Loading ...Working Families Losing Unionization Battle
March 13th, 2008The AFL-CIO, a main player in defeating my re-election this fall, has published its rating of federal legislators, five of whom represent Nevada. The AFL-CIO claims to make their ratings on behalf of “working families.”
For much of US history, the AFL-CIO represented many such “working families,” all of whom shared a deep and common bond: they had common job skills, enhanced them through training, and banded together to gain leverage against a profiteering capitalist. Banding together like that assured that they would get a fair return for their historical and ongoing dedication to developing their common skills.
After one hundred years of labor activism, most such abuses of labor have been eliminated as a matter of law, with a very beefy US Department of Labor to police compliance with all these new laws. As a result, groups of workers with common skills no longer find much value in the expensive dues demanded by high-living union bosses, and have largely quit.
Today, the AFL-CIO is fighting declining membership in all corners of society except one. That one corner is vastly different from the AFL-CIO’s traditional membership. Instead of a common skill to cultivate, improve and protect, workers in the new growth area share no common skills. More importantly, instead of rallying against a wealthy profiteer, they now agitate against the same working families who they used to represent - the taxpayer.
Here in Nevada, the construction trades have been declining for more than a year. The tourism trades have also recently started declining. The only economic sector in Nevada still expanding is AFL-CIO unionized government. If government doesn’t soon join working families in tightening its belt, Nevada’s taxpaying, working families will have to shoulder an even heavier tax burden than they already do - in addition to higher costs for fuel, food and fun.
One bright spot on this horizon is the very low percentage of government employees who join into this extortion racket. Most are good people motivated by helping society, not personal profiteering at the hands of taxpayers. Without state laws mandating union representation, it is quite likely the government union movement would collapse.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
These Unions are no longer looking out for their membership. Their only interest is COLLECTING their DUES and keeping the POLITICIANS that that own IN OFFICE!
If you were to vote the way they wanted you could not afford to pay anything but their DUES and possibly YOUR TAXES! The smartest thing you could do would be to have them present the name of Candidates they wanted IN and then vote for the OPPONENT!
March 15th, 2008 at 4:39 am
Union Thugs and criminals have ruined Nevada. How about a ban
on government employees being in unions? Let’s start with
the teachers unions, the cops, and the grossly overpaid fireman? Who the hell gets paid $100,000 a year for working one 24 hour shift per week, full retirement benefits at age
50, their own taxpayer paid union representatives to
negotiate for Them, and taxpayer paid time to collect “for Jerry’s kids”? The FIREMAN WHO HAVE THEIR MEMBERS SITTING IN THE LEGISLATURE VOTING THEMSELVES BENEFITS, THAT’S WHO???
How about the cops (or robbers!) who conned residents (not me)
into voting for a tax increase for more cops and then promptly gave themselves a 40% raise?? Or the teacher’s union
crybabies who don’t perform their jobs??? Then there is Dina Taxus who teaches only 2 classes a week, WHEN SHE SHOWS UP OR
DOESN’T SEND A SUBSTITUTE TO TEACH FOR HER, Then DOUBLEDIPS
IN THE LEGISLATURE AND PRETENDS SHE IS OBJECTIVE ABOUT TEACHERS SALARIES??? Or threatens students when they exercise
their constitutional right to campaign for someone other than her? She’s “not happy” AND NEITHER ARE WE, GLOTESUK! UNIONS
SUCK, TIME TO BAN THEM!!!
March 15th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Unions!! Educate yourself on Unions. DO NOT lump all unions as one. You Have UNIONS like teachers-police-firemen-county-city- Who can get everything because the taxpayer is providing the funds; AND then you have UNIONS that have to negotiate with penny pinching employers that want to keep ALL profits for themselves. I know you can’t fire a public employee union member, If a policeman with two or three DUI’S, or spends his days casing a place he can rob, or a crooked Judge, we put them on PAID administrative leave.
Where all other employees in the public sector are at will employees and can be fired at anytime and are. If it wasn’t for unions you would all be slaves. You are now slaves of the government and don’t even know it. How do I know? I was a union business agent for 18 years in Iowa, where we really cared about our members, and I think the majority of unions do. Mr. Beers, you need to spend some time with Unions as a person, not as a politician! After all, we know there are VERY FEW politicians that are worth the powder to blow them to hell. You are one I think that cares for the welfare of most everyone! Vern Steinhoff
March 15th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, I watched as unions and poor management destroyed an entire city and industry.
Friends who worked in steel mills (Jones and Laughlin) told me of night shift workers who slept through their entire shift every night…they’d been around for 30 years and knew where to hide.
I worked in a union shop for one summer. I was chastised several times for working too hard. I was told by the union steward, “Don’t bust your ass for this place…”. It was clear they didn’t want me making them look bad.
Unions have clearly outlived their usefulness and exist now only to collect money to support their bosses in lavish lifestyles and to support Democratic politicians.