[fintstone]

While I find some of the union negotiations to be pathetic...you guys elected the guys that made those decisions...I also find the idea of "renegotiating" a retirement package after it is earned is practically armed robbery. I know that many folks work in the public sector for much less than they could make in the private sector...even when retirement benefits are considered.
As a government employee, I get 30% of my salary for the remainner of my life if I work for 30 years (I will be 75 years old then...so it probably will not be for long)...but my salary is about 50% below what I would earn in the private sector. Depending on the skill...govt has to compete for labor just like any other organization. As it is, we lose an awful lot of our best employees because we simply cannot compete salary-wise.