Workers and working families are the heart of America. That reality has been under constant threat for decades from private sector money. The simple truth is the rich want to get richer and often try to do so at the expense of their labor.

This unfortunate fact is a part of our American history too often drowned out by voices that distract us from their agenda of privatization. Consider two recently clear examples as evidence: first, the Veteran’s Administration effort to dismiss upwards of 80,000 employees. Second, consider our own Idaho government’s sneaky changes to House Bill 516, attacking our public-school teachers.

Collective bargaining is just that; a group of individuals collected together to negotiate for better working conditions. Why does this matter? Many of us would agree that when we are treated better, we do better work. Treat us badly and our work suffers. It’s harder to make big system changes as individuals, but as a unified group, those same big system changes become more achievable. Companies and their interests know this, so if they keep us separated, they retain power to control us and control the money.

When new leadership entered the Veteran’s Administration in 2025, it was announced there would be an automatic dismissal of about 80,000 employees. The VA is a large bureaucratic organization that needs improvement. But when the first thing you do is report tens of thousands of people will lose their livelihood, it begs more questions than answers. Federal employees, represented by their Union, pushed back against this effort, and helped prevent this targeted attack.

As a Union steward with the American Federation of Government Employees-AFGE, I have watched firsthand how our Union stands behind individual workers. We support worker’s rights, favorable workplace conditions, and fair wages; this helps workers provide for themselves and their families.

Our time in doing so is not a wasteful use of taxpayer dollars. Our time saves money in the long run by avoiding random dismissal of workers who contribute to our tax base and economy.

Human behavior in a fair working environment means employees are more satisfied in their job (jobs they often take based on their desire to contribute to society), then they earn consistent money, and then our economy grows.

As a Union steward, I support my co-workers in fact finding investigations, equal employment opportunity cases, and disciplinary hearings that help them stay employed. Many of us as stewards also volunteer our time off the clock to help our co-workers in these efforts.

Union efforts add value to our workforce, as these protect employees from unjust and unfair job conditions. The cost of my time to the employer is minimal compared to the cost of constant turnover, training, and time the employer would otherwise have to use in retaining a workforce capable of serving Veterans. And in the case of our Idaho state education, the cost to dedicated teachers, Idaho children, and our Idaho future.

The addition of anti-teacher, Union busting efforts included in House Bill 516 by state legislators and Governor Brad Little is not an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars to fund a private organization, as they claim. What is blatantly wrong though is their bypassing of normal legislative process and lack of public hearings, a pattern of political behavior they used throughout this last legislative session. HB 516 is now part of a deliberate plan to break up collective bargaining rights of public-school teachers so these elected officials can introduce more and more privatization of public education.

Do not be fooled otherwise; this is the same agenda of a federal effort to tear down the Veteran’s Administration and other public social welfare programs in order to line the pockets of private, for-profit organizations. It is ironic and insulting to hear Little, state legislators, and federal leadership say their efforts are meant to eliminate private interests.

This is absolutely false, another of their twisted tactics meant to keep us from their true purpose: attack workers and families in order to reward big business. What do these hidden agendas get Little or others in return? The distorted promise of power, be it staying in control politically or financially.

A federal judge recently ruled in favor of restoring our AFGE collective bargaining rights for federal employees. We look forward to hearing the same outcome on behalf of our Idaho public school teachers. The Idaho Education Association recently announced its no-confidence vote of Governor Little and hopefully legal action on behalf of Idaho teachers will be coming soon.

Idaho teachers represent a critical asset for Idaho’s workforce, families, and children. Supporting Idaho public school teachers and the Idaho Education Association as their Union is worth every dollar spent. Stay Union Strong: this means worker’s rights, the great state of Idaho, and the United States of America all stay strong for our successful future.

Steve Neiner is a licensed clinical social worker in Pocatello, Idaho, who also holds a bachelor’s degree in education. He is a Union Steward for AFGE local 2199 and delegate to the Pocatello Central Labor Council/Idaho AFL-CIO.