Posted on 08/06/2010 8:27:25 AM PDT by NetRight Nation
A common argument made by some Republicans and conservatives is that labor unions were necessary in society a hundred years ago, but they are no longer needed in today’s workplace. This argument, however, has many flaws. When looking deep into the history of the labor movement, unless you support a society modeled closely around that of the U.S.S.R., labor unions were not just unnecessary a hundred years ago, but have created lasting damage and are still continuing to wreak havoc across the nation.
Many fail to see the downside of the American labor movement at the time of its inception. Few remember that it was a product of the progressive movement, which created many of the problems in society that we deal with today.
Just take a look at the progress that the labor unions have made in their short history. From just 90 years ago, labor unions have gone from trying to “protect” the workers that they represented to taking complete control of the companies that they were “protecting” them from. In essence, they have a track record of completely dismantling the companies that they have set up shop in.
If you need an example of this, just look to Detroit. Of the Big 3 automakers, two have ceased to exist in the form that they did for most of the 20th century. One of them, Chrysler, has been completely taken over by the United Auto Workers, a union that sought to protect the employees of the car manufacturers from the supposed “greedy” leadership that was going to sell the workers short.
The UAW can even claim General Motors as a victim of their ruthlessness. GM has completely disappeared from being a publicly traded, privately owned mega company into a publicly owned, taxpayer funded zombie corporation all due to labor union malfeasance.
The goal of the unions has not been to protect the workers, but to stop private companies from turning profits that they claim do not enrich the employees that made them possible. Instead, the unions have taken far greater roles in dismantling the companies that pay the workers handsomely and in turn, destroy the companies while enriching only the union leadership.
In short, labor unions have turned into a total scam. They hustle money from the paychecks of those they represent and pad the pockets of those in leadership — selling short the employees that could live better lives without the so-called protection offered by Big Labor.
While the auto unions provide a good look at what Big Labor has done to private industry, the same type of damage has been done in the public sector.
Teachers unions have made it nearly impossible for poorly performing teachers to be removed from the classroom. The harm done hurts the students and the taxpayers that pay for these services. Teachers unions care nothing about the level of education offered, but look more to what they will earn on the taxpayer dole.
Just look at what is happening in New Jersey. When Governor Chris Christie attempted to clean up the New Jersey education system, he was met with stiff resistance from the teachers unions, even though the taxpayers wanted a change. The unions are not in the business of providing better services; they are simply in it for the interests of the union leadership.
The federal government should not go without blame either. It is the fault of Congress that has led to such powerful labor unions across the country. With legislation such as the Wagner Act, which created the National Labor Relations Board, unions have become institutionalized in America.
There is much more wrong with Big Labor in America and this is simply the tip of the iceberg. But at no point in American history has there evern been a need for such organizations such as the SEIU, AFL, NEA, UAW, and so on to “protect” workers in the workplace.
Americans have always had the ability to vote with their feet. If a job is bad, they can move on. But at no point has a hustler of one’s paychecks been necessary for the greater good. And to believe so is to lose trust in the free market system that made America great.
Adam Bitely is the Editor-in-Chief of NetRightDaily.com for Americans for Limited Government.
Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2010/08/were-labor-unions-ever-necessary/#ixzz0vq7RAoDM
Public sector unions continue to grow as a percentage of organized labor, and their sole function is to keep taxes high.
The propoganda flag is popping up on this one. Can’t buy into this argument.
There was a big fire in NY in a sewing factory. Several women died in the fire which was due to an electrical short. They unionized folks and promised them all good things.
What my granddaughter wasn't taught. That it's darn hard to find a "Made in America" tag.
In most cases, the original intent of the labor unions were fine. In any economic system there are those that will maximize their profits without considering the moral impact. For example, horrid working conditions, child labor, forced overtime without compensation, and worse.
But, greed and jealousy still rule the day. As the unions won their concessions, they continued to press and as a result, they became the immoral leaders—pressing the corporations (who were still focused on profit) to make THEM rich, at the workers’ expense.
If you look at most human issues, the problems of greed and jealousy will screw up everything.
I really challenge anybody to give me one good reason why any PUBLIC EMPLOYEE sould be ALLOWED to join ANY labor union.
Just one.
Freedom of association doesn't end when one gets a job working for the public.
>>> Were Labor Unions Ever Necessary?
Do some research on pre-union conditions in the coal mining areas of Appalachia. Carnegie had his own company police, and the miners had debts to the company stores.
The early agenda of labor unions was workplace safety. Yes they were necessary.
Since employment is a contract between the employer and employee, and the consitution prohibits federal interference in contracts how are federal child labor laws (or any labor laws) constitutional?
Without unions, there would be no fat-cat union bosses silly.
Nothing in this article says anything about the situations that caused unions to come into existance in the first place. The deplorable working conditions, the slave type ownership of workers by companies, the child labor rules, etc.
Have unions become monsters? Absolutely. Were they an important step towards fair and safe working conditions. You bet your bottom dollar they were.
We're all wallowing in the budget deficit in Cal and a big issue is the public employee pension. The cops and fire fighters (I am a retired peace office) can retire at age 51 with 90% of their salary for life.
I can list example after example of how unions screwed up the operations of various departments. When a union can bribe governors and state legislators the people who must negotiate and approve their contracts, what's the point? Many department directors became figureheads to unions whose officials had direct access to the governor's office and some who could actually walk onto the floor of the Assembly and state senate. I submit corrections and education as exhibits 1 and 2.
It's my opinion that unions brought good changes in places like coal mines 80-90 years ago, but by the time public employees got collective bargaining rights, the major battles were already over and we had passed the point of their necessity.
Because minors can’t enter into any legal contract? Why is murder illegal?
You’re thinking of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.
The workers were locked in the building and died.
That said, those original union workers only sought safe working conditions. Unfortunately it didn’t take long before unions recognized that they could force companies to do other things and they haven’t stopped since.
Just yesterday Glenn Beck played a clip of Obama speaking to the AFL-CIO and telling them that they need to take on the “special interests”. In my opinion, that makes unions purely political organizations and they should be held accountable as such.
Public sector unions have never had a legitimate place in our society.
It’s still not a federal issue. It would be a state issue.
It’s still not a federal issue. It would be a state issue.
Murder is a state crime and has nothing to do with the federal constitution.
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