Obama’s Love of Labor Makes for One Unholy Union

BusinessWeek ^ | 02/15/10 | Kevin Hassett

[AtlasStalled]

President Barack Obama’s union with labor unions has become a marriage made in hell. If he wants to save his presidency, and his party, he should seek a divorce. * * * It certainly has made great financial sense for the president to align himself with the unions. After all, organized labor spent more than $100 million in the last election supporting Democrats. And for unions, the investment looks like a good one. Since taking office, Obama has doggedly pursued their agenda. * * * There are two big problems with such a high-stakes alliance with America’s unions. First, unions are unpopular with ordinary Americans. A Gallup poll last September found that 48 percent of Americans approve of unions, an all-time low since Gallup began asking the question in 1936. * * * Unions are unpopular for good reason. They have a tawdry history of connection to organized crime and a continued reputation for thuggery. * * * The second problem is that union policies are bad for the economy -- and for the unions themselves. * * * Even after political defeat in Massachusetts, Obama has aggressively pursued the expansion of this destructive force. If that continues, America’s unions will do for Obama what they have done for so many others: cost him his job.

[JPG]

Unions have forgotten the first rule of parasites...DON'T kill the host. The bloodsuckers will soon be sucking on a turnip. They had a good run of corruption and fleecing the public trough but the party is over.

[Don Corleone]

There are big problems with such a high-stakes alliance with America’s unions.

Another one is the recurrence of the "What have you done for me lately or the blackmail syndrome" That one gets them all in the end.

[harrym]

My mom worked as a telephone operator here in S.F. in the early 1950’s and was elected vice-president of the CWA for the 5 western states. She continued her daily job at the same time as representing the union. I remember going with her to the union offices at night and running the addressograph machine making envelopes for mailings when I was 8 or 9. Later, in 1975 or so, I ran into the guy who had her job as union VP in a local watering hole around 2:00 in the afternoon. His only job was being a “union official”. The only thing he knew about communications was how to get union dues to pass out to his political cronies and play the big shot. My mom was truly concerned about representing her fellow workers and making sure that they were treated with fairness because she remained one of them. Today’s “union officials” are a dangerous joke costing America’s workers billions. It should be a requirement for all union officials to be elected from the rank and file of the workers whom they would represent and that they maintain their jobs while serving in office.