The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Cumberland County DA Weighs In to Defend Corrections Officer Who Allegedly Overstayed His Visa
  • Susan Collins Defends Her Position on Congressional Oversight of Nation’s Capital after Ted Cruz Charge
  • Maine Think Tank Urges Janet Mills to Stick to Her 2017 Position and Veto Expansion of Ranked Choice Voting
  • Border Patrol Busts 3,000 Foot Cartel Tunnel Connecting Mexico and San Diego
  • New Details on Portland Woman Identified as a Member of Antifa “Militia,” Threatened Agents
  • Westbrook Police Nab Gray Man Suspected Accused of Stealing Tools from Local Business
  • Bipartisan Bill Barring Maine Legislative Staff from Lobbying for One Year Signed into Law
  • Trump Admin Closes Biden-Era Loophole That Let China Scoop Up Americans’ DNA
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Sunday, June 22
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
The Maine Wire
Home » News » News » Study: Reducing Public Sector Unions by 50% Would Save Maine $263 Million
News

Study: Reducing Public Sector Unions by 50% Would Save Maine $263 Million

Steve RobinsonBy Steve RobinsonJanuary 31, 2012No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

A study released this week by the Goldwater Institute details the crippling financial impact of public-sector unionization, and shows that a 50% reduction in Maine’s public-sector union membership would save taxpayers $263 million a year. This savings would more than double the amount needed to fill the current shortfall in the Health and Human Services budget.

The Goldwater study cites information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows state employee wages are 44% higher than private sector wages. Further study shows that unionized state employees nationwide earn 42% more than state employees that don’t belong to a union. A 50% decrease in union membership across the nation is estimated to save taxpayers over $49 billion annually, and $263 million in Maine alone.

The study also notes a study from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, showing an increase in interest cost to states with high public-sector union membership.

The study’s authors note that union strength in a particular level of government…can indicate to bond markets that those governments may not be able to overcome the political pressure to implement budget-conscious measures when necessary.

“Those states with a more heavily unionized government sector tended to have higher borrowing costs relative to other states with a less unionized government sector.

“This study reinforces what Franklin Roosevelt told us more than 70 years ago – that the concept of public-sector unions is ‘unthinkable and intolerable’,” said Lance Dutson, Chief Executive Officer of The Maine Heritage Policy Center. “Maine taxpayers have been squeezed dry by public-sector unions. The very money that is taken from the pockets of working Mainers is used to reinforce their political stature in government, which allows them to squeeze more money from taxpayers. All of this is untenable, especially in light of recent budget developments.”

“The taxpayers of Maine have a strong willingness to help the least-fortunate among us, but state workers are not our least fortunate,” Dutson continued. “With the threat of cuts to our social safety net, the travesty of bloated union wages is especially poignant. It’s time to face the facts: public-sector unions drain precious resources away from Maine’s sick, elderly, and poor. Allowing this to continue in Maine is unacceptable, and we hope the legislature will take appropriate action to correct this terrible imbalance of priorities.”

The full study is available here: http://goldwaterinstitute.org/article/save-taxpayers-tens-billions-dollars-end-government-sector-collective-bargaining

Previous ArticleM.D. Harmon: A State of Pride
Next Article LD 1778 Summary and Public Hearing Primer
Steve Robinson
  • Twitter

Steve Robinson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire. ‪He can be reached by email at Robinson@TheMaineWire.com.

Subscribe to Substack

Related Posts

Cumberland County DA Weighs In to Defend Corrections Officer Who Allegedly Overstayed His Visa

June 20, 2025

Susan Collins Defends Her Position on Congressional Oversight of Nation’s Capital after Ted Cruz Charge

June 20, 2025

Maine Think Tank Urges Janet Mills to Stick to Her 2017 Position and Veto Expansion of Ranked Choice Voting

June 20, 2025

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Substack
Recent News

Cumberland County DA Weighs In to Defend Corrections Officer Who Allegedly Overstayed His Visa

June 20, 2025

Susan Collins Defends Her Position on Congressional Oversight of Nation’s Capital after Ted Cruz Charge

June 20, 2025

Maine Think Tank Urges Janet Mills to Stick to Her 2017 Position and Veto Expansion of Ranked Choice Voting

June 20, 2025

Border Patrol Busts 3,000 Foot Cartel Tunnel Connecting Mexico and San Diego

June 20, 2025

New Details on Portland Woman Identified as a Member of Antifa “Militia,” Threatened Agents

June 20, 2025
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.