[tater]

Public employees should not be allowed to unionize, period.

Unions are an adversarial relationship with management that has a rational limit. That limit is that the business they work for must continue, even grow, or they are SOL. This is simply not the case WRT public employees. Their "company" can simply print money. They have no rational limits most of the time...

Why? Because their "adversary" is frequently on their side! Imagine if every unionized corporation had a narrowly split management that sometimes would side unerringly with whatever crazy demand the union asked for? Some places might have businesses where the "management" was nothing but union members themselves for decades. Democrats in power... unions can run rampant. Republicans? Hell, unions still usually run rampant because they are under contract, and hold much political power (all wielded towards helping one party—the bosses they want to give them easier jobs for more money).

Hmmm, except those companies would have tanked, unlike, say, a State.

The contractual arrangements between public employees and the public should be decided by the elected officials, period. If they say that city road workers should make $6/hr instead of $26, the people have spoken, take it or leave it. Strike? Fired. Unemployment is well over 10% most places (since many have stopped looking and are off the stats). Fire all of them and start over.