As a former shop steward, I've often given thought to those feckless and stupid workers who would vote to disestablish their union, and who would vote for Right to Work (for low ages) candidates. I can only think that people really don't have critical thinking skills, short memories, easily beguiled (a sucker is born every moment said P …
As a former shop steward, I've often given thought to those feckless and stupid workers who would vote to disestablish their union, and who would vote for Right to Work (for low ages) candidates.
I can only think that people really don't have critical thinking skills, short memories, easily beguiled (a sucker is born every moment said P T Barnum), or just plain greedy, they want an extra $10 in their pocket (union dues) today, and the hell with an indeterminate future.
Then there are the Judas goats who were bought by the company.
Yet Unions are their own worst enemies. Like all organizations, a victim of their own success.
Once Unions were able to obtain decent wages, COLAs, benefits, there was nothing left to justify their existence, and the existence of Union officers. So they would bargain and strike for more, with the result of absurdities like the UAW employees on assembly lines getting upwards of $45 an hour and that was back in the 80's. Result, massive donations to DNC, as well as RNC, and finally Bill Clinton signing NAFTA, which had Democratic help shepherding through Congress, and almost overnight the auto industry moved to Mexico. MY 2001 PT Cruiser was built in Mexico, shipped to Montreal and trans shipped to Washington State
.The swing states are in the rust belt, created by Bill Clinton and (yes, the greening of America, where polluting jobs were shipped overseas), and that problem (NAFTA and GAAT) were created by out of control unions, who had to keep upping the ante every year to justify their existence and salaries.
We have seen this phenomenon else wheres. The March of Dimes was found by Eleanor Roosevelt to help polio victims and to fight polio. FDR was afflicted by polio.
I was in my 2nd year of retirement and was managing a Senior Transportation Program, whose office was a few doors up from the March of Dimes.
One day, I came to work, and the MoD, office was closed all of it's senior staff were hddling in a think session. Jonas Salk had developed a vaccine, that made Polio an artifact of history, and the MoD found themselves out of a job (income, benefits, and social status.)
Unions, especially in NY and Chicago were taken over by or worked with the mob, and mob thugs would be paid as no shows in public contracts. Then there was the teamsters union, where the mobs and union officers were embezzling the pension fund.
The rise of the middle class is directly attributable to the unions, as is the decline and fall of the middle class.
A similar situation exists in the carbon chemical industry. Exxon in the 1970's and 80's, did their own study and published a paper that predicted the effects of climate change, Which the CEO and Board of Directors buried.
The scientists who performed the study, offered alternatives to fossil fuel, but such alternatives would take time and investment, and that would interfere with the quarterly profit and loss statement, adversely effect stock prices, and why should they care, because by the time the check hit the bank for redemption, they would be long gone.. not their problem,meanwhile they would continue to enjoy the perks of millionaires and billionaires.
Well said. Collective bargaining is a power tool but the organizations that implement can easily themselves become corrupted. This corruption then becomes a tool against the collective and to inspire a revolt. 'right-to-work' is an example of how this is done.
As a former shop steward, I've often given thought to those feckless and stupid workers who would vote to disestablish their union, and who would vote for Right to Work (for low ages) candidates.
I can only think that people really don't have critical thinking skills, short memories, easily beguiled (a sucker is born every moment said P T Barnum), or just plain greedy, they want an extra $10 in their pocket (union dues) today, and the hell with an indeterminate future.
Then there are the Judas goats who were bought by the company.
Yet Unions are their own worst enemies. Like all organizations, a victim of their own success.
Once Unions were able to obtain decent wages, COLAs, benefits, there was nothing left to justify their existence, and the existence of Union officers. So they would bargain and strike for more, with the result of absurdities like the UAW employees on assembly lines getting upwards of $45 an hour and that was back in the 80's. Result, massive donations to DNC, as well as RNC, and finally Bill Clinton signing NAFTA, which had Democratic help shepherding through Congress, and almost overnight the auto industry moved to Mexico. MY 2001 PT Cruiser was built in Mexico, shipped to Montreal and trans shipped to Washington State
.The swing states are in the rust belt, created by Bill Clinton and (yes, the greening of America, where polluting jobs were shipped overseas), and that problem (NAFTA and GAAT) were created by out of control unions, who had to keep upping the ante every year to justify their existence and salaries.
We have seen this phenomenon else wheres. The March of Dimes was found by Eleanor Roosevelt to help polio victims and to fight polio. FDR was afflicted by polio.
I was in my 2nd year of retirement and was managing a Senior Transportation Program, whose office was a few doors up from the March of Dimes.
One day, I came to work, and the MoD, office was closed all of it's senior staff were hddling in a think session. Jonas Salk had developed a vaccine, that made Polio an artifact of history, and the MoD found themselves out of a job (income, benefits, and social status.)
They found a solution, they reinvented themselves. as March for Babies;https://www.marchforbabies.org/Registration/ads-signup?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2023mfb&utm_content=brand&bt=google&gclid=CjwKCAjw_YShBhAiEiwAMomsEDeMip7RQrh14ACZlmVPOlKzw2XwwGjq0gN3GtIURL_5JoHkhKqKdxoCwcYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds PURPOSE To work in partnership with staff to lead a prioritization and action planning process that focuses on advancing maternal and infant health equity in their market. Identify strategies and solutions that address community needs in the designated area, aligned with the National Framework of the Mom and Baby Action Network and National March of Dimes Strategic Plan. Translate and share the Mission Impact work in ways that invite donor investment and supporter engagement.
Unions, especially in NY and Chicago were taken over by or worked with the mob, and mob thugs would be paid as no shows in public contracts. Then there was the teamsters union, where the mobs and union officers were embezzling the pension fund.
The rise of the middle class is directly attributable to the unions, as is the decline and fall of the middle class.
A similar situation exists in the carbon chemical industry. Exxon in the 1970's and 80's, did their own study and published a paper that predicted the effects of climate change, Which the CEO and Board of Directors buried.
The scientists who performed the study, offered alternatives to fossil fuel, but such alternatives would take time and investment, and that would interfere with the quarterly profit and loss statement, adversely effect stock prices, and why should they care, because by the time the check hit the bank for redemption, they would be long gone.. not their problem,meanwhile they would continue to enjoy the perks of millionaires and billionaires.
"Unions are their own worst enemies"
Well said. Collective bargaining is a power tool but the organizations that implement can easily themselves become corrupted. This corruption then becomes a tool against the collective and to inspire a revolt. 'right-to-work' is an example of how this is done.