Are unions still a good thing? (budget, showing, income)

[Miborn]

Are unions still doing what they were started for years ago. Do they still protect the blue collar worker or have they gone awry?

[johnrex62]

It depends greatly upon the individual union and company involved. As many unions become more powerful and mgt become more "benevolent", the union tilted power away and become more and more tyrannical. For some industries they became a negative factor on company stability and that seems to me to not be in the best interest of the worker either.

In companies where the mgt is 50 years behind in philosophy or or has forgotten that the worker satisfaction directly relates to productivity, then they serve a purpose.

Just as mgt must consider the worker in it's plans, the union and workers must consider the company's health in their pursuit of self betterment. Without both parties healthy and happy, the future becomes bleak. I think more unions than not forget this and push too hard. I think workers get myopic and only see their own wellbeing in comparison to their past situation rather than the current competitive situation and demand constant increase in standard of living even if that standard is already higher than most of their competitor's circumstance. There are many that manage to reach equilibrium, but more that do not.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Miborn

Are unions still doing what they were started for years ago. Do they still protect the blue collar worker or have they gone awry?

I defy anyone to visit Michigan and honestly defend unions. They have just about single-handedly flattened this state due to their greed IMO.

In theory, I'm all for unions.

In practice...please observe the current condition of Michigan.

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

I defy anyone to visit Michigan and honestly defend unions. They have just about single-handedly flattened this state due to their greed IMO.

In theory, I'm all for unions.

In practice...please observe the current condition of Michigan.

bold emphasis mine

I wholeheartedly agree!!
I used to be, and have several relatives currently, in a union.

[tym2retyr]

I have worked for two companies that are union and I was miserable the whole time. I have been working skilled trades for a leading wood products company for the last twenty four years and have never been happier. There is freedom to learn other things within the company, they treat their employee's with dignity, and unlike the companies I worked for earlier, I don't feel like I have to keep looking over my shoulder waiting for someone to turn me into the union for working out of my trade. Unions had their place......at one time. But now its time to move on to bigger, better things. JMHO

[Driller1]

But, yet they did so much good. Many labor laws come from their hard work, safety regulations, breaks, holiday pay. Now the laws are in place, maybe it is time for the hero to ride off in the sunset.

[allbusiness]

Originally Posted by Driller1

But, yet they did so much good. Many labor laws come from their hard work, safety regulations, breaks, holiday pay. Now the laws are in place, maybe it is time for the hero to ride off in the sunset.

I agree. 100 years ago they were a necessary result of the way life way back then. Today, they are a barrier between those who risk their lives and fortunes to create jobs and those who fulfill their dreams by working and earning a good income.

The remaining unions (those with any clout) are all in goverment, education and services and are directly responsible for the deplorable financial condition of our schools, colleges and universities, city and township governments, county and state government and many other institutions.

The legacy costs of bad negotiating, arbitration and mediation decisions have left those institutions with a common scenario of having someone work for 25 years, get fully-paid health care the entire time, and then earn a "salary" and fully-paid health care in retirement for another 25-40 years! With increasing lifespans and the high cost of health care, watch carefully for local units of government, schools and the like to begin declaring bankrupty over the coming years. Already cities are laying off firefighters and police (the highest portion of any municipality's budget) due to these costs and cutbacks in state shared revenue.

Thank goodness some unions are finally beginning to ask their members to go along with picking up at least a little of their own health care costs (like the rest of us!!!) and funding their own retirement programs (like the rest of us!!)

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by Miborn

Are unions still doing what they were started for years ago. Do they still protect the blue collar worker or have they gone awry?

I think they "protect" workers from the consequences of their actions. They certainly have a place, if they keep within sane bounds, but what union does that anymore? Why do we have to choose between being half-killed by our employers and being transformed by union membership into useless whiners who think they're being tortured if they actually have to produce some results in the course of a day? I have worked both in and out of union settings and that's how I see it.

[magellan]

I think unions were necessary to help balance the scales when business owners were exploiting labor during the industrial revolution. The scales tipped too far toward labor, and now you see the resulting mess the state is in. There will be a time again in this century when unions WILL be needed again. It's just the cycle of business.

It would be nice if while union membership drops down to the bare bones in Michigan, that we adopt a "right to work" policy here, like many Southern states have. In essence, you don't HAVE to join the union if your place of employment unionizes, but you CAN join the union if you want to. It cannot be a "condition of hire". It also helps keep unions from becoming overpowering and just as bad as unscrupulous business owners. I think it would also go a long way in showing the international business community that Michigan is "business friendly yet fair to workers".

Right-to-work law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cliffie]

Well, before you have a "right to work" you need a "place to work."