Think big government unions affect everyone equally? Think again. Union contracts often hurt workers who need more flexible schedules or less traditional work arrangements. The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) recently published a policy paper regarding this unfair arrangement.
IWF’s Carrie Lukas points out that, like many big government ventures, unions assume that one-size-fits-all work and compensation packages will satisfy everyone. Unfortunately, they don’t take into consideration working mothers, part-time workers, and the low-skilled or entry level.
Union contracts are negotiated through collective bargaining, where one master contract covers all the workers at a company. These collective contracts often do not fit the needs of individual employees. As Lukas writes:
Those who would gladly trade higher pay for reduced hours may find that’s impossible due to union rules. Women who aren’t currently employed, but who are seeking part-time opportunities are likely to find that difficult in many union shops.
Unemployment has hovered around 9 percent or more for the past two years. Unions aren’t helping that number decrease. They negotiate contracts that benefit some of their members at the expense of other workers, says Lukas:
In highly unionized industries, like teaching, this means keeping many qualified women (or men) out of the job market. Across the country, union-negotiated rules tend to make it difficult (if not impossible) for school districts to hire the PhD math whiz that has been a stay-at-home mom but who now wants to teach part-time. Rules about certification and seniority benefit union members at the expense of other potential workers and students who would benefit from a more diverse, higher quality teaching force.
These union contracts restrict opportunity. Worse, the Obama Administration is doing everything it can to foist them on employees and employers. As Heritage’s James Sherk and Rea Herdman argue:
Despite the weak economy, the Administration has put the task of satisfying interest groups above job growth. The latest example comes from the federal government’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which issued several rulings recently undermining employer and employee rights.
Unions make businesses less competitive and discourage investment. This reduces job growth.
The last thing America needs is something that hurts the job market even more. It’s time to expose the truth.
The only group Unions hurt are the corporatists who don't want a strong middle class . . !!!!
So what the h&*^% is a corporatist???? Does that mean someone who likes corporations? Do you mean someone who supports businesses? If that's what you mean, then you are referring to people who support CAPITALISM!!!!! And by the way, capitalism supports ALL CLASSES OF SOCIETY, not just a few. I'm tired of you liberal crackpots trying to hide behind words to mask your true objective. Enough of the CLASS WARFARE!!!! If you don't like capitalisim, get the HE!! out of OUR country!!!!
Now as far as unions go, are you suggesting the unions didn't kill off the URW jobs, (United Rubber Workers, for those of you too young to remember)? They didn't drive GM/Chrysler into bankruptcy? They don't cause school districts to cut bussing, classes, extra-curricular activities because (some, not all) teacher salaries are beyond reasonable? Pull your head out and look around you.
Jeff is sponsoring government handouts! COMMUNISM, SOCIALISM, whatever doesn't reflect self worth, INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM!
Unions are as bad as the corporates. It is ignorance to think that unions are immune from the avarice that can be found in businesses.
Unions are very risky and unsettling. They are a collectivist proposition to a labor problem. The responsiblity needs to be shifted to the individual. Henry Ford had working ideas for management and labor options. If a company is not treating employees well, the press needs to serve the People and let them know. Stop working there, don't apply for a position there, and stop purchsing it's goods and/or services. The market can fix a lot of these labor problems better than a union. Businesses will comply with the market or leave. Unions also set-up a control grid. They can be used for destruction just as much as good. Forcing people to join, participate, fund, and comply is not the American way (the Declaration of Independnce). Why doesn't the media openly discuss the roots of unions and the communist model they follow. Who supports unions? Only those who benefit from it. Who supports Obama? Only those who have benefitted from his administration. As a former union member, I know that in order to have work, you must join. Upon joining, you trade your personal liberty for a false security. At the end of the day, the free market is the more prosperous road.
Unions have a great history of looking out for workers, especially during the first part of the 20th Century. But like many other organizations, they have evolved into something that does not necessarily look nor act like they were initially intended to be. Unions have been very politicized and for the most part turned into political activists organizations, and do not look out for the welfare of the people they are supposed to be representing. I agree with jweb, and unions are providing a false security and leading it members down a road that will lead to limited job advancement, limited compensation and less freedom to prosper. I believe the days of unions are numbered unless they start looking out for their members and not political candidates.
All I can say is after 7 years working under a union pay scale after high school, I decided it wasn't for me. Took a pay cut to start a new job and 29 years later retired very comfortably at 55 after earning 3 to 4 times union scales for those years. Kicked out the unions and without a college degree, relied solely on my intelligence, work ethic and merit pay rates.
The truth is union leaders will do as little as necessary to create a false sense of security among the union workers so that union leaders can continue to grift union workers pay with relative ease and security, and it is always at great expense to business that provides the job. This activity on the part of union leaders in conjunction with ever increasing govt. regulation has forced American businesses to leave America or close up shop. Union leaders hunger for easy money and the power that accompanies it in the same way that a meth user seeks meth while ultimately destroying themselves and damaging most of those they come in contact with.
the only ones unions hurt are the individual who could do so much better thinking and doing on ones own instead of being watched by dictate from union government corrupting, interrupting, paid pigs! Who only lead by violent example!
unions are great!! look what it did for Flint Mi.why they made the saleries,benifits,and retirement packages so high while labor motivatation and expectations became lower that those pesky easily accessible jobs that required minimal education and yet paid reasonable wages,made em disappeared.Unions are magic.