Happy Labor Day to all those who work or have worked or about to start working for the first time.
While in the past unions have cornered Labor Day as their own, it no longer is the case. In reality, there are very few union members. And if given the chance in non-right to work states, union membership would be next to nothing if the workers were given the right to join a union or not.
One thing the Wisconsin experience showed us in the past couple of years is that union leaders no longer are interested in the employes they represent, they are just want to steal union dues and live the lavish life style. And when given the chance, union members ran and ran away quickly in Wisconsin, from unions and being members of the the government employee unions.
Now, the labor movement should be about getting more states like Wisconsin and others to be a right to work state. It has been shown time and time again that if you do your job, you don't need to belong to a union. Unions have run their course and are a dying breed and are only being propped up by non-right to work states.
If a place of employment wants to have a union, that's fine, but don't force all workers to be members if they don't want to.
So a happy Labor Day for those workers out there, whether they belong to a union or not and enjoy the day. Just remember, the union did not create your job but there are times when the union can take it away.
Sunrise — 6:35, 5:38, 5:42, 5:44, 5:46, 5:48, 5:54.
58 minutes ago
Dan, I'm of two minds about unions. I've never been in one, and have been in situations where I'm competing with them. Once, I was almost run out of a work site because I wasn't union, and I got to witness a union steward who seemed to have no other job than to run people out.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I'm married to a union member, and I've seen them work for him. It's a back and forth, to be sure. There are issues with the union and whatnot. But you have to acknowledge that without unions, we wouldn't have things like weekends, 40-hour work weeks, vacations, 8-hour shifts, etc., etc.
And the truth is, there seems to be an eagerness to dismantle all of that. We've had Newt Gingrich calling for child labor! If unions fade away, I'd bet you almost anything, they will have to come back, because all their progress will one day be lost, and have to be reclaimed.
Dan, I'm of two minds about unions. I've never been in one, and have been in situations where I'm competing with them. Once, I was almost run out of a work site because I wasn't union, and I got to witness a union steward who seemed to have no other job than to run people out.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I'm married to a union member, and I've seen them work for him. It's a back and forth, to be sure. There are issues with the union and whatnot. But you have to acknowledge that without unions, we wouldn't have things like weekends, 40-hour work weeks, vacations, 8-hour shifts, etc., etc.
And the truth is, there seems to be an eagerness to dismantle all of that. We've had Newt Gingrich calling for child labor! If unions fade away, I'd bet you almost anything, they will have to come back, because all their progress will one day be lost, and have to be reclaimed.
And, obviously, the commenting system has gone kerflugy.
ReplyDeleteYep about the commenting.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying get rid of unions, I just want a person to have a chance to say yes or no if they want to join a union.
The wages and benefits you now experience have been negotiated by collective bargaining unions. Even if you are in the non-union segment, your wages were directly impacted by union wage negotiations. As union wages increased, so did the private sector. So, if you want to work for next to nothing, not have healthcare, not be able to afford a nice house and car, or send your loved ones to college, you are free to live that way here in America. But don't let your ignorance bring the rest of us down the fast-track to poverty, we've worked too hard to deserve that!
ReplyDelete