by William Finnegan published in The New Yorker
Read original on The New Yorker's website
The protests of this summer (2020) have called for...Show description
Posted 1572 days ago
I thought Finnegan's depiction of police unions was thought-provoking. On one side, they are what allows for the secrecy of criminal acts within it's ranks. But on the other side, they are probably the most powerful collective bargaining example in the US and have achieved great standards of living for their members.
It's a double edged sword for those on the left who believe in both unions and racial/social justice. Finnegan makes a good point that police unions are different because they are public. This is true, compared to factory workers, but also teaches and many other workers are public and haven't achieved the same power as unions.
I don't think abolishing the unions is the issue, especially looking at this from a progressive perspective. These unions have been crucial to the well to do of their workers, which are normal Americans. The issue is the level of transparency.