The Hill News

I unintentionally was misleading in using a quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt in support of collective bargaining in yesterday’s blog, but it was unintentional. The quote from FDR stood up for the fundamental principle that Americans have a right under our Constitution to freely associate, organize and to designate an individual to negotiate on their behalf. He said that was the distinction between our system of government and despotism â€" and that was my reason for choosing his quote.

But the perils of Internet research are borne out here, especially when done quickly. In fact, as many readers of my blog have pointed out, FDR was against, in principle, the concept of government employee unions and their right ! to collective bargaining. He said “the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted the public service.” Then he added, “I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place” in the public sector. “A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of government.”

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