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I see a lot of people arguing about how unions protect workers, and in some cases that is true, but in my experience many have been corrupted. You only have to

I see a lot of people arguing about how unions protect workers, and in some cases that is true, but in my experience many have been corrupted. You only have to look at the coal workers, steel workers, and several other unions, that's leadership has been corrupted, and serve their own interest at the expense of everyone else. Additionally, things like agency fees, where even if you work somewhere with a Union, and you are denied membership, and member only benifits you can still be required to pay the union, for their "collective bargaining benifits." There are also the nightmares of union fiefdom, if a light bulb burns out in your office and you want it changed, you can wait till a union employee comes to do it, or you can pay the union the minimum call out fee (usually a couple of hours) after doing it yourself. Unions have completely failed at protecting retirement plans, and preventing age discrimination across the country. I can't understand how anyone can honestly evaluate the performance of unions in the last several decades and think that implementing one would in anyway make for a better work life situation.

makotech222 9y ago
Nice propaganda, dude. We all 'hear' stories like this, but in reality, if you have any experience with people who are actually in unions, its nothing but good. And unions are the only ones pushing back against government cuts to things like education and medicaid.
49531 9y ago
Half of what you just said is neoliberal anti-union propaganda. A lot of people in blue collar unions get a ton of value from them. Teamsters and Boilermakers have rights protected by their unions. Yea unions have lost battles or become corrupted, but they're leaders are also elected. What you think your CEO is going to be any better? Then there are also unions for more middle to higher class groups. Writers unions, actors, professional athletes, teachers. Unions exist to fight for labor's rights.
- Meph504 9y ago
  Ideally, Unions exist to do that, but like many institutions, overtime they drift and are distorted away from their purpose, and mainly serve to preserve their own institution. I can't speak to how unions are all over the country, and I can't deny that unions have played a positive role in the day to day lives of workers. But what I've personally seen working in heavy industry, both the stevedoring and the steel industry. Is that unions serve themselves first, and their members secondly, and if those places that have union security agreements. The unions force non-members to basically make their lives hell. At the same time, the union agreed to a salary freeze for all its members for a 3 year period. It doesn't matter if you are the best at what you doing in the world, we couldn't compensate you more to retain that employee if we wanted it. Ask anyone who works in the Port of Los Angeles about the unions, they have locked out all technologies from automation or even telemetry unless those companies sign contracts with union vendors, etc.. etc.. My opinion isn't based on theory, or propaganda, It's from seeing everyday. Which, I highly doubt most of the people condemning my viewpoint can say.
adamsea 9y ago
Yeah but the United Mine Workers Association (a coal union) got us the eight hour workday - before that, they just exploited the shit out of you. "Back when the government first tracked workers' hours in 1890, full-time manufacturing employees worked a backbreaking 100 hours each week. Years of pressure from laborer organizers, along with changes from companies like Ford Motor, reformed working conditions in the U.S. and protected workers from schedules that endangered their health and safety." https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/03/how-the-8-hour-workday-changed-how-americans-work.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/03/how-the-8-hour-workday-chang...
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  People are forgetting how life was when the capitalists got their way without any legal worker protections. Read about the conditions in british coal mines or in carnegie's steel mills. We should not go back to these days and unions are an important part of preventing that.
- maxk42 9y ago
  The problem is I want to work ten hours a day. But my employer can't legally do that without paying massive penalties. So I have to take a part-time job on the side for much less money per hour.
deleted 9y ago
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makotech222 9y ago

Nice propaganda, dude. We all 'hear' stories like this, but in reality, if you have any experience with people who are actually in unions, its nothing but good. And unions are the only ones pushing back against government cuts to things like education and medicaid.

49531 9y ago

Half of what you just said is neoliberal anti-union propaganda. A lot of people in blue collar unions get a ton of value from them. Teamsters and Boilermakers have rights protected by their unions. Yea unions have lost battles or become corrupted, but they're leaders are also elected. What you think your CEO is going to be any better? Then there are also unions for more middle to higher class groups. Writers unions, actors, professional athletes, teachers. Unions exist to fight for labor's rights.

Meph504 9y ago
Ideally, Unions exist to do that, but like many institutions, overtime they drift and are distorted away from their purpose, and mainly serve to preserve their own institution. I can't speak to how unions are all over the country, and I can't deny that unions have played a positive role in the day to day lives of workers. But what I've personally seen working in heavy industry, both the stevedoring and the steel industry. Is that unions serve themselves first, and their members secondly, and if those places that have union security agreements. The unions force non-members to basically make their lives hell. At the same time, the union agreed to a salary freeze for all its members for a 3 year period. It doesn't matter if you are the best at what you doing in the world, we couldn't compensate you more to retain that employee if we wanted it. Ask anyone who works in the Port of Los Angeles about the unions, they have locked out all technologies from automation or even telemetry unless those companies sign contracts with union vendors, etc.. etc.. My opinion isn't based on theory, or propaganda, It's from seeing everyday. Which, I highly doubt most of the people condemning my viewpoint can say.

adamsea 9y ago

Yeah but the United Mine Workers Association (a coal union) got us the eight hour workday - before that, they just exploited the shit out of you. "Back when the government first tracked workers' hours in 1890, full-time manufacturing employees worked a backbreaking 100 hours each week. Years of pressure from laborer organizers, along with changes from companies like Ford Motor, reformed working conditions in the U.S. and protected workers from schedules that endangered their health and safety." https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/03/how-the-8-hour-workday-changed-how-americans-work.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/03/how-the-8-hour-workday-chang...

maxxxxx 9y ago
People are forgetting how life was when the capitalists got their way without any legal worker protections. Read about the conditions in british coal mines or in carnegie's steel mills. We should not go back to these days and unions are an important part of preventing that.
maxk42 9y ago
The problem is I want to work ten hours a day. But my employer can't legally do that without paying massive penalties. So I have to take a part-time job on the side for much less money per hour.

deleted 9y ago

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