In the past we have had some heated arguments in our union forum
There are two sides to every story, I would like to hear both sides

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Quote:

Why unions are good In much of industrial America, workers toiled under very unsafe conditions, earning extremely low pay and enjoying little to no legal protection. Unions were successful in bringing about many improvements for such workers, such as more reasonable working hours. They have generally served workers well by helping them avoid being exploited by employers. Even in these days, unions have a strong impact. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members in 1999 had median weekly earnings of $672 (that's $34,944 per year) while non-union workers had median weekly earnings of only $516 ($26,832) (source). Why unions are problematic Much as I'd rather not accept it, while unions have done a lot of good and have helped workers avoid exploitation, they also seem to have helped workers exploit employers. Perhaps it has been a gradual shift over time, with unions slowly accumulating more and more power. Unions can have the power to impede a company's ability to compete and thrive. A firm might be in desperate trouble, yet its unions may be unwilling to bend or compromise in order to help the company survive. Many employers find themselves left very inflexible when they have union contracts to abide by

Hey Baack,.....What are we voting on,.....Yes or no as to good or bad????,......The way it is worded I was not sure,...

Personal Opinion here folks:

Back in the day when Unions were first formed, they served a great purpose in keeping exploitation and unsafe working conditions to a minimum. HOWEVER, these days (for the most part) they're biting off way more than the Unions should be allowed to chew. For instance, why do you think the price of a new car has risen so drasticly in the last 25 years? A big part of it is the rising cost of labor due to Union demands to pay the employees like kings. Not trying to be high and mighty here, but I do have a business degree, and I've studied the ways a business should operate. Should a company be held responsible for thier ethics? Absolutely!! Should they be forced to pay outrageous wages? No! Higher wages = higher cost of operations. Higher cost of operations = lower profits. How do you raise those profits? Either "cut costs" (aka lay-offs) or raise revenues (aka higher prices for products).

So in conclusion, yes Unions do have a purpose and are useful. However, their purpose should be focused on working conditions and avoiding employee exploitation. They should not be allowed to be in the pocket book of the company.

And that's my 2 cents.

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Just carryin' on an old family tradition.

Ok i will talk about this calmly,and its just my point of view which is some what fact based..I do think some unions have thier place..I will admit though,if I owned a business,I would never let it become union..It just takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch..I will use the UAW and GM as an example..The UAW constantly screamed for higher wages,and even while most people were making up to $30+ an hour it still wasnt good enough,and almost brought the company to a screaching hault.Then they wanted to cry about it on tv.It all depends on demands..It seems like some do the union thing just so they can make demands..But then you look at the railroad..They dont strike or any of that..They work hard and litteraly just chug along lol..So yeah,there is a place for some unions...Just gotta watch out for the bad people in them who are supre greedy..The other problem they see is how alot of the union drivers and factory/wharehouse workers present themselves...I think alot of guys see that and just get turned off by the whole union thing when union guys claim superiority above non union...

In the past 48 years of trying to squeeze out a living in the transportation business, having been in management, been a driver for union companies, and a driver for non-union outfits. If any group of workers need representation through any type of an organization, it is the truck drivers of this nation. A driver gets shafted enough with union representation, but holy cow, without one a driver is purely at the mercy of a corporation.

One thing to remember, unions are only as good as the members. It is just like this nation, the government is only as good as those WE vote in.

Very well put grouch

Let's see here, SC conference car haulers, $21.00 per hour break down, $1.05 per loaded mile to drive a truck that I do not own, repair, fuel, or even care about. If I wait 'til after I load a truck that I know needs repair, I can't be "bumped" off of it & the company HAS to pay me to sit & wait for it, or pay me the $21.00 per hour to unload & re-load to another truck. If my terminal gets "slow" I can transfer to another terminal, "bump" a junior member off the bottom of the board, "bump" one of the other drivers out of their truck "cause" I like it better, now there's a REAL snow ball effect. Meanwile the company is supposed to move cars, make a profit, pay the C6 health & wellfare, can I say "mission impossible"?

Ok, when unions first came out they really did a lot for the workers. But now in my opinion most of the unions are out for a power grab. But I also blame the companies for giving them everything they demanded. Now when it comes time to cut costs, the unions won't budge. However I think it speaks volumes that workers at Toyota, Honda, etc. are non union but do not complain about their wage/benefit package which totals around 40 dollars an hour versus at GM where it easily tops 70 an hour.

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Having worked in a union shop most of my life,and holding many offices,I thought unions were the answer to a workers dream. Then after a plant closing I went to driving truck,non union,and man what a difference.I had nobody to worry about but me,all I had to do was put in an honest days work to recieve good pay. Back in the 1929s when unions first came on the scene they were very good for the workers,but over time with a lot of labor laws being enacted they became power grabbers,and they have outlived themselves. As a union rep. my jop just seemed to be protecting guys jobs who really didnt want to show up for work or do a good 8 hours of work.So yeah,I think unions have outlived their usefullness.