It was only a matter of time, you know. As unions in California have long placed their cronies into political office from San Francisco to San Diego, their control over the state legislature in Sacramento is nearing final completion. What little Republican resistance there is will likely be decimated in the coming years as the SEIU’s plan to mate liberals with RINOs comes to fruition. Now, though, the unions have a plan to complete their takeover of the state entirely.

Sponsored by AFSCME and introduced earlier this year by Democrat assembly member Nora Campos (whose husband is the CEO at Santa Clara & San Benito Counties Building & Construction Trades Council), California Assembly Bill 455 provides the following:

…when a local public agency has established a personnel commission or merit commission to administer personnel rules or a merit system, the governing board of the public agency would appoint 12 of the members of the commission, and 12 of the members of the commission, nominated by the recognized employee organization, would be appointed by the governing board of the public agency . Whenever multiple bargaining units are represented by different recognized employee organizations , the employee organization representing the largest number of employees would designate commission members pursuant to that provision.

In sum, if AB 455 passes, it will give unions all across the state the power to…

…directly nominate half the members of the bodies that establish wages, work rules, and benefits; adjudicate workplace disputes; and set minimum qualifications and standards for job examinations.

In certain cities, like San Francisco, the civil service commissions even set the salaries of the public officials.

San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio, a critic of AB455, says the bill would give unions too much power. [Ya think?]

“The way it’s done now, the whole council selects members from San Jose to the civil service commission, which is better than the unions appointing only people they like,” he said. “I can see nothing but skewed outcomes.”

[snip]

“Its pretty clear that certain assembly members are aligned with certain groups,” Oliverio said. “And it’s no surprise Assembly Member Campos is a big supporter of and supported by unionized groups.

“It’s a business model, because if the work is not done by union workers, there’s no dues. When we outsourced the graffiti program, they lost those union dues.”

Even as Marxist “progressive” as San Francisco is, AB455 also has its critics:

“Were the Board of Supervisors to appoint members of the Civil Service Commission, all of its direct appointees, it’s safe to say, would be pro-union,” says Don Casper, a commissioner for 11 years. “The members nominated — that is, appointed — by SEIU would be union advocates.”

Of course, the check and balance to AB 455 is that the unions would only get to seat one half of the public agency. Presumably, elected officials would appoint the other half…

Oh, wait…

If the unions are the ones who get those public officials elected, then…

Never mind.

Let the exodus of the sane continue.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Cross-posted.