Unions are absolutely useless in the 21st century. The so-called “protections” that they offer the workers are no longer something unique to the unions anymore. They do not need to hire attorneys to draft contracts that prevent abuse by management. Those days died with Hoffa.
There are a litany of laws and government organizations that take care of all of that. Workers are protected under the law from prejudice, unsafe working conditions, unpaid overtime, child labor abuse, retribution and many other abuses. All this afforded to us at state and federal level, at a minimum. Any employer who violates these laws opens themselves up to lawsuits and fines that can really hit the bottom line.
In exchange, employees and employers enter into contracts themselves over the work to be completed and the expected compensation. Most are “at will,” so neither side is obliged to keep with the agreement (bad employee? Fired. Terrible boss? Quit).
Now unions claim to protect their membership from all of these abuses. Why? Workers are already unconditionally protected. They don’t need a union. The union, however, needs the workers. Think of all that money they collect in dues and how much the union leaders make on top of all the political contributions they hand out to ensure they continue to get what they want, ultimately at the cost of the worker’s job (layoffs, plant closures, etc).
The worst offenders are the government service unions. NJEA, FOP, PBA, AFL-CIO, etc. They produce nothing and get paid handsomely to do so. Their existence has caused a ballooning of the government workforce unlike anything we have ever seen, to the point where a huge chunk of our taxes are needed to keep them afloat. These extra bodies are locked in, earning excessive salaries and ridiculous health benefit contracts that not even the purported “millionaire” small business owners can afford. I sincerely hope that these unions fail and that they fail miserably. And I hope even more that all of the heads of these unions are brought to task for their greed, nepotism and political power brokering.
And to all the hardliners who are guffawing to themselves as they prepare to type: “how’s about we’s go on strike and shows ya,” please do. Go on strike, walk out on your jobs. Give the people the power to have you all summarily dismissed so that we can fill those positions with qualified workers who not only care, but are actually willing to work with us to make life for everyone better, not just themselves. Think that can’t happen? Ask the PATCO air traffic controllers and the Providence, RI teachers union, then get back to us…