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Michigan unions lol.


nurkvinny

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Can someone explain this whole situation to me as I really have no idea what is going on. What is right to work and why are the unions so mad about it?

 

The legislation says that you cannot require union membership as a condition of employment. An employee can decide whether to join or not. The unions are upset because they collect A LOT of money in dues and they stand to lose revenue and bargaining power if people opt out. They have fed their membership a lot of material meant to scare them so they see it as a war on their wages. The only complaint I see merit with is that employees that opt out could possibly benefit from wages negotiated by the union, without contributing to the organization.

 

In my opinion that is a narrow view and fails to capitalize on the opportunity unions have. The business model of the unions needs to change, and they need to take care of their membership better if they want to retain membership.

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I have always hated the idea that people can be forced into a union and fired if they cross picket lines. We almost lost my house when I was younger due to a union strike. Afterwards they got more money but the workers didnt really get shit. Have hated the idea ever since.
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unions are no longer relevant. A company can declare bankruptcy and basically push unions out the door with the backing of the court in order to save the company.

While I think there are some very poor unions out there (the UAW comes to mind), I don't think they are irrelevent in concept. They were founded on the principle of using strength in numbers to negotiate for fair compensation and safety standards in the workplace. Now it's nearly impossible to fire a crappy employee, even if they are blatently insubordinate, the job descriptions/divisions of labor are ancient causing horrible inefficiency and driving up costs. I think these bills are what the union needs to better serve the worker base since now they will have to compete for membership. They have to actually offer something beneficial to the employee. It's not that unions should disappear, it's that they need to modify their business plan.

 

Just my opinion, but in today's working climate, a union could best serve their membership by using their strength in numbers to offer better health coverage and retirement plans to people who join, in addition to negotiating their compensation.

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While I think there are some very poor unions out there (the UAW comes to mind), I don't think they are irrelevent in concept. They were founded on the principle of using strength in numbers to negotiate for fair compensation and safety standards in the workplace. Now it's nearly impossible to fire a crappy employee, even if they are blatently insubordinate, the job descriptions/divisions of labor are ancient causing horrible inefficiency and driving up costs. I think these bills are what the union needs to better serve the worker base since now they will have to compete for membership. They have to actually offer something beneficial to the employee. It's not that unions should disappear, it's that they need to modify their business plan.

 

Just my opinion, but in today's working climate, a union could best serve their membership by using their strength in numbers to offer better health coverage and retirement plans to people who join, in addition to negotiating their compensation.

 

They do have their good points, the problem is now corporate america has the upper hand in negotiations knowing that they can either ship the jobs overseas or win in court.

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While I think there are some very poor unions out there (the UAW comes to mind), I don't think they are irrelevent in concept. They were founded on the principle of using strength in numbers to negotiate for fair compensation and safety standards in the workplace. Now it's nearly impossible to fire a crappy employee, even if they are blatently insubordinate, the job descriptions/divisions of labor are ancient causing horrible inefficiency and driving up costs. I think these bills are what the union needs to better serve the worker base since now they will have to compete for membership. They have to actually offer something beneficial to the employee. It's not that unions should disappear, it's that they need to modify their business plan.

 

Just my opinion, but in today's working climate, a union could best serve their membership by using their strength in numbers to offer better health coverage and retirement plans to people who join, in addition to negotiating their compensation.

 

This is a well thought out post. We have good reason for having unions in this country, which was to protect workers from slave-like conditions. However, the unions have become a business exactly like the ones they are trying to protect workers from. It doesn't work.

 

I don't have a problem with unions, as long as the taxpayers aren't paying for it. It's Democrats I can't stand.

 

Your post is opinion only, with no reference to any facts or information to back up said opinion, therefore it is worthless.

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Your post is opinion only, with no reference to any facts or information to back up said opinion, therefore it is worthless.

 

Your conclusion that his post is worthless is incorrect. A person newly introduced to forums can learn what not to post from reading it... Thus giving it value.

 

:gabe:

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They do have their good points, the problem is now corporate america has the upper hand in negotiations knowing that they can either ship the jobs overseas or win in court.

 

The corporation's only have the "upper hand" by shipping jobs overseas because the unions require 3 people to do the job of one, creating inefficiency and added costs. The unions philosophy needs to change so their worker base can be competitive in the market, and that doesn't necessarily mean wage cuts.

 

This is a well thought out post.

 

I expected that to be followed by "...which has no place on this forum." :p

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