Unions are definitely counterproductive. Employees should be given part ownership of the company. There are other significant factors affecting our economy obviously. Right now we are seeing entire markets being priced out of business. For example, the next day shipping market costs have recently skyrocketed due to fuel surcharges and higher labor costs. That market however is pricing itself out of existence primarily due to the high cost of fuel. The rise in oil price perhaps has a large roll to play in our financial calamity. The dollar seems to be falling as oil rises in price.
It's because there is, and always has been, an inverse relationship between the dollar and the price of oil because oil is traded, worldwide, in dollars. Every time the Fed lowers interest rates, they lower the value of the dollar and the result raises the market price of oil. Its for the banker's children, dontchaknow?