There is a universe of difference between public sector and private sector workers.
What is interesting is the private sector union workers (which I generally support) somehow think they owe an allegiance to public employee unions.
In most cases, it takes the form of assuming that union=good anywhere and everywhere.
If the average private sector union worker knew the kind of corruption and backroom dealing that public unions are involved in, they might not so automatically support them.
The problem is not that public workers are unionized as much as the fact that they have corrupted the negotiating process.
I recommend pensiontsunami.com as a great website to see how public unions have unwittingly bankrupted many cities.
The problem with the current public union paradigm is that there are few natural checks on union power. In a private company, the union must consider that while they want good wages, they also need the company to be viable.
In the public sector, the "management" (state and local governments) often cooperate with union demands, because those officials are ALSO getting fat at the taxpayer trough.
Read the link. The insatiable greed of politicians AND state and local (not federal) unions have put most pension budgets beyond any hope or repair. Anyone who does not admit that there is a big difference between private and public sector unions is not paying attention. The final takeaway point is that state and local promises to union workers are so deep in the red that property taxes would need to be doubled of tripled in order to pay out.
Since most people are not willing to live in poverty so that DMV workers can retire with an $80k pension, we can count on changes. While the public employees will whine about 'a promise is a promise', they usually don't like to admit that those promises were generally done without the public's knowledge or approval.
The cities cannot afford to pay, ergo they will not pay. The money is simply not there.