In a remarkable display of self-degradation, some New York State judges are considering joining the United Federation of Teachers, a highly politicized, big bucks political donor, in an effort to raise their pay. The New York Post reports:
State judges are trying to join forces with the state's largest teachers union in a campaign to get raises, The Post has learned.
Maverick Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur Schack is leading a faction of angry jurists talking to the United Federation of Teachers about putting judges under the umbrella of the local union or its Albany County-based parent, New York State United Teachers.
"One option is having judges affiliate with a union for political clout," Schack told The Post. "We're exploring our options."
Schack -- a card-carrying member of the UFT who was once a teacher -- has been joined by another Brooklyn judge, Wayne Saitta, in recruiting colleagues to unionize in recent weeks, court sources said.
When judges become self-interested members of a politicized labor union, America is well along the road to banana republic status. While I sympathize with judges whose pay has not risen for 11 years, this is absolutely the wrong approach to take. It is one thing for labor unions to destroy General Motors. It is quite another for judges to put self interest above the obligation to remain nonpolitical.
Hat tip: Cliff Thier
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