“Right to work doesn’t increase employment opportunies...RTW lowers wages and working conditions...And as I said, it will put a lot more people on welfare which we will have to pay for...”
That is debatable! I submit that if US unions were really for their US citizen workers, they would not be working to organize the illegal aliens who have come here and ARE DEPRESSING WAGES. What unions have done is elevate wages in jobs where those wage levels are not appropriate. Here in Northern California, we have our rapid transit workers (mostly black I might add) who, with benefits make nearly $100,000 for sitting on their asses on the trains just in case the ATC falls. And the original legislation ( promulgated back in the 1960’s) requires that these workers be paid no less than the most highly paid transit workers anywhere in the country. Unions have driven this country out of the steelmaking business and are in the process of making sure that we don’t make any cars here anymore either. The recent problems with the “Big 3” (and let’s not let Ford off the hook, because they were a hair’s breadth from going down with GM And Chrysler), are mostly related to these companies inability to fund their pensions for retired workers. Indexed pensions here in CA will ultimately put our state government in bankruptcy. All thanks to union greed and weak-kneed management.
The stories that I read claim that money was so good back in those day that the big 3 never balked at those agreements...They never suspected money would ever get short...They deserve some of the blame...As far as other pension, those in charge seem to always spend the money so it's not there when it's needed/promised...
As far as the high union wages, I see it about the same as the sports teams...It's outrageous that a picture can get $35,000 per pitch, but isn't it just as outrageous that the owners are making so much they can afford to pay it, plus a bunch???
Car makers are making billions in profit, per quarter...Why should the employees not be paid well???
Some seem to like unions...Germanys' Volkswagon comes to mind...
Unions provide many things for the employers...They provide apprenticeships for skilled employees...In many cases they provide organization and stability for the company...
I've worked a couple of non union places where a union would have provided no benefit to the company...But then they ran their companies like union shops, ie, work rules, benefits, overtime, etc...