Editorial : Young people stand up for future at Wisconsin protests

About 25,000 protesters took to the streets surrounding the state capital in Madison, Wis., throughout the past week to rally against a bill hauled up in the state senate that would effectively cut public unions’ collective bargaining rights.

Many of these protestors come from the surrounding colleges, representing both undergraduate and graduate students. The spirit of political activism among these young people is commendable at a time when our generation gets continuously characterized as politically apathetic.

As deficits strain budgets on the federal level down to the local level, young people have become acutely aware of their vulnerability in a system that favors longevity in the public work force. ‘Last hire, first fire’ will leave many of America’s youngest public workers unemployed or preparing to pack up come the end of this fiscal year.

Those young protestors in Wisconsin are standing up for an unnecessary cut to collective bargaining that could throw the stability of their future or newly attained employment into greater jeopardy. There is no question governments must cut back on public employee compensation, as increasing pay and benefits prove to be unsustainable and a serious burden for financially strapped taxpayers. Many cases, like that of New York state, where public benefits have spiraled out of fiscal control, necessitate a complete overhaul of compensation agreements.

Though public workers face unprecedented, though perhaps needed, compensation cuts, they should have a say in the distribution and terms of these cuts. To eradicate these rights would completely cripple public unions, adding insult to injury at a time when their purpose is most pertinent. With New York’s governor also finding a raison d’etre in capping public salary increases, local young people should watch these national issues closely, as they could affect millions of us who hope to move into public-sector jobs.