[snakeoil]

I see that the "Right-To-Work" law has been passed in Michigan. Real Smart! We destroy the unions that helped to create the middle class. That way we can start paying lower wages so that more money goes to those that deserve it-the 1%. We are well on the way to make it harder for the Democratic base to vote so the 1% will have a greater impact in government. We can start sheltering more of the 1% money and make up the revenue shotfall with higher taxes on the rest of the populace. We can keep hacking away at the wages of the 99% and leave them just enough to exist on. We can eliminate those pesky environmental and safety laws and, thereby, increase profits. We can cut education costs for the 99% because we have enough money to send our kids to the elite educational institutions. We can cut money for parks because we have enough money to join private country clubs. We can cut Social Security and Medicare because we have enough money to provide those services for ourselves.

Hey, wait a minute! If we cut the 99% down to where they can only exist, who's going to buy the goods and services we make? How are we going to make any money?

[RealJustme]

I see that the "Right-To-Work" law has been passed in Michigan. Real Smart! We destroy the unions that helped to create the middle class.

What is wrong with freedom of choice for the little guy? All the right to work law does is allow someone to take a job and not be "forced" as a condition of the job to join a union they may not agree with. For all those that love unions they are free to join and pay the unions all the money they want...that's what freedom of choice is all about.

In the State I live if your a State employee you will be fired it you miss paying your Union dues, that goes for teacher also. A teacher can call in sick when they're not sick, a teacher can do just about anything and can not be fired, but miss paying their union dues and the State terminated them immediately with no recourse for the teacher. Our State needs right to work laws to protect the State employees from unions firing them from their State jobs.

[snakeoil]

As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now for the rest of the story."

Under the law, unions must negociate for all employees of a company where they have been certified as the bargaining agent. Should an employee that does not pay dues file a grievance, the union must represent that employee the same as it would for a dues-paying member. Should a union NOT represent the non dues payer equaly the aggreived employee can file a lawsuit against the union and might receive monetary damages. If a union must previde services, shouldn't those receiving the services chip in?

[Freedman]

I agree with Snake those union busting bastards don't want to pay into the work system should stay out of the work force. Why should the union be expected to work for free?

[justdoit]

Who here is presently or has been in a union? In a union that was "open" or "closed " shop? Just wondering.
As for me I was in both closed and open shop unions.
My thoughts are Unions are like insurance, nobody needs or wants to pay insurance dues, till they need insurance, then that insurance is their best friend.
When I was in an open shop, there was without a doubt disharmony among the workers.
While in a closed shop I saw union abuse against the company. But then I saw company abuse against the non union workers in the open shop.
so neither side is perfect, but I feel a union shop should be closed. And makes me wonder why mangement would want an open shop, why would said mangement want disharmony among the workers other than it helps the company bust the union to drop wages. Quality mangement and quality union leadership can and do work together. Poor mangement can and do have an easy out when they blame union for all their woes. Poor quality union mangment allow work / workers abuse their jobs. I have seen both.

[BilboBagend]

It's all about power. Power to negotiate fairly requires equal power.

A union that can shut down every manufacturer has too much power. A company that can dictate wages has too much power.

Equal power is necessary. One company, one union. Government must regulate the internals so neither side can game the power structure. If the company depends on it's employees and the employees depend on the company
, and they both are locked in a relationship of mutual benefit then a fair result is most likely to happen.


This is nothing short of perfectly transparent union busting to benefit companies and their executives. As always it will never see increased profits for the shareholders. Just increased executive compensation and untaxed perks.

[snakeoil]

My post was not really to argue the merits of unions but to call attention to the demise of the middle class.

The GOP is standing pat on their ideology of protecting the wealth of the top 5% of the population. (BTW-I am a registered Republican.) I think it's time to examine the facts.

1. In the past 30 years, the wealth of the top 1% has increased by 275%.

2. In the same period, the wealth of the middle 60% has increased by 40%.

3. From 1992-2007, the top 400 wage earners saw their income increase by 376%.

4. The share of wealth held by the top 1% was the same in 2005 as it was in 1928 (Remember what happened then?)

5. The wealth of the richest in the US has increased more than the wealth of other nations.

6. Americans have the greatest wealth inequality of any nation in the world.

7. The richest 1% control about 70% of the wealth of this country.

8. The richest 1% control about 35% of the wealth.

9. The wealthiest 1% of the US population saw their average household income quadruple from $500,000 in 1979 to almost $2 million in 2007, using 2007 pretax dollars. In contrast, the top 20% saw mild income growth during that time and the remainder of the population had essentially flat growth.

10. The actual distribution of US wealth in 2009 placed more than 80% of total wealth in the hands of the wealthiest 20%, with the least wealthy 40% having virtually no share.

[snakeoil]

Sorry-number 7 should be 5%.

[RealJustme]

A company that can dictate wages has too much power.

A company that can't dictate wages, needs public tax support (bailouts) to survive since they aren't allowed to run a budget.

[snakeoil]

Justme-Read your post again, think about it for a minute and see if you still think it makes sense.

[snakeoil]

Have you ever noticed that when someone posts facts that don't support the Koch brother's bullshit, Justme runs off and posts some off-the-wall posts that make little sense. Here's some more facts for you Justme.

1. The GOP keeps lowering taxes thereby harming our schools, raising college tuition rates, worsening health and healthcare costs and cutting back on basic research. Wonder why American workers can't compete in the modern economy?

2, GE paid no, zero, zilch, nada taxes last year. GE is shifting research to China (China recently built 20 universities on the caliber of MIT.) GE announced that they will invest $300 million in China research. 10 years ago most of GE's workers were American. Today the majority were in other contries.

3. American wages have only increased by 6% since 1985 (adjusted for inflation.) Germany's wages have risen almost 30%. Germany focuses on education and infrastructure ALONG WITH STRONG LABOR UNIONS.

4. The CBO investigated the effect of lower taxes on the rich and found no correlation between lower taxes and job creation.

5. With our low corporate taxes today our economy is expected to grow by about 2%. After the Great Depression growth was much higher. In 1934, the economy grew at 7.7%. In 1935, it grew by 8%. In 1936, it grew 14.1%.

6. The National Employment Law Project says that the biggest losses in this recession we are in now has been in jobs paying between $19.95 and $31.40 per hour. The biggest increases was in jobs paying between $9.03 to $12.91 per hour.

7.According to the Commerce Department, employee pay, as a share of the economy, is at the lowest level since they began collecting such data.

8. In 1914, Henry Ford announced he was going to pay his workers $5.00 per hour. The Wall Street Journal called this "an economic crime." In two years Ford's profits doubled.

[BilboBagend]

The GOP's purpose in lowering taxes is to achieve that which they can not do in a straight forward above board honest manner. To dismantle all the government programs that help American's. To take the American people back to a feudal system run by a few wealthy elite merchants. All while they keep every subsidy to corporations. All corporate welfare. All military power in support of American corporate power around the world.

[RealJustme]

What is wrong with freedom of choice for the little guy? All the right to work law does is allow someone to take a job and not be "forced" as a condition of the job to join a union they may not agree with. For all those that love unions they are free to join and pay the unions "all the money they want"...that's what freedom of choice is all about.

[DarknLadyJedi]

I won't say anything about this particular right to work law but I do know in FL we are a right to work state. Any individual that is NOT a union member is still protected under the contract that the union makes with the employer, but the union does not have to represent any employee that is not a member of the union if they have a grievance against the employer.