Forum Post: We've got the Labor Dept, OSHA, NLRB, EPA, do we really need unions?
Posted 11 years ago on June 6, 2012, 3:39 a.m. EST by foreeverLeft
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Sure, it was a tough loss and the repercussions will be devastating to the unions but do you really think we're going back to 12 hour days for coolie wages? I think we're pretty safe.
Unions are a major source of Democratic party support. Without them the country would totally be ruled by Republicans (just look at the right to work states). Republicans get there support from corporations and billionaires. When they get in office they do their bidding with tax breaks and favorable regulatory treatment, often to the detriment to the 99% of us who aren't billionaires or massive corporations.
Pretty safe? Think again. Industry does not care.
Industry will do their damndest to increase profits, including the intimidation of scientific journals for publication of findings that indicate diesel fumes in mines cause cancer to mine workers.
http://www.litigationandtrial.com/2012/02/articles/litigation/scientific-journal-defamation/
As long as an individual has to negotiate against a large group, he will lose. It takes the power of another large group to even out the bargaining. Unions will always have a place.
I doubt that. Republicans can ram through bills that take away all of our rights at any time, and we will be powerless to stop them.
Thank you, mindless American idiots, for voting against yourselves!
The fact that either major corporate party is getting any votes at all just shows the population is too dumb to govern itself.
Alternative options should be popping up all over the place. ITs not, no one cares.
There are plenty of alternate options. However, very few of them are fully formed, many of them are hosted on websites that look like they were built in the 90s, most people don't know how to market themselves, and people are too entrenched in the Work > Watch TV > Repeat cycle to try anything different.
Yeah, well, your wrong. Employers want wage slaves. The Orgs you list were silenced during the Cheney-Bush 8yr nightmare.
With median wages frozen since the 70's, right to fire and right to work, and untethered greed, we need unions more than ever. Employers have many organizations to protect and accentuate their interests, workers need at least ONE, thank you very much! And since workers are also our vital consumers, they more than deserve an organization for mutual aid and protection and for dealing collectively with employers, who more and more are cheaters and truly dirty dealers.
All workers should be Unionized! Unite and Win!
I disagree, unions have been loosing ground steadily for over 20yrs. and our wages have been flat for 20yrs. and with high unemployment along with over seas labor competitiion are wages are going to continue to either decline or stay flat while inflation leaves us behind.
We have many politicians and people on this forum constantly preaching "fairness". Does anyone believe it is fair for taxpayers to have government employees, like teachers, work 30 years and retire with 80% of their salary and the majority of health care benefits paid. This means a person graduates from college at 22, works until 52 and retires. There is a good chance the person could be retired longer than their teaching career. Now, don't tell me I am bashing teachers, I respect their efforts. But, this is not like Police or Firefighters jobs, the work is not physically demanding. Most taxpayers have to work until 65 to consider retirement, we can't afford the union workers compensation any longer and the voters spoke, more states will be following the Wisconsin lead. Just looking for "fairness"!
What I see wrong is that programs are not universal to all of the people. People should be able to retire at a reasonable age for the work that they do. People should not have to worry about living in the street.
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