Public employees must deal with a new reality

Adelle L. Gersten, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.

Government workers in Wisconsin are rioting, and they are probably just the first of many in states with similar financial problems — Nevada being one.

Wisconsin has a budget shortfall. The state can no longer afford the benefits the employees have become used to and are demanding to be continued.

In the private sector, if a company can no longer afford its employee benefit packages, it can do the following: Have the employees contribute toward them; reduce the benefits for all employees or, more likely, just for new employees; eliminate the benefits; or fire employees.

The employees have little or no choice in the matter, and if they are unhappy with the employer’s decision, they can quit — or possibly strike, which may make any of the above options happen anyway.

They may even find that the employer has to close down and thereby no one has a job.

Public employees have to realize you cannot get blood from a stone. Broke means broke.

They need to work with their employer, i.e., the state or municipality, to solve the problems rather than becoming more of a problem than they already are.