Every now and then, even the famously left-leaning Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals manages to surprise people — and this time, in a good way. In a ruling that lands squarely against public-sector unions, the court has decided that Donald Trump can move forward with stripping collective bargaining rights from thousands of government employees. Yes, you read that right: a court actually sided with common sense.

Let’s be clear. In the private sector, unions are fine — as long as elections are fair, secret, and free from the usual “vote our way or else” intimidation routine. That’s how it’s supposed to work. But the public sector is a totally different animal. These workers are paid by taxpayers. That means we are the employer, not some faceless corporation.

And yet public-sector unions routinely use their power to back politicians who guarantee them monopoly control over government jobs. Funny how that works. Even funnier is how often these unions clash with the actual mission of the jobs their members are supposed to be doing. Teachers’ unions are the clearest example — doing more damage to American education than just about anyone else, all while claiming they’re “for the kids.” Sure.

Trump’s push to rein in this system isn’t new, and it isn’t radical. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt warned decades ago that collective bargaining “cannot be transplanted into the public service.” When FDR and Trump agree on something, that should tell you how broken the status quo has become.

This ruling is a win for taxpayers, a win for accountability, and a win for a government that’s supposed to work for the people — not union bosses and political machines. It’s refreshing to see a court remember that the Constitution doesn’t come with a union label attached.

In short: Trump is right, the court got it right, and the public is better off for it. And that’s exactly the kind of progress worth celebrating.