Union Membership Sinks, Public Sector Still Supreme [Capitalism Is for Workers Too.]

Alliance for Worker Freedom ^ | 2011-01-20 | Billy Gribbin

[92nina]

...As the Alliance for Worker Freedom has previously reported, the rise of public sector unions—SEIU, AFSCME, and NEA are all big players—is partly responsible for the fiscal crises confronting many states today. While job security, gold-plated retirement packages, and good benefits attract employees, they’ve been bankrupting state and local treasuries across the nation. At the same time, private sector workers have had fewer and fewer reasons to choose collective bargaining, that is, if they get a choice at all: Big Labor has been viciously holding onto power by fighting against Right-to-Work and Paycheck Protection while pushing for mandatory membership and even less transparency.

Both groups have suffered a gradual drop in approval ratings in the last few years. Hopefully the demise of union power and popularity will mean freedom and prosperity for workers and states alike.

[92nina]

Unions have less and less of a place in a technical world where each employee can negotiate their own terms.

Take the fight to the Libs on their own turf; put the Left on the defensive at at Digg and at Reddit and in Delicious and Stumbleupon

[NeverForgetBataan]

If union membership is so low... how come companies are still using the “unions wages caused us to got to China” excuse??

Please explain??

[92nina]

You’re right about that being an excuse. May be worse in some states than others. Is worth examining further...

[There's millions of'em]

I can only speak for what I see here in MD, it may be different in other locals. If I bid a project such as a privately owned 300 unit retirement community to do retro-fit work, air sealing, and insulation and if any portion of the funds being used to pay for the contract are state or federal then the contract language will include a clause that requires that I pay my employees (and my subs are included) the current union wage rate. Does not matter if they are union members. And the wage rates must include all prevailing union benefits.

There are few opportunities for business (other than directly with homeowners on small projects) in my field where federal/state funds are not involved.

Prevailing market rates of $12 - $15 get up to $30 and higher once you start adding the union benefit allowance and the union wages.