Comments on: Clinton, Obama Take Heat At AFL-CIO Forum

Hoping For Endorsement, Democrat Front-Runners Withstand Barbs On Terrorism, Corporate Influence

[ioweign]

IOWEIGN, If all unions did was ensure that the rights of the workers were protected over the profitability of the company, I could see your point. Unfortunatly, hey go further than that. They extort money out of both worker and employers. They are not subject to anti-trust laws nor are they subject to the same labor laws that they throw against every company that has to deal with them. They hold productivity and profitablity hostage and they hold the least productive worker as equal in compensation to the most productive thus destroying free market competition.
Posted by diverinnl at 03:45 PM : Aug 07, 2007

The Unions have political restrictions just like companies. Unions have financial reports to register with the DOL. Where I live, workers do not have to belong to a union but if the employee requests it, the Union still has to represent the Employee. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I belonged to a Union for 20+ yrs and just paid dues. The Union was non-profit. The Company did not pay the Union anything. As for a Union being Socialist, alot of thing in our society is socialistic. Your local police and fire depts. are. Or do you have private police and fire where you live. There are professional unions too. Doctors and dentists belong to Unions - they call them Associations.

[diverinnl]

IOWEIGN, If all unions did was ensure that the rights of the workers were protected over the profitability of the company, I could see your point. Unfortunatly, hey go further than that. They extort money out of both worker and employers. They are not subject to anti-trust laws nor are they subject to the same labor laws that they throw against every company that has to deal with them. They hold productivity and profitablity hostage and they hold the least productive worker as equal in compensation to the most productive thus destroying free market competition.

[ioweign]

Many former union members told me their horror stories about union leaders holding out for pennies or other meaningless concessions, while the members suffered and lost wages. And for your info, labor unions are a socialist concept, so if anyone is moving to China, it's you IOWEIGN.
Posted by S_Temper at 03:32 PM : Aug 07, 2007

Well - there are good Unions and there are bad Unions - just like there are good companies and bad companies. I feel I was fortunate and
from all appearances, you and I won't have to move to China, it is moving and coming here!!

[ioweign]

IOWEIGN, where the Unions have done themselves in is in effectively holding industry, employement, and productivity hostage to their own bottom line. If I went to a store owner and demanded that they pay me money in order to be allowed to open for business and thet they could only hire workers that I provided them and they had to pay them wages that I demanded, it would be called extorsion. A union does it and it's called collective bargaining. They have strong armed American industry overseas. Look at the textile, automotive, airline, and steel industries.
Posted by diverinnl at 03:25 PM : Aug 07, 2007


What kind of collective bargaining agreement existed? If you had a stalemate in bargaining would it go to binding arbitration? As you can see, this can get complexed. Basically if you have a greedy company, the employees get that way too!

[diverinnl]

IOWEIGN, where the Unions have done themselves in is in effectively holding industry, employement, and productivity hostage to their own bottom line. If I went to a store owner and demanded that they pay me money in order to be allowed to open for business and thet they could only hire workers that I provided them and they had to pay them wages that I demanded, it would be called extorsion. A union does it and it's called collective bargaining. They have strong armed American industry overseas. Look at the textile, automotive, airline, and steel industries.

[ioweign]

IOWEIGN, why don't you educate me, professor? But first, ARE YOU A UNITED STATES CITIZEN (I refuse to discuss US domestic issues with foreigners)?
Posted by S_Temper at 03:11 PM : Aug 07, 2007

I have been a citizen for 60+ years - how about you?

Do you work? How many days a week do you work? Have you ever belonged to a Union? I have for 20 years and then went into management. I worked WITH the Union, next to the Union and found that the Union actually helped me more than anything else. It is not all about MONEY. People have problems and are sometimes reluctant to discuss and that is where the Union comes in. If you want to go back to the working conditions of the Dark Ages then go for it - move to China!!

[ioweign]

Now it is cheaper to send steel, cotton, and other raw materials to China, then ship the finished goods all the way back across the ocean (a round-trip to the other side of the earth!), than it is to hire union members to manufacture cars, clothing, and other goods! The unions are almost gone, and I say GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!
Posted by S_Temper at 02:54 PM : Aug 07, 2007

You are sooo ignorant.

[rushlimpdrug]

"What we see going on now leads us to believe that this will probably be the most ambitious mobilization in the history of the labor movement."
AFL-CIO president John Sweeney

John must be looking at chart of chineeze labor.

[edjohn66]

I'll never understand why some union members vote Republican when that party hates them and everything they stand for. A union member in the Republican party is like a Jewish person at a Nurnburg rally: they just don't belong.