Big Labor and Big Government Are Officially the Same Thing
Posted November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm in Ongoing Priorities 
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Who do the words “union members” bring to mind? United Auto Workers building cars in Detroit? Teamsters truckers hauling freight? Steel workers in Pennsylvania?
Not any more. Newly released numbers show that the actual face of today’s union movement is the teller at your local Department of Motorized Vehicles.
Preliminary estimates of union membership this year show that most union members now work for the government. The overall unionization rate between January and September 2009 stood at 12.4%, unchanged from last year. However, this difference masks a large difference between unions in the private and public sectors.
Union membership has fallen to 7.3% of private sector workers – the lowest rate since Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act into law. But it is a completely different story in the public sector: 37.6% of government employees belong to unions, up almost a percentage point since last year. Those 7.9 million unionized government employees are 51% of all union members nationwide. Most union members today now work for Uncle Sam.
So when unions start lobbying, taxpayers should hold onto their wallet. Government employees don’t strike to get higher wages from a private business – they strike to get higher wages from you. Their pay is funded through your tax dollars. For government employee union members to get more your taxes need to go up. So that is what unions now lobby for. Just take a look at what the labor movement is doing to taxpayers on the Pacific Coast:
This is not your father’s labor movement. Unions today want higher taxes and bigger government because they are the government.
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12 Responses to “Big Labor and Big Government Are Officially the Same Thing”
ebk, Pa. on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
What is so bad about being a member of a union? When we were a more industralized nation with more union members, we had more people with good health care. Not only those in the unions, but even those not in unions. I worked for companies that were both union and non union and had good medical coverage in both. It all boils down to how the people you work for want to take care of you and your families. They weren’t greedy and were willing to pay well to get and keep good people. The leaders of both, government and unions, are the problem. To help ease the health insurance problem, let’s go after tort reform.
Joe Loiacono on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
This is great work. Very revealing. The idea of government unions burns me up intensely. The original idea behind unions is to strengthen laborers who have no redress against management – an idea I still don’t agree with by the way. The problem with government unions is that government labor has unobstructed access to redress: it’s called the ballot box. If you think management is treating you unfairly, take your case to the public. If they agree, change the management.
Errgrh!!!
Tim Az on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
It doesn’t matter wheather the union is for private or govt. employees the damage is still the same. We the people have to foot the bill. I think it would be easier to do away with unions for govt. employees since they work for us an dnot themselves. Sort of a conflict of interest it appears to me. Whos being served?
Bill Gaerttner on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
As union worker I wonder if my fellow members understand anything about how these deficits created by Obama administration could possibly cause hyperinflation. When our dollars don’t much who will be blamed then? George Bush?
Ross writes from Bradenton, Florida on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
I’ve never understood why any government employee would ever need a union. Just the beaucracy alone guarentees the lazy and incompetent their jobs. I know; I spent over 20 years with the federal government spending years trying to get rid of them. Unions ARE the storm troopers of socialism and the destroyer of individual liberties and incenatives…there is a history!
Brad S,, Detroit, MI on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
Plain and simple. Good workers do not need Unions. Never have and never will. After the NLRA was enacted, employees had a proper forum to address any perceived persecution from their employer. Now, only the bad, ignorant and lazy worker seeks out the shelter of a Union to protect them. Any smart person with a strong work ethic will not have anything to do with a union, because as it is designed to do, the union unfortunately socializes all of the workers down to the lowest common denominator. It does not reward the efficient, or best employees. It actually penalizes them as the good workers “show up” the deadbeats. Believe me – I have seen it incessantly in this town. . . .
webandgraphics, Seattle WA on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
Unions make money off of other peoples work.PERIOD! Years ago I was a bagger at a grocery store. And 2 weeks after I was hired a union goon told me I had to join his union or lose my job….. Why in the world does a grocery store bagger need a union? Never the less I quit that job and now (years later) Im a developer in the software industry, I get paid really well, get excellent benifits without being a union member…
Pat, Indianapolis, Indiana on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
Well it is about time we are
waking up to the union thugs. My husband worked for a steel company and the union made them take bankruptcy two times. They came back on one, but the second we lost everything. We get half of his pensionn we lost all benefits, health and life insurance. This happened over 10 years ago, but I guess better late than never, just do not let them off the hook this time.
Patti, Las Vegas on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
I’ve often wondered if is it even legal for government employee unions to pay for political ads, give to candidates, or in any way support politics.
We, the tax payers, are paying for the union workers’ wages and benefits AND THEIR UNION DUES.
If it is legal, this is so wrong!
Buffoon on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
Great work Sherk
Bobbie Jay on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
“unions are the government”
means they are the conflict of the taxpayers interest. How unethical! they’ve destroyed private businesses in the name of government.
Unions were reasonable at one time. They were big brothers, protecting their younger sisters from being corrupted by the boss. Government unions are the corruptors of the taxpayers. Unions working for government and against the people the government leads. They’re a disgrace and wastes of intelligence. Should be against ethics. If there is any government ethics? RID ALL UNIONS!
Tim Az on November 12th, 2009 at 2:25pm said:
I have an idea we need a tax payers union. A taxpayers union would make the Teamsters Union look like a grain of sand in the desert. Fight fire with fire I guess.