One reason Blue States are going broke is they can’t say no to powerful public employee unions.

A case in point: New York State officials have once again capitulated to the railroad unions after 3,500 workers closed the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) because the state would not meet their demands for a 14.5% raise over four years. The strike paralyzed America’s busiest commuter line for three straight days. The hostage-taking worked: State officials cried UNCLE and capitulated to the union demands.

Workers on the LIRR already rake in an average of $150,000 a year in pay.  Some rail workers are hauling in more than $200,000 a year in overtime alone. Per capita personal income in Long Island’s Suffolk County is $92,000. The workers on the LIRR are the princes of Long Island, and their riders are the paupers.

It gets worse: Under LIRR contracts, workers collect double pay for working a rail yard and a train in one day. A carpenter cannot change a light bulb without calling an electrician for four hours of premium time. When will AI get us driverless trains?