Unions are super important when it comes to giving workers a voice and leverage. But when the union has a monopoly, it just becomes another source for corruption. This has been shown many, many times throughout history, certainly in New Jersey, in many different sectors, from the longshoremen to the police. Power is power. If you think the union necessarily cares about your children, you are being naive; they represent their own interests first.

One can be pro-union but not believe that a union monopoly is a good idea. Three non-union members of the BOE are not going to significantly degrade the power of the union, but they might make the union have to act more transparently and with more accountability. That seems like it would be the best thing, to me, in the short and long run. If, instead, the union takes the slate and continues to hike up the tax burden without improving the educational outcomes, in the long run will be a very, very harsh backlash against them.