Has the time for unions come & gone?

It is my belief that unions exist today only to serve the liberal political agenda and provide a front for illegal activity. They exploit the worker and put businesses at a competitive disadvantage. At one time they probably did serve a purpose but are they really needed to protect the worker from the same conditions that existed 100 years ago?
Who, on the forum, is or is not a union member? If you are, is it voluntary? Do you feel you get value from your dues? If you are not, do you feel you are missing out by not having the power of the union behind you in wage negotiations and job security?

I have belonged to a union & was actually a Teamsters union shop steward in the mid-late '80's. Seeing the inner workings sure soured me on unions.

 

I am in a union but am not an active articipant and do not particulalry like unions. Our union is not a union is most senses of what unions are...we cannot go on strike nor do they negotiate our wages or much of anythig else. I joined mostly for a specific purpose - having to do with on call situations and forced overtime - and, yes, for that alone in my situation, it is worth the dues for me.

 

I think the left-wing has co-opted many unions in a perverted power grab. Unions, to some degree, serve a purpose I suppose, but not in their current form as a power base for the liberals.

 

No unions = No more middle class. I wish that they were not necessary because they are by nature adversarial. The unions aren't anymore corrupt than the people they were protecting the workers from. The work place abuses were well documented before the rise of unions and as long as the government is too weak to enforce labor laws, unions are the only game in town. Unions are the media watchdogs of the workplace. The same people that hate the media tend to hate unions. Some people just hate the cleansing effects of the bright light of day shone in their direction.

 

Man, you're supposed to work all the overtime your corporate masters say you are supposed to! What do you need unions for? It's not like your corporate employers would make you do anything that wasn't good for you! It's just business! Shame on you for not trusting your masters to look out for your best interests! You'd better change that attitude or they will outsource their gift of employment to you off to India! In fact...if I were you...I'd offer to work for free for a year before you offend the masters (either that or become salaried). Just for that...no more generous 1 percent raise next year, AND, no more annual pizza parties!

 

Lost my taste for unions back in the 70's but having said that not all union's are the same some actualy care about the conditions that there members work under

 

The 'Corporate Master' that I am protecting myself against is the government that you think would take care of everyone so lovingly.

And btw, I would love a 1% pay raise next year....beats the heck out of the zero percent we are getting for the next 2-5 years courtesy of our master. lol

 

You think the corporate world is any different? At least you'll have a job and not have it based of some CEO's desire for several new yachts. Point is...if unions are bad, then you shouldn't partake in any of their advantages. Period.

 

I didn't say unions were bad. I said I don't particularly like them. They have their uses and they have their abuses. I will praise their uses and condemn their abuses and since I pay my dues, I will also take advantage of whatever I feel like taking advantage of. Period.

And, as far as having a job...you might want to start reading the news. My CEO may not have a desire for yachts but he has wars to pay for and a bunch of tax breaks to pay for too.

 

So if you think companies are bad, you should not partake in any of their advances either!? Let me see. How are those stone wheels working for you, Tom?

 

I have been a member of 2 unions, the UAW and the Aerospace Machinist Union ( cannot remember the initials ). Have journeymans cards from both as a toolmaker/machinist. I paid my dues and hated it every payday, but, was smart enough to never talk politics on the job. This was before the internet of course.

I never saw any benifit at all, just saw the companys I worked for being taken for a ride, nd honest hard workers were chastised and told to slow down, and watched people play cards for full pay when work was slow. Fuuck the unions. this isn't the 1920's anymore.

Spelling bd I know, sue me.

 

So...what do you think the answer to unions would be? Be resolved to let large, abusive companies to police themselves? Unions may not be perfect, and have a lot of issues, but, they originally served a purpose...a purpose that wouldn't have been needed if fair play, wages were not issues. The people that are against unions are often the same ones who make lots of cash in positions of power and wealth.

 

Back in the day, they had their place. Now they are just politicsl tools. No thanks.

 

Well....trusting corporate America's ways of doing things isn't working too great these days either, unless one finds great satisfaction in the Walmart style of running a business. No thanks there either.

 

You must be joking! Wal-Mart is one of the most successful businesses on the planet. How many people do you think Wal-Mart employs, Tom? I'm guessing it's more than you employ.

 

Successful due to their labor practices, their exploitation of overseas penny labor, and exploitation of the the vendors and products they deal with, and their mafia style bullying tactics of said product vendors, and their corporate success at strangling competition through manipulation of everything previously mentioned. Oh...and let's not forget China. Glad you're consistent with your take on monopolies and corporate America.

 

Jack, please contact my lawyer. We wish to settle out of court for a tidy sum.

 

Being successful is not the same as being ethical. By your standards, if I made a fortune shoveling babies, puppies, and kittens into a furnace, I'd be considered successful. When will the Right ever stop worshipping the almighty dollar? The root of all evil really has a hold on them.

 

So, you are claiming these archaic US unions are needed to serve overseas laborers? Or to protect vendors? These vendors are businesses...since when have businesses been unionized? I thought unions were designed to protect the workers against a business, I didn't realize it has evolved into a business being protected against another business?
By the way, what "labor practices" are Wal-Mart supposed to be guilty of?

 

How much would these workers be paid if they weren't producing products for the overseas market? Many U.S. companies use the services of overseas production facilities because of the price advantage. If you were running a business, wouldn't you? If you're talking about the treatment of the workers by their respective employers, well, neither Wal-Mart nor any other company can control that.

What in the world are you talking about? "Exploitation"? "Bullying"? "Mafia Style"? How does Wal-Mart exploit vendors? Vendors are chomping at the bit to have Wal-Mart carry their products. If you don't want to sell it to Wal-Mart, go to Sears, Target, JC Penney, Best Buy, Homeland, Dillards, etc., etc.

I don't know what "manipulation" you're talking about, but the "business" of business is brutal, like it or not. It's dog-eat-dog in the business world. Competition is fierce; some will succeed, some will not. You remind me of the Eloi in "The Time Machine" going about their merry way without realizing that all the work is being done by the Moorlocks down below. Simply pathetic.