Unions are a big, big reason stuff is SO expensive in NY. They have to have 4 times as many employees doing construction as in Europe, for instance.

Europe doesn't have this problem because they have good unions. We can't have those in America. I really don't know why, but that's just how it is.

This a perfect example of grass being greener on the other side of the fence ;) In some European countries I know of, unions are solely responsible for forcing the government hands into things like keeping around and subsidising beyond any sense and belief a dirty energy sources (coal mines and power plants for example) resulting in air quality killing more people than car accidents every year. Those unions won't stop at anything and are ready to and have in past organising violent riots on streets, until everyone around surrenders to their demands.