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Unions have been losing ground in the private sector for some time. The percentage of private-sector workers represented by a union has fallen below 14 per cent, or about one in seven. Instead, union membership is heavily concentrated in the public sector: 75 per cent across Canada and 82 per cent in Quebec. So when unions demand more money, better conditions and expanded benefits on top of those they already enjoy, they’re not waving their placards at a bunch of cigar-smoking plutocrats in plush corner offices. They’re demanding a bigger share of the public purse from governments, which means taxpayers, which means everyday working stiffs.

This is a very inconvenient fact for union bosses. It undermines their portrayal of the working universe as an ongoing clash between haves and have-nots, and the justification they offer for their continued existence. If the world isn’t divided into the grasping rich and disadvantaged underclasses, who is the enemy? If unions find themselves constantly in confrontation with public employers, it pits them, not against a privileged few, but against the broader public, most of whom face just as great a struggle to get by in a difficult world as the union’s own members.

This has become evident as governments run up against revenue strains caused by their own spending habits. Without corporate bigwigs to demonize, “the enemy” becomes the public at large. In Alberta, Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government has pledged to maintain public-sector employment, despite struggling with the worst recession in decades. While the private sector has been forced to slash jobs, close offices and cancel projects, public workers have been assured they enjoy a privileged status and will not have to deal with the same realities. “We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do,” Notley said in a recent fiery speech to Unifor members.