A Reason-Rupe Poll has 2/3rds of folks polled in California showing the opinion that unions are overcompensated on their retirement benefits, vis-a-vis the private sector, and as in Wisconsin, a plurality see the unions as having injured the ability of the state to solve their budget mess. (Well, that and the inability to send recklessly on other stupid programs and run off the middle class with onerous taxes…)
In a shocking moment of lucidity,
…[t]hese shared perceptions of public sector unions may explain why three-fourths of voters in both states favor requiring public employees to contribute more toward their own pensions and health care benefits. Moreover, equal percentages of both states’ voters approve of transitioning new government employees from guaranteed pension payments during retirement to 401(k)-style accounts based on the amount the worker saves for retirement plus investment returns. Half of Wisconsinites and 51 percent of Californians also think the government should not begin disbursing lifetime retirement benefits until government workers turn 65.
Here’s some of the data:
