Why I love unions.

[Coito ergo sum]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government ... down-union

LOL - fuck you, too, SEIU.

[MrJonno]

The comments on that website is hilarious, zero point in striking if you don't disrupt business. You strike when you do the most damage

[Coito ergo sum]

LOL - it's not a strike. The SEIU doesn't represent the workers at the airline they're complaining about. The workers voted to decertify the union.

[Bella Fortuna]

I know I won't be popular for stating my opinion that, from personal dealings I've had over the years, most unions have far outlived the noble reasons for which they were invented and now exist primarily to justify their existence by inventing or escalating problems that need never have been problems in the first place. I won't say there hasn't been benefit at times, but the ones I've dealt with have usually been self-serving and duplicitous.

[Tero]

I like a bit or raw sliced union on a sandwich. But I never care for fried unions. My dad's favorite.

[Gerald McGrew]

I know I won't be popular for stating my opinion that, from personal dealings I've had over the years, most unions have far outlived the noble reasons for which they were invented and now exist primarily to justify their existence by inventing or escalating problems that need never have been problems in the first place. I won't say there hasn't been benefit at times, but the ones I've dealt with have usually been self-serving and duplicitous.

In some cases, yes, and in others unions prove to be the workers' best friend.

This is yet another one of those issues where blanket declarations ("Unions are good" or "Unions are bad") are useless. For either one, you can find plenty of examples to support your position. My wife's union has saved everyone's bacon several times. But then I've also seen unions fight for ridiculous work restrictions as well.

[Bella Fortuna]

I know I won't be popular for stating my opinion that, from personal dealings I've had over the years, most unions have far outlived the noble reasons for which they were invented and now exist primarily to justify their existence by inventing or escalating problems that need never have been problems in the first place. I won't say there hasn't been benefit at times, but the ones I've dealt with have usually been self-serving and duplicitous.

In some cases, yes, and in others unions prove to be the workers' best friend.

This is yet another one of those issues where blanket declarations ("Unions are good" or "Unions are bad") are useless. For either one, you can find plenty of examples to support your position. My wife's union has saved everyone's bacon several times. But then I've also seen unions fight for ridiculous work restrictions as well.

Yep, fair point. That's why I try to speak only from my personal experience - which has been from a management perspective in some pretty adversarial relationships in some frankly ludicrous situations. I won't discount the decent union folks out there or the good that others have experienced, but a couple of unions I've worked with in my career have been pretty abysmal in tactics and totally lacking in professional ethics, and that can quite effectively poison the well.

[Coito ergo sum]

I like a bit or raw sliced union on a sandwich. But I never care for fried unions. My dad's favorite.

I love a slice of raw union on a hamburger. Sauteed is unions are good too, especially with mushrooms and Swiss cheese.

[Coito ergo sum]

Yep, fair point. That's why I try to speak only from my personal experience - which has been from a management perspective in some pretty adversarial relationships in some frankly ludicrous situations. I won't discount the decent union folks out there or the good that others have experienced, but a couple of unions I've worked with in my career have been pretty abysmal in tactics and totally lacking in professional ethics, and that can quite effectively poison the well.

The star nails thrown under my car, and the profanities hurled at me for unknowingly entering a store where the workers were on strike helped poison the well for me. And, stuff like this, where the SEIU buses in folks who don't work at the subject airline, and wreak havoc on innocent travelers the bulk of whom are not even traveling on the offending airline is yet another example.

I've also seen unions try to intimidate workers who don't want to be involved in the union, and I have seen them commit crimes, like destruction of property, to hamper their employer in order to coerce a settlement. Then they bitch if the employer says out loud that the employer thinks unionizing is not in the best interest of the workers.

[Jason]

I know I won't be popular for stating my opinion that, from personal dealings I've had over the years, most unions have far outlived the noble reasons for which they were invented and now exist primarily to justify their existence by inventing or escalating problems that need never have been problems in the first place. I won't say there hasn't been benefit at times, but the ones I've dealt with have usually been self-serving and duplicitous.

Right on Bella.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a pendulum swing. They started out when working conditions were terrible and often deadly, fought and sometimes died for the rights of the workers, achieved their goals, turned corrupt and greedy, and now do more harm than good. So we slowly drop unions (it's been happening for decades already) and employers gradually oppress the workforce and ignore their rights until unions are necessary again and it all starts over again.

[amused]

Unions do need professional management to stay effective and relevant. I think collective bargaining in some form is a necessary counter balance to raw capitalism. It's just not been done well yet.

[PsychoSerenity]

When you have a system that's fundamentally based on competition, there's always going to be a struggle.

[Coito ergo sum]

When you have a system that's fundamentally based on competition, there's always going to be a struggle.

So what? Doesn't make what the douchebags wrecking the Thanksgiving travel day any less douchey.

[Jason]

It's not a battle for public opinion (unless it's an essential service that can be mandated back to work in which case it is) CES. It's about hitting where and when it hurts. I'm addressing the general situation of course.

[Warren Dew]

I know I won't be popular for stating my opinion that, from personal dealings I've had over the years, most unions have far outlived the noble reasons for which they were invented and now exist primarily to justify their existence by inventing or escalating problems that need never have been problems in the first place. I won't say there hasn't been benefit at times, but the ones I've dealt with have usually been self-serving and duplicitous.

The truth is never popular.