Obama infects federal work forces with 'British disease'

Obama infects federal work forces with 'British disease' Examiner Editorial Editorials Washington Examiner
"Britain's economy nearly came to a standstill in the late 1970s as a result of a contagion known as the British disease -- endless work stoppages, slowdowns and strikes called by militant trade unions.
Company owners and managers had to secure prior approval from union bosses before carrying out even the most routine workplace tasks.
As a result, productivity plummeted, and exports of once-popular British products like cars and motorcycles dropped sharply or disappeared entirely.
Economic growth stagnated, investors fled overseas, and the country's standard of living declined.
The fever was broken only after voters awarded Margaret Thatcher with a massive Tory landslide in 1979.
She then 'broke' the unions during the ensuing miners strike, enabling her to push major reforms through Parliament, including new limits on trade unionism and its power in the management of British firms

Sadly, an executive order signed by President Obama in 2009 has injected a massive dose of the British disease into the daily operation of the federal government.
Executive Order 13522 is innocuously titled "Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services."
The reality is that the only thing improved will be the ability of federal employee union bosses to tell managers of government departments and agencies what they can and cannot do.
What makes this an even more extraordinary turn of events, however, is the fact the Obama administration has empowered union bosses to exercise this new power behind closed doors without fear of exposure via the Freedom of Information Act."