Should Public Servants Have the Right to Strike?
Ruben A. Rodriguez
Paul Hansen
English 1301-2005
06 April 2011
Should Public Servants have the right to strike?
There has been much debate lately about public servant union group’s right to negotiate or collective bargain for pay and benefits for the employee’s. Some state that all workers have the right to negotiate their pay and benefits by what ever means. While other state that some employees’ positions, like teachers, police and fireman, are much too important to allow them to walk out or strike for better pay. Both positions are true but neither is correct. Ultimately a public servant gives up their right to strike when they accept their position as a servant to the public. In order to completely understand and debate the question of whether or not public servants have the right to strike it is important to define what a public servant is and what it means to strike.
Merriam-webster.com defines a public servant as, “A person who holds a government position by election or appointment.” This means a public servant is a person or employee working for a government department or agency or anyone that is ultimately paid with city, state or federal tax money. Anyone working for a public works such as a public school district is considered a public servant. A principle, teacher, and even the janitors at a school are considered public servants. However since most hospitals are not funded by public money most doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians are private sector employees.
One of the many definitions of strike presented by Merriam-webster.com is, “a work stoppage by a body of workers to enforce compliance with demands made on an employer or a temporary stoppage of activities in protest against an act or condition.” This means that since most public servant positions like teachers are contract based if a teachers union calls for a strike they are backing out of the contract agreement they entered into and thus quitting their
Paul Hansen
English 1301-2005
06 April 2011
Should Public Servants have the right to strike?
There has been much debate lately about public servant union group’s right to negotiate or collective bargain for pay and benefits for the employee’s. Some state that all workers have the right to negotiate their pay and benefits by what ever means. While other state that some employees’ positions, like teachers, police and fireman, are much too important to allow them to walk out or strike for better pay. Both positions are true but neither is correct. Ultimately a public servant gives up their right to strike when they accept their position as a servant to the public. In order to completely understand and debate the question of whether or not public servants have the right to strike it is important to define what a public servant is and what it means to strike.
Merriam-webster.com defines a public servant as, “A person who holds a government position by election or appointment.” This means a public servant is a person or employee working for a government department or agency or anyone that is ultimately paid with city, state or federal tax money. Anyone working for a public works such as a public school district is considered a public servant. A principle, teacher, and even the janitors at a school are considered public servants. However since most hospitals are not funded by public money most doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians are private sector employees.
One of the many definitions of strike presented by Merriam-webster.com is, “a work stoppage by a body of workers to enforce compliance with demands made on an employer or a temporary stoppage of activities in protest against an act or condition.” This means that since most public servant positions like teachers are contract based if a teachers union calls for a strike they are backing out of the contract agreement they entered into and thus quitting their
Cited: "public servant." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. 6 April 2011 "strike." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. 6 April 2011