Private union membership has been in decline for decades.  And over the last few years, major court victories allowing workers to opt out of obligatory union dues have made the workplace less amenable to union organization.  The exception has been public employee union membership, which has had a near-lock on the workplace and has been on an upward tear by increasing its rolls practically every year.  The chart below looks like a giant letter X  as the blue line (increasing) represents public membership and the black line (decreasing) is private. Source. This is one of the most egregious burdens perpetrated on American taxpayers, who have no advocate to speak on their behalf.  The Democratic Party is just fine with this, since public unions provide endless cash to help get them elected, but also the members make up their primary voting base.  In turn, once elected, Democrats return the favor with greater largesse to...(Read Full Post)