Another Perspective
State of the Unions
In order to form more perfect Democrats.
I have a friend named Mike who is a very intelligent and sensible man. He is a strong supporter of lower taxes, the rule of law, the military, and especially of the right to keep and bear arms; he is, in fact, a long-time NRA member. This man takes the time to be well informed on current events and is always on top of pending legislation. In short, he has all the makings of a genuine conservative except for one fatal flaw: he is an ardent union member.
When talk of all but the most radical political candidates is raised, he will, after talking a good game about the strengths of the Republican candidate, invariably vote for the Democrat. He was a vocal supporter of George W. Bush in 2000 but — like the old-time base-stealer who had larceny in his heart but whose feet were honest — his good intentions went by the board and he pulled the lever for Al Gore. I thought we had him after the attacks of 9/11, but even as much as he admired President Bush’s conduct of the defense of our country, he continued down the donkey path.
For all the labels put on conservatives, the most common is that we are “one-issue” voters. Whether that issue is the sanctity of life, national defense, border security or shrinking the government, we are nearly always referred to in that way. Yet we never hear about the voting proclivities of folks like Mike whose one-issue vote is this: the enlargement and strengthening of the American labor movement.
In this country where class warfare is ever escalating, criticizing labor unions is sure to draw charges of elitism and worse: siding with corporate America. But are unions and, more importantly, union membership still beneficial to our country? While an argument can be made for some private sector trade unions where at least the consumer can be assured of qualified workmen, most union growth is in the public sector where it choking governments at every level, and not just economically.
Union membership is an attack on productivity. How many of us know someone who, when first getting a union job, was told to “slow down,” as they were showing up the rest of the crew? And why should anyone make an extraordinary effort when the best worker will get the same pay as the worst?
Collective bargaining represents a diminution of individual responsibility and accomplishment. We can see how teachers, for example, who are protected from being judged on their merits, have crippled our education system. It’s funny that in the classroom where “self-esteem” is so esteemed, the NEA should so disdain the concept in its own members.
Unions infringe on the freedom of workers, who, even under the protection of so-called paycheck protection laws, are basically unable to choose the way their own dues — only 30% of which actually goes to work-related issues — are used for political purposes.
And most of all, as promoted by the humorously titled “Employee Free Choice Act,” big labor is now mounting an attack on democracy by seeking to remove secret-ballot voting from the unionization process. The way liberals use the word “choice” would be funny were it not so reminiscent of totalitarian regimes. Yet, to hear union backers tell it, the deck is always stacked against them.
A favorite complaint of unionists is that management somehow maintains an upper hand on labor because it lobbies Congress. Indeed, my good friend Mike claims that his employer, the United States Postal Service, is losing out on the coveted overnight delivery business because of greedy lobbyists from UPS and FedEx. And sure enough, these two companies are two of the top thirty lobbyists of the past 20 years.
But a closer look at the heaviest hitters in the D.C. lobby game reveals that labor unions comprise nearly half of the top third on the list, including Mike’s own National Association of Letter Carriers, which checks in at number 29. Not surprisingly, these big labor lobbyists gave an average of 95% of their funds to the Democratic Party. Coming in at number 16 on the list is the United Auto Workers, who are in the process of being bailed out by those same Democrats in Congress. And that’s where the rubber meets the road.
When talking to my friend Mike who is, as I said, an otherwise sweet and level-headed American, the very mention of the name Ronald Reagan turns him into a froth-spewing madman. No amount of arguing that Reagan was simply doing his duty by firing illegally striking PATCO workers will dull the tirade, and to union members, all Republicans still bear his “R” on their foreheads.
We conservatives are perpetually accused of being mind-numbed robots because we come together in iron-clad support of certain issues at the core of our national interest: the protection of life and liberty. Now to our union friends, job security may indeed be important, but a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
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Alan Brooks| 12.10.08 @ 9:08AM
don't forget that a few unions still have ties to the mob, like in Chicago...
Michael L. Hauschild| 12.10.08 @ 9:24AM
How odd. I have an identical friend (other than the name) and he takes the campaign signs the union people place in his yard and due to his Second Amendment priorities throws them in the trash can.
Katelyn| 12.10.08 @ 12:45PM
I don't want to join a union, or vote for George Bush. I guess if I had a gun to my head, I'd choose the latter, but they are both repugnant choices.
Bill O'Connor| 12.10.08 @ 4:48PM
I have a sign on my garage asking, "Deliveries at the Front Door Please". UPS, DHL, FedX have no trouble finding it every time. The USPS simply refuses to honor a simple customer request and won't come within 30' of the door. Talk to a supervisor? Where are you FROM! I actually did this once when young and callow. The two supervisiors I met with kept openly exchanging glances and grins.
Marc Jeric| 12.10.08 @ 7:12PM
Large-scale unionization is followed closely by the destruction of the industries in which they work. Just look at the car you are driving, the TV set in your living room, the towels in your bedroom, the socks and shoes on your feet, your computer and cell phone, the shirt you are wearing, the towels in your bathroom, the flowers on your dining table, the steel beams and columns on that new construction site... etc. Not to mention teacher unions which have destroyed our education while producing 3 generations of illiterate ignoramouses full of self-esteem who voted for "change we have all been waiting for".
Delphine| 12.11.08 @ 3:38AM
Many teachers join NEA simply for the insurance, should they get sued, which I'm sure could NEVER HAPPEN these days. I can't stand the NEA, nor much of anything they stand for. But if you really think that bad teachers brought to you by the union are to be blamed for producing 3 generations of illiterate ignoramuses, try sitting in on a day of classes with your little Johnny and see how the kids of today behave in class, not to mention listening to the whiney parents when little Mary doesn't make the grade they think she ought to. Kids want to be entertained, they are disrespectful (yes, oh yes, YOUR little angel), and a lot of parents are even worse. Add to that dumbed-down textbooks, "No Child Left Behind" bs, and you have a job force that many can't wait to leave. Any kind of educational fix from the Democrats will be equally useless and money wasted. Look at Washington, DC. They spend more money per child than just about anyone in the US, and the only schools there that are not a disaster are the magnet and private schools where the teachers and administration can hold the students to a higher standard with the full support of the parents. When I was young, if my mother heard that I got in trouble at school I could expect twice the trouble at home. No questions asked. None. The teacher was always right. Now the teachers of today don't seem to be of the same caliber as back in the day, but it is still a good mindset for parents to have, because 9 times out thenof 10, your child is in the wrong. It will not harm their little psyche if you will stand up and be the parent, and let them find their friends at school.
Steven | 12.11.08 @ 11:42AM
Yeah, you know, the reduction in Unions in our country has done wonders for the economy. Look at the last 50 years. As soon as companies found out that they could pay next to nothing for labor in foreign countries, they moved there. Of course....we all still live here. The problem with Unions is that every Republican since FDR has done whatever he can to get rid of the New Deal and the Middle Class. You've done a fine job. How has big business and big government (REPUBLICANS) convinced you people that workers don't need a voice? Even today, with everything we know about what has gone wrong with our economy, you still say these things?
To the guy that talks about the UAW ruining the Big Three.. Do you really think that the guy bolting the wheels on has something to do with how the company is run. The worker doesn't pick which cars to build or how poor the fuel economy is. The worker doesn't decide how much to charge for the car. The worker puts the wheels on. AS far as I know, those wheels are still on the cars. The seats are still covered in fabric. The CEO and Management make the decisions that caused the Big 3 to fail. Btw, the CEO of GM made around $7910 an hour last year...for that money the company lost $30 billion. Blaming the worker is beyond incomprehensible.
Paul| 12.11.08 @ 1:39PM
Steven:
Issue 1: Which Republican president since FDR has tried to do away with the New Deal? Reagan with his increase of Social Security taxes? Nixon with the establishment of the EPA? Bush 43 with his Medicare prescription drug plan? Please give me an example instead of an unsupported claim.
Issue 2: Nice try with the straw man, but the assembly line worker is not being blamed for the carmakers problems; it's the labor union contract negotiated and agreed to by labor union leadership and corporate management, compounded by the EPA's (that's right, Nixon's EPA) Corp Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, where the US makers with their higher labor cost structure could not compete with the foreign manufactures in small, fuel efficient but low profit margin cars.