Christians and labour unions.

Hi Ingo. I think unions can be fantastic - or - they can be horrible. It depends on the nature of the union. If the sole purpose of the union is the goal of protecting the dignity of the laborer against an arrogant and haughty management class, then it is a FANTASTIC thing.

However, if the union becomes a tool of oppression, in a manner similar to a management system gone amuck, then the union has lost it's mission.

For accuracy sake, it should be noted that the entrepreneur is also a laborer! He is NOT a product of the "management system" but a victim of it like every other laborer. Management is NOT entrepreneurial.

The Bible is replete with examples of LABORER rights. The righteous "Employer" is a blessing to Society, and it is a PRIVILEGE for any Employer to hire an Employee (Matt. 20: 1-16). It is no burden but a GIFT to have the power to employ.

Apostle Paul pleading for the rights of Onesimus in the book Philemon might be an example of someone arguing for the rights of the laborer.

Unfortunately, we are living in an era where unbalanced scales operate within the corporate structure (Proverbs 20: 10). The "management" system is sick; where laborers are laid off in droves by managements who then proceed to vote themselves a raise! The sheer magnitude of such arrogance is nearly overwhelming. It is an unbalanced scale (Proverbs 20: 23, Micah 6: 11). Unions had an opportunity to stem this awful trend but have failed to a large degree as many union leaders (and some of it's own membership) became drunk with the same power that infects many in management. latterrain77

 

For the most part, I am for Unions. There are many places where you cannot work unless you agree to join the 'union' such as factories etc.

The Union used to be very good at fighting grievances against management, but I see them becoming more ineffective everyday.

My husband works at a plant where belonging to the union is mandatory. They take union dues out of his paycheck every month. He has been there many years and I have yet to see any positive action from them.

I believe they have gone over to the management side. However, if you want a job, you support them.

JMHO,
Sue

 

Originally they were an exceleent idea and in Australia they were always slightly on the left of the political centrist vote.

Yet in recent years some unions have gone as far as to pledge allegiance to the Greens Party which is extreme left. So I would be very carefull about this as the left can promote a very humanist agenda.

Yet workers need protection and someone to stand up for their rights. So you need to be very careful about which union it is that you join.

 

Labor unions are generally formed to represent workers. I don't see why joining a union would have any bering on one's religious affiliation.

 

I think the only way that unionism could conflict with faith would be one of these:
1. A union official asked a union member to do something dishonest--I have seen it happen.
2. The union took dues and used them for political purposes that the member found to be immoral.

My father was an officer of the United Mine Workers, and for sure in his day, the unions were needed. However, having dealt with modern unions from the company side, here are my feelings:

If I owned a fabulous factory and was making money hand over fist, and the employees voted on Thursday night to go union, they would arrive at work the next day to find a padlocked gate and a "for sale" sign.

 

That does not seem particurly fair. Can you complain to a government body?

 

My Grandfather was a UMW officer, too, and worked with John L. Lewis personally. He carried a gun and was arrested for his union activities. The company "owned" the police. This was in the beginning of the UMW when conditions in the mines were very poor. $1.25 a day (in script) and all of that was returned to the company via the company store and rent. The union was a very good thing for people in those days. Now move forward a few decades and you have a union that would go out on strike because a supervisor tried to make a union worker wear his safety goggles when he didn't want to and "boom" a thousand men are out of work for weeks. The union had become a very bad thing. I don't think "union" is good or bad it is "how" it is run which will determine whether or not a Christian should be a part of it.

 

Artimaeus--

My dad was a union leader too, he met John L once, and carred a piece--a .45 auto. However, he never got arrested, because he belonged to an organization that was stronger than the company, the police, or the union--the Masons.

When he started out, he also got paid in scrip--they called them "flickers" in Western Kentucky--but he had an advantage because he owned his own little two-room shack on family land.

 

Major B., that brings back memories. My grandfather became a Mason at some point, maybe that was why. I think he carried a .38. As a matter of fact I live in a house that used to be a "company house". At one time it was a four room house and two families lived in it. Each family had two rooms (sort of like a duplex). There was an expression when someone asked you what your living arrangements were you told them you had "two rooms and a path" (to the shared outhouse). This was the way of life until sometime in the '40s when the "company" sold out and everything was converted to private ownership.