I recently blogged about losing my job of almost 22 years. In my last two blogs I ranted about the labor movement and the direction they have taken. I personally feel that direction has hurt this country more than helped. I believe the power the unions have amassed has been wrongly used. I see signs in yards that say PROUD UNION HOME. When I see one I ask myself, what are they proud of?
Is there pride in knowing that perhaps the fact of labor leaving the country is due to the overpricing of labor? Two prime examples. The auto industry and the steel industry. When smaller better built automobiles started coming from overseas at first there was not a ripple. Later as the popularity and reliability started to make waves, there was tidal wave of opposition. When the effects started to wash over the auto industry the damage was as bad as a tsunami.
It crippled and wreaked havoc. Jobs started to be lost. The cry went out “buy American”. That didn’t seem to matter to the money saving consumer. Cheaper price, better built, better gas mileage. Three things that the consumer looked at and said, “I feel this is a better choice for the money” and the foreign car market exploded in America. When it started to effect sales and jobs were lost the cry would go out, buy American! In order for that to happen the consumer said drop the price, make a better car, and give me better gas mileage.
New designs, more efficient, less money. The cry went out from unions don’t touch our pension, our pay. We will make a car the company can sell for less and drop their profit margin, but don’t touch our benefits. The automakers have been playing catch up ever since. Most recently surpassing some models. They did this by being able to cut wages and expenses. The union had to finally give and start that harmony Samuel Gompers tried to foster years ago.
On the other side, companies who used steel saw it made better and cheaper overseas also.So it was purchased and the steel industry in America collapsed. The cry went out they should be buying American steel. They bashed and belittled the companies for being just as frugal as the consumer was in buying a better made car for less. Again the consumer can spend their money anywhere to save a dollar, but a business is chastised for the same practice. Why is that?
I lost my job because the company was doing what good companies do. Look for the best possible way to be profitable. Could they have done things different? I’m sure they could have. Selfishly I wish they would have. Not every decision that was made was for the best for the future of the company. Talking with my plant manager he would, and was the first to admit that there were some dumb moves in the past. The union was asked if there was anything as far as concessions that could be made. They were told it was too late and the cuts would be too deep.
I wonder if a union ever tells its membership, “you are asking for too much”. The pay you are seeking is not warranted by the skill of the job you perform. I do not mean to demean anyone’s job when I write that line. But let’s face it $10.00 to flip a burger? I was once told at my job that “we need to bring the lower wages up to what the highest wages were at”. I don’t get that. Again not to belittle anyone’s job, but if a person wants to be paid a skilled wage, they should be able to do the skill. See there is that mentality that we should all get the same thing. Or in other words, that guy who comes everyday, does his utmost to be as efficient, he gets paid the same as that worker over there that is constantly missing time, has to be reprimanded and told to get back to work and is more of a burden to the company than an asset. Is that right if they get paid the same? The union would say yes and would do all in its power to make sure he kept his job.
I see no advantage of union representation if I come to work, do my job, and have the best work ethics I could possibly practice. Do you realize that being a member of a union, you have to pay in order to work? If you work at a union shop you have to pay dues in order to have a job. Those dues go to pay officer salaries. Even when out of work those dues have to be paid. Those in control still get paid while the worker is out of a job. Is that fair? There are now laws in place, thanks to the labor movement, that protects workers from being treated unfairly. I now work for a non-union employer again. In the first three months, my pay has increased by 28% and because my boss sees my work ethic I get paid for my lunch which means my 10 1/2 hour job is now just 10 hours. All without the help of a union. If it was a union job my boss would have told me that if he did it for me, he would have to do it for all the employees. Even those who have bad or no work ethic at all. Is there pride in that? I am very disillusioned by unions now. After being a strong supporter I now question my support and ask, why?
To those who are strong union followers, I know this blog will raise hairs. I am just sharing my experience and my conclusions on the validity of having union representation in my work career. It may not be the same for you and that’s fine. One of the greatest virtues of this country is the freedom we have to agree to disagree. I just disagree. I am proud to be Non-Union!
Markley's Blog 
I am a proud anti-union union member, or something like that. I agree with you on all of your points. Many of those points are points I have made. It gets even worse though; government unions. Oops, we accidentally created a system where people form unions, pay in to said union who then makes contributions to the political campaigns of those people they are then negotiating contracts with who then also pass laws to protect and increase the benefits of the union worker. Crazy system, isn’t it? I am thankful for the alleged pension I am supposedly going to have when I retire, although I understand the views of those who oppose pensions.
I have never been a fan of unions. I have always thought that they did a lot of harm. What I have learned is that in the past they did SOME good. Unions have fought for some things to improve workplace safety and some things like that. There was also a time when the worker may have been taken advantage of, however, I feel like that is when someone should have been seeking employment elsewhere. Things tend to balance out. If you work for an employer that treats you like garbage, if enough people leave and refuse to work for that employer, eventually that employer will not have a business.
I am open with my anti-union views, even though I am the Vice-President of my local. I have also made it known that the moment they start trying to take money out of my checks to go to the Political Action Committee, I will no longer be a union member, and will seek employment elsewhere so I do not have to pay ‘fair share fees.’ I know that fair share fees actually really go to things i do not approve of. I know that $25 comes out of every paycheck of mine. A portion of that goes to the national union, the state union and the AFL-CIO. I know that I have not seen or heard from them since they were talking to us about becoming a union department. The only info I hear from them is how I should vote for these candidates or those, and support this law or that. I know they say they support candidates solely on the candidates history of supporting firefighter issues. I say, you cannot support a candidate that pads our pensions, but supports legislation that kills the economy to such a point that there are no jobs for people to make money to pay their taxes to pay my salary. It absolutely HAS TO BE what is good for the country, not what is good for me. But, this is the way our society has gone. There is too much me, me, me and not enough we, we we.
I admit that I gave the ok to go union, but it was with great hesitation. I also had to be convinced. Had there not been some issues at the time, I would have said no way. We had a boss in place that was absolutely acting unfairly and tyrannical. I actually was searching for another job, but at the time, the economic picture in this country was not good. While most were sinking, we were doing well here. The business I am in is very difficult to find a job in. It can take years to find a job as a firefighter, if ever at all, other than on a private contract, which pays very little and provides very little time off work. I value my time off so I can see my boys grow up. I even interviewed for a job in a different field that would have been a pay cut, just to try to get out of the situation. It did not pan out.
Where has the auto industry come? Well, GM makes some of the most reliable automobiles in the world now, but check out that price tag. You have to commit to a 30 year mortgage just to buy a car or truck now. And what happened to GM? The best cars in the world, and yet they were on the verge of collapse; and why? Yeah, high labor costs. Over $8,000 of EVERY car they sell is to cover pension and medical benefits. At least that was the figure several years ago.
Anyway, I have other things I need to do but thought I would share my 47 cents (inflation).
Love ya Mike. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.