Unions in Debt

I hope they go bankrupt. Unions are one of the main reasons America isn't competitive in the world economy today.

 

Which is the same position of Just Christian.

 

And one of the only positions he held that I agreed.

 

Sure is lots of ill will on this list. You want to live in a scab state and work for a scab company? More power to you. I wish you the best. This is a free country. Right? Should I not be free to work in a union shop? It is the commies who don't let their people form unions.

 

Really?

You do understand that when the "experts" on the world economy all make this same claim they're actually defending state capitalism and not free market capitalism right?

Apparently they've never heard about Paint Creek.

 

I was raised in coal mining country. Until the UMW, under John L. Lewis, came along the miners were treated worse than slaves. Anyone who doubts this should read about the miners in West Virginia, the pitched battles there until the army was called in, or watch the movie Matewan.

My father was a member of the UMW and at one time a local official. I knew a man, a union organizer and also a Baptist preacher, who had three sons murdered by company thugs.

I am not anti union but I am anti closed shop. The union shop is fine as long as the union is organized by secret ballot. The card check for forcing unions on employees being pushed by the democrats is a travesty and should not be allowed. I don't believe it is constitutional.

Having said that I believe that most union leadership of this time is corrupt and is only living on the backs of the working man. I suspect that John L was the last union leader who had the interests of the worker at heart, even if he did support FDR. I do not believe that unions should be allowed to contribute money to a political party without the knowledge and written permission of each union member. Not all union members are leftist democrats. My father was a strong Conservative and a Republican at a time when Republicans in the south were scarce as hens teeth. Many other union members of this time are also not leftist democrats.

 

Good post OR. :thumbsup:

All told I was a union member for over twenty years and I agree with everything you just said. One thing that always bothered me was how my busniess agent and fellow union members would look down on me because I refused to vote for democrats.

Some things in life are more important than a job. At least to me.

 

I'm sure that before too long, the unions will want a bail out from the government. Then the government will run the unions just like the banks & GM.

 

http://www.wvculture.org/hiStory/minewars.html

This Paint Creek?

My Old Man saw the people jumping out of windows at the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/narrative3.html

Young people (under 50 <G>) don't have a clue what it was like in the bad old days. I, at least, had relatives born in the 1800's with whom I talked. Read some Studs Terkel. Think he was inventing conversations?

http://www.wvculture.org/hiStory/minewars.html

for those who don't like to read.

You youngsters think that American middle class life of the last 20 years is a historical norm. WW2 produced freak economic conditions which will never return.

 

What a freakishly hypocritical statement.

"Ill will"...followed by "commies" invective. That's rich.


I remember billwald's statements well...folks were yelling that at me as they slashed my tires and physically threatened me years ago. I was a seminary student with no money...who didn't want to join the union. That was met, to put it mildly, with disdain. For a few days, I either walked to work (6 miles) or tried to hitch rides.

I could post for an hour as to what unions have screwed up in modern-day America...but billwald doesn't care about the damage they've done.

Billwald...many of us have agreed that there was a time in the very distant past that unions served a purpose.

Today, their purpose is to try and get their members out of having to do any work...serve as a policy arm of (primarily) the Democratic party...and to make money for their organization, using all means necessary (including coercion, threats, vandalism, and whatever else they think will be effective).

But hey...it's working for them. The UAW managed to bring down 2 of the "Big 3," and now they will own major portions of GM and Chrysler.

What a sad state of affairs. And how sad that you can't see the truth behind it.

 

You are presenting only half the story. It was not just the unions that brought down GM and Chrysler. It was the management of the companies that yielded to the excessive demands of the unions and then passed the cost on to the consumer. Unfortunately the companies did not understand the ultimate cost of employee retirement at a young age and subsequent medical cost of the retirees. Much of this occurred when the Big Three had essentially all of the US market. Recently we saw management yielding to union demands for pay without work provisions.

I am sure that many older people on this forum recall the poor fit, finish, and quality of the Big Three cars in the 60's and 70's. It was claimed that the American workers could not make good cars. However, when the Japanese companies began to build cars in this country we saw that the quality was as good as those made in Japan.

As long as the Big Three could sell everything they made they did not care about fit, finish, and quality. It was only the competition from Japan that forced the management to insist on quality work from the employees. We have seen in recent years that American cars are as good as those made in Japan or Germany.

I believe that the management of GM and Chrysler over the years bear as much blame as the unions for the trouble they are in. They caved to union demands and did not insist on quality work. There is enough blame to go around and government interference did not help.

Also the management should have been wise enough to go into bankruptcy last fall without having a government dictated bankruptcy. This government dictated bankruptcy gives the democrat president the opportunity to repay the unions for their support at the expense of the Secured Bond holders. This is illegal and unconstitutional. I don't understand why the Supreme Court did not take the case. But then the tall, slim dictator has spoken. Just where did "bho" get the authority to force Chrysler to give part of the company to Fiat?

 

>Billwald...many of us have agreed that there was a time in the very distant past that unions served a purpose

75 years ago is the very distant past? Boggles the mind. If this is the prevailing mind set then the country is doomed. Well, it's doomed, anyway but for other reasons.

 

Then why don't you leave? After all you are the one who said this country exists illegally. Maybe there's a great union hall you could join in the mother country.

 

The US is still the best place in the world for the working class.

 

So now your criticizing Obama for cutting government spending on something? I guess he should only make the cuts you want but continue to spend on anything you think is important. I think that would mean the Republican's won but the last I checked that's not how it went...

 

i believe someone spiked his kool aid!

 

If this is JC coming back with a new name and account,after being banned it is against BB rules and is completely dishonest.

 

You do realize, don't you, that we vote on individuals, not political parties?

Sorry if this disappoints you...