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I have been on all sides of the union fence; non-member, member, open shop, closed shop, right-to-work state, etc.
I always resented giving the union bosses 2 hours of my pay every month in return for very little.
I can relate to the workers NOT wanting a union. If I were working there, I would feel the same way.
I was a steelworker for 35 years and I can tell you this. In a modern factory with a slimmed down workforce, there are no seat warmers. Everyone is accountable for production. The menial labor jobs were contracted out years ago.
I know that. 'Seatwarmer' was just an expression for someone who has more seniority. The basic point remains that in most if not all unions, seniority trumps merit.
I have been on all sides of the union fence; non-member, member, open shop, closed shop, right-to-work state, etc.
I always resented giving the union bosses 2 hours of my pay every month in return for very little.
I can relate to the workers NOT wanting a union. If I were working there, I would feel the same way.
Wow! I never had a union boss as a member of the USWA. My bosses always worked for the company but those $40 of union dues were the best 40 bucks I spent every month. Retired at 54 with pension and medical and the company is doing just fine these days.
I know that. 'Seatwarmer' was just an expression for someone who has more seniority. The basic point remains that in most if not all unions, seniority trumps merit.
That`s true and for someone who wants to be a superstar and move to the head of the class, union membership is not for them.
There are 26 states which have closed shop laws. Why doesn't VW relocate to one of these states? Most would likely welcome the opportunity to compete for VW's business.
Wow! I never had a union boss as a member of the USWA. My bosses always worked for the company but those $40 of union dues were the best 40 bucks I spent every month. Retired at 54 with pension and medical and the company is doing just fine these days.
Your union did not have full-time employees at the local level? Your union did not have a National Headquarters where the bigwigs sat on their fat butts all day every day living high off of your dues? Your union did not have many levels of administration between the locals and the National Headquarters?
I bet your union had LOTS of "bosses" living off of your dues!
Their salaries were probably double or more what your wages were!
Back home in the Fatherland Volkswagen sees the benefits of 'works councils', giving employees a seat the corporate decision table, and wants to do the same at it's Chattanooga plant. US law prevents this unless employees are part of a union. VW is fine with that but is facing opposition from state politicians, some of it's US executives, and many hourly workers. When the vote comes to unionize (or not) VW will be in odd position of siding with the UAW.
VW "said recently that the Chattanooga plant might have a better chance at landing a hot new sport utility vehicle for the assembly plant, which now produces Passat sedans, if it had a works council to represent it."
"To many Americans, the notion of works councils belongs alongside socialized medicine and six-week vacations as examples of the practices that have doomed Europe to near-zero growth. But another way to look at it is that works councils are part of a model that has helped preserve Germany’s industrial base and hold the country’s unemployment to a relatively low level: 5.2 percent, compared with 7.3 percent in the United States."
That is interesting. The 'works council' sounds similar to some of the ideas of Edward Deming, which Japanese automakers adopted. I did not realize that such practices were illegal under US labor law. That's crazy.
Is this why large US companies are so stuck on the top-down, command & control approach? Because if they try to elicit input from line workers they could get sued or fined? Crazy.
who do you think drove labor laws int his country? thats right, the unions. if you want a works council, you have to have a union as well, because the unions want the membership. they really dont care about the company for the most part, they only care about the power that a large union membership gives them.
In view of the German economy's performance relative to America's in recent years, arguing with their rationale is just dumb.
So....work to get the law changed. Problem solved!
Btw, what ideological mindset do you think comes up with a law like this one? Hint: it rhymes with schmiberal.
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