Suppose we look at private corp unions. High school drop outs, or HS graduates only, work for an automaker, making big buck hourly rate, health care and a pension. Now the gov't sector seeks parity to hire at least higher qualified workers and antes up the same benes. as private unions. After all, we require policeman,fire fighters, etc to complete maybe some college or additional training, so no grief from me, they should earn a more competitive salary than a hub cap hanger at the auto plant. Many of the union guys with 10, 15 years senority make 100k with overtime, surely we can justify a similiar rate of pay for a firefighter, or policeman otherwise, they could just get a union job. ----------------- If private corps are paying 12 - 16 dollars an hour for new hires, pfffttt, there goes the middle class good paying jobs. I'm not saying anything we already don't know here BUT now the push is on to destroy what's left of the middle class jobs that are state/fed and we are all part of it. We are attacking pensions and pay of gov't workers, this is the last of the good jobs. We the public are trying to eliminate the state and fed middle class workers. Congress is reforming compensation of wall street, destroying the upper middle class. Obama wants everyone to attend college so our children have a future? To earn a pittance? We are in dire straights here.