Tapsearch Com EditorProduction Workers Unions gone!
August 17th 2009 18:41
News and Society - Economics - Ray Tapajna Chronicles
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Union membership isn't what it used to be in the global economic arena - Why keep kicking a dead horse
Even when unions were arrogant more than twenty years ago, the average non union worker was better off. All workers were better off. ( I worked as several factory jobs while going to college full time. If these jobs were available today, there would be literally thousands in line applying including college graduates.) Still the free traders and many people blame the unions for our economic mess. They still do this even though our economy is based on making money on money instead of making things is burning out.
President Obama upside down trickle down economy based on big government bailing out big money will not work. And there is no way to pay for health care unless we go back to value added local economies that are balanced out to pay for our required social needs. President Obaman is a Globalist Free Trader and will never find that balance.
The private sector production workers are now just a small part of the total union population. ( And companies can no longer afford to pay the health care costs and compete in the global economic arena at the same time. ) Goverment workers and teachers represent 50 percent of union membeship now and they are now taking a hit, but not in any massive way like the production worker did.
The Teamsters and service workers' withdrawal from the AFL-CIO is truly a historical happening. The United States has gone through the most massive dislocation of jobs in history, while workers were told it was a good thing. Our federal government seeded the moving of factories outside this country starting in 1956, while the AFL-CIO kept supporting people like President Bill Clinton and Sen. John Kerry, who led the way in passing of the unfair NAFTA and GATT trade agreement that betrayed workers. The American Workers won World War 2 but over fifty years later the American Workers have lost it with millions of workers losing their jobs.
Finally the story is being told. While the AFL-CIO was considered to be the union of Steel-workers and other production workers, the membership of these groups dwindled to only 15 percent of the total union population, with the public-sector workers making up close to 50 percent.
Public workers never should have been part of the AFL-CIO. They are paid my the taxpayers. The taxpayers are their employer.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney came from the service and retail unions and was never in sync with the production workers. He led the way in making contribution to politicians, tools of change that never worked. He was in denial about millions losing their jobs due to Free Trade and Globalization. Perhaps, he was looking at a worldwide drive for union membership. This is only conjecture but one has to wonder why he supported those who led the way for Free Trade which devastated the union membership in the USA.
With this defection of the Teamsters and services union members, workers get a chance to regain their identities. If you are going to blame the unions for our economic problems, you unfortunately have to point your finger at teachers, police, fire workers and other public servants who in many cases now make twice as much as the people they serve. However, Free Trade will soon reach their front door too. Contract workers stand ready to take these jobs for lower pay with no pensions.
For more information and data, click on Unions here or Economic crisis forecasted years ago and House of Cards Economy article.
Bookmark
Union membership isn't what it used to be in the global economic arena - Why keep kicking a dead horse
Even when unions were arrogant more than twenty years ago, the average non union worker was better off. All workers were better off. ( I worked as several factory jobs while going to college full time. If these jobs were available today, there would be literally thousands in line applying including college graduates.) Still the free traders and many people blame the unions for our economic mess. They still do this even though our economy is based on making money on money instead of making things is burning out.
President Obama upside down trickle down economy based on big government bailing out big money will not work. And there is no way to pay for health care unless we go back to value added local economies that are balanced out to pay for our required social needs. President Obaman is a Globalist Free Trader and will never find that balance.
The private sector production workers are now just a small part of the total union population. ( And companies can no longer afford to pay the health care costs and compete in the global economic arena at the same time. ) Goverment workers and teachers represent 50 percent of union membeship now and they are now taking a hit, but not in any massive way like the production worker did.
The Teamsters and service workers' withdrawal from the AFL-CIO is truly a historical happening. The United States has gone through the most massive dislocation of jobs in history, while workers were told it was a good thing. Our federal government seeded the moving of factories outside this country starting in 1956, while the AFL-CIO kept supporting people like President Bill Clinton and Sen. John Kerry, who led the way in passing of the unfair NAFTA and GATT trade agreement that betrayed workers. The American Workers won World War 2 but over fifty years later the American Workers have lost it with millions of workers losing their jobs.
Finally the story is being told. While the AFL-CIO was considered to be the union of Steel-workers and other production workers, the membership of these groups dwindled to only 15 percent of the total union population, with the public-sector workers making up close to 50 percent.
Public workers never should have been part of the AFL-CIO. They are paid my the taxpayers. The taxpayers are their employer.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney came from the service and retail unions and was never in sync with the production workers. He led the way in making contribution to politicians, tools of change that never worked. He was in denial about millions losing their jobs due to Free Trade and Globalization. Perhaps, he was looking at a worldwide drive for union membership. This is only conjecture but one has to wonder why he supported those who led the way for Free Trade which devastated the union membership in the USA.
With this defection of the Teamsters and services union members, workers get a chance to regain their identities. If you are going to blame the unions for our economic problems, you unfortunately have to point your finger at teachers, police, fire workers and other public servants who in many cases now make twice as much as the people they serve. However, Free Trade will soon reach their front door too. Contract workers stand ready to take these jobs for lower pay with no pensions.
For more information and data, click on Unions here or Economic crisis forecasted years ago and House of Cards Economy article.
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