Michigan - Right to Work

Jason PJason P Posts: 19,121
edited December 2012 in A Moving Train
Looks like Michigan is going to became a right-to-work state, which in terms means a worker is no longer forced to pay Union dues.

It appears the Unions are freaking out and are vowing revenge.

In my opinion, as long as the Unions doing the best the can for workers and doing everything in their best interest for workers, they should have nothing to worry about, right?

http://news.yahoo.com/unions-vow-political-payback-law-181241116.html

Unions vow political payback for right-to-work law

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — With defeat in the Michigan Legislature virtually certain, Democrats and organized labor intend to make enactment of right-to-work laws as uncomfortable as possible for Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican allies while laying the groundwork to seek payback at the polls.

Shellshocked opponents of the laws spent the weekend mapping strategy for protests and acts of civil disobedience, while acknowledging the cold reality that Republican majorities in the House and Senate cannot be stopped — or even delayed for long by parliamentary maneuvers. Leaders vowed to resist to the end, and then set their sights on winning control of the Legislature and defeating Snyder when he seeks re-election in 2014.

"They've awakened a sleeping giant," United Auto Workers President Bob King told The Associated Press on Saturday at a Detroit-area union hall, where about 200 activists were attending a planning session. "Not just union members. A lot of regular citizens, non-union households, realize this is a negative thing."

Right-to-work laws prohibit requiring employees to join a union or pay fees similar to union dues as a condition of employment. Supporters say it's about freedom of association for workers and a better business climate. Critics contend the real intent is to bleed unions of money and bargaining power.


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Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • RVCJJ3JRVCJJ3J Posts: 121
    If it weren't for unions we'd all be making less than minimum wage. Right to Work laws have historically been a way to undermine union membership and lower prevailing wages for the particular state that they are passed in. When unions are weakened, every worker union or not loses. Lower wages and a disregard for a safe work place are only a couple of things that right-to-work-for-less take away.
    Memorial Stadium-October 4, 1996; Riverbend Music Center- August 20, 2000; Post-Gazette Pavilion-September 5, 2000; Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre Charlotte-April 16, 2003; US Bank Arena-June 24, 2006; Scottrade Center-May 4, 2010; Consol Energy Center-October 11, 2013(On the Rail!); Time Warner Cable Arena-October 30, 2013
  • hedonisthedonist standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
    The unions at our local ports recently went on strike for the clerical workers...wasn't about pay, they said - yet they ended up with a salary/benefits/pension increase from their annual base of $87,000 to a final package of around $160K per year. Oh, and they're guaranteed jobs for life. For life!

    Cost us close to a billion bucks for each day of the strike, not to mention the truckers who got fucked in the process, but hey - small price to pay :P
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,072
    RVCJJ3J wrote:
    If it weren't for unions we'd all be making less than minimum wage. Right to Work laws have historically been a way to undermine union membership and lower prevailing wages for the particular state that they are passed in. When unions are weakened, every worker union or not loses. Lower wages and a disregard for a safe work place are only a couple of things that right-to-work-for-less take away.


    And if it wasn't for slavery the US wouldn't be where it is today...doesn't mean we need/want it now. Time to stop relying on the distant past to prove their worth.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,219
    I think there are good and bad that co-exist in everything. For the Unions, it is hard to deny that their idea of strength in numbers have lead to things such as safe work environments and fair wages. But, there are also those bad things, such as job retention due to seniority, rather than work performance and having to get an Act of Congress to fire someone.
    As for the 'Right to Work' laws... I think they are a good thing... as long as the person who is not in the Union, does not get any of the benefits of being in the Union, such as Union negotiated holidays, wage increases and overtime pay rates. It lets the employee make the decision... not the Union or the Employer.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,072
    Cosmo wrote:
    I think there are good and bad that co-exist in everything. For the Unions, it is hard to deny that their idea of strength in numbers have lead to things such as safe work environments and fair wages. But, there are also those bad things, such as job retention due to seniority, rather than work performance and having to get an Act of Congress to fire someone.
    As for the 'Right to Work' laws... I think they are a good thing... as long as the person who is not in the Union, does not get any of the benefits of being in the Union, such as Union negotiated holidays, wage increases and overtime pay rates. It lets the employee make the decision... not the Union or the Employer.


    The reality is all employees are covered by the same contract. The only difference is if the company moves to discipline or even fire an employee that is not a due paying member, they will not receive any support.

    It's funny, most of the time its tough to tell who is a due paying member and who isn't (other than the ones that wear the shirts all the time). But, when someone violates a safety policy, it becomes very easy. If it's a due paying member, the union comes to fight their cause and blame the company for everything. If it's not a due paying member, the union stewards are the first in the Safety Manager and HR managers offices trying to get that employee in as much trouble as possible. Petty really.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,219
    The reality is all employees are covered by the same contract. The only difference is if the company moves to discipline or even fire an employee that is not a due paying member, they will not receive any support.

    It's funny, most of the time its tough to tell who is a due paying member and who isn't (other than the ones that wear the shirts all the time). But, when someone violates a safety policy, it becomes very easy. If it's a due paying member, the union comes to fight their cause and blame the company for everything. If it's not a due paying member, the union stewards are the first in the Safety Manager and HR managers offices trying to get that employee in as much trouble as possible. Petty really.
    ...
    True. But, Free Enterprise Employees do not negotiate labor contracts. They depend upon management and peer performance reviews.
    And I suppose, one of the benefits of being in a Union is the support of a Union Steward in the case you've outlined. And one of the downsides of a Union is having to retain someone who is a dumbshit worker.
    ...
    Personally, I don't know what the answer is because i don't know how companies and executive mangement would behave if there were no unions.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,121
    I saw a funny clip where a teacher's union rep was stating that the auto unions built the Motor City ... um, I don't know if she has taken a good look at Detroit lately, but that's not something you should be bragging about. :)
  • lukin2006lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    Or you could be in Ontario where the government introduced a bill that gives them the power to impose contracts on education workers...yes glad to see we have democracy.

    Yes unions do serve a purpose ...


    http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/12/11 ... ort-staff/

    Education minister ready to impose contract on teachers, support staff

    OTTAWA — Education Minister Laurel Broten confirmed Monday she will impose a new contract on thousands of striking teachers and education workers if their unions don’t reach deals with school boards by the end of the year.

    In her clearest language yet, the minister reiterated that the government’s preference would be for the two sides to reach agreements on their own.

    But if that doesn’t happen, Broten told the Citizen she will use the powers bestowed upon her in Bill 115 to impose a new contract and end the months-long impasse.

    “Look, there will be no more time for negotiations and we do need to see agreements put in place,” Broten said.

    “The act gives the government the ability to impose agreements where agreements have not been reached and when you put agreements in place, you do not have a situation where you have the opportunity to have labour unrest and that is something that is important to us.”

    Enacted in September — in part to prevent labour disruptions in schools — Bill 115 gives school boards and unions until Dec. 31 to reach local agreements that must include specific parameters around pay and benefits modelled after an agreement reached in July between the provincial government and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.

    Unions representing elementary and high school teachers and other education workers are vehemently opposed to the legislation, which they say tramples on their democratic rights to collectively bargain and scraps sick leave and other benefits that were won in previous rounds of negotiations.

    Broten says the bill is about “preserving the gains we’ve made in education while meeting our fiscal challenges,” which include a $14.4-billion provincial deficit.

    Although the legislation also gives Broten the power to prevent strikes, the government has allowed elementary teachers across the province to hold one-day walkouts, beginning Monday in Stratford and Timmins.

    Several thousand elementary school teachers are expected to picket at more than 60 locations in Ottawa on Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) withdrew from all non-classroom work, including extracurricular sports and events such as holiday concerts, as of Monday.

    “Ontarians expect us to be fair and balanced in the approach that we take,” Broten said of the walkouts.

    “We are balancing the needs of teachers to express their concerns and the need of the province to have certainty with respect to the school year.”

    That didn’t stop Premier Dalton McGuinty from rebuking the province’s public elementary school teachers union for launching a wave of one-day walkouts on Monday.

    But McGuinty called the rotating strikes “a small price to pay” to protect full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes and thousands of teaching jobs.

    “The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has disrupted nine years of labour peace over a disagreement about pay,” he said in a statement. “It’s regrettable that students miss any time learning, and it’s unfortunate that families will need to make alternate arrangements.”

    While he’s disappointed that some teachers’ unions have put students in the middle, McGuinty said he hopes teachers will take no more than one day away from school.

    The government has said it has drawn up legal documents to stop any strikes that stretch beyond a single school day.

    Broten wouldn’t say in the interview how actively engaged the outgoing premier is on the labour dispute file, nor if the two are in daily contact.

    “He is very focused on education and that is why we have seen the success that we have in Ontario’s education system,” she said.

    Progressive Conservative education critic Lisa MacLeod says the teachers’ union should pay for the child care that parents are now scrambling to find for their kids. “Thirty to 50 dollars is a lot to a lot of Ontario families,” she said. “Especially those families who are going without this year because mom or dad doesn’t have a job.”

    Once a contract is imposed, the only avenue left for unions to challenge Bill 115 may be through the courts.

    Four of them, including ETFO and OSSTF, have already begun legal proceedings.

    MacLeod says that’s probably the best place to settle the dispute anyway.

    “At some point, the union is going to have to follow the law and if they don’t like the law, the best way to do this is to actually deal with it through the court system and not through the school system,” she said.
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • JC29856JC29856 Posts: 9,617
    "right to work" state...the name seems silly to me. kinda like "entitlements" "fiscal cliff" and my all time personal favorite "evacuees" during hurricane katrina

    question: now that this legislation allows workers to opt out of union dues, will they get the benefits of what the union has or will have to offer?
  • youngsteryoungster Boston Posts: 6,574
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.
    He who forgets will be destined to remember.

    9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
    5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
    8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
    EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,219
    youngster wrote:
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.
    ...
    Brother.. I'm for you. Because of the Union negotiations at my company, I get the week off between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day with pay.. and have been getting it for the past 33 years.
    And I think blue collar Americans are the heart of the workforce.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • youngster wrote:
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.

    Its not just about the dues, its about the unions using their money and power to back politicians and political agendas on the left! Its a gigantic lobbying force that is "in the tank" for Obama and the social values of the left. Another main problem.....they use the money their workers give them for politics! Its ugly if you knew the inner workings!
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    Cosmo wrote:
    I think there are good and bad that co-exist in everything. For the Unions, it is hard to deny that their idea of strength in numbers have lead to things such as safe work environments and fair wages. But, there are also those bad things, such as job retention due to seniority, rather than work performance and having to get an Act of Congress to fire someone.
    As for the 'Right to Work' laws... I think they are a good thing... as long as the person who is not in the Union, does not get any of the benefits of being in the Union, such as Union negotiated holidays, wage increases and overtime pay rates. It lets the employee make the decision... not the Union or the Employer.

    I think this pretty much sums up how I feel, too. Anytime there is labor strife in the news, I'm always puzzled how the discussion always jumps to "unions are vital" vs. "unions are parasites." In some instances I've found the workers to have a legitimate gripe and others where they seemed to be making unreasonable demands. Nuance, people, nuance.
  • youngsteryoungster Boston Posts: 6,574
    youngster wrote:
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.

    Its not just about the dues, its about the unions using their money and power to back politicians and political agendas on the left! Its a gigantic lobbying force that is "in the tank" for Obama and the social values of the left. Another main problem.....they use the money their workers give them for politics! Its ugly if you knew the inner workings!

    If the right weren't so against unions and the working middle class then maybe the unions would contribute to them as well. It's hard to donate to a politician on the right when most of them are openly against unions and will use all the power they have to destroy unions.
    He who forgets will be destined to remember.

    9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
    5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
    8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
    EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
  • Unions are what ruined STEEL and they are the reason why jobs are outsourced and shipped overseas!
    Those in the union are happy, but those who arent.....arent happy! But we all pay more for goods because of unionized labor because all the added costs are just passed on to the consumer! We all pay for it...even union members! They are bought off with a nice paycheck....and then they are indoctrinated and swayed into voting Democratic! Simple!
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • lukin2006lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    youngster wrote:
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.

    Its not just about the dues, its about the unions using their money and power to back politicians and political agendas on the left! Its a gigantic lobbying force that is "in the tank" for Obama and the social values of the left. Another main problem.....they use the money their workers give them for politics! Its ugly if you knew the inner workings!

    And you know the inner workings :lol::lol:.
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • lukin2006lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    Unions are what ruined STEEL and they are the reason why jobs are outsourced and shipped overseas!
    Those in the union are happy, but those who arent.....arent happy! But we all pay more for goods because of unionized labor because all the added costs are just passed on to the consumer! We all pay for it...even union members! They are bought off with a nice paycheck....and then they are indoctrinated and swayed into voting Democratic! Simple!

    Are you serious ... :lol::lol::lol:.
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • unsungunsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
    Unions are what ruined STEEL and they are the reason why jobs are outsourced and shipped overseas!
    Those in the union are happy, but those who arent.....arent happy! But we all pay more for goods because of unionized labor because all the added costs are just passed on to the consumer! We all pay for it...even union members! They are bought off with a nice paycheck....and then they are indoctrinated and swayed into voting Democratic! Simple!



    I am a union rep and I am a Libertarian.

    I assure you that of the greatest costs my company faces labor is not in the top three.

    In fact I've already been told that for our next contract the company wants to keep things exactly how they are right now. That is good for everyone.
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    Labor unions are the sole reason why true reform will never happen. There will never be any educational reform as longs as there are teacher unions. The reason the USPS is in trouble is because of the unions preventing them from privatizing. Of course some union members like the union for the high pay. But at what cost? The cost of a bankrupt country with under-educated children who will soon be the adults running this country.
  • unsung wrote:
    Unions are what ruined STEEL and they are the reason why jobs are outsourced and shipped overseas!
    Those in the union are happy, but those who arent.....arent happy! But we all pay more for goods because of unionized labor because all the added costs are just passed on to the consumer! We all pay for it...even union members! They are bought off with a nice paycheck....and then they are indoctrinated and swayed into voting Democratic! Simple!



    I am a union rep and I am a Libertarian.

    I assure you that of the greatest costs my company faces labor is not in the top three.

    In fact I've already been told that for our next contract the company wants to keep things exactly how they are right now. That is good for everyone.

    Right to work is for you to keep your CHOICE! DUDE Unions take away your choices and make you pay dues! Whatever happened choice! These union thugs in Michigan are assaulting people and are getting angry for no reason. These thugs are acting like uncivil gangmembers.
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • how can one accept the FORCE of choice that the unions implement? Pay dues, must join union by FORCE. The same people are pro-CHOICE when it comes to abortion, but when it comes to labor, they are not for CHOICE! OH OK! LOL :lol::lol::lol:
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • JC29856JC29856 Posts: 9,617
    Name 1 piece of federal legislation in the last however many years that "unions" lobbied and pushed for?
  • JC29856 wrote:
    Name 1 piece of federal legislation in the last however many years that "unions" lobbied and pushed for?

    Obamacare! I was on the Capitol Lawn when SEIU was parading around us! I was there! I saw it! I was in it!
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • unsungunsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487

    Right to work is for you to keep your CHOICE! DUDE Unions take away your choices and make you pay dues! Whatever happened choice! These union thugs in Michigan are assaulting people and are getting angry for no reason. These thugs are acting like uncivil gangmembers.


    I'm not forced at all. I can CHOOSE to work someplace else.
  • Go BeaversGo Beavers Posts: 8,588
    JC29856 wrote:
    Name 1 piece of federal legislation in the last however many years that "unions" lobbied and pushed for?

    Obamacare! I was on the Capitol Lawn when SEIU was parading around us! I was there! I saw it! I was in it!

    See lukin, he does know the inner workings!
  • unsung wrote:

    Right to work is for you to keep your CHOICE! DUDE Unions take away your choices and make you pay dues! Whatever happened choice! These union thugs in Michigan are assaulting people and are getting angry for no reason. These thugs are acting like uncivil gangmembers.


    I'm not forced at all. I can CHOOSE to work someplace else.

    OH so now the Union owns the jobsite and company?
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,121
    Politics aside, if you are a union member and your state went to right-to-work, would you opt out of paying the union dues?

    How much more would you bring home in pay?
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    i'm kinda torn on this issue ...

    in a perfect world - we would not need unions ... but the reality is that we don't live in a perfect world ... my understanding is that the fall out of RTW legislation shows mixed results ... probably dependent on who commissioned the study ... still - when it comes to america ... i will always default against the corporation ... gov't policy is already heavily favoured towards corporations to make more money with little regard for the workers ... just look at the increase in pay over the last couple of decades between executives and the workers ... the percentage increase variance is ridiculous ...

    the prosperity gap is widening in the US and the middle class essentially is being split up into the haves and the have nots ...

    this legislation's true intent is to give corporations the choice ... the choice to source labour for as cheap as possible ...
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,762
    If unions cared about workers at all, they would disband. They are not needed anymore and they just offer higher temporary wages while the employers look for a place to outsource to. It's a lot easier to move operations to somewhere else these days than it was back when unions actually served a purpose.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,762
    youngster wrote:
    I am a member of a labor union in Boston. I don't understand why the majority of this country is so anti-union. I make a good wage, pay taxes, and work hard for my pay. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to join the union. If I get laid off, when I do get back to work I don't have to take a pay cut. I don't have to go back to school and pay more money to learn a new skill. I don't have to type resumes and go to job interviews to get hired. There is a lot to back me up as a worker. If I am not perfroming up to the standards of the union and the company I work for, I will be laid off. Believe me, word gets around fast who does shitty work and doesn't show up on time etc. It is hard to stay working if you have a bad name in the union. Yes, I pay dues to my local union, but it's like buying an insurance policy. No one boss is going to cut my pay because the company is in the red for the year, or gotta cut back on your days cause there isn't enough work.

    There is still a need for unions in this country. Fire Depts, police, athletes, actors, writers, mostly all of them belong to a union. It's not really a bad thing. People get all hung up on paying union dues. If you saw what I made per week after my dues were taken out, you'd be surprised. The dues are almost inconsequential.

    Enjoy that while you can as your employer looks for someplace else to move your job.

    None of those things really sound like much of a benefit to me.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
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