Keller @ Large: Unions Can't Put Own Agenda Ahead Of Community
BOSTON (CBS) - Any union in America worth its title has a consistent message to its members' employers – we expect you to treat us fairly, to respect the rules and the law, and to think of more than just yourselves when making important decisions; to be decent, ethical and moral.
Those are reasonable standards, and employers that don't at least try to live up to them deserve to be called out.
And the same goes for unions when they fail to meet their obligation to do the same.
In an article on the Poynter.org website headlined "How the media blew reporting the Chicago cop's shooting of a teen," we learn that reporters on the scene of the alleged murder of Laquan McDonald last year were diverted from the apparent truth of what happened by a former spokesman for the Chicago Police Department who has continued to show up at crime scenes and spin the story to the press in his new role – as spokesman for the Chicago police union.
And guess what?
"He told reporters that there was no ambiguity about the incident. It was 'a clear cut case of self-defense.'"
Now we see that the union is complaining that the first-degree murder charge against their member is over-charging, that it's all political, and of course they'll see that he has the best defense money can buy.
The police have a tough job; no one has it tougher than the Chicago police.
But at what point does this or any other union ever say hey, we just can't defend this behavior? That this is one time when we can't put our own agenda above the broader community's interests?
Maybe the answer is "never."
But if self-interest is all a union is about, how can they expect a business to ever be about something more than profit?
Listen to Jon's commentary:
