By Saul Cohen Santa Monica Playing the traffic card Editor:
Your article about City Council candidates seeking and obtaining the endorsement from the union representing City of Santa Monica municipal employees seems to ignore the real point of this exercise. (”City employees back bosses,” page 1, Sept. 12) While you mention all the benefits, both financial and otherwise, that the endorsed candidates receive from the unions, you really fail to adequately note what the endorsements really mean to the unions, or the quid pro quo.
The unions, including those representing Santa Monica’s municipal employees, police officers and fire-fighters, endorse candidates that will support the employees of those groups, particularly when it comes time to negotiating salaries, benefits and retirement packages.
Unions have only one goal here, no matter how they couch the language, and that is to get the best deal they can for their members. And using the funds the union raises from its members to elect the politicians to accomplish this is the means to achieve that goal.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 15, 2008. Read the original PDF.