The Washington Post has done a fascinating expose of union power gone wild in Mexico. According to the Post, the National Education Workers Union has created a "monstrous system of perks and patronage," accumulated over years of delivering votes to the now ousted PRI party. The article describes the long-standing custom (albeit illegal) of teaching positions being treated as inheritances and sold for cash to the highest bidder?while union officials grab a percentage for negotiating the deal. Other signs of the union's stranglehold on the profession? The 80-year old national middle school curriculum can't be revised because of the union's veto power over any curriculum changes. Principals are reportedly powerless to reprimand or fire teachers who are tardy or even absent (sometimes because they are working other jobs).