Wow, I wasn't here yesterday and look what happens,a thread on unions. Now I think I've made it clear in the past where I stand on this and there's really no need repeating what Barry just so eloquently said.
So just a few comments/questions:
For those who think unions were good but have outlived their usefulness; Has human nature changed? Do you really think that those who export jobs to countries where they can get virtual slave labor would not enslave you if they could? While things have changed and many companies do care about their employees, some still need the force of law to ensure fair treatment.
For those who think unions are communist; All unions of the AFL/CIO will expel any member who professes an affiliation with the Communist party. We
like our signatory companies to make lots of money. That way, they stay in business and our jobs with good pay and benefits stay too.
For those who think unions should stay out of politics; The existing labor laws that many quote as the reason unions are no longer needed are
the result of unions being involved in politics. Generally when someone wants to disenfranchise any group from our political process, it's because that group usually supports candidates that the person opposes. So if you want to take one special interest group out, take them all out. Of course that
would turn our country over to the elitists.
To those who think the unions exist to protect deadbeats; Some smaller ones may do this, but I've seen it done far more in the non-union world with nepotism, favoritism and sycophantism than in the union workplace. I will admit that my own experience is in the construction industry where deadbeats are weeded out pretty quickly. Our workforce doesn't have any room for someone who won't carry his load. As a job Steward it's my job to represent the workers to management, and more than once I've told them to "send him back to the hall".
And another thing; Our signatory employers like to do business with us. When a job comes up, they just make a phone call saying how many of what trade they need and
highly skilled and qualified workers are there that day. Union workers are paid substantially more, but save the companies money, and they know it. The highly skilled union workers consistently bring jobs in ahead of schedule and under budget ensuring bonuses for the contractor. The non-union construction companies seem to have the opposite result
.
Another note about the rates paid to assembly line workers; This includes the amount paid to their pension plans and health care plans.
And finally, for those who blame the unions for the downfall of the U.S. Automakers, read again what Dwight wrote.
I bought a brand new made in the U.S.A. by UAW workers four wheel drive pickup three months ago.
A Toyota Tacoma
web page
