The national unemployment rate is cresting 10%, consumers are afraid to spend, employers are terrified to invest capital in hiring, and the American public has the overall confidence of an awkward pubescent dweeb at his 8th grade sock hop. How out of touch can the unions really be? These guys have out-lived their structural usefulness in an era of heightened consumer awareness and expectations, and via their greed have clearly demonstrated that they are impediments to American recovery.
One car-wash operator states the obvious ramifications in the article.
"Mr. Crestall said the unionization push would hurt everyone. “Having a union will mean higher wages, and that will lead to higher prices,” he said. “That will mean fewer consumers coming to carwashes, and fewer jobs for these workers.”This lame micro-push is just a regional symptom of larger flaws in our governance structure and understanding of how leverage markets to betterment of all participants. Who knows if this push will succeed or not, but believe me you, this wolf's wheels will never be touched by a union member. (This acknowledges that his wheels were born of union hands, but that was beyond my control.)
The irony will be when the proponents of real corporate social responsibility (CSR) understand how adversely unions impact cost and operating structures, and ditch de-couple themselves from out-dated left-wing ideology for the potential third-way benefits that the concept of CSR can offer.
I think unions are necessary to protect Americans workers from predatory Judeo-capitalist bosses, within reason. However, American unions must exist to protect the American working man. Not illegal immigrant, not immigrant, not African, not Asian, not Mexican--no, American unions must defend the authentic AMERICAN working man.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with unions is not based along identity politics. They may have served a purpose in days of yore, however, in an age where consumers are fully informed and shareholders have enlightened expectations, they have been made completely redundant. Since they monopolize labor, they drive up the costs of labor, in turn raising prices across the board at the expense of all other stakeholders, including consumers and ownership. Look at what the unions have done to the automotive, airline, and domestic manufacturing industries. What an inspiring success story. They are cancers on healthy American commerce. The American worker can do just fine on his own sans the corrupting influence of these malignant tumors.
ReplyDeleteOver the last 30 years the domestic automotive, airline, and manufacturing industries have been crushed, and along with them the American unions. How has that been good for American workers? For the American middle class? Smashing the American unions is good for the Judeo-capitalist bosses who import masses of third world workers who work for slave wages, thus undercutting authentic American werkers. Crushing American unions benefits the Judeo-capitalist barons who favour third world workers over American workers, not only in the third world but also in the US (via imported workers legal and illegal). It's un-patriotic and treasonous.
ReplyDeleteI think the decline of aforementioned industries along with the evaporation of the so-called "American worker" can directly be linked to the unions. However, weak-kneed short-sighted corporate management that acquiesced to the ridiculous union demands ought shoulder some of the blame. The platinum benefit packages, absurd pay banks that compensate idled workers, and inflated wages clearly eroded the former competitive advantages once held by the American laborer. The unions reaped what the sowed and have bankrupted several American industries and destroyed most of the American workers ability to compete. The hope for the American workers is in right-to-work states like Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina to name a few. Cheap labor that is motivated and results driven is more sustainable that grossly over-compensated expensive labor that is constrained and restricted by onerous collective bargaining agreements that would put most monopolistic practices to shame. Crushing unions benefits workers, consumers, communities, and all other stakeholders expect archaic union bosses and lazy labor activists.
ReplyDeleteI guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one, good sir.