Are Unions State backed?
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tmosley
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The thing is that if you lay off everyone in the union, it becomes hard to find good workers because most of the good ones are in the Union, and you can also have trouble with your suppliers or buyers being forced by their unions to boycott you.
Unions are a good part of free markets, so long as they don't get too large and powerful. Once they get that way, they tend to strangle the company they work for.
Unions are a good part of free markets, so long as they don't get too large and powerful. Once they get that way, they tend to strangle the company they work for.
Zippyjuan
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Unions at6tempt to balance the power wielded by the companies. They helped establish the 40 hour work week we take for granted and concepts like vacations pay and overtime. The push for work safety rules that help reduce accidents and for insurance coverages. Some unions do have rediculous rules, but not all unions are bad.
Acala
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Federal Law
Federal law requires companies to negotiate with unions in a collective bargaining process. Federal law also gives th NLRB the power to force a company to the bargaining table. And the government generally turns a blind eye to union violence against companies that don't meet union demands and to replacement workers. I think it was Hayek that called the threat of union violence the "gun under the table" at union negotiating sessions.
Unions also push through minimum wage laws, "livable wage" laws, and prevailing wage laws that all prevent competition in wage rates.
I have no problem with unions so long as they don't get special powers from government and so long as they don't use violence. But government workers should never be able to unionize. Working for the taxpayers, who are FORCED to pay for your stinking job, is a priviledge. If you don't like it, LEAVE!
Federal law requires companies to negotiate with unions in a collective bargaining process. Federal law also gives th NLRB the power to force a company to the bargaining table. And the government generally turns a blind eye to union violence against companies that don't meet union demands and to replacement workers. I think it was Hayek that called the threat of union violence the "gun under the table" at union negotiating sessions.
Unions also push through minimum wage laws, "livable wage" laws, and prevailing wage laws that all prevent competition in wage rates.
I have no problem with unions so long as they don't get special powers from government and so long as they don't use violence. But government workers should never be able to unionize. Working for the taxpayers, who are FORCED to pay for your stinking job, is a priviledge. If you don't like it, LEAVE!
forsmant
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More like jealous of the wage they get because of the barrier to the training that they have. You shouldn't have to be in the union to learn the trade.
What about right to work states? I wasn't aware of a federal law.
I agree w/your pov, though, regarding govt workers, special powers, etc.
AutoDas
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Government workers shouldn't be able to unionize. Can you imagine judges, senators, or representatives unionizing? But no one other than libertarians have a problem with the teachers union (get rid of taxpaid education and I'd be fine with them unionizing)
RCA
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tod evans
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there are "trade" unions," laboror" unions, and various other unions such as the teamsters who band unassociated job positions together in order to carry clout with government and big business.
i have first hand experience with the carpenters union....nobody who wants to learn the trade is kept out, you`ve gotta do your time in the lower positions and "pay your dues" but for an unambitious working stiff who wants to put in a shift, have insurance and a pension and recieve a fair wage for a days work it`s a pretty good deal..
myself....i didn`t play well with others well enough so i started my own business (non-union)
Uncle Emanuel Watkins
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A state owned sidewalk gives workers power. Power is money.
It has to do with Constitutional Rights and how they pertain to private and public property. As the private property is owned by the companies, the public is owned by the workers (Hegel said that people need to own property to be free). So, if workers are better organizing their position in the market place by the use of public property, while not restricting the use of it, it is none of the company's business. Similarly, the private property is no place for one to exercize their Constitutional Rights as it is a place of business. Now, a Union member could sell the product of Unions while on their breaks if the company allows vending machines and other such products. In states where Unions are strong politically, the workers have even more power than this.
I've never understood Unions before. I mean, why can't companies just lay off everyone if they go on strike?
It has to do with Constitutional Rights and how they pertain to private and public property. As the private property is owned by the companies, the public is owned by the workers (Hegel said that people need to own property to be free). So, if workers are better organizing their position in the market place by the use of public property, while not restricting the use of it, it is none of the company's business. Similarly, the private property is no place for one to exercize their Constitutional Rights as it is a place of business. Now, a Union member could sell the product of Unions while on their breaks if the company allows vending machines and other such products. In states where Unions are strong politically, the workers have even more power than this.
Uncle Emanuel Watkins
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We need to advance modern civilization
The creation of a civil measure is progress when it rids our nation of the primitive caste system of the past. Such a caste system had people subsisting peacefully in a master and slave relationship. If allowing government workers to unionize strengthens our Constitutional government while the action also lessons tyranny, it is a good measure.
There are executives and other types of ruling elites in our society who choose to support and belong to Unions by paying dues. For example, while both my grandfather and father were ProUnion, both worked in management positions. While my grandfather soul grew out of the soil of a farm, my father couldn't wait to get home from work so he could replace his office garb with a working garment.
Getting rid of public education would erode our civilization further towards the primitive caste system of the past when masters and slaves lived peacefully together. Such a tyrannical government expressed authority in a legal institution with the master playing the part of the judge and the slave playing the part of a worthless dog. In comparison, our modern government is supposed to bring everyone to the dinner table. Our government is supposed to be a 'positive' one which means that tending to the happiness of the people becomes its principle function.
If teachers were paid what they deserved, we wouldn't have enough resources left over to operate as a modern civilization. In other words, modern civilization was created by an act of socialism with teachers bowing to teach the poor by serving them. Much ranting and raving about this point has been written by me in this forum because I feel this epic history during the Greek Zenith was more significant in the creation of Western Civilization than even the advent of Democracy.
The position of teaching wouldn't work if is employed by dumber elites. The job of a teacher isn't well paid because it is better defined position in how he or she serves society. One could argue that teachers should be better paid than even Doctors and Lawyers because they teach them what they know. But, once again, civilization wouldn't have the resources left over to operate if teachers were paid what they deserved.
The creation of a civil measure is progress when it rids our nation of the primitive caste system of the past. Such a caste system had people subsisting peacefully in a master and slave relationship. If allowing government workers to unionize strengthens our Constitutional government while the action also lessons tyranny, it is a good measure.
There are executives and other types of ruling elites in our society who choose to support and belong to Unions by paying dues. For example, while both my grandfather and father were ProUnion, both worked in management positions. While my grandfather soul grew out of the soil of a farm, my father couldn't wait to get home from work so he could replace his office garb with a working garment.
Getting rid of public education would erode our civilization further towards the primitive caste system of the past when masters and slaves lived peacefully together. Such a tyrannical government expressed authority in a legal institution with the master playing the part of the judge and the slave playing the part of a worthless dog. In comparison, our modern government is supposed to bring everyone to the dinner table. Our government is supposed to be a 'positive' one which means that tending to the happiness of the people becomes its principle function.
If teachers were paid what they deserved, we wouldn't have enough resources left over to operate as a modern civilization. In other words, modern civilization was created by an act of socialism with teachers bowing to teach the poor by serving them. Much ranting and raving about this point has been written by me in this forum because I feel this epic history during the Greek Zenith was more significant in the creation of Western Civilization than even the advent of Democracy.
The position of teaching wouldn't work if is employed by dumber elites. The job of a teacher isn't well paid because it is better defined position in how he or she serves society. One could argue that teachers should be better paid than even Doctors and Lawyers because they teach them what they know. But, once again, civilization wouldn't have the resources left over to operate if teachers were paid what they deserved.
Fox McCloud
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I've never really liked Unions before--while I wouldn't ban them, I'd obliterate every last special right they have...even then, I'd monitor them very closely.
While I've never had any personal experience with them, a number of people I personally know have;
one described union workers (I forget what they were working on) who would do a little bit of work in a day, then putz around for the rest, as they still basically got payed the same.
Another told about how they had to call up multiple people just to flip a switch, get something unscrewed, etc in the company...and he himself could have done all this work, safely...but, because of the union, he wasn't able to do this, and ultimately, had to wait a day or two to be able to complete the project.
And I think everyone's heard about the Unions in the places where you get payed per piece/etc....where you produce a very high amount of pieces, and get payed quite well; eventually you get approached by some shady men and told to lower your production output "or else". This kind of practice is beyond disgusting in my opinion...
Anyway, I can see why unions do what they do, but, overall, I say they do far more harm than good.
While I've never had any personal experience with them, a number of people I personally know have;
one described union workers (I forget what they were working on) who would do a little bit of work in a day, then putz around for the rest, as they still basically got payed the same.
Another told about how they had to call up multiple people just to flip a switch, get something unscrewed, etc in the company...and he himself could have done all this work, safely...but, because of the union, he wasn't able to do this, and ultimately, had to wait a day or two to be able to complete the project.
And I think everyone's heard about the Unions in the places where you get payed per piece/etc....where you produce a very high amount of pieces, and get payed quite well; eventually you get approached by some shady men and told to lower your production output "or else". This kind of practice is beyond disgusting in my opinion...
Anyway, I can see why unions do what they do, but, overall, I say they do far more harm than good.
Uncle Emanuel Watkins
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There is constant pressure opposing modern civilization.
It is legal for Unions to strike, for employers to fire them and for working scabs to be hired to cover the wound. But, the U.S. government wasn't created for the purpose of legal business; rather, the necessary evil of legal business was created by our founding fathers for the implementation of the civil purpose in the Constitution. The civil purpose in the Constitution is to further modern civilization versus the tyranny of the primitive master/slave caste systems of the past.
The stuggle by people to earn the right to incorporate on public property to legitimize their best interest is the same kind of struggle that businesses once had with organizing against the King.
Taxes used to be penalties that businesses in each county in England had to pay to Barons employeed by the King. Because the King was the public in that he owned every bit of the land, the Barons performed the legitimate business of that time by suing illegal businesses to pay a penalty to the King. The illegal business was the necessary function people had to perform to survive. It wasn't until public land was owned by the people themselves that their necesary business of survival became legitimized.
So, have faith that Unions are a good thing in that they will work to advance modern society for the happiness of all. The alternative would be an erosion towards tyranny and the primitive master/slave caste system.
It is legal for Unions to strike, for employers to fire them and for working scabs to be hired to cover the wound. But, the U.S. government wasn't created for the purpose of legal business; rather, the necessary evil of legal business was created by our founding fathers for the implementation of the civil purpose in the Constitution. The civil purpose in the Constitution is to further modern civilization versus the tyranny of the primitive master/slave caste systems of the past.
The stuggle by people to earn the right to incorporate on public property to legitimize their best interest is the same kind of struggle that businesses once had with organizing against the King.
Taxes used to be penalties that businesses in each county in England had to pay to Barons employeed by the King. Because the King was the public in that he owned every bit of the land, the Barons performed the legitimate business of that time by suing illegal businesses to pay a penalty to the King. The illegal business was the necessary function people had to perform to survive. It wasn't until public land was owned by the people themselves that their necesary business of survival became legitimized.
So, have faith that Unions are a good thing in that they will work to advance modern society for the happiness of all. The alternative would be an erosion towards tyranny and the primitive master/slave caste system.
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