Another word on unions: regularly we are treated to irate, defensive union members wailing about how "unions built America" and "workers are responsible for the rise of America as a superpower". Well, that's not exactly true.
America was built on the dreams of men who then hired workers to bring those dreams to reality. America was built by men who risked capital and invested their own money to realize those dreams. I hate to point out the obvious, but workers are just workers. That's not to diminish the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of workers, but let's not glamorize their contribution to the point of farce. Entrepreneurs had big ideas and invested capital to make them happen. Part of that investment was to hire workers at market wages to do the manual labor necessary to fulfill these dreams....but that is all.
Show me a union-created job. Show me a union-created business. Show me an union idea to create wealth for stockholders. There aren't any because unions exist for only one reason, to personally enrich the thug bosses. To keep their jobs as union bosses, these men use dues extorted from workers to pay off politicians and intimidate with violence all who disagree with their mob-like tactics.
No, union workers are just workers. The men who hired them to work built America.
6 comments:
But it the men who hired them also allowed unionization.
I think there was a time that unions performed a service in improving the lot of many people. There was really a time when people (workers) were treated as disposable, interchangeable, and without rights. Read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire sometime. Think of Charles Dickens novels. Think of "Tennessee" Ernie Ford singing "Sixteen Tons." Those types of things really happened.
Those days are long gone, but they were just as real then as today is now.
I absolved firemen and policemen from my union rants. They deserve special treatment because of the dangers that no other public sector employee is subject to. That said, unions served their purpose around the turn of the century but that ended with the workplace safety laws and OSHA.
To your point David, the organized labor force extorted concessions from the employers. The employers had virtually no choice because anybody who crossed picket lines would come home to a burned down house. For that reason, management had to negotiate rather than fire them all.
Oh, you won't find me defending public sector unions at all. I worked my whole life in a right-to-work state and get embarrassed seeing those guys in their fire helmets marching around with the deadbeats up north.
Bill, I'm just saying if any public-sector union members deserve the benefit of the doubt, I'd give it to firemen and policemen. That's not to say even they take it too far and put the power of their union ahead of all else....after all, nobody put a gun to their head and made them become fire fighters and cops.
Yes, agree. We also have civil service protections, which private sector workers don't. Big difference. I was a member of our local at various times during my career. It's "power" consisted solely in the ability to lobby on our behalf. I have no problem with that.
My strong defense above was of private sector unions in the distant past.
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