Catherwood LibraryILR School

Buoyed by growing populist fervor, conservatives are targeting government employees and public sector unions as examples of the evils of government excess and labor influence. While conservatives argue that public employees are draining taxpayer money to fund their higher wages and better benefits, others argue the reality is quite different. They argue that public workers have been equally affected by the recession, earning 11 to 12 percent less than comparable private sector workers (when education and work experience are factored in), with almost 180,000 government employees laid off since August 2008.