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With all the talk these days about unions driving wages up and causing more jobs to be shipped overseas, I was wondering what everybody's thought on the subject is. I have noticed wages going down and it is in direct proportion to the loss of union jobs. Even the jobs that aren't union are paying less just because they don't have to compete with higher paying union jobs.
I know a lot of unions have shot themselves in the foot with extremely high wages, pensions and health care for retirees (think big 3) but not all union jobs are that bad. I've worked for a few and I though the pay was fair and you could live what might be called the American Dream. Although you still would be far from rich, you would still be allowed home ownership and maybe your own car. Most of the non-union jobs today would require us to live like some third world countries having 10 people living under the same roof, or living in your car or homeless shelter because you can't afford rent and you would definitely get no health insurance or if it were offered, their rates would be so high, you would never be able to pay them on the wages they are offering you.
I can see both the pluses and the minuses of belonging to a union but I think for the most part, they do more good than harm. This once great country was run by manufacturing and a lot of these jobs are union. Union wages makes it possible for people to get out of the poverty lifestyle. When NAFTA was signed in it pretty much made sure the economy we were enjoying was not going to last. Somehow we need to find a way to undo the damage so we can get good paying jobs back in this country.
If we don't find a way to change things soon, the only raises you will be getting is when the government steps in and raises minimum wage. Something has got to change.
The real problem is the corrupt administration of of American labor unions. ( I am speaking of public unions like the UAW and the Teamsters, not private government unions like teacher and firefighters which are a blight on the taxpayer landscape.)
Union benefits are better than non union benefits.
Unfortunately you have to ally yourself with a thieving corrupt union bosses and administration to enjoy these benefits.
Workers unions in the US are so corrupt, union management is so self-serving; the whole landscape of labor unions in the US is so out of touch with labor and employment reality, there is really no way to salvage the balanced relationship between workers rights and business needs with any kind of model in the American labor union movement.
The labor union model is broken in this country. I have no idea how it can be fixed.
Depends on the job. For an office job or some menial job, I couldn't be bothered with a union. For jobs that involve a certain threshold of danger such as mining and heavy manufacturing, it's good for the workers to have someone covering their backs to make sure safety measures are being followed and to step in and take the heat off of workers if they walk out when safety is being compromised.
There are certain public-sector jobs where having a union between you and political battles can come in handy. As much as I hate teachers unions, I sure as hell wouldn't want to teach in a non-union school. I wouldn't want to be a cop without a union either.
Really I don't see why people hate unions. It's there to keep the employers honest. Give the union 2 & 1/2 hours of your pay is worth it. Every thing is in black and white. Do I need one? No but I'm part of one and will not give it up. Never know when you might need it.
I always thought unions were for people who whined, or did not do their jobs correctly. Wrong. I am very pro union. Always paid my dues when I taught school, that is for sure. They won't back you if you are wrong, but if you are not...you have a voice, it is like carrying a big stick.
I always thought unions were for people who whined, or did not do their jobs correctly. Wrong. I am very pro union. Always paid my dues when I taught school, that is for sure. They won't back you if you are wrong, but if you are not...you have a voice, it is like carrying a big stick.
The Union is really the only political loby the working class has. If we had more members, maybe NAFTA would have been defeated. Power in numbers.
I always thought unions were for people who whined, or did not do their jobs correctly. Wrong. I am very pro union. Always paid my dues when I taught school, that is for sure. They won't back you if you are wrong, but if you are not...you have a voice, it is like carrying a big stick.
Unfortunately you always have some bad apples in any group. If the employer has any comptence they can fire such employees very easily. Nobody wants to work with people who refuse to do their jobs.
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