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In California, as Mr DiSalvo points out, the prison guards’ union has been one of the leading advocates of getting tough on crime. The result of this policy has been a dramatic increase in both the size of the state’s prison-industrial complex (from 12 prisons in 1980 to 33 in 2000) and the pay of the people who run it (prison guards in 2006 made $70,000 a year in base salary and $100,000 with overtime). But public-sector unions can prosper simply by opposing rationalisation: Buffalo, in New York state, has as many public workers in 2006 as it did in 1950, despite the fact that the city has lost half its population.
Public-sector unions combine support for higher spending with vigorous opposition to more accountability. Almost everywhere they have demonised competition, transparency and flexible pay. Teachers’ unions have often acted as the Praetorian Guard in this fight. In Poland they are up in arms against attempts to increase the number of hours a week (a mere 18) they have to spend teaching. In São Paulo state, in Brazil, teachers have organised huge marches against government attempts to link promotion to performance and to reduce the number of days they can take off without notice. In Greece they have fought four consecutive education ministers from different parties over performance reviews. In Britain they are trying to kill “free” schools, which can be set up outside local-authority control. In America they have fought relentlessly against charter schools (which escape union rules about pay and promotion) and scholarship schemes (which give choice to parents).

A. 어휘
prison guards’ union 교도소 간수노조. advocates 옹호자, 주창자.
rationalisation 합리화 조치. vigorous 활발한, 원기 旺盛(왕성)한.
accountability 책임, 납세자에 대한 업적책임.
demonise 악마로 만들다. transparency 투명성.
flexible 융통서이 있는, 유연성이 있는. Praetorian Guard 로마 황제의 친위대.
Praetor 로마의 執政官(집정관).
to link promotion to performance 근무성적과 승진을 연계시키는 것.
take off without notice 사전 通告(통고)없이 결근하는 것.
consecutive 연속적. relentlessly 무자비하게.
charter schools 학교장 책임 하에 학교를 경영하고 성적이 미달하면 폐쇄하는 학교.