The brash and violent outcry of union workers is no surprise to me. Finally after years of absolutely absurd benefits, pay, and job security states are starting to realize that we can’t do this crap anymore! I don’t understand how these people even amassed the power that they have today. It’s the difference and the tension between the new world and the old world. Back in the day you could go downtown and get a job at the factory, put in your thirty years and retire a happy man. Today it doesn’t quite work like that.
For the most part, all people need some sort of higher education to be competitive in the current economy. I could send out fifty resumes a day and receive three responses and maybe one interview. If I were to get hired from that one interview I can assure you that there is no guarantee that I will have my job for the next twenty years. So let’s explore that. One I have a college degree, two because of that degree I have a more specialized knowledge of a certain field of study, and lastly I’ve invested a considerable amount of funds to the achievement of that degree. With those three facts being true, I still have no guarantee on success. The fact of the matter is that if I want to be successful I need to work hard everyday and do my job to the best of my abilities. That is the employment situation of the 2011 workplace.
Now as a union worker I can work for probably 50% more than I would receive at a non union job, which is probably 300% higher than that job in an undeveloped nation. Along with that egregious pay, I would receive amazing healthcare and a full pension. Fifty years ago this was a great system, but now times have changed and in a global economy this just doesn’t work. There are a few reasons why unions don’t work anymore:
· Fifty years ago union workers were loyal to the company. They were thankful for their jobs and worked hard everyday. Now the reality of the matter is that union members show more loyalty to the union instead of the company. In many cases, the unions have literally bankrupted the company because they wouldn’t match the union’s demands. Regardless of your opinion on Wal-Mart, they don’t allow unions and that is a main reason for their success.
· American companies can’t compete with foreign companies if the American employees are controlled by unions. Higher payroll costs for American companies equal tighter margins which will then lead to less financial freedom. The end result is that the American company will then have less money to invest back into the business which will make them less competitive in relation to foreign companies. (i.e. Ford vs Toyota)
· Public sector unions are a complete fallacy and have led to the financial catastrophe that some states are experiencing right now. I just can’t see the justification here. Regardless of your job as a public sector employee, you simply can not expect to make more than a private sector employee and enjoy more job security. There is really only one word to describe members and organizers of public sector unions, greed. You can’t demand a high salary, great healthcare, and full pension. You need to look at the situation from a financial point of view, it’s not personal it’s just business. I would love to give all workers a six figure salary, full healthcare, and a pension equal to your actual salary upon retirement but I can’t do that. The reason I can’t do that is because the numbers just don’t add up, think of California. They are bankrupt for a reason, the unions killed the state’s economy. They gave them too much control and the unions took them for all they were worth.
The fact of that matter is that this all needs to change. The bill that is in the process of being passed in Wisconsin is a great first step. We can’t allow unions to dictate the success of a company or the solvency of a state! My message to all the protesting union workers right now is this:
Welcome to the 21st century and we will not stand for your actions anymore. If you want to live the good life, go to college or a trade school and work hard for your success. The days of it being handed to you on a silver platter are over. Put down your signs, stop yelling, make a resume, and start applying for jobs.
I can agree that there are certainly drawbacks to unions (workers having a stranglehold on productivity and sales), they also have benefits (realistic pay and hours). My concern, however, is that this bill has nothing to do with union workers. At the beginning of the year, Wisconsin was on track to have a $121.4 million surplus. Scott Walker managed to give away $140 million to businesses. Certainly this is a coincidence.
ReplyDeleteThe union leaders offered to meet all of the bills requests without blocking collective bargaining rights, but Walker replied "Nothing doing."
Maybe unions have become too strong - but to me, this looks like Republicans vs Democrats. By busting the unions, Republicans are attempting to dismantle the Democratic party. Possibly this is heresy, but I think it would be foolish to shorthand those (teachers, nurses, sanitization workers) who are the cogs in the American wheel for the sake of a political party.
Unions can be harmful to American companies, and they can be beneficial to employees. Certainly there is a balance that can be found. Is this truly about liberating American companies from the shackles of Union contracts? Or is there another motive?
That makes sense. I think people make the argument democrat vs republican when they are just bitter and need to make the issue bigger than it is. I just don't believe in unions, bottom line. Even if the states all have surpluses or are going bankrupt, unions don't create wealth. You can be a teacher, nurse, or sanitation worker without being in a union. They are a reason for people to be to comfortable with their jobs.
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