Wednesday, June 29, 2011

How do workers view unions?

The lovely Mrs. Gekko is an RN who used to work for a union hospital. She's told me the horror stories related to some of her union comrades at her old employer.

She left that position for a position at another hospital for slightly less pay but she will tell you the work conditions are markedly better.

Last week, we were out with some of her nursing friends and one of loud mouth liberal co workers started yapping about getting a union into there work place.

On the way home, Mrs. Gekko asked me what I thought about a union at her work place and I told her "take the worst employee on your floor and then imagine that you are surrounded with such people. Besides you already worked in a union shop what did you think of that environment?"

It was the shortest educational exercise ever.

So it doesn't take a mental giant to understand why people don't want unions in their workplace.

Even in Blue State New York.........



Confronted with an unwelcome intrusion, employees at a Target store in New York rejected unionization and dealt a blow to the grand plans of the UFCW.

That average Americans continue to stand against these job-killing, profit-leaching forces is most encouraging. But make no mistake, the fight is far from over.

Labor unions are in decline and desperate. Today, union membership is under 12% of the U.S. workforce -- it was over 20% in the 1980's. Among retail unions, like the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW), membership has also undergone sizeable erosion, down over 40% nationwide since 1983.

More, public support for unions has fallen sharply and, according to the Pew Research Center, at near quarter-century lows. Not surprisingly, unions are seen as having both a negative impact on the "availability of good jobs" in the U.S., while placing our companies at a competitive disadvantage globally.

Yes, even with its allies in the White House, the press, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Americans are not fooled. And the "collective" repulsion of unionization is increasing. Like employees of the Target chain, most do not want, nor need, its tentacles in the workplace.


More......

No comments: