Anti-Union Propaganda Takes Many Forms

[Donnachaidh]

http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/anti-union-propaganda-takes-many-forms/

Of all the obnoxious myths about labor unions (e.g., they’re too strong, they’re too weak, they’re mobbed-up, they’re anachronistic, they’re undemocratic, etc.) the one that most rankles is the claim that union members don’t make good employees because, being protected by a big, bad labor union, they have no incentive to work.

People with even a modicum of common sense have to see how absurd that premise is. Jobs in the community that pay the highest wages, offer the best fringe benefits, and provide the safest and most comfortable working conditions (in other words, union jobs) are going to attract the best people, the most qualified people. How could it be otherwise?

In truth, based on everything I’ve personally seen and heard, I’ve always been stunned by the converse of that dubious claim. I’ve always been impressed by how hard union people were willing to work, especially on those occasions where slacking off, taking a breather, or flat-out throwing in the towel would’ve made far more sense.

Take for example the graveyard shift of Kimberly-Clark’s tissue converting (Kleenex) department in Fullerton, California. These folks worked like demons, like frenetic, crazy people, doing every heroic thing in their power to keep the machines running—up to and including violating department safety rules.

More at the link ---

[Dinger]

1. K & R (nt)

[stray cat]

2. A union label doesn't make a person good or bad - its their own personal competence and ethics

All union workers are not saints and all non-union workers are not scabs out to destroy america. Very seldom is every statement or organization totally perfect or totally bad - all people should think and use common sense in situations as they come up instead of running to one corner or another

[ThomCat]

3. Unions have been one of the most progressive influences

in world history. We had a strong middle class only because UNIONS created it and made it possible.

Unions negotiated wage upward so that in every industry where they got a foot-hold so that a family could live on on what someone earned, and there was enough of a union presence in an industry then even non-union companies had to set their pay scales to be competitive. Everyone benefited.

Unions negotiated benefits for their employees. Those benefits became more common and some benefits became almost standard even in non-union jobs at the professional level, at least for a while.

We would all benefit from having more and stronger unions again. I'm sick of the union-busting being aided by politicians and by government agencies. I hate that people in our party participate in it. It used to be only Republicans who did that. But since the 80s, there are plenty of anti-Union trolls in our party too. They went mainstream and became Blue-Dogs, bending over for corporations every chance they could get.

Have people forgotten where we were before unions? Do people want to go back to the Gilded Age, when the only big players were Government and Big Business, with all the revolving doors between them, and nobody really represented us? Isn't that what we are seeing again?

Unions were the third big power, giving working people an organized voice in both business and politics where working people never really had a voice before.

[TheKentuckian]

5. PREACH!!!!

[hfojvt]

6. that's a little too optimistic for my taste

I think that Gompers and his ilk sold out. Instead of trying to change the system, they just used their power to get a bigger slice of pie for themselves. Then the more radical CIO came along and it too was co-opted and mergred into the new AFL-CIO.

Do higher union wages benefit everyone? Not really more than any other benefit for the wealthy trickles down to the rest of us. Like the NFL player speaking at the AFL-CIO about how we should have solidarity with the multi-millionaires who play football.

Tje Union as an organization stands up for working class and progresive issues, but it seems to me that many actual union members are singing "I've got mine" just like any other member of the top 20%.

[mdmc]

4. ..