'Community groups' or union fronts?

National Public Radio’s KPCC reported today that “community groups” are planning to protest the governor’s plan to slash pay for government employees. It’s interesting to me that grassroots groups that ostensibly are there to help the poor are taking to the streets to stand up for some of the best-paid employees in the nation, and people who enjoy an amazing level of pension and other benefits. A slight rollback isn’t going to cause these mostly affluent folks to become poor. What gives? Well, check out the nature of these groups, which are more like union-allied organizations than actual community organizations. Check out SEIU involvement in the California Partnership, which is announcing the possible protests. The partnership is a “special project” of the Center for Community Change, whose board has three union officials on it. Then again, I doubt anyone will really pay much mind to such protests.

–Steven Greenhut