Pros and cons of unions

On February 24th, 1834, six farm labourers from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were arrested on a charge of taking part in an 'illegal oath' ceremony. In the eyes of their masters, however, the real offence was that they had dared to form a trade union to defend their livelihood. For this they were sentenced to seven years' transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. The sentences provoked an immense outcry, leading to the first great mass trade union protest.

You only have to look at the U.S. Industries that have been most influenced by labor unions to make a decision as to the benifit to the worker and the companies they work for. I have always wondered why, if unions have the all the answeres that best promote worker conditions and also ma;xmises a business' production, then why don't they just start their own business drive all the non union companies out of business. The answere is, is that they would never be able to compete. Labor Unions have sent more jobs out of this country then any trade agreement. That is pretty pathetic when a company can send it's resources over seas , have it made into a finished product and transport it back to the US cheaper than they can produce it in their own backyards.

unions have historically been an effective means of balancing the power between owner and workers, thus have allowed workers to negotiate for a fair share of the reward from their labors. Unregulated free market action, especially when it went global in "globalization" destroys the ability of workers to negotiate compensation, for there is no pricing power in the market place and so there is a race to the bottom in production costs. Over time workers lose the ability to afford the products that they produce. Until Sep 2008 it was believed that workers could make up for wages lost by financial instrument manipulation (read participating in Wall Street products) and with home ownership....OOPS

Unions could again work to balance power, but international treaties and international law must be changed first. Nations must have the ability the regulate their own commerce, and must be able to support domestic wages by imposing tariffs on imports that are made by workers who are paid less, or are made in factories where inappropriate environmental safeguards are practiced.

I was a union member for 32 years. I disagree with your statement.

For 20 of those 32 years, I was a meter reader. Our productivity was closely monitored, more so, in my opinion, that in the private sector. If we did not get a certain amount of work done, there were consequences.

Whereas, paying someone minimum wage does not promote high productivity. Some tend to put minimum effort into jobs like that and are quicker to walk away from it as soon as something better comes along. I realize I'm generalizing here, but I have seen it in my present job working in a retail store.

The Tolpuddle Martyrs. They, as convicts, were then required to perform work. For free. Historically, this was the inspiration for the Howard Govt's 'Work Choices' legislation. The 'choices' part equally divided between Member Nunn and Senator Buckley.....