Originally posted by rapalla7Whether you like it or not, anyone who works for someone is in a us versus them situation.
Labor Unions....Any thoughts?
The them having all the power to decide over what you do, when you do it, how you do it, how much you get for it and why they should get rid of you when it so pleases them.
The them also become rich over the sweat of the Us camp's labour.
That's why you need a union. In a me - them situation you have no chance what-so-ever. If you can create an Us - them situation, you've at least bettered the odds.
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Originally posted by shavixmirthe unions have lost a lot of power recently-i mean, they're virtually loosing their power to strike. in the past, unions have brought down rebellions! (kapp putsch, Germany) but now they barely raise wages. were the firemen not promised this kidna ok pay deal, then it "fell through"?
Whether you like it or not, anyone who works for someone is in a us versus them situation.
The them having all the power to decide over what you do, when you do it, how you do it, how much you get for it and why they should get rid of y ...[text shortened]... create an Us - them situation, you've at least bettered the odds.
it's them Vs us. and 'them' are winning...
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Originally posted by rapalla7Unions are fine while they represent the interests of their members in the work environment, unfortunately thay have a habit of becoming huge organisation which develop their own opitical views and decide they should have a say on how governement as a whole works. Indeed, the whole election of union officials is a political party thing, and thats just plain wrong in my opinion. Unions are just another tainted part of the political system, huge power to a large extend unreprestitive of the general population.
Labor Unions....Any thoughts?
Any union leader who starts talking about his own political ideals should just be quickly shown the door.
Andrew
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Originally posted by rapalla7I think world wide they are declining in importance - the move is towards white collar workers who are difficult to lump together at a single wage and McJobs who could be but are too fragmented.
Labor Unions....Any thoughts?
Only real unions here are public sector ones - our old industrial wreckers from thirty years ago are almost extinct.
Originally posted by shavixmirEr... yeah. So in a large company, where does the proletariat stop and the burgeoisie begin? In the end most companies are not run by the people who own them, they're run by managers, who are employees just like the people at the bottom.
Whether you like it or not, anyone who works for someone is in a us versus them situation.
The them having all the power to decide over what you do, when you do it, how you do it, how much you get for it and why they should get rid of you when it so pleases them.
The them also become rich over the sweat of the Us camp's labour.
That's why you need ...[text shortened]... ance what-so-ever. If you can create an Us - them situation, you've at least bettered the odds.
If you have a system where people work in one company for their whole career, such as mining or teaching, unions are a great idea. But most areas of employment don't work like that; at the end of the day, if you don't like a job you can resign and look for work elsewhere. Companies have an incentive to treat employees well when they are competing for them.
Another problem with unions is that they are run for their existing members. They therefore have an incentive to make it harder for the company to employ new people (as this might threaten existing jobs), and this drives up unemployment. For example, in the past some male-dominated unions have been a considerable barrier to women getting jobs. It's especially bad if they run the country, because then everyone who doesn't belong to a union is disadvantaged - or would you propose a Retired People's Union, a union for housewives, or even better an Asylum Seekers' Union?
Originally posted by rapalla7Trade Unions are an essential part of society. Every worker should be in one.
Labor Unions....Any thoughts?
The relationship between employer and employee is an unequal one. Unions allow workers to work together to offset this imbalance to some extent.
Its well documented that workers in unionised workplaces have higher wages and generally have better conditions than those in non-unionised workplaces.
They're also important as a means of educating workers in the nature of work. Through conflict with their employers (which is inevitable), workers can learn about the nature of capitalism and maybe even what to do about it.
ive been in a union since starting work. but to be honest they promote unity, care and strength, sadly they get you to fight for these things at no cost to them. they are just politians which have no power, in the early 70,s we would strike for this or that, with union backing but not officialy, then after about 2 weeks they would anounce its official!!, then within the same day its settled evan before any meeting took place??? latter finding that the work we were doing had been 2 weeks ahead of time so the company did not have to lay off the workforce. sinical but true