[stpeteguy]

Don't blame the unions. Blame the politicians.

They are the ones who shoved "free trade" down everyone's throat. There was the promise of great jobs to come and I remember hearing all the hoopla back in the 90's about how we don't need to manufacture anything anymore. Supposedly we were all going to work in information technology.

Well as you can see. Free trade was a dismal failure for everyone except the corporations and the ultra wealthy.

It decimated the middle class in America and lowered everyone's standard of living.

Again, who did this??

It was the politicians and neither republicans nor democrats have any intentions of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

Why? obviously because the corporations who financially contribute to their campaigns enjoy the benefits of free trade.

So before you start bashing unions, remember that they make up less than 5% of the American work force. They are the scapegoat that the media beats up on during tough economic times like these.

Remember Ross Perot back during the presidential debates saying that if Nafta passed, we would hear a "giant sucking sound" as all our manufacturing jobs left this country. Well he was right.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

Don't blame the unions. Blame the politicians.

They are the ones who shoved "free trade" down everyone's throat. There was the promise of great jobs to come and I remember hearing all the hoopla back in the 90's about how we don't need to manufacture anything anymore. Supposedly we were all going to work in information technology.

Well as you can see. Free trade was a dismal failure for everyone except the corporations and the ultra wealthy.

It decimated the middle class in America and lowered everyone's standard of living.

Again, who did this??

It was the politicians and neither republicans nor democrats have any intentions of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

Why? obviously because the corporations who financially contribute to their campaigns enjoy the benefits of free trade.

So before you start bashing unions, remember that they make up less than 5% of the American work force. They are the scapegoat that the media beats up on during tough economic times like these.

Remember Ross Perot back during the presidential debates saying that if Nafta passed, we would hear a "giant sucking sound" as all our manufacturing jobs left this country. Well he was right.

There might be people on here who bash unions, but one of them certainly ISN'T gonna be me. I see the value in a union all the more especially since job discrimination happens a ton more down here. It gets so crazy that it can be things like whats on an application or where you come from previously to "not matching the company" or "looking too smart" for the job. I am gonna be leaving FL for a Union state soon and I am thrilled about it. This sort of stuff didn't matter to me when I was younger, but seeing this economic downtown and how it is handled here, I see the complete value in it. A higher wage really does mean that a worker can spend more and it stimulates the economy more. If you pay the bare minimum like this right to work crap, people will be broker and not spend as much and cutting hrs on top of it all. I think they envision certain types to slavedrive and try to pick out who they can maybe manipulate most. Black women seem to be a target or women in general.

Oh and so much for information technology jobs that would supposedly come in. It was all a scam. There are no more computer jobs than there were in the early 90s. I hear the industry is actually struggling and you arent guaranteed work as a computer tech guy. We are not progressing, we are regressing. We need to fund better public transit, get better jobs, more security.. I am all a fan of going back to older times.

[Chrissyml]

Wow. Everyone in a "Right to Work" state has my sympathy. "Right to Work" sounds like a race to the bottom!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Chrissyml

Wow. Everyone in a "Right to Work" state has my sympathy. "Right to Work" sounds like a race to the bottom!

Yeah. Let's make sure we have strong unions so we can end up like a city like Detroit. Oh wait....

[$musicman$]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

Well as you can see. Free trade was a dismal failure for everyone except the corporations and the ultra wealthy.

Now help me out here.

How do things get better for average Americans if the corporations are not doing well and making money?

[theoldnorthstate]

not crazy about unions. doesn't seem to be the way to go,

there was a place and time but i don't see the gain having unions,

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by $musicman$

Now help me out here.

How do things get better for average Americans if the corporations are not doing well and making money?

Isn't it funny? People think of corporations as some evil abstract, when in reality, they are owned by shareholders which includes anyone with a 401k, pension fund or brokerage account.

Plus free trade has made many things affordable for the average family. How else can you buy a $300 laptop or a $100 blu-ray player?

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by $musicman$

Now help me out here.

How do things get better for average Americans if the corporations are not doing well and making money?

I can assure you that when a CEO is taking home a multi-million dollar salary, these corporations are making money and doing more than well by our middle class standards. Personally I despise this extreme vision of capitalism where workers who create the wealth for the top, for the shareholders, for the bottom line, are the ones whose hours, benefits, and wages are cut. There has to be a balance, and I wish more companies would realize this and start implementing it as a competitive strategy to ascertain the best most productive workforce without yet another layer of regulation that will somehow be dodged at the expense of that's right, the worker.

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Isn't it funny? People think of corporations as some evil abstract, when in reality, they are owned by shareholders which includes anyone with a 401k, pension fund or brokerage account.

Plus free trade has made many things affordable for the average family. How else can you buy a $300 laptop or a $100 blu-ray player?

I for one don't see them as evil, but perhaps there is a hint of truth that evil can exist in this system. There has to be a balance, and yes some things are fine to outsource, however we are sending almost all of the middle class' bread and butter to the 3rd world with the intent of exploiting literal slave wages. Perhaps instead of adding more regulation to the free market, how about we incentivize companies paying more which takes people off food stamps, providing paid benefits which takes people off medicaid, and providing retirement which reduces the need for social security. A balanced approach aimed at taking the burden off the tax payers for people's basic needs such as food, health, and retirement. A balanced approach that looks to the private sector for salvation, and rewards corporations who put American's back to work with good wages. More income for workers means more taxes paid into the system and less money taken out. Seems to me like that would help put an end to this tax the heck out of the rich us vs them mentality workers are adopting now because for good reason, they feel shafted. Let's all share the American dream by working hard and making this nation great again.

[$musicman$]

Originally Posted by OrlFlaUsa

There has to be a balance..

No there doesn't..but you are free to run your OWN company any way you want.

Jobs are not rights.

[JimMe]

The OP and many people who responded to him seem to misunderstand the meaning of "right to work." The concept has nothing to do with employers. Rather it is intended to protect the rights of workers to decide for themselves whether they want to join and support a union with union dues. The opposite of "right to work" is forced unionization where a so-called union shop can force all the employees at that place of work to join a union if they want to work there. That is a violation of the fundamental right of freedom of association. In a union shop a person cannot choose to not associate or join a union. That choice is taken away from him or her.