Posted on 11/29/2012 10:23:24 AM PST by nitzy
Me and a hunting buddy were discussing unions the other day and it raised some questions that I would like help with.
He is a member of a skilled trade union here in Ohio and said he voted for Obama because Romney was for "Right to Work" and he said that would hurt his paycheck. He said that he is against factory unions, and public sector unions but that skilled trade unions work differently and don't deprive anyone of their rights.
He basically describes a skilled trade union hall as an exclusive "club" that only accepts members that have certain training, qualifications and pay dues. When contractors need to hire skilled workers they have the choice of hiring non-union workers and keeping them on their books or they can choose to enter into a contract with the local union hall. He claims there is no arm twisting or coercion involved.
So my questions are...
1. Is his description accurate?
2. How would right to work play into this?
Of course, he could not explain how right to work legislation would hurt him. Only that he was told by his union hall that it would.
Good questions
In some states it is illegal to do some jobs without belonging to a union I think. I don’t know about your state.
I’m glad I live in a right-to-work state but if I wanted to work at a Kroger’s or for the GM factory in Arlington, I will have to join a union or not be hired. Even here in Texas.
Sounds your friend is describing a trade association or something.
Which is stupid.
What he describes there is 'right to work'. In non right to work States, you must belong to the trade union to work in the specific field, you have no choice about it. A right to work state means you have a choice to join or not join a union. You are free to choose the path that is best for you. His description is not accurate for non-right to work states. In those states, licensing for a trade is dependent and through the union. You can't legally be an electrician, for example.
That is in essence, a corporate monopoly on employment- with the union playing the role of the evil 'corporation', pushing small, independent workers out of business.
Ask him what would happen if he was in a non-right to work state and the union took a turn he didn't like. He would have no choice to work independently outside of union membership.
Right to work means freedom for the employee. They can freely choose to join or not join a union.
If his paycheck is hindered by the freedom of others, that says a lot about the monopoly of the union. How different is that than Wal Mart pushing-out(sic) small, independent businesses?
Freedom of association and right to assemble.
Trade unions or guilds advertise their professionalism to potential employers seeking a certain level of standard within a trade. As long as those trade unions don't seek political power--seeking legislation for example, that requires government contracts to employ only trade unions, I don't see anything wrong with that. I would say your friend made a bad choice, vote-wise.
There were 2 of us in the discussion criticizing unions. I was taking the tact that they were immoral. The other guy was actually a non-union electrician who was saying that union workers don't do a good job.
They both work in Ohio which is not a right to work state.
Tell him to watch Top Gear on BBC and their episode on British Layland.
Unions crushed the British car industry and the only thing left is vacant lots. It was quite shocking to see.
Detroit is going the same way.
He should ask his union-buddies how they would react if he became non-union, and arrived to work at a jobsite that is held to be the "domain" of union labor. Such as a university, large hospital, airport, etc.
Sure, he would live . . . but his equipment?
Yep - he's has drunk the Kool-Aid...
The ONLY positive I have been able to gather from "Trade Unions" - aka general skilled labor unions in Union states, is that it has made it harder for illegal immigrants to steal jobs in the construction business from Americans.
But that being said - even worse is 4 more years of job-killing (skilled and unskilled) Obama.
Your friend is blinded by his union buddies. But you are not likely to change his mind.
I'd be very interested in hearing your friend explain how the President, whoever he is, matters a dingo's kidney to state "Right to Work" laws. Maybe if Romney was running for Governor might it matter.
I love that show because they are so openly right biased in Great Britain.
Jeremy Clarkson will get a labor party politician sitting down and then explain why the lefty politician is a moron. LOL
The comment is true as far as it goes. It does not take into account other action the unions (thru politicians) have caused to be emplaced. In relation to government contracts for roadway, government facilities etc. the contracts include langue that requires wages that are based upon the union model. If a non union labor hall was to be set up it would have to meet these wages not based upon supply and demand but because it is required by government edict. This is the coercion and the unions try to get this to apply to other businesses also.
Proposal 2 and 4 in Michigan which thank God were defeated are a perfect example of why American dislike of unions is growing.
Prop 2 was an attempt to create an unelected union superlegislature
Prop 4 would have enshrined a right to steal from medicaid recipients into the constitution
You can find out some info on your friends union here.
http://www.unionfacts.com/union/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers
Unions = Extortion. They have no use anymore and are a detriment to our society.
To put it very simply, and generally, trade unions have long since shed their ideal of “ensuring good work” to “protecting bad work”. The crazies who have emerged in the last few decades as “Union Leaders”, like Richard Trumka, Stern of the SEIU, Leo Gerard, etc. still operate as if it’s 1936, when workers still had to “fight for their rights”, and were arguably exploited by employers, At this point, Labor has become MANAGEMENT,(remember that dichotomy), while Management
has had its own rights subject to permanent review,challenged,
if not outright thrown out the window. And I say this as someone who has worked independently in the building trades for 35 years. We fortunately will always have customers who
are not crazy about having to pay the exorbitant rates dealing with Union this or that involve.
For all these newly emerged voices and faces who we’re by now overfamiliar with, THANKS TO OBAMA, America is still
stuck in 1936, when they could arguably make the case that they were being exploited. To put it simply, THEY are now the problem, and Obama is granting them their Last Hurrah as their memberships steadily and deservedly decrease year after year,
I am not sure which union he is in.
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