Kudos to Gov. Martinez for taking on the government unions

Gov. Susana Martinez, in an action that the unions are characterizing in the starkest of terms “This means war!” has endorsed the policy of no longer allowing government entities to collect dues on behalf of the unions.

For starters, I wonder if the unions will come under the same criticism for using the term “war” that Lobo Coach Craig Neal did recently. Unfortunately, when it comes to unions and their aggressive tactics (see Wisconsin), “war” may be an all-too-appropriate term.

Nonetheless, it is no secret that the unions have never been fans of the Governor or anyone who thinks that businesses should have the freedom to contract with whomever they wish at a fair market price and that parents should be able to send their children to the school of their choice.

However, when Martinez’s plan is painted as “radical” and “union busting” which it already has, remember that even that great ally of labor unions, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, opposed the very existence of government labor unions. To state the obvious, Martinez’s plan to stop using taxpayer funds to collect union dues is far more moderate than Roosevelt’s position on the issue.

That’s not to say that Gov. Martinez faces an easy task in implementing her “no dues collection” policy, but government labor unions have been at “war” with the taxpayers of New Mexico for decades, it is good to see that we have a powerful ally on our side.