental ideologies for which founders like James Madison fought. In his Federalist Essay No. 10, Madison emphasized the importance of preserving liberty, even though it creates factions (differences of opinion). He likened taking away liberty to prevent factions to depriving us of air to extinguish a destructive fire—a solution that would be more harmful than the problem itself.
Some claim that unions undermine the legislature, but the reality is that our government is meant to be a laboratory of varied and diverse ideas, producing legislation that benefits all people. Attacking unions jeopardizes this principle, eroding the democratic processes that ensure representation and collaboration in the pursuit of common good.
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